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Thoma's steps are heavy as he walks through the gate to the Kamisato Estate. Only two guards are still outside at this late an hour, and both salute him as he passes them. Despite the weariness pulling at his limbs, he still makes an effort to smile and not let his exhaustion show, but as soon as he's inside, Thoma feels his shoulders drop under the weight of what the day had in store for him. He heaves a sigh and drags himself through the dark corridors.
Most residents are already asleep, so he tries to be as quiet as possible. As much as he wants to go straight to bed, Thoma also wants to pay a short visit to his lord. He hasn't seen Ayato all day, and while he's quite ashamed of the effect that simple fact has on him, it makes him decide to walk past his room to see if Ayato is still awake. His feet find their way without him having to actively remember the way, and when Thoma stops in front of the room, there's indeed some light burning. Usually, Thoma would hesitate to enter his lord's room without a proper reason, but his fatigue makes him bolder. He carefully slides the door open and sticks his head into the room.
Ayato is sitting at a low table, his face illuminated by an oil lamp. He probably hasn't even put on his formal attire today, and instead wears a light yukata now. It's a nice contrast, Thoma notes, seeing him completely relaxed like this. At the sound of the door, Ayato looks up from the documents he's reading and smiles at him. Much too graceful for someone who's sitting, he moves to the side a bit and indicates the spot next to him.
“Tough day?”
Too tired to think about declining the offer to join Ayato, Thoma hums in responses, closes the door and sinks down next to him, leaning against his shoulder. When Ayato starts patting his head, Thoma sighs blissfully and relishes the moment for a while before mumbling, “I hope your day was less stressful, my lord.”
“Thanks to a certain someone who attended a meeting in my stead and dealt with all my other chores for today, yes,” Ayato replies, voice as warm as if he was the one with a Pyro Vision.
It makes Thoma's heart flutter with happiness to have been of use to his lord, to know he's decreased his workload even just a little. Sometimes, he feels like his support can never be enough to help Ayato with carrying the weight on his shoulders—the burden that is his service in the Yashiro Commission, his duties as head of the Kamisato Clan, his gruesome decisions as the leader of the Shuumatsuban, and all the warped expectations the people of Inazuma have of him. If Thoma could take on everything Ayato has to face, he gladly would, even at the cost of his own health.
That is a secret he hasn't dared to utter yet, though, so instead, he nuzzles his face into the soft fabric of Ayato's yukata and mutters, “Glad to hear that.”
The hand on his head stills. Ayato seems to be lost in thought as he finally lets his hand sink back on the desk to pick up whatever document he discarded earlier. His next words sound cheerful, but the sternness hiding between the lines dusts Thoma's cheek in a warm red.
“You need to take better care of yourself, Thoma. How am I supposed to go on business trips when I have to constantly worry about your well-being?”
For a moment, Thoma contemplates how to answer. Two responses are dancing on the tip of his tongue, one born from his sense of duty, the other a flame that's always burning inside him but is rarely allowed outside. In the end, Thoma decides to let his heart speak for once.
“You could just stay here,” he answers with a firmness he hasn't expected of himself in this state. It's a bold statement, despite or maybe exactly because of all the time they've known each other, but Thoma is too tired to care. He knows that Ayato never minds if he ends up talking more casually to him; Thoma is the one holding up the guise of benevolent lord and loyal servant, after all, and Ayato only plays along out of respect for his wishes.
Ayato laughs at his suggestion, and it's the prettiest sound Thoma has ever heard, like the delighted bubbling of a river on a clear winter morning. “True, I could do that. That'd be nice, wouldn't it?”
“I'd like that, yeah,” Thoma whispers as he takes Ayato's free hand in his and laces their fingers.
Silence falls between them, only occasionally interrupted by the rustling of paper, as Ayato continues to work in silence. (At least, that's what Thoma assumes. If he's actually working on it at this time of the day, it's probably related to the Shuumatsuban.) It takes all of Thoma's willpower to not fall asleep. He tries his hardest to keep his eyes open, even though he knows Ayato wouldn't mind if he slept against him like this.
When Ayato finally speaks again, his voice is even, almost soothing, a lullaby trying to lull him to sleep. “How about you take tomorrow off?”
“I can't. We've had some trouble with merchants from Liyue who arrived the other day, and I need to go to Ritou to deal with it.” Thoma sighs heavily, already exhausted just thinking about it. It takes a while for his mind to fully catch up with Ayato's words, but when it does, he furrows his brows and asks, “Don't you have plans for tomorrow as well?”
“I'll just cancel them.”
“My lo—”
“I'm joking, Thoma,” he interrupts with a short laugh and pets his head, knowing full well how much stress his whims put on Thoma and still testing his limits once in a while. Thoma breathes a sigh of relief, almost wide awake again from the shock. He tries to relax again, but he can hear the grin in Ayato's next words and knows better than to let his guard down too soon. “But my first meeting tomorrow is rather late. How about we sleep in together?”
If Ayato hadn't startled him awake, he would've agreed without hesitation; now, he can't help but think about it logically. As tempting as it sounds, Thoma has planned on doing some chores around the estate in the morning that he's been neglecting for days. Ayato lets out a low chuckle and, as if reading his mind, adds, “I've already asked Furuta to take care of the laundry and cleaning tomorrow morning, so there's nothing barring you from keeping me company.”
Thoma's wide smile is lost in the folds of Ayato's yukata. His lord would do this from time to time, incredibly thoughtful favours when he least expects them. In order to hide how excited this simple gestures makes him—he doesn't want him to think he expects any of this, after all—Thoma snuggles even closer, hiding his whole face in the fabric. A comfortable warmth spreads through his whole body, despite the teasing chuckle so close to his ear.
“Unless you don't appreciate spending time with me?” Ayato asks, both of them aware he's joking.
Thoma squeezes his hand fondly. “There's nothing I'd rather do.”
“Good. You had me worried there for a second.”
Ayato doesn't make an effort to sound sincere at all. It's so different from how he presents himself in front of the public that Thoma almost laughs.
“Did I?” he asks, slipping into the same teasing tone Ayato does so well.
“Most certainly. Actually, I do need some proof that you're sincere.”
Putting down the documents, Ayato turns his head at the same time as Thoma looks up. Their noses almost touch, but the now blurry blue of Ayato's eyes still takes his breath away for a second. The tips of his fingers tingle with excitement, and Thoma whispers a single promise against Ayato's lips.
“As you wish, my lord.”