Work Text:
Kamui had always been a voracious reader, but when he travelled to the First, he became even more infatuated with books. So much so that he would decline invitations to experience the First, well, first hand. The possibilities for new knowledge, new stories, new powers that came from these books had Kamui entranced. He didn’t realise that time was truy passing. Not until he was summoned by Exarch one day and his legs collapsed as soon as he tried to put weight on them.
Ah… This might be a problem , Kamui thought to himself as called out to Alphinaud, who was in the next room.
Perhaps Alphinaud wasn’t the wisest of choices, Kamui realised as Alphinaud all but pissed in his breeches as he ran over to help the ‘Indestructible’ Warrior of both Light and Darkness up from the floor.
By the time they had actually reached the Ocular, Thancred had taken Alphinaud’s place in all but carrying Kamui, and the remainder of the Scions had since converged around them and began either asking concerned questions or berating Kamui for being so foolish.
When Exarch saw Kamui’s state, he almost hit him across the back of the head, but instead just sighed in disappointment. Kamui had been bookish even back on the Source, it was only natural for him to spiral into an uncontrollable pit of reading and nothing else when he arrived on the First and his main mission was completed.
“Thancred, bring him to my room, I will see that he gets the treatment he needs personally, while ensuring he remembers his basic needs and functions.” Exarch said, before turning tail and leading the way up.
Y’shtola made sure she gave him a good smack on the arm for making them worry before Thancred could follow suit, of course.
Thancred was silent the entire time, meaning Kamui was left alone to his thoughts.
Which of course, were still stuck on books.
By the time Kamui was placed down on the Exarch’s large bed, he had begun biting his nails in anticipation - not for what the Exarch was going to do, but to what lay beyond the page he had been reading in the book.
“Kamui Gaeric if you don’t cease this book-bound nonsense I will banish you to the Source and not allow you to return.”
Now that caught Kamui’s attention, a distraught look appearing on his face as he ceased biting his nails and flipping himself over on the bed so he was lying on his front. “You wouldn’t! … Would you?”
Exarch glared at Kamui silently, before sitting on the bed by his legs, “Take off your clothes.”
“... Excuse me?”
“Take off your clothes. It will be much easier for me to see what you need without your clothes getting in the way, and I refuse to undress you like some sort of manchild.”
A nod, of course, it was only logical. And so Kamui began to slowly undress. Starting with his sweater and jewellery, he hands and arms had still been active during his week hiding in his room reading - holding books and turning pages. His legs and feet, however, had not.
When he began to unbuckle his belt and attempt to shimmy out of his trousers, he groaned as pain shot down both legs. He was supposed to know better than to do naught but read for extended periods of time, yet with no one wanting to bother him during his ‘holiday’, he had no one to tell him to do otherwise.
Exarch finally took pity on Kamui after a full ten minutes of groaning, and not even an ilm of the trousers coming down. “You’re the saviour of two realms and yet you can nary take care of yourself when left to your own devices,” Exarch said with a sigh, but his voice was warm and more like an exasperated parent, “Perhaps I should have summoned a different warrior from the Source instead of you…”
“No!” Kamui barely contained his yell as he pushed himself up to stare into Exarch’s deep crimson eyes, “I may be a fool at times where I should be caring for myself, but…” he paused, biting the inside of his cheeks as he looked away, “I’m the fool you chose and I’m the fool that chose you, am I not?”
Exarch’s eyes widened, his mouth opening and shutting several times before he huffed and chose a smile, “That you are, my dearest warrior, that you are.”