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“I’m not sure why Jean paired us together for this mission, Diluc. This is bending a few rules of the Knights; you’re a citizen after all. I feel her respect for you has clouded her judgement…” Kaeya lamented as the two trudged their way up Dragonspine. Diluc listened, scowling.
“If you have nothing to do but complain, I shall turn back and leave you to climb this mountain alone, Sir Kaeya. Surely a grand Knight of Favonius does not need a mere citizen’s assistance on this trip?” His voice dripped with sarcasm, glaring intensely at Kaeya as he spoke.
Kaeya laughed wryly in response. “Well, when the mere citizen in question holds a pyro vision Jean is willing to ignore that fact. This is Dragonspine, after all.”
Diluc scoffed. “Inefficient as always. I’m assuming the pyro vision holders within the Knights are busy catering to the every whim of Mondstadt’s public or are simply too young for this kind of job.”
Kaeya sighed. “I suppose that is one thing I agree with you on - Klee is far too young for this job. As for Amber, she is unable to come with me due to a broken arm. You know this, Jean literally told you!”
Diluc rolled his eyes but switched topics. “Why have you been sent to deal with the cryo hypostasis? Your vision is totally incompatible. Are you truly the only person free?”
“Well ouch. Sounds almost like you don’t want to work with me.“ Kaeya sniped. Diluc ground his teeth, choosing to refrain from responding with “yes, I would rather be anywhere else at this exact moment, how could you tell.” “And yes, I am the only Knight free. Bennet was available, but…” Diluc did not have to ask why Bennet had not been sent on this mission. Instead, he let out a frustrated huff and turned to focus on the path.
Archons, he felt awful. Truth be told, Diluc hadn’t fed for several weeks and was beginning to feel the strain coming from a lack of fresh blood circulating in his body. The person that had agreed to let him feed off of them had come down ill, and feeding off a sick individual would damage their health further.
He had seen no problems with this; he’d had no plans that day until he was summoned by the Acting Grandmaster to scale Dragonspine for some materials for some project he didn’t even have the clearance to know the full details of.
He had intended to tell Jean about his current situation, but upon seeing her bloodshot eyes and smile that was really more of a grimace, he shut his mouth with a click and kept silent. He did not want to worsen her frazzled state, especially with Lisa at her side glaring daggers at him while he tried to argue. Diluc could recognise Jean as an extremely hard worker, and he knew her plate was piled with things to do; the last thing she needed was him arguing with her. So he reluctantly agreed, even if it meant working with his estranged brother.
Stubbornly, he had refused to tell Kaeya this information as well. Why should he? Diluc was confident that he could fight well enough in this state, and then he could return home. There he could rest and reorganise the session at a later time. A small voice in the back of his head protested, insisting that this plan was bound to fall to pieces, but Diluc ignored it. An even smaller voice pointed out that if this had been when they were younger, Kaeya would have eagerly donated blood to his brother without wasting a second thinking about it. Diluc shook his head to dislodge the thought. “It must be the hunger messing with me,” he thought grimly.
“Something wrong, Diluc? Snow in your hair, perhaps?” Kaeya teased. Diluc chose not to respond save for a scalding glare he threw his way.
The two continued to walk in near silence, Diluc ignoring all of Kaeya’s attempts at starting a conversation. Instead, he pointedly fixed his gaze on the passing scenery, marvelling at the cold, deadly beauty of the mountain.
“You’re so boring, Diluc. How anyone tolerates you I just can’t understand! I mean really, turning your head away just so you don’t have to talk to me? It’s freezing on this mountain, surely a little chit-chat to pass the time isn’t so undesirable? I can’t stand this silence, you know.” Kaeya drawled, leaning towards Diluc.
“You talk enough for the two of us,” Diluc snapped. “I have no desire to gossip with you, Kaeya. Spare me your incessant chatter, we’re almost there. Let’s get this over and done with.” His head was aching, and Kaeya’s voice was only worsening the pain.
“Someone’s in a foul mood,” Kaeya muttered but blessedly stopped talking. Diluc was too focused on the road ahead to notice Kaeya scrutinising him, frowning to himself before turning back to the path. The hypostasis’ arena came into view, and they made their way toward it.
Unsurprisingly, the hypostasis was little trouble for the pair. The two had not fought together in some time, but the muscle memory clicked surprisingly quickly as they settled into a rhythm. The fight was over relatively quickly, and Kaeya leant over to collect the Crystalline Bloom. He knelt down to it away in their pack, then stood back up and dusted himself off.
Diluc watched tiredly, leaning on his claymore. The fight had not been difficult, but he felt increasingly sluggish, and black spots danced along his peripheral vision. He cursed himself internally; he knew he had taken on more than he could handle with this trip. Hopefully, Kaeya would not notice. He did not want to be teased about his own foolish decision when he knew full well it was a mistake. Unfortunately for Diluc, Kaeya was watching him with his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Mercifully, he chose not to comment and Diluc straightened himself up.
“Let’s head back.” He spoke curtly. “I have things to attend to back at the winery.”
Kaeya cocked an eyebrow but nodded. He had clearly not bought the excuse but refrained from pointing out how obviously untrue it was.
The return walk was slower, with Kaeya keeping his eye on Diluc as he swayed slightly on his feet. Diluc came close to slipping on the icy ground multiple times, no longer keenly focusing on the path ahead. Kaeya hovered next to him, faint signs of worry etched into his face but he made no move to steady his brother as he struggled.
When Diluc actually did slip on the ice below them, Kaeya lunged to grab his arms to prevent him from falling over entirely. The ice creaked under their weight, thin fracture lines spreading fast below their feet. Neither of them noticed, too focused on one another. Too dazed to respond with his usual anger, Diluc blinked up at Kaeya, his gaze unfocused.
“Diluc, whatever you’re trying to hide from me is causing you trouble. Please, for once don’t be stubborn and tell me what’s wrong!” He snapped.
Again, there was no response. Instead, Diluc shivered slightly and shuffled closer to Kaeya. Oh Archons, Diluc was freezing. Kaeya could feel him trembling in his grip. Kaeya’s eyes widened as the wheels turning in his mind clicked into place. Oh, his stupid, idiot, total moron of a brother.
He opened his mouth to question him further but promptly snapped it shut when suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake and loud rumbling filled the air. Diluc’s head snapped up, looking around wildly for the source of the sound. Kaeya’s grip tightened on his arm, paling as he pointed towards the peak of the mountain. Diluc followed his gaze.
“Avalanche,” Kaeya said hoarsely. Diluc said nothing but his eyes widened in horror.
Before the pair could turn to escape, the floor gave way beneath them and they fell a fair distance before crashing into the cold stone ground. The ground continued to shake as the avalanche raged above their heads. Some snow fell through the gap in the ceiling and covered them both.
Kaeya groaned, his body screaming in pain from slamming into the ground. He reluctantly pushed himself up into a sitting position, shaking off the snow that crept its way under his clothes and into his hair. Checking himself quickly, he sighed in annoyance to find that his ankle hurt, and was beginning to swell. He turned to find Diluc slowly rising from the ground and standing up, only to wobble and fall back down.
“Careful!” Kaeya shuffled over to his brother, scanning him for any major injuries as well, thanking the stars that he found none. He reached out to brush away the snow clinging to Diluc’s jacket and hair. Diluc sluggishly moved to push his hands away.
Kaeya glared. “I’m just helping you. Unless Master Diluc wants to freeze?” His voice was icy with displeasure.
“…Cold…” Diluc mumbled. Kaeya’s eye softened fractionally. Normally, this weather wouldn’t bother Diluc nearly this much. However with limited circulation due to not feeding, Diluc was an easy target for Dragonspine.
“Well, that would be the snow and ice you’re covered in, coupled with the hunger which you oh so intelligently neglected to inform me about.” Kaeya continued to brush snow off of Diluc, who made no move to prevent him. He continued to shiver, his teeth chattering loudly as he tried to respond.
“…D-Didn’t… think… this... b-bad...” He could barely form the words as he spoke. His hands found purchase in Kaeya’s shirt, bringing his brother closer. “Cold... K-Kae…” Diluc’s eyes had unfocused further, his voice small and timid. Kaeya wasted no time enveloping his brother in a hug, rubbing his hands up and down Diluc’s back to try and warm him up a bit.
“Normally, it’s me who’s the cold one, thanks to my vision,” Kaeya said softly, a tinge of humour in his voice. Diluc huffed, but there was no anger behind it.
“Don’t… need... t-tell me… stupid… idea…”
“I should hope not after this outcome. Don’t think I won’t be yelling at you for this later, Diluc.” Kaeya shivered, the gnawing cold seeping through his clothes as well. “But for now, there are more important things to focus on. If there’s anything flammable here, do you think you could start a fire?” Diluc nodded.
“Try…” Diluc closed his eyes.
Kaeya looked up to scan the area they were in. Their bags were lying a couple metres away he noted with a sense of relief, but there seemed to be nothing else in the frigid cave. There was thankfully an exit apart from the hole in the ceiling, but he could not see any materials to start a fire with from where he sat.
“Give me a few minutes Diluc, I need to check the area more carefully.” He extricated himself from his brother’s rather weak grip to stand up. He grabbed the bags and gently tossed them back toward Diluc. He hobbled around the perimeter of the cave, scanning for anything of potential use to them.
He paused when he saw something sticking out below a pile of snow in the corner. He brushed the snow away only to-
“Ow!” A splinter stuck itself in his palm and he pulled it out with a wince. Blood welled up in the small wound. He couldn’t be upset; he had found the remains of a few crates that would serve as good fuel for a fire despite being slightly damp from the snow. He dragged them back towards Diluc, taking more care to prevent a secondary splinter.
“Here. Could you give it a try? It’s ok if you can’t.” Brushing the snow and ice around the planks away, he sat down next to Diluc. Diluc reached out a shaky hand to light the wood on fire. It took a few tries, but finally, the sparks caught and a fire began to burn in front of them. Heat soon began to flood the room as the fire grew in size, and Diluc visibly relaxed as the biting cold receded. Kaeya too found himself relaxing, previously unaware of how cold it really had been having focused entirely on Diluc’s comfort.
“Better?” Kaeya asked.
“Mhm. It was the cold affecting me like that before...” Diluc responded, turning to face Kaeya with more clarity in his eyes. Kaeya smiled, brushing Diluc’s messy fringe out of his eyes. Diluc stiffened, eyes locking onto his palm. He swallowed, saliva flooding his mouth at the smell of blood. He grabbed Kaeya’s arm and pushed it away.
“Diluc?” Kaeya asked, somewhat annoyed. Diluc’s eyes were blown wide, his fangs poking past his lips, physically reacting to Kaeya’s blood. Diluc brought his sleeve up to cover his nose, moving away from Kaeya.
“Your blood… I…” He gulped audibly. “Don’t get too close. I-I can control myself from this distance, rest assured. Once I’m warm enough, we can head back and I won’t be a danger to you.”
Kaeya crossed his arms, eye narrowing. “No.”
“What do you mean no? Do you want to stay here forever?” Diluc hissed.
“Of course not. But you said it yourself, the cold makes you drowsy because you haven’t fed. I don’t think it’s safe for you to go back out there, even if you’ve warmed up now. It will be a longer trip back because we’ll have to reroute, and I’ve injured my ankle.” Kaeya explained.
“So what should we do? I really can’t think of any solu-“ Diluc’s eyes widened. “Kaeya. No. Absolutely not.”
“Cmon. I can’t hobble back to Mondstadt to get help, the fire would go out before I even made it halfway down the mountain. You’d freeze, Diluc. Just feed from me, it’s the only way.” Kaeya implored.
“No! I-“ Diluc sighed. He started again, speaking more calmly. “What if… what if I hurt you? I might… not be able to stop. I don’t want to risk that. And you’d be so weak afterwards.” Diluc fiddled with his hair, not meeting Kaeya’s gaze.
Kaeya sighed. “I know. But what else do we do? Camp out here and wait for the Knights to send reinforcements? The fire won’t last that long.”
As if to highlight his point, the fire spat out a few sparks.
Diluc’s gaze flitted from side to side, his expression nervous. “Fine. Fine, fine. Stop me if I go too far Kaeya. Use force if you have to. Also,” he reached out for their bags, “I want you to eat the food we packed first. Please.”
Kaeya nodded and took out the skewers he’d packed for himself. He unwrapped them, and began to eat them while Diluc watched. They were cold, but he didn’t really care. Kaeya swallowed.
“So, why haven’t you fed Diluc? You’re usually more organised.” He started on his second skewer.
“The person I scheduled with got sick. Just a cold, really, but bad enough I felt it would damage their health if we went through with it. I cleared my schedule so I wouldn’t overexert myself, but Jean approached me with this mission, and…” Diluc had the decency to look embarrassed.
“…Diluc! Jean would have let you stay home if you explained!” Kaeya said exasperatedly.
“I know that! She just looked awful.” Diluc winced. “Ah, no not like that. I meant that she looked stressed. Lisa was glaring at me over her shoulder as well. I couldn’t bring myself to say no.”
Kaeya chewed the last of his third skewer. “Still… this is probably going to cause her more stress.”
Diluc’s eye twitched. “I know that.”
“No need to be snappy.” Kaeya rewrapped the eaten skewers and put them away in his bag. “Is someone grumpy because he hasn’t eaten?” He smirked. “Time to uphold your part of the deal.”
“It wasn’t really a deal…” Diluc grumbled as he moved closer to Kaeya. “Roll up your sleeve.”
Kaeya did as he was told, and offered his left arm to Diluc. “Go on. Frankly, you look awful. I don’t know how I didn’t notice earlier, you’re clearly starved.”
“Ah… probably the cold. Even humans look pale here… You’re still sure this is ok?” Diluc asked meekly. Kaeya groaned, shoving his arm into his face.
“Yes! For Archons’ sake, just drink my blood already!”
Diluc spared him one worried glance, before turning back to Kaeya’s arm. He opened his mouth and sank his fangs into Kaeya’s arm. Blood ran over his tongue, and he closed his eyes. The extent of his hunger crashed over him as he latched onto the wound and began swallowing the flowing blood at a fast pace. How he’d managed to get this far while this hungry was a mystery to him now. The taste of blood was heady, and Diluc found himself lulled into a trance while drinking.
Kaeya watched him, smiling gently as bliss graced his brother’s features. He brought up his other arm and began running his fingers through Diluc’s hair. Diluc barely seemed to notice, focused only on Kaeya’s blood, It hurt, but he could ignore it well enough. He watched as colour returned to Diluc’s skin, the ashy pallor vanishing as his blood began to flow through his brother’s body.
Kaeya was beginning to feel lightheaded when Diluc pulled away, breathing heavily. Blood dripped down his chin, which he wiped away with his hand. Kaeya withdrew his hand from Diluc’s hair.
“‘M done. I don’t need any more.” Diluc said, turning to Kaeya. “…Are you feeling okay? I didn’t go too far, right?”
Kaeya shook his head and immediately regretted it. He felt himself slump as black spots filled his vision. Diluc’ grabbed him, pulling him to rest against his chest.
“Shit. Kaeya? Kaeya, can you hear me?” Distress bled into his voice. Kaeya looked at him blearily, the black receding from his vision.
“Yeah… And no… you didn't. Go too far, I mean. These are just the normal side effects.” Diluc looked unconvinced. “I mean it, Luc… I’m alright, I promise.”
“Your promises hold little weight,” Diluc muttered at a volume Kaeya assumed he wasn’t meant to be able to hear. He inspected the wound, pleased to find it scabbing over already. He spoke again louder, “Well, if you say so. But you’re not coming down the mountain with me like this.”
“Are you going to leave me here to freeze? Ouch, how cold of you.” Kaeya’s voice was deadpan.
“What? No.” Diluc sounded peeved, incredulous that Kaeya had even dared to think he’d leave him as if it wasn’t fully in character for him to do so. Kaeya told him as such, and Diluc’s eyes narrowed.
“We may not see eye to eye, but protecting Mondstadt is my goal. Caring for its citizens is part of that.” A light blush dusted Diluc’s cheeks, and it was not from the cold.
“I care about you, Kaeya.” Went unspoken, but was not missed. Kaeya looked away, unable to handle the implications of Diluc’s admission.
“…Eyes,” Kaeya mumbled.
“Eyes…?” Diluc said confusedly.
”Eyes to eye.” Kaeya gestured at his eyepatch. “Y’know, because…” He bit his lip to hold back laughter.
Diluc was unimpressed. “If you’re feeling well enough to make jokes, perhaps you are in fact ready to walk down the mountain with me.”
“Aw, am I annoying you? Do you really want to get rid of me that quickly?” Kaeya teased.
“Yes.”
“Ah… I see. Well, I wouldn’t want to bother Master Diluc any longer.” Kaeya pulled away from Diluc and stood up shakily. The world spun and he staggered, pain shooting up his leg as he clumsily stood on his injured ankle. Diluc shot up and grabbed Kaeya’s arms to steady him. Kaeya hissed as Diluc’s grip tightened around the puncture wound.
“Sorry! Sorry.” Diluc moved his hand further up Kaeya’s arm to avoid the injury. “You’re not bothering me. I was just joking like you were, I... It came out wrong.” He stood there awkwardly with blood staining his lips and large worried eyes, making it hard for Kaeya to stay angry at him.
It was oddly reminiscent of Diluc as a young child, who had also spoken harshly at times without meaning to. Even as an adult, he has the same puppy-eyed expression after realising that he’d upset Kaeya. Kaeya had to bite back commenting on it, knowing that Diluc would scowl for the rest of his life out of embarrassment at making such an expression.
Kaeya sighed. “It’s ok.”
Diluc relaxed, and his face returned to its normal, stony demeanour. “You are not walking down this mountain.” He stated firmly. “You can’t even stand.”
“It was just vertigo…” Kaeya offered. He knew it was a feeble excuse.
“Yeah, on account of the blood loss.” Diluc scoffed. “…You helped me, Kaeya. Will you allow me to do the same?”
“What, help yourself? Rather greedy, no?” Kaeya grinned.
Diluc clenched his fist and grit his teeth. “Can you for once not try to wind me up?”
“No.” Kaeya shot back immediately, grinning wider.
Diluc groaned. “You! I’ve half a mind to actually leave you down here.” A small pause, then: “Uh, I won’t actually do that. I was joking again.”
Kaeya failed to hold back a snort of laughter. “I see.”
“Don’t laugh at me!” Diluc’s ears burned bright red as Kaeya only started laughing harder. “Stop it! It wasn’t that funny!” Despite himself, the corner of his mouth twitched up into a small smile as he watched his brother laugh with abandon.
Kaeya was clutching onto his jacket for dear life as he shook with laughter, and Diluc subconsciously tightened his grip so he wouldn’t fall over. Kaeya managed to get his laughter under control, pressing his face into Diluc’s shoulder as laughing that much has made him more lightheaded.
“Are you done?” Diluc sounded sulky, but his smirk betrayed him.
“Mhm.” Came from his shoulder, muffled by his jacket. “So, what’s the plan? I still think if I was careful I could walk down the mountain.”
“I really don’t think you can Kaeya. I’ll just carry you down.”
Kaeya’s head snapped up to look at Diluc, horror painted across his face. “You will absolutely not be doing that.”
“Think about it. Albedo isn’t here, so we can’t go to his camp. We can’t stay here because it’s far too cold. I can’t leave you here to go get help, you could get worse, the fire could go out, hilichurls could find you, and so on.”
“I’ll certainly be too heavy for it, there’s no way! Besides, I’m taller than you, you’d really struggle! Please, I’ll just walk. You can support my weight but I really don’t think that it’s necessary to carry me…” Kaeya babbled, a steady flush spreading over his face.
Diluc raised his eyebrows. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve injured your leg. I watched you hobble around earlier you know, it wasn’t subtle. Also, you’re not much taller than me; carrying you won’t be a problem. We both know that you know I can do it.”
“Well, I suppose, but still…” Kaeya fidgeted.
“I’m starting to think you’re just embarrassed about this situation based on your reaction, Kaeya. You really shouldn’t be, everyone needs help at times.”
Kaeya opened his mouth to speak and tell Diluc just how ironic that statement was but Diluc cut him off.
“You just don’t want to be seen being carried into Mondstadt, do you?” Diluc asked.
The forthcoming silence answered his question.
“…What if I take you to the winery instead? Only Adelinde and the staff would see you, and they’ve certainly seen you do more ‘embarrassing’ things. I definitely remember a certain someone falling into the grapevines face first after chasing a crystalfly around the grounds and then crying his eyes ou-“
“Stop! Archons, stop it! I get the picture!” Kaeya’s face rivalled Diluc’s hair at this point. Kaeya cleared his throat, “I can agree to that plan, just… stop talking.”
Diluc forced himself not to smile. Of course, embarrassing Kaeya was the best way to get him to agree to anything. He’d learnt that years ago, although it was easier said than done.
“Good. Can you stand for a little bit?” Kaeya nodded and let go. Diluc leaned down and slung their bags over his shoulder, then turned and crouched. “Get on my back, it’s easiest this way.” Kaeya sighed but did as he was told and Diluc hoisted him up, holding onto his legs firmly.
“A piggyback from Master Diluc… I wonder if I passed out from blood loss and I’m actually dreaming…” Kaeya wrapped his arms around Diluc’s neck.
“You’re very conscious, I assure you. Let me know if I jostle you too much while walking.” Diluc said curtly.
“Of course, Captain,” Kaeya smirked against Diluc’s neck. He yawned, a wave of tiredness washing over his body. Archons, he didn’t remember giving blood being so tiring in the past…
“Aren’t you the captain?” Diluc retorted.
Kaeya nodded sleepily against him, eye drooping. “That’s… me…” He mumbled. “Cap’n… Kaeya…”
Diluc smiled to himself. “See, you’re practically asleep already. You wouldn’t have made it down the mountain, you stubborn idiot. Go on. Go to sleep, Kaeya.”
Kaeya was already out like a light before Diluc started speaking.
Thankfully, rerouting due to their fall was not as hard as Diluc had worried. The small cave they fell into was connected to a larger system that Diluc had travelled himself chasing some Fatui soldiers, and there were no walls he had to climb to his relief. He has been truthful when he’d said Kaeya would not hinder him; he barely noticed he was carrying someone and a pair of bags as he travelled down Dragonspine. He successfully avoided being seen by the hilichurls camped out on the road by meandering off the path on occasion, skirting their field of view. It made the journey much slower, but he was in no position to fight. The sun was setting over the horizon as Diluc approached the winery.
Kaeya did not wake the entire journey, face pressed between Diluc’s neck and shoulder blade. Diluc would have been concerned at how deeply he was sleeping, as Kaeya was easily aroused if it were not for the blood loss. Diluc quickened his pace, wanting to get Kaeya into a bed to recover properly.
Arriving at the door, he was greeted by Adelinde who had seen him through the window.
“Goodness gracious, what have you two gotten yourselves into this time?” She sighed. “Come on in Master Diluc, bring him upstairs.”
He followed Adelinde upstairs and brought Kaeya to his bed, carefully laying him down on it and shucking his boots off. He turned to find Adelinde with her hands on her hips.
“So! How was your trip, Master Diluc?” She said coyly. “I’d like to know how this,” she gestured towards Kaeya, “happened knowing your… typical interactions.”
Diluc sighed and recounted their time on Dragonspine, and Adelinde’s face fell.
“You…” she sighed. “No, I suppose it wasn’t the worst choice you could have made… Not in that situation… But I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’ Master Diluc.” Adelinde crossed her arms. Needless to say, she had not been pleased when Diluc had told her of his mission on Dragonspine and had warned him that it was bound to go badly. Being one of his staff, Adelinde of course knew of Diluc’s vampiric nature, and as the head of staff also knew his feeding routine.
“By the way, the person you arranged to meet sent a message saying that he’s quite recovered, but I suppose that meeting won’t be necessary now.” Adelinde gave Diluc a disapproving look.
“…I really had no choice, Addie.”
She sighed again and patted him on the arm. “I know Master Diluc, I just wish the circumstances had been better. Ah, you’d better be off to go see Grandmaster Jean about those materials and about Kaeya. I won’t keep you any longer.”
Diluc nodded. “Thank you. Keep an eye on him, please? If he wakes, try to get him to stay and eat something. I want to keep an eye on him myself for a while. After all, that’s part of my responsibility when it comes to blood donors.”
Kaeya awoke with a start to find himself laying down on a bed, with Diluc sitting on a chair in the corner, watching him. He sat up.
“…I do hope watching people sleep isn’t a habit of yours, Diluc.” He rasped, voice thick with sleep. Kaeya turned to take in his surroundings, surprised to find himself in what seemed to be Diluc’s room. His heart clenched when he caught sight of Master Crepus’ paintings hung up on the wall.
“So, the winery? I’m surprised you didn’t dump me in a bush outside Mondstadt and call it a day.” Kaeya looked over at Diluc.
Diluc rolled his eyes. “Do you think Jean would let me get away with that? She’d come knocking on my door with the entirety of the Knights behind her back. Of course, assuming the Knights could ever coordinate such a thing…”
Kaeya laughed, wincing at how dry his throat was. “Well, I suppose she wouldn’t.” He accepted the cup of water Diluc wordlessly handed him and drank it gratefully.
“I handed the materials in and reported the details of the mission to her. She’s sending Barbara tomorrow to come to check up on you, and insists you stay here tonight.”
Kaeya sighed. “So, she’s furious then. At least I wasn’t there to hear it…”
Diluc winced. “Yes, she’s… displeased. Mostly with me though, which is fair enough. And I agree with her, I want to keep an eye on you myself to oversee your recovery. Typical blood donation procedure. Don’t think too much of it.”
“I wouldn’t dream of thinking too much about it.” Kaeya drawled, flopping back down on the bed.
“Don’t you dare go back to sleep. You need to eat first.” A tray with soup was placed on his lap. Kaeya wrinkled his nose at the smell.
“Don’t be like that. These are good for you, it will speed up the recovery process. You can leave sooner the faster you eat this.” Diluc was always terrible at convincing people. Nonetheless, Kaeya sat back up and grabbed the spoon he was handed.
“If Addie made it, it can’t taste bad.” Kaeya thought to himself. It was surprisingly good considering the bitter smell, but the aftertaste of medicinal herbs lingered on his tongue. If only he has something to chase the taste away…
“…Say, a glass of wi-“
“No.” Diluc deadpanned immediately.
“You’re no fun. It’s just for the medicinal aftertaste…” Kaeya grumbled.
In response, Diluc placed a bottle of grape juice next to Kaeya.
Kaeya threw it at his head.
TINY BONUS:
Zhongli sighed as he read the letter he had gotten from Diluc explaining that he would be rescheduling for the following week. A surprise mission with his brother… He hoped to hear the full story later in person during one of Diluc’s shifts.
Zhongli had been surprised when he had gotten ill assuming that, as it had been when he was an archon, he could not get sick. He had immediately understood why humans had complained about illness so often, even going as far as to pray to him to heal them.