One of the big questions people from Inazuma asked themselves was where Arataki Itto was sleeping if he had neither money nor house to sleep in. Some believed that he returned to the planes outside of Inazuma City and lived in a small hut or cave somewhere among trees and stones. Others insisted that Itto actually slept on the ground or in a seated position because he was an Oni (or maybe he didn't need to sleep at all).

None of them knew the truth. Or half the truth - because a lot related to Kamisato Ayato was carefully selected to not exactly be a lie but not the whole story either. In this case, aside from Komore Teahouse, Kamisato Estate kept its doors open for the Oni and welcomed him with open arms if he wanted to stay, in more than one way. And the repayment he thanked the lord of the house with, well … let's phrase it as such: If wanted, Ayato had a clear vision of how his boyfriend could repay the favors to both him and Thoma, who usually entertained guests.

"Is it to your taste?" Ayato propped his chin against a bent arm on the low table before him and tilted his head, running his thumb around the lazy smile adorning his lips. He watched attentively how Itto shifted the lollipop in his mouth around, then popped it out audibly to answer: "Oh yeah! This is the bestest thing ever, Ayato! I love lollipops! Where do you get these from, actually? I feel like you have an endless supply of sweets whenever I'm around!"

Itto's tongue darted over the lollipop repeatedly and Ayato covered his mouth with the flat of his hand, pressing his lips together.

"I'm glad they're to your liking." Ayato would definitely not explain that he had several good reasons to provide his boyfriend with all kinds of sweets. Probably all of Inazuma must believe by now that Kamisato Ayato, the head of the Yashiro Commission, was a sweet tooth, seeing how much he asked Thoma to buy and bring here. And most of it, he never got to try.

Some sacrifices were simply worth it.

"You've changed since childhood by the way." As Itto sucked at the lollipop, his sharp eyes locked with Ayato's, sending a shiver run down his spine. In response, Ayato lifted an eyebrow in silent request to continue, battling Itto's vigilant gaze that not once broke eye contact.

"You used to just say when you wanted something", Itto remarked, holding onto the sweet in his mouth, talking around it. He had that kind of habit (or maybe talent?) where his tongue would be able to do both at the same time, lick and talk - quite distracting for Ayato, honestly. "Nowadays, you're like everyone else, talking without saying much. You could just spit it out, really. But don't worry, baby, Arataki Numero Uno Itto can read you just fine like that too! Gotta believe in my head."

"Is that so?" Ayato flinched when Itto bit down onto the rest of the candy to break it and swallow it so that only the lollipop stick stuck out between his toothy grin. Itto leaned back onto one arm, took the stick between two fingers, and pointed at Ayato with its pointy end.

"Right now, you have that dangerous look again, for example."

Ayato sat up a bit straighter. "Describe it to me?"

"Describe?" Itto laughed, bending over the table in laughter. "You're funny! I don't need to describe anything! I can smell your intentions from here. You're scheming something again, aren't you?"

"And what if I am?" Ayato rose and rounded the low table that had separated him from Itto, brushing his fingertips over the table surface as he walked around. Itto followed his movement by turning his head. "I was only wondering what your lollipop tastes like. Is that a crime? Should you report me to the Tenryou Commission?" Ayato stopped in front of Itto.

The oni made a disgruntled sound upon the mention of the Tenryou Commission and raised his chin, staring back at Ayato accusingly, who leaned forward until he was close enough that his breath tickled Itto's lips. Itto pouted.

"That's what I meant, baby. You should've just had one. Why did you wait until I ate all of them? Now you won't know how tasty the lollipops were!", Itto complained.

"Will I not?" Ayato tilted his head and bridged the distance between their lips, quickly licking over and into Itto's mouth when Itto allowed a deeper kiss between them. Itto's tongue still tasted like sugar, cooked strawberries and lavender melon, better than the candy would've pleased Ayato's senses. Ayato couldn't help but smile at this new experience. And when he wanted to retract and tell Itto exactly that, Itto chased Ayato's lips with a grunt that conveyed his dislike for speech right now, simply wrapped his strong arms around Ayato's waist and pulled him courtly into his lap with his superior strength.

"Itto!" Ayato tried to move in the grip of those beefy arms around his middle to no avail. He used his knees to apply pressure at Itto's outer thighs to maneuver himself into a more comfortable position when the Oni refused to give way and hooked his fingers into the belts on Itto's pecks instead. Like this, he had a bit of leverage and could lean backwards in Itto's tight embrace that sought to occupy every inch of Ayato with himself.

Ayato loved it, to be held by these arms. He liked to feel the play of muscles around himself, liked the safe feeling Itto gave by holding onto Ayato: not trying to undress him, not tracing his hands underneath Ayato's clothing, but focusing on the moment of their joined lips, leaving it up to Ayato to go for more if he wanted.

Itto's kisses were like his personality: honest, direct, and playful as well, but underneath it all lay a want that Ayato held precious to his heart, adjusting his own kisses to say: I am here, I am with you.

I love you.

-x

It is known that the constant flow of water changes the shape of rock. And even in Itto's arms without a way out - not that Ayato was in a rush to look for one - he reclaimed his freedom by diddling around on Itto's lap.

Ayato managed to turn his upper body in Itto's arms and grabbed behind himself, taking the open jar of sweet honey he'd have imported from Liyue some days ago from the top of the table.

"Open your mouth."

Gingerly, he pressed his fingertips flatly against the soft part of Itto's chin, interrupting all of Itto's attempts at kisses, and Itto allowed Ayato's guidance without hesitation.

Ayato lifted the honey jar above Itto's head and tilted it to make the viscid fluid run over the jar's edge and drip onto Itto, partially missing his mouth in the process.

"Stop!", Itto shrieked, sticking out his tongue in order to catch the stream of honey that ran down the side of his mouth, with little success. "No! Don't waste it!"

Itto loosened his grip around Ayato's middle and slapped his hand against the honey that threatened to drop onto his chest, more or less stopping the lazy stream of it at his jaw.

"It's not wasted, trust me. Thoma would never allow a mess in the Kamisato household. Isn't that right, Thoma?"

Ayato made eye contact with someone behind Itto who he couldn't see, and Itto felt someone step behind him, close by his back. Another hand, belonging to none other than Thoma, grabbed Itto by his wrist, reaching with the other hand for the tilted honey jar in Ayato's hand and righting it.

"You wanted to leave some for me", Thoma complained calmly, bowed over Itto from behind so that his necklace dangled over Itto's nose tip, and lifted Itto's arm by its wrist high enough to lick off the honey that threatened to run along Itto's arm and drip to the ground.

Itto spread his fingers, giving his best to not lose his composure because of the ticklish feeling of Thoma's tongue darting over his phalanges. He wasn't ticklish, promised!

"Don't look at me!", he defended himself, reaching his free arm loosely around Ayato to nail him into place so that he had to stay on Itto's lap. "Look at Ayato, Thoma! It's one hundred percent his fault! And it's definitely not his revenge on me for clinging to him again! It can't be my fault!"

Thoma let go of Itto's wrist and closed his hand, which wasn't holding onto the honey jar, around one of Itto's horns to tilt Itto's head to better reach the sluggish stream dripping down Itto's jaw. As his tongue slid slowly over Itto's face and made Itto hold his breath with tightly pressed shut eyes, Thoma side glanced at Ayato, who had a witty smile playing around his lips.

"Enjoying yourself, my lord?"

"Definitely." Ayato stretched out an arm and hooked his pointing finger into Thoma's necklace whose cold metal made Itto flinch whenever it touched his bare skin; by that, he pulled Thoma closer while also shifting forward on Itto's lap, catching Thoma's lips against his own, keeping his eyes half-lidded during an inquisitive kiss.

Curiously enough, Ayato had to break away first, short on breath. For a moment, he and Thoma simply looked at each other - both their lips slightly parted, Thoma watching from above since Ayato was seated, Ayato having to look up to Thoma slightly; and Ayato felt his heart beat into his throat, momentarily hyperfocused on the brown dots lost in Thoma's irises, captivated by the beauty of them; then Itto shifted under Ayato and Ayato lost his balance, barely catching himself against Itto's chest.

"Woah. Careful there, honey", Itto growled and laughed with Ayato pressed against him, vibrating throughout his body with both his words and laughter. Itto had lifted his hands around Ayato to catch him automatically and now straightened him, noticing the state Ayato was in: face burning, bangs hanging into his eyes to conceal their expression, teeth worrying his lower lip.

"Hey … don't get flustered over this bad pun! I'm sorry that it was so bad!"

"The pun was good", Thoma reassured Itto with a bright smile, straightened his posture and lifted the honey jar he still held onto to his mouth, unerringly watching Ayato. "The lord just needs some time to … cool off. I in the meantime will take care of the mess he made of you, okay, big guy?"

-x


-x

First, a spark.

At first, Ayato started with a spark into his relationship with Thoma and Itto. A quick smile whenever he saw Thoma, an affectionate touch when he passed by, a glance around to see if Thoma was anywhere to be seen, those were sparks. A spark - because sparks are short-lived, burn brightly for a moment - not even the lifespan of a breath, a heartbeat -, before they extinguish again.

The sparks didn't mean that Ayato didn't have feelings for Thoma prior to the sparks' appearance, before those sparks danced on Ayato's mind like sparks jump off two stones hit together at very high degrees at the smithery. It didn't mean that Ayato didn't feel affection when he saw Itto and Thoma get along splendidly, when the three of them shared long, lazy kisses, or when they lied in bed together at night, sleeping as a heap of entangled limbs.

But the sparks - they were the beginning of something bigger: a wildfire. And Ayato was glad that he was a master of Hydro because Hydro was able to keep fire at bay; and he was glad that Itto was there; because sometimes, Itto knew Ayato better than Ayato knew himself, thanks to the many years they'd known each other.

He loved caring for his boyfriends. He'd handle some sparks easily.

-x

Then, a candlelight.

Candles could burn steadily or flicker in wild wind, close to being extinguished under dire circumstances, and candle flames could bring small light into darkness. That's what Ayato felt when he came home to the Kamisato Estate deep at night, the night's cover hiding the blood stains all over his clothes.

Thoma would know, come morning. Ayato could only clean the stains that well with Hydro, and had to rely on Thoma's vast knowledge to hide the red against the white of his suit. Not to keep secrets about what he had been doing - or maybe exactly that, so that Ayaka wouldn't be worried. Because Ayaka didn't know.

Now, in the secrecy of the time past midnight, when the darkness and the burden of leading the Shuumatsuban weighed heavily on his shoulders, Ayato's steps were drawn to the one source of light his heart knew. He walked through the corridors like a ghost and came to halt at the door to Thoma's room, finding his candlelight sleeping soundly in bed.

(The reason why Ayato came to ground himself in reality to Thoma's room was only because his clothes were bloodstained, Ayato told himself. Otherwise, he'd go see Ayaka and make sure that his beloved sister was sleeping safe and sound; but she might wake up and see him bloody, so instead, Ayato had gone and sought out Thoma instead. - that had to be it.)

-x

Third, a burning campfire.

Itto was a light sleeper. He insisted that he didn't sleep at all, but that was a habit born from highly alarmable senses whenever the oni slept outside.

Ayato had made sure that Itto found a place inside Kamisato Estate which would bring him the peace of mind he wanted, and the undisturbed night's rest he deserved. Ayato had given Itto a bedroom of his choice, but the bedroom was soon vacant since Itto's favorite place was in a different bed.

Itto slept soundly when he got to hold Ayato in his arms. In the nights when Ayato was out on serious business, Itto kept awake and waited for his return. And soon, that changed as well.

Itto knew that Ayato went to see Thoma sleeping just to get a sense of self again. Itto knew that Ayato relied on sharing covers with Itto as much as Itto relied on Ayato in his arms to sleep well at night. So, dragging Thoma from his separate bed that he usually slept in and convincing him to come into the shared bed, that was Itto's idea (and Ayato's wish).

Ayato entered their bedroom late tonight, stripping himself off the many layers he was wearing as he walked, feeling the exhaustion deep in his bones.

The darkness in the room wasn't too dense, outlining the shapes of his two boyfriends on the bed. Yes, because sleeping was easier with someone else there in bed. Coming back home was easier with someone else waiting for you.

Even though Ayato stepped lightly, trying to make little to no sound as he fully undressed and stepped to the bed, Itto extended his arm in silent welcome when Ayato was ready to lie down, showing that he'd been awake. He helped Ayato shift around into a comfortable position without waking Thoma, who was sleeping soundly, the two of them embracing Thoma from their respective sides.

Thoma was warmer than Itto and Ayato because Thoma was a walking furnace thanks to his Pyro Vision. Sleeping against him and cuddling with him was the most satisfying thing in the world. And when Ayato was comfortable, an arm across Thoma's middle, Itto's hand resting on his side, simply breathing their closeness, Ayato realized that the sparks he'd felt earlier had grown into wild flames.

-x

Had Ayato thought he could contain the flames?

He sunk deeper into the hot spring, blowing air against the water's surface. Water was his element, his favorite spot - but the water was hot on Ayato's skin, burning every inch of his body without injuring, and the warmth reminded him of Thoma's arms, of Thoma's eyes when they wrinkled during his smiles, of his cheery personality, of Thoma's passion.

Ayato dipped under the water, sinking to the ground, arms wrapped tightly around his knees, hoping he could drown out the heat on his skin. Frustrated, he watched air bubbles escape from his lips and rush up to rejoin the rest of air.

He could stay endlessly under water. But he couldn't stay endlessly away from himself (lying to oneself only brought him that far).

-x


-x

Thoma was sweeping the tiles of the pavilion in front of the Kamisato estate's main building when Itto and Lumine returned from their commission hunt. The Traveler was talking animatedly with Itto, and Itto, holding his signature claymore over one shoulder, watched her attentively and listened. Neither of them had noticed Thoma yet.

Thoma held onto his broom and leaned against it, waiting until they were in hearing range. He couldn't help the fond fluttering in his chest - Itto was a kind soul and harbored deep respect for the nature of things, a perspective, which made Thoma learn from him every now and then.

"Hey there!"

"Oh. Hey, Thoma!" Itto's eyes widened, and he lifted his free arm - exposing the streaks of blood running along his torso, prior to that covered by his arm resting against his side. When Itto noticed the shift in Thoma's facial expression to worry, he made another sound.

"A first aid kit will do the trick", Lumine replied faster than Itto found the right words. "The rift hound didn't get a good grip on your oni."

"Um … right. I totally showed 'em!" Itto ran his free hand through his hair, laughing awkwardly, and yelped when the move jolted his injured side. "No biggie!", he shouted with a grimace.

Lumine ushered him to sit down onto the bench under the pavilion and while he dropped onto his ass with his claymore as support, Lumine said she was going to return with a first aid kid from inside.

Thoma watched her disappear into the estate, walking his brushing work to the tiles outside the pavilion, and began sweeping there, turning to be able to throw glances up to Itto.

"What happened?", he wanted to know.

"Eh. Exhausted." Itto let his claymore pop into nothingness and leaned one elbow behind himself onto the table, tilting his head back. He rolled his head around, cracking some joints in the process. "We got into an ambush. Can't explain myself how! I should've smelled it. But suddenly they were upon us, and this rift hound crashed into me from the side like Ayato's onikabuto do with mine! And we went baaaaah! and Lumine had her sword out in a wiff and boom, zap Electro against the enemy …"

Thoma lifted his broom like he'd hold his polearm.

"Like this?" He performed some battle moves according to Itto's story as Itto went on recounting his battle.

"And we wiped the floor with the rift hounds! They thought they could get us EASY PEASY but HAH, nobody messes with Arataki Numero Fucking Uno Itto!" Itto hit a thumb against his chest, whimpering when he forgot about his injury.

"Take this, dust!" Thoma set down his broom and swept the tiles so hard that dust started ascending into the air, putting extra effort into jumping around and imitating Itto's enthusiasm. Maybe he was being childish, but there was a charm to completing your work the way you wanted.

Especially because it made Itto laugh. He laughed so hard that he had to hold onto his sides, crying at the same time because laughter shook his side, but he loved Thoma's performance so much that he couldn't stop laughing.

"You should definitely - ouch! ouch! - join the Arataki gang and …. uuuuuuuuh this hurts …. perform with us one day!" Itto doubled over, clenching his teeth, trying his best to contain his laughter to the bare minimum.

Thoma climbed the stairs to the pavilion, bowed down and wrapped his arms around Itto's head, patting his hair between his horns. He paid extra attention to not bring Itto's air into disarray.

"There there. You're still best with your performances. Can't go around stealing your spotlight now, can I?"

"But you can share the spotlight! You know, I'm a real sport, you can get some of the fame too, Thoma!" Itto lifted his healthy arm around Thoma's middle for a moment and pressed him closer, burying his nose against Thoma's stomach. He exhaled against the black shirt, then retracted and turned to the sound of nearing footsteps.

Thoma, too, let go of Itto, asked approaching Lumine to take good care of the wounded brave soldier, and headed into the estate.

-x