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The ceremony is a small affair. Just the two of them and a priest. Afterall, Jean is too busy with work to plan anything extravagant and Diluc has never been one to share much of his personal life. So Jean simply asks Barbara for a small room in the Cathedral and for a priest who can officiate.
There, bathed in the kaleidoscopic light streaming through the stained glass windows, Diluc says his vows and Jean says hers. Once the priest declares them husband and wife, Jean smiles and takes Diluc’s face in her hands, she leans forward and kisses Diluc with such softness that he knows that no matter what, their love, in the face of it all, will endure.
Later, when they are alone and settling in for the night, Diluc feels the oddest sensation that the both of them have forgotten something.
Jean patters into the room, shaking him from his thoughts
“Diluc,” Jean hugs him from behind, nuzzling softly into Diluc’s body. Diluc finds himself smiling at Jean, so soft and wonderful who who he wants to spend the rest of his life with. “Come to bed?”
“Of course,” Diluc says, turning to press a kiss to Jean’s cheek.
If it was important, Diluc figures, they would have remembered. And thus, whatever they’ve forgotten must not matter at all.
-
Five years pass, the both of them blissfully unaware of a single, key detail.
-
Diluc tends to avoid the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, for obvious reasons, but today is an exception. His staff at the Dawn Winery is fully booked for the week, preparing a festival the winery holds every year, and he doesn’t want to bother any of his other contacts with something so mundane that he could easily do himself.
Thankfully, when he gets there, the guards are on break and so there is nobody to pester him with odd looks as he makes his way to Jean’s office. Inside, he finds Jean at her desk, speaking to Lisa, who is sat in a chair across from her. When he enters, both of them turn to look at him, Jean with a smile and Lisa with a glint in her eyes.
“Diluc,” Jean says, a brightness in her exhausted gaze.
“Hello, Jean,” Diluc smiles, then he nods to Lisa. “Lisa.”
“Well, well, well,” Lisa croons with her usual flirty tone. “If it isn’t Master Diluc. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Just bringing something to Jean,” Diluc says as he walks into the office. He takes notice of the papers on Jean’s desk that she is pouring over, takes notice to the book Lisa is holding in her hands and flipping through. “Are you two still working? It’s noon, you should be on break.”
“Oh, the others are,” Lisa says with a pout. “But you know our Acting Grand Master. Always on the clock.
Diluc sighs as he walks over to Jean. He puts gentle a hand on her shoulder, and Jean looks up to him with tired eyes.
“Unethical to yourself as always,” Diluc says fondly.
“As always,” Jean breathes a soft laugh, reaching up to hold Diluc’s hand. “What brings you here?”
Diluc, from his satchel, procures a lunchbox wrapped in a cloth. “You forgot your lunch.”
“Oh, Diluc,” she says. “You didn’t have to come all the way here—”
“It’s no trouble,” he reassures Jean. “And I knew that if I didn’t come, you just wouldn’t have eaten at all.”
“You’re right about that,” Jean says, amused. Then she squeezes Diluc’s hand. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Diluc says, feeling a warmth in his chest.
“Okay, sorry to interrupt, but—” Lisa says, and Diluc blinks as he jerks his head to look at her. He had forgotten she was here. Her voice is puzzled and delighted at the same time. “—What is going on? Did you two finally have sex, or something? Is that what I’m witnessing here, the morning after?”
Diluc wrinkles his nose in disgust. “No, we did not have sex.”
“Nothing like that, Lisa,” Jean simply laughs. “My husband is just bringing me lunch, that’s all.”
A beat of silence.
Then.
“Your HUSBAND!?”
-
Ah.
So that’s what they had forgotten.
-
After they’ve finished explaining to Lisa that yes, they are married, yes, they have been married ever since a year after Diluc returned to Mondstadt years ago, yes, they are husband and wife, Lisa walks out of the room, dazed, as if her entire world view had just completely rearranged.
Once she is gone, Diluc and Jean are alone in the office.
“Hm,” Diluc breaks the silence.
“Hm,” Jean echoes.
“I realize now,” Diluc says, “That when we got married—”
“Yes,” Jean says, “We may have—”
“Neglected to tell—”
“Anybody.”
“Hm,” Diluc says.
“Hm,” Jean echoes.
Outside, crickets chirp.
“Oh gods,” Jean sighs, putting her face into her hands. “This might be a disaster. I have to tell Amber. She’s my friend.”
“Definitely,” Diluc leans against Jean’s desk, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ll have to inform my staff. Civil status transparency.”
“Yes, yes, absolutely,” she nods, her face still in her hands. Then she groans. “I’ll have to tell my mother.”
“Ah,” Diluc says, vaguely pained. “I’ll have to tell Kaeya.”
“Diluc,” Jean raises her head to look at him. “We basically have to tell everybody, for consistency’s sake.”
“Agreed, but,” Diluc crosses his arms. “We can’t do it like how we told Lisa. That was...messy and unintentionally.”
Jean nods. “We’ll have to make a plan, a certain method and—a test subject, perhaps, to see how effective that method is.
Diluc begins thinking. “Our test subject will have to be somebody we both trust, but also somebody who is on neutral grounds, concerning loyalties to either of us. Do you have any suggestions?”
“I know just the person,” Jean says.
-
Dear Aether,
We have something important to discuss with you as soon as possible. Meet us at the Good Hunter later today.
P.S. Yes, we will feed you.
-Diluc Ragnvindr & Jean Gunnhildr
-
Diluc has been in countless tense meetings, has stared down the most ruthless of opponents, has travelled the world in search of justice and revenge, and yet, as he is seated here at this table—Jean at his side, Aether and Paimon across from them helping themselves to the food that was ordered—Diluc feels the stiffness of anxiety in his frame.
Under the table, Jean reaches over slowly and takes Diluc’s hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze, and Diluc relaxes. No matter what, they’ll do this together.
“Not that Paimon is being ungrateful, or anything,” Paimon says with a soft burp. “But it’s preeeeetty obvious that you two are buttering us up with food before you break the bad news.”
“It’s not anything bad, I promise,” Jean reassures them.
Aether tilts his head. “What is it, then?”
Jean looks to Diluc and Diluc nods, pulling out the papers he prepared from his satchel.
“Jean and I have information to divulge to you, but this information needs to be relayed in an effective manner. Thus, you two are test subjects to our methods. Once we are finished, we would like to hear feedback and suggestions on how we did.” Diluc says seriously, handing over two consent forms to Aether and Paimon respectively. “Those are the detailed terms, but you don’t need sign anywhere, verbal agreement is enough.”
“Uh,” Paimon says.
“Uh,” Aether says.
“Diluc,” Jean says, an amused smile on her face. “I think the consent forms were overkill.”
“It’s only ethical,” Diluc grumbles.
“I’m a biiiiiiit scared now,” Paimon laughs nervously. She turns to Aether. “Aether, what do you think—”
Aether puts the consent form down and nods. “I agree on both our behalfs.”
“Whaaaaa! Just like that!?”
“Excellent,” Jean says. “Diluc and I are married.”
The winds of Mondstadt whistle through the city.
“YOU TWO ARE WHAT!?????” Paimon all but screeches.
“Huh,” Aether is much more subdued, but the shock is still evident in his eyes. “Really?”
“Really,” Jean nods.
“But!” Paimon says, voice high and confused. “But Diluc hates the Knights of Favonius! Unless—unless you changed your mind about that, Diluc?”
“I haven’t,” Diluc leans back in his seat. “I still despise the organization’s inefficiency, but just because we’re married, doesn’t mean we don’t still have our differences.”
“Does this mean that, Jean—” Paimon turns to Jean, nervously darting her gaze to Diluc the entire time. “—Do you know that, uhhhh. That Diluc is, UHHHHH!
“Yes, Paimon,” Jean smirks. “I know that he dabbles in unauthorized vigilantism. Being married doesn’t mean we can’t still disagree with each other.”
“Is this a good bedrock for a marriage, though?” Aether says thoughtfully. “It seems like you two are at odds.”
“Love isn’t supposed to be easy,” Diluc says softly, stroking his thumb over Jean’s knuckles. “Love is work, but it’s work I’ve chosen, work we’ve both chosen, to commit to for the rest of our days because of the worth it brings to our lives. I still hate that Jean is a workaholic to an ineffectual organization—”
Jean laughs, leaning her head against Diluc’s shoulder, “I still hate that you go out with no backup at all and fight the world all on your own.”
“But at the end of the day,” Diluc smiles, feeling the warmth in his heart burn, bright and alive. “Love endures.”
“It does,” Jean says softly, turning to press a soft kiss to Diluc’s lips.
“This—” Paimon says. Diluc blinks and turns back to their guests. Paimon and Aether are both looking at the both of them with a dreamy, wistful look on their faces. “—is so cute, Paimon may just explode.”
“Yes, well,” Diluc coughs, feeling a blush color his face. “That is the truth we wanted to tell you.”
“Thank you for telling us,” Aether says sincerely. “You wanted feedback though right? About your methods.”
Diluc nods. “Yes.”
“Alright, well, lose the consent forms.”
Diluc sighs as Jean bursts into a beautiful giggle next to him. “Fine.”
-
People to tell:
Aether and Paimon
Amber
Dawn Winery Staff
Frederica
Somehow, everybody else in Mondstadt.
-
Diluc and Jean go their separate ways, for the rest of the day, to get back to work and tell other people along the way. Jean goes to break the news to Amber while Diluc gathers his staff at the Dawn Winery. It could have gone worse, Diluc figures, but addressing everybody’s questions was...an ordeal.
(“Why doesn’t she live with you here at the Dawn Winery?”
“Jean has her work and I have mine. We don’t see the need to move in together just yet, but perhaps in the future, we may.” Diluc answered.
“Where is your ring, sir?”
“Right here,” Diluc had pulled out the chain he wears around his neck, tucked under his shirt, and shows them all the glittering gold band that hangs off it.
“Are you two planning on having kids?”
“No,” Diluc had quashed down on the immediate desire to combust right there and then. “That’s enough questions now.”)
Once that’s done, Diluc finds himself at Jean’s humble abode back at Mondstadt. She’s not home yet, when he gets there, so he makes dinner while waiting for her. By the time he’s plating the dishes, Jean comes through the sigh.
“Welcome home, Jean,” Diluc goes to her and presses a kiss to top of her head, relishing in how she leans against his body. He holds her close as he asks, “Work was tiring, I take it?”
“Tiring as usual, yes,” Jean says. “But not as tiring as telling Amber.”
“Ah,” Diluc and Jean sit together on the settee. “How did that go?”
“She doesn’t believe we’re married,” Jean snorts. “I trust she’ll accept it eventually, but it was a bit taxing to answer all of her questions. She seemed very, very fixated on the fact that we don’t use pet names for each other.”
Diluc’s eyebrows scrunch in confusion. “Pet names?”
“Terms of endearment,” Jean explains. “You know like baby, darling, love, that kind of stuff.”
“Why would I call you anything else but who you are?” Diluc muses out loud as Jean leans against his body, as Diluc moves to hold her in his embrace. “Your name is the marker of you, and you are who I’ve chosen, who I will continue to choose everyday.”
“Oh, Diluc,” Jean hides her face in the crook of his neck, and he can feel the warmth of her face. “You really put all the romance novels I read to shame.”
Diluc laughs. “Would you rather I be more like them?”
“No,” she says, nuzzling him. “I will always, always love you for how you are.”
“And I the same,” Diluc says, holding Jean as if she is the most precious thing in the world.
They have dinner together, making idle conversation and enjoying the comfortable silence that wraps itself around them both like a well worn blanket. Once they are finished, they ready themselves for bed, and then finally, finally, rest, together.
Bodies intertwined in warmth, Jean’s head atop Diluc’s chest, heartbeats echoing the other as they lie there and let sleep wash over them.
“Diluc?” Jean says right before Diluc shuts his eyes.
“Yes?”
“I think I’m going to need help, tomorrow. Telling my mother, that is,” Jean says, voice so soft. “I love her, and she loves me, but she and my father, as you know, separated. I fear she won’t approve of us and—I don’t want to be alone.”
“I’ll be there,” Diluc says. He finds Jean’s hand and links their fingers together. “I will always be there, when you need me. For the rest of my days.”
“For the rest of my days,” Jean nods.
They fall into slumber with that promise on both of their lips.
-
Jean values duty. Diluc values justice. In a venn diagram, there are differences, but they intersect in the middle with one word: devotion. That is what their love is built upon.
-
Frederica Gunnhildr, Jean’s mother, is somebody Diluc has only met through Jean’s stories of her. A strict mother, a proud mother, a mother that shows love through lessons and who demands love back with results. A knight, above all things, dedicated to fealty for the city of Mondstadt.
But at the end of the day, a wife was hurt and left behind by the one who promised her love.
Somebody who may be too hurt to understand.
When Diluc and Jean are at the door of her home, Diluc holds his hand out to Jean, and she takes it with a smile. Their linked hands are the first thing Frederica looks at when they enter. Frederica sets down her cup of tea as the two of them sit across from her, and Frederica looks at the both of them with unforgiving eyes.
“Mother—”
“You two are married, aren’t you?” Frederica says perceptively.
“Yes,” Jean says, and Diluc gives her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry for not telling you, neither of us told anybody and—”
“It’s fine, Jean,” Frederica waves a hand. “I don’t mind. I don’t believe in love anymore anyway.”
Jean is silent, bowing her head.
“But,” Frederica says. “I am not going to refuse you both my belated blessing.”
Jean looks up, hope in her eyes.
“Diluc Ragnvindr,” Frederica turns to look at him.
“Yes, ma’am,” Diluc says, keeping her gaze.
“I do not have a bleeding heart,” she says. “I have a heart that has been hardened by duty, and thus duty is the only way I can understand the world. Marriage, the vows you made, those are duties.” Frederica gestures to where Diluc and Jean’s hands are linked. “You made a promise to my daughter, and I want to make sure you will keep it. Do you swear that you will fulfill your love to Jean, that you will always be at her side, that you will commit to the duty you have taken for the rest of your life?”
Without hesitation, without a single doubt, Diluc nods. “Yes.”
“Good,” Frederica, slowly, smiles. “Welcome to the family, Diluc.”
Jean relaxes into a relieved grin. “Mother, thank you, I—”
“I suggest you two have another wedding though.”
“What,” Jean says.
“What,” Diluc says.
“What?” Frederica raises an eyebrow. “It’s a good idea. I can only assume that you two have been running around like headless chickens, telling everybody one by one. Would it not be more convenient to just have a public ceremony so that everybody knows all in one go?”
“That is actually a logical solution,” Diluc says.
“It actually is,” Jean says. “Huh.”
“This time, do invite me, will you?” Frederica says slyly. “A romantic I may not be, but a mother I still am. I do want to walk my daughter down the aisle.”
“What do you say, Diluc?” Jean laughs, turning to Diluc with a bright, beautiful smile on her face. “Marry me? Again?”
“Yes, Jean,” Diluc takes her hand and raises it to his lips, presses a kiss to her knuckles. In his heart, the fire burns and crackles with a warmth made for home “Yes.”
-
The ceremony happens at the Cathedral, under the eyes of the Anemo Archon and Celestia and the citizens of Mondstadt. There, bathed in the kaleidoscopic light streaming through the stained glass windows, Diluc says his vows once more, and Jean says hers.
Diluc would say them over and over and over again, meaning it every time.
When they kiss, it is a renewal of the promise they made all those years ago; the promise that their love, above all things, will endure no matter what.
-
(Somewhere in an apartment in Liyue, Kaeya looks up at the ceiling and blinks.
“Kaeya?” Childe looks at him sleepily, his soft hair a mess. “What’s going through your mind?”
“Nothing,” Kaeya says, “I just...I have the funniest feeling that somebody has neglected to tell me something.”
“Hm, well if they forgot,” Childe says with a yawn. “It must’ve not been that important.”
Outside, crickets chirp.)