#li/sa gen/shin imp/act

[danafeelingsick]

ɴᴏᴠᴇᴍᴇᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 2022

@monthofsick

ᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛ ʟɪsᴛ | AO3 ᴄᴏʟʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ | ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ

ᴅᴀʏ 21: The strongest person still has sick days sometimes

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 1,7k~

21 for Jean? Even the strongest person get there’s sick day

ᴀ/ɴ ho boy. writing lisa really reminds me i'm into girls too 😳

TW EMETO

Lisa slowly lifted her eyes from the book she had been reading when hurried footsteps came in through the door, the first sound to break the silence of the library in hours. Instead of fixing her lazily slumped posture, putting on her greeter's smile, or even closing the book, Lisa reached for the perfect warm tea on the edge of her desk, finally acknowledging the newcomer.

“Good afternoon, Jean”, she welcomed warmly, tipping the cup in her direction before savoring a sip. Jean responded a second too late for her tastes, and Lisa eyed her curiously, searching for the thing she knew was off. “What brings you here?”

“I'm looking for a book”, the acting grandmaster answered, handing a small slit of paper, with something written in it. Her voice had a slight hoarse quality to it, right at the end, barely noticeable. “I think it is for an investigation, I'm not sure. Kaeya was the one to ask, and he didn't give much detail.”

“Well, if it's important I'm sure he will come for it eventually”, Lisa pointed out, taking another long sip of her drink. Jean frowned at her answer, and she gave one of her sweet yet cynical smirks in response, unable to shrug off the feeling there was something more to her reaction. “I'm joking of course. If it's you asking, how could I say no? Are you in a hurry?”

“Why do you ask?”, the acting grandmaster fidget for a brief moment, her eyes going to the piece of paper. “You won't be able to find it by name alone?”

“Well…”, the librarian hummed, gently placing her tea down and leaning forward, resting both elbows on her desk. Jean was looking at her up, and from that, it was easy to see the grayish circles under her cloudy blue eyes. “It will certainly be faster if you would help me.”

Lisa's suggestion was nothing out of the ordinary. Truthfully, she would avoid any extra work outside of her pay grade, but delegating that to an already overworked Jean was something even she thought to be too low. Today, she looked even more tired than usual, if not paler, sickly. Since making her sit down and rest wasn't an option, she had to keep an eye on her at least.

The librarian kept close to Jean during the short walk, sneaking glances in her direction after every couple of steps down the stairs. She knew exactly where to look for that book, and if she bothered to remember, she could tell the particular spot it was in, but at the moment her mind was on where the nearest chair was in case Jean needed it.

And soon she would because it only took a couple of steps for Jean's knees to subtly give out, causing her to stumble. Lisa might've told on herself with how quickly she acted, because almost instantly she held her in place, her hand resting firmly on her shoulder.

“Careful. These floors can be very slippery”, she advised, and her hands lingered around Jean for a moment more. Unmistakably, her skin felt far warmer than any healthy person would, even through her clothes and Lisa's gloves.

“I-I know. I'm sorry, I'll be more careful”, the Grandmaster stammered, bringing a palm to her forehead, a pinkish blush coloring her face. Everything in her expression spelled a plea for help, but her unfocused eyes nearly screamed. “Let's go…”

“Are you sure?”, the librarian asked, giving her a chance to finally admit it. “You don't seem well.”

“That's not… no, I feel perfectly fine”, Jean lied, briefly closing her eyes when the whole room seemed to spin. When she opened them again she found Lisa staring at her, a concerned frown bringing out the wrinkles of her skin. She knew to worry now, Lisa rarely looked at her like that. “Do I… really?”

“Honey, you're pale”, the purple witch informed sweetly, in the same tone as someone who's giving terrible news. Jean didn't show surprise at the notice, on the contrary, she just shook her head slightly, stopping in the middle of the act to swallow. “Not only that. I think you might be running a fever as well. Can you feel your temperature?”

The acting grandmaster slowly nodded, blinking slowly as Lisa pulled off one of her gloves with her teeth, and her hand replaced her own. Her touch was tender and comfortably warm, but not the same as the uncomfortable heat rolling off her skin. She couldn't help but lean slightly into her touch, unable to control herself when that show of kindness had been the first in several days of crushing responsibilities.

“You feel a little warm”, Lisa said softly, nearly whispering in that empty library. She lingered a bit, cupping her reddish cheek in her hand, almost as if she could take her fever away like that. “What are you feeling?”

Jean hesitated for a moment, her gaze dropping to the ground before her hand shakingly came to rest on her stomach. Admitting defeat was difficult for her, or rather, asking for help, but seeing the concerned look Lisa gave her, almost broke her.

“Just a little nauseous”, she rasped. That constant burn in her throat threatened to flood her tongue, and she had to swallow again.

“How long have you been feeling like this, love?”

“Since this morning, I think…”, she responded honestly at first, but thinking back, she could point out the many moments she felt off throughout the week. A shudder here and there, a sneeze that caught her off guard, an ache in the pit of her stomach. Everything combined tenfold that morning, but staying home was simply not an option. “Don't you have anything I could…?”

“I'm not going to test any potions on you, Jean. But I have just the thing to make you feel better”, the witch offered, and Jean looked hopeful for a moment, but it faded from her eyes when Lisa simply pulled a seat for her. “Rest. Now sit down.”

“N-No… I still have a lot to do”, Jean protested, her voice regaining that same raspiness after she stopped to swallow mid-sentence. “Lisa, I can't –”

“I'm not asking, dear”, she insisted, leading the woman to the chair. “Sit down, before you faint.”

“Lisa…”, she tried again, her voice nearly gone when her stomach tensed up, sending a nauseating shiver creeping across her. ”I have somewhere to be in –”

“Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait”, the librarian informed with a cynical smile, but Jean shook her head, about to retort when Lisa continued. “Don't even try. You're not going anywhere until you are feeling better.”

“I-I am!”, Jean raised all of the voice she could spare, but it was barely enough to be heard.

“Lying, still?”, the witch challenged, and this time it was her turn to look at her from up. If Jean had any color to lose, she would've, but at that moment, her face had gained a gray tinge. “Honey, just tell me what's wrong”

The acting grandmaster averted her eyes, clutching at her belly when it felt like her heart had plunged there.

“C-Can you grab a trash can?”, she said finally, still avoiding her gaze, but nausea slurred her words together.

Lisa sighed, but obliged, already satisfied that desperation prevailed over her stubbornness. She briefly returned with an empty bin and placed it on Jean's lap, watching as the woman took it and leaned over the rim.

“You're never going to admit it, huh?” Lisa commented with a half-hearted chuckle but regretted it when she heard the shuddering breath she exhaled. Gently, she rested a hand on her back, and slowly rubbed soothing circles between her shoulders. “I know how much you hate it. But denying yourself a rest will only make things worse.”

“You know I can't… afford to lose any time here. I need to – buur”, Jean suddenly cut herself off and closed her mouth. Her eyes widened as her cheeks grew, her skin suddenly taking an almost green color.

“Just let it out, don't try to hold it”, Lisa advised, gathering all of the loose strands that didn't make it into Jean's high ponytail, and holding them away from her mouth.

The grandmaster let out a gurgly groan before she parted her lips over the bin, allowing a gush of a brownish liquid to fall off her mouth. She spat out with disgust, shaking her head almost as if she could just deny it ever happened, even though she was staring at a mouthful of hot acidic coffee she had just produced.

“There you go… just try to get everything up”, Lisa whispered, her hand going to the base of her sternum to the nape of her neck in slow succession.

Jean clenched her eyes shut when a wet burp forced another wave of liquidy vomit out of her. It splashed sickeningly on the bottom of the bin, more regurgitated coffee and bile forming a disgusting mix. She tried to ignore it, but the smell was potent, almost burning her nostrils, and on par with its taste. Jean failed to hold herself from gagging, her stomach clenching as it struggled to make her puke again.

“guh— eurrggh!”, she retched weakly, her throat clenching until finally, she was able to burp out a stream of foul-tasting vomit.

“There, there…”, Lisa hummed, patting her back gently.

It felt endless as it gushed out of her mouth, her stomach writhing as it kept spewing, detailed lumps of food traveling up her throat. Jean broke into a painful cough as it finally tapered off into a trickle of bile, severing the lines of saliva that connected her mouth to the chunky mess below. She slowly opened her eyes, thinking it was finally safe to do so.

The sight was vile. Lumps of soaked bread and mushy vegetables floated around cups of regurgitated coffee, now tinged with yellow stomach acid. Jean gagged again, the smell hitting her full force, and coughed out another wave of vomit, this one much weaker than the last.

“Take it easy… don't hurt yourself”, Lisa said softly as Jean gurgled up a thin streak of bile, and spat profusely onto the bin. She was panting weakly, slimy drool still clinging to her lips. “Did you get everything out?”

Jean nodded slowly, closing her eyes for a moment when the floor seemed to tilt. Her head was pounding now thanks to the violent spell. Her mouth tasted horrid.

“I… think I can take a small break now”, she said finally, chuckling when Lisa did the same.

“You've earned it.”

[danafeelingsick]

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʙɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ, ᴅɪʟᴜᴄ 2/2

NON-KINK BLOGS AND MINORS DNI

PART 1

PART 1.5

In which Diluc eats more than he should've at his own birthday party organized by Kaeya, and ends up sick only to find out something has gone sour.

ᴀᴏ3

ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ nausea, bloating, overeating, overindulgence, food poisoning, burping, fever, graphic descriptions of vomiting, vomiting in public, verbal abuse, stomach ache

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ 5.2k~

❝𝙳𝚒𝚕𝚞𝚌 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚟𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙺𝚊𝚎𝚢𝚊'𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝.

It took Diluc a while to admit it, but something was wrong. If he hadn't been so engrossed listening to the conversation, he would've realized sooner. Or maybe, he had just tricked himself into ignoring the symptoms by shoving more food on top of them.

Regret soon dawned on him as he kept rolling the last few bites back and forth on his plate, none of it looked appealing anymore, and his mouth tasted odd. If his stomach could talk, it would be cussing him off.

Diluc had to breathe carefully, trying to contour the growing discomfort it would cause every time his taut paunch pressed against his belts. It was almost as if his dinner was breathing along with him, the motion sending it climbing up his esophagus and sliding back down.

At some point, he had laid a hand over the curve on his abdomen, sometimes letting it rest on his thigh when it came to suspicion, but when he was sure no one was looking, he would try to get his bloated stomach to settle by carefully rubbing it. Sometimes opting for running a finger between his collar and his neck to try and leave a little room for his adam's apple.

It would do nothing more than provide a fleeting relief when he managed to get a few small silent burps out of it, but soon enough the taste of acid would return to his mouth.

It was just an uncomfortable pressure at first, he could feel his stomach every time he swallowed, but it quickly evolved into an uncomfortable slimy sensation looming over him, almost like his throat all the way to his gut was growing smaller. Before he could do anything about it, without a doubt, it had become a swirling queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Diluc raised his eyes from the plate, settling his fork aside and taking a cup. His movements were calculated, the result of countless careful meetings and dinners, where he didn't know if the people were trustworthy, much less the food. He would slightly tilt the half-empty glass, let the juice touch his lips, and put it back where he found it.

No one seemed to be watching him, at least not anymore. He had managed to stay silent and simply exist in the room, listening to the chatter going back and forth. And yet, he felt the discomfort of having an unseen eye glued to his back, staring at him just from the corner of his vision.

Kaeya was in the middle of a one-sided discussion with Amber, who had already drifted off to sleep with her head on Eula's shoulder. Something about work and reports, and expeditions. Diluc was trying to keep up, but he was quickly lost to boredom.

Why did they even invite him if they were just going to discuss the Knight's troubles?

He drifted his attention to Lisa, who had pulled out a book and was patiently reading through it, sipping a glass of wine at the same speed she would devote to her work. Maybe he could take her as an example and simply ignore this whole thing.

He wasn't paying attention, Diluc noticed, watching as Kaeya carried the conversation, his face was flushed ever so slightly, almost unnoticeably under his tan. Nothing changed. He should've known better.

He should've known this party wasn't meant for him. It was all to stroke his own ego. To annoy him in the process. He should've just left when he had the chance.

“Is something the matter?” he heard him lean over and ask, meeting his eye to find a slimy smirk just underneath it.

The question caused Diluc to relax the frown he had been unknowingly holding, briefly closing his eyes and clearing his throat. Had he been transparent the whole time? He simply waved his head, his lips pressed thin as he bit the inside of his cheek.

“Oh, would you like some more?” he asked him, the distinct slosh of a half-empty bottle being raised to his attention.

Absolutely not, he thought immediately but opted for saying: “I think I've had enough, thank you…”

“Suit yourself”, he completed his tone carefully before returning to the usual playfulness as he turned back to the table.

As soon his sights were off him, Diluc resumed pouting at the scattered remains on his plate, he barely had the energy to mask his discomfort.

The feeling in his stomach had ripened from a queasy fullness to a constant, now certain nausea. He couldn't help but keep swallowing, almost involuntarily, every time it washed over him in waves, bringing an almost metallic taste to his mouth.

Diluc had eyes fixed on the half-glass of grape juice in front of him, its taste simmering in his mind, finding countless things that could be wrong with it. His lips hitched into a grimace as he realized how naive he had been, trusting something Kaeya gave him to drink. Kaeya, of all people.

The young master placed a gloved hand on his forehead, curving to rest his elbow on the table, his vision seemed to be slightly, almost unnoticeably blurry. His mouth felt far too wet, his eyes too dry, like the heat rising from his cheeks was boiling his eyeballs.

And his stomach– It felt like something was growing inside it, the restless churning like a writhing living being agonizing.

He gulped, the muscles of his throat audibly rubbing against one another, the motion seeming to send a large lump of air flushing down his throat.

“...guh”, the noise escaped him, along with a line of thick drool lazily trailing the side of his mouth.

He was sick, he had to admit it. He was sick to his stomach, and trapped in a room full of people. Something he ate must've been spoiled. He had been poisoned.

Maybe there was still time for a swift escape.

Diluc shakingly raised his eyes to find the entire room staring at him, his stomach plummeted to his feet. Out of some animalistic impulse, he backed out, dragging his chair on the wooden floor, the noise grating to his ears, his legs wobbly as he tried to stand up.

“Diluc, going so soon?” Kaeya's voice comes from his left, carrying confusion in his tone. “You hadn't cut the cake yet.”

He tensed as he heard it, latching onto the arm of his chair as his knees trembled. The thought of eating anything more made him lock his throat, his chest growing tighter as panic bloomed inside of it.

“I… I'll–”, even though he wasn't sure what he meant to say, his mind seemed to have come to a screeching halt as he felt his stomach jump under his belt. “...bur–”

“Master Diluc…? Is everything okay?” Jean's voice came from his right, soft and gentle, heavy with worry. He found her eyes glued to his face, wide with the same panic.

He briefly opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a gurgle deep within his stomach, announcing its contents rushing up his throat.

Diluc desperately clasped a hand over his mouth, his cheeks suddenly bulging out as searing watery vomit scorched his tongue. He realized with a shuddering exhale leaving his nostrils, how clearly it tasted like grilled meat, sickly sweet and half-burned mixed with awfully bitter, fermented grape juice.

The screeching of a chair being pulled sent him into further panic, causing his chest to heave, nearly inhaling the vomit filling his mouth. He was turned on his heels by a pair of quick hands, the motion sending his head in a full spin.

“What's wrong with—?” Kaeya began to ask, his words caught in his throat as he settled his eyes on Diluc. He had gone beyond pale, his otherwise intimidating scowl crumbled into pure misery as he covered his mouth, less than seconds away from bursting.

He didn't have much time to react before he saw his shoulders heave, his eyes going so wide they could jump out of his skull. Vomit violently sprayed from between the cracks of his fingers, speckles of it landing on Kaeya's clothes, dotting his fuzzy scarf, sliding down the exposed part of his chest.

Kaeya recoiled and jumped back as a heavy soup-like mixture fell between his feet, staining his shoes and the carpet with purple beyond repair. He looked from the ground at Diluc who could only choke behind his hand, trying to stifle his coughs.

“Oh, my!” Lisa exclaimed from the other side of the table, shutting her book. While Eula gasped, one hand covering her mouth in surprise, Amber barely twitched as she snoozed on her shoulder.

Diluc was mortified as he stared at his own vomit soaking into the red carpet, tears were gathering in his eyes from the effort of repressing the heaving of his chest.

"...e-excuse me–”, he managed to squeak out before turning and bolting for the door, his stomach already winding up for a second serving.

Jean was already up on her feet while Kaeya eyed the door, forcing himself to make a decision fast. The two exchanged knowing looks as he sprinted past her, making a run after his sickly brother.

***

Kaeya stepped into the hall, the heels of his now ruined shoes clacking against the tiles, a sound he was used to. However, the pained retching and greedy gasps for air filling in the silence were something he wasn't entirely used to.

He didn't have to look any further to find the source of the noise.

Diluc had crumpled to his knees in the middle of the hall, both hands holding the ground as his back heaved violently. With the sounds coming from him, one could easily mistake him for a drowning man.

Kaeya rushed up to him, just in time to watch as he burped up a steady stream of watery vomit, struggling to come up with the denser parts of it. It landed between his hands with a heavy, almost sharp splatter, forming a puddle that quickly spread, staining the beige tiles with a purplish boiling mixture.

“Oh… Diluc, couldn't make it?”, the cavalry captain cooed, kneeling beside him on the hard cold tiles.

The acidic smell of sick scorched his nostrils, a mixture of spoiled grapes and fermented yeast laced with meat, and he did his best to block it out, but the feeling of now cold vomit drying over his skin sent disgust shuddering all over his body.

Diluc barely seemed to register his presence, he was breathing much too heavily, gagging over the steaming pile of vomit soaking into his gloves, struggling to come up with more to add to it. It sounded like he was choking, retching empty over the ground, but he refused to move from there. It felt like if he tried to move, he would dismantle like a ragdoll.

“Sounds like you overdid it, hum. It happens, and it's not the first…”, the captain commented, trying to add a little humor to the situation, but he cowered as soon as Diluc shot him a mortifying look.

His face had been drained of its usual color, leaving only greyish circles under his glossy eyes and a rosy tint to his cheeks and nose. There was fresh vomit still dripping from his mouth and nostril, his lips had gone a few shades paler.

“I should've realized sooner you weren't feeling well”, he lamented, his eyebrows knitted together, an apologetic crease on his lips. Diluc responded with another struggling retch, managing to produce a small trickle of bile dripping out of his tongue. “But don't worry, okay? I'm not too mad about you getting your sick all over me.”

“Go… go away”, he whispered, his tongue sizzling between his teeth as he mustered all of his energy into sounding intimidating.

“I'm afraid I can't leave my little brother alone in his moment of weakness”, Kaeya snorted, letting out a mocking chuckle as he found Diluc frowning at his words, but unable to do anything except gag.

Brother. The word sent a cold sinking feeling to his stomach, only upsetting it further as nausea held his innard in a vice-grip. They weren't brothers. They were never brothers.

Diluc lowered himself further to the ground as he felt his stomach quiver from disgust, his abdomen sinking as it squeezed itself empty. A gush of watery lumpy vomit splattered onto his hands, covering them in chunks of undigested pastries and leaving stains up to his elbows. He felt pitiful, worst now that the bastard was looming over, no doubt with a smirk on his face.

“Look at you, poor thing”, he cooed, nothing but pity laced in his voice, now daring to lay on his quivering back only to feel the man wince under his touch. “Don't worry, I'll—”

“...leave me… huff, alone”, he hissed in between wet gasps. Even though he didn't turn to look at him, his tone gave him pause. Diluc's voice was completely shot, but still, he mustered a husky, almost like a sizzle, dripping with hatred.

“I'd rather not. You look like you're about to fall over”, Kaeya noted, reluctantly retrieving his hand, but still leaving it hovering over his back.

Diluc was left panting, seemingly struggling to come up with more to add to the puddle. It was a surprise, given how easily it was for him to vomit when they were still in the office. Then, again, Kaeya knew well how it felt to have his stomach filled with fluid on top of dense, dubious food. He wasn't even halfway done.

“Say, why don't we move to the restroom?” Kaeya suggested, going to gently rearrange the strands of fiery red hair glued to Diluc's face. “No use in dirtying the headquarters anymore, right? Think of poor Noe—”, his fingers barely grazing his skin when he jerked away.

“Don't– urp, fucking touch me!” he yelled, having to stop midway to swallow when a trickle of saliva fell out of his mouth. His voice was gone by the end of his sentence.

“Now, calm down Diluc”, Kaeya backed off with both hands raised as the man huffed, glaring at him, wishing looks could kill. “No need for this.”

“How many times… do I have to tell you? Fuck off”, he dotted every word with a pant, shaking his head as he felt warmth rising to his forehead. “I don't want your fucking help.”

“I couldn't care less about what you want now”, Kaeya retorted, having to hold back the sneer in his voice. "You need help, you are sick.”

“I'm– guh”, Diluc stopped mid-sentence, having to swallow something dense that suddenly threatened to overflow his mouth. “And who's fault is this!?”

“What part of you being an unsociable brat is my fault, huh?”, the captain pinned the bridge of his nose, struggling to reason with his feverish and delirious brother. “We all come together to organize something for you, and you get this mad? What an–”

“For fuck's sake, Kaeya”, his voice was lower now, garbled with apparent nausea as he struggled to swallow again. “It was that… that thing you gave me to drink.”

“What, the grape juice?” Kaeya went cold, thinking of the circumstances that led to this moment. Had he stored the bottle appropriately? Closed it well? Left it in the sun? “Oh, no… I– You might be right”, that last part was barely a whisper. He kept a close eye on Diluc, watching as he raised a soiled glove hovering close to his mouth. “Is it– Are you going to puke again?”

Diluc couldn’t respond, his throat was convulsing under the pressure of his stomach, and he had to devote all of his concentration to keep it locked. He clenched his eyes shut, his attention shifting to something else entirely, what was once a wish for this to be over quickly turned into begging for it to not happen again. Not there.

“Think you can make it to the restroom this time?” Kaeya asked, but didn’t get an answer other than a shake of his head. Diluc had his lips pressed into a thin line, his soiled gloved hand, now cold and slimy still hovering close to his mouth. “Come on, get up. No point in staying here, making a further mess”, he ordered, now frantic.

Not so carefully, the cavalry captain laced his arms under his sickly brother and scooped him off the floor, his form going limp under his touch like a fancily dressed sack of potatoes. Diluc let out a struggling whimper as the motion sent his innards into a painful knot, a newfound wave of nausea slamming into him as he suddenly became vertical.

He tried to say something, but as Kaeya threw his hand over his shoulder, letting his chin rest on him, he attempted to take a step. Diluc barely had the strength to turn his head before his cheeks bulged out, vomit spraying past his lips and coating the front of Kaeya’s chest.

“Ugh, shit…”, Kaeya could only lament as he felt solid pieces slide down his cleavage, the warm stomach acid soaking into the fabric of his clothes and quickly cooling. Was that his punishment for the poisoning?

He noticed Diluc’s ragged breaths were leaving a strange fleeting warmth on his neck while his skin was burning up, his chest hitching as he could tell he was trying to keep himself from throwing up once more. “It’s fine, you’re fine. Just try to breathe, okay? We’ve got a short walk ahead of us.”

Diluc gave a weak groan in response, his constant gulping so close to his ear it was unnerving, but he kept himself fairly awake, although with eyes closed to spare him of the blurred sights. He could tell Kaeya was struggling to carry him, given the small portions of alcohol still rushing along with his blood, but they made it up the stairs in less time than he could count, all the while reassuring him that everything would be alright.

It was fitting, almost, he thought, with how many times he had been vomited on by him during a drunk night, even more so in their youths. Diluc didn't have much time to ponder on it, his mind seemed to be working at a snail’s pace, and before he noticed, he was being lowered in front of a toilet bowl.

“There you go”, Kaeya huffed, kneeling along with him and only letting go when he saw Diluc wrap his arms around the cold porcelain, groaning pitifully. “May I? Rub your back now? You look like you need it.”

The sickly man wasn't up for conversation, he leaned further into the bowl, his face looming several inches away from the water and below.

“You… smell”, he grunted and spat a thick gob of foul-tasting saliva. “...disgusting.”

“The nerve”, Kaeya said, feigning the indignation in his voice, a hand hovering over his chest but not daring to touch the mess smeared over it. “That would be a no?”, no response except a small pitiful gag. “I'll just… leave you to it, then. Call me if you need it, I'll be just around the corner, changing out of these.”

He turned to leave, taking his sweet time to put his hand around the doorknob, in the middle of turning it, the door creeping open, he heard:

“...wait”, and he did, watching from over his shoulder as Diluc gripped the toilet bowl, gagging empty into it. “Can you… guh, fix my hair? It's getting in my eyes.”

The way he said it and the tone of his voice, almost like he was begging, had Kaeya's heart splitting into, kneeling back down beside his sickly brother.

“Of course”, he murmured a confirmation, taking the fiery red ponytail and carefully undoing it, holding the hair tie between his lips. Ever so gently touching his skin with the tip of his fingers as he brushed the strands and gathered them in his hand.

Diluc's hair was long and silky, his soft curls reaching to the middle of his back. He was almost distracted by the lack of cut when he noticed him tense up under his hands, a shuddering breath escaping his nose. He heard him swallowing, the pained gurgles of his insides, and he knew it.

“Go ahead, I've got you”, he instructed with the tie still between his lips, keeping Diluc's long hair behind his head with one hand, the other holding his feverish forehead and his uncut bangs out of the way. “Don't worry, I'm here.”

Diluc groaned in acknowledgment, not another second passing before a short belch cut through his throat. He pitched forward, a lengthy gush of puke coming up without much struggle, splattering into the water. Kaeya's hands followed his movements, applying a slight chilly touch to Diluc's scorching skin, gently guiding him through the motions as he kept heaving, the stream thinning out into a false stop.

“Easy… Just try to breathe”, he coaxed in a gentle whisper. “Breathe, Diluc… That's it.”

He tried, but his breathing sounded wet and desperate, setting into motion a fit of painful coughing as something got caught in his nose. It felt like his food pipe was rattling inside his chest, shaking until it came loose, sending vomit flushing out of him without any warning.

“That's it, get everything out”, he repeated, bothering with tucking the strands of his brother's hair behind his ear before he used the now free hand to rub his back.

Gurgling painful retches poured off Diluc at the same pace his stomach poured out of his mouth, in large bouts of sick guzzling out of him, continuously splashing inside the toilet loudly. It was no longer that concentrated purple color, now a less augmented more pinkish color, laced with reds of meats and browns of pastries, greens of leaves, and bright yellows of his stomach juices.

At that point, he didn't even want to think about the birthday cake, the guests who saw him, and their faces of disgust, but it kept lingering in the front of his mind. The guilt, the shame, the humiliation, leaving him stranded in an isle of pure cold panic.

“Shh, calm down. I'm right here”, Kaeya kept whispering, twirling the red hair around his hand to allow his fingers to caress his scalp. “You're okay…”

He wasn't, he was nearly drowning in his own sick, powerless to stop his body from purging its insides onto the toilet bowl. He could only alternate between wet coughs whenever he could breathe around the torrent leaving his mouth, and greedy gasps for air.

The water in the toilet had been thoroughly covered by layers upon layers of vomit, his stomach now tapping into what he had for breakfast that morning, the memory too buried under racing thoughts for him to even go look for it.

His eyes would flutter open as tears stung, but the sights of his own mess, the detailed chunks of barely digested food, clumps of wet bread and meat, cut-up vegetables, all bathed in glistening bile. It had him gagging further, forcing him to empty his stomach thoroughly, purging anything that came in contact with that horrid drink.

“Keep going now. Get it all out.”

Kaeya's words were being drowned out by his gurgling retches, losing their meaning every time he chose to say them. Yet, the hand on his back, tracing up and down the line of his spine, sent a welcoming cold to his feverish skin.

It seemed like it lasted forever, but eventually, he was left dry retching, his stomach nearly empty and sour like a popped balloon. There was a mixture of drool, snot, and warm puke hanging from his face in heavy threads, connecting him to the horrors below.

He spat viscously, trying to rid his mouth of that horrid taste, thick gobs of dense spit joining the top coating of congealed vomit in the toilet. He tried not to think of the possibility of it getting clogged.

“There you go, all done”, Kaeya said finally, hoping to be right this time. “That was… a lot, no wonder you were in so much pain. But it's okay now, you're done, right? You're okay?”

To his surprise, Diluc let out a shaking hum of confirmation, slightly nodding his head. There was nothing in his gray complexion and feverish skin that screamed okay, but still, he tried.

Kaeya went back to tending to his hair before he had the chance to interrupt it, arranging it in a low loose bun and tucking the strands that didn't make it in behind his ears.

“How are you feeling?”, he asked, running his palm over his back. “Better now that you managed to puke?”

“Ugh… I don't know”, Diluc groaned, not daring to raise his head from the bowl. “My stomach still… feels so sick.”

“Hum… this isn't good”, the captain sighed, guilt was creeping around in his chest. “I'm sorry, Diluc.”

“About…?”

“The juice was probably spoiled”, he finally admitted, genuine remorse boarding his voice. “I'm so sorry you had to go through this.”

Diluc gagged in his mouth, the realization sinking into his stomach like a rock in the middle of a lake. He knew it, he told him, but now, he barely had the energy to be angry. He slumped further into the toilet bowl, parting his lips to let a trickle of watery bile drip out and join the vomit below.

“Ugh… you're horrible, you know that?”, he panted, squeezing his eyes with newfound pain.

“Now that's going a bit too far. I already apologized”, Kaeya said simply, giving certainty that he wasn't all that sorry. Just guilty.

“You got me sick”, he muttered, sounding miserable. “Asshole.”

“Rude”, then silence, until a shy knock came at the door, giving both of them pause. “It might be Jean.”

Kaeya stood up and turned the door handle against Diluc's faint protests, he opened a creak to find the Acting Grandmaster herself, standing there wide-eyed, cradling supplies in her arms.

“Did he…?”, she asked, wrinkling her nose as she eyed the dried stains of caked vomit on his clothes and shoes, the trickle going down his bare chest, even in his hair over his shoulder.

“Yes, yes he did. And in the office, and the hall. And on himself. And now on the toilet, for a change”, Kaeya sighed deeply. “We'll have to quarantine the headquarters, most likely.”

“Don't even joke about it, please”, she returned the sigh, hers sounding more grieving. “So, how is he?”

“He's running a fever, complaining his stomach hurts. And it wouldn't surprise me if he managed to puke his childhood memories too”, Kaeya gave the rundown, trying to inject some unwanted humor into his summary. He barely earned a chuckle out of her. “Looks like food poisoning, but I think he was the only one that drank that grape juice.”

“My goodness”, she whispered, her eyes fixed on Kaeya's ruined shoes. “I'll go see if Barbara can help him in any way, but… I'm not too sure her vision allows her to cure these types of ailments. I mean, not even I–”

“Just… have medicine at the ready, in case”, he asked, watching as she shook her head and started rummaging through the stack of supplies in her arms.

“Here”, she extended a pile of folded clothes, he recognized it as a basic training uniform sewed together in all colors of thread. “I brought a change for him, but you look like you need it more.”

“Oh, thank you”, he took the clothes through the crack in the door, holding them away from his body. “Oh, actually, good thing you're here. Is the guest's room available, or is it still another storage room?”

“No, no, I just finished tidying it. You can take him there if you want”, Jean added, her expression indicating she had just forgotten it. “Do you need help taking him there?”

“It would be ideal, yes. But I'm sure he would never forgive himself if he got sick all over you too”, Kaeya added, eyeing over his shoulders the figure hunched over the toilet, barely moving.

“I really don't mind”, she said truthfully. “It wouldn't be the first, and besides, I've dealt with sickness before. It wouldn't be an issue.”

“If you insist. I'll go talk to him”, Kaeya decided, handing back the pile before he started closing the door.

“I'll put these away while you're at it.”

The door gently clicked shut behind Kaeya and he went back to kneeling where he was, laying a hand on Diluc's curved back to check how he was. His breathing was shallow, almost unnoticeable, but he slightly tilted his head to see the captain by his side, a look of pity on his face.

“Hey… How are you holding up?”, he asked, failing to recognize the irony in the phrase, he wasn't holding much of anything anymore. “Still… sick?”

He hummed weakly in response, struggling to keep himself awake, his eyes rolling to the back of his head only to return even glossier. The door creaked open.

“You're not planning on sleeping here, are you?” Kaeya joked but had a small suspicion the answer could be yes. “Well, there's a room at the end of the hallway waiting for you. Think you can make it there? Jean and I are here to help you.”

Diluc barely had the strength to respond, much less register the third person in the room with them, so he let out a short huff, indicating he had heard him. The nausea still hadn't cleared, but at that point, his stomach was so empty he could feel it sticking together like crumpled paper.

“Good”, Kaeya said, peeling his sickly brother off the floor and gently wrapping his arm around his neck. Diluc. “Up we go”, he said, slowly rising and supporting Diluc's whole weight over his shoulders. He felt a second pair of hands take his other arm, leaving him dangling between two tall figures. “Come on now.”

Jean didn't say a word until they reached the room, helping lower Diluc onto the bed. The man's weight off her barely made a difference. He sat there, looking half dead, supported by one of Kaeya's hands on his shoulder.

“We should try and get him to drink some water”, she commented, going to the old dusty nightstand and taking the bottle of water she had brought in earlier.

“Diluc? Would you like to drink some water?” Kaeya called, halfway through peeling his dirty gloves off. He simply shook his head, almost swaying in place. “Not now, then.”

Jean didn't insist, taking pity on seeing her former captain in such a miserable state, she stayed quiet, unsure of what to say as she watched Kaeya undo Diluc's attire, removing his shoes and helping him lay down.

“I'll stay with him 'till he sleeps if you don't mind. He's still running a fever”, he suggested, beginning to undo his own clothes with his back turned to her, a way to assure she would leave. “You should be heading home. It's quite late already.”

“Uh, alright…”, she said. “I'll be back in the morning with Barbara.”

The door opened, the door closed, and the two of them were left alone, in deafening silent swimming in his ears. Kaeya finished changing and sat down, laying a chilled hand onto Diluc's forehead, their skins melting against one another.

“I'm sorry…”, he whispered one more, meaning it, but Diluc had already drifted off to sleep.

[danafeelingsick]

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʙɪʀᴛʜᴅᴀʏ, ᴅɪʟᴜᴄ 1 | 2

NON-KINK BLOGS AND MINORS DNI

PART 1.5

PART 2

In which Diluc eats more than he should've at his own birthday party organized by Kaeya, and ends up sick only to find out something has gone sour.

ᴀᴏ3

ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ food mention, overeating, overindulgence, bloating, light stuffing, burping, mentions of alcohol, hurt and comfort, implied alcohol abuse, no vomit in this part

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ 3.1k~

❝𝚆𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑? 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝙺𝚊𝚎𝚢𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊 𝚍𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚣𝚎.❞

Once Diluc stepped foot into the Grandmaster's office, he understood why Kaeya had been so cheerful during their short walk here.

The place, so familiar to him in the past, had been reorganized. Mainly the large table they would use for conferences was now at the center of the room, decorated with pots of flowers and sporting a neat selection of foods and drinks. The scent of grilled meat and freshly baked goods filled the space with an almost homely atmosphere.

Familiar still, were the guests populating the room, his beloved Knights of Favonius. Some seated and some standing and chatting, all turning to face their former captain as he stood there, seemingly shrinking under their gaze.

A smile he had come to recognize as the harbinger of antics was stamped on Kaeya's face, a genuine playful smile showing his teeth, spreading to his eye as well.

“Well? Surprised?”, he announced, a warm chuckle escaping him, one he went to cover with his hand before motioning to the room. “I bet you are. I have to get you at least once, don't I?”

Out of his own choosing, Diluc was momentarily speechless, he knew opening his mouth would result in hostility. He could feel an irritation bottling inside, translating into a scowl that refused to clear.

“What is the meaning of this?”, he crossed his arms, thinking acting aloof would be his way out of this. “You informed me there would be a meeting, and you said you had something important to tell me.”

“And I have”, Kaeya raised an eyebrow, challenging, his smile remained but his eyes went cold. “Happy birthday.”

Diluc stared back, something akin to anger burning behind his fiery red eyes, but it quickly fizzled out into a sigh, there was no point to it. His eyes gravitated towards the table, the guests watching him carefully, almost expecting an outburst out of him, a show of stubbornness he wouldn't put up, not today.

“I thought I told you I didn't want anything”, he spoke in a low hushed tone, his voice bordering a hiss, hoping Kaeya would come to his senses for once in his life.

“Oh, you know me, Diluc. I couldn't possibly let this date go by”, he waved him off, showing his teeth in a grin that was nothing short of a dare. “And besides, this is nothing grand, it's just a meeting. Everyone brought a plate of their own, so think of it as a small gathering among friends. And you, are invited too.”

With that, the cavalry captain strolled inside the office, waving a hand over his shoulder as if to pull him in. When that didn't work, he pulled one of the unoccupied chairs and waited beside it. The overwhelming silence quickly dawned on him, and Diluc shambled to take the seat, sinking in it like a pouting child.

“See, that wasn't so bad, was it?”, Kaeya whispered closely, mocking him to his ear as he adjusted his collar, and patted his shoulders, bitting his time as the guests eyed his brother as if he was an animal on a leash. “Now, you stay here and I'll go fix a plate for the birthday boy.”

Diluc did just that, kept quietly seething in his seat, feeling as if all eyes were glued to him like feathers on tar. He felt on display, caught off guard even as he clearly expected it. To participate in the pointless celebration, to be forced to be in a grand luxurious party, pretend to care for the passing of years while among people he barely knew, all that he could muster.

But to be here, in that office he knew so well, with people that could see through his facade, that held him in some regard that didn't relate to his name, he felt… out of place.

“Happy birthday… master Diluc”, he heard a familiar voice say by his side, barely noticing the footsteps as they approached.

He looked up to see the acting grandmaster Jean offering a hand for him to shake, smiling sheepishly as a faint blush colored her fair face.

“Uh, thank you”, he responded, taking her hand in his as he rose to his feet, sustaining her gaze for as long as it took for her to get the hint.

“Time surely flies, doesn't it?”, she commented, glancing away, suddenly finding the need to arrange a streak of hair behind her ear. “It feels like just yesterday we were still kids.”

Diluc held the urge to disagree, he couldn't relate to the sentiment at all. It felt like just yesterday he had been forced to grow up, pushed into the position his late father used to occupy. Just yesterday he had lost his only family left to betrayal.

“That was… a long time ago”, he commented simply, nonchalantly, wishing to end that line of thought before it went farther. She seemed to get the memo as she let go of his hand, choosing to fidget with her own as she continued.

“Well, I do hope you enjoy yourself”, she added, her eyes gravitating towards the table for a moment. “I know when it comes to parties like this, Captain Kaeya can easily get in over his head.”

They both turned to look at him, taking a few moments to find him among the guests. Kaeya made rounds around the table with two almost full plates, one in hand, the other on his forearm, and a small wooden box wrapped in ribbons under his arm. Just by looking at it, Diluc could tell what it was.

He was throwing conversation away, buying his time as he entertained both the Outrider and the Reconnaissance Captain with his friendly banter. It seemed strangely endearing to Diluc, to see him acting out the social butterfly he was, but he didn't allow himself to ponder over that matter for long.

“To be honest”, she chuckled softly before continuing. “We were all a bit surprised when he came to us this morning, had us hurry to get everything ready, but I think we managed given how little time we had”, she concluded with a small apologetic smile that gave Diluc pause, he felt his heart tighten at the tone of her voice.

“I- I suppose. Still, it is quite the feast for less than a day”, he managed to say, now unsure of how to proceed when she seemed so cautious around him. He furrowed his eyebrows, returning the same apologetic tone she had. “I mean, really, you didn't need to go through all this trouble–”

“Oh, It wasn't a problem at all”, the librarian cut into the conversation, her soft chuckle calling to the attention of everyone at the table. “Everyone helped a bit, some more than others…”

“What Lisa means is, she helped as well”, Jean quickly intervened, her face flushing a deeper shade of red. “Which would be an improvement I wouldn't mind seeing more often.”

“That's not what you said earlier today if I'm remembering correctly”, Lisa had the same impish smirk on her face, her intense green eyes fixed on Jean as she folded her arms, looking away at some point in the ground. “You saved my life, was more like it. Where would I find fresh fruit jam at a time like this? Huhuhu.”

Lisa's impression left a lingering silence that she was happy to fill in with her muffled laughter, it sounded desperate, forcibly sweet, even to her usual voice. Diluc looked from her to Jean, thinking of how unusual this portrayal of her sounded. She seemed to be trying to shrink into the ground just like he had been mere moments ago. He couldn't help the low, almost inaudible chuckle that escaped through his nose, the slightest hint of a smile creeping through his lips.

“She isn't wrong”, Amber joined in, slamming the table with her hand as she stood up, wobbly from the drink she was holding. “Somehow, Lisa managed to make it in less than an hour using that cauldron of hers, but she refuses to tell her secrets!”

“I have to agree with Amber on this one”, Eula added, holding a napkin to her mouth. “You could lend us a few tips, that jam you made was simply–”

”You know how much time this could save us?”, she gestured, spilling a good part of an unmistakably purple drink as she turned away from Eula, who was trying to quiet her down. “Without her jam that cake wouldn't be as good, believe me.”

“That was a lot of work, you know? If I tell you, you'll keep asking me for it every day”, Lisa informed, her voice carrying a very ironic tone of tragedy. “And I didn't just provide the jam, I had a hand at baking the cake too. You can imagine just how tired I must be now.”

Jean seemingly froze where she stood, and Diluc slowly turned to her, interest showing in his quirked eyebrow.

“You made a cake too?”, he asked, that faint smile still playing across his lips.

“Ahem”, she cleared her throat, shooting the librarian a glance that meant stern talking later that night, but she simply returned a wink and smile, not a care in her mind. “That was supposed to be another surprise. I’m sorry…”

“Oh, don't worry about that, Jean”, the cavalry captain had materialized himself behind the two, carelessly setting an overly full plate of food in front of them, several meat skewers went tumbling to the side. “You know how much this birthday boy here hates surprises.”

To that Diluc simply scoffed and sat down, finding himself sandwiched in the chair between the cavalry captain and the acting grandmaster. There was a strange sense of homeliness to the scenario: the three of them at a table that felt far too wide, shoes dangling over the ground, pleasant conversation filling the backroom, him struggling to pick up anything but quite enjoying being included.

The former captain picked up one of Kaeya's signature fruity skewers and took a piece of poultry between his teeth. It tasted faintly sweet, not a hint of alcohol like his usual cooking called for, instead of the tanginess of sour grape juice. He held a hand over his mouth as he chewed, trying to kill the smile threatening to grow past what he could mask.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

***

Diluc had lost himself somewhere in the conversation around the table, even going as far as to add a sentence or two as he munched through his plate while others drank. Most of his concentration had been devoted to picking through what he wanted to eat off the pile Kaeya had made for him.

His stomach was halfway full by this point, and although he hated the heavy feeling of all that food pushing the walls of his abdomen, he couldn't help but indulge just a little. It would be inevitable, as soon as he was done with his plate and pushed it away, Kaeya would sneak another hash brown or another serving of satisfying salad onto it.

“Don't be like that”, he would say, with a carefree smile that spelled trouble. “We've made all of this food just for you.”

He would be reminded of that constantly, with even a drunk Amber shoving another piece of the sticky honey roast she cooked herself onto his plate, making sure he remembered that as he tasted it.

“So, how is it?”, she asked, watching Adam's apple shift behind his collar.

Sweet, he remarked, so sweet his tongue felt numb for a moment or two, with the added taste of overcooked carrot and the chewy texture of the meat, Diluc couldn't muster more than a couple of bites.

“N-Not bad”, he forced out, wiping his mouth with a napkin and taking the chance to grimace behind it. He didn't have the heart to tell her, at least not now.

Maybe the hunger had clouded his judgment. Only now he was recalling how busy of a day this had been, so much he didn't have the time for a proper meal until now, where he could tell he was going overboard. And with the prospects of everyone bringing a dish, there was enough guilt-tripping on their end to make Diluc eat more than he normally would've.

Eula had brought plenty of her signature moon pies, and while the four he ate all tasted heavenly, one had been filling enough to his already overtaxed belly. The same happened to Jean's mushroom pizzas, although he was able to eat a couple of slices before he could tell going further would be a bad idea.

Kaeya, as expected, had brought the drinks, mainly juices and non-alcoholic cocktails, along with a bottle of wine or two from his personal collection.

Usually, Diluc would turn his nose at any offering of alcohol, and while today was no different, he didn't mind terribly the bottle being passed around the table. The conversation might have become louder at some point, but nothing to sour his mood by much.

Diluc shook his head, a small smile forming on his face as he looked down. Was he really enjoying himself that much? Perhaps Kaeya had been lying when he served him, that warmth spreading through his chest could only be from a drunken haze. It had to.

Kaeya leaned in and asked just that, a look of genuine curiosity on his eye, and behind his eye patch. “Is everything to your liking?”

“It is”, he let it escape, his eyes roving over the selection of guests, something he failed to take note of before now starting to nag at him. “Who else did you invite?”

“Oh, still wary of surprises?”, Kaeya leaned even closer, letting out a barely composed chuckle as he saw Diluc's expression shift to one of caution. “I did invite Rosaria, and Sucrose, if that's of any importance, but both declined my offer promptly”, it wasn’t a surprise to none of the two. “While Albedo and Klee are not in Mondstadt at the moment, I'm sure they would've loved to come through. I hope you're not too heartbroken by it.”

Diluc had heard as much. When Inazuma, a nation locked by a year-long decree, decides to finally open its borders to tourists, and fashion a festival out of it, rumors would surely arise. And when their chief alchemist is summoned as an official artist for the said festival, those same rumors surely travel far. He wondered if arranging a commercial route would be feasible, but that was talk for another table.

“As for the traveler”, Kaeya continued, shrugging with a half-smile of one who knew he had hit the right spot. “They informed me they wouldn't make it, as they were appointed as organizers for the same festival Albedo has been lending his skills to. A shame, wouldn't you say?”

They didn't even bother to consider his offer for dinner, a shame indeed. Diluc didn't say a thing, but to Kaeya, who had been by his side for so many years, it was more than clear how well he had taken the news.

“That reminds me of your gift. Well, our gift actually. I think it's time for it already, isn't it?”, the captain said, pushing himself out of his chair and standing. “I'll go fetch it.”

It didn't take long for Diluc to have a small wooden box in his hands, staring at it quizzically as Kaeya stared back at him, an expectant look on his face. He carefully removed the lid and took its contents out.

“It's… grape juice?”, he raised an eyebrow in suspicion as he stared back, at a sealed glass bottle with a deep purple liquid swirling inside. “Grape juice?”

“Made by me, and the traveler”, Kaeya stated proudly, eyeing Diluc with a resolute sense of accomplishment, but when this didn't earn a reaction out of him, his shoulders dropped. “I thought I couldn't go wrong, I mean honestly, it's the only thing I've ever heard you say you like.”

When he said it like that, it made sense. Diluc held the bottle as if it was a strange body, watching the bubbles shift inside, it's liquid almost translucent against the light. While Diluc grew up very close to the process of winemaking, he would be of no use to tell the quality of a wine by its appearance, much less by its taste. Looking at it like this, he could barely tell if the thing had been fermented or not.

“I would never imagine you would be one to make the drink”, Diluc remarked without taking his eyes off the bottle. “You were always more interested in the later parts of the process.”

“Well”, Kaeya chuckled at the comment, “the traveler did the hardest part, they grew the grapes inside their little teapot realm. Have you ever been there? It is quite an experience”, he quickly got sidetracked as he explained, his hand tracing circles in the air as he talked. “Your birthday is as good an excuse as any to gift you, so go ahead, why don't you give it a taste?”

Diluc was already halfway through popping the bottle open when he suggested it, wasting no time as he poured a cup and inspected the liquid. Its deep purple color left a round stain on the rim of the glass as he swirled it, a faint sour smell wafting up to his nose. At least, it didn't smell of alcohol.

He sipped, letting the lukewarm drink sit on his tongue as he tried to pick apart the taste. It started sweet at first, but quickly a strongly sour flavor plagued his mouth, causing him to suppress a grimace as he simmered in the aftertaste. It tasted, well… like grape juice, quite concentrated in fact, and a little bitter, but that could've been from leftover seeds. Not the best he had ever had, but intentions played a huge role in its significance.

“It's… not bad”, he informed, bringing the cup to his lips again and taking another swig, trying to wash down the tangy aftertaste with brief sweetness. “Thank you for this gift Kaeya. I… appreciate it.”

Kaeya shrugged, crossing his arms and looking away as he felt the corners of his mouth stretch again. A better reaction than he expected, he thought, watching his brother slowly drain the cup, the faintest of pleased looks on his face.

“Not bad, huh? Well, not bad for a first try”, Kaeya tried to laugh, but he could feel the slightest hint of warmth spreading to his cheeks.

He cleared his throat before returning to the plate he hadn't finished, filling his mouth as a way to end the conversation. He was at a loss for words for the first time in his life.