Work Text:
Kaebedo sick fic
„It’s happening again.“
Kaeya froze, a report fluttering onto his desk as he crossed the room to examine Albedo. At first glance, nothing seemed to be wrong.
However, after years in the Alchemist's close proximity, Kaeya could tell the signs. The slightly slouched shoulders, eyebags that sunk in deeper than they usually did and the sense of misery still showing through his attempt at apathy.
“It’s only been two weeks since the last incident. Shouldn’t they take-“
“Longer? Yes, they should but they are here now,” the Blonde replied as he pulled at the collar of his shirt, revealing a wide crack on his otherwise alabaster-perfect skin. The crease between Kaeya’s brows deepened, his hands unintentionally gripping the other harder.
It had been a year since they had entered a relationship and six months since Albedo had told Kaeya about his… unique constitution. It only took another month until he first witnessed the drawbacks: cracks, spreading along his synthetic body, something that — according to the Alchemist — was easy enough to fix, if only temporarily. Although lately…
He opened his mouth to speak once more, but Albedo was quick to raise a hand to shut him up. “There have been no obvious triggers,” he explained before Kaeya could ask, his tone flat, as if he were merely commenting on the weather, ”no stress and no change in diet, no additional workloads or any mishaps at the labs. Given the unpredictable nature of this crack, I believe it to be wise for me to stay put. I have compiled a list of ingredients that I will need, as well as a map which has the locations marked out. The ideal time to harvest these ingredients is- what are you- mpfh!”
A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around the small man as the other simply chuckled, although the smile that graced his lips failed to meet his eyes.
“Don’t worry my little prince. I will sort it out," Kaeya whispered in the others hair before he pulled him closer again
“I am merely giving instructions-“
“I know, and I also know what that means,” Kaeya replied as he planted a kiss on the crown of Albedo’s head before pulling away.
“Now, let me take a look at that.”
Kaeya took the clipboard from the others hand to examine it. Usually, Albedo always collected these himself to produce something akin to glue or mortar. At least, that how he had decided to compare it. Kaeya was no Alchemist, but he knew that this glue was incredibly complicated and only lasted for a small period of time.
“The potion takes two weeks to complete,” Albedo continued, looking a little unnerved at the interruption, but otherwise calm, too calm. Kaeya knew that Albedo affections and other emotions were… subtle at best, but in moments like these it felt excruciating.
Albedo continued to brief him on the necessary ingredients as Kaeya went over the list. With the amount of detail provided, Kaeya could still tell that Albedo stressed, though over what specifically he couldn't tell. It was either the nature of this crack, or he didn't believe Kaeya to be well suited for this task. Perhaps both.
It was an assumption the blue haired man couldn't blame him for, his talents laid in other fields, and he knew that. So, he listened attentively, letting Albedo finish his little speech before asking him to rest.
The sun was already setting when they were done, and as Kaeya walked Albedo back to their shared quarters, he could feel a slight headache coming on.
The following day, Kaeya left early to find the first batch of ingredients. The headache from yesterday still bothered him, but an abundance of coffee paired with a lack of water tended to do that, especially when in combination with sleep deprivation.
Albedo had reiterated multiple times that it was nothing to worry about, that these cracks were minor and they were not spreading. It was simply something that happened from time to time. Kaeya was usually not prone to this kind of paranoia, but he found himself unable to believe Albedo. Those cracks had never been this big and never appeared so quickly before. And as he ventured out to Stormterror’s lair for some Whopperflower extract, he found himself obsessing over all types of scenarios. Seeing someone so close to him in peril, it wasn't something he could easily shrug off, not after…. it was a weak spot. He knew that, but as he tried to approach the problem from a logical angle, a part of his mind kept whispering that he would be stranded once more.
When he had first heard of the concept of a homunculus, he had been more than skeptical. Despite hailing from Khaenri’ah, he knew little of it and it's Alchemical practices. However, he did know about the five Sinners, and he wouldn’t put it past Gold and her abilities to achieve such a feat and create human life from nothing but chalk.
Finding and killing these whopperflowers almost ate his whole day thanks to the various other dangers that infested this place. By the time he finally dragged his tired and aching body back to Mondstadt, the sun was already setting.
He was quick to deliver the material to Albedo before he left for the second ingredient. His muscles screamed for him to take a break, but he needed a special kind of insect that could only be caught at night and if he managed to get it, then Albedo could already get started with the potion first thing tomorrow. Besides, he doubted that he could get a good night’s sleep until this was taken care of anyways. One more trip to Wolvendom wouldn't hurt…
“Are you ok?”
Kaeya had expected to hear many things upon his return, but this was not one of them. “Yes, why do you ask?”
The other pressed their lips into a thin line. “You don’t look so well,” he explained as he placed his vial down, reaching across the lab table to press his hand against Kaeya’s forehead. “You’re hot.”
“I’m not one to turn down a compliment from the elusive captain of the Investigation team,” Kaeya replied with a laugh, his usually honeyed voice sounding coarse and dry.
“That’s not-“
“I’m fine don’t worry; I have powered through worse.” A mild fever and some joint pains were nothing to call home about. Besides, he knew how to keep himself away from work if he truly needed it. But with Albedo’s condition slowly spreading, he didn’t wish to lose any time or leave the task to some incompetent adventurer. Albedo trusted him with this.
“Please rest if you need it. I can work out alternatives. Even if some ingredients then might lack in quality, they should work well enough so that I may go out as well," Albedo said as his brows furrowed ever so slightly. He didn't look to convinced.
“I know, I know, but don’t worry, it’s just a few more things.”
“But one of those things is a crimson agate,” Albedo retorted, “I don’t think you are in any condition to-“
“Hey now, have a little faith, will you? They grow at the base of the mountain and the cold is not something that will bother me,” Kaeya explained, pointing at the cryo vision by his hip.
The other only frowned in response, and Kaeya could tell that Albedo still had his doubts, but he didn’t voice them, instead he simply picked up his vial again, shifiting his attention back to his work.
“You need to eat more, sufficient energy intake is crucial, especially in a weakened state. I will pack you a lunch as well as some potions that should keep you warm," were Albedo's final words before he continued.
“I appreciate it,” Kaeya replied with a little wink as he turned to leave.
---
The trip to the Dragonspine basecamp had been easy enough. However, once he arrived at the mountain, gentle breezes turned into harsh, freezing winds whipping around his head as Kaeya struggled to place one foot in front of the other, sinking knee deep into the thick snow. The valley of Durin’s corpse wasn’t far up and yet Kaeya felt as if he had been walking for ages. Every day over the past week had been harder. He knew about his rising fever, as well as his joint pains and fatigue… along with a certain dizziness that did not go away, but he needed to press on. Part of him knew that this was beyond foolish and his experience in risk management told him the same thing Albedo had said: He should not be here. But how could he leave this task to someone else? Albedo needed him and he couldn’t risk having anyone else get these ingredients. He needed to make sure that they were perfect. For him…
Pressing onwards, he finally saw large rips towering high above him. The agate must be close.
He stumbled into back into the headquarters, clutching the wretched crystals close to his chest. Cold sweat covered his whole body, and he felt like throwing up. The guards, he couldn’t quite make out their faces, but they seemed to talk to him, their voices sounded dull and miles away. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter, not with the cracks spreading, not with his boyfriend hurt. Not with the one person he entrusted his whole being to in peril.
Stumbling up to the first floor, Kaeya pressed open the door to Albedo’s lab. He could see him, eyes blown wide and scarf wrapped tightly around his neck to conceal his ailment. A small appeared on Kaeya’s lips as he forced his aching muscles to move on. “I got it,” he croaked, holding out the sack with the ore before he suddenly felt his body hit the cold hardwood floor. ‘This feels nice,’ he thought as he could hear distant voice around him, ’I’m just gonna lay here a minute…’
The precious ore he had collected was kicked aside by Albedo's foot as he knelt over the Cavalry Captain, shaking him and calling out his name. There were tears in his eyes. ‘How odd,’ Kaeya thought to reach out, but his body didn't obey, only succumbing as the world went black around him.
It would take four days until Kaeya finally opened his eyes again.
The first time he was only awake for a few moments, blinking and drifting back to sleep again. It was a few hours later when he stirred once more, eyes slowly opening and squinting against the rays of sunlight that hit his face. There was a cold and wet feeling on his forehead, reaching up to touch it he quickly noticed that a cold compress had been placed on his forehead. Despite that, he still felt feverish. The next thing he noticed was the smell of soup and herbs that hung in the air. His stomach growled on cue and the man tried to sit up to investigate the source of the smell.
His joints still ached and screamed in protest as he moved, but he still managed to sit himself up. He was in his rooms at the headquarters, dressed in pajamas. But how did he get here? He remembered collecting ingredients for Albedo… had he finished his task? He had been to Dragonspine, that much he remembered, but what happened afterwards? Wait… Albedo!
The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Albedo! How could he have forgotten about him; he was sick, and he needed to-
“Kaeya?” A voice called out from the kitchen. Within the moment, Albedo entered the room. He was only wearing his shirt and pants, his hair messy and unbraided and there were dark circles carved under his eyes. “How are you feeling?” He asked as he quickly sat down by the bed, pressing a hand against the others forehead before picking up the compress that had tumbled down to the side.
“Your cracks,” Kaeya retorted as he looked at the others neck, ignoring the previous question.
“Those are irrelevant right now!” He flinched at the sudden volume. He knew the Alchemist as a softspoken and quiet man, to the point he'd never even suspect he was able to raise his voice. The Cavalry Captain looked at him in shock, but the other's soft features hardened, lips pressed into a thin line. “You fainted Kaeya! You were unconscious for four whole days! Four! Days! I had asked you to rest! Why didn’t you-“
“I can handle it! I just needed to-”
“Evidently, you could not!”
Kaeya instantly shut up, looking at the exhausted man in front of him before slowly laying back down, starring at the ceiling. “I’m sorry,” he finally said, not daring to look back at his lover.
The other didn’t reply, instead, Kaeya felt a small kiss pressed against his forehead before the cold compress was placed back. “Your temperature is 38,7°C, you still have a fever and need to rest,” Albedo explained as he got back up. Of course, he was merely taking his temperature. Kaeya turned to look at him once more, feeling slightly flustered, however, as he saw Albedo's features had softened once more, he allowed himself to relax a little.
"And here I thought you merely wished to show me some affection," he whined, feigning to be hurt, which finally put a small, smug smile on the ALchemist's lips as he leaned in once more, kissing the others cheek.
"Can't it be both?" he only asked in return before rising again. "Also, my potion will be done in two days, so you can stop worrying about me, I have it under control."
"But how did you-"
“I simply made a commission to get the last ingredients, so I will be fine. Besides, I'd rather pay healthy adventurerers instead of watching my boyfriend work himself to exhaustion.”
“I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing you hurt,” Kaeya replied, “and after trusting me I-“
“You had no obligation to help me at the expense of your own health. I-" he took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment, "I don’t like seeing you hurt either. Watching you break down in my lab it was…“Albedo looked away for a moment. He had neither talent nor love for this kind of talk, phrasing his words like that… it was not something he enjoyed, not even for Kaeya. He struggled for a moment, trying to press his thoughts past his lips, tensing for a moment as he felt a hand weakly squeeze his. Looking up he found Kaeya smiling at him, the tension in his body dissolving. “I have made you soup,” Albedo explained instead, “as well as some medicine that should help you recover quickly. Furthermore, Barbara will visit later to-“
“I love you too, Albedo.”
The other shut up before looking at the man now offering him a small smile. A small sigh left him, it was reassuring and unnerving at the same time that Kaeya always managed to read between the lines.
“Do you want some soup?”
“Yes, very much so.”