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Diluc's been shivering all evening.
Kaeya has been here at Angel's Share chatting up a Treasure Hoarder, trying to get the location of a particular stash. He's gone back to the counter to buy drinks three times already, and every time, the shivering's been worse. This time, when he reaches the bar, Diluc is outright shaking.
"What can I get you?" Diluc asks. There's none of the usual undercurrent of hostility. Just a gaze that's suspiciously unfocused and trembling hands.
"Are you all right?" Kaeya can't help but ask. He's let this go all evening because he's working, but this is going from worrisome straight toward frightening.
"I'm- I'm fine," Diluc says, and there's the hostility--or is that just a roughness to his voice? He sniffles thickly. "What can I get you." He says it so flat it's not even a question.
Kaeya sighs. "Two ciders," he replies.
"Not drinking any more tonight?" Diluc asks. It's the kind of question that he would usually ask in a taunting way, but now he just sounds exhausted.
"It's getting late," Kaeya says. "Isn't last call soon, anyway?"
Diluc looks at the clock. Squints a little. Looks back at Kaeya. "Maybe."
It's a full three hours before the bar usually closes. But Diluc clearly shouldn't be on his feet, and if he can't even read a clock right now...
"Forget the cider," Kaeya says. "I just remembered something I need to take care of."
Kaeya wraps things up with his mark. He still doesn't have the location of the stash, but it will have to wait. As they chat about nothing--important to keep relations friendly and not let a good informant think it's all business--last call comes and goes. There's a little muttering about how it's too early, but it seems Kaeya's not the only one who's noticed how awful Diluc looks tonight.
Hopefully now Diluc will get some rest. He clearly needs it.
@
Kaeya doesn't go straight home. Instead, he ducks into an alleyway and watches. If Diluc tries to go all the way back to the Winery in this condition, it could easily end in disaster. A stray slime could probably bowl him over in this state.
But fifteen minutes pass... and then twenty... and Kaeya doesn't see Diluc leave. Maybe he's sleeping somewhere inside. Back before everything went wrong, Crepus sometimes slept in the stockroom instead of going home after a long night of work.
Kaeya has just about given up--he can't imagine how Diluc could possibly still be awake and moving around in this condition, anyway--when the tell-tale squeaky laughter of Abyss Mages rings through the air.
Kaeya shakes his head and readies his sword. Here he was, daring to think he was done for the day.
He follows the sound, rounding a corner, and sees- Diluc, in his dorky Darknight Hero getup that somehow manages to disguise his identity to most of the population despite not covering the distinctive Ragnvindr hair at all.
Diluc, who has somehow slipped outside by a route that even Kaeya doesn't know, who seems barely able to lift his claymore. He takes a few almost-drunken steps toward the pair of Hydro Abyss Mages in front of him. The light of his Vision glows in the dark.
"Diluc-" Kaeya calls.
It's a mistake.
Diluc starts to turn, gets hit by a jet of water, and collapses.
Kaeya curses and runs in.
It's not a difficult fight. Cryo is a particularly useful element against Hydro Abyss Mages, and there are no reinforcements.
What's difficult is turning from the fight and finding Diluc still unconscious on the ground.
Kaeya kneels next to Diluc. "Honestly, why did you come out here like this?" he mutters. He reaches out to check Diluc's pulse at his throat and flinches at the heat radiating off the skin. He rests the back of his hand against Diluc's forehead, just to see, and shakes his head. "I'd like to amend that. How did you come out here like this? You're really burning up."
Diluc's only response is a weak sneeze, completely uncovered.
Kaeya sighs. "That's gross," he scolds, as if he thinks his brother can hear him.
Diluc needs care, as soon as possible. But he's in full costume, with the Delusion on his hand and everything. If Kaeya doesn't want to expose his secrets, the Church is out of the question. Beyond that, it seems deeply unlikely that Diluc's going to be walking up all those stairs... and it's a long way to carry someone.
On the other hand... they're not far from Kaeya's apartment. Just a few blocks. He's got a warm bed, herbal teas, handkerchiefs, Cryo to make cold compresses. He's supposed to scout a Domain on his own tomorrow morning, but that can be postponed if necessary, leaving him free until the meeting that evening at six. It's workable.
Diluc's not going to like it, but...
Kaeya hoists Diluc up over his shoulder. "Sorry about this," he says, and sets off down the road.
@
Kaeya eases the Delusion off of Diluc's hand and slips it into the drawer of the nightstand, along with the silly mask and the knife pouch. With that done, his brother is at least settled in bed comfortably, and if something happens he can actually call a healer. Now... he knows there are spare blankets somewhere. He should get at least one. Diluc's got a fever, but it would be bad for him to take a chill...
"You're... not real..."
Kaeya turns to look at Diluc. "Are you awake?"
Diluc blinks, expression hazy, eyes unfocused and not quite looking at anything. "...No," he says, eventually, apparently after considering the matter. "Kaeya hates me. So this isn't real..." He sniffles and blinks heavily again.
Kaeya sighs. "I don't hate you," he says.
Diluc looks confused for a moment. Then his features go slack, and he draws his hands up to his face. He sneezes roughly, three times in a row, his entire body jerking with the motion. He sniffles afterward, then groans softly. "M'cold..."
"I'll get you a blanket," Kaeya says.
Diluc's brows furrow again. "But you're not real," he says petulantly.
Kaeya almost laughs. "You'll feel better if you don't think so much about it," he says.
"But..." Diluc sniffles. "You hate me. And I..."
"If I'm not real, then I can't hate you," Kaeya tells him.
Diluc blinks at him. "Huh?"
"I'm getting the blanket," Kaeya says. "Go back to sleep."
"Mm." Diluc closes his eyes.
Kaeya finds a blanket in the linen closet. He takes out some handkerchiefs--and then some cloth napkins, too, for good measure. A few washcloths to make cold compresses with, too... He carries all of it back into his bedroom.
Diluc's eyes are open again, his expression distant. "I threw you out," he says when his eyes fall on Kaeya. "You're not supposed to be here."
This might be a better sign than being informed that he isn't real, but Kaeya feels worse hearing it. "I'm a dream," he says, spreading the blanket over Diluc. "Don't worry about it."
Diluc frowns. "I-" His breath hitches. Kaeya drops a handkerchief over Diluc's face right before he sneezes.
Diluc sluggishly takes the handkerchief and rubs at his nose. After a few moments, he stares around the room again. "This isn't my house," he says.
This, at least, is something actually grounded in reality. "It's my apartment," Kaeya says. He creates a chunk of ice with his Cryo and wraps a washcloth around it, then settles it onto Diluc's forehead. "You've never been here before."
"Then..." Diluc seems to struggle to process the new information. "Should I... leave?"
"No," Kaeya says. "You should sleep."
"But I... I was..." Diluc sneezes again, then lets out a series of congested coughs. He doesn't finish the statement, whatever it was going to be.
"I promise you, everything will make more sense in the morning," Kaeya says. Once they get the fever down, Diluc will be much better at thinking.
"Mm..." Diluc sniffles. "Kaeya?"
"Yes?" Kaeya asks.
"M'sorry," Diluc murmurs. "I... We weren't supposed to end up strangers."
"You can tell me about it tomorrow," Kaeya says. That won't happen. Diluc probably won't even remember this.
"I'm sorry," Diluc insists. "It's just... everything hurts so much since- since I-"
"Shh," Kaeya says. "You don't need to think about that right now."
"I miss you," Diluc says, voice raspy and thick with congestion, eyes fever-bright but still not quite focusing on Kaeya. "I miss you all the time but you hate me, and it's my fault-" He pauses to sneeze harshly again.
"Shh," Kaeya says. "Shh." He's got to figure out how to calm Diluc down. "I told you already that I don't hate you."
Diluc shakes his head. "You hate me," he says, distant. "But I'm glad you're here anyway, even if it's not real." He sniffles. "It's a nice dream..."
"Close your eyes," Kaeya says softly. "Have some more nice dreams. I'll still be here."
"Promise?" Diluc asks, sounding terribly young.
"I promise," Kaeya says.
Diluc sighs, and finally, finally lets his eyes fall shut.
@
For hours, Diluc's fever only rises.
Kaeya removes all of Diluc's blankets and changes out the ice in the cold compresses every fifteen minutes. It helps keep Diluc's temperature steady, but it doesn't drop.
Diluc himself hovers in and out of sleep, but even when he's awake, he's not present. He coughs and sneezes openly and rambles about his father, about Kaeya, about his wanderings around Teyvat searching for answers about Delusions. He shivers and shakes and picks at the bedsheets. He cries for ten minutes straight like a small child, once.
Kaeya thinks hard about calling for a healer, but the truth is that he's scared that something terrible will happen if he leaves Diluc for more than a moment.
Eventually, Kaeya strips Diluc down until he's only wearing his underwear and the belt he keeps his Vision on, and wipes him down with a wet washcloth. Diluc whines at first, but then settles... and it finally seems to help. He's still too warm, absolutely too warm, but he drifts into a peaceful sleep.
Kaeya stays up another hour or so, watching, but... it seems the worst of it is over. And he's so, so, so tired--it's weighing down his limbs, dragging down his eyelids.
He doesn't leave the room, doesn't dare. He sits down on the floor, leaning against the bed, letting his head tip back enough to use the mattress as a pillow. This way, if Diluc makes too much noise or moves around a lot, it will wake him.
He lets exhaustion overwhelm him.
@
Kaeya wakes shivering. It's rare that he really feels cold. His Cryo Vision tends to ward that off. But right now, he's frigid.
That's the first sign that something is wrong. The second sign is the tingle running through his nose. And as he continues to wake, he becomes aware of a faint headache and a raw throat and...
Well, it's inconvenient, but there are more important things to worry about.
Kaeya gets to his feet. He feels a little lightheaded at first, but it passes quickly enough. It's light out, though he has no idea what time it is.
Diluc is still sleeping. He seems much cooler... but would Kaeya be able to get an accurate idea right now?
At any rate, Diluc lost a lot of fluid sweating last night. He should have something to drink. Some tea, maybe. Kaeya usually isn't much for hot tea, but it sounds wonderful right now.
Kaeya thinks of putting another cold compress on Diluc's forehead before going to make tea. He lets a little Cryo gather in his fingertips.
His head throbs in warning, and he changes his mind.
He almost falls asleep leaning against the wall while waiting for the kettle to boil on the stove, and then he almost falls asleep sitting at his table waiting for the tea to steep. He rubs at his eye and sniffles, then pours a pair of mugs and carries them to the bedroom.
"Diluc," Kaeya calls softly. "Can you wake up?"
"Mm." Diluc's eyes slowly open. He sniffles, then coughs into his fist. "Kaeya?" he asks, voice raspy and faint. "Why... Is this your apartment?"
"Yes," Kaeya says. "You collapsed with a fever on the street last night. Do you remember?"
Diluc frowns and considers. "I... remember showing up for my shift..."
Kaeya shakes his head. He's not surprised. "Try to sit up," he says. "Have some tea."
"Tea sounds good..." Diluc murmurs. He carefully pushes himself up to sit, but sways, having to lean against the wall for a moment.
"Careful, careful," Kaeya says. He sets the mugs on his nightstand, then holds one hand out to steady Diluc while the other arranges some pillows behind him. (He feels things spin around him for a second or two when he has to bend over, but it stops quickly.) "There you are."
Diluc leans back into the pillows. He glances at the mugs. "Either one?" he asks.
"Yes," Kaeya says. "Either is fine." His brother is being worryingly cooperative.
Diluc takes one of the mugs. He takes a single sip, then holds it away from his face and sneezes into his arm. He groans softly, but then goes back to drinking.
Kaeya takes a sip of his own tea. It's just as soothing as he hoped it would be against his throat, and the steam starts to unblock some of the congestion trying to edge into his nose--which would be nice if it didn't stir up the faint itch there, too. He tries to ignore it.
"This is good," Diluc says. "Thank you. And... thank you for bringing me here." Too polite, as well.
"You needed it," Kaeya says. "And save your voice. You sound awful."
If Diluc's cheeks weren't already flushed so dark with fever, he would absolutely blush. As it is, he ducks his head down a little. "Maybe," he mumbles, and sniffles. He continues to nurse his tea, eyelids drooping. His hands wobble.
Kaeya takes the mug from Diluc's hands. "Don't drop it," he says. "Do you want to lay back down?"
Diluc frowns, but nods. He's not even arguing about being able to do it himself. He really must be feeling awful. "But I... Adelinde..."
"She doesn't know where you are?" Kaeya asks.
"I don't re-" Diluc breaks off and sneezes roughly, then sniffles pathetically.
"I'll take care of it," Kaeya replies. "Just rest."
Diluc nods. He lets Kaeya move the pillows, lets himself be lowered gently down onto his back. He closes his eyes, relief evident, when he's laying down again. "Thank you," he whispers.
"Get some rest," Kaeya says, drawing the blanket over Diluc's shoulders before he slips out of the room.
Finally, out of the bedroom, he can let his guard down a little. He rubs at his nose, which doesn't help--instead he's muffling an entire fit of itchy sneezes into his arm. By the end of it, he's exhausted, and he's shivering again.
Kaeya sinks into the couch. This... is far from ideal, but it can still work. He was up most of last night, and that's probably most of the reason he feels this tired. The chills are unpleasant, but maybe with some rest, he can shake them off, too.
He'll nap for a little while, then go out, tell someone at Angel's Share where Diluc is, and buy some supplies. A proper medicinal tea for the fever--maybe lemon balm, that usually worked for Diluc when they were kids. Some broth to make soup in... or maybe he'll just buy a batch of radish veggie soup from Good Hunter. He's out of honey, and that would help with the sore throat.
Kaeya doesn't dare let himself get too comfortable. He doesn't know how long he'll sleep if he does that. He stays sitting up, head tipped back again, and dozes.
@
The next time that Kaeya wakes up, everything is worse.
He's dizzy just sitting up, and his head is pounding. He stifles a sneeze, then another, and that does quite the opposite of helping. For a few minutes, it's all he can do to just sit there, lightheaded, waiting for the pain to back off.
But he reminds himself that Diluc is burning up in his bedroom, and there are things to do. He shoves himself to his feet and stumbles that direction.
Diluc is worse, too. Kaeya shakes him on the arm to wake him, and he barely cracks his eyes open.
"Kaeya?" Diluc asks. It's barely a whisper, and Kaeya would never have been able to figure out what it was supposed to be if he didn't recognize how that name looks on those lips.
"It's me," Kaeya says quietly. His voice isn't in all that much better shape, if he's honest with himself.
Diluc nods absently. Kaeya rests a hand on his forehead, and it's hot, too hot--which is very bad, because Kaeya is no fool, and knows he's running a fever himself.
"Let's try to cool you off a little," Kaeya says. He pulls the blanket away, and then... A cold compress. He lets Cryo gather in his hand. As the ice forms, the pulsing throb of the headache gathers force. He doesn't flinch, doesn't make a sound, but something must show on his face.
"Kae?" Diluc rasps. He clears his throat. "Kae..."
"I'm all right," Kaeya says. He wraps the piece of ice in a washcloth and places it on Diluc's forehead.
Diluc sighs. "You're not," he manages.
"Shouldn't you be worrying about yourself right now?" Kaeya asks. "You really are burning up, you know..."
"Vision," Diluc says--or at least tries to. Once again, it's a word that Kaeya only recognizes by the movements of his lips and not the shredded noise that leaves his throat.
But it's important. Kaeya glances at Diluc's Vision, and sees it alight. That's... definitely not helping the fever.
"I'm going to need to take that off you," Kaeya says.
Diluc nods slightly, and Kaeya slips the belt off his waist.
Kaeya had never understood the taboo against taking people's Visions off them without their consent or an emergency until he had a Vision himself. It's not like confiscating a weapon, or even removing a wedding ring. It really does feel like a piece of your own soul. Kaeya would still have done this even if Diluc had protested--the combination of poorly-controlled Pyro and an already-existing fever could easily kill him, not to mention burn down the building--but it's better for everyone that he can agree to it.
"It's right here, okay?" Kaeya carefully crosses the room and hangs the belt over the door. It's far enough away that the glow dims down, but not so far that the connection will feel completely lost. Or at least that's how things felt when Kaeya tested with his own Vision, a few weeks after receiving it.
"Mm." Diluc sniffles. He already looks less flushed just moments after having the Vision removed.
Kaeya sits down on the edge of the bed, facing away from Diluc, to produce a chunk of ice to wet a washcloth to wipe Diluc down. Dizziness strikes immediately, and everything turns white for several moments. He has to grip the mattress tightly, and even then he almost falls.
"Kaeya," Diluc says in a louder voice with deep alarm, then coughs thickly.
"I'm all right," Kaeya murmurs. He's not. He's really, really not. But Diluc needs help right now, and it's up to him to provide it.
Kaeya manages it. He turns around and wipes down Diluc's chest as gently as he can.
He's shaking. Every part of him is shaking.
By the end of it, though, despite everything, Diluc has fallen asleep. Concerned or not, he's too ill to be able to stay awake for long.
Kaeya is exhausted, too.
He has just enough left in him to get out of the room, but only just. He closes the bedroom door behind him, and then, despite knowing there are better choices he could be making, sits against it. He's just going to rest for a few moments, and then... and then there's probably that meeting, soon, and he needs to... to buy things, and...
@
"Kaeya?"
Kaeya thinks he knows that voice.
"Kaeya? Hey, wake up."
Kaeya definitely knows that voice, and it's Jean, and-
What is she doing in his apartment?
He opens his eyes to find her crouching in front of him.
"Your door wasn't even locked," Jean says. "I thought maybe you were kidnapped."
Kaeya sniffles. "I... I must have lost track of time..." He sneezes. "Excuse me. I found Diluc collapsed on the street last night... he's got a terrible fever..."
Jean rests the back of a hand against Kaeya's forehead. "Diluc has a fever, huh?" Her hand is cool and pleasant, and Kaeya can't help but lean into it a little.
"He's in my bed," Kaeya explains, eyes shut.
"Where you ought to be," Jean says. "But I suppose I can reassure Adelinde he's all right after all."
Kaeya groans and opens his eyes again. "I apologize, I..."
"Hush," Jean says. She pulls her hand away from his head, then grabs him under the arms. "Come on."
"Jean, I'm all right," Kaeya protests.
"Up," Jean says. She tugs him to his feet.
Standing is... not good. Kaeya tries to balance, but just tips forward. Jean catches him, which is the only reason he doesn't land on his face.
"Jean-"
"Quiet," Jean says. She reaches past him with one hand to open the bedroom door, then turns him and begins to walk him into the room.
"But Diluc will-"
"Huh?" Diluc rasps, eyes still closed.
"Move over," Jean tells him. "You're going to share."
"Jean, Diluc hates me," Kaeya says, the only resistance he can muster in this state.
Diluc sighs. "I don't hate you," he says, moving obediently.
"You can argue about this later," Jean informs them, manhandling Kaeya onto the bed. "For now, you're going to sleep, in an actual bed, until neither of you look like ten-year-olds who just tried on blush for the first time."
Kaeya wants to protest, but he feels so much better just laying down that it's rapidly drowning out both his sense of duty and his discomfort over sharing this much space with Diluc. "Jean..." he mumbles.
"This better not be an argument," she says.
Kaeya shakes his head. "Thank you."
Jean softens a little. "I'm sending for a healer, and then I'll make you both some tea," she says. "Get some rest, Kaeya. That's an order from your Acting Grand Master."
Kaeya nods and closes his eyes. Exhaustion floods over him like a tide coming in... but for the first time all day, he doesn't feel bad about letting himself fall asleep.