Archive of Our Own

“I know someone I think you should meet.” 

Gorou groans over the rim of his glass. The single glass of whiskey he pre-emptively limited himself to is not going to cut it tonight. 

The displeasure evident in Gorou’s posture is not enough to deter Aether, per usual. “C’mon, Gorou. He’s honestly the sweetest person I’ve ever met in my life. I’m pretty sure he’s a saint reincarnated or something. And,” Aether leans closer to Gorou, their shoulders brushing over the space between barstools, and whispers conspiratorily, “he loves dogs.” 

Gorou’s left ear twitches in time with his eyebrow. Suddenly his tail feels twenty feet long from where it sticks out of the custom tailored hole in his trousers. Ever the enabler, Kokomi giggles into her wine glass on Gorou’s other side. 

“You should take him up, dear.” Kokomi takes a delicate sip of her rosé—a bubbly blend she only orders when she’s feeling especially adventurous. “You work too hard; you should have some fun!” 

“Yeah, Gorou. You work too hard,” Aether playfully repeats. “Just one date. That’s all it’ll take to fall completely and irrevocably in love with him.” 

“I have plenty of fun,” Gorou says. “I have an appointment for fun later tonight, actually.”

 “Dick appointments aren’t the same as true love!” Aether jabs his elbow into Gorou’s ribs with a bit too much force to be considered good-natured. 

“Aether is right. You are a wonderful man and you deserve more emotional fulfillment than that afforded by—what did you call it, Aether?” Kokomi raises a gloved fingertip to her chin in thought. “A good dicking?” 

The burn of whiskey is tenfold of a sip when it’s painfully snorted into your nostrils because did Kokomi just say ‘a good dicking?’ Gorou has got to put a stop to whatever bad influence Aether has over Kokomi sooner rather than later. 

Letting out a full-bodied sigh, Gorou sets down his glass against the bar. “I know you two think I’m suffering in a pit of loneliness while you two are happily in love, but I promise I’m not. My current arrangement works fine—”

“‘Works fine’ isn’t the same thing as ‘makes you happy,’” Aether unhelpfully interrupts. 

Gorou continues, “Besides, I’m focused on work right now.” 

It’s Kokomi’s turn to sigh bodily. “As your supervisor, I reiterate: you work too entirely too hard.”

Taking his lip between his teeth, he rubs the pad of his thumb over the engraving of the bar’s logo on his glass. He knows his two best friends are probably right. The weekends he spends hunched over his keyboard with a fleece blanket wrapped around his shoulders aren’t sustainable, if even profitable. But unpaid overtime is honestly not his intention when he goes home on Friday nights with his work laptop tucked into the padded pocket in his bag. He can’t help it if he bolts out of bed at 3am with inspiration coursing through his mind. 

“You’re thinking ‘I don’t go leagues above and beyond my employment contract on purpose, it just happens,’ aren’t you?” Aether pins him with that look, and who is Gorou to lie to that kind of a stern face?

So he doesn’t try. He bites into the meat of his lip harder instead. 

Aether takes his roundtable turn to sigh. “If that is true—which, knowing how you were in college, I highly doubt—who knows? Thoma might be into tying you up so you physically can’t work on the weekends. He seems like the type. Maybe. If you asked nicely, I’m sure he’d do anything.” 

“Aether,” Gorou bemoans. “You are insufferable when you drink.” 

Aether grins in response. 

“Moreso since you and that geology professor started dating,” Gorou adds. 

Kokomi hums thoughtfully, barely audible over the undercurrent of conversation in the bar. “He has been using more innuendos lately.” 

“As if you can talk.” Gorou scoffs. “The rivalry-slash-romance you have going with that Kujo Sara has made you soft. All my revision notes these days are add romance here and wouldn’t this look lovely if made for two instead of one?”

“Th-that is perfectly reasonable advice for our line of work.” 

“We’re architects, Kokomi.” 

Kokomi huffs and picks up her wine in lieu of a response. 

He’s shocked Aether doesn’t have some witty response. He turns slightly to ask Aether if everything is okay and sees his friend red in the face, pupils blown so wide they might as well be entirely black as he stares down open-mouthed at something on his phone. 

Gorou really, really wishes he hadn’t glanced down. He sees way more of Aether’s boyfriend than he ever wanted to see. He regrets everything that has led to this moment, really.

“Aether,” Gorou hisses. “We’re in public.”

Aether lets out a shuddery breath. Gorou wants to vomit. And get new friends. These ones suck. “I really did not think Albedo would send something so—so riqsué.” Aether pulls a few bills out of his wallet and stands with a conspicuous hand held in front of his jeans. Absolutely shameless. He sets the money down on the bar and says, “I’ve gotta go. See you two tomorrow.” He gives a two-finger salute to them before he walks to the coat rack at the door. 

Gorou releases a relieved breath. At least with Aether gone, he won’t have to worry about tipsy, entirely inappropriate comments being tossed about. The lingering smoke in his drink coats his tongue as he takes another sip. He cautions a glance in Kokomi’s direction and has to fight the urge to groan. 

Hand raised delicately to her mouth, Kokomi’s gaze is glued to her phone. Gorou learned his lesson last time and doesn’t peek at whatever has so completely stolen her attention. 

“I suppose you also have to go?” he asks. 

Absently, Kokomi nods her head. She doesn’t look up when she says, “Sara wants to quote ‘get her fill of cuddles’ before I leave tomorrow morning for our trip.” She giggles, removing her hand from her lips to type a response. Out of his cursedly good periphery Gorou sees an exorbitant amount of purple and pink hearts fill the text box. 

“Are you sure this is the same Sara that stabbed a pencil through a tabletop during that regional meeting last spring?” 

If she had it in her, Gorou is sure Kokomi would be rolling her eyes. “She was provoked then. You wouldn’t understand the pressure of being a woman in a male-dominated field.” Kokomi frowns. “Sara is not as… prickly as she seems, once you get to know her.” 

“I’ll take your word for it,” Gorou says lightly. 

“Anyway.” Kokomi stands, stretching her arms over her head languidly—an action so graceless she would only dare to do after a glass of wine. “I’ll be heading out. See you tomorrow, yes?” 

“Yes. 8 am, like normal.” 

Kokomi bids the bartender farewell before collecting her purse and jacket she’d laid over the back of her barstool. Gorou gives her a gentle wave when she turns back to smile at him from the entrance. 

“I couldn’t help but overhear your very intriguing conversation earlier.” Itto leans over the bar so deeply that Gorou can see straight down his shirt. “I gotta say, I didn’t think Thoma the type to do the tying up, if you know what I mean.” Itto winks, lolling his tongue out of his mouth obscenely. 

Gorou swallows thickly. Itto has gotten more tattoos that scrawl across his pecs since the last time they—well. Nevermind that. “You know this Thoma character?” 

“Tangentially.” Itto straightens, reaching for a rag to dry the tray of glasses another worker brought from the kitchen. “Served him a few times, too.” 

Eyes narrowing, Gorou takes a slow sip of his drink. 

Itto rolls his eyes. “Served him alcohol. On the account of my being a bartender.” 

“Of course.”

“I’d be lying if I said that’s all I wanted to serve him, though.” 

There it is. 

Gorou stands abruptly, reaching into his back pocket. That’s his cue to go. “You’re lucky this place has the best drinks in town.”

Itto chuckles, not offended in the least. “Please, we both know you enjoy our lovely and not at all sexually-charged banter. You wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Well. He’s not wrong, but Gorou refuses to give him the satisfaction. He wordlessly hands over the exact amount of mora to cover his bill plus a 25% tip and turns toward the door. 

“See you next week, Gorou.” 

Gorou waves his hand dismissively as he pushes open the door. He doesn’t get three paces away from the bar before his phone beeps with a notification. Making sure he won’t run into a random passerby, he pulls out his phone and swipes through the few messages from tonight’s—ah, dick appointment, as Aether so eloquently put it. 

Daisuke [20:43]
we still on for tonight?

Hm. Gorou supposes Daisuke has always been especially eager. He types out a quick Yes and presses send without fanfare. 

Thoma, huh?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Gorou balances two drink carriers in his hands. His too-full backpack weighs heavily on his shoulders as he makes the trek from the short-term parking lot up to the park picnic benches. He doesn’t remember there being this many stupid stairs— 

“Do you want help with those?” A voice smooth as velvet grabs his attention. 

He looks up from the wooden staircase and sees a literal angel a few steps ahead of him. A green-eyed, blonde-haired angel. Who has his hands outstretched, fingers nearly brushing against Gorou’s own because he’s so close. 

“Um,” Gorou manages. 

“Here, please, let me.” The man nods toward the drink carrier that is quickly teetering toward the ground. Gorou raises it slightly, giving the man permission. The stranger smiles, and wow Gorou should’ve put on his sunglasses even though the sky is gray with overcast today. That’s a grin that would blind anyone. 

Let alone someone as sorry as Gorou. 

The man stands aside and gestures with his free hand. “Lead the way. I’ll follow you.” 

Gorou shakes his head to gather enough wits about him to remember where he is and where he needs to go. 

Right. Annual friend camping trip. 

He mutters a quiet thank you as he passes the stranger. The man’s smile grows impossibly brighter. 

Thankfully their normal meeting place is just over this hill, because if Gorou has to go more than the two minutes it takes to breach the top of the stairs with this impossibly beautiful stranger trailing only about a foot behind him, he would cry. The last thing he needs is Aether to make fun of him for it the whole ride to the camp grounds. 

When they reach the last step, Gorou stops and turns to the kind stranger with a hand outstretched to take the coffees back. “My friends are just over there,” he points vaguely off to his right, where he already sees his friends gathered. “I can take it from here. Thanks for your—” 

“Gorou!” Aether’s voice calls. He jogs the few meters over to join Gorou and the beautiful stranger. “Thank the gods, you brought coffee. You are a blessing, truly.” He plucks the paper cup nearest him from the carrier Gorou carries, nearly knocking the whole thing off balance. He checks the sleeve for his name before taking a long, loud gulp. 

“I always bring the coffee,” Gorou says, chuckling lightly. 

“And doughnuts, yeah?” 

“And doughnuts. They’re in my bag.” Gorou jerks his head back in indication. 

Aether sends him a thumbs up and takes another sip of his coffee. He must finally notice the other person here, as his eyes light up in recognition. “Oh, good, you already met Thoma.” 

Thoma?

As in might tie you up to keep you busy Thoma?

It’s a good thing his brain-to-mouth filter is functioning this early in the morning. Ignoring the image of this stranger tying him up, he asks aloud, “Thoma?” Gorou turns his body to fully face the stranger who helped him. 

The man’s grin hasn’t budged. “Guilty as charged,” he chirps. “You must be the Gorou I’ve heard so much about, then?” 

Gorou slides his gaze back to Aether. The little devil has a sparkle in his eyes that tells Gorou all he needs to know about the things he must’ve told Thoma. He narrows his eyes and hopes the murderous intent he wishes to convey seeps through the look they share briefly. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gorou,” Thoma says, sincerity obvious in his tone. “I’m excited to join everyone this weekend!” 

“Join… us…” Gorou’s fingers flex around the cardboard drink carrier. 

“Oh, right. I forgot to text you.” Aether chuckles. The devil surely didn’t forget. He likes to see Gorou squirm and he knew this would do the trick. “Lumine had to fill in for one of her colleagues at a conference this weekend, so she couldn’t make it. Since we had extra space and Thoma seemed interested, I invited him.” 

A right demon in man’s skin, Aether is. 

Oh, wait. 

Gorou frowns down at the coffees. “Uh, I wasn’t aware you were coming so I ordered Lumine’s usual.”

“No worries, I’m amenable to anything.” Thoma’s smile doesn’t falter. Gorou’s pretty good at feeling out lies, but he doesn’t pick up anything deceitful about Thoma. 

Hm. 

“Let’s meet up with the others, shall we?” And with that, Thoma makes his way to the maple tree surrounded by picnic benches. 

Aether jostles Gorou. “Amenable to anything,” he whispers, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

Gorou can’t help the light flush he feels spread across his nose. “You’re ridiculous,” he says with all bark, no bite. He pointedly does not stare at Thoma’s, ah, shapely backside as he approaches the others, Aether in tow. 

“Oh my gosh, Thoma!” Yoimiya squeals, far too loud for this early hour. She throws her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug without much mind for the drinks in Thoma’s hands. Kokomi reaches out and grabs the carrier before disaster in the form of spilled caffeine can take shape. “I didn’t know you were coming!” 

Thoma chuckles and rests his hands on Yoimiya’s hips. “It was a last minute decision.”

“It’s been so long.” Yoimiya pulls away from their embrace but keeps her arms around Thoma’s torso. She tilts her head, confusion passing clearly across her features. “Wait, how do you know Aether?” 

“It’s a long story,” Aether answers for Thoma as he and Gorou step under the cover of the maple tree. 

Yoimiya shrugs and removes herself from Thoma entirely. “I guess it doesn’t really matter. Gosh, I’m so excited! We have to catch up.” 

“Well, we have all weekend.” Thoma turns to Kokomi and Sayu, smile still stretched across his lips. “I’m Thoma. You must be…” he nods in Kokomi’s direction, “Kokomi and…” he nods in Sayu’s direction, “Sayu.” 

Kokomi smiles. It’s much smaller than Thoma’s, hardly a centimeter quirk of her mouth, but it’s sweet all the same. “Aether caught you up to speed, I presume.” 

Gorou busies himself while they chat by passing the only iced beverage to Sayu. She blinks sleepily up at him as she takes the cup, immediately taking a sip. He would ask her how she’s been since they last met up for brunch a few months ago, but he knows Sayu is not a functional human before the hour of 11am. At best. 

It’s a lesson he learned very quickly, less than a week after meeting her in that fateful intro psychology course that brought the six of them—Lumine included, that is—together all those years ago. Sayu was something of a lazy genius; physically present, mentally absent for the 8am lecture but the only reason any of them passed regardless. Their late night group-study sessions were the perfect venue for Sayu to display the insane intelligence she possessed that allowed her to get into university at such a young age, four years before her peers. 

“Okay, since everyone’s here, let’s head out,” Kokomi announces with a sense of finality. 

Sayu yawns loudly, languidly stretching her arms above her head. Yoimiya wraps an arm around Thoma’s elbow as they head back toward the parking lot with their bags tossed over their shoulders. Kokomi lightly scolds Aether for bringing too many bags— If you can’t carry them all yourself, don’t bring them! —but helps him carry his things anyway. It paints a warm picture, one that makes Gorou smile to himself as he takes up the tail on the trek back down to the parking lot. 

It’ll be an interesting trip with a new face around, Gorou thinks. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Here.” Gorou holds his unlocked phone out to Thoma expectantly. Because they are sitting next to each other, their thighs squished together. 

(Aether had conveniently folded down the right side of the back seat instead of the middle to make room for their bags before everyone else arrived and then somehow silently convinced Kokomi, Yoimiya, and Sayu to pile into the front and middle seats so Gorou would have to sit right next to Thoma.) 

(That devil.)

Thoma blinks down at the device in front of his face. “Um?”

“We always make a collaborative playlist for the drive to the campgrounds. We all add one song at a time and then pass to the next person until we have enough to fill a few hours.” Gorou tilts the screen toward Thoma so he can see the Spotify app open with a playlist titled Camp Til We Die 2021 pulled up. 

“Oh.” Thoma takes the offered phone. “I can put anything I want?” 

Gorou shrugs, offering a small smile. “Yeah, that’s the idea. Don’t feel bad if you think your music is weird. This playlist can’t be worse than the one from 2016.”

“Ugh, when Lumine was in her death metal phase?” Aether pipes up from the driver’s seat.

“Don’t forget that was the year Yoimiya only listened to dubstep,” Kokomi adds. 

“I’ll never forget. My brain won’t let me.” Aether makes a dramatic fake-gagging noise.

Crossing her arms, Yoimiya huffs. “Tough words coming from the guy who filled our 2019 playlist full of anime openings because you discovered Fruits Basket and got addicted to hot 2D men.”

Aether grins unapologetically. “I know what I like, what can I say?” 

Thoma laughs, loud and clear and bright and it fills the whole car, fills Gorou’s lungs. “I’m afraid to say my music taste isn’t all that interesting compared to yours.” 

“Finally,” Gorou breathes out. He watches as Thoma types in waterparks dream boy. “Someone else with taste.” 

Thoma taps a few buttons to add the song to the playlist. He leans forward to pass the phone forward, frowning when he sees that Sayu is curled into a ball, dead asleep. 

Yoimiya giggles and plucks the phone from his hands. “Sayu adds the entirety of the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack for her picks. I’ll add them for her.” She starts tapping away for a few moments before passing the phone off to Kokomi. 

“Luckily for you all,” Kokomi says in her normally chipper tone, “I recently discovered a new genre called k-pop.” 

The rest of the car groans. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The car ride is blessedly peaceful. Aether and Kokomi half-dance together to the k-pop songs when they come on the van’s stereo. Less than ten minutes after they leave, Yoimiya falls asleep with a hand curled around Sayu’s while they nap together. Gorou sets his phone to airplane mode to avoid the temptation to answer the work emails he didn’t quite have time to answer before he left the office yesterday and clicks open a sudoku app. Beside him, Thoma flips through a paperback that bears a sticker from the local indie bookstore Gorou frequents when he finds the time. He’s tempted to ask Thoma what it is he’s reading—the illustrated cover is nondescript enough that he can’t tell what genre it is—but decides against it when he sees how absorbed Thoma is. So he turns his focus to his puzzle while the steady rhythm of some viral TikTok song plays. 

Confetti floods the screen of his phone a second after he fills in the last empty box with a 7. New record! the announcement flashes across the screen. 

“Wow.” 

That honey-smooth voice makes Gorou snap his head to the side. 

Thoma smiles at him, eyes crinkled at the corners. “That was fast! I don’t think I’ve ever finished a single puzzle before, let alone that fast.” 

Gorou blinks. Once, twice, before he remembers that the human thing to do would be to respond with words. “O-oh. It’s not that impressive, really. It’s just a few numbers,” Gorou manages to say, sheepishly. 

“Consider me impressed, anyway.” Thoma tilts his head slightly, wide grin still spread across his face. Gorou’s heart threatens to beat out of his chest and tumble onto the carpeted floors of Aether’s shitty van. 

“What are you reading?” Gorou blurts. 

If Thoma is bothered by the change in subject, he doesn’t show it. He sticks his thumb over the page he was reading and flips the book over to show Gorou the cover. “It’s a little silly, actually. It’s a sci-fi-slash-sort-of-romance set in modern times. I think there are aliens but I’m not too sure.” 

“How can you not know if there are aliens? That seems like a pretty obvious thing.”

Thoma chuckles. “The mystery around the foreign objects is part of the plot. My theory is that they’re alien technology, but it hasn’t been revealed yet.” 

“Ah, that makes sense. Are you enjoying it so far?” 

‘Are you enjoying it so far?’ Are you for real? What a sad attempt at flirting, you idiot! Gorou screams internally. 

The look Aether sends him via the rearview mirror tells Gorou that he must agree. 

But Thoma doesn’t indicate that he thinks it was a weird way to flirt—or that he notices Gorou is trying to flirt at all, for that matter. He keeps smiling and says, “I am! The writing is witty and funny but isn’t cringey like it could easily be in this style.” 

“That does sound fun.” Gorou offers his best smile considering his brain is currently trying to pummel him into being less awkward around this angel of a man. 

“I can lend it to you when I’m done,” Thoma says easily. 

That implies future contact. 

Heat crawls up the back of Gorou’s neck. 

Thoma doesn’t say anything else. He turns back to the book and continues reading where he left off. 

Aether catches his eye in the rearview again and winks. The bastard. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The van pulls into the campgrounds while the sun is at its highest point in the sky. Aether puts the car into park and unbuckles his seatbelt, turning around to address everyone in the back. “Alright, folks!” He pokes Yoimiya’s cheek with one hand and shakes Sayu’s shoulder with the other. “We’re finally here. Time to unpack.”

Yoimiya and Sayu slowly wake with exaggerated yawns and groans of protest. 

“I brought a lovely picnic lunch.” Kokomi lifts an insulated bag, jostling it for emphasis. “But you two have to get out of the car to eat it.”

Ever the food motivated, this gets the two women to stumble out of the car with only moderate protests grumbled under their breaths. Thoma gestures with his hands for Gorou to make the climb over the seats to get out first, much to his dismay. He knows his tail is wagging—it has been ever since Thoma complimented him—and the last thing he wants is Thoma to see the embarrassing bodily reaction that he can’t stop no matter how much he tries. 

But he can’t exactly say no, not when Thoma offers him a sincere smile while he sits patiently waiting. 

So he steels himself and does his best to not look like a complete bumbling idiot as he makes his way out of the car. Thoma follows a few moments after him and thank all the gods doesn’t say anything about Gorou’s tail.

Aether, however, pointedly looks down at Gorou’s tail with a raised eyebrow. For once in their many years of friendship, Aether chooses not to push it. 

“Aw, these sandwiches are so cute!” Yoimiya squeals. She and Sayu are sitting cross-legged on the ground, Kokomi’s bag between them. “You really went all out, Kokomi.”

Kokomi giggles and delicately rests on her knees next to them. “I found the panda shaped cutter at the cutest little dollar store Sara and I visited the other day, so of course I had to use it. I’m glad you like them.” 

Gorou joins them, taking a spot next to Aether. Thoma, of course, because why would the universe not want to mess with Gorou, plops into the empty space on the other side of Gorou. 

“So you all went to college together?” Thoma asks, grabbing one of the bear-shaped sandwiches from the tupperware container. 

“Yupp. We were assigned groups in an intro psychology course, and Sayu here saved all our asses from failing the class,” Aether says. 

Sayu shifts her weight, tucking her feet under her knees. “Lumine helped, too.”

“She made our presentation look halfway decent, you mean.” Aether rolls his eyes.

“Wow. I think it’s cool you still hang out. That’s kinda unique, right? Most people drift apart after they graduate.” Thoma pops a grape into his mouth. 

“That’s all Gorou’s doing.” Aether playfully elbows Gorou. “He forced us all onto a Discord server before the end of our freshman year.” 

Yoimiya giggles. “And refused to let us forget about it by absolutely flooding all the channels with memes every day.”  

Instead of gracing that comment with an answer, Gorou shoves half his sandwich into his mouth. 

Thoma laughs. It’s such a nice sound, loud and full and a little bit raspy. Gorou simultaneously wants to bottle it up and burst into tears.

“Did you fall out of touch with your college friends, Thoma?” Kokomi asks. 

“Oh, I didn’t go to college actually,” Thoma says airily. “School was never my forte.” 

Gorou snorts. “Neither is Aether’s.”

“Hey!” Aether crosses his arms defensively. “I graduated with a perfectly acceptable 2.75, thank you very much.”

“2.6,” Gorou says. “I was your roommate for four years, I saw all of your grades. You can’t lie to me.”

“Close enough!”

Grinning, Gorou takes the opportunity to tease him. “You’re an architect, Aether. I sincerely hope you can appreciate the finer details.”

Aether opens his mouth to retort, but Kokomi easily interrupts their characteristic banter by turning the attention back to Thoma. “So what do you do for work?”

“I work for the Kamisato administration,” Thoma says. 

Gorou lifts his eyebrows in surprise. “You’re in politics?”

“Oh no, I could never.” Thoma chuckles. “My role is more administrative, you could say.” 

“How secretive,” Sayu says around a mouthful of carrot. 

“I don’t mean to act mysterious, ha. I just happen to fill quite a few shoes, so I can never give an accurate job title.” 

“Make one up!” Yoimiya urges, reaching for another sandwich. 

“I guess it would be something like ‘housekeeper-slash-personal-assistant-slash-sometimes-bodyguard,’” Thoma says, uncertainty lilting the end of the sentence up like a question. 

That’s certainly a wide range of job descriptions. Gorou chews thoughtfully, taking it in. 

“A man of many talents,” Aether says solemnly. Sayu and Yoimiya nod with matching solemnity.

Kokomi hums quietly, lifting a finger to her chin. Gorou can see the mischievous glint in her eyes and knows it’s at his expense before she opens her mouth to speak. “It sounds like work keeps you busy.”

Sighing, Thoma slumps his shoulders. “My boss, Ayaka, thinks it keeps me a little too busy. But I don’t mind, I like helping out whenever I can.”

The mischief overtakes Kokomi’s entire expression. “Gorou also takes on far too many responsibilities. You two have that in common,” she says nonchalantly. Too casually. 

And that’s when he realizes what’s going on here. 

He’s being set up.  

Stuck somewhere between frustration at his friends using their new relationship superiority to mess with his life and gratitude for putting this gorgeous, generous, responsible man in his life, Gorou abruptly stands and announces, “I’m going to build the tents.” Without waiting for a response, he starts to walk back toward the car. 

“I can help—” Thoma starts to say. 

“No worries! I’ll take care of it while you finish your lunch.” He hopes it comes off casual, like he isn’t having an internal crisis about being set up on their camping trip. 

It’s not until he’s dragged both tents over to the clearing they rented for the night that he realizes two things: one, it is nearly impossible to assemble a four-person tent without help; and two, he will be sharing a tent with Thoma. For three nights. Thoma, whom he may or may not have already started pining for. 

He spends exactly two minutes trying to convince himself that he isn’t weak for cute faces and a sucker for gentle giants, and then the tent spokes he’s been wrestling with take up all of his attention as he tries to wrangle them into submission. It shouldn’t be this difficult—he’s done it a thousand times! Even if he normally has Lumine help him, it’s just a tent. So why the hell— 

“You look like you could use some assistance.” 

Gorou nearly jumps out of his skin at the voice behind him, ears laying flat against his head. He turns around and, of course, there is Thoma. 

Thoma’s eyes shift from Gorou’s hair— oh gods he was looking at my ears wasn’t he?— down to his face. That smile, sincere as ever, is spread across his lips. “I saw you struggling and thought I’d offer a hand, if you want it.” 

I want a whole lot more than that.  

The words filter through his mind before he can stop them. If he wants to get through the rest of this weekend with some semblance of sanity intact, he has got to stop them. 

He offers Thoma a sheepish smile, steadfastly ignoring the rapid pitter patter of his heart against his ribcage. “I think I might need both your hands, not just one.”

Even though it’s a terrible joke, Thoma laughs. Gorou’s heart halts to a stop, squeezing almost painfully at the thought that he could evoke such a beautiful sound from such a beautiful creature. “Fair enough. I’m all yours.” 

Fuck, how he wishes that were true. 

“I have to warn you, I’ve never assembled a tent before.” Thoma chuckles as he walks over to stand opposite Gorou, the canvas of one of the tents a jumbled mess at his feet. “Do you have the instruction manual?” 

Gorou quirks a brow. “You read instruction manuals?” 

Thoma mirrors Gorou’s facial expression, placing his hands on his hips. “Well, how else am I supposed to know what to do?” 

“Exactly! Everyone always makes fun of me for reading them.” Gorou scoffs and overturns the case the tent pieces came from. Nothing falls out. “The others decided to torture me and throw the instructions out before I could read them, quote, like the nerd I am.”

With a small huff, Thoma bends over and scoops up a few clamps. “That’s tough. I know I would never throw out your instruction manuals, Gorou.” He starts assembling the tent poles, humming a tune Gorou doesn’t recognize. 

Shit. 

He’s in way too deep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the afternoon goes by without incident. With Thoma’s help, it only takes about ten minutes to get both tents set up and staked into the ground. Sayu and Gorou laze around the fire circle while the others go hiking at a nearby trail. 

(At one point Gorou asked, “Is this an elaborate set up to fix my love life?” 

“Do you really think I would be in on it if it was?” Sayu pointedly looked down at the aromantic and asexual pride pins stuck to the collar of her denim jacket. 

“Point taken.”)

Gorou is almost finished chopping the vegetables for dinner when the four of them return. 

"Are those curry ingredients I spy?" Aether prances over to the makeshift kitchen Gorou has set up on the picnic table at their camp lot. "You're making it extra spicy, right?" For all the excitement in Aether’s eager tone, there might as well be cartoon drool dripping from his mouth. 

"I can," Gorou says, wiping off the diced apples from the knife, "but I figured I'd ask Thoma if he's okay with heat." 

Thoma traipses over to join them, grin wide with teeth. "I can handle heat," he says with a wink. 

A wink.

Keeping it totally cool, Gorou holds his voice steady. "I was hoping you'd say that because I only brought one container of roux and it's quite spicy." He pulls the container out of the icebox that had been stowed in the back of Aether’s van.

"Ooh, is that Gorou’s homemade roux?" Yoimiya all but shouts as she too bounds over to join the group. "It's to die for, Thoma. I guarantee you'll fall in love with him on your first bite." 

Oh, gods. He absolutely has to get new friends. Preferably ones who don't torture him incessantly. 

For quite possibly the millionth time since he first laid eyes on Thoma in the park this morning, Gorou feels telltale heat fill his cheeks with a furious flush. 

"I-it’s not that good, guys. Don't get his hopes up. Haha," Gorou chuckles nervously without a hint of humor. 

“Well,” Thoma starts and, dear archons, his voice has taken on a lovely breathy quality that sends a full body shiver through Gorou. He grabs a small piece of apple and lifts it to his lips but doesn’t eat it. “We’ll just have to see, won’t we?” And then he pops the fruit into his mouth and he fucking winks.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner—which contained far too many exaggerated moans because his friends are terrible and he really really needs to get new ones—Thoma and Yoimiya take the dirty dishes to the campgrounds’ central wash station so they can catch up. 

Which leaves Gorou with his terrible friends. Plus Sayu, the angel who would never go so far as to plot and scheme her way into his very personal love life. She sits near the fire circle with a thick novel cracked open on her lap, a bag of chips open at her side, while Kokomi and Aether sit side by side on a log getting scolded by Gorou. 

“You can’t—you can’t just stick your noses in my business!”

“You want Thoma to stick his nose in your business,” Aether says, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

Kokomi giggles. 

“Jesus, Aether,” Gorou breathes, exasperated. 

“Okay, look.” Aether leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his face taking on a hint of seriousness. “I invited him because I really do think you two would hit it off. Honest. I didn’t mean to subject you to torture. Mostly.”

“We don’t pity you, Gorou, I know you’re thinking it.” Kokomi clears her throat. “We both genuinely want what’s best for you. We want you to be happy, love. You deserve it.” She smiles at him, sincere though small it is. 

“Yeah. For real, man. I know you have your casual flings going on, and if you say the word I’ll let up. We both will. Promise.” Aether raises his right arm, curling his hand into a three-finger, scout-style salute. “Just say the word.”

Kokomi looks at Aether and mimics his motion so she’s also saluting Gorou. “Promise.” 

Gorou tries to keep it together, he really does. He manages to keep his most menacing, I’m-disappointed-in-your-actions face on for all of fifteen seconds before it crumbles. He lifts his hands to his head, threading his fingers through his hair and tugging lightly in frustration. He drops into a squatting position and groans. “I think he’s flirting with me. Is he flirting with me?” 

He feels fingers trace circles on his back. “I think he is.” Kokomi’s voice cradles him like a lullaby. 

“Dude, he’s so obviously into you it’s kinda painful to watch.” The smirk is evident in Aether’s tone. His hand is not as gentle as Kokomi when he slaps Gorou on the back. “Come on, you useless gay, sit on this log like a civilized person.”

Nodding numbly, Gorou lifts himself to squish between Kokomi and Aether. They both continue to rub soothingly at his back. “He’s so pretty,” Gorou whines. “And he’s kind. Not just nice, but genuinely kind. And he thinks my sudoku puzzles are cool, not some lame nerdy thing.”

“They are pretty lame, babe,” Aether says. “Further proof he’s into you. No one flirts about number poison if they aren’t serious.” 

“B-but I’m so busy.” Gorou sighs. “I couldn’t give him the time he deserves.”

Kokomi hums thoughtfully. Clearly she wants to say something about what exactly is keeping Gorou busy, but doesn’t voice it. 

“That’s part of what I think makes him good for you, Gorou. He’s also basically married to his job. But if you two have each other, you’d have a good thing to put your time and energy into that isn’t work so you don’t run yourself into the ground.” Aether squeezes his shoulder comfortingly. “Besides, who better to understand why you refuse to leave your house on Saturday nights than a fellow workaholic?”

Gorou sniffles. 

“Why don’t you give it a chance? There’s no harm in trying.” Kokomi rests a hand on Gorou’s knee. “Start with one date. Then you can have more gay panic.” 

Gorou looks up at her miserably. “Who keeps teaching you these terms?” 

She points wordlessly at Aether, who grins in response. 

Loud crunching draws their attention across the fire pit. Sayu has half a chip pressed to her lips. “What?” she asks innocently. Her book is closed in her lap, no visible bookmark sticking out of it. 

“Have you been watching my meltdown this whole time?” Gorou asks. 

Sayu shrugs. “It was more entertaining than this book.” 

Kokomi cocks her head. “What is it about?” 

“Post-war colonialism and its effects on gender, sexuality, and spirituality breaking down into a binary because that is the only profitable system under an oligarchal mode of authoritarian control.” 

“Oh,” Kokomi says, breathless. “That sounds… nice.”

“Beats the homework I brought along and have no intention of finishing while we’re here.” Sayu pushes the toe of her shoe through the dirt. “I hope you find happiness, Gorou. With Thoma or otherwise. But I do like that guy, so I’d like it if he sticks around.” She lets out a jaw-cracking yawn. “Anyway, it’s getting late. I’m going to head to bed.”

“The sun hasn’t even set yet,” Aether points out. 

Sayu pulls her hood over her ears as she stands. “Doesn’t make a difference to me.” She starts to make her way toward the girls’ tent, stopping when she’s about halfway to turn back and add over her shoulder, “Wake me if there are s’mores.” And then she disappears behind the tent flap. 

“Y’know,” Aether says after a moment of silence, “I love that weird little woman.”

“Same.” Gorou nods. 

“Same,” Kokomi chimes in. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

They don’t do s’mores. Kokomi doesn’t want to wake Sayu, knowing that grad school has been stressing her out and she hasn’t been getting enough rest, so they decide to make them tomorrow night. Instead, the five of them spend time around the campfire. They play card games with the deck that Yoimiya brought, along with music from Aether’s bluetooth speaker as background noise. 

Gorou learns a few things about Thoma very quickly: Thoma is in fact a dirty, dirty card shark (seriously, how is it possible to have that many aces in a row?); he grew up in the Kamisato household (details still unclear how he got there—Gorou thought it best not to ask about a potentially tragic backstory while they’re having fun); he absolutely, without a doubt cannot hold his liquor. 

He warns the group as much when Yoimiya passes him a White Claw, laughing it off with a chuckle. But holy damn, he’s only halfway through one drink and a blazing red flush has already settled high on his cheeks, his words already starting to slur together. 

It doesn’t stop him from obliterating everyone in their second game of rummy. 

Thoma slaps down his last card with a flourish and a giggle. “I win again!” 

Competitive though he is, Gorou can’t find it in himself to care about the 250 points sitting in his hand because Thoma is so fucking stunning.  

His hair falls over his shoulders, freed from its ponytail, framing his rosy cheeks in wisps of blonde that Gorou desperately wants to reach over and tuck behind his ear. His teeth flash tantalizingly between his lips ever-stretched in a wide grin, and shit what Gorou wouldn’t do to feel them against his skin. 

Ugh. No. No, he can’t be thinking like this when they have to share a tent. They have to sleep in very, very close proximity. Absolutely no boners allowed. 

“How the hell did you wipe the floor with us when you’re plastered?” Aether huffs, throwing his cards onto the ground in abandon. 

“Ah, ah, Aether. A man never reveals his secrets.” Thoma giggles, leaning back to rest his weight on his hands. “Wanna go another round?” 

“As fun as that sounds, I’m beat. That sleeping bag is calling my name,” Yoimiya says. 

Kokomi hums an affirmative. “We did get started early this morning and it’s already past midnight. Let’s continue tomorrow, shall we?” 

Thoma sways slightly as he hops onto his feet. “Works for me. Then I’ll see you ladies in the morning.” He bows dramatically in their direction, causing the two of them to giggle. 

Aether rolls his eyes and grabs Thoma by the arm. “Alright casanova, let’s get you tucked in, yeah?” He leads them back to the tent while Kokomi and Gorou gather the cards that have fallen by the wayside. 

“I’m surprised you weren’t more upset about losing so badly,” Yoimiya says lightly as she stomps out the last glowing embers in the fire pit. “You’re usually super competitive.” 

Gorou huffs. “I was… distracted.” 

Yoimiya giggles. “He is a cutie isn’t he?” She wipes her hand across her jeans. “Well, I’m gonna turn in. You’re on breakfast tomorrow, right Gorou?” 

“Always,” Gorou says distantly. 

They aren’t…? Are they…? 

“Are you alright?” Kokomi rests a hand on Gorou’s shoulder, worry written across her face. 

“Y-yeah. Just tired, I guess.” Gorou shakes his head. “I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.” 

He half-hears Kokomi echo a soft goodnight behind him as he walks toward the tent. He vaguely registers the commotion going on behind the closed entrance, but pays it no mind as he lifts the flap and steps into…

Something. 

Aether is struggling to pull Thoma’s arms away from where they’re wrapped around his neck, but he’s smiling and laughing. Thoma is draped over Aether’s back, nearly boneless with the way he’s flopped his body weight onto Aether. 

And Thoma is shirtless. 

At this angle, it’s not like he’d get to see much of Thoma’s body—what he does glimpse of the lithe figure is more than enough sensory overload for the moment, thanks—but his eyes are glued to the maroon and orange ink scrawled up his side, from his exposed hip bone all the way up his ribs, in the shape of a phoenix taking flight. 

It’s gorgeous—he’s gorgeous.

“Gorou please stop ogling him and help me get him off.” Aether grunts, once again trying to remove the much larger man. “You’re stronger than I am, maybe you can move him.”

“Is he—” Gorou clears his throat so his voice can unstick to the sides of his suddenly very dry throat. “Is he asleep? Standing up?” 

“Your crush is a man of many talents.” Aether manages to wrangle Thoma’s arms away from his face, having to brace his whole body against Thoma’s so he doesn’t fall over. “One of those talents is apparently falling asleep at the drop of a hat when drunk.” 

Gorou wants to say something snarky in response to Aether brazenly calling Thoma his crush right in front of said crush, but he instead chooses to ease his best friend’s suffering by lending a hand. He tosses one of Thoma’s arms over his shoulders and takes on some of Thoma’s weight. He and Aether slowly lower Thoma down to the sleeping bag that’s thankfully already been zipped open. They manage to get him most of the way down without dropping him, but the last six inches aren’t as kind to Thoma’s bones. 

Thoma plops onto the sleeping bag with an alarming amount of force but miraculously does not stir. He immediately turns onto his side and curls into the warmth of the sleeping bag, emitting a light snore once he’s settled in. 

Aether sighs and lifts the top of the sleeping bag so it fully covers Thoma. “Idiot,” he says fondly. “I hope sleeping in your jeans is uncomfortable.”

In an unconscious response, Thoma lets out a much louder snore. 

Aether breathes a small laugh. 

Gorou valiantly tries to forget the feeling of Thoma’s heated skin pressed against his side.

“Well that was exciting. Sick tattoo, right?” 

“He’s right there,” Gorou hisses. 

Aether shrugs and shucks off his pants, tossing them on top of his bag in the corner. “He’s a super heavy sleeper.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Gorou says. “A-anyway, can I turn off the lantern?”

“Sure.”

Gorou flicks off the light, standing still for a moment while his eyes adjust to the darkness. Once he feels stable, he strips off his shirt and pants and slips into his sleeping bag—on the opposite side of the tent from Thoma’s, a strategic placement on his part. 

“You should totally go for it.” Aether’s voice is quiet, barely audible over the sound of crickets singing outside, but it rings in Gorou’s ears all the same. 

“Goodnight, Aether.” 

The last thing he hears before he goes to sleep is Aether’s deep sigh, punctuated by a staccato snore from the direction of Thoma’s sleeping bag. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gorou wakes before the sun. He tries to be as quiet as possible as he digs out a fresh set of clothes and slips them on. He curses the zipper on the front flap as he exits the tent with more noise than he intended to.

But whatever. It’s breakfast time. 

Arguably his favourite part of these camping trips is getting to cook for everyone. At home, he only ever cooks for one. Even when he makes extra for lunches throughout the work week, it’s not the same as making food for 6 people. 

His shoulders crack as he raises his arms over his head, standing on his toes to get the maximum stretch possible. He takes a look around at the campgrounds. The sun is just starting to peek over the horizon, lighting up the sky with pastel purples and pinks. He breathes in deeply, inhaling the scent of dew clinging to the grass and the sweet smell of pancakes.

Wait.

Gorou sniffs the air. Definitely pancakes.

Weird. All the campsites closest to them are vacant—it’s not exactly tourist season right now, and Aether always reserves the most out of the way spot so they can be as loud as they want without disturbing others. 

Thoroughly confused, Gorou walks toward the small grill near where Aether’s van is parked. 

In all his blonde-haired, stupidly beautiful glory, there stands Thoma, a red hoodie swallowing his frame, gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips, with a spatula in hand. 

“Oh, you’re up early!” Thoma says, bright smile already settling into his features. “I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be up until sunrise.”

“Um.” Gorou rubs lingering sleep from his eyes. Nope, not a dream. Thoma is definitely standing at the terrible campsite grill wearing the most devilish sweatpants that leave so very little to the imagination. Cool. This is his life now. “I normally make breakfast.” 

“Oh jeez, I didn’t even think to ask if you guys had a system set up. I’m really sorry if I messed it up.” Thoma looks genuinely distraught at the thought of Gorou being offended that his beautiful man is making him pancakes. 

Fat chance. “No, no it’s fine. Have you made coffee?” 

Thoma’s smile is back. Gorou ignores the way his heart stutters at the sight. “Sure did. It took me a minute to figure out how to get the thing to work, but I think it turned out okay.”

Gorou moves to the picnic table and grabs one of the mugs Thoma must have set out earlier. “You’re also an early riser, I take it?” he asks politely as he stirs powdered creamer into the cup.

“Yupp. For better or for worse. I’m lucky if I can sleep until the sun comes up.” Thoma grimaces. “No matter when I fall asleep.” 

Chuckling, Gorou hovers near Thoma, hands itching to do something. “I know the feeling. Do you, uh, need any help?” 

“Nope!” Thoma says brightly, plating a few pancakes. He covers the short stack with aluminum foil to keep them warm. “Just sit back and relax.”

Well, Gorou supposes, that’s the purpose of these yearly camping trips. He settles onto the bench at the table, absentmindedly stirring a spoon through his coffee while he watches Thoma sway gently to the tune he’s quietly humming. 

A few minutes go by like that, Thoma watching over breakfast as it cooks and Gorou taking small sips of his coffee. 

That same itchy feeling from last night crawls up his neck. Unable to control his god damned mouth, he says as casually as he can, “So, you and Yoimiya seem… close.” 

“Mhm, we went to high school together.” Thoma flips a pancake. It sizzles against the heat of the griddle. A passing look of comprehension lights his eyes. “ Ah. You mean close close.” Thoma chuckles, flips another pancake. “No, nothing like that. I’m gay. Besides, I think she has a thing going on with Itto, that bartender.” 

Oh. Well. “Me too,” Gorou says. 

Thoma quirks an eyebrow. “You also have a thing going on with Itto?”

“No!” Gorou shouts, momentarily forgetting the others are still sleeping. Quieter, he adds, “Well, yes, sort of, a while ago, but it was casual and didn’t mean anything—”

Thoma’s light laughter cuts him off. Gorou doesn’t mind being interrupted by it. His smile, too, is infectious. Gorou instinctively responds in kind, with a small (albeit slightly sheepish) smile. 

“I meant, uh… that I’m gay, too. Me too. For that.” 

Gods. Gorou cannot think straight around this man. 

(That is the point he’s trying to make, he supposes.)

More peals of laughter, quiet enough not to disturb their friends. “I know.” 

“Um,” Gorou says. Eloquently. He’s really killing it with the charm today. 

“I-I mean, I figured. You have an mlm pride flag patch on your bag, so…” 

 Right. He does have one of those, prominently displayed on the front pouch of his camping pack. “It was a gift from Kokomi,” he blurts because he is clearly incapable of being a not-awkward human. “From when I came out.” 

“Funny,” Thoma says, grabbing a mixing bowl and carton of eggs. “When I came out, I also had a self-aware lesbian gift me a pride flag.” 

Gorou snorts. 

“I heard someone calling for a self-aware lesbian.” Kokomi’s lilting voice teases as she walks up to the table and takes a seat next to Gorou. “I’m surprised you’re not the one cooking, Gorou.” 

“Thoma beat me to it.” Gorou gestures in the man’s direction with his coffee mug. 

Kokomi’s eyebrows raise and that damned twinkle is back in her eyes, the one that always spells trouble for Gorou. 

Unbeknownst, Thoma grins brightly. “I hope my food can compare to Gorou’s culinary prowess. That curry last night was to die for.” 

Kokomi’s gentle smile quirks up minutely. “I’m sure he’d be more than happy to make it for you again, Thoma.”

Gorou uses every ounce of his will to resist the urge to slam his face into the table. 

Thoma’s eyes slide to meet Gorou’s, back to Kokomi. “I’d like that,” he says. 

The sincerity in his words hurts.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day goes by in an embarrassing blur of his friends doing everything in their power to shove him and Thoma together. 

Literally. 

Any time they sit down to play cards or eat, the traitors rush to take their seats and conveniently leave two adjacent spots empty. On their afternoon hike, they make up some excuse about some special species of plant and disappear off the trail with a Wait for us here, will you? Aether physically pushes the two of them out of the tent after dinner and tells them to go shower, citing that he needs ‘alone time’ (gross) so they end up in the communal shower at the same time, in the stalls right next to each other no less because all the others are out of order. That devil takes the opportunity to shuffle around their things inside the tent so Gorou’s and Thoma’s sleeping bags end up side by side. 

“The feng shui was messed up,” Aether says in a half-assed explanation. 

Thoma, in true angel fashion, takes it all in stride with an easy smile. Either he doesn’t notice all the conspicuous eyebrow waggling and winking going on or Thoma is somehow okay with it. 

Which would mean…

No. Gorou mentally kicks himself as he stares up at the blackness surrounding him. No jumping to conclusions. He needs to go to sleep, even if he swears he can feel Thoma’s body heat seeping through both of their sleeping bags and it’s incredibly distracting. 

If only he could get his stupid heart to stop beating a mile a minute.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sleep must eventually find him, because the next thing he knows he’s being shaken awake by a hand at his ankle. He cracks his eyes open, squinting against the harsh sunlight spilling through the open tent flap. 

Wait. 

Sunlight?

Consciousness comes to him in a wave that hits him like a truck. Shit, he was supposed to make breakfast since he didn’t get to yesterday— 

And then he registers the weight settled over his waist, firmly keeping him in place. He looks down and, yepp, sure enough, there’s a red sleeve draped over his torso. Eyes wide, Gorou trails his eyes up from the fingers splayed against his side to the sleeved elbow, all the way past a shoulder, to...

Ah. 

Yeah, okay. 

Thoma’s golden hair spills over his pillow and onto Gorou’s shoulder. His face is lax in slumber, his mouth parted slightly as he snores softly. Fuck. Gorou can count his eyelashes. His long, dark eyelashes resting against the smooth planes of his cheeks— 

The hand at his ankle jostles his leg again. He glares down at whoever dares to disturb Gorou’s very wonderful morning. 

Aether is grinning up at Gorou, one eyebrow raised in amusement. The upturn of his lips is devilish. Gorou kind of wants to kick it off Aether’s stupid face. 

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Aether stage-whispers. Thoma stirs briefly, shifting against Gorou’s side (because he’s pressed against Gorou oh gods), but doesn’t fully awaken. “I let you sleep as long as possible, but everyone else is packed up and ready to hit the road. I set aside breakfast for you two.” With a parting pat to Gorou’s shin and a wink, Aether crawls out of the tent. 

Leaving Gorou to somehow extricate himself from Thoma’s hold. His limbs feel like jelly and his skin feels like it’s on fire everywhere Thoma is touching him. 

Gods, he’s so fucking gay.  

He takes a deep breath to steady himself, willing feeling back into his limbs. He carefully grasps Thoma’s wrist and lifts it with as little movement as possible, praying to any deity that he won’t wake up. Gorou manages to get Thoma’s arm off of Gorou’s body without waking the man, his little snores still coming out in gentle puffs against Gorou’s neck. 

Now he has to will himself to actually get up even though there’s a gorgeous man who literally clung to him all night lying right next to him. 

Gorou steels himself. They have to leave. He does not want to have an awkward conversation if Thoma wakes up before Gorou fully leaves his embrace ( HIS EMBRACE, which Gorou was in ALL NIGHT) . His friends are waiting on him to break down the tents so they can get home. They’re all adults with jobs and responsibilities and archons, why is Thoma’s face so— so— so damn symmetrical?

Said face starts to twist, Thoma’s nose scrunching up, his eyelids squeeze tightly together.

Gorou is out of time. 

Like the complete coward he is, Gorou bolts from the tent without hesitation. He practically sprints to the picnic table where the rest of the group is chatting over half-full mugs of coffee. Aether grins at him over the rim of his mug. Beside him, Kokomi giggles behind her hand. 

Yoimiya scans Gorou’s body from head to toe, biting her lip to hide her smirk. “You’re gonna catch a cold being out here without shoes, dude.”

Gorou glances down at his bare feet and yeah, okay, running outside like this in the middle of October maybe isn’t the smartest thing he’s ever done. 

Sayu gives him mercy and holds out a cylinder of something wrapped in tin foil. “Please eat before you continue your gay panic.”

Pouting, Gorou takes the offered food and plops down next to Sayu. “You’re the only one who’s nice to me.”

Aether snorts. “Pft, I’m a pleasure. You’re so lucky to have me as a friend.”

Gorou rolls his eyes. Lovingly, of course. 

He’s only a few bites into the breakfast burrito—a Yoimiya specialty—when Thoma’s bright voice startles him. 

“Good morning, everyone.” Thoma comes into view, dressed in skinny jeans and that damned red hoodie Gorou is sure he’s going to be dreaming about for weeks. “Sorry I slept in so late. It looks like everyone is ready to go?” 

“Yupp!” Yoimiya says, pushing another burrito in Thoma’s direction. “No rush though. Eat and then we’ll head back to the city.” 

Thoma smiles at her and takes a seat across from Gorou. “Looks like you slept in too, huh?” 

“Ah. Aha. Yeah,” Gorou says lamely. “Weird that we both slept past sunrise. What a coincidence.” 

Thoma tilts his head in confusion but doesn’t press the matter, instead digging into his own breakfast. 

Aether waggles his eyebrows. Kokomi mirrors him. 

It’s going to be a long car ride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Turns out, it isn’t. 

Aether hits play on the Camp Til We Die 2021 playlist they made on the drive out and rolls down the windows until they get to the highway. Yoimiya passes around energy drinks to anyone who wants them so that they’re all ‘energized enough to sing along.’ Even Sayu stays awake the whole ride, her soft voice joining everyone else’s much louder, terribly off-key harmonization to song after song. Gorou’s sudoku app stays closed the whole time. 

Thoma’s thigh is pressed against his the whole time, too. 

Before he realizes it, they’re taking the exit for Inazuma City Centre and the park they met up at comes into view from the window. 

Ah. All good things must come to an end, he supposes. 

Aether parks in the temporary parking lot. “Alright, losers. Another successful camping trip in the books. Now everyone get out of my car.” 

Kokomi turns around in her seat. “I hope you had a good time on your first trip, Thoma.” 

“First?” Thoma cocks his head. Cute. “That implies there will be more.” 

“Well, duh!” Yoimiya giggles. “You’re officially part of the crew now. You’re coming to next year’s trip even if it means we have to drag you by your toes.” 

Thoma chuckles, unfastening his seatbelt. “I am honoured.” He gives a mock bow. 

Too. Cute. Gods. Gorou is going to implode. 

They all stumble out of Aether’s van with various yawns and grumbles and stretches. Gorou starts to unload everyone’s bags from the trunk, separating them into piles. 

“Oi, Gorou,” Aether calls from there the group loiters in front of the van. “We’re heading to Oni for some drinks. Wanna join?” 

Gorou offers a smile and shakes his head. “It’s an early day at the office tomorrow and I’ve got a bunch of emails I need to catch up on before then.” 

Kokomi sighs visibly. 

“You have fun though. I’ll…” Gorou’s eyes slide to Thoma. He bites his lip, unsure. “I’ll see you guys around,” he says after a moment. 

With that sufficient farewell, he picks up his pack and makes his way down the stairs to the lot he’d parked his car. When he reaches his car, he digs his keys out of his pocket and lets out a heavy breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. 

He unlocks the trunk, tossing his bag in the back haphazardly. He has the driver side door open and is about to slide in when he hears someone calling him. 

“Gorou!” Thoma jogs down the stairs. Gorou closes the door, eyes wide as he watches Thoma make his way toward Gorou. “Good, I wanted to catch you before you left.” He grins, big and bright and beautiful and Gorou wants so badly to kiss him. 

Gorou clears his throat. “Ah, well. Um, here I am. You caught me.” He offers what he hopes is a playful smile. 

Pink spreads across Thoma’s cheeks. “R-right.” He lifts a hand to the back of his neck. “L-listen, I— ah. This is a bit harder than I thought it would be.” 

Shifting his weight, Gorou says, “You can tell me, whatever it is.” 

Thoma’s breath hitches, the flush on his cheeks spreading to the tips of his ears. “Of course. You’re right. I’ll just— I’ll just come out and say it, then.” He lowers his hand to his side, taking a deep, steadying breath. “Gorou, would you like to go on a date? With me?” 

“U-uh,” Gorou stutters out. What?!

“No pressure, of course!” Thoma instantly goes on the defensive. “I won’t be upset if you say no. I just, ah, really enjoyed your company this weekend. I liked getting to know you, and I want to get to know you more. But we can totally stay friends if you’re not interested—” 

“No, I’m definitely interested!” Gorou insists, maybe a little too enthusiastically. Heat rises to his cheeks. “I— that sounded… desperate. Um. But I am. Interested. In getting to know you, too. In a romantic way,” he says haltingly. 

Thoma’s face lights up in a way that Gorou hasn’t gotten to witness yet, a full smile overtaking the lower half of his face, his eyes sparkling in the noon sun. “Great. Great, yeah. I know you have to get home, but could I have your number? We can work out the details for our date.” The way he says the word is magnificent, like it’s a magical, special thing. 

Gorou is so, so fucked. But also floating on cloud nine at the moment. 

Thoma reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He taps a few buttons and then hands it to Gorou. There’s already a contact profile with his name at the top—followed by a brown heart emoji(!!!). He’s quick to type in his phone number, double and triple checking it for accuracy. He refuses to let this opportunity slip by because of something stupid like a typo. 

Gorou hands the phone back to Thoma. Thoma looks down at him with that megawatt smile, and who is Gorou to not respond in kind with his own wide grin? 

“Cool,” Thoma breathes out. “I’ll text you.”

And then Thoma is walking back up the stairs, leaving Gorou to smile like a complete dork at his back. He takes a moment to remember how to breathe before he opens his car door and settles into the driver’s seat. Running his fingers through his hair, he squeals as quietly as he can. 

He’s going on a date with Thoma.  

Thoma asked him on a date.  

Okay. He’s cool. It’s cool. Everything’s totally, completely cool. Nothing to freak out about. 

Gorou reaches for his keys and starts the car. He takes one last look at himself in the rearview mirror, readies himself to make the drive back to his house when his phone buzzes in his pocket. 

He slips it out and sees two new messages. 

[Unknown number]
Hey ❤
It’s Thoma ❤❤

Gorou squeals again, this time with way less restraint. Throwing all that ‘wait three days to text’ bullshit advice out the window, he immediately types back. 

[Sent]
Hi 🔥

He hits send without reading over the message and regrets it instantaneously. 

[Sent]
omg i meant to send one of these 🤎 but they were right next to each other in my recents
Killing this first impression huh

[Thoma ❤ ]

Aw, here I thought you were calling me hot

Oh gods, is he flirting? He’s totally flirting, right? Gorou chews on his lip trying to think of a witty response. His phone buzzes in his hands before he has the chance. 

[Thoma ❤ ]
Are you texting while you’re driving home?
Stop that! Don’t text me again until you’ve safely arrived!

The thought of typing out actually i’m still in the parking lot trying to process that you asked me on a date is so mortifying, Gorou decides to listen to Thoma’s command and drive home without touching his phone again. 

Even if the temptation is strong. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finding a day and time that works for the both of them is significantly harder than he thought it would be. 

Between Thoma’s crazy schedule with the upcoming re-election and the huge multimillion dollar project put into Gorou’s hand the moment he steps into the office Tuesday morning, there are at best one or two hour time blocks where they’re both free. And when Thoma sent a text that reads ‘I want you for longer than that :(’ Gorou has to try very very hard not to bite a whole clean through his lip at the phrasing. But he does agree that limiting themselves to such a small window isn’t ideal. 

So, they spend the next agonizingly long four weeks texting each other constantly. 

Thoma sends him good morning texts, usually accompanied by a dimly-lit selfie of a sleepy grin. Gorou sends him a few of his favourite recipes. Thoma sends back pictures of the Kamisato estate dog, Taroumaru. Gorou sends him a few light memes early on in their text-ship, then slowly ramps up the absurdity to test the waters. Thoma always responds with laughing crying emojis and an apology that he isn’t online enough to have his own cache of memes to share. Gorou tells him he can make up for it with more selfies, a wish Thoma is all too eager to oblige. 

The number of saved images in the gallery folder he entitled Thoma 🥵🔥 is getting a little embarrassing. Just a little. 

He’s currently staring down at the most recent message in their impressively long message history. It’s another selfie with Thoma squatting low, an arm slung around the back of Taroumaru. Thoma is grinning widely, and it looks like the dog is smiling along with him. 

He’s so fucking cute. Gorou can’t help but stare at the picture until his screen goes black. He quickly taps his thumb against the glass to bring the image back and keeps staring unabashedly. 

“Hey boss.” Aether’s voice right behind him scares the living daylights out of Gorou. 

He spins around in his office chair and blinks up at Aether. 

Aether leans an arm against the side of Gorou’s cubicle wall. “It’s already 12:15 and you haven’t gone on break yet.” He glances down at the phone cradled in Gorou’s hands. “If the thumping of your tail against the wall is any indication, you’ve been staring at a picture of Thoma for the last fifteen minutes.” 

Gorou narrows his eyes in warning. 

“Tell me I’m wrong.” The resulting silence is the only confirmation Aether needs. “Well, at least let me see the picture.” Aether holds his hand out expectantly. 

“What if it’s a nude? What then, Aether?” 

“Pft.” Aether chuckles. “I know that the two of you have been keeping it disappointingly PG. I talk to Thoma too, y’know.” 

Gorou sighs and drops the phone into Aether’s open hand. “Sometimes it’s borderline PG-13.” 

Aether looks at the message and laughs, unbridled. “You so wanna be that dog, don’t you?” 

“Shut up,” Gorou growls out, reaching to grab the phone from Aether’s hand. 

Like the child he is, Aether stretches his arm back, keeping the phone out of Gorou’s reach. 

“C’mon, Aether. We’re not in grade school.” Gorou tries to take the phone again, to no avail. 

“Might as well be for how hard you’ve been pining for him.” Aether smirks, standing on his toes and raising the phone even higher. “Oh, wait.” He settles back on his heels, looking up at the phone while he still holds it high above his (and Gorou’s) heads. “I think he’s texting you.” 

“Okay! Then give it back!” Gorou makes a jump for it, but Aether sees it coming and twists out of the way. 

“He says he’s free Saturday night and has Sunday off. Ooh, sounds like he wants to spend all night with you~”

“C’mon!” Gorou struggles, jumping and reaching to grab the phone while Aether just laughs like the bastard he is.

The sound of someone clearing their throat stops them mid-tussle. 

Kokomi stands just outside Gorou’s cubicle with her arms crossed and a disapproving look on her face. “I’ll have to ask the two of you to stop rough-housing while you’re on the clock, please.” 

Aether laughs easily. “It’s between 12 and 1 so technically we’re both on break right now.” 

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kokomi sighs heavily. “Fine. No rough-housing in the office, then. Take it outside at least.” 

“They’re finally about to schedule their date,” Aether deflects, still keeping Gorou away from his phone with a hand to his chest. 

“Oh?” Kokomi steps into Gorou’s office, her I’m-a-boss-lady face wiped clean. “When?” 

“I would love to know. If only Aether would give me my phone back.” Gorou huffs. “You two are way too invested in my love life.” 

“We only want the best for you, dear.” Kokomi plucks Gorou’s phone from Aether’s grasp. She quickly scans over the messages that have now been seen by everyone under the sun except Gorou. “Saturday night? Or Sunday morning?” 

“Or both,” Aether says, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Or both,” Kokomi agrees with a much more serious face. 

“You two suck.” Gorou resigns himself to leaning back against his desk while Kokomi continues scrolling through his and Thoma’s message history. 

“You love us.” Aether makes a heart shape with his index finger and thumb. 

“Yeah, you love us,” Kokomi says, mimicking the motion without lifting her eyes from the texts. “Wow, you two text a lot. Isn’t this timestamp during the meeting we had yesterday?” 

“Ah—” Gorou takes the chance to swipe the phone from Kokomi before she or Aether can react. “I would never be distracted during our very important office-wide meetings. Wow, would you look at the time? Lunch is already halfway over. Gotta go.” Without so much as locking his computer, he bolts to the break room.  

Once he’s safely settled into a chair with his cold soba noodles in front of him, he unlocks his phone and reads the messages from Thoma. 

[Thoma ❤ ]
I just got word that I have a half day on Saturday and I’m off on Sunday
FINALLY some time off!!
Please tell me you’re available?
At this point I’ll take even an hour with you

Gorou is a professional. Gorou is an adult. Gorou has had… romantic entanglements in the past. He will not spontaneously erupt into a pile of goo at the words I’ll take even an hour with you.  

He takes a deep breath, clicking open his calendar app. He scrolls through the disturbing number of meetings he has for the next three days and then… nothing. Nothing on Saturday or Sunday. Not even one of his reminder notes to send x email/get x amount of work done on the project/make x phone calls. 

Nothing. 

He switches back to the messaging app and types faster than his two thumbs have ever before. 

[Sent]
!!!!!!!!
I’m miraculously free all weekend
I’m all yours ❤

[Thoma ❤ ]
!!!!!!! x2
Omg okay yes this is great
Dinner at my place Saturday? ❤

Gorou feels heat creep under his collar. How forward. Gorou’s definitely not complaining. 

[Thoma ❤ ]
Wait hang on
That sounds kinda… sleazy
I mean an actual dinner date.
It’s always so loud and crowded at restaurants, you know?
Besides, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good cook ❤

Hey Google, how do you casually phrase ‘please be as sleazy as you want seeing as I really want to lick your tattoo’?

[Sent]
Sounds great!!! ❤
Should I bring something? Wine, etc?

[Thoma ❤ ]
!!!!!!
Sorry I’m very excited
No wine. Alcohol and I aren’t exactly friends, haha. How about dessert?

[Sent]
Never apologize to me again for being excited
My tail is literally wagging right now
Dessert it is ❤

[Thoma ❤ ]
That’s adorable omg
Okay okay
6 pm, Saturday, my place ❤
I’ll send you the address

[Sent]
❤❤❤

Gorou clutches his phone to his chest, glad that there’s no one else in the break room to witness his complete dumbassery. 

Four more days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Gorou.” 

“What,” Gorou growls. Literally growls. 

“You have to calm down.” Aether leans forward so his elbows are resting on his knees. 

“For real,” Lumine says from beside her brother. “It seems like a pretty low-key date.”

“And he’s already super into you. You don’t have to impress him.” Aether cups his chin in his hand. 

Currently, 75% of Gorou’s wardrobe is tossed haphazardly on his bed in two piles. The twins are sitting up against his headboard, yay-ing and nay-ing each item he pulls out of his closet. 

“I know I don’t have to impress him.” Gorou pouts, casting aside a particularly deep-cut v-neck in lavender. “Maybe I want to impress him.” 

Lumine and Aether share a look, one of the ones that means they’re having some freaky twin telepathic conversation. 

Aether sighs and stands, striding over to Gorou’s closet with purpose. He shoves aside hanger after hanger, on the hunt for something specific. Soon, he emerges with three pieces Gorou hadn’t thought about. “Here, your stretchy skinny jeans that make your ass look incredible but won’t cut off circulation after you eat.” He presses the hanger into Gorou’s chest. “Your softest maroon t-shirt. Red is his favourite colour, you’re welcome.” He shoves the clothing into Gorou’s arms. “And your acid wash denim jacket because it makes you look cool.” He pushes the last item into Gorou’s hold and stomps back over to the bed. “Now change and for the love of all that is holy, take a deep breath.” 

Lumine sends Gorou an encouraging thumbs up as he walks past her to the bathroom so he can change. He puts the clothes on—a vast improvement from the pajamas he’s been wallowing in all day—and looks in the mirror.

Okay. Alright. Aether knows what he’s doing. 

He checks himself out in the mirror and does in fact take a deep breath. He looks fine. Better than fine. 

Hell yeah.

Gorou walks out of the bathroom, gives a little twirl once he’s in sight of the twins again. 

Lumine wolf-whistles. “If you weren’t one of my best friends, I’d totally fuck you.”

“Same,” Aether says. 

“Thanks, I think.” Gorou flicks a stray piece of fringe from his forehead. “I’m not trying to get him to fuck me, though.”

Aether narrows his eyes. 

“Okay, I’m not just trying to get him to fuck me.” Gorou bites his lip. “Guys, I-I really like him.”

Eyebrows raised, Lumine says, “Wow.”

Aether wipes a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye. “Look at our son. All grown up, ready for love.” 

“Ugh, you two are the worst.” 

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Lumine glances at the clock on her phone. “It’s about time for you to leave. You have everything else ready?” 

“Yupp.” Gorou inhales shakily. “I think I’m ready.”

“You’re gonna kill it, Gorou.”

Aether rests a hand on Gorou’s shoulder comfortingly. “Remember: he’s already into you. Most of the work is already done. Just be yourself.” 

Rolling his eyes, Gorou slides on his shoes and picks up the container of almond tofu—recipe courtesy of Lumine. “Thanks, dad,” he says sarcastically. “Lock up when you leave.” 

They each give him a two finger salute before he walks out the door. He unlocks his car, settling into the driver’s seat. With one last mental pep talk in the rearview mirror, he drives the ten minutes to Thoma’s apartment. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The numbers 307 stare menacingly at him. The whole door is intimidating, honestly. He flexes his fingers around the tupperware container in his hands. 

It’s just a date. One date. With a guy who already likes him. 

Super easy. 

Now if only he could actually knock on the damn door. 

He shifts his weight from foot to foot unsteadily. He takes his phone out of his pocket to check the time. 

6:00 exactly. 

Which means he’s already spent the four minutes he allotted for an inevitable freak out. Alright. It’s now or never. 

Holding his breath, Gorou raises a clenched fist and knocks on the door. A few seconds go by, and then it opens. 

Thoma, of course, looks positively stunning. His hair is down, coiling in loose waves around his shoulders. He’s wearing a simple black t-shirt that clings to his body in all the right ways and jeans that are just tight enough to stretch over his thighs. It’s enough to punch the air out of Gorou’s lungs. 

He smiles down at Gorou, sending Gorou’s heart into overdrive. “I was wondering when you’d finally knock. Please, come in.” He steps out of the doorway with a sweep of his arm to invite Gorou in. 

“A-ah, so you… knew I was just standing there.” Smooth. Super smooth. Killing it.  

Thoma’s smile doesn’t fade. “I heard you walk up, yeah. I figured you needed a minute to yourself and I didn’t want to disturb you.” 

Fcuk. He’s so god damn considerate. 

“Anyway, is that dessert?” He points down at the container in Gorou’s hands. 

“Y-yeah. It’s almond tofu, a Liyuen specialty.” Gorou hands off the dish to Thoma’s waiting hands. He bends down to take off his shoes and leave them in the genkan before trailing after Thoma as he walks down the entryway. “It smells great in here,” he comments. 

Thoma laughs. “Good, I hope so. I spent a while trying to pick something to make for you.” 

Heat rises to Gorou’s cheeks at the thought of Thoma thinking about him. Gods. “O-oh? What did you decide on?” 

“After much deliberation, I landed on a Mondstadtan spread. Northern smoked chicken, satisfying salad, and special Mondstadt hash browns.” They reach the kitchen and Thoma gestures for Gorou to take a seat at the table in the connected dining area. He sets down the dessert on the counter. 

Gorou watches as he bends over to take the food out of the oven, digging his teeth into his lip at the sight of Thoma bending over. Gods, he has to get a hold of himself. He clears his throat in a vain attempt to rid his head of any impure thoughts. “Y-you’re from Mondstadt, right?”

Thoma hums affirmatively, lifting a tray of the most delicious looking chicken and placing it atop a potholder on the counter. “I lived there for a while when I was a kid, but I haven’t been back since I moved to Inazuma.” 

There’s clearly a story there, but Gorou doesn’t want to push it. Not tonight, at least. They have plenty of time. “Do you need any help?” 

“Nope!” Thoma pulls another tray out of the oven but Gorou doesn't get a good look at what’s on it. “Sit back and relax. I’ll plate everything and be right over.” 

 He takes the opportunity to look around. There isn’t much in the dining room, just a few pictures hung up on the wall. Most of them are of Thoma with Ayaka and Ayato clinging to each other or in the middle of some kind of game. It’s weird seeing the Kamisato siblings in such casual attire and candid shots—he’s used to watching them in campaign ads and in speeches on TV. One of the framed pictures is of Taroumaru, sitting on his haunches and smiling broadly for the camera. 

Precious. 

“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Thoma chuckles as he sets down a giant plate in front of Gorou. 

Gorou grins up at Thoma and says, “Yeah, he is.” 

They both know he’s not talking about the dog. 

Thoma sets down an equally full plate across from Gorou and takes a seat. “Well, dig in.”

Only struggling with the dexterity of using a knife a little bit, Gorou cuts into the chicken and takes a bite. “Wow,” he mutters before he’s swallowed. “This is incredible.” 

Thoma’s whole face lights up. “Thanks! I’m glad you like it.” 

Gorou shifts in his chair, his foot brushing against Thoma’s. Thoma smiles and hooks his ankle around Gorou’s. 

Archons. 

“So, tell me more about your job,” Thoma says, bringing a hash brown to his mouth. 

“Ah, well…” 

The two continue to make small talk as they eat. Thoma keeps himself firmly anchored to Gorou under the table. It’s… nice, just talking with Thoma. 

Comfortable. 

As he takes the last bite of his serving of chicken, Gorou almost can’t believe he was so nervous about tonight. Thoma is so easygoing, so easy to talk to, so easy to be with. 

“If you’re done, I can take your plates.” Thoma gently runs his foot over Gorou’s calf. The touch burns.

Gorou nods, a little dazed. 

“Great. I have the kotatsu all warmed up in the living room since that cold snap blew in a couple weeks ago. Wanna eat our dessert there?” Gorou agrees with a hum. Thoma stands, taking their plates. “Alright. It’s just through the hall to your right. I’ll bring the tofu in just a sec.” 

Gorou wanders down the hall, looking at the pictures hung up here. Some of them are of a much younger looking Thoma, surrounded by the Kamisatos like the ones in the dining room. Others are canvases filled with colourful landscapes of forests, mountains, beaches. He doesn’t see a signature anywhere on any of them, but they’re all gorgeous. A few of them are more abstract than others instead of realistic compositions—Gorou likes those best.

A hand settles on the small of Gorou’s back, startling him. 

“What do you think?” 

He looks up at Thoma beside him. Thoma, whose hand is on Gorou’s lower back. His palm is warm even through Gorou’s shirt. “They’re pretty. Well done, too.”

Thoma grins. “Thanks. I don’t have much time to indulge these days, but I do enjoy painting.”

“You painted these?” Gorou’s eyebrows raise in surprise. 

Chuckling, Thoma nods his head in the direction of the living room. Gorou follows him down the hall. “Don’t act so surprised! I’ve been told I’m quite talented.” 

“No, I—you’re definitely talented. I just…” Gorou trails off as they walk into a moderate sized living area, big enough for a couch, coffee table, and a TV and not much else. “I figured it would have come up. Before.”

“In the rundown Aether gave you before you came here, you mean?” 

Gorou chokes on his own spit. “I—ah.”

Thoma waves his hand dismissively, settling in under the warmth of the kotatsu. “Yesterday he gave me a debrief on you, so I assumed he’d give you one, too.” He places the single plate of almond tofu in the middle of the table, placing two spoons down. Gorou takes a seat next to Thoma instead of across from him. If Thoma is surprised, he doesn’t make any obvious sign of it. “I don’t think I ever told Aether about my little hobby. Like I said, I don’t have much time for it anymore.” 

He wants to say something supportive, like You’re really talented, you should keep going! or something, but he’s honestly a bit distracted by the fact that Aether gave a debrief to Thoma about him. 

As if reading his mind, Thoma chuckles and says, “You’re thinking about what Aether said about you, aren’t you?” 

“Can you read minds?” Gorou blurts, because all of a sudden he can feel the nervous energy bubbling back up. 

“Of course not.” Thoma jostles Gorou’s shoulder with his own. “You seem a bit distracted is all. Do you want to eat some of this delicious looking dessert to un-distract yourself?” 

“Y-yeah. Sorry. Please, have the first bite. Be honest if you don’t like it.” 

Thoma flashes him a quick smile before scooping a sizable bite of the soft dessert into his spoon. He lifts it in a mock-cheers motion and eats it. He cocks his head to the side while he chews. Gorou waits with bated breath for his thoughts. Swallowing, Thoma sets his spoon down. “It doesn’t taste like tofu at all.”

“It’s not actual tofu. It’s just called that because of the texture.” 

“That makes sense.” Thoma lifts the spoon and shovels another portion. “It’s delicious either way. Not like anything I’ve ever had before.” 

“Good, that’s what I was hoping for.” Gorou picks up the other spoon. “A compliment to your Mondstadt cuisine, then. I’m not familiar with it.”

Smiling around his spoon, Thoma scoots a little closer to Gorou so their thighs are pressed together. It reminds Gorou of the drive to and from the campsite. 

Speaking of…

“Can I ask you something?” 

“You can ask me anything, Gorou,” Thoma says with absolute sincerity. 

Swallowing thickly, Gorou fiddles with the handle of his spoon. “Did you, ah, know that Aether was trying to set us up?” 

“Ooh, great question.” Thoma leans forward, resting his chin in his hand as he looks at Gorou with a twinkle in his eye. “I wouldn’t say I knew when he asked me to join you all. He’d already told me about you a couple weeks before, so when he asked me to go on a trip with his college friends I thought you might be there. And then after I’d agreed, I met you at the park. That’s when I realized what was up. Aether’s not exactly subtle.” 

“No, he’s not.” Gorou sighs. “It didn’t bother you?” 

Thoma hums thoughtfully. “Not really. From everything he’d told me about you, I knew we’d get along just fine. At the very least as friends.” 

“That aside, it really doesn’t bother you at all that he… meddled in your life?” 

“Well, no.” Thoma shrugs. “I thought it was nice of him to think about me like that. It obviously bothers you, though.” 

“Maybe it’s because I’ve known him for longer, or something. Maybe it’s because Kokomi has also been on my case about getting a boyfriend ever since they both found their ‘one true love’s. It just feels… invasive.”

“I get that.” Thoma smiles sweetly. It’s not as big and broad as his other smiles, but in its delicacy it turns Gorou’s insides to syrup. “But I think it turned out okay, didn’t it?” 

“W-well, yeah. I think so.” Gorou huffs. “I kinda still wanna put blue hair dye in his shampoo or something. Kokomi’s, too.”

Thoma laughs heartily, the sound clear and warm. It does funny things to Gorou’s stomach. “You’re quite blunt, aren’t you?” 

Treacherous heat rises to Gorou’s cheeks. 

“It’s not a bad thing!” Thoma chuckles, quieter than his previous laughter but just as intoxicating. “Your honesty is refreshing. It’s nice not to have to try so hard to decipher what you actually mean.” Thoma’s brilliant smile is so genuine it hurts. 

So that’s the kind of person Thoma is. Always working double time in conversations, trying to parse hidden meanings and respond in kind. The last thing Gorou wants is to be more work for Thoma. “I’ll continue being blunt, then. So you can take it easy. You deserve rest.” 

“A-ah.” Thoma’s smile falters and for a moment Gorou thinks he’s read the situation completely wrong, but then a soft rose spreads across Thoma’s cheeks. “That’s how it feels to be on the receiving end. I’m normally the one telling others to rest.” 

In a sudden burst of boldness, Gorou reaches across the table to rest a hand over Thoma’s. “Let me take care of you, Thoma.” 

The blush on Thoma’s face intensifies tenfold, bleeds into a brilliant crimson. Gorou commits the colour to memory. “I’d like that.” Thoma threads their fingers together and gives Gorou’s hand a firm squeeze. 

The two of them stay like that, legs tucked under the warmth of the kotatsu and fingers intertwined, ridiculous smiles painted on their faces for several quiet moments. It's nice. So much nicer than Gorou imagined just sitting in silence could be. 

Eventually, Thoma starts to hum a tune Gorou doesn’t recognize. It’s a nice candor, the kind that sends vibrations dancing across Gorou’s skin. 

“What song is that?” he asks quietly, not wanting to burst their bubble of tranquility entirely. 

“Oh.” Thoma startles a bit, clearing his throat. “It’s, ah. A Taylor Swift song, actually. Sorry, it’s kind of a bad habit.” 

“Listening to Taylor Swift?” Gorou arches a brow. 

“Ha, no. I mean the humming. I do that, a lot.” Thoma sighs heavily. “I know it annoys people, sometimes.”

“I don’t think it’s annoying.” Gorou rubs his thumb in circles against the back of Thoma’s hand. “You have nothing to apologize for.” 

Thoma smiles, eyes crinkling at the corners. Cute. Cute cute cute.

“Who is your favourite musical artist?” Gorou asks. 

“Ooh, are we starting twenty questions? I’m totally down.” Thoma shifts so he’s pressing his entire side into Gorou’s arm, impossibly closer than before. “Easy start. The All-American Rejects.”

“Vintage,” Gorou says, letting himself lean into Thoma. 

Thoma giggles. Cute cute cute cute cute. “Okay. If you had to choose, would you rather be as tall as a giraffe or as small as a mouse?” 

They keep going like that, back and forth with questions of varying silliness. Sometimes their answers meander into longer conversations, stories about their past, how they really feel about something. The almond tofu disappears between the two of them taking occasional bites. Their hands stay intertwined the entire time, and Gorou begins to think his hand doesn’t have use for anything other than holding Thoma’s. 

Gorou loses track of time, until his phone starts blasting a default chime. He reluctantly extricates his hand from Thoma’s grasp to pull his phone out of his pocket. “Ah, sorry. It’s my alarm telling me to get to sleep.” 

“You have to set an alarm for that?” Thoma asks, teasing lilt in his voice. 

“I get easily absorbed in whatever I’m doing,” Gorou says. Lame as hell. 

“That makes sense.” 

A moment of silence passes between them, Gorou still clutching his phone. He coughs into his fist. “Ah, well. Um. It is getting kind of late so… I should probably head home.”

“...Right. Right, yeah.” Thoma stands and stretches his arms above his head. His shirt rides up a little, exposing a small sliver of skin on his abdomen. “Let me walk you out.” He holds out a hand in offering. 

Gorou takes his hand as he stands. Thoma leads him back to the genkan. Though he’s smiling, there's something else that Gorou can’t quite place hidden in the slight tension around the corners of his mouth. 

He bends down and slips his shoes on, puts his jacket over his shoulders. “This was fun,” he says with a bright smile. “We should do this again sometime.” 

Thoma looks like he wants to say something, but no more words come, so Gorou turns to leave. 

He ignores the way his heart sinks in disappointment at Thoma’s sudden lack of reciprocation. He honestly thought things went well, but… 

“Gorou, wait.” Thoma grabs his upper arm.

Keeping his body facing the door, Gorou turns his head to look at Thoma.

“I apologize if this is too forward, and please stop me if I offend you, but…” Thoma bites his lip as he trails off, and Gorou has to use every ounce of his will not to lick his own lips at the sight of that plush, pink flesh disappearing behind pearly white teeth. “I—ah. Your ears are adorable. I’ve thought that since I first saw you in the park.” 

Gorou’s eyes widen. 

“Oh gods, that was probably super weird to say.” Thoma lifts a hand to scratch nervously at his cheek. “We can totally forget I said anything. In fact, why don’t we just do that?” He chuckles, but it’s strained, nothing like the bubbly laughter Gorou already finds himself craving. 

“No,” Gorou says, turning away from the door entirely. “It’s not weird. You can—you can touch them, if you want.”

Thoma’s cheeks colour a vibrant pink. “I couldn’t possibly! That’s a bit insensitive, isn’t it?” Gorou thinks he looks delightful, flushed and abashed like this. 

The corner of his mouth ticks upward, a spike of warmth roiling in the pit of Gorou’s stomach. “It’s really okay. It feels…” Gorou trails off, trying to find the right word. “... nice when someone pets them.” 

The blush spread across Thoma’s cheeks grows impossibly deeper at Gorou’s tone. “O-oh. I see.”

Gorou takes a step closer to Thoma, away from the door. “Please do,” he says, canting his head forward.

He can see Thoma’s neck bob as he swallows thickly. Thoma reaches out a hand slowly, hesitance obvious in the motion. But after an eternity held together by a thread of tension, Thoma's fingers slide through Gorou's hair at the base of his ears. His touch is gentle, but the feeling of the pads of his fingers brushing against the fur on the shell of his ear is like setting his skin on fire. 

When he said it felt nice to have someone touch his ears? A vast understatement. 

"Soft," Thoma breathes out. Gorou doesn't know how it happened, but they're so close that he can feel the syllable caress his cheek. Thoma runs his fingers along the length of Gorou's ear, slowly, deliberately. It's enough to turn Gorou's knees to jelly. 

Soon, far too soon, Thoma’s hand falls from Gorou's ear down to the back of his neck, fingers lingering at the short hairs there. Two, four, five beats pass and Gorou’s heart is still for all of them. 

With what feels like extreme reluctance, Thoma pulls his hand away. Gorou blinks up at him. His eyelids feel heavy as lead. 

"Ah, I don't normally—on a first date—" Thoma clears his throat, covering his mouth with the hand he used to pet Gorou's ears. "I really, really don't want you to get the wrong idea…" he trails off. 

"Then tell me," Gorou insists. He's glad his body is functional enough to remember how to breathe, because his brain stopped working at some point in the last five minutes. 

"I had a good time tonight—no, a great time. And I want to have a repeat, I promise. Maybe it's a bit improper, but would you…" In such close proximity, Gorou can count the freckles sprinkled along the planes of Thoma's flushed cheeks. "I'm not quite ready to say goodbye, so… would you like to stay the night?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A sweet, decadent scent rouses Gorou from sleep. With a jaw-cracking yawn, he sits up and blinks his eyes open. Sunlight dapples in through the thin white curtains at the window, spills over the sheet pooled in Gorou's lap. It's nothing like waking up in his own bedroom, but as he remembers last night's—ahem—activities, he finds he doesn't mind the change. 

If only the other half of the bed wasn't empty. 

Gorou pouts down at the pillow he vividly remembers pressing Thoma's face into last night. He sees neon green numbers on Thoma's bedside clock alert him that it's already 10:30. No wonder Thoma was already up and about, even if Gorou wishes he'd woken up next to the man. 

So he's a sucker for sleepy morning kisses, sue him. 

He yawns again, stretching his arms over his head to release some of the stiffness that had settled into his bones overnight. He leans over the edge of the bed to look for the clothes he'd hastily discarded the previous night but doesn't see them. Frowning, he gathers the sheet around his waist as he stands.

His legs wobble unsteadily beneath him. Alright. That's new. 

Ignoring the lingering gelatinous state of his legs, he meanders over to the wardrobe tucked into the corner of the room. Surely Thoma won't mind if he borrows some clothes, right? 

Gorou opens the top drawer. His eyebrows shoot into his hairline at the sight of delicate lace in pastels lined up next to plainly coloured boxer briefs. He's definitely going to catalogue that discovery for later. For now, though, he grabs a plain black pair and closes the drawer without giving in to the temptation of bringing one of the more risqué pieces to the kitchen if only to tease Thoma about it.

(Playfully, of course, and without any judgment. Gorou himself is intrigued.)

He shimmies on the too-big underwear that fit more like shorts than proper underwear, settling for wearing them a bit low on his hips to account for his tail. He debates walking out with nothing else on. But the idea of padding into the kitchen wearing one of Thoma's shirts is too delicious an image to pass up, so he prays that the next drawer he opens has what he's looking for.

The universe must be smiling on him today, because it does. Gorou can't help the grin that spreads across his face as he pulls out a black t-shirt that he just knows is going to fall nearly to his knees. Perfect. 

He slips on the shirt, taking a moment to breathe in the slightly floral scent of Thoma’s fabric softener. They smell like his sheets. 

Oh, Gorou is definitely stealing that red hoodie from him. 

With a pep in his step, Gorou makes his way toward the incredible smell. He only ends up in the wrong room once along the way. He rounds the corner and makes eye contact with Thoma as soon as he walks into the kitchen.

Thoma drops the wooden spoon in his hand, streaking the countertop with some sort of egg mixture. His cheeks turn a brilliant shade of rose. Gorou isn’t sure how he has enough blood to fill the rest of his body with how vivid the blush is. “Y-you. Um. You’re wearing my clothes.”

“I couldn’t find mine. You don’t mind, do you?” he asks, faux innocence etched into his words. 

“N-no.” Thoma swallows visibly. “They—you look great. Phenomenal.”

Gorou grins wickedly. “Good.” He skips up to Thoma until there’s barely any space between them. He cups his hands around Thoma’s flushed cheeks, standing on his toes to press his lips to Thoma’s. 

Thoma’s hands immediately find purchase on Gorou’s hips, his fingers flexing against Gorou’s skin as he kisses back with a firm press of his mouth against Gorou’s. 

After only a moment, Gorou pulls away and rests his weight on his heels. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Thoma parrots, eyes glazed.

Gorou takes in the scene before him—a tray of baked brownies resting on a cooling rack, a stand mixer currently filled with what looks like cookie dough, various dishes piled in the sink. “Are you… baking? Are we having dessert for breakfast?” 

“Ah, well, about that.” Thoma removes his hands from Gorou’s hips. His skin buzzes with the phantom touch. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be up, so I didn’t want to start breakfast too early and let it get cold before you could eat it. I was a bit antsy though, and baking usually relaxes me. Since my go-to dish is fudgy brownies, that’s what I started making on auto-pilot. But then I—this might be stupid, but I thought about how you’re a dog hybrid and wasn’t sure if you could have chocolate or if it could kill you like, ah, full blooded dogs. I’d already put them in the oven when I thought about it and I didn’t want you to wake up to a treat you couldn’t even eat… So I started a batch of snickerdoodle cookies I knew for sure you could eat.” 

He’s able to keep it together for a few seconds before he falls into a fit of laughter. 

Thoma frowns. “What? Why are you laughing at me?” 

“No, I’m sorry, I’m not—” Gorou gasps between giggles. “I’m not laughing at you, I promise. I don’t think anyone has ever made that consideration for me, is all. It’s sweet. You’re sweet for thinking of me.” He reaches up and pinches Thoma’s cheek. “I can definitely eat chocolate with no terrible side effects. It’s a good thing; I have a bit of a sweet tooth.” 

“Oh. Good.” Thoma nods, a serious look on his face. The flush spread across his nose betrays him. 

“You said you were antsy. Care to share? I’m a great listener.”

“It’s… um.” Thoma lifts a hand to the back of his neck. “I was feeling a bit… insecure, I guess.” 

“Insecure?”

Thoma bites his lip, stays quiet. 

Gorou grabs his hand, threading their fingers together. “You can tell me, if you want. No pressure. But it might help you feel better if you talk through it.”

“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen when you woke up this morning,” Thoma says, eyes downcast. “Aether mentioned you normally only do casual flings, so…” He looks up suddenly, a startled look in his eyes. “I—you didn’t do anything that made me think you weren’t serious. But it kinda hit me this morning that we hadn’t talked about it last night and one intrusive thought led to another…” 

“Oh, Thoma.” Gorou lifts his free hand to Thoma’s cheek, swipes his thumb across Thoma’s cheekbone. “I like you. I think I could like you a lot more, if you’ll allow me. I haven’t wanted to try for something more serious than a fling in… a really long time.”

Thoma grasps the hand Gorou has on his face, squeezes his fingers around Gorou’s. “But you want to try with me?” 

“More than anything.” 

That smile, the one that turns Gorou’s knees to jelly, returns to Thoma’s face. Gorou wants to kiss it off his mouth. 

So he does. 

[BONUS]

Gorou pops a small piece of brownie into Thoma’s mouth, relishing in the way Thoma’s lips linger around the tip of his fingers. “By the way,” Gorou says lightly, “I don’t think I need any other food for breakfast. These are the best brownies I’ve ever had in my life.” 

Thoma rolls his eyes. “You can’t have brownies for breakfast, Gorou.” 

Putting on his best pout, accented with the puppy dog eyes he knows he’s mastered (it’s genetic), Gorou blinks up at Thoma through his lashes. 

Jaw clenching and unclenching, Thoma sighs. “Fine. But you should at least have a glass of juice for some sort of nutrient that isn’t sugar.”

Gorou grins and rolls onto the balls of his feet. He presses a chaste peck to Thoma’s lips. “You’re the best.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Thoma smiles, bright and broad and brilliant. He lifts a hand to Gorou’s head, runs his fingers through Gorou’s hair. He stops when he reaches the base of Gorou’s ear. After a moment of hesitation, he starts to scratch behind Gorou’s ear.

Gorou hums appreciatively. “You like them a lot, don’t you?” 

“I—” Thoma’s cheeks turn an impossible shade of red. “Is—is that bad?”

Chuckling, Gorou nuzzles into Thoma’s touch. “Not at all.”

Thoma continues petting Gorou while he eats another brownie straight from the cooling rack. 

“You know,” Gorou starts, a grin already spreading across his lips. “The first thing Aether told me about you was that you love dogs. ”

Thoma’s hand stills in his hair. He groans loudly. “...Maybe we should put blue dye in his shampoo. That’ll show him.” 

Gorou laughs and kisses him again. “I know where he lives and I have a spare key.”