Dawn Winery, Six years ago…
A sixteen-year-old Diluc Ragnvindr ran frantically throughout the premises of the Dawn Winery. Items scattered in chaos everywhere he goes, spooking many of the maids in the process.
Arriving in the common room, he began to search through the shelves and the many chests that were lying around, as if searching for something precious that he had lost.
His father, Crepus, watched on with amusement. His son is normally a composed individual, even when faced with challenges as the youngest cavalry captain that the Knights of Favonius ever had, he'd never seen such a look of distraught in his expressions.
He was just about to ask when the young redhead turned sharply towards him.
"Father! Do we have anything small, pretty, and worth giving?"
Crepus merely stared in confusion, and barely had time to open his mouth when Kaeya came running in, panting from exhaustion.
"Diluc! I know you're desperate and all, but you're leaving a mess throughout the mansion!"
"I'll clean it up after!"
"No, you won't, and Adelinde will have my head for that!"
The two began to continue their bickering, Kaeya standing by door waiting for Diluc to follow suit, while the redhead in question still busied himself with looking through more of the chests. As homely as it felt to have his two sons arguing, he was starting to get a bit of a headache, and decided to intervene.
"Alright boys… settle down. What's going on here?"
Diluc looked at his father with a twinge of red on his cheeks.
"No, it's nothing father-"
"Diluc forgot to get a birthday present for Jean."
"KAEYA, YOU-"
Not wanting to lose his life then and there, Kaeya bolted out of the room while shouting out, "You're still cleaning all this up!" and he had just about disappeared out of sight as Diluc reached the door, face and hair sporting identical shades both in anger and embarrassment.
"I will cave his head in when I get my hands on him."
"Ah, yes." Crepus recalled the date, bits of his memory flashing to the young blonde, "The young Gunnhildr, how has she been fairing under your command?"
Diluc grimaced at the question, "Please father, don't put it that way. Even though I am indeed her superior, she's a good friend first and foremost."
"Haha, I see…" Crepus placed the book that he had been reading on the table, gesturing to the seat across for Diluc to sit on, "Now, a birthday gift, was it?"
"Yes." Diluc replied as he shuffled on to the seat, "I've been drawing blanks for the entire month, I just can't seem to think of what might be worthy of giving to her."
A small look of apprehension flashed through Crepus' feature, "A month now? You must hold her in such a high regard then."
"Well… of course I do." His son replied rather sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck, "She's my oldest friend, means a whole lot to me, and I wouldn't want to gift her anything that lacks significance."
"As you should." Crepus replied with me a smile, ruffling Diluc's hair with pride, "Seems like I've raised you well."
Diluc chuckled while swatting his father's hand away, "Yeah… yeah… so you say." Before settling back into the topic, "So, any suggestions?"
"Well, the basics to consider, what does she like?"
A sigh came out of Diluc, "Kaeya went through this beforehand, mentioning about how girls of her age would like flowers, chocolate, or picnic lunches of some kind."
"Did he now? It sounds like suggestions that are better suited for Valentines."
"Drats, I knew he was trying to set me up for something."
"But allow me to reiterate." Crepus said, "What does Jean herself like? Forget about what other girls may enjoy, what does she enjoy?"
"Well…umm…" faced with a question that he seldom delves into, he racked his brain twice as hard, "She enjoys… taking a walk? No, that's not at all a gift idea. Umm… pizza! We've had pizza together a whole lot of times."
"That's a start." Crepus said, urging him on, "But try to find something much more… personal, something that she loves."
"Loves? Well then…" Diluc gathered his thought once again, before a wistful expression took over his veneer.
"She loves sparring… anything that has to do with improving her bladework never fails to bring a smile to her face." He looked at to the window in the general direction of the city, as if envisioning his dear friend, hard at practice.
"Mondstadt, she loves Mondstadt. The prospect of protecting this land with her Vision excites her to no end." Diluc's smile grew softer, staring at his own Vision, "I can't help but admire her passion when it comes to completing any aspect of an assignment."
Crepus himself slowly became entranced with his son's soulful description of someone who knew had a lot of impact on him, staying silent as Diluc lent back on his chair, eyes still stuck on his Vision while looking fully relaxed for the first time that morning.
He was just about to comment on it when Diluc suddenly sprang to his feet, eyes wide and gleaming.
"Father, that's brilliant! I know what to try and gift to her!"
"That's great- Wait, did you say try?"
"Well, yeah." Diluc said, trying to keep his own hopes up, "I'm not sure if it'll work, but I've got to at least try."
Noticing the sudden enthusiasm fading, Crepus didn't want to extinguish the flame of hope that his son had just mustered.
"Well then, what are you waiting for? You better get right to it."
With a nod and a smile, Diluc went to rush out of the door, only to stop halfway.
"Tell Adelinde that I'll make it up to her for the mess!"
"Don't worry about that, I'm sure she'll understand." Crepus assured as Diluc gave him one last nod before bolting off.
As the sound of the manor door closing reverberates off the walls, Crepus picked the book he had put off and he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Let's hope he doesn't stay as dense as he is."
The day soon passed by, and the evening sun began to colour the sky orange. A tired and internally disgruntled Jean just about walked out of the Favonius headquarters, avoiding the terrified stares of other junior knights that she passed by, knowing she did not look like a person that they'd want to cross at the time.
Of course, when it comes to crossing Jean, no one does it better than the boy who came bounding energetically towards her. She didn't even need to turn in order to identify the obnoxious aura that's radiating from the incoming person.
"Kaeya… I'm really not in the mood right now."
"What? Is the birthday girl mad because her boyfriend forgot about the special occasion?"
Jean delivers a sharp glare, hoping to deter him from saying anything else, yet she ended up simply adding more fuel to the fire with her short-minded reply.
"Diluc is not my boyfriend."
"Oh?" Kaeya remarked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "I never said he was."
Realizing her misstep, she felt the heat rushing up to her face, threatening to turn it as red as the sky. Not wanting to further embarrass herself, she placed a firm grip on her sword and unsheathed her blade ever so slightly, daring Kaeya to keep pestering her.
Which he simply replied with a raise of his hands in surrender.
"That's what I thought…" She said as she sheaths her blade once more and promptly left the grinning Alberich behind as she headed towards city gates.
Whenever she felt troubled, a walk towards Barbatos' Windrise statue felt like a cleansing ritual off all of the inklings that might be tugging at her mind.
Those inklings are now evermore present with Kaeya's teasing pushing the thoughts straight to the frontmost of her mind.
Where had Diluc gone?
Yes, a part of her is upset that he had gone the entire day without even seeking her to say as much as a happy birthday when the rest of the knights had individually cast a smidge of time to do so. But she had never been a stickler for birthdays in the first place, so she didn't really have any expectations coming into any of said days.
But above all, she hasn't seen nor heard a peep from him all day. Even Kaeya had no idea on what the redhead might be doing. Varka himself had heard no reports from his closest underling, while Jean, as his right hand of the cavalry, knew nothing that might be a clue to his activities.
She even stopped by the Ragnvindr household to see if he was there, only to be forced to stealthily avoid a raging Adelinde who seemed to throwing a tantrum over the mess that someone had left behind within the mansion.
Deep in her thoughts, she barely noticed that she had reached the statue, only to realize the oddity present at the base of the great tree.
It was a person, surrounded by a few books.
Coming under the shade to get a better look, Jean was about to ask the person if he or she was alright, only to recognize the familiar face.
Namely one Diluc Ragnvindr, who's fast asleep.
She inched closer to make sure that he was still breathing, finding a sense of relief that she didn't think she needed as she saw his chest steadily contracting.
Worry and anxiety cast aside, all that's all left within her thoughts is confusion.
What has he been doing?
Where had he been?
Why is he surrounded by books?
She couldn't dwell on her thoughts for too long as her senior suddenly stirred with a groan. Jean knelt beside him, waiting for him to clear his bleary eyes and stretch out the groggy sensation of his slumber.
"Evening. I'd imagine your back must be aching right about now."
"Urgh… tell me about it." Diluc replied, barely comprehending the situation, "I honestly don't get how you're able to do this every other week."
Scarlet eyes meet blue orbs, and it stayed that way for a few seconds before Diluc blinked in confusion and realization.
"Wait, did you say evening?"
"Unless the sun sets in the morning, then I'd say that this sounds right about the time."
He snapped towards the horizon, confirming that his hazy mind is indeed not playing tricks on him, and immediately stood up with panic evident in his body language.
"I need to get back to the city!" Grabbing his coat in the process, "I've yet to say happy birthday to…"
His eyes landed back at the girl in front of him, who's now sitting cross-legged on the ground with a deadpan expression on her face.
"You…"
"Very smooth, O' Diluc Sir."
"Oh…" Diluc initially muttered weakly, before leaning back to the tree and running a palm over his face as he slid down the tree and went back to sitting down, a loud groan coming out of his person, "Ooohhh…."
Jean sighed, stifling her own anger after realizing that he probably had not meant to make her worry so much.
"I messed up, didn't I?" Diluc said apologetically.
"I get the feeling that we're talking about different things here…"
"What?" He quickly turned towards her, rubbing his neck in the process, "You're not mad that I practically missed your entire birthday?"
"Urgh… Diluc, I couldn't care less about my birthday, and you know that." She fidgeted with her sword, unsure of how to let her worries out without having her emotion at the helm, with the more words that comes out, the more she averted her gaze from Diluc's crimson orbs, "You were gone the entire day, no one knew where you were, or what you were up to."
Diluc can only initially stare with confusion, before he felt his heart drop at the tone that she had taken when she continued talking.
"I was worried that something might've happened to you…"
"Hey, hey…" Diluc immediately rushed closer, gathering her hands in his, "I'm sorry, Jean. I should've given you a heads up, o-or… or something to let you know that I'd be alright. It's just…"
She finally had a that bit of courage to look him in the eyes, "It's just… what?"
Diluc appeared hesitant for a while, before he managed to mutter out with a tinge of red colouring his cheeks.
"I didn't want to ruin the surprise…"
Jean can only quickly blink in both confusion and astonishment, before realizing the implications that he was presenting.
"A s-surprise?" Jean stuttered out, her face turning red as well, "F-For me?"
The redhead merely deadpanned at her, "No, for your mother whose birthday is obviously today."
She simply smacked his arm, which he expertly parried, seeing as he had been expecting that sort of reaction from her.
"Of course, for you." He replied earnestly, scratching his chin with a look of doubt on his face, "Although… I'm not entirely confident of the success rate and how all of this is going to turn out."
"Success rate?" Jean inquired, her mind flashing over a few familiar tasks, "It's starting to sound more like an alchemical experiment report."
"Well…" Diluc thought for a while, before conceding to the notion, "To be fair, it wouldn't be amiss to call it an experiment of some sorts."
Jean continued to stare at his uncertain expression for a little while, before slowly, but surely, letting a few bursts of giggles out of her mouth. She tried her best to hold the rest of urges within her, before absolutely failing and suddenly bursting out into a fit of laughter, that was laced with all sorts of emotions, ranging from pure relieve, all the way to the bright sensation of feeling ecstatic.
Diluc can only turn a darker shade of red, faking pout before eventually relenting to the melodious laughter that is unfolding in front of him, chuckling as he playfully pushed her shoulder and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Jean can barely come down from the laughter, muttering out in between gasping for breath while wiping a few stray tears from her eyes, "A-And here I am… spending the entire day worrying, whi-while you were conducting experiments?"
"Hey…" DIluc leaned back with relief, happy that he hadn't fully upset her, "Like I said, it was for a surprise."
"Well then…" she said, inhaling a calming intake of breath, before fully paying attention to him, "Surprise me."
Diluc eyes her for a while, before sighing in preparation, standing up, and held out both his hand for her to take.
"Grab my hand."
Noticing that he had both his hands out, she opted to ask him first, "Both?"
"Both."
Placing both her hands in his, he pulled her up and began leading her towards the front of the statue, fully facing her as they stood adjacent to it.
"Now, close your eyes."
She eyed him suspiciously, with Diluc simply giving her a smile, which was enough to have her relent and shut her eyes.
"Now keep your hands up." He said firmly, whilst she felt the weight on her hands lessen, before she felt his hands once again, this time, clasping hers together as she felt a certain shape on the cusp of her palms.
Familiar… she had fleetingly thought.
"Now, I want you to relax, and try imagine the heat of a campfire."
Jean scrunched her eyebrows, perplexed at his instructions, "Just… any kind of campfire?"
"Preferably a small one." Diluc hurriedly add.
She proceeded to try and imagine said scenario, recalling to the multiple nights where the two of them took camp in the vast wilderness of Mondstadt, accompanied by the flickering light of a warm campfire, under the gaze of the stars. She was still in the middle of recollecting when she felt his hand open up her right palm, which she now noticed is starting to feel slightly warmer than usual.
"Alright, all seems to be right for now…" Diluc had almost whispered for a bit, before he continued with his instructions, "Now, try to imagine the feeling of the campfire being in the control of your palm…"
"What?" Jean asked out, sounding even more confused than ever, "What are you trying to induce here?"
"Just… try to do it."
And so, she does, trying to create that image of holding a literal campfire on her palm. As she began to further envision the large campfire, she felt a rush of heat slowly growing in front of her, before Diluc suddenly almost shouts out.
"Wa-Wait! Imagine a smaller campfire!"
"But-,"
"NOW! JEAN!"
Instinctively, she lowered the size of her imaginative campfire, almost putting it down to a matchstick-sized flame, which was then followed by a bout of silence.
"It worked…" Diluc had said, almost breathlessly.
"W-What worked?"
She can almost hear the smile in his tone.
"Open your eyes, Jean."
Slowly, she opened her eyes, not at all expecting the sight that she was to see as her vision cleared the bleary light.
It was a small flame.
Floating harmlessly above her palm.
Her gaze then slowly tracked the flickering of the flames, before landing to the eyes of the person who'd been steadily awaiting her attention.
"Surprise."
Jean can only stare at the calm flame as it danced around her palm, barely registering how she managed to hold the flame, until she took notice of the object that her left hand is holding.
It was Diluc's Vision.
"Wh-wha…Ho-how?" she managed to stammer out, before settling unto the question that she really wanted to ask, "Why?"
"Well… I figured that it was something that you would enjoy experiencing." Diluc replied, closing the distance, "Take it as me, presenting you with something that I consider to be deeply rooted within me."
She can only gaze at him, her heart squeezing at the genuine tone that his voice had carried, feeling heat rushing to her features as he took held her Vision-holding hand unto his.
"I'm never good with presents, nor with birthdays in general, to be frank." He began saying, a hopeful look gracing his eyes, "But I do hope that you find this gift worthy of accepting."
The ambient sound of nature and the glimmers of the passing crystalflies gave her a new sensation, as if her world would just be right if it stayed the way it is. Feeling the warmth in her hands, and the warmth of the person who meant the world to her.
She gave the flame on her hand a quick look, before feeling the surge of heat diminish, and she managed to successfully control the ember down and out of her palm. Diluc watched on with amusement, and can only be described as beaming beacon of smiles.
"As expected from the successor of House Gunnhildr." He laughed out, relief evident in the passing tone, "You can already control it oh-so-well."
She replied with laughter of her own, "Maybe the next time we camp out, I won't have to rely on you to get the flames running every time now."
"Who knows?" Diluc questioned, holding his Vision up from her hands, "There's still plenty for you to learn when it comes to regulating a Pyro Vision, so unfortunately, you'll still be stuck with me."
His statement elicited a small giggle from the blonde, who looked up the Ragnvindr, "Unfortunately so…"
The two didn't even bother acknowledging how close they had ended up to each other, and even so, neither are willing to begin doing so.
Diluc however, can only freeze in place when Jean suddenly threw her arms around him, burying her head on his chest. Embracing him for all that matters within the world.
"Thank you, Diluc. That was the most thoughtful and beautiful gift that I've ever gotten." She embraced him tighter ever so slightly, "I'll cherish it for as long as I live…"
A smile once again clambered up to Diluc's feature, embracing her in kind as he leaned his chin on her head.
"I'm glad to hear that…" he responded softly, turning his head to look her in the eyes, "And Jean?"
"Yes?"
Sapphire orbs once again locking with crimson ones.
"Happy birthday."