#ayato fluff

“It’s not like I try to.” 

“Your track record of staying out of trouble fails to support your claim.” The rag of now lukewarm water that had been heated by both your skin and Ayato’s palm is lifted from your head. The remaining dampness feels sticky on your forehead as the air quickly begins to dry it. “Do you realize how reckless you can be?” His voice has a bite to it that you knew was coming. “Thoma sends you out on a brief errand and you do not return back home all day. Naturally, I would worry.” You don't watch him, but you can hear him dunk the rag back into water and wring the cloth out. “I go to retrieve you from whatever it was that was keeping you, and through various people’s testimonies, I found you outside Konda Village. That itself is not the issue, however.” The rag is placed gently back on your head, the action kind and delicate despite Ayato’s bitter tone. He was clearly upset. “Can you begin to understand the depths of my stomach when I saw you in the middle of a battle on the verge of unconsciousness because you were subjected to injuries?” 

You finally turn your head and look at him. The look on his face is soaked deep in so many emotions. His eyes were scared, his lips snared in a frown, cheeks flushed in anger at the memory. Even his posture was rigid. 

“That was you who showed up?” You knew it wasn’t Aether at the end of it all. Part of you was glad it was Ayato. 

“It was,” he sighs. “Luckily for us both, Aether is more familiar with the Priestess of Sangonomiya Shrine than I. He was able to transport you to her for healing swiftly.” You open your mouth in awe. That would explain that even after being shocked with so much energy, all that ails you was a headache and minor pains. “I shall be in her debt for some time for her service.” 

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to place you into any difficult situations that could strain the Tri-commission and the previous rebellion leader.” Ayato says nothing and you’re not sure if that’s a good thing or not. “I’ll be sure to pay my respects and gratitude to Sangonomiya as soon as I can.” Still, he says nothing in return to your words. He must be angrier than you thought. 

Silence swallows the dim room in a gloomy air. Ayato remains beside you, just staring out of the room’s window while you continue to stare at the ceiling between prolonged blinking. This was the last thing you needed to happen. Talking to Aether gave you the advice, courage and push you needed to come up with an answer to the one thing that had been plaguing you- that being Ayato’s feelings. Out of the corner of your eye, you glance at him. 

Sitting there, he still looks so stupidly beautiful it was envy inducing. How this man saw anything desirable in you when he looks like he could sweep even a God off their feet with a single smile, you’re not sure. In the same breath though, it does inflate your ego to know one of the most powerful men in Inazuma has the hots for you. Then, you frown. 

“Ayato,” you whisper, foregoing his title that has him humming towards your call without looking down at you. “I’m sorry.” His shoulders almost slump. “For worrying you.” 

“Indeed. As you should be.” You almost pout. He could at least try and accept your apology. Still, you’re understanding and know where his emotions are coming from. 

“You must’ve been scared,” you whisper. Afraid that you might be crossing a line in assuming his feelings. The man who had his childhood ripped away from him when his parents passed. The boy who had to grow up in the span of hours to even begin to know how to protect and raise his little sister. The boy who grew up into a man who was probably more lonely than he lets others know. Losing someone he’s confessed love to right in front of him? It must’ve been awful. 

Ayato’s fists clench in his lap. You can see the tensing of his muscles going up his forearm in the corner of your eye. He takes a deep breath in, before holding it and letting it out harshly. 

“Petrified.” His admittance was so quiet you could’ve confused it with the passing wind outside. It’s like your hazy vision clears perfectly when you see the way his face twitches. The Commissioner disappears, even if just for a moment, and all that you see before you is the man, Kamisato Ayato. Fitful, fearful, and so stupidly scared in love. 

You spring up with strength you didn’t know you had in your limbs. The rag on your head flying off towards the foot of your futon. Ayato’s body jolts, shifting back away from your sudden movement. You ignore the dizziness in your head that threatens to push you back into the mattress as you swivel your body towards the pale haired man. Still, your brow twitched at the pang of pain that shoots through you like a current. 

“Do not move like that!” Ayato scolds. 

The Commissioner’s hands move from his lap to grasp onto your shoulders. Whether to steady you or push you back down to rest, you weren’t sure. Maybe both, maybe none; maybe it was just instinctual. Still, it was a chance.

Your hands shoot up, palms latching around his wrists to keep him anchored to you and once again Ayato is faced with your brute strength when he feels shackled onto your body. It wasn’t an entirely unpleasant sensation. 

“Ayato!” You raise your voice firmly, once again dismissing his pedigree and refusing to collect it from the floor on which you throw the title. “I love you,” you boldly declare. You swear he blue screens. “I’ve been thinking about what you told me on the night of the meteor shower; like thinking about it a lot. I wanted to properly answer you, but you’re such an important person in Inazuma- I just needed a lot of time. Time and advice. Thoma and Ayaka were encouraging, but I needed someone like me to talk to. Someone not from Teyvat. Someone like Aether.” 

Ayato watches as you talk and talk and pour your words out like some sort of unclogged drain. Words washing over him like a silken blanket that fell from Celestia, coating him in warmth. 

You feel his arms twitch in your grasp, lifting from your shoulders and you panic. What if he’s changed his mind? What if you had caused him trouble enough times that he was over it?

“Wait-” you scramble when he manages to peel his wrists from your grip. Instead of standing up and leaving you alone on the floor, Ayato’s wrists twist so that he was the one now holding your hands.

His palms were warm. You could fully feel the difference of skin between the heel of his hand that was calloused from swordplay and the deep softness of the dip in his palm. His thumbs run across your knuckles as his hands encase yours. 

“Relax,” he instructs and to your credit, you do try. Ayato can feel the slight tremor in your hands as he holds them. Feel the cool sensation of your nervous skin under his. See the stiff stature of your shoulders and the way your eyes panic at being left. The Yashiro Commissioner is the pro at reading facial and body ques, but even if your squirming is adorable, he won’t let you steep in disconcerting emotions right in front of him. Not right now. “I understand” -he brings your hands up to his chin, clutched fingers resting just under his bottom lip- “you don’t need to worry.” 

“Do you really?” You press, swallowing the lump in your throat. 

“I do.” 

“Ayato-” you’re sure you’re about to start rambling again, words so desperate crawling their way up your throat to explain yourself. Your actions. Your avoidance. And your feelings. All so he could understand crystal clear that how you feel isn’t just because he confessed to you. Or because he was a powerful figure.

These feelings aren’t being coerced out of you or being fabricated because he’s a man of power. You need to tell him that you’ve had these stupid feelings for him for so long- even before he was flesh in blood in front of you and just data inside a computer screen. 

Ayato is a smart man. He knows. He knows what actions, feelings and emotions being pulled out of someone by force looks like. It looks nothing like your flustered expression and shaky hands and glassy eyes. You're being so genuinely cute he wants to combust. 

Chuckling to himself, he sees your jaw drop again. Before anything comes out, he leans forward to place a kiss to your cheek, just below your eye on the apple of your face. He’s sure if you were to smile, he’d feel the skin push up against his lips.

Oh, he hopes he can experience that soon. 

Backing away from your skin, Ayato stays within your breath. Hands still clasped gently- so delicately in his own- between you both. 

“Calm down,” he almost teases you. He watches you take deep, unsteady breathes, and finds your obedience endearing. “Good,” he praises. His suave nature of the situation cracks after you collect yourself from word vomit central as he lets out a deep breath of his own. Letting his head slump down, he rests it on your shoulder. Face turned so his nose was ghosting against your neck. His fingers start tinkering and toying with yours like some sort of fidget toy. 

Nothing else is said for the remainder of the night. Ayato ends up falling asleep on your shoulder and you take it upon yourself to lay your employer and potential lover down to avoid any neck strain. Taking your place back in your futon next to him, you make sure to keep a space between you both. When the sun rises and the air is new, you’d be able to talk things through properly. 

When Ayato opens his eyes the next morning, the sun isn’t the golden color of dawn he’s used to seeing. It’s warm and yellow and from the ruckus outside the door sounds like late morning activities and chores being done. He’s on his back and he knows the ceiling he’s staring at, knowing the futon he’s half on and knows the warmth of the body next to him. Turning his head, he’s convinced that waking up to you is the only thing that he wants for the rest of his time on Teyvat. He’s seen you sleep and rest plenty of times, between being ill and being caught in the middle of battle (albeit the latter is a new experience he strongly dislikes), but this is different. It’s intimate. 

Sitting up, he places one of his hands on your head, careful not to stir you and wake you from the rest he’s sure you need. Even if you didn’t need rest and were completely healthy, he’d be more than accepting if you wanted to spend all day in bed and forget your job completely. Of course, you’d probably just freak out realizing you slept in and hadn’t been earning your keep as part of the Kamisato staff.  

Ayato wonders if you’d still want to be under his payroll if he’s to properly court you? Would that be too risqué? Pursuing a member of his own staff… or perhaps thrilling? 

There's a soft knock on the door you both occupy and he knows that it could only be Thoma or his sister since this was his room after all.  Ayato doesn’t let just anyone interrupt his business in his own personal quarters. 

With his hand still gently playing with your head and twisting your hair around his fingers, he speaks quietly and allows the person entry. Thoma’s head popping in was no shock to the Commissioner. Walking fully past the threshold and into the room, Thoma shuts the door behind him. Giddy and pleased as punch, he sits himself down near his boss and friend. 

“Thoma,” Ayato starts, forgoing any good morning pleasantries. “Would it be considered distasteful to announce y/n as my lover while also keeping them on staff?” 

Instead of acting shocked or repulsed or even confused, the housekeeper cups his chin and closes his eyes as if in deep thought. He hums even, adding to Ayato’s glee. 

“While I personally see no issues with it, others- especially outside of the Yashiro Commission and Kamisato Clan- could potentially see it as something… tacky.” Ayato joins in on Thoma’s air of serious thought. 

“Yes, I could see how that could be taken by others. They could even try and slander y/n’s good name and hard work should I let my guard down.” Then, he scoffs; promptly dismissing the outside opinion entirely. “Pity I care not for public opinion on such important personal matters.” Ayato twists his torso so that he’s looking back down to your sleeping form. His hand moves from your head to your forehead. Finger tracing down the slope of your nose to push against your lips and trail from the corner of your mouth to your cheek and up and around your ear. If he was a blind man, he could still easily see your beauty this way. 

Thoma clears his throat with a flushed face, feeling like he was suddenly intruding. “I’ll go and prepare something easy on the stomach for y/n to eat when she wakes up. Surely she’ll be hungry.” 

“Yes,” Ayato nods, “see to it. After her situation yesterday, we’re not sure how well her stomach will be, so please be mindful with the selection. I shall also eat with her.” Thoma nods, already to standing back up and excusing himself. 

Once alone again, Ayato lays himself back down on his side to just look at you. He’s not sure how much time passes or when your eyes open. Perhaps he zoned out, and just didn’t realize you were now awake looking back at him. 

“You have a staring problem?” You ask him, groggy and cranky just as you always are when you first wake up. He chuckles, bringing a hand up to pinch at your cheek. 

“Don’t be cheeky now,” he hums and you groan, swatting away his hand. He catches your assault and brings your knuckles to his lips, kissing each one delicately and individually. “Good morning.” 

“Who’s being cheeky now,” you mutter but don’t move to pull away from him. Ayato’s exceptionally pleased as he sits up, pulling your arm so you join him. You slip your hand from his and stretch, looking outside and realize that you should probably get up. It hasn’t been that long since you recovered from being sick and now you’re back in bed? That can’t look good to the other staff members.

If you had said that out loud, Ayato would have snickered a cheeky ‘I knew it’ in your face at his initial assumption to the current time and your work.

“Thoma will be back shortly with something for us to eat,” Ayato tells you, seeing you start kicking the covers off your legs. “Stay until then.” 

“I’m kind of sick of eating in bed like a patient. If I have to eat, I’d rather do so at a proper table.” You sigh. While what you say isn’t untrue, the real reason for you wanting to get up was to maybe get out of the futon and get some air. Ayato nods. 

“I see.” He stands to his feet, his clothes that had been well slept in from the night well beyond wrinkled. “Just a moment,” he walks away from you and heads to a pair of sliding doors that reveal more clothes. During the moments he spends rummaging around, you finally realize where you were. Fanning your face, you look away as soon as he starts undressing into something not wrinkled and meant for sleeping. Maybe you could sneak out as he changed- so blatantly- in your presence with his back turned. Being in Ayato’s room made you feel woozy on top of everything else. 

“I’m just going to-” You mutter to yourself, pushing the futon cover off your legs fully. Before you could even get into a position to get up, Ayato’s voice stops you. 

“Stay put.” Looking over your shoulder, he’s not even looking towards you. A new shirt on his torso and fussing with the tassels that hang over his shoulders. You conceded almost immediately, deflating back onto the futon. He struts over once presentable, bends to grab your arm and trail his hand down it to grab your hand before lifting you to your feet. “Now, we can leave.” Ayato leaves his room with you tethered and pulled along by him. 

You pass Thoma with a tray of food set for two and you can tell he’s trying not to laugh at your expense. Everyone who’s within the path is obviously staring at the Kamisato Clan head guiding you through the halls by your hand and the attention makes you squirm and heat up. Clearly, it must be entertaining.

“Thoma, we’ve decided to eat in a proper setting.” 

“Of course!” He’s well ahead of the game and shifts gears to lead you both to the dining room. Ayaka hears rumor of Ayato’s hand holding scene and rushes- as dignified as possible- to join the fun. 

The day goes by in a blur. You’re returned to work, under the strict supervision of Thoma, while the two siblings huddled together in hushed giggles and schemes you were sure is just more trouble. Every time Ayato spied you in the halls or out in the yard, he would come trotting over unrestrained. Saying something quick to you before taking your hand, squeezing it and letting it go. Ayaka shot you giddy looks at any chance she got and Thoma... kept his mouth shut. Mostly because he was the only one who you would probably get away with smacking if it came down to it. 

When night falls, before turning in for bed, you had changed into your night clothes before deciding one more task needed to be done. It wasn’t for you, or maybe it wasn’t even that important, but for Ayato’s sake you wanted to try and ease his worries. You knocked on his door, cradling something in your hand when he slides his doors open to come face to face with you. 

“Y/n,” he smiles. “What brings you here?” 

“Hold out your hands,” your face was hot. Why was this so embarrassing? He does as you say, holding out a single, empty palm. You place what you had into his. 

“A handkerchief?” He questions. Was this a custom from your world maybe? He takes the folded cloth and starts unfolding it before his eyes widen at what was being held inside of it. 

“You can keep that. It’s” -you wring your hands- “It’s hard to explain, but I think this is part of the reason I found myself in Inazuma. Maybe if you keep it with you, you’ll feel better about things.” Ayato’s free hand comes to grab the small, circular piece of purple and blue twined bead-sized ball. It felt light like candy and reminded him of the stars the night before he met you.

It was the very same item he somehow knew you had in your pocket when he saw you in the Tenryou prison cell for the first time. “I don’t have all the answers on how I got here, or why. And I can’t make any promises that I won’t end up… leaving..?” You scrounge around for more reassuring words but fall short. “For what it’s worth though, I want to stay. Here. With you.” 

Ayato’s hand curls around the piece of fate and brings his fist up to his lips. Smiling with his eyes, crows feet crinkle his skin. He grabs your wrist and drags you into his room for the second night in a row, sliding the door shut at your back. The candle he has lit is soon extinguished afterwards and you don’t come back out. 

It took all of one, simple day for rumors to run around the estate, and even beyond its walls, that Kamisato Ayato had finally shown romantic interest in someone. Rumored still that the person he’s supposedly now courting is not only someone he picked up from a prison cell years ago and not from Inazuma, but is one kept on his payroll. 

None of that mattered though. Not when he’s able to look up and watch the next meteor shower with you, holding your hand instead of worrying you’d fly away with them at the end of it all. That’s all he wants; you, safe and happy with him in his home with his family.

And Kamisato Ayato usually gets what he wants. 

-END-

a/n pt.2: if you've decided to take the time to read through 9 parts of an insanely messy ayato fanfiction, words can't describe my appreciation! i worked pretty hard on this series and seeing it come to an end makes me feel satisfied. It's not the most popular by far, but its finished and for those who read it- i thank you from the bottom of my heart <3

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“A scholar from Sumeru has been predicting the last few Teyvat has experienced. Apparently, when he announces yet another prediction people tend to take him seriously.” 

“Yeah? I don’t remember any meteor showers since I’ve been here though.” 

“That’s why it’s so exciting this year! Every year before, you’ve always been sick.” 

“Everytime?!” Your jaw drops. What kind of bad luck is that? “Well, I better not just develop some nasty cold or food poisoning or something before this one.” 

“The initial prediction is tonight, so I’m sure you’ll be able to see it this year.” You blink at her before looking at the midday sky. Tonight? She sure is telling you on kind of short notice. Maybe it was her way of trying not to stress you out so that no sickness could come and ruin your chance again?

Whatever. It doesn’t matter anyway. At least you know now. 

“Well, then I’ll be right as rain!” You smile with your friend before she’s suggesting you come back inside with her. You do so, mostly so that the samurai’s glare would stop burning the back of your head so much. 

With the newfound excitement of seeing a meteor shower, the rest of the day seemed to drag on far too slowly. Even back in reality, you haven't seen a proper meteor shower before. You were either asleep, forgot about it entirely, or the city smog and light pollution would never let the sky be seen for what it was. So, this was entirely new territory and terribly exciting. Ayaka was apparently excited for it too, since that’s all she was talking about all afternoon as you tended to her whims. 

The land bathes in the golden hour of dusk when Ayato comes knocking at Ayaka’s door, asking to borrow you for the evening. Thoma at his back. Ayaka snaps open her fan from her place sitting gracefully at a tea table and places it over the bottom half of her face. The eye contact she holds with her older brother is like a silent conversation before she’s nodding her head.

Easily, the exchange of Thoma for you is swift and you are then following at the older brother’s heels. Ayaka giggles gleefully behind her fan while Thoma is left shaking his head with his hands on his hips. 

Ayato retreats back into his office and you trail after him. Instead of stopping at his desk like you assumed he would, he keeps walking. The small door at the back of the office, just behind his desk, is his destination. He slides the door open with the outside of his palm and steps through the threshold. You had always just assumed that room was some sort of closet. Seeing him go through it and disappear around the corner left you blinking in some sort of mental buffering.

...Maybe it was a big closet?

Ayato notices a lack of you behind him and back tracks with a chuckle to stand once again at the threshold of the mysterious doorway. 

“Come on,” he beckons. You do nothing but nod and obey as he turns his back again to continue on his way to wherever. The room you assumed to be a closet wasn’t at all. It was a small, two step passage to yet another set of sliding doors that he continues to go through. This time, the door leads into a different room entirely. 

Following him slowly, you look around. The room was small, much smaller than his large office. There was a long, low table with a cloth running the center-length of it with a vase of fresh flowers on top of the fabric. Against the back wall was a wooden and well carved kimono rack that was being used to display a wonderfully blue designed kimono that you know was made to Ayato’s tastes. Two cushioned zaisu- legless floor chairs- sit in the last slivers of sun just on edge of the room next to yet another pair of doors that must lead out onto the veranda. 

“Please, shut the doors behind you.” You nod, racing back to the first set of doors in his office to slide it shut and then the second that leads into this secret room. Once you successfully shut yourself in the small room with him, you feel your face heat up when the man in your company removes his heavy overcoat to his multiple piece daily ensemble. Ayato takes a seat in one of the zaisu chairs and offers you the other in front of him with one of his arms now that he is more comfortable. 

You accept the invite, although a bit nervously. Is there a reason he took you all the way back here? You could only assume this was a room that he didn’t advertise to many. A place to escape his work for even the smallest amount of respite in solitude. You were willing to bet only Thoma and Ayaka knew of this room. 

“I do hope you don’t mind the isolation,” he chuckles. “Only Thoma knows this room exists, so we won’t be bothered here.” 

“Lady Ayaka doesn’t?” That was shocking. You were sure she would know too. 

“She does not. I treasure my sister dearly, but even I need time solely for myself from time to time.” That makes sense. But then why did he choose to show you? If only Thoma knew of this place, and not even his beloved sister, why did he allow you to let you in on this closely kept secret? As if reading your mind, Ayato chuckles. “Feeling special?” He attempts to joke. 

“Oh!” You look up at his amused face. “I’ll promptly forget this room exists as soon as we leave,” you promise. 

“I surely hope not.” You blink at him and if he had tea at the moment, he would’ve taken a satisfied sip. He could almost see the question marks materializing over your head. Cute. “I brought you here because I have some things I’d like to discuss.” 

Ayato hums to himself. Maybe he should’ve phrased that differently.

It’s not like he brought you all the way back here just to scold you or anything nefarious. Still, the way you were sitting so straight, along with the fidgeting tells him that that’s almost what you were expecting. 

“If you’d humor me, I’d like to take off my commissioner hat and speak with you freely for a while.” The look in his eyes as they drifted downwards eased your tension. It was very rare that Ayato didn’t have his guard up in some way or another, so this not only relaxed you, it also flattered you to some degree. “It may sound selfish of me, but in this space I will accept all you have to say. Even if whatever it is seems… outlandish.” 

“Is there something you wish to know, my lord?” You swallow a lump in your throat as your hands that settle on your lap squeeze together. 

“There is, but I’d like to first share something with you. It’s something that I haven’t told anyone before. Not to Thoma or my sister.” His gaze that had since been gazing down in an almost solemn expression lifts to yours. “You will be the first.” 

Ayato lifts his arms, pulling off his gloves and with his now naked hands, moves to start unclasping the guard braces that always rest over his arms under his robe sleeves. 

“On the night before you were found in Ritou, there was a meteor shower much like the one that is predicted to be occurring soon tonight.” He frees one clasp and pulls the fabric restricting his arm free before moving to the second. “On that night, I was feeling particularly unrested. I was antsy and couldn’t settle down. My very bones kept me awake to the point I could hardly even parktake to my work. That was until I watched the sky and saw the stars shooting across it.” The second clasp was free and soon the guard was hanging on by a single one remaining and clinging to his arm. “There were several to view, streaking the skies with color. I must’ve been particularly childish that night, since I found myself wishing for a sort of… change to my daily life. Even if just a brief one.” 

The brace he had been working on falls loose from his forearm. It clambered to the floor with a dull sound before his free arm started the process over again on his opposite one. He could undo the fabric and buckles without even looking at them. It was habitual at this point. 

You can’t bring yourself to interrupt his words, so you sit still and silent. He’s silently thankful for that fact. 

“I always thought it was my imagination, but when I made that childlike wish for change, a single star that came into view seemed to burn brighter than the others around it. It outshone its starlight brethren and the brilliance of it seemed to shift the air. It was so short lived, however, that when I merely blinked my eyes it vanished among the darkness. So, I chalked it up to mere tiredness.” He had already undone two clasps and was nearly finished with the third. 

The second brace falls to the floor just like the first one. Now free from his arm guards, Ayato gathers them in his hands along with his discarded gloves and sets them aside neatly. You had never seen the sleeves of his undershirt so loose and wide. You had always assumed his mulitude of undershirts were thin to make wearing his coat more comfort. Now you see that it was just his arm guards keeping the under fabric in place. The fabric of his sleeve's flutters down around his arms like waterfalls of satin. 

“Then, mysteriously after that one fateful meteor shower where I dared let myself have such reckless wishes,” his eyes that had once been on his arms to remove his articles of daily wear and then closed in a calm recollection, reopen to stare straight at you. Your breath catches in your throat. “You showed up on the edge of Ritou.” 

You were speechless. You weren’t sure what to say or do. Was he merely saying it was a coincidence, or was he accusing you of something? No amount of in-game knowledge to the here and now of personally knowing him will ever give you the grasp on his thoughts and true extent of his intellect. 

“My lord, I’m not sure I follow.” 

“That traveler, Aether,” his voice took on a different cadence. It wasn’t the soft one of storytelling from before, but it seemed much more neutral now. Like he didn’t have any sort of likes or dislikes in the world and was simply reading a script. “He took the time to come by the residence while you were ill since he was worried for you. During that time, I took it upon myself to confirm that he was not from Teyvat as I had been suspecting.” You swallow and wish you had some water. “The same can be said for you, yes?” 

“I’ve already disclosed to you before, sir, that I’m not from here.” It’s fine. You can worm your way out of this. 

“Yes, but I’d like to know more about the world in which you call home. The one beyond Teyvat.” Or, maybe you can’t. You feel chills running down the length of your spine and creep down your shoulders all the way to your elbows. Your eyes remain downward, and your internal panic must be showing on your face. “Take a breath, y/n,” Ayato tells you, his voice calming you down with a gentle tone just like before. 

“I… it’s true that I’m not from Teyvat. When I first came to work here under you, I told you I was from somewhere far away. That’s the truth, I didn’t lie, I just…” 

“I am not here to force information out of you or scold you for withholding information like your origins. Frankly, I wish to know more for selfish reasons than anything else.” He means it. You take a deep breath, and he eases at your attempt to calm yourself. He did not want to spark panic or fear through you. 

“I apologize if this sounds rude, but try putting yourself in my shoes, Yashiro Commissioner. You’ve lived in Inazuma all your life, and while I admire your strength at having to grow up so quickly for your family, I didn’t even get that. I woke up in a strange place that wasn’t my home.” You chuckle bitterly and your hands curl into the fabric of your lap. “And of all places to end up, it was the nation that was closing its borders and rejected anything that even so much as tried to go against the Shogun’s view of eternity...!” You deflate. “I was terrified.” 

Ayato watches you intently. He watches as your body starts trembling at the fear and anxiety you’ve been forced to endure for years. By yourself. How your hands release each other to instead run through your hair. You were getting too worked up. 

“Y/n,” he tries to reach you, but you shut him out. 

“I mean, it wasn’t fair! Not only did I just show up and immediately get detained- which I'm still mad about by the way- I knew about the Shogun’s distaste for anything- anyone- like me and Aether. We defy the laws of her stupid, narrow minded view of how people should live.” 

“Y/n,” he tries again. Ayato moves so that he’s within your arm’s reach. You had barely taken a solid breath that whole spiel. His arms are suddenly in your grasp, your hands latching onto where his discarded braces used to rest. The action catches him off guard- or more accurately your strength. 

Thoma had mentioned in passing once that you were especially strong for someone who didn’t know anything about combat or the like. If you squeeze his arms too tightly, he might be able to hear his bones creak. 

“Please, calm down.” You take deep breaths in and out a few times and the grip on his forearms lessen just enough for his muscles to feel relief. “Y/n,” you don’t look up at him from your hanging head, but he knows your listening, “I understand why you were scared to share anything with someone, but if it was causing you such distress, could you not have trusted at least one of us? Thoma, Ayaka or myself. Just one surely would’ve been enough to ease your burden even if just a little.” 

“I didn’t know how.” 

“Do you think we’d think you a fool?” You shake your head. “Then, perhaps you thought we simply wouldn’t believe such a tale?” You shake your head again, but it is less denial and more confusion. You didn’t know what you thought. 

Ayato’s view of the back of your head fills him with a feeling that makes his chest squirm. Sighing, his shoulders slacken and his head falls down to rest on yours. You jolt when his forehead pushes on the back of your skull, his nose and cheeks brush through your hair. 

“I would have believed you.” You’re silent. “After all this time, I convinced myself you came to Inazuma through the folly of a shooting star and childish whim.” He takes a deep, heavy breath. Breathing you in and letting you back out in his exhale. “I would have.” He reaffirms. 

You don’t know what to say. Should you thank him? Apologize? What was the right thing to say right now? Or maybe... maybe it would be best if you just continue to stay silent. Say nothing at all.

Ayato stays resting against your head for a little while longer before he straightens his back once again. He starts moving his arms and gently twists your grip from his arms before he’s gently sandwiching your hands between his. You could feel the callous on his hands from his swordplay. He's warm. It gives you something to focus on- something new and comforting. 

“I actually quite dislike meteor showers these days.” You slowly, very slowly as if you were still afraid of something, move to finally look up and back towards him. “If the stars are what brought you here to me, what’s stopping them from taking you away?” 

“My lord?” You whisper. The way his eyes were looking at you wasn’t a look you were familiar with. They were gleaming with this childlike innocence, one that he was forced to leave behind so early. Filled with something so pure and frightful while looking at you. 

“I told you before that I dislike when you address me like that.” 

“Oh-” 

“Every year when you fall ill and the stars start moving across the night sky, it’s like the heavens are warning me. Telling me that they can take you back any time they wish. So, to counteract those warnings, I stay by your side until you recover. You’d have no choice but to stay here on the ground with me if they cannot get past.” 

It was almost scary how much this man knows. How he can gain knowledge by just the bare basics of things and then piece together them on speculation alone. Even things so outlandish as this. As you.

It was strange, the feeling in your chest. 

Coming back from Watatsumi after the war ended and having Ayaka and Thoma waiting for you brought you so much comfort. And finding common ground with Aether about feeling like some imposter gave you peace. But this? Having Ayato look you in the eyes without wavering and telling you that he’d not only believe such a strange tale of someone so ordinary, unlike Aether who is the opposite of ordinary, but also accept it? 

You thought you were finally getting over your years-long fit of homesickness mixed with this strange case of imposter syndrome. The tears that well up in your eyes and spill over your cheeks prove otherwise. 

Unlike before, Ayato seems to have anticipated your emotional turmoil this time. The moment your tears roll down your face, he pulls you towards him before the first one has the chance to hit the floor from your chin where it drips. With a gentle tug on your bicep, he pulls you to rest your head just off his neck. The crown of your head settled nicely under his jaw as his other hand came to enclose your body and rest on the back of your head, keeping you locked in against his warmth. 

You’re glad he shed off his suit jacket when you both came into this room. It would’ve been much harder to hold onto him with all his ornaments and tassels in your way. 

By the time you settle down, the sun is already set below the horizon and the room's dark. Lit only by the strong light of the near full moon rising over the walls of the estate.

It was a clear night. One perfect for a meteor shower. 

“I apologize if this was all overwhelming for you. Bringing you distress was not my intention,” Ayato apologizes. You shake your head, sniffling and wiping your face of dried tears. He has since released you from his chest, but his touch still remains on you. Gingerly placing one palm beneath your elbow to keep your arm rested in his to using his other overly large sleeve to pat your face dry of any stray tears he can erase. 

“I’m more embarrassed than anything,” you mumble. He chuckles. It feels comfortable. 

“I won’t take up too much more of your time. Ayaka is looking forward to the meteor shower, and while I’d like to keep you for myself, I’ll allow her to have you this year.” 

Ayato slowly stands to his feet, knees bent to offer you his hands and bring you to stand up with him. Sitting close to each other felt far different than standing so close. You’ve been close to him before, either in reprimanding nature or when he would offer you aid like when you were ill. This however, this air around you and the proximity between you and him was much more intimate.

His hands softly lift yours between both your chests and your feet were almost slotted between his own. You could smell the scent of the day on his clothes, the gentle air of mist that coated him in a pristine aura. It heated your cheeks. 

“Come, I’ll see you out,” he takes a step back. The air tastes different when he pulls away. Keeping one of your hands in his, he steps over to the second pair of doors you noticed earlier and slides it open. Apparently, for such a secret room, it did lead directly out to the veranda like you originally thought. How could anyone miss a set of doors like this?

You both step out into the cool night air as he shuts the door at your back. Leading you away from the room, his folded grip on your hand never faltering. 

It’s a short walk before the soft slights of lanterns can be seen from beyond the way. The others must be outside waiting for the predicted time. Somehow, the thought of other people occupying your space relaxed you. Ayato stops walking before turning to you. 

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to join you all for this event.” Your brows turn up. You were under the impression he would be sticking around and a feeling coils in your stomach at the thought of him being away. Damn your feelings. “Despite this, I wish to tell you one more thing before I depart.” 

You nod. Ayato’s face takes on yet another expression. It’s soft, somber, and the smile he wears is one you hadn’t seen before. It was lovely. 

“Trusting another person isn't easy, especially for someone of high status. But you have placed your trust in me, and of course I will not let you down.” Leaning down, Ayato’s lips meet your cheek. They’re cool but soft and you're sure he can feel the heat of your skin ignite under his polite kiss. Pulling away, his forehead rests against yours and you can only stare at the crows feet that make themselves so handsomely at home against the corners of his eyes. “I care for you deeply. You need not return these feelings, or even think about them after tonight. I am content just having told you. Just for the rest of this night, however, I selfishly hope I consume the forefront of your mind.” 

With one additional peck to the crown of your head, Ayato steps away from you. Your hand slips from his grasp and he’s soon walking away from you until he’s gone. 

The cool night breeze feels soothing on your enflamed skin. Who knows how long you stand in place until Ayaka catches sight of you, beckoning you over. 

The meteor shower starts, but you can hardly focus on it. Ayato gazes at the sky from his office window, convincing himself that despite the nightmare of waking up in a world you weren’t in, you would undoubtedly still be under the same roof in the morning. 

a/n pt.2: he said the thing !!!! (bonus points for anyone who immediately caught me using in-game voice lines lol

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But now? Now, it was a different story altogether. Ayato had transitioned from a distant figure to a constant presence in your life. At first, his smiles were reserved for afar, a simple curve of his lips that would send warmth flooding you. Then, gradually, he approached you, greeting you sweetly. Hearing your name on his lips was like a lovely, melodious prayer, each syllable fluttering butterflies in your stomach.

It confounded you—what spell had he cast that was so powerful? Today was unprecedented, a whirlwind of interactions unlike any you had experienced before.

Ayaka was deep into preparations for an upcoming festival, and you were there to assist her, eager to lend a hand. However, as you arrived at the Kamisato Estate, the sight that greeted you in the courtyard left you utterly captivated.

There stood Ayato, shirtless, engaged in a display of swordsmanship with a man you didn't recognize. You were entranced, watching him move with a fluid grace that made every strike and parry seem like a dance. The lean muscles of his chest shimmered under the sun, glistening as he moved. You felt your thoughts drift into perhaps overly intimate territory, your imagination running wild with indecent daydreams that spiraled into a chaotic mix of awe and desire.

Then, suddenly, a voice calling out your name shattered your daydreams, yanking you back to the present. Panic surged through you as you registered that you were now the focus of Ayato’s attention, his striking gaze locking onto yours. Had he noticed your earlier admiration?

Anxiety coiled in your chest, and warmth flooded your cheeks, embarrassment threatening to suffocate you. The thought of being caught in your staring felt scandalous, and for a moment, you wished the ground would open up and swallow you whole.

You should have said something to diffuse the awkwardness. Still, you stood frozen, feeling the weight of all eyes in the courtyard boring into you. Completely lost in your frantic thoughts, you hadn’t realized Ayato had approached until he stood right before you, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Are you alright?” he asked gently, his voice smooth and warm, causing your heart to flutter despite embarrassment. “You appear a bit flushed.”

The sincerity etched in his features made your heart race even faster. It was a miracle you didn’t faint under the weight of such attention. Words fled you; you were tongue-tied, caught between the urge to reassure him and the overwhelming embarrassment of the moment. As he turned to mention something about fetching a doctor, you panicked.

“No,” you blurted, a bit louder than intended, realization crashing over you like a wave. You cringed, aware that you had just yelled at the head of the Yashiro Commission. Ayato’s eyes widened slightly, his hand falling to his side as he regarded you with caution and continued concern. “Thank you for your concern, Lord Kamisato, but I’m fine; please don’t worry yourself.”

You turn after flattening the sheet out of creases on the line, what greets you is Thoma standing behind one early returnee from extended business: Kamisato Ayato.

Thoma stood behind Ayato's shoulder, a sheepish look on his face. That coupled with the stretched smile on Ayato’s face you know that someone had tattled. You’re not sure if Thoma told him about your recent fleeing to a different island or Ayaka in the short window he's been back without you even knowing, but whoever did, you wouldn’t be forgetting about it anytime soon. Because now you’re going to either face a lecture from your incredibly far too composed employer or crumble under his scrutinizing smile that declares nothing short of silent irritation. 

“Welcome back, milord.” Maybe you can play nice and just skate by his attitude. “I hope your business went well?” 

“Quite,” was his curt reply. “Once you’ve finished your tasks out here, please see yourself to my office. I believe you and I are in need of a discussion regarding your recent… behavior while I was away.” 

Dammit. You lower your head, yielding quickly. It would do you no good to try and worm your way out of this. He’d only get more annoyed, and you didn’t feel like poking the proverbial bear. 

“I understand,” you dejectedly obey. Ayato, with a cheekish shift in his grin, turns with practiced grace and leaves you. Thoma weakly apologzing silently behind his back towards you as you glare at you. His kicked puppy expression tells you all you need to know. Traitor. 

Turning back to your laundry, you wonder if you should take your time. Extend the task as long as possible as to postpone the scolding waiting for you in Ayato’s office. Even then, he’d somehow know that you did so and would then also scold you for that. You whine to yourself among the white sheets that billowed lightly in the wind of the midmorning air. 

“This sucks,” you murmur defeated before finishing your task. Taking the basket you used to carry the sheets outside back where it belongs, you were soon marching sadly towards those familiar sliding doors where your pale haired employer sits inside. Staring at the doors, you wonder if he knows you're out here already. Wonder if he’s aware of you fidgeting and hesitation on announcing your arrival and purposefully drawing it out for his own amusement?

Or maybe you’re just thinking too much.

Taking a deep, quiet breath in, you hold it just enough to announce your arrival. “My lord, you requested my presence?”

You hear him hum inside, a bit too cheerily. An eyeroll leaves you behind the safety of the still shut door. 

“Come in,” he commands with a suspicious lithe in his tone. With one more breath, you slide the door open, step inside and close it at your back. You wonder if it’s too early to start groveling? 

Making familiar strides across the office, you move to take your place on a small cushion reserved for guests at the back of the room with a small tea table. It was this very table years ago Ayato got his first bit of information out of you. It really has been a while, it’s weird you remember it so vividly. You begin kneeling down to get comfortable when- 

“Not there,” Ayato stops you mid-kneel. Body awkwardly standing at a half-bent angle. You look over towards him. He hasn’t lifted his gaze from whatever document he was looking over. One of his hands holds the long sleeve of his opposite arm back when he lifts his brush to scribble something down on an unrolled scroll with wet ink. You slowly, cautiously, stand back up and your fidgeting starts running the autopilot function. 

“My lord?” Still, without looking up at you or even making a slight stop in his work, his chin juts out to the front of his desk that rests on the floor. 

“There,” he says. The more extravagant cushion on the other side of him was undoubtedly what he was referring to. You’ve only caught glimpses of much higher individuals sitting there when coming to meet with the Kamisato head. The Kujou and Hiiragi Clans for example. You, a random staff member who was hired on more than suspicious terms, shouldn’t be doing so as well.  

Looking around you wonder if there was different cushion around for you to take instead of that one. Or perhaps he means for you to take the cushion you were about to sit on over and sit in front of his desk in that fashion. If that was so, you understand perfectly. 

“No, no,” his voice takes on a playful shift. Still, it makes your shoulders jump because when you lift your gaze back up from the plain cushion at your feet, Ayato is finally looking up at you.

He's set down his still wet tipped brush on a block of elegantly carved wood to prevent it from rolling away and ruining his hard work. The scroll he had been brushing upon with his skilled calligraphy was left idle as the ink began the drying process. One of his arms rests with his elbow on the very edge of his desk to support his chin- a very unprofessional yet comfortable move- while the other rests on his folded lap. “Come here and sit,” he instructs. His eyes shut with a smile and you feel sweat gather at the nape of your neck. Oh, he’s pissed. 

As collected as you could, you make your way to the far too fancy pillow and set yourself formally on top of it. Seemingly satisfied, Ayato picks up his brush once more. Dripping it into the ink well that was surely to run out soon, he begins new brush strokes in silence. The sound of the brush bristles against the parchment would be almost soothing any other time when the aura of the Kamisato head wasn’t boring down on you like a boulder. 

“Are you perhaps… upset, my lord?” You test the waters quietly. You didn’t want to be here all afternoon with this pressure. You could throw up if he drags this out. 

“Oh,” he chuckles, “so, you can tell?” Forget the boulder. A mountain of negative energy just crashed directly into your cranium. “You’ve gotten better at reading people since I've been gone I see.” You know better than to reply. No matter what answer you could give him, it’d be pointless. So, you choose to sit there and give him nothing. He chuckles at your decision of silence. “That reminds me. While I was gone, it seems you also decided to go off and your own, shall we say, adventure?” You swallow and avert your gaze guiltily. “Thoma informed me.” 

“That snitch,” you whisper entirely to yourself impulsively. 

“Part of his duties as a trusted aide is to inform me of anything that could interest or involve me. It seems your actions fulfilled both criteria judging by the haste in which he rushed me as soon as I arrived.” 

“It really wasn’t that large of an ordeal,” you murmur in half-truth. 

“Was it not?” Ayato’s voice shifts once more. All playfulness vanishes and your posture stalls. You ball your hands on our lap with your chin down staring only at the top of his desk and the items that liter it. You hear him once again place his brush down and you know you’re in for it now that his full attention will be directed at you. “I assume your reasons for making such a foolish decision after rescuing Thoma from the Shogun- which while I am grateful for- are justified?” 

“It’s a bit complicated.” 

“How.” That was what you always say when he tries to ask you anything about yourself. It was so frustrating to him. 

You swallow at his pressing agenda. You have no idea how to explain it to him. If he knows what happened, then surely he knows about Aether too. Or maybe he hasn’t been home long enough to hear word of him? No, there's no way. Aether’s name is floating all across Inazuma by now, so he has to have heard it at least once. Should you just use his name to your benefit to try and worm your way out of this? Would that be morally wrong?

“Y/n,” Ayato beckons your train of thought back and you jump at the summon. 

“It’s just,” you fumble, “it was for Aether!” You continue to fumble. Ayato’s anger-laced smile finally drops and his brow furrows in mock confusion. You swallow at the bitter look on his face. 

“That blond traveler?” His voice reflects the stupid excuse you just spat at him. “I’ve also heard of him from Thoma and Ayaka in passing when she greeted me back.” 

“That's right!” You shuffle on your legs that were slowly starting to go numb. “He was a big help in the Vision Hunt Decree rebellious forces. After we returned to Komore Teahouse, Aether was going to head towards Tatarasuna alone. I thought, since I was also seen with them, that showing him the way would be better than-” 

“-Then staying at the teahouse with Thoma where it was safe? Instead, you chose to throw yourself into more danger by exposing yourself out in the open with a stranger you hardly know a thing about?” 

“...Well, when you say it like that.” Ayato sighs, the hand supporting his chin has now been promoted to holding his forehead as he lowers it with a small shake of his head. “Aether really isn’t all that bad though.” Even with you looking towards him now that his gaze wasn’t boring into you, you still miss the twitch his body goes through at the mention of your defense of the blond. “He really pulled through with the rebellion and he kept me safe the whole time until we got to Watatsumi. We even have a lot in common!” 

“A lot in common, you say?” His voice was quiet and you couldn’t be sure if he spoke aloud to you or to himself. “Explain.” Oh, so he was talking to you. 

“Well, we’re both a long way from home. And, um, we’re both from really far away places.” You lower your eyes and take a moment to collect your thoughts. You did have a lot in common with Aether, and while those two things are true, the majority of the connection comes from the more emotional impact of your time in Teyvat. Ayato, not satisfied with your two weak defenses, lifts his head annoyed. 

“Thats-” 

“We both feel alone here,” you whisper. It must’ve been a slip of the tongue judging by the quick reaction of you slapping your hands over your mouth. Ayato’s arm drops as his tense expression relaxes into something somber. “No, what I meant is-” You fumble around trying to backpedal and Ayato just barely hears it. 

You felt lonely? Was it because you weren’t allowed to leave Narukami without sufficient reason or supervision, for instance for business or the like? Did you feel trapped? Did he do it? The last thing Ayato wants to do was make you feel like him. Trapped.

While Ayato loves his family and takes pride in his work, he was undeniably stuck here. Unable to go and run from it even if he tried. He had to take this position for his deceased parents. To protect Ayaka and keep her shielded from the more bloody and cutthroat aspects of the position as clan leader. To keep the Kamisato Clan safe and stable. He could hardly ever be Kamisato Ayato, he was always the Yashiro Commissioner. 

Was it his fault? 

“Ayato!” You screaming his name brings him back to the here and now. Have you ever called him solely by name before? “Please, calm down, my lord. It really isn’t a big deal.” He feels a pain in his leg, one caused by his tight grip against his thigh. When did he start doing that? “What I meant is that sometimes I can get a bit homesick, that’s all. I don’t mean anything else by it.” That was a lie. He could tell. The look in your eyes makes it all too obvious, but you also just wanted him to relax. 

“I apologize,” he composes himself quickly. “It seems I’m more exhausted from my trip than I originally thought.” 

“You often work yourself sick. You ought to fix that bad habit,” you quip. Ayato chuckles. 

“Perhaps I should take a small moment to regather myself.” 

“I’ll go and prepare some tea then. I’m sure her Ladyship would enjoy hearing about your trip. Perhaps you can spend the afternoon together for a change?” You shift backward to wake up your legs before Ayato is nodding along with your suggestion. Taking advantage of the laxed situation, you quickly stand and politely excuse yourself. 

Standing out in the hall and escaping from the heavy atmosphere of his office, you let out a deep breath from the very pit of your gut. You managed to worm your way out of any consequences and kept most of your secrets to yourself once again. Still, looking over your shoulder at the doors, you wonder why you feel like crap? The look of... guilt on Ayato’s face from earlier plays in the back of your mind. 

Shaking your head, you dismiss any idea of telling him anything. He was the one who graciously took you in and gave you a job that came with the added bonus of close companions you can depend on. On top of that, he was an incredibly busy man. How could you unload your burdens onto him when he was already feeling enough of those himself? You couldn’t and until some immovable object places itself in your path, you wouldn’t. 

“Y/n!” Thoma comes walking down the hall towards you. You huff, snubbing him as you pass him by. With a nervous chuckle, he chases your back. “Look, I’m sorry, but I have to tell his lordship these kinds of things.” He lamely tries to defend himself, but it doesn't work. Not at all.

“Lord Kamisato will be having tea with her ladyship this afternoon. Please, go start brewing some while I look for her.” 

“...Understood,” with a sad air of acceptance, Thoma ambles off with a cloud over his head. You’d accept his apology later when you've properly calmed down. Right now, there's a younger sister you have to find and invite to tea. 

It’s been months since the Vision Hunt Decree as well as the Sakoku Decree were abolished and the nation of electro was slowly returning to the times. Opening its borders and allowing traffic in and out to all sorts of people. It was a rough road since there were rumors floating around that a part of the rebellion had tried to reignite conflict. It was quickly shut down however, since more fighting at this point would be pointless. 

There's been a feeling in the back of your throat all day long and despite your best efforts to clear it out, nothing was working. The itch was constant and no amount of muted coughing behind your fist would clear it. 

You were currently out with Ayato, taking the role of unofficial babysitter from Thoma for the day. What his goal for today is, remains a total mystery to you. He was only insistent that you accompany him into the city and was strangely unable to be swayed into taking Thoma instead.

His lordship was currently in a rather passionate conversation with Tomoki about yet more unusual flavors of dango milk when you try once again to clear your throat off to the side. With yet another unsuccessful attempt, your attention was pulled away from the commissioner-vendor duo when your name was called from the other direction of the stall. 

“y/n!” Both you and Ayato turn to the familiar chime of Paimon’s voice. Coming up the way from the north side entrance of Inazuma City was none other than Paimon and Aether. On a completely separate occasion when you were out with Ayaka, apparently Aether had come into Inazuma looking for Thoma and ended up meeting Ayato at the Kamisato residence. Of course, that was all in Ayato’s character quest according to your reality-knowledge. It was relieving since Ayato didn’t need to keep his guard up around the pair of travelers now. 

The pale-haired man politely dismissed himself from the conversation he was having with Tomoki. Making his way to your side as Aether waltzes himself up to join the group. 

“It’s been a while,” you greet when the blond stops in front of you. You’ve seen him once or twice in quick passing since your trip to Watatsumi during the war. He’s always busy with something or another when he’s here. Whether it be wrapped up in something Itto had dragged him into, or commissions he’d picked up out of the goodness of his heart; so proper greetings were hard to come by. “I hope you’ve both been keeping out of trouble.” 

Aether rubs the back of his head sheepishly as Paimon joins him in the silent answer of ‘sort of’. 

“It’s never anything we can’t handle,” Paimon defends. 

“I’m sure,” you humor. 

“What brings you both back to Inazuma?” Ayato asks. An easy and relaxed expression rests on his cheeks and it makes you forget about the discomfort in your throat seeing him even a smidge more relaxed than usual. “Nothing untoward I hope.” 

“We just wanted to come and catch up with some friends!” Paimon explains. 

“It’s been awhile since we’ve come back here on anything other than business,” Aether supports. “It’s nice to take in the island air sometimes.” You nod, understanding. He, of all people, needs to look after himself in the event of a crisis. 

“It’s good to take time for yourself,” you tell him. Crossing your arms, you shoot a look of disapproval to your employer who stands at your shoulder. “If only I could get a certain someone to follow your example.” 

“Why, whatever do you mean?” The smile that was once relaxed, shifts to one of enjoyment as he looks at you. “I’m making time right now, aren’t I?” Rolling your eyes you brush off his attempt at pushing your buttons. 

“Only after Thoma’s constant insisting.” With his arms folded behind him and a slight bend in his back to get closer into your space, you turn away from him with a huff. Paimon and Aether look at each other before looking back at you both. It's obvious Ayato is enjoying prodding you and from the looks of it, you were just letting him. It could hardly be seen as a scenario between a mere employer and retainer. It’s much more... comfortable. 

Ayato’s attention was briefly taken away from you at Tomoki’s nervous beckon. Apparently, he had taken one of Ayato’s out of world ideas into consideration and wanted a bit more of an idea for the future. Dismissing himself, Aether steps up to the plate to continue entertaining you in Ayato’s stead. 

“It’s good to see you’re getting along,” he tells you in regards to Ayato. 

“Of course. He’s tough to handle, but nothing I can’t subdue.” You chuckle. It was always good seeing Aether. Even if you both couldn’t speak of your outworld heritage, just knowing that he knew was enough for you to feel a weight off your shoulders. 

“It’s usually Thoma trailing after him like this, so I was shocked to see you instead.” 

“Yeah, that's true!” Paimon agreed. You nod. 

“For some reason, Lord Kamisato wanted me to come out with him today instead. Thoma may have been too busy with housework and since Ayaka had no plans today, having him stay with her made more sense.” Of course, you didn’t know the full reason and that was just you thinking out loud. 

“Yeah," the floater draws out her word with an unconvinced look. "Somehow Paimon doesn’t think that’s true at all,” she shoots you a look with her arms cross. Blinking at her, you raise a brow. 

“What do you mean?” You ask. She shares a knowing glance with Aether before looking back. “What are you both thinking about?” Aether steps forward and whispers something in your ear.

It was nonsense. Ayato preferring you over Thoma like he was suggesting was just folly! Still, it made your ears burn and you wanted to smack the smirk off his face when he finally stepped away from you. 

With your head down and hand raised to pinch between your eyes on the bridge of your nose, the smirk on Aether’s face twitches as he looks over your shoulder.

Behind you- turned away from Tomoki who was scribbling something down in a small notepad- Ayato shoots him a rather ominous look. Aether was a pretty good reader of a person's emotions, but Ayato had always been difficult to grasp; years of experience he guesses. This look, however, was loud and clear. The blond took another half-step back as he tucked his hands down to his side. 

“What’s your problem?” You ask, head lifted back up and noticing his odd shift in behavior. 

“Oh, it’s nothing.” He brushes off your attempt to get behind the reason for his change. You want to press more, but don’t get the chance to do so.

The itch in your throat rushes back to the forefront of your mind with a harsh cough. Turning away from Aether, you cover your mouth and try to swallow back the coughing behind your hand to avoid making a scene. It doesn’t work. Suppressing it only makes it feel worse. 

You hear Paimon start panicking behind you and Aether’s body comes closer, hovering around you unsure about what he should do. The hand you feel push against your back wasn’t the traveler’s, but the gloved hand of Ayato. With him watching your back, he quickly takes notice of your condition and rushes to your side. Your coughing fit ends with you gathering your breath with a slumped posture. Ayato’s hand still softly runs up and down your spine as you gathered yourself. 

“Are you okay?” Paimon asks in worry. With sweat on your forehead, you nod. You can't tell if you mean it or not. It's suddenly far too warm out in Narukami today.

“This always seems to happen around this time of year,” Ayato speaks. You weren’t sure if he was addressing you, Aether and Paimon, or deducing it himself. Still, it’s heard by everyone regardless.  

“Oh no," Paimon worries, "are you sick?” She floats over to you, now standing back up to your full height, and frets in even closer proximity. 

“I’ll be fine. I’ve dealt with worse than a cough before.” You voice stays muffled behind your hand you keep in front of it. If you were sick, then you'd hate to spread it around.

“That doesn’t mean you aren’t sick,” Aether argues before Paimon floats back to his side and agrees behind his shoulder. “You should go home and rest.” 

“That’s-” 

“Exactly what we intend to do,” Ayato interrupts. You look over your shoulder at him behind you. His face is serious. He means every word. You feel sort of guilty. Like you just ruined one of the few chances he has to come into town that isn’t work related because of a cough. “You’ll have to excuse us,” he addresses Aether, not letting you get a word in to argue with his decision.

“Should we walk you back?” The blond offers. Ayato knows it’s all in good faith and he’s only worried, but the clawing feeling at the back of his neck almost makes him frown at the suggestion. 

“No need,” Ayato declines. “We can manage.” Aether doesn’t press anymore, leaving it to the commissioner. With a few more quick words of parting, Ayato offers you his arm to hold onto, which you politely decline since you weren’t so weak you couldn’t walk on your own. Soon, you both were leaving the city and making your way back to the Kamisato estate.

By the time you arrived back home, Ayato is holding your hand in his gloved one. Leading you through the gates on the verge of yet another coughing fit. A samurai standing guard was quickly instructed to find Thoma immediately. Kamisato Ayato was a man of many skills and talents, but caring for the ill is still something he lacks in. He would need guidance to collect himself.  

Not too much later, you were placed in a private room on a clean futon. Thoma swiftly leaves after getting you situated to inform Ayaka of your state of illness while Ayato stays behind to tend to you. All the housekeeper left behind was instructions to make sure you consum the medicine he had prepared for you. 'Make sure she drinks it all!', he had told him.

“Sit up, just a bit,” Ayato softly instructs you. You felt fine this morning, nothing but that itch in your throat. Now you feel terrible. The itch was now a burn, and no amount of water or tea would soothe it. Your head pounds and your eyesight would swim between weary blinks. You feel your body being lifted behind your shoulders. You can barely see a small bowl of tonic hovering near your chin as Ayato keeps your torso lifted with his arm. “This will help.” 

You try to down the tonic, you really do. However, the moment the bitter taste hits your tongue, your body pulls away in repulsion. You already feel awful, you just couldn’t bring yourself to swallow something just as awful. 

Ayato sighs when you close your eyes in disgust. You were so stubborn even when sick. Though, he's more than aware of this fact.

The last two years you’ve been here, this scenario has happened before. Around this time every year, you get sick out of nowhere. No one knows why you’re sick or what's wrong but it’s always the same: a fever, a horrid cough, aches and pains and agony no medicine can help followed by several days of near-continuous sleep. 

It didn't matter how many doctors he calls upon; none are able to diagnose you with any sort of illness. 'All we can do is wait it out' are the words he's always forced to hear with another prescription of medicine to add to his ledger.

Always this time of year. Always around the time when Thoma first found you on the docks of Ritou and Ayato brought you back to the Kamisato home. 

Living through two years of this illness before, Ayato was half expecting this. The whole reason he wanted you to come with him to town was because he wanted to keep an eye on you. He didn’t know how quickly your condition would deteriorate though. Guilt nags at him as he watches you lay in the futon. Still, he needs you to consume the tonic regardless of if you want to or not. 

With a defeated sigh, Ayato looks to the closed door to the room. There was no sound outside. Good. 

“Pardon my actions,” pulling the small bowl away from you, he takes the bitter liquid into his mouth, holding it there. The taste is atrocious, no wonder you didn't want anything to do with it.

Setting the bowl aside, he keeps your body raised and his other arm crosses over to rest on the opposite side of your hips so he hovers over your face. Pushing his lips against yours that desperately gasp for air, he pushes the tonic into your mouth, forcing you to swallow it.  He keeps his hand on the back of your head so you don't pull away from him and waste the medicine.

Once the foul liquid is out of his mouth, into yours and properly swallowed, you cough and recoil from the taste when he pulls away from you. He swipes his palm under his chin, wiping away the trails of medicine that didn't make it to you.

Ayato once again lays you down gently, pulling the blanket up to your shoulders to keep the chills of fever away. He takes one of his gloves off, setting it aside and places his palm on your forehead. It was on fire. He winces at the clammy, hot feeling of your skin against his. 

“If only I was able to pinpoint why this keeps happening to you,” he laments. Your breathing, while harsh, evens out as you slip into a fever induced state of sleep. He hopes that the illness doesn’t cause you nightmares. With a deep breath, his hand slips from your forehead to brush against your hair in a weak attempt to soothe you. “Just as before, I’ll make sure your recovery is swift.” 

And just as the two years before, during your bedrest and hazy moments of consciousness, Ayato has his work moved into the recovery room in which you rest so that he can spend as much time beside you as he can. It makes him too anxious- leaving you on your own. The room is private for this very reason, and no one can talk him out of these actions- not even Thoma. 

You never remember falling so deathly ill when you finally start recovering- or, at least you haven't in the years prior; it's all just a long, blacked out memory.

You never remember Ayato tending to you as often as he can. You never know that your deep, struggling breaths become the only noise he pays attention to. You never know that when he gets accustomed to your ragged breathing, he holds your wrist in his palm so he continues to feel your pulse ebb over his touch. You never know how he looks up at the sky at night while he grips your hand tightly in his, hoping he won’t see any shooting stars that he fears might carry you away. 

It was the dawn of the fourth day since you had fallen ill and the anniversary of your arrival had passed. Thoma and Ayaka had both gone out and purchased two small trinkets for you as both a get well presents and also to commemorate your years with them. Ayato would do the same once you were awake, aware and healthy again just as he has in the past. Perhaps a good luck charm centered around health would be an ideal purchase.

Ayato’s temporary work desk, one much smaller than his office desk in the office, was already filled with paperwork and open books to scrawl in when he heard two knocks on the door. No doubt it was Thoma coming to check on both of his friends. 

“You may enter,” he grants. As he suspects, Thoma’s face slides into view with the opening of the plain doors. “Good morning, Thoma,” he greets without lifting his face from his work. Partly because work did have his attention for the most part, but also because he was probably sporting some nasty eyebags that the pyro wielder would scold him about. 

“Same to you, my lord. Are you hungry? I’ll have breakfast ready in no time.” Ayato only nods along to Thoma’s whims even if his appetite hasn’t been the biggest the last four days. Thoma moves to kneel in front of your still unconscious body. Placing his hand on your forehead, replacing a cold rag there, and checking your pulse he nods to himself. “I’ll bring some more medicine for y/n while I’m at it. They seem to already be doing better. That’s much faster than last year!” 

That was true. Last year it was a week before you started showing any signs of improvement. Ayato’s shoulders relax a bit at that fact. 

“You really shouldn’t stress out so much, my lord.” Thoma looks at the small space between your head and Ayato’s place sitting at his temporary workspace. “I know you’re worried, we all are. Still, if y/n ever finds out that you always push yourself so much when she gets sick, she might feel guilty about it.” 

Ayato halts all his actions and lets out a deep breath. He knows Thoma’s right, but it wasn’t like he could just not care. 

“I’m not saying you’re not allowed to care,” it’s like Thoma could read Ayato’s mind sometimes. “We all just wish you’d take better care of your health too. Y/n will recover, she always does. So please, try not to worry too much.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Thoma.” The housekeeper dismisses himself with a small quip and when the door shuts and Ayato is left alone with you again, he deflates. Placing his items down, he shifts and reaches over to brush his fingers over your bangs that were damp from the fresh cold cloth on your forehead. 

Later that day, Thoma visits once again only this time, he’s brought an additional party member. Or rather, two. 

“Ayato, we’re here to visit y/n.” Paimon announces as she floats in beside Aether and behind Thoma. Ayato feels astonished to see the blond and also somehow conflicted at his visit. Perhaps it was just his imagination, and he was more tired than he thought. 

Thoma excuses himself to leave you all alone so he could tend to his own work. Aether takes a seat next to your body while Ayato dismisses himself from work for the duration of however long Aether plans to stay. He feels antsy. It's irritating.

“How is she?” Aether asks. 

“Improving. This happens annually.” 

“Does she have some kind of illness?” Paimon asks. 

“We’re not sure. No one has been able to identify exactly the cause of her collapsing like this. It’s always around this time of year, but it doesn’t last long enough to become fatal.” 

“How weird,” Paimon worries. 

A small conversation between the three of them begins easily and Ayato is soon changing your towel again. Aether and Paimon are near astonished seeing the commissioner remove his gloves to tend to you. In fact, they were shocked he was taking this so seriously if it has happened before and doesn’t risk your life. They expected him to worry of course, they know Ayato isn't heartless- but he was taking it so seriously. Like you really could die.

Ayato’s fingers run briefly through your hair when he draws back from placing the freshly squeezed towel on your forehead and dabbing your face of sweat. 

“Say, Aether,” he starts yet another conversation while looking towards you instead of his guest. Bad manners aside, Aether hums back at the call of attention. “You come from beyond Teyvat, correct?” The blond swallows. 

“I do.” There was no point in hiding it if Ayato already knew. Of course he did, it seems like he always has access to knowledge that is basically pointless to him. 

“Y/n once told me that you both have many things in common. Being far from home was an example of such a bond.” Finally lifting his gaze and straightening his posture, the commissioner looks Aether in his eyes. “Is there a chance y/n is also from beyond Teyvat. A place we of the common folk could never reach?” 

Aether knows the answer. Of course that was the truth, but he has no right to explain that in your stead. It was something you had to do yourself. 

“I couldn’t say,” was the answer Ayato received. “Why not ask her about it when she recovers. I’m sure she’d be willing.” 

“Perhaps,” he muses dismissively. You hadn’t opened up to him about your home for three years at this point. Why would you suddenly do so now? Then again, maybe it was because he wasn’t fully open with you either. It was a challenge opening up to anyone, but maybe if he explains your position in his life- your significance- you’d be more willing...?

Ayato looks up at the sky outside the room. It was late afternoon and soon the sun would be setting. Would you wake up tomorrow? He hopes so. 

Aether and Paimon stay at the residence for dinner. Ayato is persuaded to join them, Thoma and Ayaka all for a big joint meal. You were left with a trusted attendant until Ayato could return and while he knows you're in good hands, he still couldn’t focus. He even drops his chopsticks a few times when his mind began to wander for too long causing his grip to slacken. 

After a good meal, and a politely declined offer of staying over the duration of the night, the Kamisatos' see Aether and Paimon off. Free from the binds of being a good host, Ayato makes haste back to your side to dismiss the attendant tending to you as well as settle the anxiety in his chest that comes with being away from you. 

Oh, how he wishes you’ll wake up tomorrow.

a/n pt.2: oh the woes of be infected with isekai sickness. rest in pieces but did you see that he kisSeD-

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You and Thoma excuse yourselves from the room to keep watch, leaving the young lady and the Outworlder to speak in privacy. 

Time continues to pass and after Aether goes through yet more errands for Ayaka, meets Yoimiya and encounters Kujou Sara after sneaking their way into a prison, finally they all return. Coming back once again to the teahouse named Komore. 

“I see, so Kujou Sara stayed her hand. It appears she still has some honor to her.” Thoma muses, gazing out one of the windows in the private tearoom, a hand hovering just under his lips. 

The conversation of the Vision Hunt Decree within the safety of the teahouse only added to your foul mood. The mention of Kujou Sara enforcing the decree under the unmovable will of the Shogun made you shutter. That woman being more active with the upcoming ceremony at the Omnipresent God statue made you constantly look over your shoulder.

Anytime you were outside you feel eyes that don't exist prick your skin like waves of teeth. What if someone noticed something off about you? What if the Shogun sees you, picks you out of the crowd, and orders for your arrest or worse executes you on the spot? You know she’d do it without so much as a second thought. You sometimes wish you didn’t have second-hand knowledge of future events. Your shoulders are stiff and sore from constant tension you cannot find a way to disperse.

“Perhaps a state of rest is in order. Thoma, what would you suggest?” Hearing Ayaka suggest even a slight break has your head perking up. The thought of just being able to relax for just a single moment was a tempting one. You’ve been high-strung ever since Aether arrived, so maybe if you were able to just pretend everything was fine even for a brief window of time…

“I’d say a celebratory feast is in order. Might I suggest an evening of hotpot together!” His sudden enthusiasm from serious to playing a game makes you curl your lips back from laughing out loud. An action that didn’t go unnoticed by both your long-standing companions who happen to also be your superiors in more than one fashion. Unknown by you, the small smile you curlled away had their eyes glistening. Thoma crosses his arms playfully, Ayaka slaps open her fan to cover her smile, and Paimon looks at Aether quizzically because... what? 

“A hot pot game? What’s that? Well, as long as it has to do with eating…” Paimon muses, easily being swayed. 

Of course, you know what this game is all about and the eventual outcome. Joining everyone at the table, the game begins and soon all sorts of ingredients were being thrown around- even the ones you had gathered. Round after round you take a bite, guess wrong, and pass it off onto the next person. You laughed each time Thoma took a bite, guessed correctly and then subsequently had to take a new round of questionable tastes onto his taste buds. Seeing his face twist and his hand cover his mouth as the color drains from his face with each ‘success’ makes all those around him laugh. Ayaka is pleased to see your spirit lighten up again, even if it’s at Thoma’s expense. 

Yes, the Hot Pot Game was a fine idea, as long as you're willing to sacrifice your stomach for a round of laughter anyway.

Once the game concludes and Thoma declares himself the proud- and nauseous- winner of the Hot Pot Game, you all were given some leisure time until the next Yashiro+Rebelion secret convergence. It slips your mind until the day of, however, that Thoma would not be joining you. You feel foolish. So, so irreparably foolish.

“Just stay put, milady!” You hiss, trying to keep your composure in front of Ayaka. No matter how stressed you are, no matter the amount of so many invisible pins jabbing you all over your body feels, you shouldn't shout or snap at your employer’s younger sister who also happens to be a close friend. You start pacing, hands going over the sides of your head over and over again. Hair snags between your fingers and you feel the burning sensation of your fingernails against your scalp as they repeat their paths with each new pass through.

Ayaka has never seen you like this. with this behavior coupled with a missing Thoma, it was tying her stomach in knots. 

Komore Teahouse was the best place for her to hide, to stay safe and you know it. Any second now, Aether would be coming through the door. All you had to do was wait for him. That’s it. Just wait. Tarumaru whines at your stress levels that are through the roof and Ayaka looks at him, worrying over his discomfort about your discomfort. The sliding of the entrance door catches your hyperaware senses from the back room you had urgently- but politely- moved Ayaka to. Your neck nearly swivels all the way around at the sound.

You twist your body on your heel, racing out of the room and slam yourself around the corner. Grabbing on the edge of the front desk to help guide your frantic tumbling, you rush Aether. Nearly tripping over your own feet to get to him. He grabs your arms on instinct, holding you up as Paimon shrieks at your urgence and how you scared the life out of her. 

“You have to help…!” You gasp out. You twist your arms so that it’s no longer him holding onto you, but you gripping his biceps. Your grip was tight, desperate, and makes him wince. You had one hell of a grip. “It’s Thoma!” Ayaka rushes- as elegantly as her practice to stay the graceful Lady of Kamisato let her- and places her hand on the wall as she watched you panic. “It’s Thoma! There’s… there’s this ceremony the Shogun is preforming, and she needs 100 Visions confiscated under the Vision Hunt Decree. Thoma’s is the last one!” 

While Ayaka had heard quick rumor of that being the case, and suspected as much with Thoma’s strange absence, hearing it from you made her mouth dry. She's never doubted you before, and dispite your mania, she wouldn't be starting now. That's why her belief in the situation makes her stomach sink so deeply. For a moment, she curls her hand that rests on the wall and wishes that her big brother were here.

You can't think straight. This isn't fair of you at all. Unloading all of that to Aether’s face and grabbing onto him like this, begging for help when you could barely explain the situation, all while still not considering yourself to really be his friend. You want to be so badly, but you can't. Not yet.

The gap between the you who played the Hot Pot Game together and the you of reality who only know him as the Traveler was something you still hadn’t found a way to come to terms with. The line was blurry, sure, but the nagging in your head- the type of guilt that came with knowing you used to control the Traveler- was eating you alive. Everything was just exploding in his face and it was so, so unfair to him. You feel so horribly, disguisting guilty; for the past, for reality cursing you to remember everything, for throwing all this on him when you know better.

You hope Aether forgives you for all your transgressions.

Instead of throwing you off, getting out of your grip, and asking for a real explanation with a more than earned glare in your direction, Aether simply accepts you and all your fear. His arms come and cup under your elbows, a way to steady you. Pushing you to stand straighter, look him in the eyes, and take a deep, silently breath as a way to help ground yourself. You blink, breathe with him, and blink again. Paimon comes to your side too, a hand on your shoulder rubbing it in small, soft, gently touches.

It's warm.  

Slowly, gently, you unhook your fingers from around his biceps and wince at the crescent shapes left behind on his skin. Some appear red, like they were ready to break through his skin and bead out blood. Had you really been holding him that tightly? 

You take a small, shaky step away from him, lowering your gaze, mind reeling at everything that you just did and bring a hand up to your forehead. Your eyes were wider than usual, going dry from lack of blinking. Were you going crazy?

You feel Ayaka come to your side, one hand on your back, the other on your arm. She was standing so close to you, you could smell the scene of frost on her clothes, and it felt like a comforting, cool hug. Just the thing you needed to calm down your overheating mind. 

A deep breath, a shaky exhale. Another deep breath and a steadier exhale. 

“I… I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me,” you apologize quietly. Aether shakes his head and Paimon looks at your worriedly. 

“You’re just scared,” the blond tells you. Scared? Yeah, you were. Or maybe that’s less than you feel. Mortified, overwhelmed? Burdened. That was more like it. And you couldn’t even say it. There is a heavy stone weight lodged in your throat. This sucks. 

“Yeah,” Paimon agrees. “It’s normal to be scared when something bad happens.” You nod and Ayaka, not moving from her grounding position at your side, starts explaining more thoroughly than you did about the circumstances. When Aether promises to bring Thoma back, you look up towards him. Your mind was clearer now, not fully, but clear enough.

“Let me come with you,” you insist. Ayaka’s grip on your arm twitches. You look at her, gaze steady now. “I promise, I’ll be okay. As long as you stay here where it's safe, I can promise that much.” She doesn't want to let you go. Thoma was captured, her brother was gone, and now you, her best friend, wanted to leave too. You place your hand on her hand. “Please, Ayaka.” It wasn’t often you called her solely by name. She relents, and with haste, you're running all the way to the Statue of the Omnipresent God side by side with Aether. 

When you arrive, a crowd is gathered and a choking sensation catches in your throat at the sight of Thoma, tied and restrained by two Tenryou soldiers. For the first time in two years since your arrivial in Teyvat, you're faced with the Almighty Shogun in all her overwhelming power. And she's standing in front of Thoma.

The moment the Almighty's arm raises, you grip Aether’s shoulder, pull him in front of you and the moment Thoma’s Vision clicks off his belt, you shove the blond. Getting the message, he takes action with a burst of electro energy. Snatching the Vision in his hand, he lands on the wooden planks and easily deals with the two guards that attempt to charge at him. 

The moment Aether is instead the target of the Shogun, you also jump into action. You know what’s happening. The moment she strikes at the Traveler and his body disappears among a cloud of purple, electrifying mist; he’s in the Plane of Euthymia. 

Shoving through the crowd, you race up to Thoma who has moved to try and slice his binds by one of the abandoned spears of the knocked down guards. He gasps at seeing you race up the wooden ramp. He has no idea what you were doing here too, but when you make it to him and grab the pole of the spear, he doesn’t scold you for putting yourself into danger like this. Instead, he’s thankful for the assist. 

It felt like mere moments before the mist from before cleared, revealing an unconscious Aether laying on his back with the Shogun striding over to him. Ready to cut his life short and to an abrupt end. You watch as Paimon flies to his side, pleading for him to wake up by shaking his shoulder with fear in her small body. It’s Thoma who saves him, so it’s now or never! 

Grinding your teeth enough to cramp your jaw, you tense as you yank the spear from the wooden ground and quickly use it to slice through Thoma’s restraints. 

“Here!” You practically shove the spear into the Vision holder’s hands and he wastes no time in hurling it at the Shogun. Soon enough, with Aether colliding into Thoma from the backlash of the Shogun’s power, you help them both stand. 

Your skin prickles when her eyes meet yours. There's a spark between you two, and not a good one. Her eyes narrow at you, and you choke shoving Thoma and Aether in front of you. 

“Go go go,” you whisper more to yourself than anything in that moment. Making the jump from the platform to the ground, you don’t miss the order issues for all your arrests. Somehow, you all make it back to Komore Teahouse where Thoma decides it would be best for him to stay and lay low until it’s all blown over or the arrest issue is somehow rescinded. 

You, on the other hand, have other plans. The moment Thoma expresses Aether’s next step to all of this would best be to go to Tatarasuna and rendezvous with the Resistant Group. The camp set up there that would eventually lead him towards Watatsumi and Kokomi’s allyship, you know you had to go with him. Staying in the capital city would be beyond stupid now that the Shogun had seen you. And if her glare was anything to go off of, she knew something about you was wrong.

Just like Aether. 

“What?” Thoma looks at you like you had grown a second head. You possess a shadow over your eyes, a type of fear encases you like a second skin. “You don’t need to go all the way to a different island to hide. Just stay here with Lady Kamisato and me and you’ll be-” 

“I really don’t know how to explain to you that I can’t afford that. I can’t risk exposing you. I can’t stay on Narukami.” You insist. “Look, I know how to get to Tatarasuma. I’ll be useful in guiding Aether there. I-I’ll be fine, just please..!” 

Thoma looks at you; shaking shoulders, clutched hands and desperate pleas. 

“Ayaka will worry,” he rarely speaks so softly, or chooses to ignore Ayaka’s position. “If you have to go, you need to leave right now, so you won’t even get to say goodbye.” It was a reach; one he was trying to use to guilt you into staying. A dirty trick, but you can't blame him. Regardless, you swallow the lump in your throat and shake your head. 

“I’ll take whatever punishment she has for me after all this is over,” you tell him. 

“You’ll come back,” he states. It's like he’s making you swear. You lift your head up to finally make eye contact with him one more time. 

“I’ll come back.” 

“That’s all well and good, but if you’re really coming along then Paimon thinks we should leave now!” Her voice was scared and rushed, and you understand her tone perfectly. You nod, and Aether does too. At least he didn’t protest against you coming along. Bidding a quick, guilty goodbye to Thoma, you race off with the blond boy and the white fairy. 

“Aether,” you gain his attention one night. You both make it back to Watatsumi somehow. As well as relatively unscathed considering the hoops, battles, and problems you had to barrel your way through to get here. It was a very unprompted bonding experience, even if you had no battle experience and could only really evade and run while Aether did all the fighting. You were basically a human Paimon. 

Sitting on one of the large, pink shells that stick out from the cliff side in front of the grand shrine of Watatsumi, your legs swing lazily as you lean back on your palms and look up at the stars. Aether beside you, has one of his legs propped up with the other hanging like yours. He was gazing out over the island, taking in the beauty of it. 

“Yes?” He answers. The trip here was filled with chatter between him, Paimon and you and you feel a little proud at the fact he was willing to talk to you at all. Being out of the eye of the Almighty Shogun also helps ease your shoulders just a bit. 

“You’re from a different world, right?” You ask, eyes staring straight up and not leaving the sky. You know that he doesn’t disclose a lot about himself to people. The Archons know- they can tell- but regular folks are a different story.

He keeps things he deems too important or risky to bring up to himself as much as he can. The Unknown God, the fact that pieces of his memories are missing, the reason for being stuck in Teyvat at all… it was all stuff he didn’t indulge to most. His silence was loud. You close your eyes, letting yourself lay back on the small tufts of grass behind you. “You don’t need to answer me if you don’t want to.” 

You hear him shuffle and soon feel his body laying on the ground with you. You reopen your eyes and look back up at the stars. You trace the constellations Ayato had taught you and feel a small twang in your chest.

You wonder how he is and if he’s staying healthy. He had a tendency to overwork to the point of jeopardizing his health. You wonder if he’s far enough away that all this nonsense of Thoma being captured and you fleeing won’t make it to him before he gets back. He would surely scold you both for being careless. 

“It’s complicated,” is the answer he graces you with. Not a yes, but not a no either. You weakly chuckle at him. That's exactly what you told Ayato all those years ago when he egged you on your home world. 

“You know, I’m not from Teyvat either.” Aether’s head turns on the ground to look at you. His earring brushes over his cheek, tickling his skin. You feel somehow embarrassed admitting it, so you keep your eyes upward. “I’m from a place super far from here, that’s why I had to run with you all the way out here. The Shogun could very well kill me if she finds out I’m an Outworlder and that’s terrifying to me.” Raising your hand towards the sky, you continue. “It’s a world so different from this one and I don’t know how I got here”- your hand drops defeatedly onto your stomach- “and I honestly don’t think I’ll ever make it back home.” 

“Are you lost then?” Aether asks. You shake your head, but it's not in denial. It’s in frustration; uncertainty. 

“Yes, but no. I miss home for a lot of reasons, and being in Teyvat is so confusing and overwhelming sometimes because I-” you almost admit that you know what’s going to happen, but you quickly cut yourself off. “I’m not from here,” you save. “But then, I realize that I don’t hate being here. Thoma and Ayaka are so kind and warm to me. The Kamisato residence is a place I can work comfortably and even if some of the samurai have attitude problems, I can handle it. And Ayato-” you swallow a choke at saying his name. “He’s wonderful.” 

You finally turn your head and look at the blond. He’s looking at you with such an understanding look that is causes you to tear up. You know Aether has developed so many bonds and friendships across Teyvat so far, and it’s only going to increase in number. You even have the perk of knowing that he himself probably has feelings for one of the several people he’s met, and it must be so conflicting for him. All he wants to do is find his sister, Lumine, and figure everything out. But, would he really be able to leave Teyvat behind? After all this is said and done, could he really take his sister's hand in his and just... leave?

“It’s tough, isn’t it?” You ask, a single tear running down the side of your face. He nods at you. His eyes are just as misty as yours, but you don't make a mention of it.

“Can… you tell me more about your world?” He requests. You don’t know why he does, but you relent easily to it nonetheless. You don’t tell him too much. Just about the cities and people and he accepts it all. You could’ve lied about everything for all he knew. 

He talks too, not about what he’s keeping hidden from everyone else, but just enough to ease some of his burden from his shoulders. You’re happy Paimon isn’t around because hearing him unload on you might make her feel a like she wasn’t doing enough even though you know she was like an anchor to him. Without Paimon, Aether would be truly alone, but he wasn’t, and he appreciates her so much. It was heartwarming. 

As you drift to sleep on the grass, under the stars with Aether beside you that night, you wonder if Ayato will be angry that you told Aether of your home before you ever spoke to him about it. Unless Aether blabs, you just won’t mention it to him and save yourself the headache. 

When the war finally ends and Aether finally manages to get through to Ei, you breathe a sigh of relief as word reaches you at Watatsumi. You feel a giddiness rise back into your chest at the thought of returning back to the estate. Ayaka might yell at you and Thoma might make you do extra chores, but it’ll be worth it. 

You were in the middle of working out your departure plans to return to Narukami when Aether comes running up to you without Paimon floating loyally behind him. With a smile, he takes your hands and explains that you don't have to worry about the Shogun hunting you down anymore. 

“It’s complicated,” oh you’ve heard that before, “but she no longer holds any ill will towards those of us who are… different.” His grip on your hands grows tighter. “Her views on eternity are changing, so you can go back without worry now. I also may have talked to Yae Miko a little bit, and she’ll pull some string to keep her off your back.” There is was. The ever suave Lady Miko. Well, if anyone could talk some sense into Ei or the Shogun, it would be the familiar of the Archon you guess. 

“I’m grateful,” you tell him. You squeak when he turns on his heel, not letting go of your hand and starts dragging you behind him. He’s rushing around so fast you don’t even get the chance to ask him where he’s taking you before you see an oncoming waypoint with Paimon waiting at it. She waves her small arms and when you’re all three at the teleport, the male twin wastes no time in using it. 

With a rush of wind, feeling like you were in the clouds, before regrounding on familiar soil, you recognize the entrance to the Kamisato residence. Teleporting felt a lot more underwhelming than you thought it would. Aether, once again, takes charge and with his still firm grip on your hand, drags you in through the gate and up to the door where he then hauls you inside. Inside where Thoma and Ayaka were waiting for you. 

Aether finally drops your hand as Ayaka, dismissing her status as well as her fan, rushes towards you. Throwing her arms around your neck, she sinks into your body as you stand there with your arms hovering over her sides. This was unexpected, but as soon as she tightened her grip, you easily hold her back with as much desperation. 

“I’m so angry at you,” she tells you weakly. You chuckle. Thoma makes his way over, placing a hand on your head. 

“I’m glad you made it back in one piece.” 

“Yeah,” you tell him. Strange, you think.

When Ayaka finally pulls away from you and you’re able to see both of your closest friends in front of you again, it’s like a weight was lifted from you. Tears that you didn’t even try and stop wash down your cheeks and you let them. With one hand, you hide your eyes under your palm and with the other, you grab onto your shirt for something to ground you. You were so relieved. After so long, it finally felt like you… 

“I’m home,” you choke. Ayaka just hugs you again, now just as teary eyed, as Thoma chuckles fondly towards you, moving the hand on your head back and forth like an older brother.  

After so long, it finally felt like you were home.

a/n pt.2: look- when i say slow burn, i mean in the first four chapters, Ayato is in one o(╥﹏╥)o (i promise he's in the rest of the series) ((totally would not blame the masses if they skipped this chapter ngl its so messsyyyyy hnnggh))

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Firstly, your little transmigration journey as you’ve grown to accept it, was at least merciful enough to place you into Teyvat in clothing that didn’t scream ‘I’m from a whole other world’. If you had just spawned out of nowhere in sweatpants and a graphic tee that you washed so many times that the graphic was more of a distorted splotchy mess that a design, well things could’ve been worse. The plain white set of jinbei- equip with a pair of loose shorts and kimono styled top- was quite generous of the transmigration gods to gift. Though your new apparel that are now stained, were better than Earth clothes. 

The chill of the prison was a constant annoyance as your skin was breaking world records for how long goosebumps could last. The guards could have at least provided you with an extra blanket or something; the cot’s blanket could very well pass as a top sheet instead of a blanket at all. 

Second, you accept the fact that this wasn’t some really long dream you’d just wake up from and laugh at. The emotional turmoil and sore arm from your fall earlier that had already scabbed up was proof enough of that.  You’ve read isekai manwha before and when a character who has been reborn takes chapters upon chapters to accept that where they are is their life now? Irritating honestly. So, unless you wake up from some sudden, unexplained coma in reality, this was your new life now. 

Third, from the whispered voices of the guards, you had appeared in Inazuma at the start of the Sakoku Decree. That being said, you couldn’t come to figure out when exactly that is since Genshin didn’t have the best timeline system. Would the Traveler show up at some point? If so, when? And who would it be? Would it be Aether or Lumine or maybe someone completely different. You had no idea and all you could do was wait and see if that would ever happen- if you ever get out of this cell. 

You were laying on your jail cot, staring out the small, barred window at the sky that began to cloud over. It was late afternoon already, and you expect that you’ll be here the next few days at least. Who knows when the Tri-Commission would actually get around to caring about the random girl who showed up in Ritou. Still, as barren and cold as it was, you would be provided scheduled meals and a roof, so you couldn’t really complain… aside from the blanket situation. 

Still lost in thought, your attention is brought back to your cell door when a click of a lock echoes into your cell followed by the rattling of the door sliding open. Sitting up, you twist to see who was coming in assuming it was another Tenryou guard to ask questions. Just like with Thoma’s sudden appearance, your voice caught in your throat when you saw the complete opposite of who you were expecting. 

Thoma had reappeared in your vision, though in the dim lighting it was difficult to see him, but you knew it was him. And with him, was none other than his master.

Kamisato Ayato stood in your jail cell, holding eye contact that was definitely filled with genuine awe on your side. Even though you couldn’t see him well, he was still a beautiful man. His in-game model couldn’t hold a candle to the real deal. He must’ve found your silent blinking and agape mouth amusing since he chuckles silently- maybe even condescendingly- at you before Thoma starts talking behind a step behind his left shoulder. 

“I told you you’d be taken care of,” the ginger enthusiastically tells you, his voice echoing off the barren stone walls. The deadpanned look of unenthusiasm from you once you get your eyes off Ayato and jaw clacked shut sends him into a small laughing fit. If you had a better pillow on your shotty little prison cot, you would’ve thrown it at his dumb face. 

“Yes, because it’s so accommodating here,” you mutter. More to yourself than to him since the last thing you want to do is act like a spoiled rotten, supposed criminal in front of a commissioner who had more power than you ever had in your (previous?) life. If Ayato suspects you of being even the slightest bit hostile? You didn’t want to be a victim of one of his little schemes. Favorite though he may be, you weren’t controlling him on a screen right now; in fact, you had no control here at all! 

“Don’t worry too much!” Thoma attempts to placate. “You’ll be out of this cell in no time!” The quizzical look you give him continues to make him chuckle as he steps around his lord and closer to you. Helping you off the cot by offering his hand. You take his offer because as a pyro user you know his skin is warm and you were currently not, you come to stand among the two men once on your feet. “As of this moment, you’re being put under the protection of the Yashiro Commission.” 

“Excuse me?” You were baffled. Hand slipping from Thoma's back to your side, chilled fingertips brushing your thigh just beyond the fabric of your shorts.

“Well, I guess it’s less protection and more ‘employment with supervision’. Just until we can figure out just who you are and how you got here.” 

“Now, wait a second,” you cross your arms. He expected some form of rebuttal from you, but he was ready. He could curb all your doubts and easily convince you to- “I know who I am.” 

“I know you must have your- wait, what?” His practiced line of persuasion just flew out of your cell window. 

“I know. Who I am,” you slowly repeat yourself as if to get the message through. “I’m not an amnesiac, I just don't know how I got here. If you want to know my identity, you just need to ask.” You cross your arms over your chest and almost huff at his bewildered face.

“... Out of everything I just told you, that’s what you have an issue with?” The bafflement that was once yours to hold was passed to The Fixer like a baton in a track and field race. Swiftly. 

“Looking for a job would be a hassle if I was to just be tossed out of here without a care by the Tenryou Commission. In this case, having a solid employer ready and waiting is the best course of action. Why would I turn that down?” 

“But, aren’t you upset? We’re putting you under supervision?” 

“Okay? What sort of boss doesn’t do that to just any other regular member of their staff?” Of course, you knew exactly what he was getting at. Who in their right mind would be okay with being constantly watched because everyone thinks you're some sort of fraud or crook. Sure, the insinuations stung a little, but just as you feel lost in this world, you know that you were also an intruder in their home. An outsider. It’d be more suspicious if they didn’t suspect you. 

While you both exchange words, Ayato had been busy analyzing you to try and get a read on your character. He couldn’t detect any sort of demeanor in you that leaned towards you being an insincere woman when it came to your word. Plus, your little banter with Thoma amused him greatly. 

“Pardon me,” he finally spoke, splitting the back and forth you held with his servant in half. Thoma and your attention turn to him. The commissioner stands with his arms positioned behind his back with a perfectly practiced smile resting on his face. “Would you mind showing me what’s in your pocket?” 

“Pocket?” You question. Your first word to this man and all you have to say is ‘pocket?’ because did jinbei shorts even have pockets? You didn’t even notice. Patting around your sides, you feel a small slip and with a small noise of bewilderment, you slide your hand inside the fabric. You feel a small, bumpy sort of bead in your pocket and pull it out and open your palm and show it to the Commissioner. 

When you see it, your mouth opens and you wonder how the hell that managed to follow you here. Ayato looks at the small piece you pulled from your pocket then at your astonished face filled with a small sense of familiarity. 

“Do you recognize this?” He asks and you slowly nod. 

“A piece of candy?” Thoma asks, looking at the blue and purple entanglement in your palm with a finger crooked in front of his chin. The very same bead-like object you had dug out of your bag and then thrown away under your desk in reality just before falling asleep and waking up here. Being in this situation with these two directly in front of you- somehow it finally clicks that you actually know what this thing is. 

“I,” you start but swallow your breath before trying again. “This is something I thought I had thrown away. Guess I must not have.” You couldn’t just say ‘yeah I found this after some rando bumped into me in an alley and promptly threw it away in my bedroom’, because you know a swift interrogation of where you come from would be next. You’ve read enough manwha to know that the random stranger from the alley was more than likely the whole reason this was happening to you! Thinking back, his voice did sound odd- that should've been tell enough. It felt aggravating. More than anything, you just keep feeling more lost than the moment before. 

You surely haven't been gone long, but you were already missing home. Your stupid job and your coworkers. The people who were close to you. You missed the familiarity of your home, the comfort of being in a place you knew was quickly becoming a sensation you feel like you’d never experience again. 

Curling your hand around the in game Intertwined Fate, you put it back into your pocket. 

“Thoma, we should get going. Our new acquaintance here could very well freeze if we don’t get back soon.” It was obviously a joke, but you feel your face get hot at the realization that he figured out you were cold. Maybe you weren’t hiding your shivering as well as you thought. 

“Oh! I didn’t even realize- here.” Thoma slips off his jacket before pushing it onto you. The folded sleeves didn’t cover your arms fully and the cropped design did nothing to cover your chest, but once again, the heat from a pyro user never seems to disappoint; part of you wonders if others are this warm too- like Diluc or Amber. Thoma looked empty without this jacket. Just dawning his black shirt and necklace tags made him look naked in the eyes that’s so used to seeing him in his full ansambel. 

“By the way,” Ayato steps closer to you and you have half a mind to back up instinctively. If he looks this pretty in a prison cell’s dull lighting, you can’t imagine what he’s like outside. “I never caught your name.” 

“Oh,” that's true. You were so caught up in everything that you had completely forgotten. “It’s y/n.” 

“Is that your first name?” 

“Yes?” 

“And your surname?” 

“Uh,” you toy with the idea of telling him or not. Would it sound absolutely out of place in this world? Then, with a moment longer of thinking, you yield and tell him the truth. Ayato would probably know if you were lying or not anyway and lying wouldn't help your predicament. He nods approvingly at your compliance before turning on his heel and walking to the open cell door. 

“Come along then. We have much to arrange for and the day will not last much longer.” 

With Thoma ushering you out, you pass by the guards who were no doubt listening to the whole conversation. Without a doubt, they'd definitely be spreading gossip about how the Yashiro Commission picked up some new stray who washed up on Ritou within the next day or two. Still, you didn’t feel uneasy about your position. A new job, Thoma who would be acting as your mentor (according to him), a place to sleep that was warm and no need to worry about where and how to get food and water? It all sounds like it all fell right into your lap. 

Despite all that in mind though, the pit in your gut will continue to stay. Until this world would start feeling like home to you- you have no doubt that the feeling would never truly go away. No matter how much you accept it at face value. 

At least you ended up in pretty damn good and capable hands. The Yashiro Commissioner and head of the Kamisatos'? On top of Thoma, his most trusted companion. Eventually, you’ll be able to meet the young lady of the family, Ayaka, as well. You were just counting your lucky stars that you didn’t end up in some wooden cage as a hostage for some ronin or something. 

Ayato continued to watch you from the corner of his gaze the whole trip back to the Kamisato estate on the other side of Narukami. He wondered if he should take you up the mountain to the Grand Narukami Shrine, but held off the idea. Until you complete your work training and learn your way around, on top of leaving the Tri-Commission’s sights of suspicion, it would be for the best for you to remain strictly on his premises. 

A distraction from his typical, stressful, paperwork filled life is exactly what he was wishing for. 

“y/n! Could you bring this tray to his lord!” Another working woman well into her 40s, had stopped you in the middle of your task of cleaning off shelves that needed a good dusting. 

“I’ll be right there!” You call back, tossing the rag you were using in a small bin and dusting your hands off on your legs. The tray given to you contained a teapot made of fine china you knew was pricey- so you best not drop it- along with matching teacups and a small dish of treats.

This was a fairly common occurrence. Ayato would often get trapped in his office with paperwork and the such, so regular tea-trips were passed around by different staff members. Sometimes even small scraps of paper were left on the tray as well as means of communication between master and staff. 

You had been employed by the Kamisato’s for two weeks now and have brought Ayato’s tea to his office at least twice already, but that didn’t mean you were any less nervous when the task fell into your assigned hands. 

You were always afraid he’d stall you; press you for details on the circumstances you still didn’t know how to explain without sounding like a liar or just plain insane. At least, thanks to Thoma’s quick teaching, you learned the ins and outs of proper etiquette when it comes to working for a prestigious family.

Like- for example- when the Yashiro Commissioner is busy with work and taking just a moment to drink his tea for a quick break, do not interrupt him with idle chit chat. Not because it’s wrong or ‘improper’, but because even if the family head dislikes small talk, he’ll take any excuse to get a little less work finished by yapping. 

It may not show on paper or in appearances, but he can be quite the slacker when he wants to be. Much to Thoma’s dismay and Ayaka’s (slight) amusement. 

Speaking of, you had quite the liking for the young lady of the Kamisato name. She was as lovely as you expected her to be in this reality. After being suffocated with the Tenryou Commission and then finding yourself as an unplanned, emergency employee to her family, she was a breath of fresh air. She often sneaks you sweets if she comes across you running errands and such. It was mostly small, wrapped candies that she could inconspicuously drop into your hand or pocket.  

With semi-practiced balance, you place your palm under the center of the tea tray and raise your free one to knock twice on the wooden frame of the sliding door to Ayato’s office. 

“My lord, I’ve brought your tea.” Internally, you still hadn’t gotten used to the verbal lingo in this world yet. Addressing the man you were so used to addressing by name- and even giving stupid nicknames to behind your computer screen two weeks ago- as ‘my lord’ felt cringeworthy. It wouldn’t be good for you to be too familiar with him though, you could seriously earn yourself some grief with a stunt like that. So, all you could do was grin-and-bear it.

“You may come in.” His voice was muffled behind the door. Sliding the door open easily in its groves, you step inside and shut it behind you just as you had before. Without stopping his brush strokes of the document he was working on, he gestured with his chin over to a small round table. “Please, place it over there.” 

You were confused for a split second before you just accept his orders. Normally, you would pour him his first cup and then place it on his desk next to him for him to nurse as he sees fit before leaving and coming back later to retrieve the empty cup and pot. 

As you kneel to set the tray down on the low table, you flinch when Ayato is suddenly in your peripherals. As you jolt away from him, you let out a deep, tension releasing breath while he blinks owlishly at you. It was like he wasn’t expecting you to jump away from his sudden presence; you didn’t even hear him get up from his desk! With it being positioned on the floor with a cushion for comfort, you should’ve heard the rustling of his clothes at the very least. You must’ve been too lost in thought or something. 

“My apologies,” he tells you, chuckling as he does. He seats himself down at the table’s edge while you pour him a cup and offer it on a small saucer in front of him. You were mid-knee, ready to get up and excuse yourself, when Ayato cleared his throat in a quick fashion. “Ah-ah,” he stops you like a mother stopping a misbehaving child and you freeze. “Sit back down.” You listen. Although your nerves shoot through the traditional, wooden-beamed ceiling. “Very good.” 

“Do you need something from me, my lord?” 

“Partially.” 

Partially? What kind of answer is that? One that makes you that much more nervous, that’s what! This man could be so wishy-washy with this replies it was insufferable sometimes.

“I'm afraid I don’t follow.” Lifting his cup to his lips, he took delicate sips of his hot tea. Being careful not to burn his tongue or overindulge and cause a mess on his suit. Setting it back down with just as elegant movements as when he first picked it up, the teacup met the saucer with a soft clink. 

“Are you aware of just how rare it is for someone to be accepted into Inazuma while also not being a citizen under the Sakoku Decree’s strict ruling?” 

“I imagine it isn’t common.” Your eyes travel to the tea set and trace the designs on the pot with your eyes over and over again. 

“That’s correct. So, as your employer, I feel like I should be allowed to pick your brain in a sense.” You think you hide the fact that this whole conversation was making you nervous decently, but you don’t. At least, not in Ayato’s eyes. He who has been trained to see discomfort for a long time now is a formidable foe. “You needn’t get so antsy,” he chides. He’s enjoying this, the sadist. “I’m simply curious about where you come from.” 

“But, my lord-” 

“Ah,” he shuts you down again with another sharp, quick tut. You nearly scowl at him for it but control your facial contortions. “Let me finish.” He takes another sip of his tea. “It’s obvious you aren’t originally from Narukami Island, your little scuffle in Ritou is proof enough of that.” You want to curl in on yourself remembering your brief prison time. “I suspect however, that you are from beyond any of the Inazuman Islands altogether.” 

Your hands that rest in your lap were fidgeting. Picking at your nails and rubbing your fingertips over your knuckles, wringing them together just for something to fiddle with since you had nothing tangible. Ayato sits in silence with you, and you knew that he was waiting for an answer. The accusation was something he expected you to admit or deny; it wasn’t rhetorical.

After sitting under the weight of his accusations and presence, you let out a heavy breath that was pretty much admission enough. 

“That’s correct, my lord. I’m from somewhere… very far from here. I’m afraid I can’t tell you any more than that since it’s a bit complicated.” 

“Complicated how?” 

“It just,” you let out another deep boned sigh that was cloaked in frustration. You couldn’t lose your temper to your employer of such strong power. You clutch one of your hands tightly in the other to keep it together. “It just is.” 

“Hmm,” he hums, swirling the remains of tea in his cup. “I see.” 

In truth, you could try and explain it all to him.

Given your knowledge of the Traveler and how everyone just accepts without question that they’re from a whole different world, there’s a chance you could get the same acceptance. Of course, not everyone knows that the blond outside isn't Teyvat native.

But then, what would happen if you didn’t get that wholly acceptance? What would happen if you told the truth about how you were magically transported here with no rhyme or reason as to why- taken away from your day-to-day life of work and play? You don’t think being thrown in prison for a second time because you were deemed a kook was something you wanted to happen. So, for better or for worse, the truth of your fantastical origins would need to stay put solely within you. 

On top of that, you were not about to be the person to drop the unbelievable story of ‘this is actually a fictional world in a game’ bombshell. As long as you’re in Teyvat, that little tidbit will go with you to your grave- fictional or otherwise. 

Ayato watches you sit adjacent to him at the tea table, seeing your face contort in ways that show off your inner conflict. Whatever your reasons for not telling him, he couldn’t blame you. He was still a stranger to you. He may have employed and sheltered you, but it was all under Thoma’s request when it boiled down to it. At the time, back then two weeks ago, he only agreed on a whim.

When Thoma had rushed towards where he had left the Commissioner in Ritou for some business and explained the situation of the strange girl who was being questioned by the Tenryou Commission, he had been intrigued. Ayato trusted Thoma and his judge of character, so when he asked if his lord would be willing to take her in, at least temporarily, he had no reason to refuse outright. 

Then, he met you. In that prison cell, something in him knew that not only did you not deserve a cold, isolated cell, but you were someone special. The air around you felt different than an ordinary person, but different from someone who had a Vision and elementally energy at their beck and call. You were an immediate enigma, which intrigued him all the more. 

Though, it was that small intertwined charm in your pocket that really piqued his mind. Ayato didn’t know how he knew it was there. Bringing it up was a case of his mouth talking before his brain could stop him. Though, when you showed it in your palm, he thought instead of a piece of candy like Thoma guessed- it resembled something like a star to him. 

‘Asinine,’ Ayato thought at the time. Who would compare cool-colored candy to a star? Perhaps the brightest star he had ever seen flashing across the sky the night before your arrival was still fresher on his mind than he had originally thought and clouded his perception. 

In fact, it was odd that he was still dwelling on it. The Commission had seen plenty of shooting stars before, yet that specific one was so… different to him. 

“Regardless of how you ended up here, you are under my protection and employment." Ayato decides he should give you a break. You fidgeting could easily become more annoying than adorable if this keeps up. "Please, see to it that you maintain your behavior as you have. My sister seems to have taken a liking to you, so I expect you to continue to treat her well.” 

“Of course. Lady Ayaka is a wonderful person.” 

“Hm, that’s very true.” 

The rest of his small break was cloaked in a silence you were grateful for. Anymore awkward chit chat would just ruin your mood. Eventually, he finishes his tea and you gathered everything up to return it to the kitchen to have it washed and waiting for its next tea run. Before you could leave the room, Ayato walks to his door and slides it open for you with some parting words. 

“If you ever want to discuss your home, or perhaps indulge any concerns you have about the estate, do come and find me. I wouldn’t mind chatting with you, if that’s what you’d prefer.” You look at him inquisitively. Another odd thing he’s said today.

Still, just to get out of there, you nod and agree that if you ever wish to, you’ll find him. With a small bow so as to not drop the tray, you scurry away from him and his office. 

Sliding the door shut with the sides of his fingers nestled elegantly in the vertical indentation, he stands in front of the closed door with his opposite hand cupped under his chin. That hand feels his lips quirk up before his cheeks do.

Ayato couldn’t help but think that you would be a very amusing person to tease. 

a/n pt.2: ayato makes his appearance! first one-one-one time with ayato and it's awkward teatime yeehaw

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