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kamisato ayato did not get sick. kamisato ayato was the prince of the yashiro commission. kamisato ayato was the hard working, renowned head of the kamisato estate. kamisato ayato was the beautiful representation of grace and formality. kamisato ayato was… the.. a hydro… user. kamisato ayato was…. what? ah, just forget it.
kamisato ayato broke into a fit of coughs and cleared his throat, willing his eyes to keep open.
kamisato ayato was sick.
winter was welcoming itself into inazuma, along with a plethora of snow in the past day or so. he had been walking back to the estate from a gathering when he ran into a hilichurl camp, of which he swiftly took care of by freezing all entities– including himself. by the time they were all dead, and he had been frozen for what must've been the 10th time in the span of 5 minutes, he was soaked and freezing. the falling snowflakes felt like mocking prickles on his skin.
as the mansion came into view, he opted to approach from the back courtyard, so as to not disgrace himself in front of his servants and make an unnecessary fuss. he hoped that he would be there…
entering through the back gate, his body heaved in relief as a head of blond hair appeared. thoma, head retainer and house keeper, sat in the backyard with two teacups: one steaming on a tray, and the other held up to his face as he sipped and watched the snowflakes through the steam. the snow around his feet was melted in a perfect circle, courtesy of his pyro vision.
upon spotting ayato's familiar figure, his face lit up before quickly morphing into an expression of immense worry. he rushed over to his employer, a path melting with his steps. the warmth emanating from the man alone made ayato's heart collapse as the exhaustion caught up to him, and he let his entire body relax into the housekeeper's arms.
"my lord?! what happened, is everything alright? are you hurt?" thoma asked frantically as he caught him.
"hilichurls. snow. hydro. didn't wanna lose face in front of the other employees…" he said lowly into thoma's shoulder, letting the glow of his pyro body consume him before willing himself to push his head off and look at thoma, hands on his shoulders as the other’s own were still wrapped around his upper waist since catching the kamisato. thoma smiled with a quirked eyebrow, relieved that his lord had trusted him with his weakened body.
the blond removed one hand to feel ayato's forehead, eyebrows furrowing.
"oh dear, looks like you have a high fever. c'mon my lord, let's get you to bed. i'll cancel your appointments for today and tomorrow," he asserted, slinging one of ayato's arms around his shoulder as he helped him inside of the estate. he left ayato to undress as the blond prepped the bath, heating it until steam occupied the entire room. soon, ayato climbed into the steaming water and let his mind accompany the easy water. the pounding headache that approached with the fever was slowly sinking in, overwhelming his brain.
he trusted his sick, cold body to the blond as thoma poured the water onto his body with a wooden ladle, gently lathering his hair.
"you really should take better care of yourself, my lord…" thoma nagged in a murmur as he washed the soap out of his pastel blue hair.
"and why would i ever do that if you'll always be here to do it for me?" ayato lazily said in return, his brain already half asleep and the other consumed by the dizziness of the illness. his retainer let out an affectionate sigh, unable to counter his proposal.
they sat in silence as the kamisato felt his body melt and thaw, finishing the bath up.
when he got out of the bath, thoma infused the air of a hand fan with heat to dry his hair. the warmth on the nape of his neck sent waves throughout his body.
the sleep gown on his body and the tatami mats at his feet felt sharply raw on his bare skin. everything felt too stimulating with the fever buzzing his insides. ayato settled himself into the bed, thankful for its proximity to the floor. he closed his eyes and laid in silence as he waited for thoma to return with a bucket of water and some wet towels for his fever. oh how he was grateful for the housekeeper's reliability… so so grateful.
he thought about the last time he had gotten sick. though a distant memory now, he had frequently caught colds in his childhood, after his parents' passing. the stress of being thrust into such a high position, balancing on a tightrope while critics booed and shook him, he would find himself sitting by the sea. on especially pressuring nights, he'd run out even in the worst of weathers. he would be caressed by the sounds of water, feeling the emptiness of and longing for his mother's comforting touch or his father's reassuring words.
thoma would find him every time. at some point, the rest of the household unanimously understood that nobody but thoma was appropriate. if the commissioner had any doubts about thoma's loyalty even after his galant pledge the night he received his pyro vision, he certainly didn't then. no matter the treacherous weather– wind, rain, thunder or lightning. he would approach the young master and sit beside him as he cried in silence, then take his hand and bring him back and dry him off just as he did today. then, they would lie in his bed together and fall asleep, ayato still hiccuping in the aftermath of his sobs.
his arms suddenly felt so empty.
he had long since fallen out of the habit, his mind eventually catching up to the responsibilities and realities of being head of the clan. it must have been nearly a decade since they had last slept in the same bed. amidst the hum of the fever, the place between his arms felt like too much and his bed felt too big. the warmth of the blankets were like a sheet of ice compared to the fire of thoma's energy.
it was then that the subject of his thoughts entered the room, sliding the door open with his foot while his arms were occupied with the water, towels, and tea reheated from earlier. the housekeeper himself had changed into his night clothes.
he set the trays down beside the commissioner’s bed, soaking a handkerchief and sprawling it across his forehead.
“if i’m not around to re-soak it and you don’t have the energy to get up, you can use your vision if it’s possible,” thoma instructed, to which ayato briefly nodded with his eyes closed. they felt like they were burning in his sockets. sleep was fast approaching, but that emptiness still remained constant, and the blond was right there.
“hey, thoma…”
“what is it, my lord?”
“why don’t you come here and sleep with me?”
silence.
“pardon, my lord?”
“like when we were children. just come and rest here with me,” he repeated thickly, shifting to the right of his bed to make room for the other.
“my lord, i don’t think you’re in the right mind right n-”
“perhaps, but i think it would be a most comforting feeling.”
“but, i’m just– it’s me, thoma, and-”
“yes, that is precisely the reason i’m asking you. i wouldn’t have anyone else.”
a quiet enveloped the room. while he couldn’t see his retainer’s expression, he wasn’t particularly bothered by the moment. or, it was more like he couldn’t be bothered by anything right now.
“a… alright. please excuse my intrusion,” thoma whispered unsteadily, slowly lifting the covers to get inside. upon feeling the blond’s presence in the bed, ayato latched onto his arm and pulled him quickly under the covers with a short yelp from the other.
the mondstadtian felt stiff, but the warmth ayato had been missing was quick to return as he placed his head beneath thoma’s chin– his right hand on top of the other’s abdomen and his left against his chest.
here it is. the smell of the kitchen and tea and dogs and snug steam. the smell of thoma.
within a few seconds, the latter cautiously placed his hands around the blue-haired man’s waist and head respectively, hiding his own face in the pastel locks of his commissioner. within a miniscule amount of minutes, his body too had eased into their touch and his eyelids began to sag.
the two were pulled gently into a warm sleep.
-
ayato woke up to the smell of home. he stayed, eyes closed, in silence for a bit, reorienting himself.
while a light headache lingered slightly, his body felt, for the most part, alert and clear. he attempted to move himself, only to become fully aware of the body that was attached to his own. firm arms wrapped loosely around his upper back and waist, seemingly tightening at his movement. he opened his eyes to a face laid directly in front of him, hardly a few inches from his own.
thoma?
he blinked a few times, first fast, as if at some point thoma would magically disappear, and then slowly as his brain took it in. the events of the night prior were gradually recollected and tugged back into his brain, now judged by a more sane ayato.
he sucked in his lower lip in thought, surprise that really shouldn’t have been there enveloping his now healthy body.
while he certainly wasn’t one to shy away from bold actions, inviting his retainer into his own bed to sleep in each other’s arms was certainly not a regular occurence.
well, he supposed this wasn’t just any retainer. it was thoma.
while he was reluctant to admit it, thoma was by far the only one he would be alright with waking up in the arms of.
and…while he was reluctant to admit it, he occasionally found himself falling asleep wishing this would be the case.
his eyes lowered as the sunlight filtered in, glowing against thoma’s sunny eyelashes and hair and lips and skin and– he was really just a sunny guy, huh?
while his sensible side had initially screamed what in the world they were doing right now, ayato quickly determined that this was… pleasant. he lay rest assured in thoma’s arms, both seeing and feeling his breaths.
with some time, thoma eventually opened his eyes and locked gazes with ayato. he watched with caring eyes as the blond’s mind went through the same process he did, eyes widening.
while the commissioner had expected him to immediately get out of bed and burst into a rush of apologies, thoma just laid with his mouth slightly open before speaking.
“ayato?”
the blue haired man’s eyebrows raised along with his eyes as he heard his name from the housekeeper’s mouth.
“oh dear, is this a dream?” thoma asked drearily, taking the arm that ayato had rested head upon and bringing the blue haired man's head closer to himself into the crook of his neck.
ayato leveraged himself out to look up at thoma, who had his eyes tightly shut and a dim smile on his face.
“i just… hope it doesn’t end…” thoma whispered thickly. ayato lifted a hand to his retainer’s forehead, immediately feeling the strong heat that pulsed. thinking about it now, thoma’s entire body was hot, and not just from his vision.
… nor in physical appearance.
oh goodness. had he passed his fever onto his housekeeper? how horribly irresponsible.
he was quick to lift the blond hair from his forehead, applying a layer of hydro along his forehead and cheeks. feeling the sudden cold sensation, thoma furrowed his eyebrows and lowered the hand on ayato’s head back along his back, suddenly shifting them both so that ayato was atop of thoma.
he opened his glistening green eyes to meet lavender ones, whom stared back at him, injected in curiosity. thoma lifted his hand once more to place on the back of ayato’s head, bringing him down so that his cheek rested on the black fabric of his shirt.
“something tells me this isn’t a dream,” thoma said, the purr of his voice in his chest sent throughout ayato’s entire body. he feels fingers comfortingly run through his periwinkle blue strands.
“it’s awfully more real than my usual ones. i can smell you… too…sakura blossoms and mist. you’re so beautiful, you know that ayato? so… so beautiful…” thoma tenderly spoke in a low voice, and at his name once again, he felt his own face begin to heat up despite a perfectly healthy and clear mind.
no wonder why thoma was always careful not to get sick or drink alcohol. take a singular barrier from his brain, and he opens up like a deluge of thoughts that floods even the head of the clan.
“you are… a most entertaining being as well, thoma,” ayato replied fondly. however, by the time he peeked back up at the blond, he had been captured by sleep once more. glancing at the clock on the wall, it was roughly 6 o’clock in the morning. thoma mentioned how he had cancelled their plans for the day… so it wouldn’t hurt to sleep a little in, would it?
the lavender haired man took his hands and wrapped them underneath thoma’s, slightly flustered at the stark amount of intimate contact he now realized they had shared in the past 10 hours.
suppressing those thoughts in his mind in favor for the guilty pleasure of thoma’s kind touch, he sunk back into rest. after all, he couldn’t recall the last time he had taken a break from work for some simple rest, much less with another person.
his duties could wait.
-
ayaka parted ways with yoimiya, who enthusiastically waved her farewell. ayaka hid her flushed cheeks with her fan. she had bumped into the girl while running errands in inazuma city, and the blonde ended up accompanying her throughout the rest of the day.
while quite the lively woman, ayaka just couldn’t find her exhausting. she smiled fondly once the other girl was out of view, greeting the guards back at the estate and making her way towards ayato’s office to return some reports.
her knock was met with a shocking silence– as were the next three.
“ayato?” she asked inquisitively, sliding the door open and finding nobody at his table. had he gone out for the day?
“koharu, do you happen to know where my brother has gone?” she asked one of the servants.
“ah! i heard that he was sleeping in his chamber, my lady. i believe thoma had cancelled his plans for today last night, saying he had fallen ill,” koharu reported back, pausing her sweeping.
“i see… that’s quite troubling, he hasn’t gotten sick since we were little…” ayaka’s eyebrows knitted in concern.
“alright, thank you very much!”
“of course my lady!”
she walked along the corridors of the estate, at last reaching his chamber. she held at the entrance of his room, slowly sliding the door open… and,
was greeted by a very flustered thoma.
in ayato’s bed.
with ayato in his arms.
she stopped in her place, eyes wide as disks as several strings of words, all noncoherent, went through her mind.
“thoma?”
“milady! um, hi- good, good morning milady,” the housekeeper responded shakily, one hand propping himself up, the other still draped stiffly around the peacefully sleeping figure of her brother.
“what… are you alright?” she asked, watching as thoma’s already flushed face became increasingly pink.
“yes, quite, i just… um… the young master pulled me in last night when he had a fever, i suppose he needed something to hold… i’m just… i’m alright! just a bit in shock, and this killer headache isn’t really helping either… it appears i got the cold myself, ahaha… i- i wasn’t planning on staying after morning, but he seems to be sleeping in and i just didn’t want to wake him and am feeling a bit weary myself and…it’s…a bit cozy…” thoma’s already faint whisper trailed off in an attempt to not wake the lord up, voice still unsteady from the startling of the lady walking in on a… strangely wholesome sight.
the woman stayed still for a few seconds, unsure of what to respond with. she settled for just nodding, lower half of her face now hidden with her fan.
“i see! well, get some rest thoma, um, feel better soon! thank you for taking care of my brother!” she paused.
“and um, thoma, good luck!” she gave a thumbs up before closing the door rather abruptly, her face breaking into a confused but affectionate smile.
she had known of thoma’s feelings for ayato for quite some time now, but never had she expected that her brother would be the first to make such a… brazen move. oh well. good for them, she supposed, nodding to herself in some strange assurance and resuming her day.
-
oh dear. now ayaka had seen them in this… state. well... what could he do? thoma thought to himself in resignation, lowering himself back into the covers.
“good luck, she says…” he whispered to himself.
“she probably knows i have feelings for the young master now, as well…” he sighed in exasperation, thinking of the traveler and paimon and the other servants and even that strange oni who all seemed to have had figured it out in no time. he stared absently at the wall ahead of him while subconsciously combing his fingers through ayato’s hair again.
about a minute of quiet went by before he felt a head shift from underneath him. he stiffened as ayato opened his eyes, face misted in a dense blush.
“feelings, you say?” he asserted, voice absent of the feverish tone thoma had been expecting.
wait.
a few seconds went by as the two stared blankly at each other, the tint of thoma’s face matching ayato’s own as the both of them went red as tomatoes.
“my lord!” thoma suddenly burst out, distancing himself in the bed rapidly as his accidental literal love confession registered.
“i– how long have you been awake? are you feeling better now? i– that earlier was a joke, an inside joke! with myself, yep, weird inside joke that i made up that only makes sense to m-”
“i’ve been awake for the past few hours, more or less,” ayato interrupted him in a slow but steady voice. “i felt all better when i woke up a little after sunrise, though you seemed rather delirious at the peak of your own fever… are you feeling better now?” he continued, the both of them sitting up now.
“um– well, not really, i still feel kind of bad, but i can… think straight now… did i, did i say anything? what… what did i say?” he asked, unsure whether or not he should be staying or launching himself into the sea right about now.
“nothing much… just that i was beautiful… and you called me ayato,” the clan head said, recalling with a smile.
the sea it was.
“i am… so sorry my lord, i really didn’t– i wasn’t thinking straight,” thoma said. while the two were close enough that jokes and informality were permitted, calling him by not only his first name… but beautiful? that… went far past the boundaries of a guy friend to another guy friend.
ayato seemed to be thinking himself, cheeks slowly returning to their normal tint.
“no worries, i didn’t particularly mind it. in fact, it was rather endearing,” he spoke gently, bringing thoma back to earth.
ayato didn’t seem particularly bothered… and if he had been awake with a clear mind for hours, was it possible he had enjoyed his company?
did thoma have a chance? while the blond was fairly confident in his value as a helper, he hadn’t… considered that.
“i apologize for my brash behavior when my mind was clouded,” ayato continued, plucking thoma from his thoughts.
“oh, no worries, i didn’t really mind,” he said, a direct answer to his confession still lingering in the air, waiting to be heard.
“didn’t mind you say. did you enjoy it?” the question caught the housekeeper very off guard, mouth speaking only halfway through his mind taking it in.
“apart from the fever i obtained, it was comfortable,” he responded fragilely, to which ayato chuckled.
“i was surprised myself, but i too found it quite the pleasant embrace. i’d propose to make it commonplace, though i suppose that isn’t something i should be saying as your employer,” the kamisato continued to say one unpredictable thing after the other, however it seemed like he had been prepping these words for quite some time.
perhaps in the hours he had laid in thoma’s arms, awake? had he looked at thoma? heard his sleep talk? felt his breath? the retainer’s arms suddenly felt cold and hollow.
“ah, of course,” he agreed, realizing he hadn’t spoken in an extended period. the implication behind ayato’s words, however, went not unnoticed by the retainer, and words began to jumble in his mind.
ayato was suddenly much closer to him than a few seconds ago, and had met their legs together.
“though, as your friend…” ayato once again plucked thoma from his own mind with a new proposition. it was then that thoma noticed the young man combing his fingers through his hair– a habit he picked up when he was thoughtful, uncomfortable or nervous.
the commissioner continued, “or… um… possibly something more, if that is how you would like to see it,”
thoma opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
“then that would be alright with me.” he finished.
so much had happened in the span of less than a day.
“...thank the gods i was in the backyard,” thoma thought. aloud.
ayato chuckled, and thoma bit his lower lip realizing he had spoken aloud.
“yes, thank the gods,” ayato repeated. “so?” he asked, less sure of himself.
“oh! yes, yes of course that… that would be wonderful,” thoma laughed into a sigh, eyebrows furrowed but mouth in a tight smile as he was still unbelieving. if it wasn’t for the clarity of ayato’s pretty face, he would’ve thought he was dreaming.
wait. (again.)
“wait, are you asking to be b-”
“yes, thoma, i am asking if you would like to be my boyfriend.”
“???????” was what thoma said. there is no better way to phrase it. ayato broke into a cautious laughter.
“apologies, that was really sudden. i suppose i haven’t been completely transparent with my own emotions, though i had been suspect of yours for quite some time.”
thoma couldn’t respond to that one.
“no seriously, i would’ve never suspected that…” thoma’s normal smile had returned as the reality of the day had begun to dawn upon him, despite being a little late.
“to be completely honest, i’d be less inclined to ask if not for the fact we do most things considered intimate already.”
“pardon?”
ayato’s mouth drew into a thin line with a slight smile, his eyes fond though exhausted.
“we eat dinner together every day. we spend most of our free time together. we buy and make each other gifts,” he listed. “while you slept, i wondered what was keeping us from just dating, or even getting… never mind,” ayato laughed to himself.
“i… suppose…” the words that left his mouth were one millionth of what he wanted to say, for what must’ve been the millionth time that day.
“anyways,” the blue haired man laid himself back into the covers, facing the other with arms slightly extended.
“i’m tired. want to sleep again?”
“my lord, we’re going to sleep more than we’ll be awake today at this rate,” thoma complained, though he settled himself back into the blankets with him, arm naturally wrapped over the other’s body.
“oh well, i have been needing a break as of late. you can tell me about how deeply your journey of love for me has gone in the meantime.”
“now that we’re both awake, you’re becoming awfully bold, my lord…”
the commissioner laughed lightly, eyes fondly scanning the other man’s face with a sprinkle of pink dashing his face. he then hesitantly leaned in and kissed thoma’s forehead before nuzzling himself into that sunny hair.
“call me ayato.”