one hand for the spear, one for the baby
summary: you and lohen faces the consequences of the heat of the moment. you'd always assumed he'd make a terrifying father. instead, he somehow becomes a good one ā though his definition of "safe childcare" remainsā¦ debatable.
tags: lohen is down bad, fluff, parenting
well.. this actually came from a conversation i had with my oomf on twitter. in her selfship, she and lohen have a kid together, and i'd never really pictured him as a dad before. my immediate thought was basically the exact premise i ended up writing into the fic. i even tweeted about it, so maybe you already saw it, since it just hit 1k likes, lmfao!
The quiet cries of your baby echoed through the house early that morning, making you stir restlessly beneath the blankets. Before you could fully wake, however, Lohen ā who had already been awake for some time ā scooped the little one into his arms.
"Shh, shh. I've got you," he murmured, gently rocking the baby. He glanced over at you, still hopelessly tangled in the blankets. A satisfied smile tugged at his lips when he saw you were still asleep. You needed the rest more than anyone else, so he didn't hesitate.
Using only one hand, Lohen settled the baby against his chest and slipped on the carrier, tightening each strap with the same meticulous care he reserved for maintaining his weapons.
The baby squirmed, and for a brief moment he worried he'd fastened the straps too tightly. But before his eyes, the little one settled comfortably against his chest, soothed by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Lohen let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"There," he whispered. "Let's let mama sleep a little longer, hm?"
Spear slung over one shoulder, he stepped outside. His stride was almost cheerful, a little bounce finding its way into every step. He looked... proud. And he was, of course! But it still felt a little strange, becoming a father so young. His parents, of course, had been absolutely thrilled. They'd convinced themselves that finally ā finally ā fatherhood would make Lohen settle down and live a safer life becauseā
Lohen's head turned toward the sound.
Three hilichurls were hunting a wild boar nearby. His gaze slowly drifted down to the sleeping baby tucked against his chest, then back to the monsters. Normally, he would've charged them without a second thought.
This time, he paused. There were only three.
The baby slept peacefully against his chest, utterly undisturbed. It wasn't the first time he'd used the carrier. By now, he'd learned over and over again that his firstborn was perfectly safe there. Turns out his mother's advice had actually been useful.
His polearm materialized in his hand as familiar adrenaline coursed through his veins.Ā
Wellā¦ the thing was, he'd accidentally gotten the baby used to battlefield noise. It had started when he began bringing the stroller ā or the carrier ā to work. He flatly refused to let you spend every single day stuck at home with the baby.
Naturally, Lohen had turned that into yet another brilliant training exercise for his cadets.
If a knight was loud enough to wake the baby...
ā¦ they earned a special training session with the vice-captain.
Before long, the recruits had learned to fight almost silently. The baby, meanwhile, had learned to sleep through practically anything.
Perhaps because, amid the shouting, clashing steel, and distant gunfire, Lohen was always there, humming under his breath, speaking softly, or rambling to his little one in that embarrassingly gentle voice he reserved for them alone.
Naturally, none of the knights were brave enough to laugh at his ridiculously high-pitched lullabies.
Jean looked ready to have a heart attack every time she spotted a baby on the battlefield. Lisa simply giggled, praising Lohen's impressive multitasking skills ā and complimenting him on ābeing such a good fatherā.
Varka, meanwhile, still hadn't fully processed the fact that Lohen had somehow become a parent. More than once he'd complained that it wasn't fair.
"You think this is easy for me?! Every other day you show up outside my office with your adorable baby! It was bad enough that the mother of your child was the woman I'd been pining after for years and now this?! Ugh! Just let me borrow the little one for a while! I've got paperwork to finish anyway. They can nap peacefully in my office!"Ā
The last hilichurl collapsed before Lohen had even broken a sweat. Looking down, he grinned when he saw the baby hadn't stirred even once.
"Take after your mama," he said proudly.
He removed his gloves, thoroughly cleaned his hands with the wet wipes he kept in his bag, then gently stroked the baby's tiny head. Somewhere nearby there had to be a camp those hilichurls had wandered from.
If he hurried, he'd make it back before you woke up.
And if luck was really on his side...
ā¦ you'd still be asleep long enough for him to feed the baby, too.
Humming quietly to himself, he slipped his gloves back on and continued down the path.
You woke to an empty bed.
For one disoriented second, your hand shot toward the little nest of blankets where the baby should've been. Nothing. Your heart lurched before your mind caught up.
You shook your head, unable to suppress an amused smile. Throwing on one of his jackets, you headed outside in search of the father of your child.
...and found him standing atop a ridge overlooking a nearby hilichurl camp, monster residue drying on his boots, your baby sleeping soundly against his chest as though it were the safest place in all of Teyvat.
Lohen noticed you immediately.
The corners of his lips curled into a pleased smile as he finished wiping his hands clean before walking over.
"They like our morning walks," he said softly, looking down at the baby with unmistakable affection. "Didn't want to wake you."
"Lohen..." You crossed your arms, desperately trying not to smile. "I'd really appreciate it if our child didn't accompany you on your massacres."
"I took our baby for a walk," he replied with a laugh, leaning in until your foreheads were nearly touching. "The massacre was completely unrelated."
He shifted the carrier slightly so you could get a better look. Rosy cheeks, a tiny trail of drool soaking into his shirt, fast asleep, entirely unbothered by whatever had happened.
Lohen looked down at the baby with the same awestruck expression he wore every single time, as though he still couldn't quite believe this tiny little person was real.
"See?" he murmured, gently taking your wrist before pressing an apologetic kiss to the back of your hand. "They love going on adventures with dad."
