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The pyro users that Aether has met so far undeniably share something in common: a kind of energy, a kind of stubborn flame that refuses to be snuffed out, catching alight on some endless spark from within. They're not the sort of people who like to give up.
So, the chill that seeps into his bones is only to be expected when he arrives at the ceremony held by the Shogun; the image of Thoma, with his hands bound, kneeling before the statue of the hundred-eyed god.
What is the dream that you live for? In what ways might you be changed by its loss? Aether thinks helplessly. He hasn't gotten the chance to ask him yet; the number of days they have had together is not nearly enough.
He wonders what it is that kindles Thoma's fire. He wonders if losing it would mean losing the reliable warmth Thoma so easily exudes, and his loyalty, and the keen spark in his eye when he works his way through a problem. Aether can't imagine it, the idea that Thoma could be anything other than the way he is.
The way the Electro Archon stretches her arm forth seems almost lazy as she rips the vision from Thoma's belt, without even taking a single step forward, without even making the effort to fully face him.
Aether jumps forward with his own kind of fire burning in his heart—he calls it anger, and it lights his body electric. He wastes no time snatching the vision back from the air, taking the guards out in the process. With electro crackling at his fingertips, Aether spreads his stance out protectively, him and his sword the only thing between Thoma and the approaching storm.
Everything after that is a blur. The world sinks into darkness. He fights a god. Empty eyes. A clap, a flash. A strike of eternal lightning, followed by pain in every cell of his body. Then, numbness. And when the clouds finally part—
Warmth.
Thoma's hands. Around his shoulders, his waist, his back, urging him forward, go, go—
All the way to Thoma's haven of a teahouse that starts to feel a bit like his safe haven, too.
When the door slams firmly shut behind them, the sound cuts him at the knees and buckles him to the ground, his adrenaline fading fast.
Aether thinks he hears Taroumaru's bark and Ayaka's voice call out to them from somewhere behind the counter, but he's immediately distracted by Thoma—the arms coming up around him, gathering him close to his chest. Thoma, who uses his advantage of height and tries his best to curl his whole body around him, something a little desperate in his grip.
"Aether," he sighs, so quietly that Aether might be the only one who has heard it.
Komore teahouse is like a slice of the world away from the world. Light streams soft and filtered through the windows. Time here is slow and removed, scooped from its river by a pair of carefully cupped hands.
So Aether kneels with Thoma on the floor of the teahouse and waits with him, an ear pressed to his racing heart until it starts to slow, until they can both breathe again. Only then does Aether weaken his grip on the red jacket, and lean into it.
He doesn't think he's ever felt so held in all his life.
Aether can feel Paimon's hands against his back, small and reassuring.
He closes his eyes, and allows himself to succumb to the darkness, safe in the knowledge that someone will catch him on his way down.
✧
Aether's dreams always begin and end with Lumine.
"You're all soft on the inside," Lumine used to say. "That's why you need me around. It makes you stupid."
The last time Aether saw Lumine, it felt like a continuation of a dream. That faraway look in her eyes remains fresh in his mind. He worries over it in his sleep.
She is the balancing star of his orbit, the other half of his sky. There's a gaping absence by his side where she used to always be.
"You're right. Home is wherever you are," she said. And still, she walked away.
There is nothing Aether can want more than to follow after her.
✧
"It feels like you're chasing after something," Thoma said. "If that makes any sense."
He was quite astute. Lumine wasn't exactly missing or lost.
"She's just somewhere very far away," Aether said. "My twin sister—I need to catch up to her."
Thoma softened at his words. "Your sister, huh."
"We're travellers, wanderers. But we've always had each other," Aether continued to explain. The urge to share more was a surprising one. He'd never really made the effort before; his story was a rather long and confusing one, no matter how you looked at it.
Aether wanted to try. Lumine was a part of his life that nobody in Teyvat had witnessed, almost like a dream of the past. But she'd always been such an important part of him—it would be difficult to truly know Aether without first knowing this.
"In any world where she's not by my side," he said, hoping that Thoma would be able to look past the clumsy sentences, the vague quality of his words. "It would feel like. Like I'm always drifting…"
"Like part of you is somewhere else," Thoma suggested. He studied him carefully, a pinch between his brows.
"Yeah," Aether said, relieved. "Homesick."
✧
There was a certain liveliness about Thoma.
It was apparent even at the very first glance—the coin he flipped and caught between his fingers, the way his eyes brightened, and the bounce of his feet on the wooden docks, the casual swing in his step.
He has a cute grin, Aether thought. And then: Oh no.
Lumine always did tell him that he was too easy with his heart.
It was curious how often Aether stumbled into Thoma when he passed through the city.
It just so happened that whenever he got stuck on a problem, Thoma would be there, waving him down from the other side of the road, or grinning at him from across a shared plate of okonomiyaki, or leaning over his table with eyes narrowed in thought, carefully marking down spots on Aether's map for the best places to find sakura blooms.
He found himself hurrying back when the sun reached its midday point, hoping to catch sight of Thoma just in time for lunch. Each visit to the city to stock up on supplies started to feel more and more like an excuse for something else.
It became a regular highlight of his day—the playful greetings and the light taps on his shoulder, the smiles that always made him smile back. The silly voices Thoma put on when he wanted to have a bit of fun. Each meeting was a small delight, like cold hands around a warm cup of tea.
Which was why, after several whole days in a row with no sign of his usual lunch partner, Aether found himself dragging his feet with every commission he completed. Smiles come easily for someone like Aether, but lately his face had dimmed into something almost like a pout.
At the end of the week, he wandered up and down Inazuma City, feeding every dog and cat he saw with fowl and fish.
"Cheer up," Paimon said. "I'm sure he's just busy with something. He does have his own job to do, after all."
"Yeah, maybe."
"We'll meet him and Ayaka at the teahouse in a few days anyway. Let's take this time to explore the ruins at Araumi," Paimon suggested. "That was next on our to-do list, wasn't it?"
Aether hummed in thought as he dropped a leg of fowl into a bowl and offered it to the dog waiting at his feet. It snuffed in response and trotted a circle around him, as if it realized that something was missing.
"You too, huh," Aether said, giving the dog a few pats on the head.
Paimon rolled her eyes. "Are you even listening to me?"
✧
In the nature of dreams, Aether is suddenly standing in the teahouse again.
He recognizes this memory—Thoma in one of the back rooms, leaning next to an open window with Taroumaru nestled in his lap. He was only wearing a simple black shirt, his usual red jacket folded neatly next to him.
Aether got the sudden feeling that the sight in front of him was something that was rarely seen. Eyes resting, head tilted back, as if caught and held still in the sunlight. Thoma's hand slowly strokes the soft fur of the dog in his lap.
Aether never noticed how much Thoma was always looking around, always moving, until the moment he finally came to a stop.
"Are you going to come in, or am I that interesting to look at?" Thoma called out and startled Aether out of his thoughts. He couldn't help the resulting yelp that jumped out of his mouth. The tray of tea in his hands wobbled dangerously.
The sparkle of amusement in Thoma's eyes grew into full blown delight, and Aether flushed to his ears.
"I can leave," he threatened, even as he shuffled closer to set the tray down within Thoma's reach.
Thoma held his arms up in surrender. "Sorry, sorry," he said, even as he was grinning.
Aether gave him his most unimpressed face. "I brewed this tea just for you, you know. I thought it would make you feel better, especially after that hotpot."
"Please stay," Thoma said earnestly, patting the empty spot next to him. "Thanks, by the way. You didn't have to go to so much trouble."
He bumped their shoulders together when Aether slid into the space offered. His eyes sparkled, and Aether had to bite back a smile.
Thoma slid his arms under the lump of fur that was Taroumaru, and transferred the dog onto Aether's lap.
"Here," he said, and guided Aether by the wrist so his fingers landed in the soft fur. Taroumaru shifted his weight from paw to paw, and his tail began to perk up, but he otherwise remained calm.
"Go ahead. Dogs make everything a little better, trust me," Thoma urged him, and Aether started running his hands through the fur, scratching the dog behind the ears. The thump of the tail against his leg increased in tempo, and Taroumaru leaned up on hind legs to lick at Aether's face.
"Woof!"
Faced with such pure and simple affection, the laughter that burst free from Aether's chest was one that was bright and full of sunlight.
And if he hadn't been so distracted by the enthusiastic dog in his arms, he might have noticed the dazed look on Thoma's face—as if looking upon a sky he'd never seen before.
✧
It became increasingly persistent—the matter of that warmth trembling in his chest whenever Thoma leaned a little too close, or held his gaze for a beat too long. It grew and grew, a feeling like something about to take flight.
"Have you ever held a bird before?" Thoma asked.
Aether shook his head.
Aether didn't know it yet, but he was only a few steps away from love. It began with the bright grin on Thoma's face as he beckoned them closer to the corner of the quiet garden. At this point in time, Aether was just a curious soul, and Thoma was just someone with the simple desire to share a part of his world with him.
"First, give me your hand," Thoma said. He dropped a few seeds onto Aether's palm, and lifted it towards the branch of the tree where a golden finch sat, tilting its head at them.
"Now, stay very still. You too, Paimon."
Paimon scrambled to hold her breath, cheeks puffed up with the effort.
The finch danced from branch to branch, sizing them up.
Thoma whistled something short and birdlike. "Over here, buddy," he called out to it, waving his fingers towards the offering of seeds. His other hand came up to rest under Aether's, guiding it a little closer to the cautious creature.
Finally, it hopped onto Aether's hand, holding onto the perch of his fingers with its tiny claws.
Aether stopped breathing, afraid that even a faint breeze might disperse the moment.
It tilted its head this way and that, and settled for long enough that he could see the bright yellow all across its front. The small beak dipped down to snatch at some of the seeds in his palm, then it darted back to the tree with its prize, all in the same quick movement.
Aether and Paimon both finally released the breath they were holding. "Cool," she turned to him, eyes sparkling.
"They fly off pretty fast, but they'll come back again. The more you feed them, the more they get used to you. It's the same with dogs too, and cats," Thoma explained.
Aether nodded seriously. "I understand. They're just like Paimon."
"Hey!"
Thoma chuckled at their antics. "Here, let's try again."
Thoma sprinkled a few seeds on the top of Aether's head before he could protest, and retreated to watch at a short distance away. Soon enough, Aether felt something light land in his hair, followed by a few sharp sensations. He spotted a flutter of wings in the corner of his vision.
Paimon clapped her hands together in joy, and Thoma stepped in to brush the remaining seeds out of his hair.
"You're good with animals," Aether told him.
Thoma's hand landed on top of his head in something like a pat. Their difference in height was more evident when he was standing this close. Aether had to tilt his head upwards to meet his gaze.
"They just need a bit of care, that's all. Doesn't everything?"
At that moment, a passing breeze blew Aether's bangs into his own eyes, obscuring his vision for a moment. Thoma made a noise of surprise as he reached out to brush it away, tucking it behind his ear. Aether felt the movement of his fingers catch on the edge of his earring along the way.
Thoma didn't make any move to step away. He just flashed Aether that cute grin.
Oh, curse Aether's stupid heart, hammering away in his chest without a care in the world. Lumine was right.
✧
A long time ago, something like the start of a dream, a pair of twin stars sat down one day and decided they needed names of their own.
"Hmm... let's see..."
The boy was always light on his feet, eager to leap through the air; his counterpart was the more grounded of the two of them. It showed in the way they moved, the way they fought together. So she named him Aether, for the way he smiled the brightest when he was flying.
"Not bad, huh? Now, it's your turn to pick a name for me," his twin star told him. Her hands waited on her hips expectantly as she looked down at her brother, who was leaning against a tree, cross-legged and carefree.
"You should really join me," he said from his spot on the ground. "The view will be the best from down here."
"But the sunset is on the horizon," she pointed. "We should move if we want to get a better view."
"Ah, but the fireflies are coming out," he said. He'd heard that the ones in this area were particularly bright, and he didn't want to miss the sight. "Look!"
Slowly, the forest came alive with tiny sparks of light, fading in and out all around them. They hovered close to his sister, some of them particularly fascinated with the flowers in her hair.
She let out a squeak of surprise—one of them had wandered its way through the air and landed on her nose. Her eyes went crossed in her attempts to peer down at it, which made Aether burst into giggles.
She made a sour face at the bug, looking extremely displeased. But then it flashed, lighting the tip of her nose with it, and he watched a look of radiant awe spread across her face.
"Lumine," he decided. "That's your name."
This is one of the earliest moments in Aether's memory, and also one of his sweetest dreams. When the shadows of sleep fade away, so too will these shimmering lights—as all dreams do.
✧
The moon is out when Aether wakes.
It hangs at a nice spot in the sky, overlooking the window at just the right angle so the light falls on his face. He basks in its soft glow for a few dazed moments, and wonders if Lumine is doing the same, wherever she is. She always did love the moon.
"Oh, did I wake you?"
Aether turns his head and spots Thoma by the doorway. He slides the door shut with his foot and pads his way into the room, arms full of medical supplies.
"You'll probably want to be up for this. Your one and only bedside nurse is here to change your bandages," he says, and salutes playfully. A few of the items tumble to the floor—a roll of tape, some bottles of salve.
Aether's head feels a little groggy even after he sits up. "Mm," he grumbles. His entire body feels sore.
Thoma quietly drapes an extra blanket over Paimon's tiny figure, curled up asleep on a spare cushion next to Aether.
He then turns to Aether and touches the back of his hand to his forehead. "Good," he says, looking relieved. "You had a slight fever earlier. All gone now."
Thoma is quiet as he unwinds and patches Aether back up. His touches are light, his movements neat and precise; these are hands that have spent a long time learning how to care for things.
The left side of Aether's body is where most of the damage has been dealt. Aether has tried to adjust his fighting style in the wake of Lumine's absence, but in times of trouble, he finds himself falling back on old habits—leaning towards the offense, favouring heavier attacks from his right and leaving his left open for someone who isn't there to cover him.
Bit by bit, the sting of his injuries clears up the fog in Aether's head. He stretches his limbs to test the ache.
"Thank you," he tells Thoma.
"That's my line. You did save me, back there," Thoma says, with a pinch between his brows. "And I'm also sorry, for what it's worth. That probably wasn't the kind of meeting with the Raiden Shogun that you were hoping for."
Aether recalls the weight of her unfeeling gaze upon him, and the words she spoke. Exceptions are the enemy of Eternity. "I don't regret it," he says. "And I couldn't just stand there and let her take your vision from you."
"My hero," Thoma says, teasing and fond. He glances down at the faint red glow attached to his belt. "I'll be sure to keep this safe, don't worry."
Paimon shifts against her cushion, grumbling in her sleep. They both pause and dart their eyes to her corner, frozen in place until she rolls over and settles down again.
Aether watches curiously as Thoma turns back to the medical supplies. He reaches for one of the bottles he brought with him, some kind of salve that he smears over his own wrists.
"Oh. Rope burns?" Aether asks. He hadn't noticed.
Thoma hums in confirmation.
He seems to struggle with the bandages, having only his other hand and his own teeth to hold them with. His brow furrows in concentration.
Aether huffs.
"Just give me your hand," he says, murmuring so as not to wake Paimon.
Thoma pauses in his struggle and hands the supplies over to Aether. "Thanks," he says with a sheepish smile.
And then he turns his wrists up to Aether like an offering, kneeling before him, close enough to touch. If Aether leaned in just a bit more, he would fall into him.
The lanterns in the corner of the room shine with a muted glow. Shadows fall soft on his face. Something about it has Aether by the throat.
Thoma blinks and raises an eyebrow at him. "Hmm? What is it?"
Aether snaps his eyes away and grabs the roll of bandages. He hopes the room is too dark for his flush to show. "It's nothing, sorry."
Thoma's hands are larger than his, and scratched up in ways that tell of hard work. Aether remembers the strength they contained when they grabbed onto him yesterday, but in this moment these are hands that yield readily, soft to Aether's every movement as he turns them this way and that, wrapping the bandages around his wrist.
"Is this too tight?" he asks. He runs his thumb over the cloth, inspecting his handiwork. It is as expected of a well-practiced adventurer: a secure loop around Thoma's wrist, crisscrossing up over his palm, taped into place with an adhesive so it holds. Still, it never hurts to ask.
Aether glances up only to realize how closely their heads are bent together.
"You did perfectly, don't worry," Thoma murmurs. His gaze holds a kind of curious light, a certain quiet focus. Aether wonders what Thoma could possibly be seeing in his face that would earn such careful attention.
His eyes drift back down to the hand he is still holding.
Fingers curl against his palm. It feels a bit like electricity, and Aether doesn't want to let go.
"What are you thinking about?" Thoma asks a quiet question. The smile he flashes is small, as if to match the volume of his voice. They have been growing more and more hushed with each exchange of words, the moment shrinking down towards a point that hovers just in the space between the two of them.
"I'm thinking," Aether begins, in a whisper.
That these hands are warm, and this heart is warm. And so is this smile, and the eyes that light up along with it.
What is it about him that shines so brightly in Aether's eyes?
Thoma is, in the end, just an ordinary guy. What makes an ordinary person special to someone else is the time and space they share, the love they give and receive. The warmth Thoma radiates is like a hearth, and maybe Aether has been longing for a taste of home for too long.
It's not enough. Aether wants a whole house of warmth. He wants to sit by the fire until it goes out.
I could fall in love with you so easily, is what Aether is thinking. It is too big to say. If he does, something might happen—he might lean in even closer and never be able to let go.
The timing is not right.
"You should keep holding my hand," is what comes out instead.
"Yeah?" Thoma says. His face falls slightly at the way Aether retreats, leaning back on the futon.
"Just until I go to sleep."
"Okay," he agrees easily, and shifts his hand so their fingers are intertwined. His smile turns soft. "Lie down. I'll be here until you do."
Aether's heart is full. He shuts his eyes and tucks the covers up to his chin, letting Thoma ruffle his hair affectionately. He can feel the faint glow of the moonlight from behind his eyelids. It calms him enough for his breathing to slow.
Aether is already more than halfway unconscious when he feels Thoma's grip on his hand tighten just the slightest bit.
"You always seem a little sad when you look at the moon," Thoma says. It is a near whisper, just a quiet observation spoken to the air. Likely not meant for Aether's ears.
That's strange, Aether thinks, just before sleep pulls him under. Because, in that moment, Thoma was the one who sounded a little sad.
✧
The morning feels much better, and Aether knows upon waking that he'll be fit to leave by the end of the day. His body has always been fast at healing wounds.
Paimon is all up in his face as soon as she wakes up.
"You almost got killed!" she yells. Her eyes are teary, and Aether finds himself glad for her companionship once again.
"But I wasn't, because you were so good at protecting me, weren't you?" Aether says. He starts out sounding incredibly indulgent—just to keep the mood light—but towards the end, it shifts towards something quite genuine. "Thanks, Paimon."
Taken aback, she considers his words for a few seconds. Aether watches with fondness as her expression brightens in degrees, from flattered to proud to something like smug satisfaction.
"Of course!" she huffs. "We're in hiding now, but don't you worry! I'll keep you safe from any shogunate lackeys who come after you!"
Ayaka drops by to check on him in the afternoon. She's much quieter with her concern.
Even Taroumaru spends a portion of his busy day by Aether's side, letting him scratch behind his ears and run a hand along the scruff of his neck.
"Have you seen Thoma around this morning?" Aether can't help but ask.
"Oh, he's in the kitchen. Just stay where you are. I have a feeling he'll come to you soon," Ayaka says. The smile she leaves him with is kind and knowing. All of a sudden, Aether finds it difficult to meet her eyes.
And just like Ayaka said, Thoma swoops into the room not five minutes later with a large tray of food, steam still rising from the surface. It's enough to fill the stomachs of six whole adults—in other words, it's enough to feed both Aether and Paimon. He knows without looking that Paimon's mouth is already watering.
"Here's your order, loyal customers. Sorry for the wait. You caught us at a bad time," Thoma says, and bows properly at the waist with a hand behind his back. A silly smile plays at the corners of his lips.
Aether plays along. "And what do we get for being so patient?"
Thoma reaches out to pinch lightly at Aether's cheek. "Homemade food by yours truly, of course."
"Ochazuke." Thoma points to one of the smaller bowls. It looks a bit like soup, a bit like porridge, with an assortment of toppings thrown in. It smells like tea.
"Miso soup." He points to another one. "They're pretty simple foods, but that's good for people who are recovering. Try it, it's my specialty."
Aether feels warm all the way to his core, even before he takes a spoonful into his mouth. He is struck with the sudden thought that he will miss this, and the sudden feeling of wanting to stay. He is only a few steps away from love.
"On the house?"
"On the house. Any other requests, dear customer?"
Aether is feeling bold.
"Maybe a hug before I leave?"
Thoma pauses for a surprised moment, but almost immediately, Aether finds himself bowled over by a warm body, arms coming to wrap around his waist, and a head buried into his shoulder.
Paimon looks between them both with confusion on her face, but she doesn't say anything, busy with her bowl of ramen that she's already worked on halfway through.
It is all over within the space of a single deep breath. Thoma releases him with something like a sigh.
"There you go," he says, but Aether is much more reluctant, fingers taking a moment longer to un-cling themselves from Thoma's jacket. "Now eat."
✧
The life of a traveller is one with as many meetings as there are farewells.
"Did you forget something?" Thoma asks when Aether lingers at the doorway.
"Tatarasuna, Tatarasuna," Paimon mutters, studying the map in her hands. Aether has already packed everything he needs; this is just the part where he says goodbye for now.
"Nervous? I'm sure you'll do fine."
Aether shakes his head. He opens his mouth, then closes it. The sun is high in the sky. He wonders if it would be too much to ask for another hug.
"I just," Aether starts to say, and then he stops.
It feels like they are right on the edge of something, and talking about it might just tip them over.
Thoma doesn't talk about it. He pulls Aether in by the neck of his scarf, carefully, and leans in. It is a kiss on the cheek, and it is also a promise for the future.
"I know I can't ask you to stay," he admits, and his fingers fall back to his side. "So… good luck out there."
Heat bursts from the inside of Aether's chest and soars outward. His face burns with it. It stains his heart red with a longing for more.
That soft-slow pressure against his cheek was much too fleeting. He dreams of all the ways Thoma might kiss him for real—gentle and warm, the same way he'd held him, or perhaps with a smile pressed to his mouth, unable to contain his joy. He wants to lean in properly to test his hypothesis.
But that would just be another thing he would have to say goodbye to. They don't have enough time for any of it.
The way Thoma grins seems almost shy. "What, was that too much?" he asks.
Aether shakes his head firmly. His face still feels hot, and he's fairly sure it will take more than a while to fade away. "No! It's fine. You're—fine."
The look on Thoma's face is unbearably soft as he nudges Aether out the door. "Go on, I'll be okay," he says. "I'll have tea ready for you whenever you come back."
There is nothing else Thoma can help him with anymore—no resources left he can tap into, no useful information to dispense. It is all that he can do for now, Aether knows. It is all he can say. But to Aether, it is everything.
"Be safe. We can have tea when we meet again," Aether says with a final nod.
Aether wonders if Lumine would've approved of Thoma—this silly young man with the warm smile and the hands gentle enough to hold Aether's heart, to leave him without bruises. To shelter him in warmth, and when the time comes, be ready to let him go.
Perhaps there will come a day in the future where he could ask Thoma to follow him out the door. Where he'll have more time to spend with him, more time to pull him closer and closer.
But for now, he turns back to Paimon. Her mouth is hanging open.
Aether grabs her by the cape and drags her floating body with him out of the teahouse.
"You have a crush on him!" she accuses. "Your face is so red."
"Let's go, Paimon."
"You never told me about this!"
"If you don't start flying on your own, you're going to get left behind."
"Aether!"
As he sets off for the resistance camp, into the perpetual storm hanging over the islands to the west, he does so with a lightness in his step. He knows his journey will take him to all sorts of places, further and further yet. Even his time spent in Inazuma isn't meant to be forever. Lumine is still out there, somewhere.
But to know that there's a safe haven for him back here—a roof to shelter him, hot tea on the counter, and a hearth burning steadily in the center of it all—it makes a difference.
It is somewhere he could return to, after the storm has passed, and maybe even after the end of his long journey, with the other half of his sky in tow, getting tugged through the door by his eager hand.
It makes all the difference to have found a home in this world, for a little while.