Work Text:
Illuga stood outside the grand gates of Montstadt with a complicated expression. He was excited to see his boyfriend, yes. But Lohen had informed him his parents wanted to meet up while he was in the nation of wind and they were actually staying there.
When Lohen greeted him, he did so with a tight hug. Illuga put a gentle hand across his back. His last letter had detailed the passing of his old Captain and although Lohen tried to brush it off Illuga could tell the death really impacted him. He was no stranger to death himself so knew exactly what his boyfriend was going through.
From behind Lohen he could see a knight walk by with a gobsmacked expression. Clearly not used to seeing their Vice- Captain act in such an uncharacteristic way. Or perhaps they were shocked he hadn’t fallen to the ground after a certain someone spiked their drink.
“How was your journey? Did you have to fight much?” Lohen finally pulled back with a wide grin.
“Long but worth it for the chance to see you. As for enemies, there were few. That doesn’t mean I’m not tired.” Illuga sighed.
“My parents have set up a room for us so you’ll be able to drop your bags and have a nice home cooked meal.” Lohen beamed. He had been frighteningly calm this whole time.
This was the part Illuga had dreaded his whole journey. It’s not that he didn’t want to meet Lohen's parents but he was also nervous. As much as he loved his boyfriend, Lohen was an enigma and a madman often. So where on earth did he get it from?
Could his father be the leader of some sort of Monstadt secret organisation or his mother a Fatui spy? That certainly explains the bloodthirsty attitude Lohen had.
He still remembers the first night they met, he was bringing supplies to Flins in an older rowboat, he may or may not have fallen asleep when nearing the Fatui base. Anyways- he opened his eyes to a stranger sitting in the boat, covered in blood that certainly was not his own. What a strange man, perhaps Illuga was even stranger for not feeling any fear at that moment.
However, Illuga couldn’t really speak for himself. His biological parents had died years ago and he can’t really say his own personality was shaped solely by them.After all, he rarely had any memories of them. He liked to think they were kind, selfless people. Why else would he have survived?
Maybe that’s what filled him with more anxiety, the normalcy of a family was somewhat a now foreign concept to him. Don’t get him wrong, pops did everything to make him feel like he was his own. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss what could have been.
“Relax, everything is written all over your face. My parents don’t bite, unless…”
Unless? Unless what?! Were they going to hold him at knifepoint and judge him, swiftly dealing with him if they think he’s not good enough for their son?
“You rarely talk about them, how am I supposed to know?”
“There's not much to say, except they're overbearing.” Lohen rolled his eyes.
Oh yeah they were definitely going to scrutinise him the moment he entered their home. What if he’s unworthy in their eyes.
“Let's set off then, I am starving. Hey Illuga, can you cook one night? I’d love to see my old folks reaction to some actual good food.” His face turned scheming, there's the Lohen he knew.
“Of course, after all, I would hate to make your parents do all the cooking as well as offering me board. I must repay their generosity in some way. Plus, there is no way their cooking is as bad as you’re making it out to be.”
“Hmm. I mean I doubt they really would mind, letting you into their kitchen may reveal some grim secrets about our family. And you’re wrong! They never season the meat in a way I like because the spice is too deadly.”
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
Lohen only giggled in response.
Despite what Illuga believed, Lohen did not live anywhere near the city but rather in a smaller settlement between Mondstat and Dorman port. He was expecting a large mansion in the city but was brought to the opposite.
His house was fairly small with the addition of a shed outside filled with all kinds of long ranged weapons, to an outsider like him it seemed threatening. To brazenly display all of their weapons, was that a form of challenge?
Every loud, fast knock on the door perfectly matched Illuga's own heartbeat. The opening of the door took both seconds and minutes. A head of teal hair peaked around the gap.
Upon realisation the woman opened the door wide with a skeptical look plastered on her face. “Little hare, nice to see you,” she turned, albeit avoiding eye contact, “and you must be Illuga?”
Little hare, such a cute nickname, Illuga would have to tease him about it later. Not now though, he would hate to make fun of him right in front of his mother, she could get the wrong idea and then... Quick. Reply!
“Ah, yes ma’am that’s me. I hope my reputation precedes me.” Was his greeting too arrogant?
“PFT ma’am.” Lohen whispered beside him.
And Lohen. He had some part in this didn’t he? Because why else was she acting like a startled rabbit ready to run at the slightest sound.
“Oh don’t you worry about none of that! Lohen only sang praises about you. Like your strength” she finally met his eyes, but upon staring a little longer she looked confused if anything.
Alright onto the next step then. Illuga reached into his backpack and pulled out a fairly large pouch, he extended it towards Lohen's mother. Bringing gifts to someone's house was customary in Nod-Krai and he believed there were similar practices in Mondstadt.
“I brought some regional specials, I’m happy to pull together some local Nod-Krai recipes throughout the week. The ingredients may not be the freshest but I’m sure they’ll taste good all the same.” Illuga flashed the woman a bright smile and her own face followed suit.
“Oh! Absolutely! Where are my manners? Come in come in.” She grabbed the pouch, “And thank you for the gift, that was very thoughtful.
She led the two into the living room where a tall, lanky man was sitting on one of the couches with his arms crossed. His hair was unlike Lohens but on his face was a familiar mole, sitting right under his eye.
“This here is my husband, Berthold and my name is Getrude. We are long ranged weapon craftspeople.” The man looked up with his red eyes, immediately scrutinising him with his stare, “dear this is Illuga, you know the one Lohen hasn’t stopped talking about since returning from the expedition.”
“Mother. Now you’re just going over the top.” Lohen waved his arms at his mother as a means to get her to stop talking, however his attempts seem futile as she ignored him in favour of grinning at Illuga.
“Hmm he is a lot…smaller than I expected. I was thinking you’d show up with someone twice my own size. Like the Grandmaster.” His father laughed out without shame.
“Eh?” Illuga turned towards Lohen in hopes for some answers about whatever perception his parents had of him but he just plopped himself on the couch and started fiddling with one of the many crossbows scattered around. Hah of course he would be silent at a moment like this.
Although he himself had also created completely different images of what Lohen's parents were like, here he was expecting a house of insane people but ended up with a very average household. He’d never been so happy to be wrong before.
“Well, now that introductions are done, I’ll finish preparing dinner. Lohen, can you set up the table, and no you can not use your dagger as an alternative for a knife.” His mother sternly lectured.
Okay he’ll fix this. If Lohens parents expected this grand amazing person to show up at their door, then he’ll become even better than that guy! “Allow me to help ma'am!"
Like the living room, the kitchen was fairly small. Yet just the right size to get everything done. Illuga had been tasked with chopping and dicing the vegetables, a simple task he had done hundreds of times before.
They settled in a comfortable silence as the sound of boiling and chopping rang out in the kitchen. While bringing the knife down Illuga surveyed the rest of the question, he wanted to scout out all the equipment to plan what he would cook within the week.
“Wow, you’re really good at that! Lohen is a mess when it comes to cutting vegetables, he just stabs them right in the middle.” A figure approached from behind. Miss Gertrude was watching over his shoulder.
Stabs straight into the vegetable? Yep, sounds about right. In all his months knowing Lohen, Illuga has come to learn Lohen is a terrible cook. His idea for dinner was slamming some meat he hunted on a fire and adding an unholy amount of spices to it. Then when he consumes it like some wild animal he laughs when his throat burns and face flushes.
“Ah, I have a lot of experience in the kitchen. That's all. With enough practice I’m sure Lohen could achieve this much.
His mother scoffed at the last part which made him chuckle in turn. “Do you cook with your mother much?”
The question made Illuga momentarily freeze. Right there's no way they would know. He barely even brought up his birth parents to Lohen and although he knew they weren’t around he probably wouldn’t have thought to mention them to his parents. His past is his own business after all.
He could take the easy way out, simply say yes but then he would be lying and the truth would come out sooner or later. Then he could take the awkward route, say they're dead, but then that would probably make his mother depressed for the rest of the night, maybe even guilty.
Deflect. That's the best option.
“Before fighting on the frontlines I worked in the kitchens a lot, most of my skills come from there. I think I improved to such an extent because I wished to make the lightkeepers happy with my food.” He couldn’t stop the smile that soon formed on his face, he had said more than he had intended but a fond memory crossed his mind.
“Wow! You have a really warm heart, I’m glad someone like you is with my son.” She placed a supportive hand on his shoulders. “I’ll take it from here, go to him, you’ve been apart for a long time and I think you’re just the person he needs right now.”
Ah, how could he have forgotten, he’d been so wrapped up in his head over meeting Lohen's parents that he neglected to pay more attention to Lohen. The younger man clearly wasn’t himself and Illuga should have been more attentive, comforted him a tad more. Illuga recalled how much quieter he had been, how he held him a slightly tighter than usual.
Illuga could only nod as he was guided away from the kitchen counter, he headed for the door only to stop in his tracks. There- leaning against the frame with a large bubble of gum inflating from his mouth- was Lohen.
Pop.
He stared into those teal and red, that he was always easily lost in.“How much did you hear?”
“Enough. About your family…”
The lightkeeper stepped forward, wiping the gum from around the knight's face with a gentle hand. When no more pink settled on his cheeks, he pulled off his glove. Not wearing that again.
Lohen hadn’t moved, only leaned into the touch. He didn’t even protest as Illuga dragged him into the hall and pressed him against the wall. Finally he embraced Lohen in a suffocating hug.
“I missed you so much. I’m sorry. I should have visited earlier.”
“Mm missed you too, birdie.” Lohen buried his head into Illuga's shoulder.
They stayed like that for a while, Lohen was silent while Illuga whispered words of comfort to the other. They only parted when his mother stepped outside the kitchen with a dumbfounded look on her face. Only then did Illuga notice the slight dampness on his shoulder.
Dinner was an interesting ordeal, he had somehow ended up next to Lohen's father at the four seater table. Lohen claimed this made it easier to stare at him. Whatever, he was used to these antics by now.
The aroma of the dish his mother prepared was amazing, if he had to guess it was some sort of chicken dish with the addition of local specials. Accompanying the main meal was a side salad that was composed of most of the vegetables he chopped with the addition of an egg.
He took the first bite of the meat and was pleasantly surprised. It was more on the burnt side but not unintentional, it added a crisp to the meat. Lohen was a liar; there was nothing bad about his mothers food at all! Perhaps he's grown too used to Illuga cooking for him.
“Thank you, the food is delightful so far. If you’d let me then I’d like to make dinner tomorrow night. Take it as a token of my appreciation.”
“Son.” All eyes turned to the man sitting next to him, “where on Teyvat did you of all people manage to find a guy like this.” Lohen's father gave him a good old slap on the back, reminding him a lot of Anleifr.
“I think it was around the start of the expedition…”
“No, you know not to talk about that stuff in front of us. Can you believe him Illuga, I mean we almost lost him once and look at how he's acting now!” His mother suddenly changed tone, causing a heated atmosphere.
His father then added, “We tell you not to become an adventurer. You become an adventurer. Then you join the knights? And on top of that not long after you head to Nod-Krai where there's danger lurking in every corner.”
Oh, right. Lohen had said they were overbearing but he kind of sees both sides of the stories. Compared to his home, Montstadt is a much more peaceful region overall. His parents weren’t used to the dangers his son would face and feared his safety.
They continued to lecture Lohen who finally turned to Illuga for help. The look on his face screamed that this was a regular occurrence.
“Miss Gertrude, Mr Berthold, I understand your concerns about Lohen but he isn't a child. Unfortunately you cannot monitor him 24/7. Of course you'll worry but Lohen is far from weak. In fact he managed to clear out so many of the Wild Hunt by himself. With him around, our casualties decreased.” He looked between the parents. “What I mean to say is, Lohen is not the type to admit defeat so easily.”
Things became quiet again, everyone tucked into their meal in favour of talking. Illuga didn’t miss the pupils that never left him the whole time. When everyone's plates were empty, his mother finally decided to speak up.
“I know that, it's just. When Grandmaster Varka told us you had been severely injured by that- what was his name- Rerir? I thought back to when you were taken from me, I was worried I’d lost you again.”
“Mother…”
“Wait.”
Did his mother just say Rerir as in, the Rächer of Solnari, the same one behind the Wild Hunt? Lohen was hurt fighting him and had neglected to tell him that.
“You. Fought Rerir and you charged at him alone?!” Now Illuga was the one to worry over Lohen's wellbeing.
“Technically-”
“Do you have any idea how reckless that was?!-” Illuga started to ramble which was also joined in by his parents after learning how terrifying that sinner was.
Illuga had just managed to set him back about ten years with his parents and their overprotectiveness. And in that moment, all Lohen could think was oh no, now there are 3 of them.