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The moment Kaeya woke up, he knew it was going to be a bad day.
He felt tired and pain pulsed behind his eyes, despite the fact that he had not indulged in alcohol the previous night, and there was an uncomfortable tickle in the back of his throat.
He could feel himself shivering despite the rather warm temperature in this morning of early May.
Now, the intelligent and sensible thing to do, upon realizing he was going to be sick, would have been to take it easy, go back to bed, perhaps ask a neighbor or a friend to bring some medicine and pass a message to the Acting Grandmaster explaining his absence.
What Kaeya does instead is ignore it and go to work as usual.
He can’t go around getting sick.
First of all, he simply does not have time for it - his stack of paperwork is probably visibly increasing even as he thinks about it, and were he to be put on bed rest, it would all get passed on to Jean (whose own stack of paperwork tends to follow an exponential curve).
And secondly… It’s a question of ego, in a sense.
Kaeya is a cavalry-less Cavalry Captain, and so most of his work has turned to supporting the Acting Grandmaster, as well as undercover operations and information gathering. Therefore he is rarely seen doing what would be considered actual work, and as a consequence he’s developed his current reputation as a slacker.
It works well for his schemes, but it makes him feel as if he shouldn’t actually slack off.
He doesn’t want the people who’ve called him useless, undeserving of the Captain title, or of his Mondstadian nationality to be proven right.
And, well. It’s just a little cold ; how bad could it get ?
Very bad.
The answer is very bad .
By the time he’s made it to the Ordo Favonius headquarters (and cursed whoever decided Mondstadt city should be built with so many stairs at least a dozen times in his head), he’s out of breath, dizzy, and his slight tiredness has turned into a pounding headache.
He managed to soldier through the Captains’ morning assembly, but his report must have been not quite as good as usual, given several people side-eyed him as he hid a few coughs behind his hand.
Eula even corners him as they exit the meeting room, snapping at him to explain what is wrong with him.
“Nothing, nothing, my dear Frostwind knight ! I am merely feeling a little under the weather. I must have gone a bit overboard during my last outing at Angel’s Share, you know how it is, don’t you ?” he chuckles. Unfortunately, his chuckling turns to coughing halfway through, making the blue-haired woman frown harder.
“Do you take me for a fool ?” the Lawrence heir growls.
“Really, I’m not - “
“Stop deflecting, you idiot !” she says, stepping forward.
Before he can dodge, Eula lays her Cryo-cooled hand on his forehead, and Kaeya can’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
“I will have my revenge on your body for that,” she mutters. In Eula talk, this must mean ‘Get well soon’ or something equivalent. “You should not be here right now.”
“Ah, really, I’m flattered that you’re worried about me, but I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse before, you know ?” Kaeya gives a more genuine smile.
Flustered, his fellow Captain only glares harder, stepping back and crossing her arms.
(Kaeya doesn’t lean forward to follow her blessedly cool hand as she does so. He doesn’t.)
“I am not worried about a fool like you ! It is just unwise to go around while ill, as you could infect others. And it will impede your work… And just because you’ve had worse before doesn’t mean you should suffer now,” she mutters the last part so low that for a second Kaeya isn’t sure he heard correctly.
“I’ll be careful, I’ll just take a nap during my lunch break and I’ll be as good as new afterward ! And if it’s not the case, I’ll go home and ask Jean for sick leave,” he bargains, aware that Eula could and would throw him over her shoulder to bring him back to his apartment and tuck him in bed like a toddler if she decides he can’t be trusted to take care of himself.
(He can’t be trusted for many things. This is only one of them, and probably the least dangerous one.)
“Fine. But if I still see you here tomorrow, looking like you do at the moment, be aware that my vengeance shall be unlike anything you’ve ever seen !” she proclaims.
The intimidating effect is somewhat mitigated by the fact she not so discreetly slips him a few mint candies for his throat while leaving.
He manages to dodge the concerns of the others knights for the rest of the morning -
Or he thinks he does, at least. His reputation means the knights he is in charge of do not question him.
Usually.
“Sir Kaeya, are you really sure you’re okay ?” Huffman frets as he delivers yet another pile of paperwork to his desk.
“Positive, my dear knight,” Kaeya grits through his teeth, as his headache reminds him of some of the worst hangovers he ever had - minus the fun part of being tipsy and relaxed.
“But… you don’t look…”
“Huffman. Are you questioning your Captain’s decisions ?”
It’s not often that Kaeya pulls rank on others. Given the way Huffman pales and suddenly straightens into the perfect Favonius Rulebook posture - so fast Kaeya is almost sure he heard something crack in the other man’s spine - he knows it too, and he knows he shouldn’t push.
“Apologies, Captain. You’re right, of course, and I shouldn’t bother you anymore. I’ll… Uh… I’ll go and patrol !”
“You do that, Huffman,” Kaeya sighs, giving a half-hearted handwave in response to the knight's rigorous salute as he leaves.
He slumps back on his desk with a groan the moment the door closes.
Perhaps he should actually go home…
A single look at the pile of paperwork next to him, and he abandons the idea.
Too much ! Why is there so much paperwork ?!
Sometimes, Kaeya really wants to agree with Diluc ; why are the Knights of Favonius so inefficient for such things..?
As the clock from the office next to his strikes two and wakes him up, Kaeya realizes he did in fact take that lunch nap he told Eula about.
Well. One less lie to worry about, although he really wasn’t planning on sleeping that much…
He yawns, stretches his arms, and blinks at the small red blanket with Dodoco-shaped patterns that falls from his shoulders at the motion.
Was Klee here..?
He spots two pieces of paper under a small glass bottle being used as a paperweight on his desk.
The first one turns out to be yet another crayon art piece of his favorite Spark Knight - and it’ll go join the other on his rapidly filling wall, pinned between some of the (slightly scorched) pressed flowers brought back by Razor and Bennett after one of their adventures, a few poems by his dear Prinssezin der Vertulung, a couple of sketches from Albedo (mostly those three-strokes doodles of him he tends to do when bored), and a single Kamera picture of Jean, Diluc and him soon after he joined the Knights, almost entirely hidden behind the rest of the knick-knacks.
The other piece is a neatly penned note from Albedo, explaining that Klee had wanted to go to Starfell Cliff with him, but saw him asleep and decided to let him borrow her blanket instead. The drawing is a gift from her too, though Kaeya could guess as much given the little smiling blue and blond haired stick people holding hands on it. And the glass bottle contains some painkillers developed by Sucrose and him, just in case he needs it.
Kaeya's heart swells.
For all he says he’s “completely estranged from human relationships and their intricacies”, the Chief Alchemist is quite the caring person.
Good thing he took Klee away, too. Kaeya isn’t sure what kind of illness he’s caught, and what effects it would have on the little elf’s immune system. It’s better to avoid being close to her and risk contaminating her.
…Even if he does wish she could be here. Klee has a way of cheering him up when he’s feeling down, no matter the reason.
Sighing, he pops two pills in his mouth, wash them down with a single glass of stale water that has been on his desk for hours already, gags a little - Archons, it has to be effective, but Sucrose and her mentor should really work on making it taste better as well.
Between his nap and the painkillers, he feels better already.
If he can just manage to finish most of that paperwork today, he’ll go home, have a good night of sleep, and tomorrow he’ll certainly feel better and be able to do patrols and the likes as usual. He could even take it easy a little, go chat with the grandmas, nags Diluc since he does the Tuesday’s evenings shifts at Angel’s Share and he hasn’t been here in a while…
Reinvigorated, Kaeya picks up his fountain pen and picks the first sheet on top of the pile.
So that was a mistake.
Probably.
The painkillers’ effects wore off hours ago, so he popped two more in his mouth, then those wore off too, and he was going to take some more but he saw the red, bold warning about overdosing that medicine scribbled in Sucrose’s writing on the back of the bottle, and it said something about internal and external bleeding and necrosis and loss of hair and -
So no more painkillers for the day, at least.
But the paperwork pile was still here, and so Kaeya was too, working even as he felt the headaches and the throat pains and the cough came back with a vengeance.
(Would Eula be proud ? He thinks not.)
Finally, as the clock strikes six-thirty, he emerges from his office, slightly stumbling as spots dance in his vision - whoops, he forgot to eat today, didn’t he ? He felt slightly nauseous in the morning, and then Huffman was distracting him, and then he fell asleep…
He clutches the paperwork harder, and decidedly marches to Jean’s office.
He just needs to drop that off, and then he can go home for the evening, and tomorrow everything will be fine.
He knocks on the door to her office, enters without waiting -
Jean and Lisa both stare at him, and he winces. Yeah, he is clearly not at his best. Everyone has seen through his mask today. That’s honestly kinda annoying.
“Kaeya - “ Jean starts saying.
“Good evening to you too, my dear Acting Grandmaster ! And good evening to our lovely librarian too !” Kaeya sing songs, cutting Jean before she can offer him more unneeded concern.
“My, are you sure it’s a good evening for you ?” Lisa asks slyly.
“Why wouldn’t it be ?” Kaeya deflects.
“Kaeya, we’ve all seen that you weren’t feeling well today,” Jean sighs, rubbing her eyes. Coming from the chronic overworker who has passed out in the street before when she was the one not feeling well , this sounds very hypocritical.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kaeya lies.
And then he coughs, and Jean stares judgmentally at him.
“Just got some spit down the wrong pipe, haha, you know - “
“Kaeya.”
“It’s nothing !”
“Kaeya, I can help - “ Jean insists, Anemo already swirling across her hands.
“I don’t need help ! I’m fine, really !” he lies.
“ Kaeya . You’re not fine,” Jean groans.
“Pot, meet kettle,” he mutters with a pointed look toward her eye bags.
Lisa snickers, and Jean throws her girlfriend a venomous laugh.
“This isn’t about me, it’s about you,” the Acting Grandmaster tries again, straightening up and taking her best “I am in command” voice.
“Well, as much as I agree our dear Jean should take a break, I can force her to do that soon. You, however, clearly need a break, but won’t take it,” Lisa adds.
“Oh, come on ! Why are you such a worrywarts, huh ? I’m not - ” Kaeya whines, before being interrupted by another coughing fit.
“That’s exactly why.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine, it’s just a slight cough, nothing important - “
“No offense, cutie,” Lisa starts, which means he’s definitely going to take offense to whatever she says next, “But you’re really like an alley cat.”
“Like a cat..?” Jean mutters, confused.
“Full of feline grace, and unwilling to deal with people’s bullshit ?” Kaeya wonders, but he has a feeling that it’s not what the witch is referring to.
“No, no, I mean perhaps, whatever help you sleep at night -”
“Lisa !”
“...But it’s mostly that you act like one.”
“How - “
“They’re known to find a small, dark, quiet place to die all alone the moment they get injured or badly sick.”
He wasn’t expecting that .
“That’s - I’m not - I don’t…” Kaeya splutters. It’s not helping his sore throat.
“Oh. Lisa is right,” Jean mutters, traitor that she is.
“No she isn’t !”
“Yes I am. How many times did we have to drag you screaming and kicking to the Church to get healed after getting sick or injured, hmmm ? The answer is every single time , cutie.”
“That’s not the same thing at all,” Kaeya mutters, embarrassed.
“Well, maybe if you stop hiding grievous injuries and actually accept our help and suggestions to rest when you start getting sick, we will reconsider the comparison,” Jean offers.
“...You’re hurting an incapacitated man. It’s unfair,” Kaeya pouts, hiding a cough in his fist.
Neither Jean nor Lisa looks impressed.
“You wouldn’t be ‘incapacitated’ if you had listened. Your fault,” Lisa snorts.
“Take some medicine and rest for once in your life, Kaeya. I suggest taking a day off, if not more,” Jean sighs. “You might still get a worse fever or more throat pains later otherwise.”
“I won’t !”
He did.
“Wow. You look like shit,” Rosaria deadpans.
“Thanks Rosie. You too,” Kaeya rasps.
His voice sounds like he’s the one smoking cigarette after cigarette behind the Church every day.
His eye is bleary and red-rimmed, every single breath he takes is raspy, and painful coughs escape him at every other inspiration. He’s sprawled in his bed, night clothes half askew, skin flushed red and sweaty.
“So what’s up with you ?” Rosaria asks, gesturing at his overall state.
“I’m dying,” Kaeya answers, looking her dead in the eyes.
“You’re not dying, Sir Kaeya. You have a mild case of strep throat, as well as a fever, due to not resting nor seeking medical attention earlier,” Barbara corrects as she emerges from his kitchen, frowning at his poor joke.
“Well I feel like I’m dying,” Kaeya mutters, and then he’s hacking out his lungs so hard that the nun could almost believe his earlier statement.
But then again, the more benign the injury, the more dramatic the Cavalry Captain tends to be. She’s seen him get skewered by a Fatui agent without flinching, but he cries when he gets a splinter in his fingertip.
The duality of man, or whatever.
“You’re just sick, Sir Kaeya,” Barbara repeats as she offers him a glass of… something. It’s a weird, purplish color. “And you need to refill your kitchen cabinet. I had to throw what was left in your Mistflower box, it was moldy.”
“M’not sick. I’m an Alberich. Alberichs don’t get sick.” the blue-haired man mutters, ignoring the rest of the healer’s sentence.
“You’re human, and all humans get sick, idiot. Listen to the Deaconess and drink the damn thing, you’re definitely sick,” Rosaria huffs.
Kaeya pouts.
“Tell Klee she’s getting all of my stuff when I die,” Kaeya rasps, a hand on his forehead and the other clutching his bed cover in a perfect picture of an ailing maiden from an old book.
“You’re not dying,” Barbara says again, starting to look irritated.
“I don’t get any of your shit ?” Rosaria asks.
“Ah. Yeah, you’re getting all my knives. And also, the books are going to Albedo. And you two can do whatever you want with what’s in my lingerie drawer. I don’t want Klee to see that .”
“Nice. And gross,” the nun answers.
“If you’re done unnecessarily planning your will, drink that,” Barbara interrupts. “Unless you do want the cough to get worse.”
Kaeya makes a face, pinch his nose, and drinks the foul-smelling mixture at once. He gags as he puts it down.
“Can’t get used to the taste,” he shudders. “S’ry Rosie. That medicine makes me drowsy, I’m probably going to sleep soon. I’m sure you missed my company and wanted to stay and gossip with me for much longer - “
“I’m going. Don’t die. Bye,” Rosaria deadpans, turning around immediately.
She can hear a small laugh coming from the Deaconess, and she guesses the Cavalry Captain must be doing quite the funny face.
“Seriously, don’t die. We need to go get shitfaced next week,” she adds as the door is about to close behind her.
“No drinking until he’s fully recovered ! And even after that - “
“Barbaraaaaaaaaaaaa…”
It’s a slow night at Angel’s Share.
A few regulars are out cold on the first floor, and Rosaria is surprised they haven’t been kicked out.
The small bard is the only one sitting at the counter. His half-full pint makes it clear he’s more interested in pestering the red-haired bartender than getting drunk tonight.
“Good evening, Sister Rosaria,” Diluc Ragnvindr says, his tone polite yet bored.
“Rosariaaaaaa ! Hey, Kaeya isn’t with you ? I haven’t seen him here in a few days, I miss my drinking buddy !” Venti whines.
Rosaria opens her mouth -
And she sees the glance the bard throws to the bartender, and the way there is a small flash of worry in those red eyes, gone as fast as it came. She thinks of Kaeya, complaining to Barbara. She thinks of the fact that the last time he got almost cleaved in half by a Mitachurl, she caught glimpses of the elusive Dark Knight Hero around the Church. She thinks of the fact that despite these glimpses, Kaeya was all alone in the Cathedral’s medical room once the other Knights returned to their duties.
In an instant, Rosaria makes a decision.
“He’s dying,” she says, voice flat and emotionless.
The bard spits out the mouthful of beer he just drank, coughing hard.
The glass the bartender was polishing drops to the ground, the crash waking up one of the drunkards on the first floor.
“Dying ? The winds have not told me anything about - “ Venti mutters, eyes wide, beer dripping down his chin.
“...Surely Sister Rosaria must be mistaken,” Diluc Ragnvindr says. His voice is slightly shaking. His skin has gotten so pale his red eyes and hair stands out even more.
“Well, he told me himself he was dying,” Rosaria shrugs. “Then again, we both know he’s a liar… He was bedridden and not looking good, so make of it what you want.”
A lie, a truth.
Kaeya has taught her well.
“And the Cavalry Captain is not the kind of man to let himself be seen as weak…” Venti adds, somehow helping her out without meaning to.
Diluc Ragnvindr somehow pales even further.
His rag is thrown somewhere behind him, and he jumps over the counter, grabbing his coat on the way.
“Keep an eye on the tavern, Venti ! I’ll be back later,” the Wine Tycoon barks, running out the door like his life depends on it. Or not his life, but someone’s else…
If it turns out to be a shitshow, Rosaria will apologize to Kaeya later.
But she thinks it’s time for these idiots to get their heads out of their asses and realize what’s important.
“Hey, gimme a Death After Noon. And don’t add it to my tab,” the nun says, turning to the bard.
Barbara’s concoction did make Kaeya drowsy, but he’s still a light sleeper, and so he’s immediately woken up by the urgent knocking at his door.
He blearily blinks at the ceiling of his room. Huh, there’s a spider up there.
Wait . Who could be at the door ?
Barbara has a spare set of his keys - which he never gave her, but he’s pretty sure Jean was the one to make a copy of all the Captains’ house keys since the younger Gunnhildr is all but their unofficial healer at this point. So it’s not Jean either, since she still have her own set, nor Albedo because he would come with Klee and she has his other spare keys, and Rosaria would just comes through the windows -
The knocking doesn’t stop ; it somehow gets even louder.
With a huff - and another wracking cough - Kaeya wrestles with his comforters and extra pillows, his legs trembling like a newborn fawn as he gets up.
The knocking stops, and there’s a loud sound, and Kaeya hurry up because whoever is at his front door seems to be losing patience. And he rather likes his current front door - it would be a pity to have to replace it.
Unfortunately, hurrying up was a bad idea given his current state ; Kaeya manages to open the door of his room and take a few steps down the corridor, and then the walls are tilting and the ground coming up -
Ah. He’s about to kiss the floor. That’s going to hurt.
He hears another sound, perhaps a shout, but it’s muffled by the cotton in his head, and he closes his eye. How embarrassing, to have someone witness him in such a situation -
But instead of cold hardwood, he gets a faceful of warm black fur, with a few stray red hairs among it.
“Oh my Barbatos, Kaeya ! Why are you - You should be in your bed, given your condition !” Diluc Ragnvindr frets.
Kaeya blinks.
Barbara’s potion made him dizzy, sure, but he’s never had hallucinations before. That’s a new one. He should tell the deaconess about it the next time she comes to visit him - albeit, this hallucination feels strangely real…
It’s warm like the real Diluc.
Kaeya blinks again, and he’s back in his room.
Diluc manhandles him until he’s back to lying in his bed, covered to the neck by his comforter.
“Do I even weigh anything to you ?” he rasps.
“No, it’s like holding a couple of grapes,” his brother answers absentmindedly.
Kaeya would be offended, if he wasn’t so bewildered. He’s pretty sure hallucinations can’t carry you, so this Diluc is probably real. What is he doing in his house, though..?
“What’re you doing in my house ?” he asks. And then horrible possibilities come to his mind, and he struggles to sit up : “Is the city on fire ? Is the Abyss Order attacking ? Oh, Archon, is someone dying ?!”
Diluc forces him back down with one hand.
“The city isn’t on fire, and the Abyss Order isn’t attacking,” he starts, voice gentle in a way he hasn’t heard him use in years. “...And the only one dying is you .”
“Oh, that’s goo - wait, what ?” Kaeya splutters, and then a wracking cough steals his breath.
Diluc wastes no time pouring him a glass of water, bringing it to his lips, and then patting his back to help settle the ache in his chest as the coughing dies down. He’s so… gentle .
Kaeya is pretty sure he was joking, earlier, when he said he was dying.
But with the way Diluc is acting…
“I think I’m not dying ?” he answers hesitantly, now doubting himself.
“Kaeya, can you stop lying for once in your life ?” Diluc huffs tiredly, rubbing a hand over his eyes. They’re a bit red-rimmed.
Did he cry earlier ? Would he cry if Kaeya were to die ?
No, there's no way. It’s probably a coincidence. It’s pollen season after all, it’s more likely that his brother’s allergies are acting up.
“But… I’m not lying…” he mutters, confused. “Barbara said I’d be fine as long as I listened to her… I mean I wasn’t really planning to, because she wants me off works for days , but - “
“For fucks’ sake, Kaeya, can you listen to the healer for once in your life ?! You’ve always been like that, hiding your injuries and pretending you were gonna be fine even when you clearly weren’t, I swear that attitude used to give Father’s premature grey hairs - “ Diluc barks. And then he brutally stops : “...What do you mean, Barbara said you’d be fine ? What - What exactly happened to you ?”
“Went to work, everyone said I was sick, but I wasn’t ! …Or not that bad, I could have managed. But then Jean tattled to Barbara and - “ Kaeya rambles.
“Get to the point ! ...Please.”
“I’ve got a fever, ‘nd strep throat. Everything hurts,” he admits. Might as well be honest for once in his life. After all, it’s not like Diluc can think even more lowly of him, right ?
“...Oh, that fucking nun,” Diluc swears under his breath, but Kaeya hears him. He frowns.
“What did Rosaria says ? Wait, that still doesn’t explain why you are here ?”
Diluc avoids his eye, instead preferring to glare at his wallpaper, mouth pinched.
“D’luc ?” Kaeya coughs.
“Urgh. She tricked me. She said… Well, that you were, uh, severely incapacitated .”
That still doesn’t explain why the redhead is currently in his room. Why would he care about Kaeya being incapacitated ? Unless…
“M’going back to work the moment I can, don’t worry.”
Now that get Diluc to snap his head back at him and look him in the eyes.
“Wh - Why are you - “
“I am not so weak that a little illness like that will stop me. Don’t w’rry, tomorrow I’ll be up and taking care of the Treasure Hoarders and such jus’ fine ! The Darknight Hero won’t need to pull extra hours. I know you don’t think much of me, but - “
“Kaeya, what the fuck is wrong with you ?!” Diluc shouts.
“Uhm - “
“You’re practically bedridden precisely because you can’t fucking take care of yourself, and you plan to go back to work and abuse your body even more tomorrow ? And for what, stupid Treasure Hoarders ? Look at you ! You can’t even stand without wobbling, and your speech is half slurred ! You’re really gonna get yourself killed if you keep this up, idiot !”
“But - “
“No but, you piece of shit ! You’re sick, so do the sensible thing and rest until you get better ! I’ll tie you down this bed myself if I have too, but you’re not getting out until the deaconess has given her approval. Your health is more important ! And also I’m gonna file a complaint with these useless Knights, because obviously they’re overworking you and this is one of the reasons you’re currently in that state,” Diluc sneers.
Kaeya stares, wide-eyed and speechless at the redhead’s anger - because, for once, it’s not directed at him.
“Why does it matter ?” the blue haired man wants to ask. “ To die for Mondsatdt’s defense, isn’t it the highest honor a spy such as me can ever expect to achieve ? Why would you care for my health ? Don’t you hate me ?”
“W-why are you mad..?” is what he finally manages to mumble.
“Why wouldn’t I be mad ?! You’re acting as if - as if you’re just some sort of - of meat shield to be used by the Knights ! Do you think no one would care if you died, huh ?! Is that how little you think of Jean and Adeline and - “
“Wha - no ! I don’t - I mean, it’s not… I’m not… But why would it matters - “
“ YOU MATTER , you insufferable prick !” Diluc finally screams, cutting him off.
There’s a second of silence as the redhead catches his breath.
“You matter, because you’re well-liked by Mondstadt’s people, and you’re Jean’s childhood friend, and one of the only one that enjoys the company of weirdos like Albedo and Eula and Rosaria, and you’re one of Klee’s big brothers, and you’re my only brother ,” he finishes softly. He then forcefully scrubs a hand over his eyes - they’re suspiciously wet.
Not that Kaeya would judge him ; his own eye stings with how hard he’s blinking to hold back the tears. He’s a grown man, a Captain, how weak of him would it be to cry -
But maybe it’s okay. Maybe he can be weak in front of Diluc, in front of his big brother.
Maybe he doesn’t keep him around just because he can make himself useful. Maybe that’s not why the others hang out with him either.
With a pathetic sniffle, he raises his arms and makes a grabby hands gesture toward the redhead.
Diluc lets out a snort, but he understands.
Kaeya gets another faceful of Diluc’s coat fur as his brother hugs him - it’s really warm. It’s nice.
It smells like home.
“You’re an idiot,” Diluc mutters in his hair. “But you’re my idiot brother, and you’re not allowed to die for something that stupid.”
“Am I allowed to die for something less stupid, then ?” Kaeya retorts with a smirk.
“No. Fuck off. I’m gonna keep you alive out of spite.”
“But what if the Abyss - “
“Spite is a powerful motivator. Don’t try me.”
Kaeya snickers - and then he gets into another coughing fit, Diluc reluctantly letting him go in order to give him one more glass of water.
“You’re really looking bad,” the redhead winces.
“Hey, I take offense ! …And with how much I’ve coughed on you, you might end up in the same state,” Kaeya realizes. “Sorry, you probably - you shouldn’t be staying here.”
Diluc looks at him unimpressed.
“Please. You shouldn't be left alone. And I can take care of myself ; I would never end that sick.”
Five days later, Kaeya smirks as he skips up the stairs of Dawn Winery, a steaming bowl of soup in his hands. He whistles as he opens the door to the master bedroom, and saunters inside.
“Look what I brought you, my dear lovely brother ~!” he sing songs. “Don’t worry, I will take care of you just as well as you did for me.”
A sniffling, feverish, coughing Diluc glares at him from his bed.