Chapter Text
Today was the day. The week had finally passed, and Itto was going to confess his love to Ayato. His plan was to go to visit his estate to surprise him and tell him to come with to a special place, where he would then give him a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates and recite his love letter to him, all in a calm area with beautiful scenery. It was going to be perfect… but he still felt really nervous. What if something went wrong? He voiced his concerns after telling his gang about his master plan, seeking advice from his friends.
“There’s no need to worry, boss!” Mamoru reassurred.
“Yeah. If you mess up, he’ll probably just think you’re cute.” Genta said, chuckling at the thought.
“Yeah! There’s, like, no way for you to lose here!” Akira said, fully convinced Itto would do well, even if he were to trip and faceplant or something.
“Agh, I know that deep down, but I’m still just-… nervous! What if he’s just being friendly?” Itto questioned, pacing around anxiously.
“But boss, we’ve talked about this like hundreds of times by now! You’re fine!” Mamoru reassured again.
“Yeah. You should ask him to marry you at this point.” Shinobu joked, remembering how Ayaka had confided in her about how lonely Ayato could get without Itto.
“But I don’t even have a ring! And what if he says no!” Itto whined, hopefully just being dramatic for the sake of the joke, but Shinobu still felt the need to clarify.
“Relax, I was just kidding. But seriously, you don’t need to overthink it. Just give him the letter and the chocolates and you’ll be fine.” she said, hoping he’d calm down.
“Hmph…” Itto still seemed stressed, though, mildly comforted by Ushi leaning against his leg for attention, prompting the oni to lift him up for extra comfort. “Oof, you’re getting bigger, huh?” he said, noticing the little bull had gotten heavier.
“Aw, they grow up so fast~” Akira commented, petting Ushi on the head.
“Moooo…” Ushi replied, wiggling a bit to signal discomfort.
“Here, one sec.” Shinobu walked closer to them and removed Ushi’s armor to allow him to be held more nicely. “Better?”
“Moo…” Ushi huffed and relaxed as Itto held him carefully, no longer bothered by the armor pressing against him. It might’ve been on too tight.
“Pfft… Weren’t we in the middle of something?” Genta asked, amused by the way everyone got distracted by that lil’ dude.
“Maybe, but it can wait~” Mamoru replied, also petting Ushi alongside Akira, which was easier now that the armor was off.
“Heh… it really can’t.” Itto said with a light tone of voice despite his worries, feeling himself calm down thanks to his little companion.
“Moooo…” Ushi said, totally pampered.
“He’s right, it’ll be fine.” Shinobu said, knowing for sure Ayato would accept Itto’s confession.
“But… Do you guys really think so?” Itto asked, concerned as he projected his worries onto them on accident.
“Yeah!”
“Of course!”
“Duh.”
“You’ll be fine, boss. He’s the one who started flirting with you, y’know.” Shinobu said, reminding him.
“Haha, right! Right…” Itto felt a little embarrassed now…
“He’s totally into you, boss!” Genta said.
“Yeah! He loves you, I’m sure!” Mamoru agreed.
“Yeah! Go get him!” Akira cheered, all three of them encouraging him to be confident in himself.
“Heh, thanks guys! I just need to get my anxiety under control…” Itto said, definitely still nervous to the bone. Though at least now it wasn’t as drilling as before…
“Don’t forget your love letter. Do you know where it is?” Shinobu reminded, knowing he’d forget it at Granny’s place otherwise.
“Right! Uh..! I’ll go look for that now, and then go look for Ayato! Otherwise I’ll forget…!” Itto said, carefully handing Ushi over to Akira before leaving. His gang cheered him on and he walked quickly, dodging any people so he wouldn’t knock them over. He guessed Ayato would be at his estate by now, so he hurried on home to his granny to fetch the letter.
“Granny!” He opened the door to Granny Oni’s house and stepped inside, surprising her with such an enterance.
“Ah, welcome back, dear. Are you-?”
“No time to talk, sorry..! I need to find my letter to Ayato!” Itto said in a hurry, too excited to stay still for even a moment.
“Oh! Yes, it should be in that box over there still.” Granny Oni said, pointing in its general direction.
“Hmph, where is it…” Itto muttered to himself, searching through that small box. It contained other notes and papers as well that he would use for different projects; usually to write things down or make art.
“Take your time, dearie.” Granny reminded, somewhat amused by how impatient he was. He was still just as stubborn as he was as a child.
“Aha! I found it!” Itto cheered suddenly, having double checked to make sure it was the right one.
“Are you going to deliver it yourself, dearie?” Granny asked, smiling softly. Oh to be young and in love…
“You bet I am! He said he was busy last week, and, well, that was last week! So..! I’m gonna tell him how I feel!” Itto said, his eyes shining with excitement and determination.
“Oh, how wonderful! We’ll be sure to celebrate when you get home.” Granny said, gently patting his cheek to show familial affection.
“Yeah? Can Ayato come over too?” Itto asked, a bit shy to invite him despite it all.
“Of course he can. I’d like to get to know him since you love him so much.” she replied fondly, knowing the man was kind.
“Hehe..! Thanks, granny! I’m gonna go give it to him now so I don’t forget to!”
“Good luck, dearie. Be home before dark, okay?” Granny always took care to remind him like that every day to make sure he’d be home on time.
“Heh, okay, fine~ Bye, granny!”
“See you later, dearie. Good luck!”
And so, Itto went on his journey from Inazuma City towards the Kamisato Estate. The supposed ghosts in the woods wouldn’t stop him. There was nothing else on his mind besides the-
“Wait up, Boss!”
“Huh?”
Akira, Genta, and Mamoru ran up to him just as he was about to leave the city.
“What’s goin’ on?” Itto asked, confused.
“You-.. *pant*… You forgot the chocolates.” Akira said, handing him the box of chocolates.
“And the flowers! You owe me.” Genta said, handing him a small rose bouquet. Did he buy it himself just now?
“Whoa, I completely forgot! I was so focused on the letter..!” Itto said, embarrassed at his own carelessness.
“I figured.” Shinobu said, catching up with the gang.
“Yeah, she made us run and get them before you’d come back just in case.” Mamoru explained, having let Genta do the flower shopping since he was colorblind and wasn’t sure which roses to get. Without Genta, they could’ve been blue or something, which probably would’ve fit the hydro vision aesthetic, but they wouldn’t symbolize passionate love anymore.
“Hahahah! Thanks, guys! Oh man, what would I do without you?” Itto said, eternally grateful for the way they looked out for him.
“Do you want us to come with you?” Shinobu asked, holding back the urge to ask of he needed his hand held through Chinju forest. Now probably wasn’t the time to bully him.
“Nah, no need! Go hang with Granny for me, yeah? I’m sure she’ll appreciate the company while I’m outta town!” Itto said, happy as a clam.
“Yeah, sure! Why not?” Genta said.
“Sounds lovely!” Akira said.
“Mhm!” Mamoru agreed.
“Then let’s go. You got this, Boss.” Shinobu said, confident in him.
“Thanks! I’ll see you guys later, then!” Itto said, waving them goodbye before leaving with the stuff. He hoped the chocolate wouldn’t melt on the way as he walked, careful to keep the roses straight up so the petals wouldn’t fall off. Well, gravity wasn’t strong enough to rip rose petals off, but still… better safe than sorry.
He hummed to himself as he walked, gradually picking up the pace since he just couldn’t wait to see the love of his life. The anticipation was killing him, and before he knew it, he’d been running for some time and slowed down once he got to the forest.
“Phew..! I’m comin’ for ya’, bro…!” Itto said to himself, soon horrified to realize-
“Oh god, the roses!” He quickly checked the bouquet for damage, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that they were still beautiful. Some petals had definitely fallen off, but they still looked rosy enough, so Ayato probably wouldn’t mind.
“I mean, if he loves me, he’ll love these regardless. We all got flaws…” Itto said to himself, not really feeling crazy for talking to himself. It helped him feel safe as he walked through the forest on his own. He took steady breaths and focused on Ayato so he wouldn’t scare himself with ghostly paranoia. Surely this place wasn’t actually haunted, right? Haha… right..?
Crap, he scared himself and felt more nervous as time went on, nearly forgetting what he was going to do. He snapped back to reality and went off course to hide the chocolates and the flowers in a spot where he and Ayato would usually have TCG and beetle battles. He was going to bring Ayato there to confess since it was their special place.
“Now you better not ghost my shit away, okay?! Or I’ll be real mad!” He said out loud, just in case any spirits were lurking. He shivered a bit and quickly went back to the path, soon running out of the forest for his own safety. The relief washed over him as he reached the end of the forest, catching his breath and hoping he wouldn’t be sweaty by the time he got to Ayato’s estate. He thought to himself that he should’ve brought Ushi…
“You’d better be home…” he mumbled to himself, walking on the path leading up to the fancy Kamisato Estate. He’d never actually been there, but Ayato had once told him he’d know it when he saw it, and that he just had to keep going forward to get there. His eyes widened the closer he got, in awe at this structure he hadn’t seen before. It looked awesome. Just a shame those pesky walls were in the way. What were they even for? Probably intruders, he thought, letting his mind wander as he walked up to the entrance.
“Halt!” Two guards stood there, crossing their polearms in front of Itto.
“Huh?” Itto was surprised, not expecting to see these schmucks here. He didn’t recognize their faces, but definitely recognized the uniforms…
“No outsiders are allowed in. Turn back.” said the guard on the left.
“Whaddya mean outsiders? I’m here to see Ayato! Lemme in!” Itto declared, a bit angry with them for stopping him.
“The Young Master isn’t here. Begone.” said the guard on the right.
“Liar! Where is he, then?” Itto asked angrily. How dare they stand in the way of love?!
“We’re not required to tell you that information.” said the guard on the left.
“Yeah you are! He’s my friend! Where is he??” Itto questioned.
“Ugh. He’s in Liyue.” said the guard on the right.
“Wh?! We’re not supposed to share…” the guard on the left nudged him and complained.
“What, it’s not like he can get there…”
“How do you know..?”
“Why would he..?”
“Tch. You expect me to believe that?” Itto asked, arms crossed. He was sick of their bullshit at this point.
“Ugh. Look, go to Komore Teahouse and talk to Thoma. He’ll tell you the same thing.” the guard on the left said, visibly annoyed.
“Awh, are you serious?? I walked all the way here just to be sent back??” Itto complained, getting really upset since his plans were falling apart.
“Apologies for the inconvenience. Though we must ask you to leave right now…” the guard on the right said, seemingly feeling sorry for him.
“That’s an order.” the left guard said, earning himself a glare. He couldn’t arrest Itto for trespassing since he wasn’t on the property…
“You-… hngh…” Itto huffed and stormed off, not in the mood to fight just to get arrested. Not today. Why was Ayato not home? Was he really in Liyue or were the guards just messing with him like bullies? If Ayato was in Liyue, why didn’t he tell him…? He felt really stressed upon entering the forest again, no longer worried about ghosts, but more worried about where Ayato could be. He picked up the flowers and the chocolate and walked out, his mind clouded with anxiety and stress over his plans failing. It was going to be perfect. He was so sure of it. Why did it have to fail here…?
No, it had to have been a shitty prank. There’s no way Ayato wasn’t even in the damn country, right? Surely not. He wouldn’t leave without telling Itto, right? Why would he…? Did he forget him..? Surely not… He couldn’t have…
Once Itto got back to the city, he smelt rain in the air and hurried to Komore Teahouse, getting lost for a moment before finding it. If Thoma was still here, then Ayato had to be too, right?
He opened the door and wasted no time asking. “Thoma! Have you seen Ayato? I’ve been looking all over for him! I can’t find his sis either, bro!” he said, already at the counter.
“Oh! Itto! I-? You have?” Thoma and Taromarou seemed surprised and confused.
“Yeah! I need to talk to him ASAP! Where is he? Do you know where he is??” Itto asked, kinda frantic now.
“Uh..? He’s in Liyue…” Thoma said, pained in his heart seeing the flowers and the chocolate, putting two and two together.
“…” Itto was stunned for a moment before processing. “WHAT?!” he blurted out, scaring Taromarou.
“D-Didn’t he tell you?” Thoma asked, comforting the shiba and helping him down to the floor.
“What do you MEAN he’s in Liyue?! The hell is he doing over there?!” Itto questioned, totally stressed out of his mind.
“I- I don’t know! It was a business trip, I thought he told you?” Thoma said, stressing too for Itto’s sake.
“He didn’t! I haven’t seen him in a week! He said he was busy!” Itto said, losing it a little. Or, well, a lot.
“You haven’t-?”
“When did he leave??” Itto asked frantically, trying to make sense of everything.
“Last week!”
“Last week?! He only said he’d be busy that week, not that he’d be gone now too!” Why would Ayato lie to him? It didn’t make sense. His plan was perfect. He was going to confess TODAY. It was so important to him…! Why did it have to go wrong now??
“S-So he didn’t tell you about the trip?” Thoma asked, shocked to hear it. Did Ayato really forget..?
“No! He didn’t tell me anything! I thought-…! I thought I’d see him this week..! That’s what he said!” Itto said, his voice quivering as he started to cry from how stressed he felt. Thoma quickly sprung into action, flipping the door’s sign from “open” to “closed” before locking the door so no one would come in. Thankfully, the building was empty apart from the three of them, Taromarou included.
“H-Hey, hey, breathe..! Um- d-do you want some tea? Do you need to sit, or-..?” He didn’t know what to do. He’d never seen Itto like this before, not sure how to intervine when he saw him anxiously scratch at his scalp.
“Why-..? Why isn’t he here..?” Itto questioned, having dropped the bouquet on the floor and left the chocolates on the counter. Taromarou whined and nudged him on the leg to get his attention, hoping to snap him out of whatever spiral he found himself in.
“I-… I’m sorry, I thought he told you. If I had known he’d forgotten to, I would’ve told you myself..!” Thoma said, feeling guilty. It was hard seeing Itto so upset. Taromarou whined and looked at Thoma anxiously, and Thoma nodded and quickly brainstormed what to do to help.
“I-..! I was s’posed to confess..! I- I had a plan and everything!” Itto cried, moving his hands to his face to wipe his tears.
“Yeah… I’m so sorry, Itto… Is there anything I can do to help?” Thoma asked, gently patting him on the back. “Need a blanket? Or a hug? Or-..?” he didn’t have time to finish listing options before Itto hugged him tight, sobbing. He was so upset. Why couldn’t his plan just work? Why did Ayato have to be abroad today of all days? It wasn’t fair! Not fair at all! Oh curse the universe for being so cruel..!
“Ah..! Th-There there…” Thoma said, trying to comfort him as best as he could, hugging him back and patting his back. Taromarou whined, feeling sorry for Itto. “I-It’s okay, it’s not like he moved…!”
“He might aswell have!” Itto sobbed, sniffling as he wiped his tears.
“He’ll be back in a month, it’s okay..”
“But that’s too long!”
“I know, I know…”
“It’s not faaair..!”
“I know, I’m sorry… I wish I’d known so I could’ve told you.”
Thoma kept comforting him, hoping that if he agreed with Itto’s complaints and expressed understanding, it’d help him calm down and cheer up a little. Taromarou stayed close and, when the two eventually stopped hugging and sat down to calm down, he got into Itto’s lap to provide warmth and security. He knew his weight often helped Thoma whenever he felt anxious, so he was sure it’d help Itto feel safe too. Smart dog, that one.
“It’s just not fair…” Itto muttered, drained and exhausted after all that crying.
“Yeah, I know…” Thoma said, relieved to see he’d calmed down.
Itto was quiet for a moment, petting Taromarou softly in an attempt to distract himself. “… um… I’m sorry you had to see me like that…” he mumbled, feeling ashamed of himself.
“Ah, no need to apologize, really. I completely understand.” Thoma said reassurringly, patting his back.
“I-.. I don’t usually break down like that, I just-…” He was at a loss for words, just so upset and tired of everything.
“It’s okay, Itto. Really. Don’t worry about it.” Thoma said, looking into Itto’s eyes to make sure he knew he was serious about it.
“You sure…?”
“Yes. I don’t judge, you know.” Thoma said, smiling softly at him to provide warmth.
“Heh.. thanks, dude. I really owe you one…” Itto said, sniffling a bit.
“Haha, no need to repay me! It was the least I could do.” Thoma said, brushing it off.
“Nuh-uh, the least would’ve been to just do nothing or ask me to leave or sumthin’… You’d never do that though.” Itto said, finally smiling a little now. Thoma chuckled, knowing that was true.
“Honestly, since Ayato is in fuckin Liyue, do you want the chocolates? I doubt they’ll stay alive for a month.” Itto said, meaning that the chocolate would most likely melt or go bad over the month.
“Really? Uh, are you sure? Chocolate usually stays edible for a long time.” Thoma said, surprised that Itto would do that.
“Yeah, I’m sure… it feels weird to just hold on to them for that long.” Itto said, looking at the bouquet he’d dropped. The flowers looked more damaged now… it really hurt to see.
“Ah, well… thank you.” Thoma said, assuming Itto probably couldn’t be reasoned with at the moment.
“When will he be back…?” Itto mumbled sadly, petting Taromarou gently to comfort himself.
“In a month. I’m not sure of the date… I forgot to double check with him before he left. He was really stressed…” Thoma said, remembering that morning.
“Stressed? Why?”
“I think he forgot about the trip and was suddenly reminded, because he frantically asked me to help him pack his bags early that morning. I and the other workers there were so busy getting everything in order that I almost didn’t notice him leaving. I saw that he left earlier than he needed to, so I sort of just assumed he’d tell you.” Thoma said, before thinking a bit and face plaming. “Agh, wait, of course he didn’t, it must’ve been too early..!” he added, assuming Itto must’ve been sleeping. He felt stupid for not having thought of that til now.
“Whoa… damn, that’s a shame…” Itto said, feeling bad that he’d mentally blamed Ayato for everything.
“Gosh, I should’ve known..! I’m so sorry, Itto…” Thoma said, feeling bad.
“Hey, it’s not your fault! I know better than anyone how hard it is to think under stress!” Itto said, chuckling. Taromarou was relieved to hear him cheer up and playfully barked and licked his face to cheer him up further.
“Pfft, hahaha! Hey, that tickles!” Itto said, laughing much to the relief of Thoma as well. Thank goodness he felt better…
“Heh, I’m glad to see you happy again, man.” Thoma said, chuckling at the adorable scene.
“Hehe, thanks!” Itto said, gently pushing Taromarou away so he wouldn’t lick him more, still petting him to let him know he hadn’t done anything wrong. Thoma laughed lightly at the sight.
“Seriously, dude, thank you.” Itto said to him, before messing with Taromarou’s fur in an act of cute aggression. “And thank you too, widdle guy! Who’s a good boy?? Whosagoodboy???”
“Woof woof!” Taromarou barked, happily wagging his tail as he was petted and played with.
“Heheh, aww, look at you two bonding!” Thoma said happily. They spent some time being silly together to help get Itto’s mind at ease before he decided to leave.
“Do you think the roses would perk up with water or are they screwed?” Itto asked, holding the now rather sad-looking bouquet in his hands.
“Well… they might. Why don’t you give it a try? You can come back to me if it doesn’t work and I’ll do what I can.” Thoma suggested, happy to offer any help he could.
“Heh, alright! Thanks, bro. I’ll see what I can do!” Itto said, smiling at him. Thoma unlocked the door and flipped the sign back around and waved goodbye as Itto left.
The walk back to Granny’s place made him feel sad again. She said they’d celebrate, but… well… He sighed before opening the door, surprised to see his gang still there. He thought they’d left by now.
“Boss! You’re back!” Genta said, surprised to see him.
“Oh, welcome home, dearie!” Granny said, smiling at him. He wasn’t sure how to break the news.
“How’d it go? Did you-…” Akira asked, stopping when he noticed the roses. Oh dear…
“Um…” Itto tried to hide them behind his back for a moment, but it was too late.
“Boss…” Oof. The good vibes were gone in the blink of an eye.
“I- I don’t understand..!” Mamoru was shocked. How could Ayato reject him? That’s not possible!
“What happened?” Shinobu asked, wanting to get to the point fast without any speculation.
“Um… h-he wasn’t home. He’s in Liyue on a business trip and won’t be back til next month…” Itto admitted, his posture slumping as his mood dropped. He was too tired to cry about it. At least until he made eye contact with Granny Oni and teared up.
“Oh, dearie…” she noticed it right away and went to comfort him.
“Oh…”
“What…?”
“Awh…”
The gang reacted.
“I uh… I gave the chocolates to Thoma so they wouldn’t go to waste. He comforted me when I found out ‘n’ stuff…” he added, in case anyone was wondering where they were.
“That was very kind of you, dearie.” Granny Oni said, softly hugging him to comfort him.
“Yeah, but… the roses…” He sniffled and wiped his tears.
“I’m sure some water will help them, dear. I have an empty vase for them.” Granny reassured, comforting her dear boy. Itto shrugged and handed her the bouquet so she could put it in water for him.
“Oh man, I assumed the worst..! When will he be back?” Akira asked.
“In a month?” Genta replied.
“Yeah but I meant when, like a date. Did Thoma tell you?” Akira clarified.
“No, he just said he’d be back in a month.” Itto said, visibly drained.
“Oh man…”
“Bummer…”
“Dang it…”
“Hm. What a shame…” Shinobu commented, feeling bad for him. She was surprised by the news too, assuming Ayaka would’ve told her about this sooner. Alas, she must’ve forgotten too…
“Mhm…” Itto sighed and sat down on his bed, just wanting to hibernate for a month at this point.
“So… what now? Do we just wait?” Akira asked, not sure what to do to help Itto feel better.
“Yeah, pretty much.” Genta replied.
“Awh, man… Sometimes I wish we could make time move faster.” Mamoru said with a bored sigh.
“Too bad that’d have consequences.” Shinobu said, walking over to Itto. Ushi was taking a nap nearby and hadn’t noticed any of them yet. Granny Oni managed to make the roses look a little better. Hopefully the water would help…
“Hey, Boss. Do you want us to leave? You look like you need to rest.” Shinobu said, speaking quietly so only Itto would hear.
“I mean… you don’t have to.” Itto said, too tired to make decisions.
“Yeah, we do. If you need space to rest, just say it. I can keep them occupied so they won’t die of boredom.” Shinobu replied somewhat jokingly.
“Heh… Yeah, I kinda just wanna lay down…” Itto admitted, rubbing his face to cope.
“Alright. I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay… thanks, Shinobu.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Itto sort of phased out for a bit and laid down, tired of the world and everything really. Shinobu simply told the gang that Itto needed space and brought them with her, leaving Ushi with him and Granny Oni for emotional support. Minutes turned to hours… Granny was worried about him and managed to convince him to at least have something to eat. This helped him perk up a bit, but he was still drained from his previous meltdown. He went to bed early that day, deciding he would sleep in the next morning…