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It was as low-key of a day as it could get in a rebel camp on Nazuchi beach. Kazuha and Beidou had split off from their crew to talk with Kokomi about the status of the war. At the moment Kazuha was considering wandering off, as he was beginning to realize how much it looked like he was standing next to his mom who met a friend at a grocery store and decided to have an extremely in-depth conversation with her that he wasn’t too interested in joining. It was very important of course; Beidou needed to be informed of the status of their forces, where the line stood, and what supplies were needed. They had brought as much as they could; for which Kazuha was very grateful. Beidou had volunteered to help out the rebellion forces despite the conflict not necessarily concerning her. The only connection she had to it was the slight furrowing of Kazuha’s brows when he talked about the tyranny that overwhelmed his homeland and forced him to escape holding nothing but a burning heart in his now permanently-bandaged hand. He never needed to say out loud how much he wanted it to end.
Or whatever. Now Kazuha straightened his stance and his eyebrows perked up at the sight of a tall blond in red and black sporting a ponytail, currently carrying a big steaming pot to a group of soldiers, who thanked him profusely. Kazuha blinked, suddenly realizing Beidou and Kokomi’s conversation had trailed off. He glanced away from the blond, clearing his throat, to see the two women side-eyeing him with smiles on their faces. Beidou’s was sly, with crinkled eyes, and Kokomi’s looked between excitement and holding back a giggle.
“What?” Kazuha stood akimbo.
Beidou couldn’t contain her laugh, and continued her conversation, giving him a nudge.
“Bei-“ He protested, affronted at being treated like a child. If he wanted to go talk to him, he would! But then the blond noticed them, and caught his eyes. “Dou…” he exhaled, which made the Captain laugh harder. He turned away, willing with all his power for his cheeks to cool down. Fuck, I can’t do this. Oh archons, he reminds me of- He couldn’t finish his thought before he heard his voice speak. To him.
“Are you Kazuha?” He even sounds-
“Yes, that is me.”
He looked up, unfortunately, to a delighted expression on the taller man. “I’m honored to meet you, I'm Thoma. I've heard so much from Beidou! And well, of course, you’re a bit of a legend here.”
“I'm flattered. It’s very nice to meet you too, Thoma.” Beidou knows him? She never mentioned-
But then Thoma laughed lightly, and Kazuha’s heart stuttered.
“Is there anything I can get you? Are you hungry, tired?”
“I’m okay for now, thank you.”
“Well, don’t be afraid to let me know if you need anything! I’ll be around the camp for a few days until I have to leave.”
Kazuha tried to cough out a response but any words dried up in his throat, so he just smiled and nodded.
Thankfully, Thoma walked away with a friendly wave.
When he looked back to the other two, Beidou and Kokomi were smiling at him again.
“What?” He asked, irritated. He had been exceptionally normal during their conversation.
But they just laughed quietly. Not something commonly heard from Beidou.
Kazuha decided to leave it alone. He shook his head grumpily and walked away to perch on a ledge somewhere.
It was well into the night before he took a break and finally found a spot to sit and rest. He had bumped into Thoma a couple times during the day while they were both working around the camp, but no further conversation was had. Now Kazuha had found a beached ship on the edge of the strips of sand, half buried and tilted up like a young sea god was playing toy boats and prefended this one crashed into the shore before getting distracted and leaving it to be battered by the wind and waves for a decade.
Kazuha was perched high up, watching the reflection of the moon in the water. The glittering sea split up its shine into flickering slices, And he inhaled deeply, letting the familiar scent of the ocean flow through him. There wasn’t a breeze, and the night was still.
His senses made him twitch, hearing footsteps on the sand below him. He glanced down, and of course it was the one person he came here to clear his mind of.
Thoma looked up at him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb your peace. I also come here to watch the ocean.” He looked out at the waves. “It’s very peaceful.”
“Yes,” Kazuha replied.
“Though, I’m usually not so high up.”
Kazuha jumped elegantly off the ship and softened his fall with a swirl of wind just before he landed. His feet gently touched the ground, and Thoma smiled demurely at him. Kazuha had to look away.
They stood next to each other, a bit unsure of what to say. But it was no matter, as the silence was filled with the waves calmly rushing against the shore, interrupted only by heightened splashes against thick splinters of wood.
Kazuha exhaled silently, and held a hand out, not daring to look toward the other man. But the hesitation in accepting his offer made him catch his gaze. Thoma was looking toward him, glancing to his hand with slightly widened eyes. He couldn’t let this go on any longer.
“Don’t say a word, just dance with me”
Thoma’s reaction was possibly the worst option, an understanding smile that pierced Kazuha’s heart so he had to look away again. But then, Thoma took his hand.
It was incredibly obvious that neither of them were trained in dancing, and the lack of music made it awkward at first, but they used what they knew and could think of. It started as a sort of botched traditional Inazuman dance that neither of them quite knew, and it quickly dissolved into movements of connection that they felt in the moment. It was slow, and Kazuha realized it was to the rhythm of the waves. They simply moved together in whatever way felt right. It was just a dance bathed in moonlight and ocean mist.
Kazuha didn’t quite know how it happened, but after a twirl he ended up in Thoma’s arms. And despite his screaming instincts, he leaned into him. It was so unlike him, but Thoma seemed to be working some kind of magic on him, because he stayed in the embrace. He hadn’t been held like this in a long time.
After a while, when Kazuha felt it would be inappropriate to stay any longer, they parted and Kazuha stepped away. He could feel Thoma’s warm gaze on him. The warmth became hot under his skin, and something took over him, making him pull Thoma closer by his shirt collar. A part of him wanted to kiss him, but looking up at his steady gaze, tears suddenly slipped from his eyes.
Thoma’s expression immediately turned concerned, and he lifted a hand, but Kazuha shook his head and just buried his head in Thoma’s shirt, to no resistance. In fact, he felt arms wrap around him and hold him close.
They stood like that for a while, until Kazuha finally felt calm. He sighed, pulling out of the embrace.
“I’m sorry I tried to, uhm… I don’t know if you’re involved…”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not at the moment.”
Kazuha nodded half heartedly and started to walk away.
“Where are you going?”
He glanced back. “To get shitfaced. Wanna come with?”
Thoma laughed. “I did say I would help with whatever you need.”
“Don’t worry, I brought my own.”
After a little while, they came back to the spot and drank. Well, mostly Kazuha. Thoma admitted he didn’t really like alcohol, so Kazuha compensated for him, assuring Thoma that he could handle it.
Kazuha could admit to himself that it probably wasn’t good that he needed to drink to loosen his tongue about the things that weighed on him most.
He began to talk about Tomo. The memories of the time spent with him kept coming, and Thoma just listened. He talked about how Thoma kind of reminded him of his old boyfriend, but not exactly.
“You’re different from him… Less stupid maybe.”
“…Do you miss him?”
Kazuha held back a scoff and a sigh came out instead. “Of course I do. He was…” He swallowed. He was what? His soulmate? Gone forever? Only present through glimpses of some blond himbo he just met today who really wasn’t similar to him at all? “…Yeah.”
But talking about him did help a little. He felt as though at least he would live on through his memories. Everyone knew of him, but no one else really knew him . It wasn’t like Kazuha told his stories to everyone he saw, but Thoma had struck a heartstring, and with those kind eyes… He felt he could trust him to keep these memories close.
They talked and watched the ocean until Kazuha tipped the bottle to only a few droplets, and covered his yawn with a hand. He was embarrassed to admit, and made sure no one else saw, that Thoma helped him back to his tent. They could barely say goodnight before Kazuha was snoring on his still rolled-up mattress.
When he woke up, his bed was made, and he swore to himself.
He managed to mostly avoid Thoma for the next few days, as much as was acceptable. Beidou was suspicious in a sly way, and he let her believe it was an awkward one-night-stand situation. That would be way easier to explain what actually happened, anyway.
But when Kazuha spotted Thoma with his belongings, heading out of camp, he caught up to him without thinking.
“You’re leaving?”
Thoma turned back to him and looked surprised. Kazuha felt guilty for avoiding him at that.
“Yep, I have other duties I need to attend to.”
He swallowed. “I see.”
“Yeah…” Thoma rubbed his neck.
“Well… See you, then.”
“See you, Kazuha.”
He started to walk away, and Kazuha kicked himself internally.
“Wait.” He reached Thoma and before he could respond, pulled him into a kiss. He expected it to be quick, but to his amazement Thoma dropped his bag in the wet sand and gently caressed his jaw. Kazuha wanted to swear and sob and dissolve in the wind all at once.
When they parted, Kazuha’s mouth was hanging open, but no words left it. He felt a pit in his gut.
Thoma tried a light smile.
“Bye, Kazuha.”
He hesitated, wanting to hold his gaze for a little longer. “Bye.”
He watched him go, feeling an ache in his chest, and also that he would be okay. He placed a hand where Thoma held his face, and knew he wouldn’t forget that feeling for a long time.
Thoma’s voice echoed in his head, let me know if there’s anything you need.