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The sound of the first drop of rain brings Ayato’s head up from his paperwork. It was quiet, unobtrusive, and normally would not have interrupted Ayato’s work. But today is not normal; Ayato has been listening for its start since the clouds darkened the sky earlier that day. As the rain starts to intensify, he pushes away the papers in front of him, sending them to mingle with the rest lingering on his desk; he won’t get any more work done with his mind distracted like this.
Though as the hour passes, he takes matters into his own hands.
“Young master—,” Thoma starts and stops as he helps Ayato into a straw raincoat and hands over the umbrella. Ayato could keep the rain off of himself on his own, but he would rather save that energy for now.
“I should be back shortly, but prepare for a guest.”
The forest feels different in the rain, darker and closer, but Ayato has been wandering the copses of trees near the estate for years, finding the bake-danuki paths and shortcuts. He knows it like the back of his hand. He knows the places where the trees naturally provide shelter, and before long he finds the object of his search.
“I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you knew I was here.” Kazuha hasn’t turned to face Ayato from where he is setting up the roughest camp Ayato has seen in a while, but as he has taken off his outer garments and draped them across branches in an attempt to deflect the rain, Ayato can see the way his thin shoulders tense, the actions of unpacking paused. Ayato has been preparing for Kazuha since he got the message that the Alcor was due to dock, days before Kazuha even set foot on Inazuman soil. He suspects that Kazuha knows that Ayato keeps an eye out for him, but it is unlikely Kazuha knows just how wide the net of informants spreads.
“I had hoped you would do me the favor of showing up at my gates, but I don’t mind coming to pick you up.” Ayato’s mouth ticks up in a smile as he sees Kazuha’s hands resume their motion, but repacking now. “I could consider it a personal favor, if that would help,” he adds, his voice softer. There is plenty of familial guilt on both sides, but more than enough of Ayato’s desire to see Kazuha warm and dry and in his house is born of his own wanting.
Kazuha doesn’t turn back around until his things are stowed away. When he does, Ayato barely catches the edge of his smile before it morphs to surprise at the way Ayato is keeping the rain off of both of them. “This felt easier than trying to share an umbrella in a forest. Not to mention now I have a free hand to help carry your things..” Ayato stops short of adding that he would carry Kazuha back to the house if needed; he’s unsure how much of a joke he would be able to make it come across as.
Kazuha only frowns slightly, but there’s a smile in his eyes as he hands over some of his sodden burden. “I take my turn on the ropes, the same as the rest of the crew. It would take more than this to tire me.” Ayato hadn’t meant it as a slight, but nods along. Just as well, with the idea of just what it would take to tire Kazuha out spinning through his mind.
They make it back to the Kamisato estate in good time, quickly enough that Ayato isn’t lying when he says, “Let’s get you out of those wet clothes before you catch a chill.” It was the right call to go and pick Kazuha up himself—the small shivers that rack Kazuha’s body are only becoming more frequent, even with his attempts at blocking the rain. He trusts that Thoma has drawn a bath in the tub sized for two, water brought to a perfect temperature for soaking away the cold.
Ayato is glad to see that Kazuha, for all he carries himself with such pride, acquiesces to him in his house and follows him down the corridors, dropping wet garments where indicated and without hesitation or embarrassment, then slipping into the tub alongside Ayato. Kazuha all but melts as he sinks into the warm water, relaxing to recline against Ayato’s chest with a sigh.
“Better?” Ayato asks, his arms wrapping around Kazuha’s body as if he could warm him quicker that way.
“Mmmhmm,” Kazuha hums and then laughs as Ayato buries his nose, cold even against Kazuha’s chill-steeped skin, against his neck. “Better.” He settles back against Ayato slowly so as not to send water sloshing over the side, and if Ayato didn’t know better, he would think it was purposeful, the way Kazuha’s hips shift against his cock. But Kazuha just sighs again, contented this time, and leans his head back against Ayato’s shoulder to look up at him. “This does seem to be a favor weighted more heavily on my side than yours. You surely have better things to do than to take care of someone like me at the drop of a hat.”
“I’ve had more notice than you’d think.” Ayato leans down to press a light kiss to Kazuha’s mouth. More than he’d ever truly admit to Kazuha, but as with many things in Ayato’s life, keeping quiet is often not a bad thing. “And nothing so important as making sure you aren’t caught in the rain.”
“You had perfect timing; any longer and I would have been well and truly caught. How did you know where I would be tonight?”
“I hoped, that’s all. Call it luck if you’d like.” Ayato’s arms tighten around Kazuha’s slim frame as he laughs at the expression on Kazuha’s face. “I’m wounded you don’t trust me,” he pouts, thankful Kazuha still seems content to be here.
“I do trust you. I simply also trust that the Commissioner would have more at his disposal than pure luck.” The surface of the water stirs gently as Kazuha skims his fingertips over it. That he is here, in Ayato’s arms, in Ayato’s house, is a hard-won victory in itself; Ayato does not want to break it by revealing how many eyes are on Kazuha every time he returns. Many of those eyes are not as friendly as Ayato’s; it would not do to open the still-healing wounds of the war. Their time together is always too short for that, and while Kazuha is not one for arguments, he is one for stealing away in the middle of the night, and Ayato will not risk that again. So Ayato stays quiet, neither agreeing nor disagreeing further.
“You were so close by, but wouldn’t even call on me,” he offers instead, striving for a playful tone even though it cuts close to true concern. “That’s why it’s a favor to me, instead of for you. You’re saving me from having to take this bath all alone.” Water sloshes a bit at that, at Kazuha’s huff of laughter, but it stills quickly.
“I’ve imposed so much already,” Kazuha murmurs into Ayato’s shoulder. “When will your guilt run its course?”
“It’s not guilt that drives me to make sure you’re cared for.” Ayato presses each word into Kazuha’s skin, as if that will drive his sincerity home. “I may feel an obligation to your family for things past, but you…” He lifts his hand, tilting Kazuha’s chin up so their eyes meet. “You I would care for, regardless.” No one else has inspired such a need to hold them close but also set them free. Kazuha would not be Kazuha if he didn’t roam Teyvat, only coming back to Inazuma and Ayato when the wind took him. Ayato wouldn’t treasure their moments together as much if he were anyone else. “Do you think I would allow just anyone an open token to the Commissioner’s estate? Or my private tub?” he jokes, attempting to steer them to steadier ground. Each time he holds Kazuha, it feels like holding a dandelion puff close to his face, holding his breath lest he cast its seeds away from him.
Kazuha, however, refuses to be steered. “You’re saying I’m special,” he says, as if it were ever in doubt. “What about an occasion where you aren’t here? Would I still be welcome then?”
Ayato smiles as he leans over to kiss Kazuha again, long and deep. Water shifts around them as he tugs Kazuha around to face him, legs spreading to accept his weight. The bath won’t be warm for much longer, but that’s fine; Ayato has plenty of other plans for the night and ways to keep Kazuha warm. “I’ll always be here for you,” he says as he breaks away, gratified at the way Kazuha’s eyes have gone hazy. His thumb comes up to trace the hint of a smile at the corner of Kazuha’s lips before leaning forward to press another kiss, softer this time. He will protect Kazuha and assure that he is able to drift as freely as his heart desires; it is his role to make sure there is always a safe place to land. “You will always have a place to return, that I promise you.”