(no subject)

[kurecchi]

 

2.Honeyed Words

 

Words: 6340
Prompt: Arisa – Potevi fare di più

Ci sono troppi rancori che ci fanno star male
Mi sono messa in disparte sola col mio dolore
[...]
Ora i nostri percorsi sono pieni di mine
Sto annegando ma tu non mi tendi la mano

 

The first thing Kaeya did as soon as he set foot in Mondstadt, was to stop by the Good Hunter to buy two Fisherman's Toasts for Klee. And while the little girl ate her well-deserved snack, sitting on a bench in the shade, he remained at the counter, leaning on to exchange the usual pleasantries with Sara.

It was with honeyed words and affable smiles that Kaeya made his way through the city's information network. His kindness, together with his interest - most often interpreted as 'genuine' -, which he showed even for the smallest details, often pushed his interlocutors to indulge in gossip and rumors of all kinds.

Most of the time it was just simple insinuations or jealousies between the various activities of the city, but from time to time Kaeya received small treasures that he always managed to use as a bargaining chip for other information.

It wasn't something everyone approved, but Kaeya argued that the end justifies the means. He worked in that way, and as long as he carried valuable information with him, almost everyone was willing to turn a blind eye.

Almost, because Kaeya knew very well how a person in particular was openly against his modus operandi.

He cleared his throat with a small cough, and focused again on Sara's story, who was telling him about the problems she was having with some patrons.

«If you have any problems, don't hesitate to ask,» he reassured her, leaning further over the counter to speak to the young woman in a slightly lower tone. «I can also get this news to Lumine's ears, if you prefer a person 'not closely linked' to the Knights to take care of them.»

Sara looked at him seriously then nodded, giving him a smile full of relief.

«Yes, that would be... very welcome, Captain Kaeya,» she replied, grateful for the interest and kindness that Kaeya had dedicated to her. It didn't take much to satisfy those little problems of everyday life, and even if they might seem trifles, for Kaeya they were and would remain ‘ties’.

Sara, for example, trusted him and felt at ease in his presence. They had such a good relationship, that several times she had been the one to tell him about some of the talks of the Fatui that from time to time stopped to eat at the Good Hunter’s tables.

Satisfied with that result and what it would bring him in the future, Kaeya left a handful of Mora on the counter to pay for Klee's snack, who had just joined them.

«It was delicious! Thanks Sara-jiejie!» exclaimed the little girl, climbing up a little on the counter to be seen better by the waitress of the Good Hunter.

«I’m happy that everything was to your liking,» answered kindly Sara.

They both greeted the waitress after that brief exchange, and with Klee at his side, Kaeya walked to the steps that would lead them to the upper part of town, where the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius was located.

Like every day, the streets of Mondstadt were lively and cheerful, with the voices of street vendors announcing their offers in the lower part of the city, the delicate scents of flowers and those of freshly baked sweets. The low chatter of women moving around from street to street for their daily shopping and the children running around cackling.

Everything about Mondstadt called for energy and vitality. The city vibrated and shine with its own light, and Kaeya loved Mond more than anything else. He was ready to protect the city and the people who lived there too with his own life if it were necessary, because this was the place he knew he could call 'home'.

Kaeya couldn’t forget the fact that he was originally from a distant land, forgotten by the Gods and by everyone - it would have been a lie to argue otherwise - but his loyalty was now directed to Mondstadt, and nothing would have made him waver.

However, it was on days like these, in which he found himself having to face the cursed legacy of Khaenri'ah, that the shadow of that lost kingdom obscured his sight. A clear sign that he would never be able to get rid of that legacy entirely.

Kaeya dismissed those thoughts when he found himself in front of the door of the Headquarters, and after greeting the two Knights on guard, he entered the imposing structure together with Klee, who without waiting immediately ran towards the office of the Grand Master.

She seemed genuinely eager to tell Jean about her mission, and Kaeya didn't even try to stop her when he saw the little girl throw the door open without even knocking, then trotting inside with a cheerful: «We are back!»

He followed Klee with a smirk on his lips, then greeting Jean who was as always overwhelmed by work and paperwork that she refused to delegate to others.

The young woman replied with a tired smile. Jean's dedication to his Acting Grand Master work was admirable and, at times, even troubling. They had seen her collapse several times due to too much work, and the attempts to get her to take a break were mostly useless.

On the other hand, however, Kaeya was able to identify with Jean. He himself used to make more commitments than he could bear, and he struggled to bring them all to an end in the best possible way.

«We're here to report,» announced Kaeya after joining Klee in front of Jean's desk.

The little girl moved almost nervously on the spot, waiting for permission to speak - as if she hadn’t absolutely entered without knocking. Jean's tired expression melted a bit, and leaving the quill she was using to fill out the documents in the inkwell, she prepared to pay attention to the girl's so-called 'report'.

«You have permission to speak,» she said gently and Klee, with her eyes shining with exaltation, immediately began to tell about the mission. About how she had been a good girl - which she pointed out with no little pride -, about blowing up so many bad guys - even performing in some imitations of Hilichurls jumping in the air -, and finally adding also the encounter with 'Mr Broccoli'.

Kaeya expected that the topic would come up in one way or another, and in any case it would also be useless to tell Klee not to open her mouth, also because in the end he himself would have reported everything to Jean.

The woman in fact gave him a brief glance during that part of Klee's story and Kaeya couldn’t help shrugging, minimizing everything as he used to do in those cases so as not to worry Jean. They both knew that Kaeya would always go looking for information even in unorthodox ways, and that would never change.

When Klee finished giving her report, Jean complimented her on her work. It was important to make Klee understand that she had to use her bombs only and exclusively for that kind of missions, and for that reason the young woman gave the child the permission to go and play, which Klee took with great joy.

In fact, hopping with enthusiasm, the little girl immediately flung herself out of the office, greeting them quickly and heading for who knows what adventure.

In the end it was Kaeya who closed the door that Klee hadn't bothered to close. He knew that at that moment Jean would demand not only a real report, but also an explanation of 'Mr Broccoli'.

«Mr... Broccoli?» asked Jean, arching an eyebrow.

«An Abyss Mage,» Kaeya answered quietly, moving away from the door.

He paused for a second beside the table on which there was an elegant tea set, with two used cups and a saucer of butter cookies. Lisa had probably forced Jean to take a little break. The librarian seemed to be the only one who had some power over Jean and everyone knew they had to thank her if the Acting Grand Master didn't collapse from her tiredness every other day as well.

«I should have expected that in your interest in the Temple of the Wolf there was something else,» commented Jean with a sigh. «Did you at least find out something about the Abyss Order?»

Kaeya gave a first nod of assent with his head, and after taking a biscuit from the saucer, he went to sit on one of the armchairs in the office, refraining from emitting a satisfied grunt at the contact with those soft and welcoming cushions. Only then he was realizing how tired his body actually was.

«Just a few details, but I’m afraid they may be hiding something more troubling,» he answered, then resuming to speak with an increasingly serious tone: «Besides the usual Hilichurls, in the heart of the Temple there was only one Abyss Mage. They were alone and unarmed. In itself this thing is already anomalous, but what must alarm us is the fact that it wasn’t one of those we’re used to meeting. It was a Dendro-type Abyss Mage.»

Jean's expression was tinged with amazement at that revelation and, settling herself better in her chair to listen to him more attentively, she invited him to continue talking with a wave of her hand.

«I was unable to gather more information due to Klee's intervention, but I can say that I found a strange interest in the Doors of Resurrection,» Kaeya continued, recalling the broken branch from the Abyss Mage to be able to show it to Jean. «This branch was snatched from the Door by the Mage and they used it as a catalyst for their powers.»

«This is... anomalous,» admitted Jean, crossing her arms over her chest in a thoughtful expression.

«I should investigate further, and I will definitely bring this branch to Albedo.»

«Yes,» answered the young woman. Her gaze was a bit lost in the void, a sign that she was thinking about the possible implications of that discovery. She would probably go to Lisa right away and ask her to get her all the Doors of Resurrection books.

«And... to talk about the cleaning of the Temple instead, I can assure you that it went exactly as Klee said,» added lightly Kaeya, eating the cookie he had stolen earlier. He didn't particularly like sweet things, but he allowed himself that little pleasure from time to time.

«And I can assure you that I would like to have the report written here on my desk by tomorrow morning,» retorted Jean who obviously didn’t let herself be taken aback. Kaeya laughed softly at her, then raised his arms in surrender.

«I tried,» he admitted. «Can I go now?»

Jean sighed and nodded.

«Permission granted... but I would like to ask you, for the umpteenth time, to inform me when you intend to embark on these personal missions of yours,» she added, looking at him with a serious and equally worried frown.

«I can't promise you anything,» answered Kaeya, slowly rising from the sofa to stretch a little. «As you well know, when I see an opportunity I seize it.»

«I know, but I would have sent you with a team.»

«I had Klee, and she's more than enough,» he retorted. «And I can take care of myself, don't worry,» added, walking slowly towards the door.

«You know well that's not what I mean...»

Kaeya stopped with his hand on the doorknob, and after giving her another smile he nodded good-bye, leaving without saying anything else. It was a topic they had both dealt with before, and in the end nothing would change. Kaeya would have continued to do his own thing, avoiding involving too many people, while Jean would have had to accept the situation like every time.

He left the Headquarters, being greeted by the fresh air of the late afternoon. He would gladly have made his way to his apartment, but it was Saturday and he knew that this was the day Diluc gave Charles the day off at the Angel's Share counter.

Kaeya knew he had no real reason to stop at the tavern - there were no new adventurers or merchants to question - but Diluc was there, and that was enough to drive him to the tavern. Even knowing that he isn’t the most sincere person in Teyvat- he had too many secrets he couldn't or didn't want to reveal -, Kaeya was certain he could only be honest about one thing, at least with himself: Diluc.

His feelings for Diluc had remained true and genuine despite everything. The affection Kaeya felt for him had neither faded nor diminished in those years, and even though their relationship at that time was that of acquaintances and occasionally allies, Kaeya would continue to seek Diluc's gaze, trying to show him how important Mondstadt and its inhabitants were to him too.

Kaeya nourished himself with those few moments that he could share with Diluc without ever being satisfied with them.

Was he pathetic? Maybe a little, but Kaeya was used to ignoring that kind of thing. He wasn't the best person in the world, but he wasn't the worst either... nor the first to fall in love.

The thought of Diluc gave him a now familiar lump in his throat, but unlike the other times it came naturally to Kaeya to try to chase it away by coughing, as if it were something real and not abstract.

He recovered quickly from that cough, however the effort - the attempt to spit something that was stuck somewhere - still irritated his throat, making even the swallowing rather annoying.

Kaeya stroked his neck thoughtfully, taking into consideration that he somehow got cold in those days. Being a cryo user didn't make him immune to colds and other ailments, unfortunately.

He shrugged, and after a last little cough, he looked around to make sure there was no one nearby to see him. The street to his left was deserted, while the guards near the entrance to the headquarters were distracted. Without thinking twice, Kaeya took advantage of that golden opportunity to jump off the parapet, using gliding to cut a good piece of road to the lowest level in Mondstadt.

He was, somehow, breaking the law. In fact they had often scolded Amber for the inappropriate and unregulated use of gliding within the city walls, but it was honestly something that everyone did: including the Knights. And Kaeya, smiling to himself, couldn’t help but feel satisfied with his stunt that took him back in time, when with one excuse or another he was able to drag Diluc into those follies through the streets of Monstadt.

He coughed again without losing his smile, and after getting on the main street of the city through the stairways, he walked towards Angel's Share.

With the approach of sunset, all Mondstadt was colored with a pleasant and warm orange color. The stone walls seemed to almost sparkle with a life of their own, while the shadows at the feet of those who still lingered outside the house were transformed into long dark shapes.

A good scent came from the Good Hunter, who was hosting a small group of people, while from inside the Cat's Tail he could hear a light and cheerful cackling, different from the stronger and regular sound of the hammering of Wagner, the blacksmith, against the anvil.

They were all familiar and reassuring smells and sounds to Kaeya and which somehow put him in a good mood every time. Those streets were full of memories, and especially the last stairways that separated him from the Angel’s Share. He and Diluc, for example, used to have silly and childish contests right there.

Another cough, violent and annoying like that of a few minutes before, caught him right in the vicinity of the tavern. Kaeya hid his mouth with his hand, leaning forward a little as if that would help him expel what appeared to be a foreign body, and which was probably just a sore throat instead.

«I hope you don't want to infect all my customers.»

A familiar voice paralyzed him, and the lump in his throat became almost heavier, forcing him to cough again. The effort moistened Kaeya's eyes, catching his breath. He tried to make himself feel good and hide that sudden illness, but he was sure that his flushed face was very eloquent.

He managed to straighten himself with no small effort, folding his lips a little to put on his usual mask of bravado.

«D-Diluc...» managed to exhale Kaeya, immediately regretting having tried to even speak. His voice reached his ears scratched and weakened, to use one word: painful.

Kaeya didn’t like to be seen weak, and even though Diluc had seen him in even worse conditions during their childhood, this didn't seem like the right time or place. They were no longer children and Diluc, in that instant, was looking at him with a serious expression on his face.

In other times, Kaeya would have seen those scarlet eyes tinged with concern, those hands would have gone to caress his back with affection and from that mouth would have come only sentences of support and affection. But they were just memories, as pleasant as they were painful. Memories that made him feel that same lump in his throat again.

He tried to breathe through his nose, swallowing the saliva so as not to cough again even though he felt the urgent need.

«Sir Kaeya,» Diluc greeted him coldly.

It wasn’t new for Kaeya to feel unwanted by Diluc, but in that instant that look seemed almost unbearable: like that of the night in which he had received his Vision, losing forever the family that had loved him. Losing the person most important to him.

Rationally, Kaeya knew he had started to make everything bigger, but it was as if something inside him had snapped and he couldn't give himself a logical explanation. He tried in any case to impose some control, forcing himself to smile and to speak in the most measured tone possible.

«Don't worry ... I don't intend to infect any o-of your customers,» he managed to say with difficulty, but found himself coughing again, unable to hold back any longer.

His lungs almost seemed to catch fire with every blow of that dry cough, and that sort of intruder in his throat still seemed to be there: bulky and suffocating.

«Go home. Don't make me call the Knights to take you by force,» snapped Diluc, and Kaeya for a moment hoped he sensed a hint of concern in his voice. He would have been nice and pleasant, but something negative whispered, in a jarring tone, that it couldn't be like that.

Kaeya felt the urgent need to escape, to get away as quickly as possible from that place and from Diluc, and with no little effort he managed to find enough strength and attitude to speak.

«I was... just going to my… a-apartment,» he lied, snorting a new cough, which he could barely hold back. He suddenly missed the air, and after muttering a half-greeting cut off by a cough, Kaeya quickly walked away from Angel's Share, turning his back on Diluc and that illness that he couldn’t explain.

He quickly passed the tavern, taking the stairs to the dock square. Hertha wasn’t present in front of the bounty board, probably to have dinner at the end of her shift, and for that reason Kaeya could afford to hide against the nearby wall. Finally hidden from prying eyes, he leaned against the wall to cough again, bending forward as if that could help him expel the foreign body he felt in his throat. Which seemed almost impossible.

He felt humiliated and, even more worrying and worse, he felt suffocated. He didn’t know what had happened or why that illness had hit him with so much violence and intensity. He thought of some intoxication or a passing virus, perhaps an allergy to something he had never encountered before.

It could be anything and everything, and Kaeya had no answers.

Somehow he managed to calm his cough and resume breathing almost normally, but his whole body now seemed deprived of all strength and energy. Panting, and with his face and throat on fire, Kaeya dragged himself up the last staircase that would lead him to his apartment, hoping that a hot shower and a little rest could help him overcome that anomalous illness.

Fortunately, the cough seemed to give him some respite for that very short stretch of road. In fact, after reaching the end of the staircase, he just had to turn left to the last house adjacent to the walls, from which he could see Angel's Share. Kaeya had lived there for years now - ever since he was kicked out of the Dawn Winery and found himself, literally, without a roof over his head - but never as in that instant did he feel like he had traveled miles and not a few meters.

Kayea still coughed with the same violence as just before, without being able to stop that sort of crisis, but he was now alone and he felt no shame in letting himself slide to the ground, with his back against the wood of the door and his hands on his throat, as if he could actually feel the foreign body that was choking him.

There was nothing and that was obvious, but Kaeya could almost feel something growing inside him. It was just a stupid feeling, dictated by those moments when he gasped for some air, but that didn't make it feel less real.

Kaeya was only able to calm down after a few minutes. He had almost felt like he was going crazy, and he couldn't help but think of him when he, as a child, he had had pneumonia. The feeling was similar but different at the same time, because what he was feeling almost seemed to have deeper roots.

He was seized by another cough which, fortunately, was less strong than the others. With difficulty, Kaeya managed to get up and with his legs almost shaking from his weakness, he shuffled towards the bathroom.

His apartment was simple, soberly furnished and far removed from Kaeya's exotic and sometimes extravagant look. Nothing about those four walls seemed to prove that this was Kaeya's home. The furniture was simple and almost nondescript, there was a small kitchen, a dining room which also served as a sitting room, a bathroom and a bedroom. Nothing else, because for him that was just a place to sleep, and he would hardly have called it 'home'. As a result, he never felt the need to personalize it.

When Kaeya got to the bathroom, the first thing he did was wash his sweaty hot face, seeking relief with the cool water. He sighed, finding even that simple puff of air painful.

With his hands resting on the edge of the sink, Kaeya found the courage to look up at the mirror before him. The person who returned the gaze seemed almost a stranger. His face looked tired and exhausted, sick seemed the right definition.

He closed his eye, almost unable to still hold the gaze of his reflection, and moved away from the sink to start undressing, trying at the same time to remember the day just passed to identify the source of that illness.

The day had been warm and sunny, so he ruled out that he had caught cold. The food? He had had breakfast at the Good Hunter like every day and doubted that spoiled food would be distributed. The hypothesis of allergy or perhaps some intolerance that he had developed due to stress came back to his mind, but no matter how hard he was trying, Kaeya just couldn't find a certain answer to his assumptions.

Naked and ready to take the shower, Kaeya paused for just a moment to take off his eyepatch as well. He placed it on his clothes, being careful not to look in the mirror. Not that he feared the sight of the other eye, but that was one of Khaenri'ah's most important legacies.

Important and equally incoherent from his point of view. The eye was perfectly healthy but characterized by an unusual bright silver color, vibrant like the stars in the sky. It contained no curse, but Kaeya still felt haunted by it. It didn't give him any special powers, even though that was what made him one of the ideal candidates to leave Khaenri'ah.

Initially Kaeya had hidden it only to conceal his identity, but since he had decided to put his loyalty to Mondstadt, the eyepatch had become more of a way to avoid facing that kingdom that, in the end, he had betrayed and abandoned. After all, it was precisely his heterochromia that made him part of the royal family - perhaps the last one left - and Kaeya really wanted to forget that detail that was anything but 'small'.

He dismissed those thoughts once he stepped into the shower, groaning with relief as he felt the warm water caress his tired and still weakened body.

Kaeya was only caught by two more coughing episodes, but luckily none of them turned out to be too violent or overly worrying - although, of course, the whole situation was.

Relieved by the hot shower, Kaeya moved into the small adjoining bedroom. There he wore a soft black shirt and comfortable white cotton trousers, the clothes he used to use as pajamas. Kaeya never slept naked, because in the event of an attack or some emergency it would have been uncomfortable and unseemly to fight without clothes.

With another cough, he sat down on the bed, undecided what to do. It seemed strange to him to be in his apartment at that hour, usually he was at the table of some tavern gathering information and drinking, but on the other hand Kaeya also felt safe within those four walls: away from indiscreet eyes and ears in case of other crises.

He would hardly have been able to sleep at that time even with the fatigue that was weighing on his body because of that illness. He then considered dedicating himself to the mission report for Jean but that intent was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

Kaeya couldn't help but stiffen and, quickly putting on the eyepatch, he walked over to the door. He wasn’t expecting visitors and very few were the people who went as far as his apartment - also taking into account that, in general, at that time it was practically impossible to find him within those walls.

«Yes?» he asked softly, ready to draw his sword to him. He felt more suspicious than usual, and he couldn't help but blame the sickness that still hung over him as a silent threat.

«Sir Kaeya?» Barbara's familiar voice had the immediate power to calm his tense nerves. «Do we disturb?»

The use of the plural made him raise an eyebrow, but he decided to answer the timid question of the young woman with a: «No, you don't disturb. give me a second,» as he fumbled with the lock.

Kaeya opened the door, wondering why Barbara was in his apartment and also how to explain it to Jean if she found out - a young girl like Barbara in a man's apartment? For some people that situation could be seen as indecent -, but any questions died when he caught the eye of the person in Barbara's company.

He was a young man who wore the classic uniform of the Medical Unit of the Knights of Favonius and with a small Cryo Vision around his neck. He had a pleasant appearance, with bright green eyes and pale skin in stark contrast to his long black hair, gathered in a particularly disheveled little bun, from which several locks escaped. His name was Edmund Gottlieb and he was a doctor, perhaps one of the best field doctors of the Knights of Favonius.

Kaeya had dealt with him several times and had always found his silent company pleasant. And in any case, Kaeya told himself as he returned to the present, if Edmund was there with Barbara it could only mean one thing: the rumors about his illness had begun to spread.

He hid the annoyance behind a gentle smile, stepping aside to accommodate the two. Before closing the door behind him, a little out of habit and a little bit also for that strange oppression he felt on him, Kaeya took care to take a quick look outside the apartment to make sure no one was there. He knew he had always been suspicious - it was his job, in a certain way - but after that 'public display of weakness' he feared he had also attracted unpleasant attention.

«What do I owe your visit to?» he asked, leading them to the small dining room, gesturing to be understood by Edmund as well.

It was Barbara who spoke, moving her hands in turn: «Flora came to tell me that you were sick near Angel's Share. She was very worried...»

That simple and concise explanation sounded reasonable to Kaeya's ears. He had already taken into account having attracted attention with that cough attack in one of the most popular parts of Mondstadt, and it was equally normal that he had also been seen by the sweet little Flora. Anyone with a pinch of good heart would have rushed to Barbara.

The annoyance he had felt in realizing that everyone now seemed to know of his illness was still very present, but it had been somewhat mitigated by the fact that it was the little flower girl who took pains for him.

«I had a coughing fit,» he admitted. Kaeya added nothing more out of habit than for some other reason. He didn’t like to talk about himself, and even though it was some sort of medical examination it was stronger than him to hide those details and belittle.

 

Edmund stepped forward and with his hands formulated a long series of questions. Kaeya knew sign language well enough, it had been a necessity dictated by Edmund's presence among the Knights of Favonius.

 

"Did you have any symptoms before this afternoon? Do you remember eating something unusual or bumping into agents external to the fauna and flora of Mondstadt?"

 

Kaeya smiled slightly, trying to answer all those questions as fully as possible, silencing his natural inclination to hide. They were there for him on the other hand, and minimizing his symptoms wouldn’t have helped at all, on the contrary: he would have earned it with a diagnosis that would have led him to resolve that situation so uncomfortable.

 

He then denied having had any symptoms of any kind - the first coughing attack Kaeya had had on leaving the Knights' Headquarters, and it had been sudden, not preceded by other signs -, and then he listed everything he had eaten that day, assuring both of them both on the quality of the foods and on the fact that he wasn’t allergic to any of those foods as far as he knew.

 

He hesitated only a little when he had to talk about his mission, but what if that was the cause of his illness? Kaeya couldn't help but take that detail into consideration, that he took a slightly different shape and weight in remembering that he had done the whole mission in Klee's company. She too could feel bad at that moment.

 

«I was on a mission with Klee and we met the usual Hilichurls and an Abyss Mage,» he replied. «You should visit her too at this point,» added Kaeya, unable to hide his concern and the hint of guilt that had grown in his chest.

 

What if that really was the cause? He could have made little Klee sick too, and that Kaeya would never forgive himself.

 

«I'll take care of it,» Barbara immediately reassured him, while Edmund asked him if he could visit him.

Kaeya nodded and after taking a seat in one of the chairs in the small dining room he allowed the young doctor to begin examining him. Edmund alternated medical instruments, such as the stethoscope and the sphygmomanometer, to the use of his Elemental Sight. He was serious and focused and Kaeya simply remained silent, allowing him to do his job in the best possible way.

At the end of that visit, Edmund looked a little confused and gesticulating said: “You have high blood pressure, and your saturation is at the limit. The cause is certainly due to breathing difficulties due to coughing and the stress to which you have been subjected…”

Kaeya nodded, carefully following the young doctor's hand movements and expressions, looking for any other details regarding his diagnosis. Edmund seemed determined in listing the results of his analysis, but at the same time there seemed to be something wrong.

«There is more?», he asked, making the young man hesitate.

Edmund seemed to be looking for the right way to explain himself and Kaeya couldn't help but feel the tension build up for that silence that seemed to last forever. He was generally not a person who was easily conditioned, but that situation was putting him in front of something very different and that he had never faced.

“I saw something in the lungs, but I can't fully understand its nature. It looks like pulmonary congestion to me, like those caused by the flu. It could be for this reason that you have had cough and difficulty breathing. Maybe it's a passing virus, but I'd rather take a blood sample”.

That answer had the power to calm Kaeya's nervousness a little and, trying to give both of them a smile, he nodded his head and then added: «You are the doctor.»

Edmund returned the smile and immediately went to work. From his briefcase he took out the tools necessary for that small sample and, with the utmost care and attention, prepared Kaeya's arm. That operation was quick and painless, and Edmund with another smirk pulled a candy out of his jacket pocket that made Kaeya laugh.

«Thank you,» he commented, accepting that little gift that was able to relieve all the tension that had somehow been created.

«I can advise Jea-... the Acting Grand Master if you wish to take a day or two off,» Barbara spoke again, drawing attention to her in that way.

Her voice sounded uncertain in Kaeya's ears, she seemed torn between wanting to really go to her sister - maybe even spend time with her - and wanting to keep their distance, because of that bond they had never been able to develop.

Kaeya hesitated for a moment before answering. He wasn't the type to take breaks or days off, because he knew very well how easy it was to lose even an entire week of work in a very short time.

«I think I will need one night's rest to be strong tomorrow... however, if you want to tell Jean that I have been ill and that I haven’t been able to fill out the mission report, I would be immensely grateful,» he added.

It had been impossible for him to refrain from treating what appeared to be Barbara's little desire with a bit of consideration. Despite her indecision, it was clear that the girl wanted to get close to her sister and nourish that relationship broken by the separation of their parents. And it was something that certainly Jean herself wanted too.

Kaeya understood perfectly well how they must both feel, because even if he shared no blood ties with Diluc, he would have liked to be able to get closer to him as in the past.

That thought left a bitter taste in his mouth as always, but unlike the other times it was followed by another cough and the unpleasant sensation of suffocation that prompted him to lean forward in the chair in which he was sitting, as if looking some sort of fetal position could help him get through that moment. The presence of Barbara and Edmund made that crisis almost embarrassing, but he decided to not give it too much weight and instead cling to the hope that the illness was linked to a simple passing virus - it had already happened in the past, and would happen again in the future.

With difficulty, Kaeya managed to recover, and with shortness of breath he rose again to give a tired and worn smile to the two who had stood beside him in silence.

«I’m fine,» he murmured, trying to speak even though his voice was weakened by the cough.

Barbara was the first to react, and with her usual energy and positivity she immediately proposed to prepare him an herbal tea, something natural against cough and also to make him rest. Edmund seemed to not want to comment at first - he probably preferred to analyze the blood sample just taken more calmly before being able to give a real diagnosis - but in the end he gestured an imperative and very serious: "Doctor's orders: go to bed and rest."

Kaeya nodded and raised his hands in surrender. At that point, he really hoped that a little rest and Barbara's herbal tea could help him regain his strength.

Notes:

• Hanahaki Disease reacts, at least in this fic, in part as an amplifier for negative feelings. This is why Kaeya reacts strangely.

• Edmund is an original character of mine. Initially he wasn't supposed to be deaf, but while I was writing he became like that and I loved him. So I characterized him accordingly, thinking of General Amaya from The Dragon Prince (she’s beautiful and strong). I hope I haven’t offended anyone!

• Still talking about Edmund, I entered the character thinking that Barbara - despite being a healer in the game - isn’t a doctor and on the advice of my friends I decided to use an OC.