Chapter Text
With the Sakoku Decree finally repealed, it was finally time for you to leave Inazuma and go back to your home in Mondstadt. By sheer misfortune you've been stuck on the island for months on your way back from a tour of the nations and spent most of your time hiding to avoid curious eyes. In a normal situation, you would have probably gone mad, all alone in a country you've only started to know. Could you have hidden the fact you're an outlander and blended in swiftly with the crowd? Probably not, as it was easily proven, and joining the people of Watatsumi island was also not an option, since you've become weary of warmongering. That was the main reason you wanted to return home, after all.
Luckily, there were people in Inazuma that took pity on your plight and made your residency a lot easier; once Thoma got ahold of you it was only a matter of calculated sighs and slight eyelash fluttering until Kamisato Ayato became aware of the events. There was no need for any cheap charm on your part, of course, but you didn’t know the nature of the Yashiro Commission's leader, so for you it seemed like a victory.
Once hearing about your situation, Ayato immediately took matters into his own hands so that your stay would be comfortable and in utmost safety. You could go out as much as you would have liked, but inside the walls of the Kamisato estate or, sometimes, at the Komore Teahouse, you were always treated as an honorable guest, provided with the finest delicacies and softest garments. It was a bit awkward at first, as it seemed like you were taking advantage of their kindness, like a parasite that finally found a gullible host to consume, but you decided that you won’t come across such comfort very soon, so those thoughts vanished after a while.
In terms of entertainment, the premise was rather bleak, but even in that case there were little glimmers of fun that made you on occasion forget that you had an actual home to come back to. Sometimes, Thoma would show up and give you exactly 15 minutes to get ready to go with him while he was running errands while providing you with the necessary outfit so you would not stand out as an outlander (“Nothing flashy, just enough to look the part”). The errands themselves were mostly domestic in their nature, a little debt here, a little promise there. You were instructed not to speak when meeting people, as that would have been a dead giveaway, but when it was only the two of you, Thoma would entertain with the best gossip he could come up with on the spot, curious about how you would react to it.
After a while, you realized that this was not just kindness on Thoma’s part; the clothes he gave you were not as exquisite as the ones Ayato sometimes gifted you, they were still noticeably of better quality than those the common folk wore. In almost all cases, despite not taking part in his conversation and spending more of your attention on the environment rather than the speakers, the people with whom Thoma was dealing with were curious about you. Some were wise enough just to steal some glances and leave you be, but others found it appropriate to enquire about you, in the lines of “Who is the lady accompanying you” or, directly, “How have you made acquaintance of Thoma here”. On all occasions, of course, Thoma would cut in sharply with a laugh, saying that you’re just a close friend of the Young Lord and that you were pestering him to join his daily walks. Then, you’d just laugh in response and smile, trying to evade the awkwardness of the moment. You were not sure what was the purpose of these interactions, but you never tried to pry further, wondering if the game would ever change.
When there wasn’t a chance to leave with Thoma, you’d spend your days reading or helping around the estate (without Thoma or Ayato finding out, of course; you wouldn’t let guests do work around your home either). Sometimes Ayaka would be around and you’d manage to steal her for a few hours, both of you getting tangled in conversation about whatever the two of you could discuss. She always had her reservations when it came to you, but you could tell she was not just polite and actually enjoyed spending the time like this, although afterwards she’d have to rush to finish her job for the day.
What you enjoyed most, though, was when Ayato was free for the day and took time to spend with you. Whenever such an occasion arised, you’d wear one of the latest gifts from Ayato to show your appreciation; at first, you did it on a whim, thinking it would be nice to dress up. He didn’t comment on your choice at the time, but you caught him looking at you without purpose a few times that night, and after that his gifts would curiously be delivered just a few days before he’d be free again.
The evening would start with the four of you around the table, the two siblings catching up while you listened and Thoma chimed in from time to time. Eventually you’d join the conversation, when they’d pass the political point, without taking the leading role, contributing with only tales from your travels or funny stories from your childhood in Mondstadt. After a few hours of eating, chatting and laughing, Ayaka would excuse herself and leave for the night, while the three of you continued to exchange stories until exhaustion. It was only then that Ayato would give you his full attention and ask you about how you’ve spent your time since your last meeting. The meeting would slowly become more intimate and silent while you’d try to present the events in the most interesting way to steal as many reactions from the two as possible while still aware of the late hour. If when Ayaka was around you would mostly take the role of the listener, only supporting the conversation at times, when you were left with these two it was almost as if you had to offer them a performance and entertain them as well as you could, alcohol dusting your cheeks and letting giggles escape from time to time. If you grew self conscious, though, and tried to pass the role to someone else for just a moment of respite, both Ayato and Thoma would find a way to put you in the spotlight again.
You realized that this arrangement worked better for you too, after an evening when, for the first time, Ayato took the role of the storyteller. To be completely honest, you barely remember the details of the story, only that it involved the misadventures of an oni acquaintance of his, because your mind was occupied with just admiring the Young Lord and his charms. Noticing that his attention was completely devoted to you, you felt as if you blindsided Thoma, so, out of courtesy, you tried to reintroduce Thoma into the dynamic. What you did not expect was that he also focused his entire attention on you and your reactions. Caught completely off guard, you asked if there was something wrong, almost stumbling on your words. Thoma, on his part, was not caught off guard, actually seeming delighted with how you reacted, and delivered some excuse that you barely heard, Ayato chuckling on his side of the table. After that, he continued with his story, but you were too embarrassed with the events and definitely disturbed by the change of energy in the room.
On normal evenings, you’d also grow tired after a while and bid your farewells for the night, not before they’d try to convince you to stay just a bit longer, to which you obliged for maybe fifteen more minutes until you left to sleep.
Ayato’s initial promise to you was that he would find a way to help you leave Inazuma, yet every time after you’d finish with your stories he’d sigh and say that he’s yet to find a gap for you to escape. This made you worry at first, thinking that you will be stuck there for years, or that the Tenryou Commission will catch wind of you and throw you in jail, worries that both Thoma and Ayato would try to dispel immediately with reassuring thoughts. It made you happy to see them trying so hard to help you, amazed by their kindness this whole time. Yet, as the months passed, you slowly realized that there was no possible way that Ayato could not find you a lead to go home, not with his power of Thoma’s connections. Still, you decided not to confront them, as you enjoyed most of your life with them and had already settled into its dynamic. You knew that there was something, although you were not sure what, that those two were after, but decided to leave them to it while you lived in comfort.
That’s why, when Thoma came looking for you one morning and told you to get ready, you thought it would be just like every other time and asked him what was the plan. What you did not expect was to hear that it would be just a normal walk around Inazuma City, maybe even catching some lunch. Given your confused expression, he laughed, and gave you the great news: the Shogun terminated the Sakoku Decree, so you no longer had to hide, a matter that had to be celebrated accordingly. You did not know how to react, but you quickly arranged to meet later and excused yourself to get ready. You knew this should have made you happy since it meant you can finally go home. What struck you was that Thoma did not talk about that just yet. Even so, you brushed those thoughts aside and slowly your mood lifted when it finally hit you that you were free, or so you hoped. When the hour came, you showed up in an outfit that you had planned some ago out of boredom. The choice was adequate, since when Thoma saw you he was left quite speechless. The two of you spent the day in the city hopping from one place to another, as we introduced you for the first time with your actual name and let others enjoy, also for the first time, your company. You completely forgot how it was to live like this, rapidly growing tired, but in the most enjoyable way possible. You did not miss Thoma’s glances at you from time to time or how he would come closer to you whenever you’d speak with someone, but given your previous experiences you decided against asking about it. What you wanted to ask, though, was when a boat ride to Liyue could be arranged so that you can leave, but realized it might need more tact and, in all honesty, you were not as eager to leave as you were when you first met them.
Despite your attempts to hide your thoughts, Thoma could read you easily. After hours of walking, the two of you were finally resting outside of Komore Teahouse and admired the Inazuman sunset silently until he decided to speak up.
“It’s a bit soon, but we might be able to get you a ride out next week or so, I went this morning to the docks to see if any arrangements could be made,” Thoma spoke the words while looking in the distance, only turning his face towards you with a smile at the end of the sentence. Once again, he caught you off guard, but you thanked him nevertheless. For a moment you thought you had to argue for your decision to leave, but it clearly wasn’t the case. Not letting the guild catch up to you for having these thoughts, you talked about the past few months, and how thankful you were for their treatment.
“Don’t even mention it, you were a delight to have around. I can’t imagine how the recent events would have been without your support”, mentioning probably the situation with the Raiden Shogun and the Traveler and his brief time as a hiding outlaw, like yourself. “Before I forget, the Young Lord will come over in the next few days, he can’t miss these last moments when we have you here.”
Oh. So it was really ending. Well, Ayato coming over meant you had time to spend with them and thank for everything they’ve done, so that was good. After a few jokes and an attempt to invite them to Mondstadt after you settle back home, you gathered your belongings and left for the Kamisato estate together. The walk home was rather quiet, but you enjoyed the intimate moment.
After arriving, you were informed that Ayato would eventually be there the next day, which meant you’d have, maybe for the last time, one of your little party evenings with them for the last time. Going to sleep, you thought about how you felt about the entire thing. You couldn’t lie to yourself, you wanted to stay with them, but also missed your own home. You also couldn't deny the budding feeling you developed in this time for both Ayato and Thoma, for each in its own way, and how wonderful you felt in this space they reserved for you in their life. You loved how Thoma would deal with life in such an assured, easy-going way while still being responsible and reliable, like you loved Ayato’s mischievousness hidden behind his sweet, reserved nature. Truly, they made an intoxicating pair that you felt privileged to know and adored indulging in it, even if it was just for a few moments. Pondering for some time if you should speak about this the next day, you decided against it, preferring to let the evening run its normal course for a last time.