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Kaeya had a blood infection.
Honestly, Diluc wished he knew how Kaeya had even managed to get hurt in the first place. When he had appeared two nights before at the Angel’s Share, he’d had enough strength to slump against the door, bloodied and injured, knock it open, and then collapse against the floor as soon as Diluc had met his gaze. He had crumpled to the floor, curled on his side, and then went limp. For a moment, Diluc had thought he was dead. His heart had leapt to his throat. When he was by Kaeya’s side, feeling for his pulse, he’d found one hammering away. He’d also found the blood.
Now, two full days later, Kaeya hadn’t shown any sign of waking up and he might have been even worse. Every breath was quick and hard-won, his temperature was far too high for anyone (let alone a Cryo user), and his skin had taken on an ashen tone under the thin sheen of sweat coating it. None of those were good signs.
Seated beside Kaeya’s bed, Diluc watched as Barbara tried for the third day in a row to treat the infection with her Hydro.
In the bed, Kaeya gave no sign he even felt any different. His face was tense, his hair was starting to tangle (Diluc would have to brush it out when he had the time; it wasn’t like Kaeya himself would be capable of doing such a thing), and he still shivered every so often. Carefully, Diluc reached out and brushed a loose strand of dark hair from Kaeya’s closed eyes. Hold on, Kaeya. You need to hold on just a little while longer. He thought, praying to every Archon who might be listening—Cryo, Pyro, Anemo, even Electro—to give Kaeya just a little bit more strength. Under Barbara’s careful hands and healing skills, he still didn’t react. He sounded worse. Why does he sound worse?
Pulling back, pain splitting her face, Barbara turned to Diluc. “I’m sorry, I—I don’t know—I’m so sorry—”
“It’s not your fault, Barbara.” Diluc replied, reaching over and touching her arm. Face crumpling, Barbara nodded. Her eyes were filling with tears as she looked down at Kaeya’s prone form.
“I—I’m sorry. I need to go. Excuse me.” Hurrying outside of the room, Barbara left him. Diluc turned back to Kaeya. Chest heaving, Kaeya rasped for more air.
He’d been talking in his sleep for the past several days, mostly about Khaenri’ah and Diluc. Once upon a time, Diluc would have thought Kaeya was confessing to something about being on Khaenri’ah’s side. From the way he’d been screaming and shouting, though, thrashing to the point the nuns had temporarily restrained him, Kaeya had been having some sort of dream of Diluc being hurt.
He'd almost prefer Kaeya screaming and being restrained in his sleep to the way he was now.
Either Kaeya had exhausted himself, or the fever had gotten worse. He had a bad feeling it was the latter. “Come on, Kaeya. Keep breathing.” Diluc murmured. Off to the side, the door opened. “Barbara?”
“No. We came to check on him.” Bennett said. Nodding, Diluc shifted to the side. Hurrying over, Bennett dropped down to kneel at Kaeya’s bedside, touching his arm. Razor stood behind him. Klee broke free from Albedo and crawled up into bed by Kaeya, burying her face in his chest.
Wheezing, Kaeya mouthed something in his sleep. His eyes twitched, he gasped again. The sound was growing more and more ragged. “Kaeya?” Diluc prompted softly, touching his arm. When he glanced at Bennett, he spotted Jean, Rosaria, and Albedo standing behind the kids. “Rosaria, I want you to take Klee and the boys out of here.”
“What? No!” Bennett stared at Diluc in horror. Looking at him coolly, Diluc stared him down. The young man stared right back at him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Neither is Klee!” Klee declared, clinging tighter to Kaeya’s shirt. Beside Bennett, Razor nodded once. Kaeya sucked in another breath, ragged and pained. Something left him, maybe a name?
Another wheeze.
Some sort of rasping word.
And then—
—nothing.
The room chilled.
Diluc whipped around to look at him, lying in the bed. Pushing herself up, Klee shook Kaeya. “Kaeya? Uncle Kaeya?” She whispered, tears already filling her eyes.
No. No, no— “Grab Klee, now!” Diluc roared, taking the girl and shoving her into Bennett’s arms. “And both of you go. Jean, help me. Now.”
He was leaning over Kaeya immediately, not even bothering with checking for breathing. A moment’s check for a pulse showed nothing. Skip the breaths, do chest compressions. Getting his heart going is more important than starting off with rescue breaths. “Jean, be ready to help me with his breathing. Use your Anemo.”
“On it.” Jean was by his side a second later, shoulder brushing his as she gestured. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine—
“Now.”
Jean nodded. Under his hands, Diluc felt Kaeya’s chest expand once, twice, three times as Jean used her Vision to force air into him. It still bore a horrific wheeze, a rasp that dragged at Diluc’s own heart. Come on, Kaeya. You need to come back, you need to hold on.
“Rosaria.” Diluc started, jumping back into compressions. “Find the bard Venti. Kick everyone else out of the room. Tell him to come here, now.” A moment later, the door slammed behind her. Focusing on Kaeya, Diluc sank into the same pattern. Thirty compressions, three rescue breaths from Jean’s own efforts, rinse and repeat and rinse and repeat. “Come on, Kaeya. You need to come back. We need you to come back.”
Kaeya remained limp on the bed, blood on his face from his nose and the corner of his mouth.
The wind kicked up around them. Then, suddenly, Venti was there in the room. “What happened?” He demanded, tone sharp. Not Venti, Diluc realized then. This is the Anemo Archon.
“We don’t know. He arrived at the Angel’s Share a couple days ago and collapsed. He’s been like this since.” Diluc explained. Turning his head, he froze when he saw Venti’s expression. The Archon’s eyes flicked over Kaeya’s skin. Then, he sucked in a few breaths, his hands curled into fists.
In a flash of aqua light and a whirl of white wings and feathers, the Archon was gone.
Swearing, Diluc turned back to Kaeya. His brother was still horrifically limp against the mattress. He was in the middle of compressions, “Jean, get his Vision. It might be able to help.”
“Right.” Jean hesitated for a moment. Then, returning, she held it out to him with shaking hands. “Diluc—”
“No.” He didn’t look. “We can bring him back enough. We just need to get him a heartbeat, and the Vision can kick in.” It has to. It has to work.
Outside, the wind kicked up until it raged. The windows shook. Glancing up, Diluc shook himself. Jean wrapped Kaeya’s fingers around his Vision. The pale blue color had gone grey, the Cryo symbol was barely visible—
And then the orb itself turned bright aquamarine, an Anemo sigil flashing white over the Cryo before fading away.
Somewhere, the wind roared, echoing with some kind of scream. “Come on, Kaeya! What about Klee? You want to leave her? What about the other kids? Amber, and Razor, and Bennett?” He demanded, still pounding on Kaeya’s chest. He was pretty sure he’d broken at least one of Kaeya’s ribs by now. Maybe more.
The pale blue light on Kaeya’s Vision burst brighter.
Kaeya sucked in a ragged gasp.
Diluc yanked his hands back.
With a low moan, Kaeya grimaced. One of his hands flew out. Diluc grabbed onto it, holding him gently. Still, he wasn’t breathing right. Carefully, Jean settled down on the chair beside him, holding her hands around his face. More Anemo swirled in her fingers. Kaeya’s breathing shook. Then, it relaxed, he managed to crack his eyes open.
“Do you want a medical eyepatch?” Diluc prompted weakly, trying to make the situation lighter. He’d almost forgotten that Kaeya had been in such a bad state they’d taken it off. The scar on his eye wasn’t even that bad compared to what Diluc had feared. Underneath, the black sclera and golden iris looked as pain-hazed as his right eye. “Alright. Here.”
He carefully adjusted Kaeya’s hair so some of the longer strands hid that eye from view.
“That way, you won’t need to answer any que—”
“It’s—fine.” Kaeya wheezed.
“You really shouldn’t be talking right now, Kae—” Diluc stopped when Kaeya’s hand settled on his arm. With a weak smile, Kaeya blinked up at him, took a few deeper breaths before answering.
“Khaen…ri’ah. Doesn’t want me…not anymore.” A little bit of fierceness flashed back into his gaze, fighting back the pain and exhaustion. “Let them ask.”
“I’ll do my best to answer, then, You need to rest.” Diluc replied. Nodding, Kaeya dropped his head back into the pillows. He drifted off to sleep a moment later, though his hand had found Diluc’s and their fingers were tangled together. “I will stay with him, Jean. Why don’t you go and let the others know that he is stable?”
Jean nodded, touched his shoulder, and left without a word.
Kaeya’s breathing eased.
Diluc woke to an Anemo sigil placed on Kaeya’s chest, casting a faint aquamarine glow over the room.
More importantly, he was not alone. A shape stood beside the bed, formed out of wispy, glowing Anemo magic. It looked like the outline of a person, with no solid form and only the sketchlike lines of an outer shape to make up their body. Their hand was stretched out, hovering over the sigil at Kaeya’s chest. Venti? He questioned, looking up. Several wings fanned out, feathers whirling in the wind. Some wisps of light crossed over Venti’s form—no, Barbatos. This was the Anemo Archon once again.
Diluc’s gaze wandered to the sigil on Kaeya’s chest. The ragged breathing from before had eased. The pain on Kaeya’s face was gone. Both of them had been soothed, touched with gentle hands until they were smoothed away. “Thank you, Lord of Mondstadt.” Diluc murmured.
Barbatos’ glowing eyes went to him. A smile crossed those hollow lips. Then, he turned back to Kaeya. “I am not quite here, Diluc Ragnvindr. My battle lies elsewhere. But for tonight, I can ease this pain. And that is what I shall do.”
Diluc didn’t question him further, did not ask more of the Archon. How could he, when he had already given him so much already? “Thank you,” he said, simply. Turning to look at him, Venti let out another quiet hum. He was still smiling. Then, he turned back to Kaeya, and Diluc followed his gaze.
Kaeya didn’t look less wounded. It didn’t matter. He just needed to keep on breathing. Reaching out, Diluc clutched his hand, found his pulse in his wrist, and exhaled in relief. His pulse was strengthening.
“Can you tell me why his wounds are not responding to treatment?” He asked, glancing over. For a second, Venti remained by his side. He hummed softly. Then, there was a shift. The Anemo sigil flared brighter as Venti dropped his hand.
“I know why. It will be taken care of by this morning. Sleep, Diluc Ragnvindr. By the time I properly return, your brother will be better.” Diluc nodded once. Then, in a swirl of glowing wings, Venti was gone.
Turning back to Kaeya, Diluc settled his head on his crossed arms and closed his eyes. Venti had his trust. So did Kaeya.
The two of them wouldn’t just let Kaeya die.
He woke in the morning to Kaeya screaming again.
Shoving himself upright, he touched Kaeya’s arm. “Kaeya?” The Anemo sigil remained on his chest, thriving and bright. It pulsed with every one of Kaeya’s quick, frantic breaths. His fingers dug into the sheets around him. Reaching out, Diluc grabbed Kaeya’s hand as gently as he could. Fingers locked around his hand, then shifted to his wrist.
“—‘luc.” Kaeya mumbled. Tossing his head from one side to the other, he groaned. His mouth twitched, lips pulling back as he cried out. Kicking, he panted again. “No, no, please—please—leave him alone—”
“Kaeya?” He prompted gently, reaching out. Suddenly, Kaeya’s grasp on his wrist tightened. The bones in his wrist began to shift painfully. With a gasp of his own, Diluc glanced down. On the bright side, Kaeya didn’t accidentally use his Vision. Except…maybe he thinks he can’t. “Kaeya, it’s okay. I’m okay. I promise.”
“No, no, no no no please no don’t leave me—” A whimper left him. “Don’t leave me. Please. Diluc.”
“I’m okay.” Kaeya’s free hand lifted from his stomach. Writhing in the bed, he moaned in pain. His features were twisted up. Shaking his head, he whimpered again. Reaching out, Diluc brushed Kaeya’s sweaty hair from his face. Then, delicately, he murmured, “Kaeya, honey. I’m okay.”
(Adelinde called them both honey when they were younger, when they were sick. As they got older, when Diluc sat by Kaeya’s side while he was wracked with whatever illness was being passed around Mondstadt, he’d picked up on the same thing. Apparently, it had just never left his vocabulary—sometimes he referred to Bennett, Razor, Barbara, Klee, or even Fischl that way if they came by the Winery while injured. He just—it was habit. The one time he had referred to Diona that way while bandaging her twisted ankle, she had started crying. He hadn’t called her that since.)
“—luc, ‘luc, please, don’t leave me—” Kaeya kicked again. His chest was heaving. At least his breathing was clear. “I’m sorry—I’m sorry, I didn’t—I didn’t want them to—”
Oh. Diluc looked down at him. I think he’s seeing Khaenri’ah or the Abyss Order. I think I’m hurt. Gently, he brushed his free hand through Kaeya’s hair again. “Where am I hurt?”
Kaeya shook his head, whimpering.
He didn’t say anything else in the episode. Instead, he kept murmuring words in Khaenri’ahn (probably), whimpers and cries that were soothed by Diluc carding his fingers through his hair, eventually quieting down. He was shivering nonstop, face still pinched.
Barbara entered not too long after, while Diluc was gently rubbing Kaeya’s forearm to try and soothe some of the chill. Glancing over, he smiled softly. “Lord Barbatos visited last night. Whatever sigil he placed over Kaeya,” he gestured to where it still glowed on his brother’s chest, “it’s been working. His breathing’s easier.”
Barbara’s shoulders dropped, and she hurried to Kaeya’s side. Diluc got out of his seat, offering it to her. Kaeya’s grip on his wrist had loosened, but since he hadn’t let go of him yet Diluc didn’t have the heart to pull away.
“That’s good. How has his—how has he been otherwise?”
“He’s feverish and he just calmed from a night terror. I think it’s either from the pain or the fever.” Nodding, Barbara began to carefully undo Kaeya’s bandages. Under the fabric, Kaeya’s wounds—the deep slashes in his skin—were still oozing blood. The edges of the wounds had darkened, reddened significantly. When Barbara touched the swollen skin around the injury, he flinched in his sleep. “These are infected. I—I should be able to heal them, but if he’s still unresponsive to the healing—”
“It’ll be fine, Barbara. I’m sure of it.” Diluc reached over to touch her shoulder. Glancing at him, she smiled and nodded once. Then, she turned back to Kaeya’s limp form. Rainbows sparkled across the room, casting a pretty light everywhere. She pressed her hands to Kaeya’s skin.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Outside, the wind kicked up again.
On the bed, Kaeya took another breath.
The rainbows from Barbara’s Hydro settled on Kaeya’s skin, the wounds slowly knitting together. With a delighted gasp, Barbara strengthened the Hydro. It waved over Kaeya’s skin, soothing the redness of the infection and then piecing the gashes back together. “Take your time, Barbara.” Diluc said softly, watching the dark circles under her eyes and the tiredness weighing her shoulders down. “He’s not going anywhere. You’re doing fantastic.”
“Right, right.” Barbara said. Like he’d suggested, she slowed her work. When he was sure she wouldn’t exhaust herself, Diluc glanced back at Kaeya.
His face had a bit more color in it, the ashen pallor fading. It wasn’t fast, and he wasn’t instantly back to peak condition, but that would take time. He would be okay.
Eventually, when the wounds on Kaeya’s body had faded from infected, deep things to thin slices, Barbara sat back heavy in her chair. Her stomach growled loudly. When Diluc glanced at her, her face flushed. “Did you forget to get breakfast before you came in here?” He asked.
“Uhm…”
“Barbara.”
“Excuse you, Master Ragnvindr.” Putting her hands on her hips as she stood, Barbara looked down at him with an expression he’d seen her sister wear a hundred times. Usually when he or Kaeya did something stupid. “When was the last time you ate? And don’t think I don’t see those bruises on your wrist. Give it here.”
Pulling away from Kaeya, immediately finding Kaeya’s arm with his other hand, Diluc offered up his arm to Barbara. She worked Hydro into the bruises until they faded. It was nice, soothing.
At that, Barbara settled. “Do you mind if I send some of the others in here? They’ve been worried sick, but no one wanted to stress Kaeya out after he was resuscitated, so…”
“Send them in, I don’t mind. Just make sure you eat breakfast. Feel free to even stop by the Angel’s Share later when you and Jean are finished with work, let Charles know I sent you.” She smiled appreciatively, then hurried out. “And Barbara?”
She paused at the open door, glancing back at him.
“Thank you.” She returned his smile. Then, she left. A few moments later, Klee was already running in, Jean and Albedo a step behind her. Razor and Bennett came in a little slower, and Diluc saw a glimpse of Rosaria before the nun vanished. “Good morning. Bennett, Razor, have you—”
“Lisa made food.” Razor replied. Stalking over, he held out a small parcel of paper. Diluc took it, smiling appreciatively. Then, he turned back to Kaeya as he unraveled it, watching his brother’s face. Kaeya showed no signs of waking. “He looks alive.”
“He does.” Diluc smiled softly, reaching over to brush Kaeya’s hair back with his free hand. Then, he glanced down at Lisa’s gift. He would have expected to get pancakes from Noelle (he needed to check on her, she had been working too hard. He knew Kaeya made her go on dumb little errands to keep others from making her do harder work, but with Kaeya having been out for several days…). These, however, didn’t look like they would be all that bad. Somehow, she’d managed to make it so they didn’t even get that much grease on the parcel wrapping. "Thank you, Razor. I will make sure to give Miss Lisa my thanks as well.”
“No need, cutie.” Lisa said, slipping into the room with a tired smile. Gaze meeting Diluc’s, she made her way to Kaeya’s side. Bennett had already tucked himself close to Kaeya, messing with his pant legs and socks like he was trying to make Kaeya a little bit more comfortable. Mostly, that just meant smoothing out the wrinkles in the fabric. His eyes darted towards Kaeya’s face. Gently, Lisa touched the kid’s shoulder. Diluc smiled at her appreciatively.
Albedo was puttering around by the medicine Kaeya currently had pumping into him through the IV, checking it and checking the small clipboard hung on the back of Kaeya’s headboard. Eyes narrowed as he focused, he drew his fingers over the scrawled words. Jean handed Diluc a small canteen, murmured, “coffee,” and then touched the sigil above Kaeya’s chest.
“How did you all sleep?” He asked.
Beside Bennett, Razor yawned. Klee was already bundled up to Kaeya’s side, trying to tuck a blanket she had brought with her around Kaeya. He didn’t have a proper shirt—with the fever and the bandages, it seemed too risky. Reaching over, Diluc helped her. She glanced at him with watery eyes.
“Didn’t.” Razor mumbled, dropping his head forwards against the bed. From the look of it, he was out. Immediately. Kid was a light sleeper, though, so Diluc was sure he would wake if something happened. Reaching over, Lisa rubbed between the kid’s shoulders. Razor let out a low grumble, settling against the bed a little more.
“Bennett, why don’t you get some sleep as well, cutie?” Lisa prompted, running her other hand up through the kid’s hair. Glancing at her, Bennett took a slow, deep breath. Then, he nodded once. Jean draped a blanket over him, wrapped it around his shoulders, and he glanced at her with a weak smile.
By the time Diluc had finished with his food, Klee, Bennett, and Razor were all asleep. Noelle had come by and checked on Kaeya, then left with a promise to check on Barbara. Jean had gone with her. As for Lisa, she settled in a chair at the foot of Kaeya’s bed. Sitting on the floor, Albedo was cross-referencing the stuff on Kaeya’s clipboard with a medical book he had brought with him. Rosaria had appeared several more times, glancing in at them, but never entering the room.
“She’s been checking on Kaeya’s typical cadets and the like, making sure that he doesn’t have too much work due when he’s back on his feet.” Lisa explained softly, looking up from her knitting. She had switched from crocheting to knitting after making Klee an entire, red octopus. Said octopus was now in Klee's arms, squished between her and Kaeya as the girl slept between his left arm and his side. She had to be careful around the IV. Thankfully, she had been.
“That’s kind of her. I didn’t know she was allowed to do that.” Diluc murmured, looking back at Kaeya’s face. Even though he still had a fever, his color was much better than the night before. He still had a cast of sweat on his face. Otherwise, he could have looked like he was just sleeping.
Sitting in her chair, Lisa hummed softly. He could hear the smile in her voice. “I don’t think she is.”
Laughing, Diluc reached out and began to braid Kaeya’s hair.
Kaeya woke while Diluc and Albedo were in the room a few days later.
With a hoarse, wavering groan, he tipped his head to the side and cracked his eyes open. They focused on nothing in particular. Then, slowly, the haze of painkillers faded. He found Diluc, blinked a few more times. Finding Albedo was his next course of action, and he reached out slowly. The IV had been moved from the crook of his arm to the back of his hand, and Albedo carefully pulled his hand to his mouth to kiss the back of his knuckles. Kaeya’s eyes fluttered again.
Gently, Diluc touched Kaeya’s arm. His brother’s gaze landed on him. “I’m going to go and fetch one of the nurses, okay? Albedo, keep him safe.” There was a nod, and Diluc leaned over to brush Kaeya’s hair from his forehead. He was pretty sure both of them were a little shocked at the kiss he pressed there. It was something Adelinde and Crepus had both done, even Diluc had done once when they were teenagers and Kaeya had a broken leg. He’d done it as a joke, though. Never seriously.
Behind him, he could hear Albedo talking to Kaeya in quiet Khaenri’ahn. There was a small, weak response. Whatever Kaeya said, he couldn’t have caught it even if it was in Common or Mondstadtian. Still, Albedo let out a relieved laugh.
Diluc caught a flash of green in his peripheral. Turning, he glanced out the window. Sitting in the sunlight, running his fingers over the strings of his lyre but not playing them, was Venti. The bard turned, meeting his gaze. He smiled.
Returning it, Diluc nodded once before heading to fetch one of the nurses like he’d told Albedo and Kaeya.