starry, starry night | genshin impact

ayato & thoma : thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife (1/2)

[ nsfw ; kamisato ayato x reader x thoma ]

...

Thoma's been acting strange lately.

You can't help but notice that once you started living inside the Kamisato Estate. Of course, you're no stranger to the four corners of the property – having been betrothed to the Commissioner for a few years now. This means you've become quite familiar with the rest of the Kamisato retainers, as well.

Their chief retainer and housekeeper was always such an unintentional charmer. Thoma was as kind as he was diligent, accomplishing tasks from a broad spectrum of categories. Be it his cover-up job as a fixer in Ritou, being the right-hand man of Kamisato Ayato himself, or his duties as the main housekeeper, Thoma never fails to impress.

You've only managed to officially marry into the family two weeks earlier, and the Kamisato clan made you feel nothing short of welcome. Ayato even organized a small banquet on behalf of your marriage, and you couldn't be happier to start the next phase of your life with him.

But going back to Thoma...

He's a good friend that you've known for years. The blond housekeeper was always there for you in moments when you started to doubt your engagement. Ayato is a busy man, and that's something you found difficult to fully accept when you were younger. You envied your friends, who didn't have to share their husbands' attention with mountains of deskwork. But no matter how childish your rants could be, Thoma would give you the reassurance you needed in a heartbeat.

"Marrying into any Tri-Commission family isn't easy, miss," he told you once, flashing you a comforting smile. "But I hope you know that there's nothing Lord Ayato would want more than to fulfill his obligations both to Inazuma, and to you. "

Admittedly, if it weren't for Thoma, your marriage would've fallen through before you could even practice for the final rites. It's a good thing he was such a good mediator that, once he helped Ayato realize he'd been falling behind in his role as your fiancé, you managed to salvage your engagement altogether.

Long story short, you're glad to have Thoma around.

So when he starts acting all shifty around you, it rightfully arouses a few questions in your head.

It's been a week since you moved into the estate. The other retainers treated you the same way they have for years, finding nothing unusual for the Commissioner's wife to start living in his home. After all, it was an Inazuman custom. Yet the person who you expected to give you the warmest welcome of all turned out to be the most evasive.

Things have been relatively normal during the first few days. Thoma would greet you whenever you passed him in the halls, invite you for strolls on Ayaka's behalf, and even offer to do your errands in the city. But all of a sudden, he would start steering clear of you for reasons unknown. Thoma always refuses to meet your eyes in the rare chance you could speak to him – replying hurriedly before excusing himself. He doesn't invite you for strolls, nor does he offer to run errands either.

If it had been anyone else, you would've understood. Retainers always maintained a respectable courtesy for their masters and mistresses – you know this well. But the fact that it's Thoma who's suddenly treating you like a stranger makes you a bit...sad.

Ayato notices the shift in your mood right away.

"It's not like you to brood," he comments before climbing under the covers with you. "Anything on your mind?"

You manage a soft laugh. "Nothing that you should worry about, my lord."

Ayato pouts. "I wonder when you'll grow out of your habit of calling me that."