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Sunrays hit harshly on his eyes as Kaeya promptly sits up from his bed groggily. Oddly the weather wasn't supposed to be this hot in fall. Kaeya thought wildly. Everything was hot, he woke up with a mild headache and now the unforgiving sunlight just makes it worse.
He shook those thoughts and proceeds to prepare himself for the day, he can't afford to be late in his work.
But just as he takes his first steps, his legs wobbled and he falls to the floor.
Diluc beside him wakes up hearing the loud yelp and a sharp thud after. Kaeya hears the shuffling of blankets and a groan from his red head lover, earning a gasp thinking he disturbed his sleep.
"Kaeya, are you alright there?"
He speaks but what comes out from his mouth makes Diluc pulling himself away from the pillow, "Y-y-eah... I'm... A-a-alright..."
It was hoarse and raspy, he heard him cough afterwards. This time Diluc approached him, grabbing his arm. His night gown is warm and sweaty.
"No, you're not." Diluc gently pats his back hand over his forehead, in which Kaeya whined uncomfortably, “You're sick."
"Too warm... T-tooo waarmm.." Diluc peeled his hand away as soon as he said that. Kaeya attempts to reach over the door-- only to be carried away from it and lay him back to bed.
"Wha--"
"You need rest. I'll fetch you medicine and some breakfast."
Kaeya, with his pathetically quivering hands, he tries to reach his lover, "Nooo~ I can't be sick, Theeere's no waay..."
"I'll tell Jean you're taking a day off. Adelinde will be here shortly." Diluc nonchalantly says as he tucks Kaeya with the blanket.
Kaeya let out a small whine as Diluc disappears from the door. He knew he was too busy to take care of him and yet deep in his heart he desired him to stay. He really can't voice out his desires so selfishly despite Diluc giving him whatever he wants.
Everything is in pain, not just his body.
---
"Master Diluc? Is everything alright with Kaeya?" Adelinde approaches from the front door of the manor.
"He is sick. I'm sorry to ask you to take care of him."
She scratches her head shyly, "Ah, it is never a problem for me, but uhh..."
Diluc turned, "What is it?"
"Nothing really." Adelinde collectively smiles, "I'll go to his room right away."
Diluc never stopped staring perplexedly at his head maid as she climbed upstairs. There was something she wanted to say, he thought at the back of his head. It was probably nothing important so surely it wasn't worth saying.
He puts on his black coat as he steps outside.
---
"Oh, he is sick then? I'll let Noelle know about this so she can check on him--"
"No need to do that. He's at my house."
Jean coughed, "Oh? Well, that's-- that's good."
Diluc's eyebrows perked up when he hears a small laughter from her, "You already know I let him stay in my house from time to time."
"It's not that Master Diluc. Well, at the first days when he became a Captain, he keeps getting ill. His body wasn't used to working overtime. Kaeya really insisted on getting to work when he is sick. He is really stubborn." Jean sighed.
"I'm glad you stopped him this time. I can't afford letting him wear himself out like that, you know."
Diluc stares down at the floor contemplating. His head flitted to that certain memory between them he thought he had forgotten.
"I know he needs you, Master Diluc. I know he can't say it because that's what he is. Honestly, he needs to know being so selfless could make him this lonely."
Before Jean can say more, he beelines towards the door, missing the teasing smile the Acting Grandmaster had on her lips.
---
Adelinde turns at the sound of the door opening, she prevented herself from squeaking. The bright light from the door forms a shadow of her master hunched over.
"W-welcome back, Master Diluc. The meeting with Liyuen merchants ended early?"
"That can wait. How's Kaeya?" Diluc said between pants.
The maid slightly angles down her head, "Well, he's resting, but he's getting warmer."
A loud cough echoed within the halls upstairs. Diluc feels the panic in his chest rising up as he reeled himself to the staircase.
Adelinde can't help but smile at his back turning away. It brings her back to the past when Diluc was sick one time.
Diluc carefully opens the door as to not disturb Kaeya by its creaking sound. It failed apparently when he saw Kaeya squirming uncomfortably on the bed.
The sight was... tempting. Flushed cheeks and hazy eyes. Kaeya was open and vulnerable that anyone can easily take him and ravish him. He was never short of suitors seeking for his hand in marriage, both men and women. His looks were beyond the Mondstadt beauty standards (of course he was never one). He was still cute and pretty as kid but was shy around people that Diluc has to hold his hands every time they stepped outside.
Since when he became so... confident? Then again Diluc changed, too, but that made him too hard to approach than he was as a child. That didn't matter unless it was Kaeya. He tried his best to keep his attention on Diluc and only Diluc.
Everyone sees his caramel skin and a lone starry eye, but no one see his other eye, a mystery that people question the most about him. If everyone sees it then they will surely come to Kaeya’s door in droves.
He already attracted those from Liyue and Inazuma. Even a bloody Harbinger caught wind of his beauty.
He shall have a talk with Aether regarding their travels. He'd rather have Kaeya locked up in his home than let him ever set foot outside ever again.
Another cough from the younger man snaps Diluc out from his apparent possessive thoughts.
"A-adelinde? Is that you?" Kaeya covers his mouth, trying to stifle his cough, "Sorry, I-I shouldn't cough so loud like that."
Instead of a soft motherly hand he expected, a strong calloused hand caresses his cheek. Kaeya peeled his eye open as he heard a clicking of a tongue of a red head before him.
"Diluc...? What're you doing back here--" His cough interrupted him again, as he sits up. Diluc attempts to gently push him back down, "The meeting? What about--"
"I'm sorry." Diluc mutters softly, solemnly and carefully stares at him.
"What?"
The bed dipped when Diluc sits beside him "I was never there for you when you were sick, even we were kids..."
The blue haired man smiled weakly, "..Izznot a big deal, I knew you were training so hard back then--"
Diluc cuts him off, "I remember... When I was sick, you never left my side ever until I got better. Not matter how Father tried to drag you away from the room."
"Diluc--"
He leans down to kiss his cheeks, his forehead, his exposed left golden and scarred eye. Kaeya groans in protest, "Please stop kissing me... What if you got the cold too?"
A chuckle left in his mouth, "I don't care, Kae. Besides, if we both are sick, we'll be both lying next to each other, you know?"
"We've been doing that for months!"
His head rests gingerly in his shoulder, "... Is not enough... We need do it more to make up the time we've lost."
Kaeya sworn his shivered at the next thing Diluc does this time. His hot breath is now closer his ear, "... Or perhaps, we do the other thing instead to make up for it? We can do it, right here and right now."
His body jerked at such preposition and lewd thoughts immediately went to his head. Every fiber of his body went warmer this time the second Diluc say those things.
Diluc felt the other man slumping on his shoulder, "Kaeya? Kaeya, are you okay?" he grabbed his shoulders and stared at his flushed face.
Ah, he broke Kaeya.
Okay, that’s on Diluc for seducing him like that.
---
"Jean, what are those?" The purple magician beside her points to the boxes she's holding.
She shakes it slightly, "This one is from Klee, I hope she wasn’t trying to show Kaeya her bombs.”
Then she shows a huge box, “Eula insisted me to give this to Kaeya, or else she’ll come for my head.”
Lastly, a small box, “As for this one, apparently Albedo made this medicine for Kaeya. He could've come along with me but he can't... for some reasons."
"Reasons like his research or Diluc is there? I have expected more of Albedo that just giving up on Kaeya." Lisa chuckled while Jean narrowly eyed at her, and then to the several huge elegantly wrapped boxes she carries.
"Ok then, what are those?"
"Presents for Kaeya!" Lisa announces cheerfully, her eyes practically sparkling with interest while pointing to the gifts, "They're not from me though. This one is from a gentleman named Zhongli and the other from the 11th Harbinger himself. Over here is from the Tianquan hereself! Also, this one is from Inazuma, from the Kamisato Clan it says in the letter over here. And this one is from Cyno. Do you still remember that guy? He's a General, now. I can't believe even Al-Haitham and Nilou sent one. Those guys really..."
Jean rests her hands on her hips incredulously, "... Are you serious? And you’re carrying it here?"
"They were delivered at the headquarters, Kaeya should've seen it, but you know... he's sick. Also, they are lot heavier than the book I usually carry. Jean-- deary, can you help me carry the other half?"
"Are you sure to bring it in Diluc's house?" The Acting Grandmaster asks, not liking where this is going on.
"Ehe~" Lisa sticks her tongue out, "We'll see~"
Jean stressfully sighs again of the nth time at the antics of her friend, "Barbatos, may have mercy on us all."