Chapter Text
The last rays of sunset reflected on the sea that surrounded the islands of Inazuma, painting Watatsumi Island a glorious orange. Bands of yellow, pink, and deep purple crossed the sky and long, dark shadows fell across the beach where the two young men sparred, darting back and forth across the darkening beach, their faces alight with the excitement of their mock battle.
Kazuha stood with his back to the sunset, feet spread apart in a preparatory stance, waiting for his opponent to strike. He wore a short-sleeved white shirt and baggy brown pants under a dark brown kimono slung over his shoulder. His right arm was heavily bandaged, hiding old scars that he would rather not talk about. His white hair was tied back in a messy bun, but by now most of it had come loose and framed his face, making it difficult for him to see in the approaching darkness.
Gorou stood across from him, his clunky wooden sword clutched awkwardly in his hands, tail and ears pointed in anticipation. He wore a teal crop top and loose gray pants, accessorized with what he insisted was armor, but most people deemed decoration. Although his arms and shoulders were protected, there was nothing stopping an opponent’s sword from striking his stomach. and his body was marked with dozens of scars proving that point.
Both men hesitated, catching their breath, each waiting for the other to strike. Finally, Kazuha rushed at Gorou, raising his wooden sword and aiming to slash at Gorou’s chest. Gorou drew his foot back, pivoting his body to the side, and quickly brought his sword up, just in time for it to block Kazuha’s. The wooden swords clashed with a dull thunk. Gorou immediately dropped his in surprise.
“I did it!” he yelled excitedly, doing a little victory dance, his tail wagging excitedly. “Did you see that? I blocked it!”
“Good job,” Kazuha nodded, beaming with pride. Gorou was so adorable when he was happy.
“Wow, I didn’t think I could do that!” Gorou giggled.
“Not to burst your bubble, but there’s one minor problem,” Kazuha critiqued.
“Oh c’mon man, I finally did it right and that’s what you’ve got to say?” Gorou pouted.
“You dropped your sword,” Kazuha said, lightly bonking Gorou on the head with the hilt of his own weapon. Gorou glared at him. “Leave me alone, I got excited!”
“Fair enough,” Kazuha shrugged.
“I’ll show you fair enough," Gorou muttered lightheartedly. He jumped on Kazuha, knocking him onto the sandy ground and landing on top of him. Kazuha let out a grunt of surprise, and then they both burst out laughing. They rolled over a few times until Kazuha ended up on top. Their clothes, hair, and faces were covered in sand and sweat, but neither of them cared.
“You’re cute when you’re irritated,” Kazuha said, booping Gorou on the nose.
“Shut up,” Gorou laughed.
Kazuha sighed, rolling over and lying down in the sand beside Gorou. They stared up at the sky, as stars began to peek out of the darkness, twinkling down at them from far away.
“Man, I wish it could be like this forever,” Kazuha sighed.
“Yeah,” Gorou agreed, his smile fading. Before long, the Crux fleet would sail away and Kazuha would leave with it. Again.
Man, if Gorou had five mora for every time Kazuha left Inazuma with Beidou and the Crux, he’d have ten mora. Which wasn’t much, but it was kinda sad that it happened twice.
“You could stay,” Gorou offered. “The Vision Hunt Decree is over, it's not like you’re a wanted criminal anymore.”
Kazuha sighed. “I know, it's just…it feels wrong. Inazuma isn’t my home anymore.”
Gorou sat up on his elbows, looking back at Kazuha. “What makes you say that?”
“It’s more the fact that the Vision Hunt Decree ever happened,” Kazuha said, sitting upright. “I can’t just forgive the Shogun for that, and then go back to living like before. Not to mention how much has changed because of it…”
“Ah,” Gorou nodded, sitting up beside Kazuha. “What you have, my friend, is trauma.” He plopped a hand on Kazuha’s shoulder and smiled at him supportively. “Welcome to the club,” he winked.
Kazuha smiled weakly. “I mean, maybe,” he shrugged. “But I mean, it’s not like I’ll never come back. It’s only a matter of time before they repeal the Sakoku decree and we can go in and out on Inazuma whenever we want.”
“Yeah, but you’ll be gone a long time and I’ll miss you,” Gorou whined, flopping over into Kazuha’s lap. He made a very nice pillow.
“It won’t be that long,” Kazuha said, staring off into space while running his fingers through Gorou’s thick, chestnut-brown hair. Kazuha was the only person allowed to touch Gorou’s hair. Or ears. Or tail. Nobody else could even come close.
“It’ll be an eternity,” Gorou complained.
“Well, then at least the shogun will be happy,” Kazuha said before he could stop himself. Gorou snorted.
They sat there in silence for a long time, watching the stars, the scene lit by the glowing aura of the air around Watatsumi island. Gorou nearly fell asleep, curled up in Kazuha’s lap, fidgeting with his tail while Kazuha’s fingers ran through his hair. It was peaceful, with the sound of quiet waves lapping on the beach and crickets chirping in the distance, with the scent of saltwater and sweat and Kazuha. Although most people wouldn’t consider those the nicest of scents, they were some of Gorou’s favorites.
After several minutes, Kazuha cleared his throat. “We’d better get moving, before Her Excellency sends someone to look for us.”
“Ugh, but you’re comfy,” Gorou yawned. But he sat up anyway, shaking sand and water out of his hair, and stiffly got to his feet. Kazuha retrieved their wooden weapons, and they linked hands, walking down the trail that led back to the little village.
They stopped outside the house where Kazuha and the rest of the Crux fleet were staying. The lights were still on inside, and Gorou could hear drunken chattering inside.
“You know, you could stay at my place,” Gorou offered. “One last time.”
For a moment, Kazuha looked torn between his boyfriend and the sake bottles lined up on the table in the house. Then there was a loud burst of laughter that made both of them wince and Kazuha nodded. “Your place sounds better.”
They walked a little further down the road, to the house where Gorou and a few other army officers lived. The house was divided into four bedrooms, with a common area in the center for cooking and eating. There were still dirty dishes stacked in the sink from dinner. One of the other generals was asleep on the table, fingers wrapped around a bottle.
They kicked off their shoes and slipped quietly into Gorou’s room, careful not to wake the sleeping general. Gorou’s room was surprisingly soft and squishy for that of an army officer. His bed was littered in an assortment of pillows and blankets that spilled over the edges and onto the floor. Small stuffed animals and charms and random trinkets that Kazuha had picked up for him on his journey across Teyvat decorated his desk. A bunch of light novels and manga that were aimed more at teenagers than full-grown army officers were scattered across his floor. Candles in the windows bathed the room in a warm yellow glow.
“Your room’s nicer than those anyway,” Kazuha said, carefully stepping around a pile of pillows that had fallen off the bed.
“Exactly,” Gorou said.
Kazuha plunked himself down on the bed amidst the sea of pillows and blankets. There was no real head or foot to Gorou’s bed. You slept however you were most comfortable, and it was hard to be uncomfortable with that many pillows everywhere.
Gorou disappeared into the bathroom for a moment and returned wearing an oversized white shirt that fell down to his knees. He unceremoniously flung his general’s uniform onto the floor, and dived face first into bed, burying himself in pillows. “Urgh,” he groaned happily, going limp and letting all the stress in his body ooze out into the warmth of his bed.
“Comfy?” Kazuha laughed.
“Very,” Gorou smiled.
Kazuha took off all the various hard things he wore, like his vision and shoulder armor and his collection of random tassels and leaves that hung on his belt. He shrugged off his kimono and neatly folded it beside his other stuff, then stretched, yawned, and flopped over on his back. Gorou immediately scooched in closer, curling up under Kazuha’s arm and resting his head on Kazuha’s chest.
“Mm, you smell nice,” he said sleepily.
Kazuha laughed. “I smell like weed and dirt,” he said.
“Well, then I guess weed and dirt are good smells,” Gorou shrugged. He shifted in closer, absorbing Kazuha’s warmth, snuggling against his warm body, listening to his heartbeat and feeling his chest slowly rising and falling with every breath.
He wished they could stay like this forever.