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Back then, Mondstadt was the only home Thoma had ever known. Everything he loved: the breeze, the flowers, his family were all there. He had everything he wanted, and lived a happy life. Because he was content, he never really had strong aspirations.
Each day is greeted by the sun's rays and the fragrance of flowers. At times, he'd even stroll around the city or explore the wilderness. Leading a peaceful and lax existence, he truly enjoyed the freedom Mondstadt is known for.
But when his father left for Inazuma, he chased after him and abandoned the free life that he led. He carried with him a bottle of Dandelion Wine...and a hope for a loving filial reunion.
So he sailed to Inazuma, thoughts of meeting his father filling him with much excitement. Dreams of Sakura Blossoms flooded his mind and beside him was his father, smiling as his son enjoyed another type of freedom. Different from that of Mondstadt.
Green eyes shone with youthful hope, but were quickly dulled by a massive wave. He didn't have time to think as the waves turned the boat around.
He kept on reaching out to the surface, but he couldn't. Spots danced in his vision, until it ultimately faded.
For once in his life, he truly felt like this was the end.
However, by chance or by miracle, he survived. The waves drifted his unconscious body to the shore.
But now he was swept into a strange country, with no family and nothing to his name.
He remained optimistic anyway.
Inazuma, however, was unforgiving to outlanders. Thoma's resolve remained burning nonetheless, his father's face in his memories keeping him going. He steeled himself in the face of criticisms and judgements.
Yet he was still unable to find him.
He searched every nook and cranny, overturned every stone. But he found no trace of his father.
He should've known that in the secluded land of the immortal Shogun, he will never be granted the freedom of dancing alongside the Sakura Blossoms in bliss.
He didn't know how he could survive like this in an unfamiliar country. He had nothing, so is he just going to wait for death to come? With no money to go home, and no means of getting by in Inazuma, how can he live on?
So there he sat in Ritou Harbor's docks, face buried in his arms as he ruminated. The rain poured, chilling him to the bone. But he didn't mind. He was used to the cold in Inazuma by now. Be it the people, the weather, or the feeling of not belonging.
These islands have no place for outlanders. It can never be his home.
He closed his eyes and felt the rain stop. Yet he could still hear the pitter patter of raindrops.
When he opened his eyes, it was no surprise to see that he was indeed right. Then he looked up. He caught a glimpse of a white kimono over a cream colored haori. A man his age stood beside him, parasol in hand.
"You'll catch a cold if you stay like that for long." His voice was deep, velvety. He had an air of elegance around him, and Thoma couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed being seen in the sorry state he was in by such a dignified man.
Thoma offered a sheepish smile anyway. "Ah...sorry, sorry. I was just spacing out." He rubbed his neck and elicited an awkward chuckle.
"In the rain? You should go home, a mighty storm is brewing."
Thoma looked beyond, eyes misty.
Thoughtlessly, he breathed out. "I wish I could go home..." Remembering that he was talking to an Inazuman, he quickly went back on his words. "A-ah, I didn't mean any offense to Inazuma. It's just that I-"
"No, it's fine. I understand."
He moved to sit beside Thoma. The latter's eyes widened. Then, in a panic, he spluttered. "A-ah, mister! You'll sully your clothes!"
The man simply waved his hand and chuckled. He smiled at Thoma, and now he had a good look at his face. Pale blue hair complemented gorgeous light violet eyes.
Thoma was at a loss for words.
This man...
This man was truly beautiful.
"It could be lonely, being so far away from home. Especially when you find yourself in a cold, scrutinizing country."
Purple hues looked downcast, pale blue lashes masking the sadness within.
"Sometimes, you'd still be judged nonetheless even if you've been here all your life. It is most disheartening indeed."
Thoma sighed. "Why care about such trivialities anyway? Don't you think that what really matters is that you still have a home to go to and there are still people that love you?" He paused. Archons, he really should cease running his mouth.
Before he could say anything even more embarrassing in an attempt to save his face, his companion spoke. "If so..." Thoma paused as the other began to talk. He turned and asked, "...then why are you sitting here so despondently?"
Thoma paused for a moment.
"This nation...has no place for outsiders like me."
"But what if you'll find somewhere that you'll belong?"
All he got from Thoma was a sad smile.
"If only I could stop grasping at hopeful dreams."
"But what if you can make it a reality?"
"If I could, then I would've done it a long time ago."
He grabbed Thoma's hand and his eyes burned with conviction.
"Then...what is your name?"
The parasol laid forgotten beside them. The rain still poured, but they both didn't mind. Thoma hesitantly eyed his hand as it was held between the other's.
"...Thoma." He met his eyes. "My name's Thoma." Then, a bright smile that could rival the sun itself.
The other man looked stunned at first, then he quickly grabbed the parasol and went back to his elegant demeanor. He cleared his throat.
"Apologies. I'm Ka— Ayato. You may call me Ayato."
Thoma's smile grew wider. "Well...then it's nice to meet you, Ayato."
At that very moment, he finally found his home in Inazuma.
-
How very unfortunate. Ayato finally gets to sit back and enjoy life for once, but the gods apparently had other plans for him. So now he's stuck in Ritou Harbor, the rain impeding his journey to Narukami Island. The Kanjou Commission recognized him as the young master of the Kamisato Clan and ushered him in. Unfortunately, that meant falling prey to one of their schemes. Not that he would ever let himself fall into it, anyway.
He smiles at the guard that saw and escorted him to the Kanjou Commission headquarters. Forced to show ostentatious kindness to mask the pretentiousness within the Kanjou Commission. I pity him.
Hiiragi Shinsuke greets him like how a father would greet a son who just came home from abroad. "Ah, young master Kamisato! Come in, come in. It's pouring outside." He shoots another smile. "Thank you." Do you think me foolhardy enough to believe your benevolence?
Then, from his periphery, he saw a lone figure on the docks.
There was something about that lone figure that drew him in.
He added afterward, "...but apologies, I can't take up your offer right now."
Hiiragi Shinsuke looked surprised. He's not a very great actor .
"But young master, a storm is brewing!"
Ayato gives him another close-eyed smile.
"Thanks for your concern, Kanjou Commissioner. But I've lived in Inazuma all my life. This is nothing that I can't handle." Furthermore, you're just looking for a way to make me indebted to you.
"But-"
"Goodbye, Commissioner." He politely bowed and walked away.
He then approached the lone figure in the rain, parasol in hand. He waited for the other to notice his presence, until he finally looked up.
"You'll catch a cold if you stay like that for long."
A sheepish smile. Adorable. "Ah...sorry, sorry. I was just spacing out."
"In the rain? You should go home, a mighty storm is brewing." Ayato sounded concerned, one of the many facades that he has long since perfected to win the affections of others. But something was amiss.
I'm not pretending at all...?
The other man looked at the horizon. Mindlessly, he breathes out. "I wish I could go home..."
Ayato hears a distant crack.
Something is definitely not right.
Green eyes widened. "A-ah, I didn't mean any offense to Inazuma. It's just that I-"
"No, it's fine. I understand." He then moved to sit beside the other. What am I doing? No...why am I doing this?
"A-ah, mister! You'll sully your clothes!"
Ayato shook his hand and chuckled. My, this man is quaintly conscientious. How very endearing.
Ayato didn't understand his own actions, but he smiled at the other anyway.
"It could be lonely, being so far away from home. Especially when you find yourself in a cold, scrutinizing country."
Downcast eyes flash memories of the turbulent Yashiro Commission.
"Sometimes, you'd still be judged nonetheless even if you've been here all your life. It is most disheartening indeed."
The other man sighs. "Why care about such trivialities anyway? Don't you think that what really matters is that you still have a home to go to and there are still people that love you?"
"If so..." He thoughtlessly counters. He then appends, "...then why are you sitting here so despondently?"
A pregnant silence and a dispirited voice.
"This nation...has no place for outsiders like me."
Then, just like that, infinitesimal cracks appeared on Ayato's carefully crafted mask.
"But what if you'll find somewhere that you'll belong?"
A sad smile and another crack. Only Ayato himself knows if the crack was his heart breaking or his bravado crumbling.
"If only I could stop grasping at hopeful dreams."
A little girl's smile surfaces in his mind, snow-like hair swaying in the wind and big blue eyes shimmering with hopes and dreams of a future to be had.
"But what if you can make it a reality?"
"If I could, then I would've done it a long time ago."
Now, a man with white hair replaced the image of the little girl. Tirelessly working to stabilize their standing, his health forgotten. The price of realizing his family's decades old dream.
This time, he'll strive to realize the dreams of others. Nobody should wait for decades anymore. No longer shall they toil for an uncertain dream. Because he will make it happen. Twilight-like eyes shone with unbridled conviction. He unknowingly grabs the other's hand.
"Then...what is your name?"
Ah.
The cracks are showing.
"...Thoma."
Green meets violet. The calm meadow meets twilight, ready to kiss the moon when it arrives in the sky.
"My name's Thoma." However, his smile could put even the moon and its stars to shame. Ayato dare says that it could even make the sun itself look benighted.
For the longest couple of seconds in his life, Ayato sat with wide eyes. He quickly grabbed his forgotten parasol and composed himself to preserve whatever dignity he had left. He clears his throat.
"Apologies. I'm Ka— Ayato. You may call me Ayato."
Thoma's smile grew even brighter. How can one smile so brightly, shaming even the sun itself? "Well...then it's nice to meet you, Ayato."
Then, those cracks rapidly increased and Ayato's pristine mask slowly fell apart.
-
Thoma really has a habit of reminiscing while cleaning. He smiles at his own silly antics and shakes his head. A voice from behind pulls him back to reality.
"Well, you're looking quite happy today. What happened?"
Ayato stood, leaning on the folding screen and sporting a smile of his own. Thoma turns, ready to happily reply. "Well, I-"
He stops. Ayato's smile looked tired and it didn't reach his eyes. Thoma furrows his brows in concern. His smile dropped and his expression changes to that of worry.
"My...lord?"
Ayato's smile also dropped. His troubled expression pierces through Thoma's heart like an arrow. He shakily sighs. "Now that the situation in Inazuma is unclear, the trouble the Kamisato Clan faces will only increase. You are someone who can see what's at stake, so if you don't want to get involved, leave early."
In the land of eternity, Thoma had to receive the Kamisato Clan's favors to survive. Thus how can he, who owed so much to the Kamisato Clan, just leave like that? It's a cowardly move, leaving them twisting in the wind.
He approaches Ayato and places his hands on his shoulders. Their eyes meet, blazing green staring straight into turbulent violet.
"If I leave at this time, I will lose my loyalty and righteousness. Father has always taught me to be a loyal and righteous man... I would like to do my best to do my part for the young master and the young lady. The path you will take in the future will certainly need me as a helper."
The dam breaks and Ayato buries his face in Thoma's shoulder. Beneath the elegant mask of the Kamisato heir, Ayato was just a normal person. He lost both of his parents and was forced to grow up faster as a result. He had a younger sister to take care of, protect, and raise. Yet despite everything, he was still a Kamisato. As part of the San-bugyo, he's bound to be embroiled in despicable power play and maneuvering.
Naturally, he'd grow tired too. That's one more of the reasons why Thoma decided to stay. But he left that unsaid.
That night, Ayato's mask finally crumbles. Said mask never stood a chance in the face of fiery loyalty and righteousness.
Later that night, Thoma received a Vision. A blazing blessing to be used to protect the only home he ever had in Inazuma.
-
A decade passed, and now the waters are calmer. Ayato eventually overcame the troubles that came his way, and because of that, Thoma is now enjoying the Naganohara Fireworks Show under the resplendent moonlight. The view is truly spectacular from Amakane Island.
How I wish that he was here to enjoy this night with me.
As if Celestia itself heard his prayer, Ayato spoke behind him. "Mind if I join you?" Not giving Thoma time to even disagree, he proceeds to sit beside him.
"My lord! You're going to get your clothes all dirty." A pout and a nonchalant smile from the other.
"No worries. I'll simply have someone wash it when we get back."
Then they paused.
Ah.
This was just like that day.
With both of them realizing this at the same time, they laughed softly.
"Thoma, look." Ayato points at the fireworks in the sky. A single blue firework was in the middle, circled by golden ones. Like a royal shielded by their knight in golden armor.
"It reminds me of you, my lord."
"It reminds me of us." He rests his head on Thoma's shoulder. It surprised Thoma, but he didn't make any move to push him away.
"You should show this side of you more often, my lord." The blonde chuckles.
Ayato stayed silent, and Thoma worried if he said anything that offended him.
"...I can see them, you know." He eyes Thoma. The latter gulps, feeling blood rushing to his cheeks. "The ripples of your beating heart in this realm of still waters." His eyes move skyward once more. "You're akin to a stone tossed into water, only when you arrived did I finally feel like my life was set into motion again after my parents' death. Not everyone is privileged enough to see this side of me, Thoma."
"I'm sure milady also played a great part in that, so I'm not taking all the credit for myself." A shy chuckle. "So...what really made me privileged enough, my lord?"
"Thoma."
"My l—" A hand covers his mouth. "Stop."
Stop? Stop what?
Violet hues stared into green, murky with...hurt? Disappointment?
Pale blue brows furrowed. In a barely audible voice, Ayato whispers. His words meant just for the two of them. "Will I forever remain just 'my lord' to you?" He looked down, bangs covering his face. But his voice betrayed him.
"Is your loyalty just that of a subordinate, and not a friend?" A friend, he says. But Ayato himself knows that he meant something more. Not that he could ever say anything about it anyway.
Thoma sat, shocked.
Wait.
Hold on.
He grabs Ayato's hand that was covering his mouth. He cradles it in between his own hands, and proclaims:
"My lo— No, Ayato. Just Ayato. Do you know who lit a fire in me, who ignited my ambition bright enough to appeal to the gods? I will not forget my initial promise. Let this burning flame protect those I cherish, and may it never be extinguished." He smiles that bright, bright smile of his.
"And..." He averts his eyes, green orbs trained to the water below them.
"Because I cherish you so, I wish to stand by you 'till the end. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, and in sickness and in health." He turns back to Ayato with a sheepish grin. Pink dusted his cheeks.
"'Till death do us part?" It's now Ayato's turn to smile at Thoma.
Thoma squeezes the hand that he was holding.
"'Till death do us part."
He seals his promise with a kiss to Ayato's hand.
Ayato seals his with a peck to his lips.
They both seal theirs with a kiss under the moonlight.