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“For someone who’s supposed to take sick leave, you’re working an awful lot.” Diluc snatched the pen out of Kaeya’s hand, holding it high enough that he wouldn’t be able to reach it.
Kaeya looked up at him with an uninterested expression, the usual finesse he held gone and replaced with the slow, unsteady movements of someone visibly ill. He reached over for the papers on the coffee table in front of him, neatening them up in a stack before crossing his arms and leaning back against the couch.
“That’s quite hypocritical of you to say, ‘Luc.” He raised his eyebrows, looking away from the other man, “Adelinde writes to me a lot, you know. Not getting enough rest, working on paperwork while sick, to name a few offenses. You cause her quite a lot of grief, you know.”
Diluc bit his lip hard with each thing Kaeya ticked off. He figured Kaeya would resist, but not like this. The food he held in his left hand might not be enough to convince him to rest.
“I’m… Aware. However, I can say with certainty that I’m not the only one that would like to see you recover,” Diluc sighed, placing the pen down next to the papers, “So, please. Give it some thought for me. I brought Adelinde’s homemade soup for you, just as you liked it.”
Diluc placed the bowl of soup down on the table, seating himself next to Kaeya on the couch. He watched patiently as Kaeya reached over with trembling hands, grabbing the bowl of soup and immediately digging into it. He could tell, deep beneath that facade of irritation, that Kaeya loved that soup.
The sparkle in his eye, the small smile every time he took a small sip, it was all very reminiscent of their childhood together.
It didn’t last very long, not when he was wincing every so often.
Diluc frowned, narrowing his eyes at the sight, “Kae, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, right. Haha…” He laughed breathily, coughing shortly after.
Diluc reached over to rub his back, attempting to comfort him as much as he could. Kaeya was burning to the touch, it was unnatural and concerning to him. He should’ve brought medicine.
“The rain outside, can you hear it?” Kaeya asked, seemingly dodging Diluc’s question with another question.
Diluc raised an eyebrow at that, though he decidedly didn’t say anything. He allowed the room to fall silent, the only sounds being the ticking of the clock on the wall, and the silent pitter pattering of the rain on the windows. It was a light rain, barely present, but it was there.
And it being there was enough for Kaeya to be in a world of discomfort.
“The humidity is bothering your scars, isn’t it?” It clicked in Diluc’s mind then, that Kaeya’s body was covered in scars.
Both from himself, and from the years they spent apart. The guilt still ate away at him during the nights he spent fighting, blindly killing abyss mages while his thoughts run rampant. It was his fault Kaeya was scarred irreparably. It was his fault Kaeya lost his trust in him. It was his fault Kaeya believed he hated him.
“My right eye… It hurts. A lot. But I don’t want to get rid of the eyepatch. Not in front of you.” Kaeya leaned over, resting his head on Diluc’s shoulder and sighing in discomfort.
Diluc could feel the heat radiating off of him again, the dampness of Kaeya’s hair. Not even the Cryo vision Kaeya wore on his hip seemed to cool his body temperature down enough to be comfortable.
“Kae, I promise you that showing me your eye won’t make me hurt you again. It’s okay to take it off if it’ll ease the pain,” Diluc attempted to reassure him, wrapping an arm around Kaeya in the process.
Kaeya fell silent for a moment, humming to himself. Diluc knew then that he was thinking to himself, too lost in his own mind to listen to anything else he might have to say. Moments passed, the rain grew louder against the windows, and Kaeya still hadn’t said anything.
The rain was pouring down now, Kaeya’s body was incredibly tense under his hold.
“Okay… Okay. I’ll let you take it off. Just please… Stop the pain.” Kaeya’s words were barely above a whisper, Diluc almost couldn’t hear him.
“I understand. Look at me, Kae.” Diluc pulled his arm back, shifting away from Kaeya enough so that he had a good look at the other man’s face.
Kaeya’s eye was closed, his breathing labored and heavy with pain. Diluc cupped Kaeya’s cheek in one hand, while he gently used the other to slowly pull off the eyepatch, easing it off so Kaeya could rest easier.
Nothing would have prepared him mentally for the sight.
Where the skin used to be soft, it was rough and covered in burn scars. Diluc dropped the eyepatch onto his lap, pulling away as he couldn’t help but stare at the damage he caused. He did this to Kaeya. He hurt Kaeya.
Kaeya opened both eyes, looking at him with a solemn gaze, “It’s not what you expected, is it? I’m sorry.”
“Kae, no. I should be the one apologizing,” Diluc immediately refuted, pulling Kaeya into a tight hug.
He felt the blue-haired man sink into the hug, resting his head on Diluc’s chest as he closed his eyes. Though he looked like he was falling asleep, Kaeya was still awake. He was still in pain, even within Diluc’s comfort.
“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have brought it up that day,” He mumbled, pushing himself further into Diluc as a means to hide.
“I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did, Kae. You were being honest with me and I… I took it the wrong way.” Diluc’s eyes stung, he could feel the tears threatening to spill.
“Are you being honest? You really mean that?” Diluc could feel Kaeya’s body start to tremble.
He was crying in his arms.
“Of course. Of course I mean that,” Diluc confirmed, rubbing circles into Kaeya’s back.
He couldn’t cry, not in front of Kaeya like that. He needed to be the strong older brother. A shoulder to cry on, not the one crying.
He couldn’t convince himself before a lone tear slipped down his cheek, falling into Kaeya’s hair.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, ‘Luc. You’ve always had a way with words,” Kaeya laughed through his own tears, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.
“It’s alright. Just rest for now, Kae. We can talk about this more when you’re feeling better.” Diluc leaned back against the armrest of the couch, relaxing into it as Kaeya relaxed himself.
“Yeah, okay. Goodnight, ‘Luc,” Kaeya whispered, keeping his eyes closed and breaths steady.
“Goodnight, Kae.”