Work Text:
The grand master was heading out of the Knight's of Favonius Headquarters when she first heard the commotion surrounding the Darknight Hero's absence. She couldn't help but listen in as soon as she heard the protector's alias, even if she tried her best not to glance over at the pair talking.
"I heard he thinks Mondstadters are capable enough of taking care of themselves. He doesn't care about the future of Mondstadt. He didn't even come back yesterday to protect us."
The blonde couldn't help but look over, a frown etched into her features. "That's not true," she protested, losing her composure slightly. She knew fully well what her husband was up to. The realization that no one knew Diluc was the Darknight Hero dawned on her, and slight blush rose to her cheeks. She tried to regain a more formal tone, continuing, "I am certain he has his reasons for being absent."
Both of the civilians were surprised to see that she was directly addressing them. Her reply was met with a small scoff from one of the citizens. "Grand Master Jean, with all due respect, you're much too forgiving of him. You recently had a baby and still do so much for Mondstadt. I can't see how he could have much of an excuse."
He does. I would know. Jean bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from saying anything that would reveal anything about Diluc's identity. He retired because of her, because of their daughter- he didn't want to give up being the Darknight Hero. At least, she didn't think he did. He'd given it up in a heartbeat for her to keep working as the grand master. She couldn't understand that.
Nor did she think she would understand how he'd given up being at the tavern so often as well. He only went to check on things after she'd returned from work, and that was only for a little while so he could spend some time with both her and their baby before going to sleep. Even then, he had to get up several times throughout the night when their daughter cried, and he'd insisted on going to calm her down every time so Jean could rest. It was miraculous how he did it all and still seemed to be in a good mood.
Guilt weighed on her shoulders. Had he been giving up too much for her sake? Was she not giving up enough?
That evening, when she'd returned home from work, she heard both the sound of boiling water and her husband humming coming from the kitchen. He was leaned against the wall, their daughter comfortably nestled in his arms as he glanced at the pot to make sure nothing was burning. She could tell he was both smiling for their baby's sake and because he was genuinely happy; it made her grin to see him so in his element.
"Good evening, my love."
The redhead shifted his gaze to look at her, the smile not leaving his face. "Oh, I didn't notice you were going to be home so soon. I would've started dinner a little earlier," Diluc chuckled. She cherished the affection in his voice every time she returned from work. It was almost as though he never left Mondstadt in the small moments where he looked so happy.
"I didn't have anything planned for tonight, so I figured some traditional Mondstadt spaghetti would be all right."
"You're ridiculous sometimes. Of course it is. It sounds perfect." Jean made her way over to his side and rested her head on his shoulder for a minute before she extended her hands to take their baby.
"Has Aster been good today?" She cooed as soon as the newborn was situated in her arms. The best part about coming home was seeing Diluc and their daughter; she felt a greater sense of purpose now that she was a wife and mother. It made the workload much more bearable as well. They were her drive, truthfully.
"She's been a little restless. I think she's happy you're home." Diluc kissed his wife's forehead and then turned back to the stove. "Admittedly, I am too."
"I'm happy to see you both too, Diluc," she laughed, cradling Aster gently against her chest. "Did she cause you much trouble?" Newborns tended to be very fussy, and theirs was no exception.
"No." Diluc stirred the pot. "She cried quite a bit, but I knew how to calm her down."
"I heard your humming," she teased, putting her chin on his shoulder from behind.
"Oh, really?" His voice was teasing in return, but faint blush rose to his cheeks, "What song did you happen to hear me humming, then?"
"The duet we wrote together last year." It held a special place in Jean's heart- not only because they'd written it together, but because she found out she was pregnant with Aster the day they performed it. Between that news and playing together in the tavern together, it was one of the happiest days of her life.
"Perhaps." He appeared to flush further at what she assumed was an accurate guess. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"I didn't know you were so good at humming, my love. Maybe you should try singing. You could sing in the tavern with Barbara."
"Hardly," Diluc snorted as he closed his eyes, shutting off the stove. Jean couldn't help but laugh once more at his reaction. Seeing that Aster was asleep, the dandelion knight headed to their living room and set her down in her carrier- which, shamefully, was just a basket with a bunch of cushioning to keep her comfortable, but that was the best the people of Teyvat could do.
The tavern owner was putting some garnish on the finished meals when he was hugged from behind.
"I missed you both today," Jean mumbled into his shoulder, giving him an affectionate squeeze.
"I missed you too, as I do everyday," Diluc placed his hand to one of hers and turned when she finally broke away to give her a proper embrace. His fingers were holding the back of her head, keeping her close to his chest, his other arm around her waist. Jean buried her face into his shoulder, the conversation from earlier that evening still replaying in her mind.
"Do you miss being out at night?" Jean asked suddenly, in deep thought about the situation. It felt wrong that she was following her dreams of being the grand master while he'd given up everything for her and Aster.
"Hm?" Diluc gazed down at his wife. "Why do you ask?" He pushed some of her hair behind her ear.
"I'll tell you once you answer," Jean promised, knowing fully well that her answer would influence his, and that was the last thing she wanted.
"Sometimes, yes. It was my father's dream for me to be able to protect Mondstadt. I miss having that extra layer of security, but I've never minded being here with Aster instead of being out, if that's what you're implying."
"I see. Thank you, Diluc," she did her best to put a front back on again. It didn't help much with the guilt; she knew how much Crepus meant to Diluc, and recognizing that she was keeping him from following his father's vision for him upset her. For once, she really couldn't tell if his response was the truth or for her sake. He'd always been good at masking his feelings.
If they were told a dozen months ago that they would have a daughter within the next year, both would've laughed. The last thing they expected was to be parents. Jean was way too wrapped up in her work, and Diluc was fairly busy as well as the owner of Dawn Winery and as the Darknight Hero. A baby was the farthest thing from their minds.
Well, it turned out that they didn't really get to figure things out about their plans for children before Jean learned she was pregnant. The idea of Diluc's reaction had made her nervous. She knew he would never leave her over such a thing, but she still feared he would be upset with her and wouldn't know how to handle the situation.
When he reacted, she'd been pleasantly surprised at his immediate maturity.
"Okay," he'd said, and had held her tight against his chest, wiping away the tears that had formed in her eyes from the anxiety of delivering such news. "We're having a baby. You should let Varka know you'll be away near the end of your pregnancy. I'll take care of our baby when they're born, and you'll still have your job. Sound good?"
Even though she'd agreed at time, she couldn't shake the feeling that Diluc hated being cooped up at home. He was the type of person that despised being missing from action, and he certainly didn't get much freedom with Aster on their hands.
"Why do you ask?" The warm hand touching her cheek snapped her back to reality. Shamefully, she put on a smile and brushed her lips against his.
"I was just wondering, that's all."
Much to Jean's dismay, Diluc didn't seem to buy it. Although he didn't bring it up while they ate dinner, there was a thick tension in the air, and even his gentle smile couldn't reassure her that everything was okay.
"What happened at work today, my love?"
The suspense continued to linger in the air after she'd lied about everything being okay. She knew Diluc used to be more stubborn about how she was doing, but he seemed to have grown enough emotionally to realize that it was best to discuss things when she was in a more relaxed environment. What could be more relaxed than when they cuddled before bed?
She was already mentally preparing herself to try and talk to him about her thoughts, so the question didn't catch her off guard. "Do you remember yesterday?" She realized how vague she sounded, so she tried to clarify by adding, "the Abyss incident?"
"I do," he confirmed calmly, holding her in a manner where they were gazing into each other's eyes. "You handled things. You always do. Because of that, no one died- correct?" He frowned, his voice melting into concern about the death of one of the civilians weighing on her mind. He'd always been caring in that aspect; he constantly worried for where her mental health was. Perhaps that was because his was so awful after Crepus's death. He took both of her hands to start to gently massage her knuckles.
"No, no one is dead, thank Barbatos," Jean reassured, breathing out slowly. She tried to meet his eyes, hoping it would reflect the amount of pain she was in- she didn't want to verbally admit that the gossip she'd heard was hurtful. "Today, I overheard two civilians saying that you didn't care about Mondstadt anymore because you never showed up as the Darknight Hero."
"Is that all?" Diluc, confused, appeared ready to ramble about how their thoughts didn't matter, but he allowed his wife to continue.
"I mean, that's the extent of external sources, yes." She thought of the situation once more and peeled her eyes over to the nearest window from where they laid in bed. "I suppose I just wish they wouldn't think badly of your counterpart because of me."
Diluc sighed, "Love, I don't care that they-" He cut himself off when it hit him what she'd said. "'Because of you'?" he echoed, casting a doubtful glance. It prompted her to elaborate further.
She thought briefly of how to word it in a manner that wouldn't upset him too much. "Put it this way, Diluc; I'm out performing my duties as the grand master, and you're stuck at home with our daughter- you didn't even fight me on which one of us would take care of her during the days. If I didn't love my job so much, you would've been out there, and no one would've accused you of no longer caring for Mondstadt."
"I'm under the impression that you still have yet to tell me why that troubles you," he murmured, running his fingers through her hair. "You know I don't care what they think."
"I know," she agreed, because that was how her husband was; he really didn't care what others thought. "But that got me thinking about everything. I know you, and I know you've never been one to sit back and watch, my love. You crave being in on the action. If you continue to take care of Aster for years to come as you do now- that is, without going out at night to protect Mondstadt- then you won't be able to serve as the Darknight Hero for a while. Meanwhile, I'm still functioning as the grand master, and I still get to spend time with our daughter. It isn't fair to expect you to sacrifice so much without giving you anything in return. I don't want to ruin your dreams of following your father's vision as a protector of Teyvat, Diluc." She hoped it didn't sound silly; in her mind, she wasn't offering enough. It wasn't often that she felt such a way, either. Her promotion to the grand master was only thanks to his choice to care for Aster; she owed quite a bit to him.
The redhead listened intently to what was on her mind, then shook his head. "Of course not. You didn't 'ruin' anything. I don't regret having Aster- not at all- and I know you don't either. I know what your career means to you, Jean, and I know you are perfectly capable of protecting the people as head of the Knights. Father's dream may have been for me to fill that role as well, but as far as I'm concerned, our daughter changes our priorities. One of us needs to be there for her, and I've never minded that being me. Maybe you think I'm sacrificing my dreams, and even if that's not how I see it, I don't think I can describe how I would sacrifice everything for you and Aster in a moment. Trivial matters such as going out to oversee things when they're perfectly fine aren't as important to me as you are. You aren't failing to give anything to me in return, either- you do realize how much you do for the entirely of Mondstadt, and me and Aster, by extension, don't you?" After a moment, Diluc realized he had gone off on a tangent, and his cheeks reddened slightly. "But I digress. Don't worry about everyone thinking badly of me; at least you know the truth, correct? Additionally, there's nothing to say I can never be the Darknight Hero again, and I would rather be on the sidelines than watch you be stuck at home, love. That's simply a decision I made when we found out we were going to be parents."
Jean, touched by how well he handled her anxieties, pecked his cheek before laying her head in the crook of his neck. "I know it was a silly concern, but I appreciate that you were here to comfort me. I guess I never truly thought of how little you minded. After all, you always seem to be in a good mood after spending the day with our baby," she giggled, imagining all the times she was blessed to come home to see her two favorite people. "Thank you for what you do for me- I love you, Diluc Ragnvindr. I promise I would do anything for you or our daughter as well."
"It wasn't silly. I know you only have these types of worries on occasion, and I want you to feel free to talk to me about them. I'll always be here. Thank you for what you do for me, both as a wife and as a guardian of Teyvat. I love you dearly," he promised, resting his head on hers. "Besides, how could I ever complain about getting to spend every day with someone who looks like you?"
Jean laughed, at ease from their conversation about her feelings. "Oh, I don't suppose you plan on replacing me now, do you?" She relaxed, thinking of their sleeping daughter and ignoring his protests of ever replacing her.
Maybe it wasn't a huge sacrifice to Diluc in giving up his role as the Darknight Hero for his family- but to Jean, in allowing her to continue her path to becoming the leader of the Knights, an organization he still wasn't fond of, that was one of the most romantic things he'd ever done.