Chapter Text
Diluc was feeling the comfortable lull of sleep settling in his bones. He wiped the counter thoroughly as he closed down the tavern after the night shift. The night's merrymaking had been none out of the ordinary - Kaeya hadn't visited, which was a bonus, given that his presence grated on his nerves.
Seeing Kaeya chatter with his regular drinking buddies or swagger around with strangers brought a consistent dull ache to his heart. It had been more than a year since Diluc's return to Mondstadt, but the weight of unspoken words seemed to weigh deeper with every reminder of his presence.
Diluc huffed, casting the dire nostalgia out of his mind. He resumed wiping, ignoring the way his eyes lingered upon Kaeya's regular seat.
Somewhere along the steps of the Cathedral, Jean raced down the steps. Her knees were trembling and her heart pounded as if she feared time might run out. More startling than her visible loss of composure were the tears streaking down her cheeks.
She caught her breath at a balustrade at another flight of steps before beckoning a soldier forth.
"Go to Angel's Share and summon Master Diluc to the cathedral at once."
Diluc was more than surprised when an out of breath soldier greeted him at the tavern's entrance.
"The Acting Grandmaster summons Master Diluc to the cathedral now."
The soldier bowed before gauging his response. Diluc stared for a moment, noticing the soldier's shaken state.
"Very well," he said, wondering what on earth could have happened that required his presence. Had the Knights of Favonius's inefficiency reached a new high, such that his help was required?
A million questions raced through his mind as the soldier's pace picked up. They were practically sprinting as the midnight bell of a tower clock chimed into the incongruously peaceful silence.
What had happened?
And then Diluc saw Jean right at the Cathedral's entrance, frantically gesturing him inside.
"Jean. Tell me what happened," Diluc asked her urgently, not missing the grief-stricken expression on her face.
Jean's voice broke as she sobbed, "It's… Kaeya. He's dying. He asked for you to hear his last words."
The door burst open as the pair sped inside. Diluc's first reaction to her devastating statement was internal, manifesting as a shockwave paralysing his brain.
Kaeya was… dying?
He was asking for his presence?
A whimper broke past Diluc's composure as they finally entered the private hospital wing. Even in the dimness, the outlines of Barbara, Lisa, Amber and Albedo were visible and crowded around a single bed.
"Kaeya!" rasped Diluc, and everyone parted ways for him. Barbara clutched onto Jean as the sisters' shoulders shook, while Lisa comforted Amber, gathering her in her own arms. Albedo stood on the other side, staring blankly with the rare sight of tears on his face.
Kaeya's extravagant coat that gave him a rakish appearance had been stripped, placed on the side, torn and damp. All he had on was a white v-necked shirt that pronounced the bruises across his bandaged chest.
His forehead was bandaged as well, but his eyepatch remained, covering nearly half of his face. The outline of his lean body could be seen from above the white linen sheets.
Diluc bent forwards, trying to get a better look at Kaeya. He had never seen Kaeya look so obscured or sickly.
"What happened?" he asked, and his voice shook.
With a few heavy sniffles, Lisa replied, "An expedition to Dragonspine. We - we thought it was just treasure hoarders, but six of the Fatui… ambushed him at once."
Diluc finally met Kaeya's eye as he coughed. It was a weak sound that tugged at Diluc's heart.
"You're… finally here."
"Shut up. Don't talk," whispered Diluc as the eye with the star pupil turned slightly crescent-shaped.
Kaeya was smiling. He was happy to see him.
"I never thought… you'd… want to see me… again."
"Kaeya," said Diluc frantically. His sentence reeked of foreboding, and the redhead's heart pounded as the possibility of losing Kaeya settled in. He found Kaeya's cool hands and held onto them tightly.
The contact was so foreign after years of the absence of it. He couldn't help the tears leaking into his eyes.
"Has anybody treated his wounds?" Diluc raised his voice, looking around wildly.
"It's the wounds on his abdomen," whispered Barbara tearfully. "I just did some healing and monitored his progress. I'll do it again."
"So he's not dying, right? Right?!" Diluc almost snapped, still in a shocked stupor.
Barbara drew the bedsheet down, and Diluc recoiled at the sight of the bloodied abdomen. Amidst blistered skin, there were five deep gash marks that were accounting for the apparent blood loss and Kaeya's frighteningly pale complexion.
Barbara's luminescent healing began to close the gashes and staunch the bleeding slightly. He heard Kaeya gasp in pain. His chest was heaving shallowly and agony was clear on his face.
The redhead stood there dumbly as Albedo rushed in the general direction of his laboratory, proclaiming something about "encouraging results" as he sprinted the fastest anyone had ever seen for the cool-headed alchemist.
Jean was tight-lipped and trying to control her crying as she stroked Kaeya's forehead with her hand.
"I'm sorry for sending you there alone, Kaeya. I should have known better. It's my fault."
Kaeya could barely shake his head in reply.
" 'Luc."
Someone pushed Diluc forward. Facing his brother for the first time without pretences, he broke down completely, sobs racking sporadically through his frame. It was too late to say goodbye. He could feel Jean’s trembling hand on his back.
"I…," Kaeya sounded surprised, "It's good to… see you crying. At my death, no less."
Before Diluc could reply, Barbara spoke.
"You're not dying," said Barbara firmly, "Not anymore, I think. Albedo has finished his accelerated blood clotting potion."
Diluc lifted his head from his position beside Kaeya's waist. As if on cue, Albedo bustled back into the room, holding a vial of clear, viscous liquid.
"This will hurt a little, my friend," the alchemist told Kaeya softly.
"I'm okay." Kaeya put on a brave face.
Albedo placed a gloved hand above Kaeya's eyes, as if shielding him, while the other slowly dripped the coagulator onto the open wounds.
Kaeya’s body seemed to become taut, while his chest heaved tremulously again. Below Albedo's hand, his mouth creased into sobs of pain.
“Kaeya,” murmured Diluc hoarsely, not noticing the way he was massaging his hand to comfort him.
“Don’t worry,” Lisa told him, sounding hopeful, “The faster the healing, the greater the pain within a shorter span.”
Albedo was taking his pulse and inspecting his wounds with the eyes of a hawk.
“It’s working,” he whispered. Barbara seemed to be the only other one to understand from mere visual inspection, but the tension in the room was slowly dissolving into heartbreaking relief.
Everyone watched as Barbara applied more disinfectant solutions after wiping away the worst of the fresh blood, before dressing the wounds.
“Allow me,” said Diluc immediately, being the physically strongest in the room right then. He helped Kaeya to sit upwards at a forty-five degree angle whilst Barbara circled the bandage around Kaeya’s waist a few times.
“Nice to be in your tender arms, ‘Luc,” murmured Kaeya haltingly.
“Shut up and rest, Kaeya,” Diluc muttered back. Then he saw Kaeya’s fatigued eye and strained expression, and immediately felt guilty.
“It’s alright, that was good advice, Sir.” It was Amber, red-eyed, but ever capable at reading the situation in the room. “On the other hand, since Captain Kaeya isn’t dying, I suppose some privacy is warranted for you all? Afterall, I’m the only junior,” she finished unsurely.
“It’s... alright. Fuck seniority,” said Kaeya dismissively.
Jean managed to chuckle at that. Tender sentiments welled up inside Diluc. The familiarity of Kaeya’s witty, sometimes uncouth banter, along with Jean’s compassion and sense of humour made him feel at home. He had not felt like that for a long time.
No one really noticed as Diluc slipped out of the room, reserving his tears of relief for the deserted corridor, but he noticed the way Albedo’s forehead touched against Kaeya’s as he embraced him.