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── .✦
A knock on Jean's office door startles her.
"Come in." She says.
A very guilty looking Klee steps in the office, holding what looks like a burnt book in her hands.
"Hi, Jean..." She begins, not really making eye contact.
"What did you do, Klee?" Jean asks patiently. Klee fidgets with the burnt pages and mumbles.
"Well, I was in the library today," She says. "And Lisa and I were playing, but then Klee's new test bombs went boom and many, many books fell down and—"
"What," Jean slightly raises her voice. "Were you doing with 𝘣𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘴 in the library, Klee?"
Klee hangs her head low. "I'm sorry, Jean..."
And ofcourse, Jean finds herself unable to scold her. "It's... Hand over your bombs. No more bomb making for the next month."
Klee looks up at her with her mouth agape. "No! You can't do that! No!" And she runs off, dropping the burnt book on the floor.
Jean picks it up. It's a record of Monstadt's political evolution, but most of the pages have crumbled.
Jean sighs.
"Klee blew something up again?"
Jean looks up. Kaeya stands in her doorway.
"When does she not? Nothing is safe from that kid," Jean says. "Lisa will scold 𝘮𝘦 for this."
Kaeya laughs. "Well, it's her fault, no? Why would she let Klee into the library in the first place?" He shrugs. "It's on her."
Jean chuckles. "Say that to her face, Kaeya."
"And get my gorgeous face bruised? I think not."
They both laugh.
"By the way, you've been quite busy lately," Kaeya says as he sobers. "You should take a break."
Jean nods. "I may, but I still need to fulfill my duties. I cannot slack around, unlike someone else I know..." She eyes him.
"Excuse me? I've been busy too," Kaeya defends.
"Busy drinking perhaps." Jean finishes.
Kaeya grins stupidly. "Well, I take breaks so I don't overwork myself, you know."
"I see. Very well, then." Jean turns around.
"Hey," Kaeya calls. "No offense, but you look dead on you feet. You could probably use a break, yeah? Let's go out for a drink. It's on me."
Jean turns back to him. "No. I still have work to do, and now that Klee has done her very Klee trick, I have even more work. You can go, though, I will not stop you."
"Hey, come on, Grand Master, just one drink. Only one, please?" Kaeya tries to convince.
Jean considers.
If she does go out, she will have to deal with the papers on her desk in the morning, with a hangover. And if she doesn't, she could get all that work done now.
After a moment, Jean says.
"...I have to give this to Lisa first. Perhaps she can restore it somehow." Jean gestures to the book in her hands.
"Does that mean you'll go?"
"... Yes."
── .✦
About half an hour later, Jean sits down next to Kaeya in Angel's Share, after getting a fresh scolding from the so very terrific librarian.
"Two beers, please." Kaeya calls to Diluc, who looks annoyed by his presence.
He silently gets them two beers, and looks at either of them.
"I cannot believe you got the Acting Grand Master to join you in your lazy, filthy activities." He says to Kaeya and turns to Jean. "You must have better things to do than hangout with this barbarian, no?"
Kaeya laughs. "Oh, come on, she agreed to it herself. She needed a break. Let her enjoy herself a little."
Diluc side eyes him. "I am not saying it is wrong to enjoy something, but it is most certainly not the best idea to do it with someone like you."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
Jean laughs. "Sir, don't be so harsh on him. He is not a bad person. I do like his company, too."
Diluc looks at Kaeya, then her. "I see."
"Ah, you enjoy my company, Grand Master?" Kaeya chimes in again. "You keep saying stuff like that and I might just think you have a crush on me."
Jean chokes on her drink. "Respectfully, Kaeya, I would not have a crush on you."
"Aw, why is that?"
Jean looks at Kaeya, aware of Diluc's piercing gaze on them. "You... are too much for me. We would not be ideal."
"Tragic."
── .✦
Kaeya has a few more drinks, then leaves after paying for his and Jean's drinks, saying he has something to do. So, Jean sits alone on the bar, watching people leave, yet showing no sign to do so herself.
"Do you want more drinks? On the house."
Jean looks up at Diluc. "No, I'm good. Just... tired."
Diluc nods. "You work overtime each day, ofcourse you would be exhausted. Perhaps you should take a leave."
"No, I can't do that. What would the people think if they saw their Acting Grand Master neglect her duties to go on vacation?"
"Why do you care what they think?"
Jean quiets. Looks down. She cares because she cannot afford to lose her reputation. The people of her nation rely on her for their problems. She cannot be selfish. She cannot afford to be selfish.
"Will you care about people's opinion so much," Diluc continues. "That you will neglect the you that hides beneath the title you bear?"
"And what am I supposed to do?" Jean's words slip. She knows she shouldn't be sharing her heart with the person who stands before her, who may use it against her, but she can't stop. "I cannot show everyone who lives under that title. I cannot be weak. The people trust me to be strong and brave. And I am not, but I cannot let them know."
She meets silence at the end of her words. She looks up at Dliuc, meets his crimson eyes, which show no reaction to what she said.
Why would he? He is not someone who would care.
Jean sighs. "I am sorry—"
"I can help you feel... better, if not free."
Jean knows of the invitation beneath his words. She is conflicted, whether to deny him or not. She thinks for a moment before she says.
"And how would that be?"
Diluc sets aside her empty glass. "I'll show you."
── .✦
Diluc closes and locks the door to one of the rooms at the bar. He turns to Jean, who sits on the bed.
The dimmed light of the room vaguely show her shy expression, cheeks flushed. "Are you... sure you— We should be... doing this?" She asks, not meeting his eyes.
"This is not about me, Jean," He replies. "This is for you."
He steps closer and closer till he is inches away from her.
"Tell me, do you want this?" He asks. "You can deny me, and I will not do anything."
Jean meets his eyes, and stays silent for a few moments before she whispers. "I want this."
Only at her answer, Diluc bends his face to hers and lets their lips touch.
It's barely a kiss, a soft touch to see if Jean would push him away.
She doesn't.
So he kisses her harder, puts his hands on either sides of her face and kisses her. His tongue pulls over her lips, and she gives in, letting him taste her.
Their tongues move slick together, as his hands move to her sides and her hips. She grasps his shirt and pulls it open with shaky hands.
They fall onto the bed together, with Jean under him, gasping and sighing into his mouth, still clutching his shirt.
"Jean, relax," He says to her, undoing her shirt, then pants. "You're shaking."
"I'm— I'm sorry, I—"
"Relax." He says again, putting his hands on her sides to grind their hips together.
Jean's gasps turns to moans as his hands cover every inch of her body. She struggles against his grip, as if to get away, but does not stop him.
He kisses her neck, leaving light traces on her skin.
As he leaves a kiss on her collarbone, she suddenly pushes him over. For a second, he thinks she has made her decision against this, but then she sits on top of him, putting a hand against his chest to keep him pinned down.
He is surprised by the action, but does not say anything to stop her.
He watches through heavy-lidded eyes as she takes a few heavy breaths before she kisses him, and they both melt into the kiss.
Her hands shift to his hair as his grip her hips tight. She gasps into his mouth as his hands pull upto her chest. He groans when she pulls his hair and breaks the kiss.
She shifts and goes down his body, taking off his shirt, then pants and she settles between his legs, and—
Well, we all know what happens so...
── .✦
The next day, Jean enters her office, early in the morning, and finds a piece of paper on her desk, next to a few candies. She picks up the paper, written in messy writing.
𝘒𝘭𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺. 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘑𝘦𝘢𝘯!:)
Jean smiles and picks up the candies, putting them in the desk drawers.
She can only hope Klee lives up to that promise.
── .✦