Chapter Text
[PART 1]
Kaeya Alberich couldn’t sleep. This was, of course, a common occurrence for him, but lately, he had noticed that he was sleeping less and less.
At this point, he really was just getting annoyed by it rather than getting concerned. He peeked outside through his window. Despite being nighttime, the city never truly slept; there was constant noise from the taverns, the knights doing their rounds, and, if he strained his ears and listened carefully, he could hear the softest of explosions coming from the Knights Headquarters.
He considered his options. He could either stay home and try to sleep, or he could go to Angel’s Share and drown his sorrows in alcohol like everyone else.
Before he even realized his decision, he had tied his hair back, switched out his home eyepatch for a more suitable black-with-gold patch, and had grabbed his coat from the rack. The night was chilly enough that it would warrant taking the coat. Stepping out of his house, he began walking towards Angel’s Share, greeting the various knights on patrol as he went. He had merely turned a corner to face the tavern when he suddenly felt...rather disinterested in getting drunk. There was a high chance that Diluc was entertaining, considering all the ruckus coming from inside, and he didn’t much feel like getting lectured tonight. Instead, he turned around, walking towards the Knight’s Headquarters. Perhaps he could still go and check on Jean for a moment and annoy her into going to sleep. Just because he was suffering doesn’t mean she had to as well.
It didn’t take long to get there, considering his habit of skipping steps while walking up. He made a point to stop one of the Knights and casually asked him to change his patrol route to the courtyard near the Fatui diplomats’ current residence. “We can never be too careful, can we?” he said to the nervous young man, who immediately saluted and ran off to his new station.
Rounding the corner, he took note of the practice area and its considerable lack of training dummies in stock. He made a mental note to tell Jean about that if he saw her. Nodding to the guards outside the building, he entered, heading straight for Jean’s office, seeing as the lights seemed to be on inside the building when he heard...a scream?
Panic set in almost immediately, his mind going into overdrive as he bolted for the staircase leading upstairs. There was another scream, this time someone crying for help, and he managed to locate where it was coming from before sprinting up the stairs, taking three steps at a time. He came to the second floor, where the Chief Alchemist’s laboratory and Lisa’s office were located. It couldn’t have been Lisa...
He came into view of Albedo’s laboratory, where he found that the door was open to his surprise. In the doorway stood a young woman with green hair, looking terrified. “Sucrose? What happened? Why did you scream?” Kaeya asked, jogging over to her.
Sucrose jumped at his arrival. “Y-yes! Captain Kaeya, please help! Mister Albedo - he- he’s collapsed!”
Kaeya pushed past her and into the laboratory, and sure enough….the Chief Alchemist was lying on the ground, a test tube broken by his side, its contents spilling all over the floor, and papers strewn across the floor, no doubt that Albedo had taken them with him in his fall. There was a distinct smell of smoke and something metallic that made Kaeya’s sinuses burn and eyes water.
Albedo himself seemed to be returning to consciousness, as he tried to lift his head, but failed. He groaned, trying once again before Kaeya knelt beside him, placing an arm behind the alchemist’s neck, providing some support. Albedo blinked blearily up at him, whispering something he couldn’t hear, before promptly going limp in Kaeya’s arms once again. To see such bright, beautiful blue eyes become so tired that they would close before him sent a chill up Kaeya’s spine. “Sucrose, be a dear and go notify the Acting Grand Master please. I’ll take Albedo to his quarters,” Kaeya said, trying to keep his tone light to not scare the girl further. Sucrose already looked to be on the verge of tears, but she nodded before sprinting off downstairs.
As far as he knew, Albedo preferred to stay close to his laboratory and therefore chose to stay in Headquarters for the time being. “My apologies for carrying you like this without your permission, Albedo,” he muttered before effortlessly lifting the unconscious man into his arms and out of the laboratory.
It took a few minutes to ascertain where exactly Albedo’s quarters were, but after walking up two flights of stairs, he finally found a room with the Chief Alchemist’s name on the door. It appeared to be open, so Kaeya nudged the door open and entered. The suite was very much like the others in Headquarters, a corner with a study table, a balcony, a large bed and an equally large closet for equipment, a bath, and a small door that went off to what Kaeya could only assume to be for storage. He set Albedo down on the bed, just as he heard footsteps rushing towards the room.
Jean, followed by Sucrose and Barbara (who, when not in her work form looked so different Kaeya almost didn’t recognize her) rushed into the room. Jean, looking tired and serious as usual, Sucrose still looking like she was about to burst into tears, and Barbara....immediately rushed to Albedo’s side. Kaeya stepped back to let her work and looked at Sucrose, who was staring at the floor.
“Sucrose, what happened to him?”
Sucrose looked up. “I— we were working on a new project, and Mister Albedo insisted on handling it personally and he’s been overworking himself lately. I— I told him to take a break but he wouldn’t listen. He hasn’t been eating...he barely goes outside, I— I didn’t know what to do,” she hung her head, avoiding eye contact with both Kaeya and Jean. “I’m sorry, I should have been more firm.”
Jean shook her head. “Don’t apologize Sucrose. Please, go to your room and rest. You’re under so much stress as it is. We can stay with Albedo.”
Sucrose nodded, casting an odd glance at Kaeya, then at Albedo before scampering off.
“This is concerning,” Jean mused. “I never would have thought Albedo would put his health at risk like this. I really should have been more attentive.”
“You’re busy enough as it is,” Kaeya consoled. “I never would have thought either. Just what were he and Sucrose researching…” he trailed off, seeing the look Jean was giving him. “What?”
“Oh, nothing,” she said airily. “Just wondering what you were doing here at such a late hour that you heard Sucrose before anyone else in the building.”
“Now, Jean, I can't go around revealing my secrets like that. It would be so boring if I did, and then who would you go to for a good chat?”
Jean swatted his arm lightly. “Barbara, are you done?”
The deaconess nodded, coming to stand with them, a worried expression on her face. “He has quite a high fever and is malnourished to the point of concern. It seems that he’s been pushing himself far too much. It’ll take a few weeks for him to fully heal. Someone will need to stay with him and constantly take care of him.”
Jean considered that. “Alright then. One of us will stay for tonight, and tomorrow I’ll make a roster to coordinate between all of us—”
“I can stay,” Kaeya blurted out, as much to his surprise as it seemed to be for the others. “I don’t particularly have any duties right now that are of importance. I’d be more than happy to help get our Chief Alchemist back on his feet.”
Jean and Barbara exchanged a look before staring at him. “Kaeya, are you sure?” Jean asked tentatively. “You don’t have to—”
“Nonsense, Jean. After everything Albedo has done for Mondstadt, this is the least I can do for him. Don’t worry. I’ll call for you or Barbara if anything happens.”
“Right…” Barbara said, stifling a yawn. “We’ll leave it to you then. I’ll bring some medicine in the morning.”
The two left, Jean casting a concerned look at Kaeya before she did, and soon he was alone with the unconscious Albedo. Barbara had taken off his jacket to examine him with more ease, and Kaeya decided to put it on a nearby rack. He gently took off Albedo’s shoes, setting them near the door, and undid his hair as delicately as he could without waking him up. Considering how the most he did was momentarily stir in his sleep, Kaeya could rest assured that he had succeeded.
He had never seen Albedo with his hair open, but he really did look quite ethereal, with the wavy golden locks framing his face and fanning out over the pillow, around his unusually pale face. Pulling the blanket over Albedo, Kaeya stood back, checking if he’d missed anything. He checked the drawers and the closet and finally came across a bowl. He filled it with cool water and found a handkerchief on the desk. He may not have been the best person to take care of a sick man, but he did know the basics of caring for the ill. The first thing he had learnt about healing (from Lisa, of all people), was that a cool compress on the forehead did wonders. He carefully placed it on Albedo’s forehead, and for the rest of the night, he watched and waited, reapplying the compress, tidying up here and there. For someone so meticulous and neat, Albedo really was quite disorganized.
Finally, Kaeya heard the bells from the cathedral ringing, and pushing back the curtains, he let the sunlight peek through into the room. An hour or so later, there was a soft knock at the door.
Sucrose, looking dishevelled and worried, was standing on the other side. Kaeya lifted a finger to his mouth, before letting her in.
“Barbara gave me the medicine,” she whispered, setting it on the bedside table. “She included notes on how to administer it. She’ll be here at noon.”
“Thank you, Sucrose.”
“And, uh…” she held out a small box to him. “Brought you breakfast. To thank you….for taking care of Mister Albedo.”
Kaeya, not one for emotions, was touched that she would do that. “Many thanks. Are you off to the laboratory?”
She nodded. “I don’t think he’d be happy if I stopped working on his account. If— when he wakes up, could you let me know? I’d like to bring him some reports later.”
“Of course,” Kaeya replied, setting the warm box of food on the table. From Good Hunter, no less. Sucrose really was quite caring, in her own way.
As Sucrose left, Kaeya amused himself by reading a book on Albedo’s desk. He felt that distracting himself till noon would help the time go faster. Until he heard a cough from the bed.
He jumped up, rushing to Albedo’s side just as the young man opened his eyes, blearily focusing on Kaeya. “What….happened?” he asked, his voice uncharacteristically raspy and low.
“You fainted from exhaustion,” Kaeya answered. “You’re very sick, Albedo. Don’t try to get up just yet.”
Albedo shook his head, trying to pry himself up on his elbow before promptly collapsing again. He groaned. “Why are you here?”
“I have been charged with taking care of you.”
“Hnghh,” Albedo replied, seemingly unable to display his usual eloquence. “Thirsty.”
Right, of course. Kaeya poured him a glass of water from the pitcher on the bedside table. He then very carefully tried to manoeuvre Albedo into a semi-sitting position on his bed, before helping the young man drink. Other than the fact that a bit of the water splashed onto Albedo’s shirt, the task was a success in Kaeya’s eyes.
“Are you hungry? Sucrose brought food.”
Albedo shook his head. “L-later. Is Sucrose alright? She’s not hurt?”
“Yes, she’s fine. She was a little shaken last night. You really shouldn’t have been overworking yourself,” Kaeya chided, shuddering internally at how much he sounded like an overbearing parent.
“I miscalculated my….capabilities,” Albedo replied. Kaeya frowned at him. He seemed to find it hard to speak.
“Here, take the medicine Barbara gave, then go back to sleep. You need to get your stamina up.”
Despite Albedo's weak protests, Kaeya managed to force the alchemist into taking the medicine, and before long, Albedo was back to sleeping fitfully.
Noon came and went, with Sucrose returning with food, and Barbara fussing over Albedo as Kaeya tried (read: forced) him to eat.
“At least he’s not so pale anymore,” Barbara told Kaeya outside. “Whenever he wakes up, feed him something. Make sure he’s not moving too much.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kaeya replied, then chuckled at the flustered look Barbara gave him before she ran off again.
He went back inside, where Sucrose was hovering beside the desk. “Will he be alright, Captain?” Sucrose asked timidly. It occurred to Kaeya that he had never really seen Sucrose interact with anyone as much as she did with Albedo. Of course, she worried for him as his assistant, but it was touching to know that the two loners had found friendship in one another. “Of course he will. He’s strong, Sucrose. He’ll be back in no time.”
Sucrose nodded, though she couldn’t hide the worry from her face. “I’m— I’m glad you’re taking care of him, Captain Kaeya. I think he is as well.”
Albedo didn’t wake up until after the sun had set, this time looking slightly better but still haggard and pale. “I think you may be surpassing Lisa in hours spent asleep,” Kaeya said lightly, checking his temperature.
Albedo smiled weakly. “I’d hate to take that crown from her. She’s worked so hard to earn it.”
Kaeya chuckled as he placed a bowl of soup on a tray in Albedo’s lap. “Never took you to be the type for humour.”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Albedo replied serenely, taking a sip of the soup. “Besides, I never took you for the type to care so much about a mere acquaintance.”
Kaeya didn’t reply. He himself didn’t particularly know why he’d volunteered to take care of Albedo either. “No ill will towards her, of course, but I thought I'd be a nicer sight for you to wake up to than Barbara.”
Albedo didn’t seem to know what to say to that. But…
If Albedo’s ears were red behind his hair, that was certainly something he wouldn’t let Kaeya find out now.
On the second day of Albedo’s illness, it seemed that he had overexerted himself, and he looked just as pale as when Kaeya had found him in his lab, if not more. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was shaking profusely, even in his sleep. After Barbara left, Albedo was out cold. Kaeya sat in his now designated chair, feeling exhausted and worried. There was nothing to do now but wait for nighttime and make Albedo eat.
He must have dozed off because when he woke up, the first thing he registered was the darkness outside. The second thing he noticed was two familiar faces peering down at him with concern all over their faces. One was a tiny face that belonged to a little fairy...thing…ah, Paimon. Which meant the other was the traveller, Lumine. “Ah. I must have fallen asleep. Many apologies,” Kaeya said loftily as he pried himself out of the chair. He checked on Albedo, who was still sleeping. It was almost time to wake him.
“I thought you were in Liyue, dear traveller.”
Lumine shrugged. “I was. It took a while for me to get the news but once I got back from the mountains, I received Amber’s letter so I came back.” she glanced at Albedo. “Is he getting better?”
“Not as far as we can tell,” Kaeya said, leaning on the door.
“Do you think maybe he was messing with dangerous things again?” Paimon asked Lumine, who shrugged again.
“Dangerous things?” Kaeya asked, interested. “Whatever does that mean?”
Lumine shot Paimon a shut-up look that didn’t by any means go amiss to Kaeya. “Nothing, just usual alchemy things. Albedo does like to push his limits.” she rummaged through her bag for a moment, before handing Kaeya a satchel. “A little friend of mine works in a pharmacy and gave me this. In small doses, it does wonders. I’ll try and visit tomorrow.” she opened the door, and Paimon waved at him before flying out. “I’m surprised you’re taking care of him, Kaeya. Didn’t take you for the type.”
“My dear Lumine, you wound me. Everyone seems to think I don’t have a heart,” Kaeya replied, not taking his eyes off of Albedo’s sleeping form.
He heard Lumine laugh. “Don’t fall asleep again.”
As they left, Kaeya heard Paimon saying, “He really doesn’t get it, does he? I guess Jean was right, huh?”
*
The third day of Albedo’s illness was uneventful for the most part. He was still pale as a ghost, his hands shook, and he seemed weak as ever. Barbara came and went, Sucrose brought food and reports in case Albedo woke up and felt bored, and Albedo alternated between sleeping and waking up for a few minutes before sleeping again.
The traveller’s pouch of herbs seemed to be helping though, much to Barbara’s surprise.
After giving him a specially made dish from the traveller for lunch, Kaeya settled back into the chair, watching the Knights do rounds outside. Huffman was reprimanding some young chap right outside, and it was quite entertaining, even from a distance.
“Captain Kaeya.”
Kaeya jumped, looking at Albedo, who was trying to sit up. “Could you do me a favour?”
“Of course.”
“H-hand me the brush on my dresser.”
Kaeya was surprised but he obliged, handing him the brush before propping Albedo up on his pillows. “You really shouldn’t stay here like this, Captain. I hate being a bother to you.”
“It isn’t a bother at all,” Kaeya replied.
“Captain—”
“No.”
Albedo stared at him. “What?”
“No more calling me Captain Kaeya. We’re the same rank, and your formality makes me want to cry.”
Albedo sighed. “Very well. Ca— Kaeya , please don’t continue to trouble yourself on my account.”
Kaeya didn’t reply, instead took the hairbrush Albedo was trying and failing to run through his hair and started brushing through the golden locks himself. “You can barely get out of bed, or move, and you don’t want anyone to trouble themselves for you?”
“I’ll be fine—”
“You will not,” Kaeya said firmly, trying not to get distracted by how soft Albedo’s hair was. “Unless you let us take care of you.”
“.... I don’t know how to repay you for this.”
“You don’t have to,” Kaeya said, now absent-mindedly braiding Albedo’s hair. “Just get better.”
“How is Sucrose doing with the new data? I never got to find out.”
“I daresay you’d have to ask her,” Kaeya replied, setting the hairbrush down on the table again. “I haven’t the foggiest idea of what sort of experiments you were doing.”
“But...I haven’t seen her since then.”
Kaeya stared at him, his concern rising. “You saw her this afternoon. At lunch.”
“I did?” Albedo lay back down, staring at the ceiling. “How odd.”
Kaeya made a mental note to ask Barbara about Albedo’s sudden memory loss.
“Please make sure she’s safe as well if it’s not too much to ask,” Albedo said quietly. “I wouldn’t want her to make the same reckless decision I did.”
Kaeya sensed there was a story he wasn’t willing to tell, so he didn’t push it. If anyone knew the importance of secrets, it was Kaeya. “Would you like to do anything now that you’re awake?”
“I don’t know.”
“Would you like me to entertain? I’m quite good at dancing.”
Albedo laughed. A good sign. “I can’t believe I’m passing up this request, but I had a different one.”
“Oh?”
“Could you— could you sing for me?”
A beat.
Kaeya processed that, before smiling good-naturedly. “If you wish for music, I could always get that young bard to come by—”
“No, no,” Albedo said, his tone insistent now. “Last night….or this morning, I don’t remember...I woke up for a minute and heard you singing softly. It sounded familiar and….nice. Could you sing it again?”
“O-oh. of course,” Kaeya said softly.
When he was a boy, his mother would often sing a song for him in her low, lilting voice. He didn’t remember her all that much but he did remember her voice and the song that she had taught him.
Albedo may have been the only one to hear him ever sing it. A song he hadn’t dared sing in front of Diluc, or even Crepus, his late adoptive father.
And he had said it was familiar.
Did Kaeya want to share this part of his past with someone he barely knew?
He looked at Albedo, tired, dark blue eyes meeting Albedo’s bright, piercing ones. He started singing, softly, then a little louder. Albedo listened intently, and as Kaeya finished the song, he smiled at him, seemingly with a lot of effort. “Thank you, Kaeya.”
*
The fourth day of Albedo’s illness had Kaeya jolting awake, his back aching from sleeping in the chair to someone persistently knocking on the door. It was far too early for Barbara or Jean to come by, so he was slightly perplexed, but opened the door to not awaken Albedo. “....Klee?”
He stared down at the little girl in red, who was looking up at him sadly. “W-where’s Albedo?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears faster than Kaeya thought was humanly possible. Then, she started sobbing. “I want to see Albedo! No one’s telling me what happened to him!”
“Klee—”
“Let me see Albedo!” she cried, sobbing even harder. “Did—did he leave? Is he mad at me? Was I a bad girl?”
“No, of course not—”
“Klee, there you are!” Amber came dashing up the stairs, followed closely by Lumine and Paimon. “You nearly scared us to death! Don’t run off like that!”
Klee simply cried harder. “I want to see Albedo!”
Lumine glanced at Kaeya. “Didn’t you tell her that he’s sick?”
“She hasn’t given me the chance!” he hissed back.
Klee, to her credit, was somehow still crying, while Amber tried fruitlessly to console her.
“Hey, Klee! Why don’t we go see the fish at Starfell Lake?” Paimon suggested tentatively. “Maybe that will make you feel better!”
“No!” Klee said firmly, trying to run past Kaeya and into Albedo’s room. “I want to see him!”
“Klee, he’s asleep—” Kaeya protested, before hearing, from inside the room, a cough. “K-Kaeya?”
Kaeya detached Klee from his leg as gently as possible before rushing to Albedo’s side. The alchemist was looking at him blearily, pale and tired. “I’m here. How do you feel?”
“What—what’s all the noise outside? Did something happen?”
“Uh, well,” Kaeya glanced at the doorway, where he could hear scuffling and more sobs. “I don’t particularly know how to describe it.”
“What do you mean?”
“A-Albedo?” came a small voice from the doorway. Kaeya turned and saw Klee, hugging her backpack, still crying, staring straight at her older brother.
“Klee?” Albedo sat up, with Kaeya’s help. “What’s wrong? Why are you—” he cut off, his coughing making him shake in Kaeya’s hands. “—why are you here?”
Klee cried even harder, before launching herself into Albedo, knocking Kaeya back, and startling a small ‘oof’ out of her brother. “No one told me you were sick! I thought— I thought you left to go on a trip but then I came back and saw you were still gone! I don’t want you to leave too!” she continued bawling into his shirt, as Albedo patted her back, looking tired and perplexed. “I’m not going anywhere, Klee. I’m just a little—” he turned his face away to cough again. “—under the weather. I’ll be fine.”
Kaeya noticed Amber and Lumine watching from the doorway. “Don’t worry, Albedo, we’ll keep her safe and preoccupied until you get better,” Amber promised, to which Albedo nodded. “Thank you both very much.”
“B-but—” Klee looked up, eyes filling up with tears once again. “I want to stay with you!”
Albedo looked at Kaeya, clearly unable to discern what to say.
“Well, Klee, you can stay here until noon, alright? As long as you behave,” Kaeya said slowly, knowing the little girl would agree to the compromise.
“Yay!” Klee grinned, jumping on the balls of her feet. “Oh! I brought you some flowers!”
“Oh?” Albedo asked, smiling slightly. The corners of his eyes crinkled, and it seemed he was straining to keep the smile up.
“Yeah, Razor and I went foraging and I thought I'd bring them for you!” She showed Kaeya the flowers from the outer pocket of her backpack, which were all a mix of different types and different flowers. “I couldn’t find any cecilias though,” she said, pouting.
Kaeya, with Amber’s help, found a vase to put the flowers in. “Outrider, would you mind watching over Albedo for a while? I want to go home to pick up some supplies, and while Klee is here, I think he’s preoccupied enough.”
“Of course! We’ll take good care of him!” Paimon chirped loudly from the doorway. Subtlety was not her strong suit.
Kaeya left, and somehow, for some reason, from the moment he stepped out of Headquarters, he felt….different. As though the past few days had caused a cosmic shift in the universe.
What a daft thought.
He gave himself a good shake, before making his way towards his own home. He had barely gone outside the past few days, the most being taking a break at Albedo’s balcony, so it was quite refreshing to walk along the neat stone paths. A few knights stopped and saluted as he walked by, and while he was chatting with one, he noticed quite some movement at Angel’s Share. Along with a particular red-haired man.
Oh, he hadn’t irritated Diluc in so long. This was going to be fun. “Not going to pass up this opportunity,” he muttered to himself, smirking as he sauntered over to the tavern, trying and failing to sneak up on his estranged brother.
Said estranged brother turned around almost immediately, and gave him an exasperated look. “You didn’t think you could scare me, did you, Cavalry Captain?”
“You’re no fun,” Kaeya replied petulantly. “What’s all this?”
“Supplies for Angel’s Share,” Diluc answered, looking back at the workers unloading crates. “I’m renovating.” he squinted at Kaeya. “Where have you been the past few days? Didn’t think you were the type to skip out on your usual drinking rituals.”
“Ah, Master Diluc, do I sense a hint of concern in that tone?”
“Shut up,” Diluc snapped. “If the safety of Mondstadt is in the hands of someone as flighty as yourself, it’s no wonder that monsters have been spawning all around us for days now.”
“Wait, what?” Kaeya asked. He hadn’t heard anything of that sort! “What do you mean?”
Diluc stared at him, frowning. “How do you not know? There have been consistent attacks for the past few days. Adventurers have to travel in packs of three or more now, there are more patrols.” he cocked his head to the side, looking a little concerned now, which was touching. “I would have thought Jean would tell you this. Where….where have you been?”
Kaeya processed all that. “I have been preoccupied. I’ll have to have a word with Jean. thank you, Diluc.”
Diluc didn’t answer, simply grunted in response. Kaeya hadn’t expected one; besides, he was already sprinting back to the Knight’s Headquarters.
Jean, as usual, was seated at her desk, arranging documents of some importance. He needed to get her out of here and go have some fun soon because this was just depressing.
“Acting Grand Master, may I ask for a moment of your time?” he asked, considering how Jean hadn’t even looked up at his entrance.
She jumped in her seat. “Kaeya! What….what are you doing here?”
“Come to ask a question, actually,” he said, closing the door behind him before crossing his arms. “About an issue concerning monsters on Mondstadt’s borders, and why I haven’t been informed.”
“Ah.” Jean looked far more tired than usual. It was almost enough to make Kaeya feel bad for pressing her about this but—
“You’ve been so focused on Albedo….I didn’t think you’d have the energy to handle it. I asked the traveller to return, and I've been working with Cyrus from the Adventurer’s Guild to provide protection. Of course, I do wish you were back….” she looked at him curiously. “Does this mean you wish to return to your usual post?”
Kaeya considered that. He could just return to his post. He’d done his best for four days. He had done his part, right?
Wasn’t that what anyone else would do?
But….leaving Albedo in such a state….was simply out of the question.
“No, of course not,” Kaeya replied slowly. “But, I do want my usual reports to be brought to me. Even if I can’t be on the front lines, I want to do my part.”
“Thank Barbatos for that,” Jean said, smiling slightly. “I’m on the verge of being suffocated by all these papers. I’ll send them up to you.”
Klee seemed adamant about staying past their agreed time, and Kaeya didn’t have the heart to tell her off for it, considering how happy Albedo looked with her. Amber and Lumine left, promising to return with dinner.
Klee was sitting next to Albedo, very carefully braiding his hair. “Lisa taught me a new braid yesterday!” she informed Kaeya, who ruffled her hair affectionately. He gently pressed a hand to Albedo’s forehead to check his temperature. Still too warm for his liking, but improving nonetheless. His face had a little more colour, and his eyes were back to normal again, which was also a good sign. Maybe being around family had done him some good!
“Kaeya, do you want me to braid your hair too?” Klee asked as she finished up Albedo’s hair.
“Uh, maybe later,” Kaeya replied. “Besides, I doubt I'd look as good with it as Albedo does.”
Albedo shook his head slightly, leaning back into his pillows. “You two are bad influences on each other.”
Klee giggled. “Hey, Albedo! After you get better we should go have pancakes with Kaeya! Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Albedo coughed, looking away. “Ah….we wouldn’t want to trouble him further.”
“Nonsense,” Kaeya said, idly fixing Klee’s hat. “My pancakes are amazing, enough to rival even Diluc’s.”
Albedo cocked his head to the side. “Master Diluc makes good pancakes? Wouldn’t have taken him for that type.”
“My, you’d be surprised,” Kaeya replied, a hint of mischievousness in his tone. “Anyways, I’ll gladly make pancakes for you both once all this is over.”
Albedo smiled that slight smile he had, a smile that made Kaeya feel…..odd. Like his heart was fluttering? If that were even possible? Perhaps he should go see Barbara.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
*
The fifth day of Albedo’s sickness was….worrying. Overexerting himself in any way seemed to push Albedo to the edge again. Thankfully Klee had been distracted with an expedition with the Traveller and Amber, but Kaeya worried that Albedo had pushed himself too hard to appear alright in front of her.
As he lightly pressed a compress to Albedo’s forehead, the alchemist’s eyes fluttered open. His eyes were concerningly dull and lifeless, completely unlike how they usually were; bright, full of curiosity and light. Now, it felt like Albedo kept looking past him at something, even if he was staring right at him. “Kaeya….”
“Yes, I’m here,” Kaeya whispered gently. “What do you need?”
“Nothing, just….glad you’re here.”
Kaeya nodded. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Albedo groaned, stretching a hand out towards him. Kaeya caught it, his long fingers intertwining with Albedo’s. “What’s wrong, dear heart?”
“I wish it wasn’t like this,” Albedo whispered, his eyes fluttering open and shut.
“What wasn’t like this?”
“You. me. I don’t know,” Albedo groaned. “I wish it would have been different.”
“You’re not making much sense right now.”
Albedo squeezed his hand, and Kaeya took note of how warm his hands were. “Can you come here?”
“I’m right here,” Kaeya replied.
“No,” Albedo whined, and Kaeya never would have thought he’d see the polite and quiet alchemist whine . “You’re always far away in the chair….come here.” he tugged haplessly at Kaeya’s hand, too weak to do anything.
“What do you mean ?” he asked.
Albedo’s hand went limp, and he sighed, muttering something.
“You need to speak up, Albedo.”
“Just come here,” he gestured to the bed. “Please?”
Kaeya stared at him for a moment. “O-of course.” he squeezed Albedo’s hand gently before going around to the other side of the bed, taking his shoes off before leaning on the headboard, next to Albedo.
He didn't particularly consider himself to be very tall, but semi-laying next to Albedo, he realized that he was either very tall, or Albedo was short. Said short young man scooted closer to him, seemingly with a lot of effort, placing his head on Kaeya’s chest, curling inwards. His forehead was surprisingly warm. Kaeya placed a tentative hand on Albedo’s head, patting down his flyaway hair. Even sick and tired, Albedo looked beautiful.
There is something wrong with me, Kaeya thought idly, giving himself a mental shake.
“You’re so oblivious,” Albedo murmured. “So, so oblivious….”
Kaeya chuckled with uncertainty. No need for Albedo to know he was internally losing his mind. “About what?”
Albedo’s answer was muffled. “Everything.”
Kaeya didn’t ask anything else, just took Albedo’s hand again.
They stayed like that, even after both of them fell asleep, hands intertwined.
On the sixth day, he was once woken by Sucrose and Jean standing over him. The former was blushing furiously and Jean seemed to be trying not to laugh.
“Good morning,” he said, rolling his neck. Sleeping semi-upright really wasn’t healthy. “Is something the matter?”
Sucrose squeaked. “U-uh, not at all, C-captain! Just, uhm…” she looked at Jean before looking away again.
Kaeya was too tired to figure out what they were on about, and he was seriously considering going back to sleep. Albedo was so warm and soft next to him, sleeping fitfully, he was rather jealous of his ability to sleep deeply.
Wait. Albedo?
He glanced down, and sure enough, Albedo was definitely sleeping right next to him (like, right next to him), his head on Kaeya’s chest, his hand intertwined with Kaeya’s. “Ah.”
“Ah, indeed,” Jean said, seemingly trying to smother a laugh. She cleared her throat to compose herself, but the twinkle in her eye told him that she was going to tease him for this later. “Are you awake now, or do you need a few moments?”
Kaeya sighed as he sat up, carefully manoeuvring Albedo onto his pillows. Somehow it hurt to let go of his hand. “Yes, yes, I’m up. What is it?” he asked as he swung his feet over the side of the bed, grabbing his boots.
“Any changes in Albedo’s state?” Jean asked.
“Not particularly,” Kaeya replied dejectedly. “Still has a fever, pale, shakes constantly. I can’t tell what happened, really. This seems like something more serious than just over-exhaustion, doesn’t it?
“It does, yes,” Jean said, lost in thought. “Kaeya...perhaps we should move him to the infirmary. We could figure out what happened faster.”
Of course, that was the logical thing to do. Kaeya knew that.
But,
But but but but.
But he was selfish. Very selfish, actually. “Give me one more day. Then we can move him,” he said, guilt and regret rising in his throat as he realized he was quite literally putting Albedo in danger for his own alien-like selfish wants. He didn’t even know why he wanted this, but by the Archons, he was going to try his best for one more day. He owed that much to Albedo.
Jean stared at him, the mirth was gone from her expression. She knew him better than most people, and sometimes she seemed to know him better than he knew himself.
*
The next day, Jean and Barbara came by with the news that Kaeya had been dreading, yet expecting. “Kaeya, we’re moving Albedo to the infirmary,” Jean told him gently. She must have expected him to protest. She wasn’t going to get it. Kaeya knew he couldn’t revive Albedo all by himself like this, so he simply nodded.
He went with them as the knights carried Albedo’s limp form into the infirmary, and stayed outside as Barbara wouldn’t let anyone inside.
He ended up falling asleep while leaning against a pillar, only to be unceremoniously shaken awake by Jean. “Kaeya, go home. You can come back tomorrow.”
“But—”
“I’ll stay for now,” she said firmly. “Go. That's an order. You’re not helping him if you pass out as well.”
Kaeya nodded again. He really did hate it when Jean had a point. It made it so much harder to argue.
It had been a while since he had slept in his own bed, or any bed at all. It would feel better if not for how worried he was about Albedo. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling completely alone for the first time in about a week. Even though his company had been a mostly comatose young man, hearing the soft breathing had become so familiar to him in such a short time.
He drifted off to sleep, promising himself to visit Albedo first thing in the morning.
However, it seemed he couldn’t do that. Because he woke up to Jean at his door, looking worried and tired. “Kaeya, I hate to do this but there have been sightings of a few abyss mages getting closer to the city. I can’t just let the knights handle this, can you please deal with it?”
He, of course, agreed, taking off immediately. The weather seemed to be reflecting his mood, as the gloomy clouds floated above. It was rather chilly, signalling that it would probably rain soon. As he came into view of the Whispering Woods, he caught a glimpse of the abyss mages, surrounded by hilichurls. He sighed, drawing his sword. Time to get this over with.
By the time he got back to Mondstadt, it was quite late, considering how he had been led astray quite a few times to help adventurers, and fight off the concerningly growing number of hilichurl camps. The sun had set when he entered the gates, and he went straight to Jean to give her a report. Jean seemed relieved that he had come back. “Thank you, Kaeya. It’s good to have you back.”
He nodded. “I’ll go see Albedo now.”
Jean furrowed her brow. “Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”
He nodded again, before leaving and making a beeline for the infirmary. He quietly opened the door, only to bump into someone, who yelped. “Captain Kaeya?”
“Ah, Sucrose,” he said, stepping aside to let her pass. “Were you here to see Albedo?”
She nodded. “He’s asleep. Barbara said no one can visit for more than ten minutes.” she fidgeted with her gloves. “She’s quite adamant about that.”
“I’m sure she is,” Kaeya said, chuckling. “I won’t keep you too long then. Goodnight, Sucrose.” he walked into the infirmary, closing the door behind him.
Albedo was the only person there, lying on a bed near a window, the last rays of sunlight touching the side of his face, giving him a soft golden-red glow. He certainly looked better, less pale. Kaeya drew a chair up to the bed, checking Albedo’s temperature as he sat down. The alchemist’s hair was still loosely tied in a braid. Kaeya found himself holding Albedo’s hand once again, their fingers loosely laced together. He lightly brushed a few strands of flyaway hair from Albedo’s face, causing him to shift in his sleep, his face moving towards Kaeya’s hand. “Please get better,” Kaeya whispered. I can’t bear to see you in pain any longer.
“Uh, Captain? When did you get here?” came Barbara’s voice from behind him. He looked at her, and she startled.
“A few minutes ago. I see he’s improved.”
Barbara nodded, her eyes sliding down to Kaeya’s hand in Albedo’s. “Uhm, right. Yes, he has. Another week here, and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Barbara came to stand on the other side of Albedo’s bed. “You really care for him now, don’t you?”
Kaeya nodded slowly. “It would be bad for Mondstadt if anything were to happen to our Chief Alchemist, after all.”
He could feel Barbara’s gaze on him. It was uncomfortable. “Right then. I’ll come to see him tomorrow morning. Goodnight, Barbara.”
She nodded. “Goodnight!”
*
As it turned out, Kaeya wouldn’t even have the chance to do so. From morning till night, there were requests, commissions to order, border patrol, paperwork, intel to gather, to the point that for the next four days Kaeya barely had a spare moment to go see Albedo or check on him. He had wished to see him after that, but suddenly Lumine popped up, begging him to come with her to Dadaupa Gorge for an expedition. He only managed to ask Sucrose to notify him if any change happened to Albedo’s health while he would be gone before dashing out of the gates.
By the time he got back, it was the end of the week, Sucrose hadn’t sent any news, and it was dawn. If two days had passed without news, then there must have not been anything to worry about, right?
He made his way to the infirmary, dodging patrolling knights and the tavern. No need to get sucked up in chit-chat right now. Luckily, given the time, there wasn’t anyone around yet and he jogged the last few steps to the door.
There was no one in the infirmary. Not even Barbara. And most importantly, not Albedo.
Panic rose in Kaeya’s chest, crawling up into his throat as his mind went into overdrive. Has something happened? Why hadn’t anyone informed him? He sprinted out of there, heading straight for the Knight’s Headquarters, letting everything around him blur as he ran. Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay….
He threw the doors open, startling the guards inside. One of them, Wood, spluttered, “C-Captain Kaeya? What’s wrong?”
Kaeya shoved him away as lightly as he could before heading for the staircase. Taking three at a time, he ran to the laboratory. Sucrose would know, wouldn’t she? Heart pounding, he opened the door to Albedo’s laboratory and came face to face with….Albedo?
Albedo. Standing up. Hair neatly tied back, looking attentive and piercing as ever.
Albedo. Whom he had last seen on his deathbed.
Albedo. Who was giving him an odd look. “Captain….Kaeya?”
Kaeya stared at him. “What…are you doing here? You shouldn’t be working, you need rest!”
Albedo continued to give him that odd look. “Ah, you mean my sickness? I appreciate your concern, Captain, but I'm back to full health, don’t worry. Barbara discharged me the day before yesterday after she and the others found a suitable antidote.” he smiled at Kaeya, but to Kaeya’s complete dismay, the smile was the same controlled, polite smile Albedo gave everyone. Not the one only Kaeya had seen on his face during his sickness. “So,” Kaeya started slowly. “You don’t remember much about the past two weeks?”
Albedo cocked his head to the side. “Not quite, no. It's all quite blurry. I can only hope that over time I can remember, but for now, it seems the fever and fatigue has affected my memories quite a bit.”
“I see,” Kaeya said softly. “Well, I'm glad you’re alright. It would be quite the blow to Mondstadt if anything severe were to happen to you, of course.” Albedo seemed surprised at the compliment but nodded in gratitude.
Kaeya felt as though an icicle was being pushed into him, his chest seizing up in pain as it twisted, ice-cold and harsh. “I’ll be leaving then.”