" LOVE ME " || AyaThoma / Thomato

- 7 -

Thoma woke up early as usual, though, this time, he felt different. There was an odd feeling that quickly made the blonde uncomfortable. He didn't know where it was coming from, perhaps it was a side effect of the pancakes he ate yesterday? Nevertheless, he shrugged it off.

He decided, since he wasn't in a rush today, he would clean his room first before preparing breakfast. He started by tidying his bed. He gently put his pillows in order, and set his blanket gently on the bed. 

Then, he mopped and swept the floor, before dusting the cabinets in his room. To some, they didn't have the time to tidy their room this much, but, to Thoma, this really wasn't anything special. He did this every day in the estate's guest bedroom, while the rooms of the Lord and Lady were given special treatment, they were deep cleaned each day, leaving not a speck of dust to be seen. 

He was happy with how his room was cleaned. Even if it's not perfect, he feels a sense of accomplishment whenever he finishes cleaning his own room. He gets to decide how to make him feel at home in his room, and that was enough for him.

After he finished up, he went to the kitchen. He decided that today, he was going to hang out with the Kamisato siblings and treat them to lunch. He wanted it to be special, resulting in him only cooking a light meal for breakfast.

As he finished putting the last plate on the table, Ayato has already arrived downstairs. He smiles gently, looking at Thoma. The blonde smiled back, before noticing something unusual. He hesitated at first, before finally speaking,

"M..My lord? Why do you have cat ears?" 

The bluenette looked at him, confused. He looked around for a reflective object, and found one. Surely enough, he did have cat ears, and a cat tail too, might I add. He chuckled, before turning to his retainer. "Thoma.. you also have the ears and tail of a dog"

Thoma looked at himself as well, before chuckling. "Ah, that explains the weird feeling I've been getting"

"Well, I suppose this makes today more interesting, you said we were visiting Komore Teahouse, am I correct?" The bluenette asked.

"Ah, yes! And, I do apologize if the breakfast is unusual today, my lord, I wanted to treat you and my lady to lunch today! Say.. do you know where Lady Ayaka is?"

"I fear that she won't be joining us today, she has gone with the travelers on a journey" Ayato spoke, "She has departed earlier today, and she will be back within 1-2 days"

"O-Oh.. I see.." Thoma mumbled, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Is there something wrong, Thoma?" The blue-haired boy asked, his face becoming gentler as he spoke.

"N-No! I mean.. there's nothing wrong, my lord! I was planning on treating you and my lady to lunch today! Uh.. it kinda sounds awkward when I say it out loud.. but, I just wanted to thank you two!" The blonde smiled, his tail wagging gently, before stopping as his face became gloomy.

"I suppose, I'll try to convince her to join us when she gets back"

"Really? Thank you, my lord!" 

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

Thoma and Ayato were now on their way to Komore Teahouse. While they were walking, they realized, they weren't the only ones hit with this.. curse? spell? Well, it didn't matter.

They saw many people who now had animal features. And now, Inazuma felt.. different. It used to be a strict yet busy city who feared the Almighty Shogun, now.. it felt more.. connected, in a way. It's was more lighthearted, perhaps it's because of this spell casted upon them, it somehow allowed them to connect more with themselves and the people around them. Though, they weren't free from fear. A lot of people seemed to still be bickering.

"It's kinda like Mondstadt.." 

Thoma admired this 'new Inazuma.' Sure, it was only temporary, but it finally made him feel like all those days and sleepless nights the Kamisato Siblings suffered through was worth it in the end. Every day, hour, minute, or even second fighting with political oppositions, managing festivals, doing what they think is morally right.

Unknowingly to Thoma, someone had been playing with his tail while he was zoning out, trying to get his attention. Another thing unknown to Thoma, was that his tail was really  fluffy, and is currently wagging.. a lot. (Also, just imagine Thoma's tail to be one of a Shiba Inu's, but like, really big and fluffy)

Finally though, Thoma was snapped out of his trance by someone hugging his used-to-be wagging tail. He yelped at the new sensation, it felt like if someone were to hug your waist unexpectedly. He chuckled, turning around to see Ayato with most of his face stuffed into his tail. "I'm sorry, my lord, I was zoning out for a little" Thoma chuckled.

Ayato chuckled as well, "Why? See a girl that you like?" He teased.

"Uh- my lord- you do realize I'm not into girls, right?" The blonde laughed nervously.

"A guy then?" The bluenette continued to tease.

"Argh- you're lucky you're my friend" He smiled gently.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

Eventually, they arrived just outside of Komore Teahouse. Ayato went to get some drinks for the both of them, while Thoma stayed outside, waiting for all the stray animals to appear. It definitely didn't take long, as soon as Thoma sat down near a tree, a bunch of stray dogs and cats appeared, approaching him.

He smiled, petting all the animals one by one. Many of them sat by his side as he started rambling about who knows what. He doesn't know if they liked listening to him talk, whether they find it soothing, or they really just didn't care.

A puppy came up and sat on his lap, quickly falling asleep. Thoma smiled, and petted the puppy gently, careful to not wake him up. If anyone were to pass by, they would think that Thoma was a fairytail princess with how many animals are surrounding him. 

While he was still softly rambling, he finally noticed a set of eyes on him. He looked up to see Ayato with 2 drinks in his hands, and an expression Thoma couldn't make out. It was kind-of the expression you make when you see your crush or significant other doing something they love that you found cute. 

But, of course, Thoma didn't know that, instead, he gestured for Ayato to sit beside him. He lifted the puppy gently from his lap, before shifting over, and putting the puppy back on his lap. Ayato then sat down next to him, giving him a drink, while drinking his own.

"I didn't know Komore Teahouse was led by a dog" The bluenette chuckled.

"Heh, you learn something new every day" The blonde replied.

Ayato smiled at that response, looking at all the animals surrounding the boy next to him. He felt a sense of calmness, but, this time, it's different. He wasn't used to being around animals, so, this felt new to him, but, he liked it.

Unknowingly, he started zoning out. His eyes glowed in the sun's rays. The bluenette's cat ears flinched at even the slightest touch. He looked like he was concentrating on something, which no one nearby could figure out.

Eventually, he felt something rest on his shoulder, which brought him back to reality. He turned around and saw Thoma now peacefully sleeping on his shoulder. He noticed all the other animals are sleeping as well.

This small action both made Ayato's heart race and calm. Which one is it? He doesn't know. But, one thing is for sure,

He never wanted this to end.

Words: 1287