jean, you need to take a break

a drunkards advice

diluc got to the tavern just in time, as the customers started to pile in. for a couple hours he was making drinks but during the early morning hours a familiar face entered the tavern. it was his brother

"oh, dearest brother! what a pleasant surprise to see you here, actually fulfilling your shift for once" kaeya remarked teasingly

"you realise i reserve the right to refuse service to you and i can kick you out if i wish" diluc said sternly

"i'm not here to cause trouble, i'm here to help you" kaeya was being serious for once

"i dont need your help" diluc sighed "so leave or order something"

this caused kaeya to chuckle slightly

"don't think i haven't noticed your attempts to swoon the acting grand master" he smirked "if you really want her to love you, i can give you advice"

momentarily, the embarrassed redhead went silent, he didn't exactly wish to deny the claim as he wanted to hear what kaeya had to say

"spit it out" the impatient yet slightly interested bartender demanded

"she's not the best at taking hints so you'll need to be discreet, tell her how you actually feel when the time is right" he explained "oh and remember to smile, she likes that. lisa told me"

"huh? have you and lisa been-"

"irrelevant! anyways, you're aware she likes reading romance novels right? you need to have the courage to make the first move, just like in a romance novel" kaeya interrupted

"really?" he sighed "but that's just.. embarrassing"

"how so? it's a lot more embarrassing how easy it is to spot your feelings for little miss dandelion knight" kaeya chuckled

"if you aren't going to be helpful you can shut up and leave." diluc sternly said

"and once you're married you can decide on a name for your little-" kaeya teased but got cut off

"that's enough, i don't see the likelihood of that happening." he stared at kaeya slightly annoyed "it's time for you to leave now"

"wait! don't i get a free drink for helping my dearest brother out?" cheekily, the cavalry captain asked

"no."

and just like that, diluc pushed him out of the tavern before he got too drunk and decided to shout about his huge crush on jean for the whole of mondstadt to hear

diluc had taken kaeya's advice to mind surprisingly as after his shift he made a quick stop to the library. he was glad he took mental note of the romance novels that jean picked out

his brother was really right for once. even though he was drunk his words of wisdom drilled into his brain

just as diluc was about to take the book out he had realised a familiar figure stares him down smugly from across the room.

lisa had the widest grin on her face as she saw diluc about to cave in to the interests of his love interest. as he approached her she giggled like a young girl. she was about to turn into jean's love coach

"hey cutie? are you looking for something specific like, i don't know, the exact titles your beloved took out earlier" lisa teased

diluc was unamused, he sighed "she's not 'my beloved'." he lied "but yes, i am looking for something similar to what she took out today, perhaps something she's read before?"

lisa's smirk went from ear to ear. she was thrilled to help "hmm.. well i guess i could find something for you and i could give you an extended deadline for when the book must be given back, but on one condition"

"and what would that be?" he sighed, he was irritated

lisa knew what she was doing, she knew how to get on his nerves and it was working "so this will help your relationship with jean improve, if you two don't start dating by the time two weeks have passed, you have to convince her to let me have time off work for..... personal reasons"

"you mean because you want to nap all day long?" he taunted

"anyways, do you accept this condition?"

"i guess." he said, feeling a tad bit irritated

"oh and remember to bring it back on time" she smiled smugly as he began to walk out

diluc left the knights of favonius building and went back to the winery. for the whole day and night he spent reading the books lisa gave him. he was well and truly devoted to impressing the blonde

meanwhile jean was quite worried about diluc as she hadn't seen him all day. she was worried she had offended him but in this time she was learning how to keep a work-life balance. she wanted to make diluc proud

her plan was to work from 9am until 5pm, then she'd have time to herself until 6pm and for the rest of the night she would focus taking care of herself or spending time with a friend or klee

she was hoping to keep up this routine even though she had only went by it for one day. she wanted to do this for dilucs sake, so he didn't have to drag her out of the office due to worrying about her health

once she finished working she decided to visit him the next day and focused on self care. she took a nap that turned out to last until the next morning, she woke up right on time for her daily work schedule to begin and started working