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Before Aether was given a key to enter at any time, he used to only stop by Yuuji's home early in the morning or late at night. Over time, The Traveler began to show up whenever he arrived in Sumeru. When they became romantically involved in each other, his visits increased with great frequency. It was to the point Aether would patiently sit on the bench outside of his lover’s home for him to return, and for it, Yuuji gave him a copy of the key.
With it, Aether returned to showing up by early morning or very late at night, and for that, the peculiar man gifted his beloved a door chime that twinkled in sound of his arrival. In his growing comfort, Aether began to leave things around the house. There was a small round table where he would easily lose track of time. There The Traveler would organize all of his books that held everything going on with him. Today, he abruptly got up from that stylish coffee table to head for the front door, but not without giving heads up.
“Yuuji! There’s something I gotta check for at Treasure’s Street and then I’ll be right back!”
“I dislike it when you shout…” Yuuji grumbled when he exited the kitchen and back into the main room. His home wasn’t very large, so he thought it unnecessary for Aether to call out when he was usually more quiet. For a brief moment, Yuuji’s indigo eyes drifted towards the small coffee table that was a mix of Sumeru and Inazuma styles.
“Sorry, I was nearly out of the door in a rush.” Aether apologized. He then explained what he left on the table when he noticed Yuuji’s curious glance. “That’s stuff I’ll have mailed tomorrow afternoon.” Aether had left a neat pile of mail on it. One piece in particular looked more personal than the others. “Would you like me to come back with coffee?”
“Preferably beans not ground, thank you.” Smiling was contagious, he loved Aether’s pearly grin and had a tiny reserved smile to match. “If you just send your mail here I could sort it for you while you’re doing whatever you’re doing.”
“Oho, no. If I did that, you’d have way too much mail.”
“Don’t you think I know what I’m getting into when I told you I’d sort it? I know you have your little fanclubs, that you call way too many people friends, and that you have beggars pleading for you to help them with very solvable problems… But it’d be one less thing for you to do at home.” He slowly glanced away after giving his explanation, but he did see the way Aether’s eyes went from casually lidded to wide open. “Don’t let me hold you up, Aether.” He further turned away toward the kitchen to hide a more smug tug of his lips; he loved knowing and saying that man’s true name.
The way The Traveler left with a quiet shut of the door expressed to Yuuji that Aether must’ve been deeply blushing or very in his feelings. Good. Yuuji didn’t want to be alone with such foolish distracting weight. If someone was going to make him feel so in love that it rendered him awkward, quiet, and with delayed reactions…he better be able to deliver the same feelings right back. Aether was gone, and although that pile of mail was already neat and sorted, he was curious about the pretty indigo one that stood out. If it was to be mailed out…it must be to return it to the sender. Although Aether improved in his artistic endeavors, it still was beyond his skill level.
He approached the table and lifted the flat indigo parcel. It was scented in perfume… it was also addressed with another name on it other than Ari; Tumaini. It was something he’d look into later before asking… Aether had many names and titles in his wake, after all. Yuuji needed a tool and went to get it, and upon returning, he was seated on his knees with the floor cushions to get the letter secretly opened.
After careful work with an old letter opener from his bygone days in espionage, Yuuji carefully slid the card from within the snug envelope. He wouldn’t have dared to try and open it if its foreign packaging wasn’t so strong; letter opener or not. Its casing was homemade and the person who sent it was clearly an artist. Any other circumstance he would have admired the craftsmanship and the fading fragrance wafting from it. In spite of its rejection, this loudly romantic note annoyed him. He had a moment of pause before he opened the blank white card that held a tiny bit of weight.
Inside was folded stationary he opened on the table to reveal the letter itself, but also…vulnerable photos of the addressee. The first photo was of her breasts squeezed together, the next one was of her arms lowered to reveal her nipples with noticeable and pretty areolas. She was quite well-endowed and was proud to show that off. There was some confusing motion blur of her bed and bedroom… he wondered why she would even include those. He didn’t have blood, but what did course through his body was starting to slightly boil with latent electro power.
She took other racey photos laying down, showing off how curvaceous her naked form was. She was definitely on the mature end… The sender was beautiful, and she looked more soft and cuddly than he ever could be. She however, didn’t look sober with the heavy flush on her face and down to her neck. He huffed in indignation as he slid her pictures aside and lifted up the long paper to read in full.
Ari,
Excuse the immediate accusatory tone of this letter, but you don’t give me any other means to air my grievances. Why did you have Ifa return my key to me? I guess he is the least annoying out of someone like Ororon, but I entrusted my key to you. You haven’t stepped in to see me in forever. I’m patient, but months without you is beyond cruel, you know. You gave me a dry birthday letter and not much else! That was January 20th! Because it was the best place to mail you, I also learned from the Adventurer’s guild that you had an intense mission in Nod Krai. I also learned that you are always going to Sumeru now. Daily. That isn’t far off from Natlan!
You can’t even so much as leave me a letter too? Not even Mavuika’s drinks can numb what you’ve left me feeling. I thought my key said enough, but you stupidly gave it back! So in case it somehow wasn’t clear and you’re as dense as any other man: we have something going on! You better come over upon receipt of this letter or I’ll come wait for you in Sumeru! I got the time, plenty of it. You’d know! We used to talk about it often! We live a long time!! So time can be a little off I guess!
And in case you’ve forgotten what you’ve left hanging cold, here are some solid reminders!
Yours truly,
Citlali!
Yuuji let the letter drop to the table while his eyes remained ahead to his closed and locked from the outside door. He gave a key too. Aether came and went too, sometimes he’d show up in the middle of the night… Snuggling behind him in bed. He’d also do as he promised; get inside him. For a moment it felt like this letter could be from himself… although he wouldn’t outlandishly mail photo copies of his body out. …Maybe this person wouldn’t have either until she felt foolish and desperate. …But it wasn’t–it didn’t feel without basis. It held a lot of familiarity in there; it wasn’t some fan. He couldn’t make his hands work…! Not until he heard a kettle whistling to alert him again. He was never supposed to be at this table. He shouldn’t have opened the letter.
He huffed as the kettle continued to whistle; he hated loud noises.
He folded up the letter and its photos into the paper, then into the blank card as before. He tucked the contents back into its sleeve last. He had clear adhesive that resealed the envelope like it was never opened, and he even so far as placed it back as how Aether left it to be mailed. He hurried to the kitchen to turn off the tea he no longer wanted. His eyes then drifted to the cutting board of vegetables partially chopped and meat not yet minced.
He didn’t need to eat, but he began to more often in Aether’s company. He even began to wonder if he truly was gaining an appetite from it, just like how his puppet creases faded away in prolonged contact with humanity. He pondered it because right now he no longer felt the desire to eat. When he grabbed the kitchen knife, he slid the vegetables almost off the cutting board. Mid-motion he considered sliding them on to the table and finally the trash, but paused at the wood’s edge.
He wasn’t supposed to open the letter. He shouldn’t have been sneaky. The letter was unopened and rejected… The logic clashed with emotion, and for now, logic won out. He chopped the rest of the vegetables, he prepped and seasoned the meat as well. He would typically dice it for speed of cooking, but not knowing when Aether would return (and with requested coffee), Yuuji left the meat in full form. He dialed down the stove settings to the lowest heat and watched it simmer.
Ever since he became a ‘free-man’ (if that is what you could call being a student), he cooked a little more often. When he was forced to have friends, he cooked even more. In the company of loved ones, a lot more. Like riding a bike, he never forgot how to cook delicious food from ancient times in a little village. Like then and now, it took the edge of his thoughts off. Not quite numbing, but it didn’t throb and echo as much, especially not when it came time to make the food presentable.
Only one of two servings were decorative.
He heard his front door open to the tune of gifted chimes. It was in a blink before Aether was in the kitchen with the bag of fresh coffee beans in hand. Yuuji was the first to speak up rather than greet.
“Here.” Yuuji had a plate of food in one hand and his other hand opened in wait for the fancy package of coffee beans. He received his trade first then placed the large plate into Aether’s hands. Right afterward he unceremoniously turned around again.
“Thanks…” Aether thought it was strange of his partner to do. In spite of his stomach audibly growling, he lingered behind Yuuji who was scraping his plate into a glass storage container that was portioned like a bento box. “Yuuji…”
“Go eat. This one’s for Paimon.”
“What about you?”
“It’s a waste on me-” He turned around after he spoke, because he knew Aether was ready to protest until his stomach growled again. “Go already.” He stored what was now Paimon’s portion into a tiny fridge before he briskly walked past Aether. That’s what it took for Aether to leave the kitchen at all. The hungry and dejected man then reluctantly sat at the table alone. He looked down in a way Yuuji couldn’t handle, so he went to his bedroom and closed the door. Everything about his behavior was uncharacteristic of him; he tossed his apron aside to any corner, he let his head scarf fall to the floor before he too, just fell on his bed face first. He crawled further in and hugged his pillow tight. He felt an ache throughout his entire body that couldn’t be relieved no matter how he hugged his pillow and curled over and around it.
He was in such a ball that he didn’t flinch nor jump when his door opened.
“Yuuji, what happened?”
It was with the presented question that Yuuji felt like a villain all over again. How could he explain what he did and what he saw? It was further embarrassing that he offered Aether to send his mail to his home and immediately opened one about a past love life that really ate away at him. On the turnside, Aether was also a villain himself, ignoring that poor woman as he did. Even if it seemed for him, it didn’t sit right with Yuuji, who is a romantic at heart.
“Did you finish your food?” He somehow managed to ask over Aether’s question.
“...No.”
“Do you plan to?”
“I…” He further stepped in but not too closely to the bed just yet. “Right now, no…I can’t. What’s wrong?” He never thought he’d see someone so prideful in this position. “I don’t have a big appetite when something’s bothering you so intensely…” He listened to how Yuuji took in air through his mouth and out, but nothing was verbalized.
Yuuji sat up, but still kept his face shielded behind the pillow. His eyes were wet and still running.
“I have a lot on my mind.” Although muffled from behind a pillow, Aether understood and sat on the edge of the bed to face the shielded Yuuji. “Does anyone else know your true name?”
“Other than Paimon, no…?” Aether tilted his head to hear the question. He couldn’t tell that Yuuji was gauging how much to trust him with that question. He was afraid to even ask why, allowing Yuuji to lead how this goes. He thought the conversation would continue, that Yuuji would remove the barrier from his face, but instead he laid back down. A small scoff escaped Aether in response. As much as he wanted to lay down with him, he knew his partner hated outside clothes on the bed, so he forced himself up and away to a drawer that now held some clothing for him.
Rather than hastily undress and redress, he left the room for the bathroom. He placed his clothing on the sink before going back through the bedroom and to the main room to put his food away. When he returned, Yuuji was unmoving like a statue, even as Aether went back into the bathroom. As distressed as he also was, he didn’t close that door, he never did. Every time he took a shower in the presence of his partner, Yuuji would join him and tenderly bathe him and tell him about his own eventful days in Sumeru. This was the first time he hadn’t and it unnerved Aether. He wasn’t gone for long, so he couldn’t figure out what made his Yuuji so very suddenly shut him out.
Tonight’s shower was quick as was his after routine. Usually Aether would pamper himself and moisturize his entire body afterward, and his hair would also take an equally long time, but for tonight he just put on his pajamas in a rush to get back to Yuuji. He was still in the same position as he left him moments ago.
“Yuuji…” Aether’s voice was perhaps the smallest the other had heard yet. “Do you need me to leave for tonight?” It hurt too much to instead say ‘want me to leave’ in place. He had to make it into some sort of ‘mood’ or something that wasn’t him, and it still hurt doing it this way. Yuuji sat up quickly that time, and although he was without the pillow guard, Aether couldn’t read his neutral face. He didn’t know Yuuji was secretly crying with a body like his.
“No,” Yuuji strained out the answer. He slowly laid back down like he couldn’t control the gravity of his weight. “I don’t know how to say what’s on my mind… I don’t know how to formulate questions…”
“Can I…can I lay here with you?”
“Yes.” Yuuji felt his eyes sting and a rhythmic pulse inside his chest quicken. He hid his face in his pillow again to bide his incoming tears. They really fell when Aether hastily got into bed and took his hand to lace fingers and squeeze. Once he did that, Yuuji felt like he couldn't hide anymore. He moved the pillow from between them and pressed his face into Aether’s chest instead. Aether was quick to wrap an arm around him and curl over him, chin in his black hair. The way Aether behaved, the way it seemed like Aether needed him or he’d die like a fish out of water… It was relieving as it was confusing.
Yuuji had intrusive thoughts about Citlali. It sounded like she confided in him too, talked about their longevity and perhaps many more things that troubled them. It also seemed like they had shared things that bought them joy… Just like he and Aether now do together. Why would Aether suddenly cut her off? That’s what he couldn’t understand. He found the idea of being touched by just anyone repulsive, he found the idea of listening to just anyone’s woes, or sharing what’s beneath his surface with just anyone impossible… Even with the person he allowed himself to love, he had found it difficult to completely lay himself bare. He wished he could ask about this. …
“I don’t want you alone, Yuuji… It’s okay.” He tried to comfort him in the figurative dark of this situation.
“I don’t want empty comfort…” Yuuji spoke directly against Aether’s left side of his chest; to his heart. “I don’t want to just pass the time… I don’t need sweet nothings… I need to know right now if you want me. If you intend to stay entwined to me, with me. …I don’t do temporary. I want to know you won’t leave me behind one day. …And that if you aren’t sure… let me go right now.” It was strange how his body couldn’t tremble but his voice could. He allowed Aether’s fingers to be laced to his, but he no longer returned the squeeze. Neither did he wrap his arms around the warm body embracing him. Yuuji craved Aether’s body, but he still had the fortitude to resist, to not fall into another trap-
His hand was let go in order for arms to fully constrict around him and squeeze like he’s never experienced before.
“Yuuji, what the hell-” his voice was a harsh whisper, but he still did not let him go in spite of his tone. “Where the hell is this coming from? You invited me to your home, you called it ours…”
“Because it’s not the first time you were given a key.” The words whipped as harshly as Aether’s prior hiss toward him. Aether’s pause was understandable. How could Yuuji know about a key from Natlan? Yuuji didn’t want to fess up to an embarrassing and awful thing he did; a traitorous thing he did… But this was largely his own fault. He could already hear the anger from Aether, anger was here… he might as well face it in full. “I opened it.”
Aether took in a deep breath and let it out long and slow. ‘I opened it’ was so childish it was deeply aggravating. Before fessing up, Yuuji had him so shaken up like he did something wrong. Aether didn’t even plan to open the letter. In spite of this simmering anger he felt, he didn’t let Yuuji go as he tried to regulate what he was feeling at that moment.
“I don’t understand how you disconnected-”
“What did it even say.”
“You returned a key through a mutual friend, you haven’t visited her in months, photos of her naked body-” Aether groaned like Yuuji would if Cyno forced him to a game of cards and piled bad jokes at the table. Again, Yuuji experienced conflicting emotions; pity, relief, fear. “I don’t understand…”
“Understand what part…?” He braved through the discomfort. If it was anyone else he would not have this conversation. He would definitely not feel like having to explain himself; but Yuuji was a very unique exception. Not only was Aether in love with him–for the entire time he was in love with the one he named, he just thought the troubled man would never be available to him, so Aether branched out. Aether also understood that Yuuji did not have a normal life at any point in an adult manner. That he was reclusive and very intense for it… And so, he made himself have patience for this unnecessary predicament they both were in.
“You have no feelings for her? No bond?”
“Before I answer that… I need you to look at me.” He gave Yuuji a moment, before his fingers curled underneath his chin. He was not going to force him to look up. “Yuuji. Look at me.” Aether waited again, and that time, Yuuji lifted his chin up, still resting on gentle fingers. “I have feelings for you. I always wanted you, but I didn’t think you would want me, so I branched out. I formed a bond, but every time I was with you, I yearned in contradiction… After enough time I decided that I would rather yearn than not when it came to you. So yes, when I had you, I dropped everything.” Aether’s fingers slid from Yuuji’s chin, past his lips, to then cradling the side of his face. “With that said. …Never do that again.”
Aether watched as Yuuji’s eyebrows rose then crinkled when his beautiful eyes drifted to the side; shame and remorse. Sometimes a little shame was necessary for both parties; it showed care and consideration, and that repaired trust. Aether leaned in to kiss his forehead with quick forgiveness.
“I love you, Yuuji.” He kissed his forehead again. He squeezed him when he gave him a third kiss.
“...She also said if you don’t go to Natlan upon receipt of the letter, she would come to Sumeru.” His forehead was kissed a fourth time. Yuuji’s arms wrapped around Aether in response. He may not be made of flesh, but he could still feel the buzz of desire with the consistent signaling that Aether presented. Yuuji kissed his neck in melting resistance. Aether continued to ignore the other person and focus on him, something Yuuji was very unused to receiving. He decided to gamble and to trust his lover’s grip and kisses, and grip and kiss back. Still, he was curious, even as he kissed Aether’s throat and spoke against it. “What are you going to do, Aether?”
He sighed, “I don’t know… I thought being MIA was enough.”
“Months time is but a blink to an immortal. You’ve been around too many humans who would be forced to move on with their limited time.” He kissed down to Aether’s sternum. “I sealed it like it was never opened…”
“Hasn’t it been forever since you were a damn spy-” It was still annoying that Yuuji opened the mail, but he was receiving sticky kisses in a good spot, and those kisses were going lower to his clothed chest…
“I’m Nahida’s spy now.” He was flicked on the forehead for that answer; and it made him laugh. It was not in a coy way, he had a lot of pent up stress that sprung out in laughter from the casual flick to his forehead.
“I don’t want to go to Natlan…” He slipped his hands under Yuuji’s arms to lift him back up. “Don’t fight her.”
“What.” That came from nowhere, but it made the books balanced between them from earlier.
“She’s very stubborn, got a spicy attitude, doesn’t back down easily, confrontational…”
“So you have a type-” He was bitten on the jaw in flustered protest. “I won’t make promises hard to keep. I’m not saying that to be difficult, but to be honest…I don’t turn down a challenge, it’s cultural.” It was said with a morbid sense of humor, but it was still an equally serious statement.
“...Sounds like I’m headin’ to Natlan…”