Work Text:
Kaeya had a growing migraine, worse than usual. He just took it for the changing seasons, something about the rainy season never did well with him. He finished up what paperwork he had left; sitting up finding himself overcome with dizziness.
He closed his eyes tightly, he'd be fine, his work was more important than some minor cold. Opening his eyes and taking a breath he stood up heading out for patrol.
He pushed himself the entire week finishing the deployment maps even after Jean insisted he take a break.
"I'll be fine, it's just a cold."
"And it's been 'just' a cold all week. I'm relieving you of your duty, go home get some rest- and lay off of the wine."
"Yes, acting grandmaster." He said playfully and meeting Jean's eyes she had concern lacing her features. He frowned some and nodded packing what he needed and left.
He considered heading to the tavern but Amber just left earlier to meet with other guards there. He'd go later when there was a less likely chance of being snitched on. He headed out of the city; he'd do a small patrol and clear his mind. Yeah, that seemed like a fine idea.
He took down the hilichurls not quite as easily as he'd like, but he would have gotten away unscathed until a mage decided to appear. He barely had time to process it was behind him when it got a shot in and he fell forward in pain.
Landing on the ground the mage moved closer but he noticed it's shield down; it being previously injured. He used his vision creating a sharp spear of ice summoning it forth from a puddle as like a spear it impaled the mage through it's back skewering it. The mage dissipated and he was left breathing heavily. His migraine came back in full force and between that and his injury he was done for. He turned over onto his back, his laboring breaths filling the unusual silence of the woods.
He gasped the pain in his back becoming unbearable; he probably shouldn't have had his back to the ground then. He imagined how hellish it'd be to clean the dirt and blood from the wound, the possible infection but-
The ground was cool and his head was pounding, even worse than earlier.. he could lay there just a moment.
Diluc was running late, he needed to be at the angels share for restock. He cursed himself for forgetting about the time. He took off, he could glide if he took towards the Highlands and make it in half the time without taking any horses or carriage.
He found himself on some of the older trails and- that was a person. An abandoned hilichurl camp nearby and someone on the ground he went over quickly and as he got closer he realized he recognized the figure. He cursed surveying the area before crouching down by the man shaking him. There was a lot of blood- shit.
Kaeya thankfully woke up drowsy likely from the blood loss he looked confused mumbling, "...luc?"
Diluc was surprised by the name but pushed his own thoughts down, "what happened?" He pulled kaeya up as the man helped but barely. "Mage. shouldn't have happened.." he coughed and diluc frowned. Kaeya had always been sensitive when he got sick like his body never adjusted to the surface world.
"Are you sick?" He hissed at the man and before Kaeya even came up with a response he had removed his glove and put his hand to Kaeya's forehead.
"Why does everyone keep asking that.." he muttered and diluc's eyes narrowed, "maybe because you have a fever. Idiot."
Diluc tossed out any badblood between them since Kaeya was this out of it. No snarky comments or facades we're visjnke from the bluenette, just his idiot baby brother.
It made him angry, not towards kaeya but in a protectiveness he hadn't felt in years. It would be so much easier just to throw him into someone else's care but he couldn't bring himself to.
"Can you walk?" He asked, gentler this time and Kaeya shrugged before hissing in pain, the cut lacing up to his shoulders on his back.
Diluc sighed, "you'll hate me in the morning." Kaeya was spacing out now, not a good sign. He pushed his legs to a bent position so he could get his arms under his legs and behind his back..
Kaeya looked sick but just put his face to diluc's chest.
It was so similar to another scene in their childhood minus the bleeding but Diluc started down back towards the winery.
"Adeline!" He called out as he entered and the maid walked out from the kitchen spotting him holding Kaeya who had passed out. "Master Diluc what happened- oh, I'll send for a medic." He shook his head and she looked concerned but left to grab medical supplies instead.
He sighed quietly looking down at the man in his arms. He'd just throw Kaeya in his own bed since the old guest room wasn't made. He went up the stairs with the man heading inside and putting him down carefully. He could afford new sheets to deal with the blood.
Kaeya was passed out either from exhaustion, fever or any other ailment. He flipped the captain over onto his stomach and stripped him of the jacket and other garments to expose his back. The cut wasn't too deep but was caked in dirt and mud. Infection setting in likely as he felt warmth around the length of the cut.
"Idiot" he muttered as Adelinde came back with a bowl of water, rags, and a medical kit. She cleaned out the wound as he prepped the kit taking over when she was done. She left the room soon after, he'd apologize later for the stressful situation.
He stitched the wound and then wrapped bandages to secure gauze and antibiotic ointments. The Calvary captain had awakened but wasn't quite lucid. Adeline returned with supplies for his cold. She wiped his face with a cloth before putting a cool cloth on his forehead.
Adeline left the room leaving the two there and Kaeya in his sickly state reached for Diluc grabbing his wrist weakly. "It's cold."
"You're burning up how can you be cold?" He retorted but Kaeya merely pushed his brother's hand up to cup his cheek leaning into the heat emitting from it. Diluc sighed, "you're going to be pissed at me if you remember any of this."
Kaeya hummed, "don't care. I'm cold." He tugged on Diluc's arm and Diluc's eyes narrowed, "that is not happening. You're not eleven anymore and I'm not a too nice thirteen year old- besides I'm not letting you get me sick."
"This is a shitty dream." Kaeya mumbled and Diluc realized, that's why he's acting like this.
Diluc let out a breath as he kicked off his boots and shrugged off his coat and gloves. Kaeya was slipping back into sleep as he lifted the covers and hugged Kaeya. "You better not get mad at me when you're lucid."
"Nev'r mad at you." Kaeya mumbled before falling asleep and Diluc sighed quietly. He raised his body temperature some and Kaeya was cold as shit.. but he asked for this.
_______
Kaeya was the first to wake up between the two. Diluc wrapped around spooning him and he- couldn't bring himself to shove the man off. It felt good with his warmth at his side.
He closed his eyes again as there was a light knock on the door. He wasn't grabbing it. The door opened and there was a stifled gasp. Adelinde. She walked over to them smooth out this hair from his face and taking the rag replacing it on his head. She tucked the two of them in further Aswell.
He creaked and eye open for only a moment to see her leave. He decided he could sleep in a bit longer especially if adelinde was letting it slide. He shuffled some and diluc only pulled him closer mumbling some nonsense in his sleep.
He woke up to Diluc no longer being in the bed. He left to do work likely. He sighed quietly pushing himself up and took a moment. It felt like the world was spinning and he fisted the sheets and closed his eyes waiting for it to stop.
The door opened and he opened his eyes and there was that red mane of hair, "ah, you're awake." Diluc said bringing over a tray of what seemed like.. soup?
"Adelinde went to run errands and we've informed the knights of your temporary absence which acting grandmaster jean seemed relieved at." He placed the bed table down and slid the tray onto it.
Kaeya took a moment, this was all so uncharacteristic. Diluc wasn't being snide.. maybe jean asked him to take care of him.?
"Kaeya?" It was Diluc and he looked up finally, "sorry.. still out of it."
"Do you need anything?" Diluc asked and Kaeya shook his head which was the wrong move as he grabbed at his eye patch.
Diluc frowned and seemed hesitant but then untied the eye patch taking it off putting his hand over it for a moment grabbing a cold rag and placing it over his eye.
It soothed some of the pain, "thankyou." He mumbled and Diluc hummed, Diluc was one of the few people who could get away with a move like that, he'd seen what his other eye was like as a kid.
"You still have those migraines?" Diluc asked and Kaeya hummed, "sometimes, just when I'm sick is it bad though."
Diluc bristled at that, "and you said you weren't sick earlier."
"Did I?" He asked and Diluc rolled his eyes, "you were half out from blood loss so I'm sure you wouldn't remember.. not that you'd want to consider I carried you ho-here." Diluc picked up the spoon holding it to Kaeya's face... And in all honesty he didn't feel like moving much more than talking and breathing and opened his mouth as Diluc spoon fed him.
"Are you sure you're lucid currently?" Diluc asked and Kaeya hummed, "dunno.. still tired."
Diluc sighed.. in relief possibly?
He'd finished the bow as Diluc picked up everything, "I'll be back" he assured leaving the room as Kaeya closed his eyes.
Diluc came back in what seemed like forever to him and sat down on the bed next to him feeling his forehead. He frowned some, "can I brush your hair?" He asked and Kaeya huffed quietly, "you spoon fed me, carried me here, and removed my eye patch but toe the line at doing my hair?"
Diluc opened his mouth to respond but frowned, "I suppose you're right.. but still-"
"Yes, you can.. not like 'm gonna do anything soon." He responded as Diluc shifted himself further onto the bed and re positioned Kaeya's back to be infront of him. Kaeya closed his eyes as the man grabbed a hair brush from the nightstand begining to comb through it. Starting at the bottom and moving up..
It felt like not a day had passed like they were kids again and it was just another spring morning where he was unlucky enough to catch a virus. It didn't help as Diluc hummed quietly, a song he'd faintly remembered hearing once before.. he felt his limbs growing tired again as Diluc sectioned out his hair beginning to braid it.
If only he cared this much about his own appearance.
Diluc rolled his eyes, "you do realize you said that out loud." He groaned and Diluc chuckled lightly. He tied off the braid and let Kaeya lay back down again.
"Do you want your eye patch back on?" He asked and Kaeya shook his head.
"s' just you right now." He mumbled and Diluc nodded, "I'll be back in a moment, but you should rest."
He finally let his tiredness consume him again humming quietly and falling asleep.
Diluc sighed quietly watching Kaeya's breathing even out again. Kaeya was seriously out of it if he was letting him get away with this much, he hadn't realized all the boundaries and lines he'd crossed until Kaeya pointed them out.
Seeing Kaeya in his current state made him forget everything.
Years ago all those lines and boundaries wouldn't have been a thought and here he was acting like nothing had changed, like there wasn't years of bad blood and resentment between the two of them.
He got up to grab some documents from his study and come back and fill them out here. So he could keep a watch over Kaeya.
He found himself unable to work efficiently filling out a few of the documents but found himself glancing over to the sleeping knight too often. Kaeya looked at ease for once his usual smirk and sly demeanor had vanished and he was just relaxed.
That was broken as a scowl replaced his relaxed features shaking his head some. He mumbled words in a language he'd become too familiar with over the years. He got up shaking the man some, "Kaeya. C'mon, wake up."
Kaeya's eyes flew open as he grabbed Diluc's arm about to freeze it when he realized who it was. He relaxed letting his hand drop. "sorry." He murmured and Diluc shook his head, "don't apologize, I should have known."
Kaeya hummed looking at Diluc scanning his features for a moment. "Can you-" he cut himself off and diluc raised a brow, "what do you need?"
"...forget about it Diluc." Kaeya was obviously a lot more lucid and diluc could see his walls growing again and he-
He pulled Kaeya into his arms like no time had passed and he was thankful to see him relax again. Kaeya laid his head against his chest.
"I miss this." Kaeya mumbled and Diluc wasn't sure what to say just rubbing circles into Kaeya's back as his little brother held onto him like this would be the last time..
He didn't want this to be the last time though.
He didn't want to go back to their snide remarks and comments. Their conversations amounting to nothing but bickering and snide remarks. He'd missed this, just talking with his brother, maybe not taking care of him being sick or finding him bleeding on the ground- but being able to be around him without walking on eggshells or protecting himself from being hurt by pushing him away.
He held Kaeya close, "you don't have to anymore. I'll be here. Anything you need."
It wasn't quite an I love you but it was improvement, extending an offer and promise.
Kaeya buried his face into his chest and he knew maybe things could get better.