Cross-posted on AO3
Day 13: Hiding Injury
Kaeya silently cursed his luck as he tried to focus on the path in front of him. The world was spinning and he was trying very hard not to stumble. He didn't want to ruin the evening just because he couldn't take a blow to the head.
Damn Treasure Hoarders.
He and Diluc have finally been able to get along better lately and had taken to spending more time together. It was never really anything big, just lunch together here and there, amicable talk when he came in for drinks, throwing the other knights off of Diluc's tail whenever they got a little too close to learning about his night job (not that he wasn't already doing that), the occasional dinner, etc.
It had freaked everyone else out a bit when it started and – if Kaeya was completely honest with himself (which he was getting better at, thanks to Diluc and the Traveler) – he loved feeding into it. He would give his brother a one-armed hug just to watch as everyone tense, clearly expecting Diluc to lash out. They would always be left surprised when all the older man would do was roll his eyes and lightly smack his arm away. They mentally lost their minds on the rare occasion that he would even let the arm stay.
It was very entertaining to watch.
This new calm between them had led to Diluc suggesting going on a commission for old times sake. It had sounded like a good idea at the time seeing as Kaeya had dealt with all of his more important work that day and had a whole afternoon and evening to spare.
They had heard about Treasure Hoarders coming from Liyue to Mondstadt. It wasn't too serious, but they could definitely become a nuisance if they weren't dealt with soon. The Traveler would complain about them sometimes, explaining how annoying they were because of their high numbers.
They didn't need that becoming their problem too.
The brothers set out for the gate between Mondstadt and Liyue, hoping to catch the criminals before they made it into the country. While they did manage to get there early, they had managed to get ambushed by the thieves sneaking up on them. The battle had been pretty easy, barely a workout even. The only thing that went awry was a shovel-wielding Treasure Hoarder sneaking up behind Kaeya and taking a wack at his skull. The blow had been hard enough to make the captain's head spin and stunned him for a moment, but he was quick to turn around and plunge his sword into the man's heart before going back to the surrounding enemies.
The Traveler was right.
They were annoying.
After the fight was over, Kaeya turned to check on Diluc. The other looked okay, his clothes and hair only slightly askew, but no visible injuries on his person. It had the Cryo user deflating in relief.
"We sure showed them, huh?" he asked cheerfully.
Diluc responded with a grunt, but Kaeya could see the smile curling on the side of his mouth. He must be pleased that the fight was finally over.
The two turned and began to make their way back up to Mondstadt when the headache began to settle in. Now that the adrenaline was gone, Kaeya knew that he was in for a type of pain to rival his worse hangovers. Not that he was going to let Diluc know. It was nothing to worry about; nothing a few painkillers couldn't handle.
They had made it halfway back to the Winery before the ache began to make his sight blurred. Nausea was swimming at the back of his throat and the world tried to warp around him. He barely had time to think before his vision went dark and he felt himself slump forward.
'This is bad.'
Diluc froze at the thump that came from behind him before twirling around in alarm. He silently cursed when he noticed Kaeya unconscious on the ground.
Rushing to his brother's side, he was quick to try and look him over for any injuries he could have missed. Kaeya had looked fine before, with not even a scratch on him and barely even looking like he had been in a fight against twenty or more Treasure Hoarders.
What had he missed?
Not finding any stab wounds, Diluc went to lift Kaeya up when the other groaned pitifully. Carefully shuffling the blue-haired man into a sitting-up position, Diluc gently ran his fingers through the silky locks. He cursed when his hand made contact with something wet and pulled his hand away to see it coated in blood.
Why did Kaeya hide such a serious injury?
Shifting the other carefully, if a bit awkwardly, Diluc raised the younger man onto his back. It wasn't easy, but he knew he needed to get Kaeya to a safe place immediately if he wanted to get him treated. He was thankful that the Winery wasn't too far away, but he wishes they had ridden horses when his leg smarter painfully. At least he knew Kaeya was eating properly now.
The trek was slow and his leg was killing him, but they finally made it back to the manor. Diluc didn't bother knocking, slamming the door open with his good foot and shuffling in. Almost immediately, he was swarmed by maids asking if he was all right and he felt Kaeya being pulled off of his back. He tried to protest, to hang on to his brother, but the exhaustion finally caught up to him and he passed out as his pained leg buckled beneath him.
When Kaeya opened his eyes, he was met with a sight he wasn't expecting to see again.
Even with years having passed, he would recognize his childhood room anywhere. The familiar smoothness was so unlike his bumpy ceiling in his home. He could even see the faint mark from where he had thrown a ball just a little too hard while playing with Diluc when they were eleven-ish. They had never told Crepus for fear that they would get punished, but the man had never noticed. It became an inside joke between the two that had left him befuddled and them giggling like imps.
"Kaeya?"
The question had him turning and meeting sleepy red eyes.
How long had Diluc been here?
The redhead looked relieved as he leaned forward in his chair and grabbed his forearm, his grip firm while not putting enough pressure to be tight.
"How does your head feel?" Diluc asked, getting straight to the point.
Well, no point in lying now. It would only make the older man angry.
"Surprisingly nice," he rasped honestly. His throat felt so dry. "It doesn't hurt as much as I thought. I can barely feel it." He coughed tiredly, a faint burn starting make its way up to his throat.
Diluc moved to rise, presumably to get some water, but a pair of hands settled on his shoulders and forced him to sit back in the chair. Diluc looked startled, but it quickly changed into an expression that was somehow sheepish, fearful and a glare mixed together.
Kaeya looked up and was met with the sight of a frowning Adelinde.
That couldn't be good.
"Please remain seated, Master Diluc," she said icily. "Your leg is still injured and has not completely healed. I will get Master Kaeya some water."
Without another word, she turned and walked out the door. Both men watched her leave before turning to each other. They only lasted until they made eye contact before the both began laughing, as tired as they both were.
"You should know better than to do anything around Adelinde when you're injured, Diluc," Kaeya teased. He watched in amusement as his brother's ears turned red in embarrassment.
"I don't want to hear that from you," the other retorted weakly. Kaeya snorted. "You were the one who didn't tell us how serious your head injury was."
Now it was Kaeya's turn to look contrite.
"I didn't think it was that bad until I was already passing out. Don't judge me." He pouted.
Diluc chuckled as he shook his head in fond exasperation. It was a bad habit that they both knew they needed to break. Both men hated to be a burden ever since they were children and it had led to very similar situations happening in their youth. It usually ended in Kaeya dragging a wounded Diluc home and vice versa.
Before long, Adelinde returned with the water and carefully helped Kaeya lift his head so that he could drink it without choking. After a few sips, his throat was very happy to receive the cool refreshing water.
When he finished drinking his fill, he watched in amusement as Adelinde tried to convince Diluc to try and retreat to his own room for the evening to relax his leg. Diluc put up a valiant effort and eventually was able to make the head maid cave, which was an amazing feat in and of itself. Not that it was too surprising seeing as Diluc was known for his stubbornness on things that he deemed important.
Something in Kaeya thawed at the revelation that he was considered part of that category again.
Once Adelinde had finally left, Kaeya shuffled to the side and patted the mattress. The only reaction this really earned him was a raised eyebrow from Diluc.
"We both need to rest anyway and there's plenty of room for us to share."
Diluc's eye seemed to climb higher until it was completely hidden by his bangs, but his small smirk betrayed his amusement. With a roll of his eyes, the older man shuffled carefully to avoid hurting his leg further until he was laying on his side facing his brother. There was at least five feet between them in the large bed, more than big enough for comfort and for them to not bump into each other in their sleep.
Crepus had originally gotten the bed since Kaeya had been a restless sleeper that had kept rolling off of the guest bed that had been in the room previously. It was a miracle the boy hadn't killed himself by accident. He had never told them what the nightmares were about, but with his present knowledge, he could make a guess.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked at his brother again and found him snoozing quietly. He has always been a quiet sleeper and had given him and their father heart attacks when they had thought he had stopped breathing.
With a chuckle and a smile, Diluc le himself slip away to the comfort of knowing his brother were safe and sound and home.
A/N: This story was written on the 17th of February. I was originally going to just have it be Kaeya hiding an injury, but then I thought about it and realized that both Kaeya and Diluc we're stubborn enough to do this. So please accept this fluff with the brothers recovering together in the safety of the Winery.