Work Text:
You sat in your workroom, your fingers cramping from holding a pen for so long as you carefully wrote out letters addressed to very important people, you were sure, but at that point all the names were blending together into one. The room was dim, with nothing but the lamp on your work desk to illuminate the creeping darkness. You set the pen down, letting out a sigh as you finally finished writing the last letter. You massaged your hand in a feeble attempt to relieve some of the pain as you glanced out your window. The sun was already sinking below the horizon, a testament to how much time you had spent cooped up in your room. Well, you supposed a little exercise was in order. You stood up, getting your bow out of your closet and going outside into the training grounds.
The exercises were tough and your muscles burnt, but you didn't stop. You kept on training. Even as the late evening transitioned into the night, even as beads of sweat dripped down your forehead and you panted from exhaustion. You pulled the string back, eyed your target, and let go.
You kept pushing. You had to. You were the youngest child of the Kamisato Clan, you couldn’t afford to fall behind. You wanted- no, you needed to keep up with Ayato and Ayaka. You needed to reach their level, you needed to stand beside them rather than behind them. You needed to be worthy of the Kamisato name. So you had to keep pushing.
“Milady?” a voice startled you out of your thoughts as you reached for another arrow. You inhaled sharply as you accidentally cut yourself on the top of the arrow. You winced, your skin stinging as blood trickled down your hand.
“Milady, what are you doing out here? Are you alright?” The Yashiro Commission housekeeper and your childhood friend, Thoma, came into view. You quickly clenched your hand into a fist in an attempt to seclude the wound.
“You scared me, Thoma,” you chuckled, “I’m just training, that’s all.”
Thoma approached you, causing you to quickly hide your injured hand behind your back, “You look exhausted, you should rest.”
“I’m fine,” you lied, shaking your head. “Really. I haven't been doing this for long.”
Thoma raised an eyebrow, "I saw you leave your room three hours ago. You’ve missed dinner, it’s nearing the time you usually go to bed.”
You tensed when you were caught in a lie, looking away as you quickly regained your composure. “So? It’s no big deal. I’m not tired.”
You lied straight through your teeth. As soon as the words were out, a pang of guilt shot through your chest. But, it didn’t matter if you were tired or not, you had to keep pushing. Thoma, however, wasn’t going to let you off the hook so easy. He took a few more steps towards you, the outdoor lights illuminating his handsome features.
“You must rest, Lord Ayato and Lady Ayaka would not be pleased to-“ he paused as his eyes trailed down to the hand hiding behind your back. Sensing something was wrong, he came even closer until he was directly in front of you.
“Thoma-?” You were cut off as your friend gently pulled your arm, revealing the open wound that you tried to conceal. Quite a large scratch. A dark crimson liquid trickled down your hand as Thoma stared at the wound with wide eyes.
“How did this happen..? Come inside, Milady, I must get you patched up.”
“Thoma, I promise it’s fine!”
“But, Milady, you’re hurt—“
“Don’t call me that!!” You cried out. You didn’t understand, despite being friends for so long he still called you by that.
You pushed yourself away from his grasp, tears pricking at your eyes as you tried to get some distance between you two. The warmth of his fingers lingered on your skin.
Thoma’s eyes widened, his lips slightly parted in surprise. “What do you mean..?”
You looked away, feeling ashamed that you were worrying him like this, “It’s nothing. Just please, leave..”
Thoma grabbed you by the shoulders, forcing you to look at him. Now that he was much, much closer, you could finally see his eyes clearly. His emerald eyes that glistened in the light, his eyes that were swirling with so much care and concern for you in that moment. You looked away.
“Please, Y/N,” your lip trembled as he used your real name. “Tell me what's wrong. We're friends, right?"
“I- I’ll never be as strong as Ayato or Ayaka,” you mumbled, letting your emotions seep out into your words. “I don’t deserve the Kamisato name.”
Thoma was silent, listening to your words carefully. His warm hands wrapped around your torso as he pulled you closer into a warm embrace. You froze, not used to this kind of affection before hugging him back.
“I'm glad you told me,” Thoma mumbled softly into your ear, his gentle voice softly lulling you to calmness.
“Y/N,” Your heart skipped a beat as he used your real name again. “You’re incredibly strong. You don't have to be a prodigy to be special."
“So what if you’re not as widely-recognised as Lord Ayato? You still contribute so much to the Yashiro Commission and the Kamisato Clan. You may not realise it, but the Commission really would not be the same without you.”
You didn't know what to think. Was that true? A part of you refused those words, yet your heart still accepted them.
“Come on, Y/N, let’s get that wound patched up,” he urged you, pulling away and gently holding your uninjured hand as he led you back to your bedroom. He took out a med-kit and held your injured hand in his, gently cleaning the wound and then bandaging it up. You felt yourself get taken back to five years ago, when you were fourteen. When you had stumbled on a rock in the garden playing with Ayaka. When he patched you up and cracked jokes to make you feel better.
When he was done, he didn’t let go of your hand, instead just holding it for a few moments as you both sat beside each other in silence on the sofa in your bedroom. You stared down at your lap, feeling ashamed that your friend had to see you in this state.
“I’m sorry I had to be such a burden to you, Thoma,” you kept your head down as you spoke.
“Don’t think that you are burden, not even for a second, Y/N.” Thoma gently lifted your face with his soft hand, making you look up at him.
He took both of your hands in his and held them, giving them a gentle, comforting squeeze. You couldn’t help but love the way his warm hands felt in yours.
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t notice that you were hurting-“ you cut off Thoma’s apology by letting go of his hands and wrapping your arms around his waist. He tensed at the sudden affection, before relaxing and returning the hug.
“Shut up,” you mumbled as you buried your face into his chest, listening to the soft patter of his heartbeat as he embraced you. He wasn't just hugging your body, he was hugging your soul. You yawned, suddenly finding it hard to keep your eyes open. Suddenly, you felt exhausted.
“Are you tired?” He asked softly. You nodded and Thoma chuckled as you stood up and plopped onto your bed.
“Goodnight, Y/N,” he whispered. You reached a hand out, your fingers weakly tugging on his jacket before he could leave.
“Don’t go..” You looked up at him sleepily. You wiggled a little bit to the right, making some space for him on your bed. You saw his eyes widen before he shook his head urgently.
“Milady, I-i can’t-“
“Please?” You pleaded. You saw him look back at the door before hesitantly taking off his shoes and laying beside you on the bed, facing you. You wrapped your arms around him, closing the very little space there was between you two. He returned the hug, he was so close you could feel his heart racing. You were sure your heart would be too if you were even processing what you were doing. But whatever, you were too tired to think about that right now. You could think about it in the morning. For now, all that mattered was that he was here with you.
“I love you, Thoma,” you whispered as you closed your eyes, ready for sleep to overtake you. Thoma smiled, gently stroking his hands through your hair.
“I love you too, Y/N,” he mumbled back. You smiled, before finally letting yourself drift off into a peaceful slumber.