Chapter Text
Thoma breathed in deep as he stretched the last of the stiffness from his back and shoulders. He fought against the nagging desire to go back to bed; he hadn’t slept the best that night and his body was letting it known. After the third time, he’d stopped keeping track of how many times he had woken up.
He dragged his feet down the hall, pausing for a moment as he approached Ayato’s office. In the dim early morning, he could make out the warm candle’s glow from underneath the door and hear the gentle scratching of a pen.
So he was already awake, it seemed.
Not surprising, it was fairly common the man got an early start, often before that of the rest of he household.
The blond approached cautiously, not that he mattered, he was aware his presence was likely known the moment he woke up. However, manners were manners and he knocked lightly, waiting for vocal permission before cracking the door open.
“Good morning, My Lord,” he greeted. Even though Ayato never lifted his head, he could see the small smile that lit in his downcast eyes. “I’m about to get breakfast started, would you like some tea before then?”
The other man hummed, pausing in his writing for a moment before finally glancing up.
“That sounds delightful,” he said softly, dropping his attention back to his work.
“Alright, I’ll have that ready right away for you!” he called back as he shut the door.
Honestly, as hard of a time as he had waking up in the mornings sometimes, he couldn’t lie that he did very much relish in the peace and quiet the early hours offered. In no time, Thoma was headed back down the hall, hot cup of tea in hands. Just as gently as before, he let himself into the Clan Head’s office and set the cup down.
“Thank you, Thoma.”
He turned his head slightly to look the younger man in the face as he cradled the cup between his hands. Thoma instantly took note of his withdrawn stare and he soon came to the realization that he hadn’t gotten up early, but more likely hadn’t yet been to sleep.
Thoma heaved an exasperated sigh. “You really ought not to make a habit out of these all nighters,” he commented, folding his arms.
“While I appreciate your concern, you need not worry,” Ayato assured. “There’s a lot of documents that require my attention. Quite a bit more than I thought,” he added, trailing off as he glanced at the stack he had yet to go through. He pinched the bridge of his nose at the sight of it. He pondered how he could have allowed it to accumulate so much.
Thoma just hummed, chewing on the inside of his cheek.
“I promise, I’ll turn in early tonight, as soon as I finish these up.”
Thoma smiled softly at that and nodded. “Very well. Tell me, is there anything in particular you would like me to prepare?”
Ayato waved a hand, signing off on another paper before placing it atop another stack. “You know it matters not. I’m sure whatever you make will serve just fine.”
Thoma gave another nod, already having expected that to be the answer. He let the man be to carry on, not wanting to take up any more of his time. They both had things that needed tended to. He chose to do something simple that morning - some basic egg rolls. Nothing too fancy and something he could whip up quick enough seeing as he got a slower start than he would have liked.
He placed the final garnish into place and stepped back to admire the dish. Sure, it was nothing impressive, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to put his all into it. There was no doing anything halfway. Balancing the plate on his fingertips and returned to Ayato’s office and placed it down next to the nearly finished tea.
Without a word, the man just nodded, giving his quick acknowledgement.
With that, Thoma made his leave; he had other things that needed attending. First of all, cleaning up the mess he’d just made in the kitchen. Fortunately it wouldn’t take him long, ten minutes tops. Making quick work, the last thing to do was sweep and the-
He paused at the creak behind him.
“I was just about to come back for those,” he said, turning around. “You didn’t hav- hmm?”
He scanned around him. He was still alone.
“Hello?”
Nothing.
Slowly, he continued his cleaning until everything was spotless. And once his nerves had settled, the next thing on his list was wash up the dishes from the morning meal. Humming softly to himself he cracked the office door open once more and strolled over to collect the plate and tea.
“Oh,” he breathed out, hand hovering over the plate. Both egg rolls still rested on top. “Apologies, I thought you would be finished by now,” he muttered, taking the empty cup instead. “Shall I refill this?”
“Please, if you don’t mind.” He nudged the plate. “You may take that as well, if you don’t mind. Afraid I don’t have much of an appetite this morning,” he muttered.
Thoma pressed his lips as he gently picked it up. “You’re not feeling unwell, are you?” he asked, scanning the man over.
“No no, I’m quite alright,” Ayato said, stifling a yawn.
“If you’re sure.”
He quickly went to pour some more tea, a chill tickling down his spine. Though he heard no one, he could feel eyes upon him. Someone was watching him, he was sure. There was no chance an intruder could have snuck in, he was sure. There were a number of residents that would have noticed.
Then again, it could have just been ticks produced by his sleep deprived mind. Just him overreacting to nothing. He took a deep breath and slowly released it.
“Pull yourself together,” he muttered, turning to finish the tea. He knew Ayato claimed he was fine, but he added in a little extra ginger to be on the safe side. Wouldn’t hurt to stay ahead just in case.
Most of the day went in the same manner. Thoma straightened up here and there, constantly on edge from the odd creak and lingering sense of being watched. But, every time he turned towards the source of his unease, he found himself to be completely alone. A good number of the attendants were currently accompanying Ayaka to deal with a few affairs.
He thought maybe that was what had him so uncomfortable. He wasn’t used to it being so empty and quiet. However, there was that tiny little voice in the back of his head that reminded him this wasn’t the first time there were so few of them there. And he had never had that same sense of dread.
It was about midday he’d finished all his tasks. He may have gone a little quicker than normal, desperate for some sort of distraction. Unfortunately, it came with the consequence of being left with nothing else to do and having to acknowledge the musky silence.
Surely there was something else he could attend to.
Anything.
He supposed there was still some outdoor work that could be done. There was no immediate need to do so, but it would be something at least. It also had the benefit of getting some much needed fresh air. And the moment he stepped outside, it appeared to be just what he needed. It was as if all the tension drained from his shoulders.
Thoma took in a deep breath and slowly blew it back out. He turned his attention to the flooring and took note of the freshly fallen leaves. Guess that was first on his list. Fetching the broom, he set to it, taking his time now that he was more at ease.
As he turned the corner, he stopped midstep, eyes locking on the door which he was sure just shut.
He hadn’t heard anyone come out.
Setting the broom against the wall, Thoma slid his feet over the wood until he reached the door and he slowly opened it. He found no one on the other side.
“Hello?” he called, gaze darting to and fro. “M-My Lord?” Still, no reply. He gnawed on his lip and tiptoed inside, almost as if he would scare whoever was around. Out of the corner of his eye, he knew he saw something move. It was subtle, but there was no way that was a trick of the eye. Something was there, moving towards Ayato’s office.
Thoma swallowed hard and crammed down his discomfort. He approached and knocked lightly.
“Come in,” came the other man’s tired voice.
He stepped in quickly and practically slammed the door shut behind him, enough so to rattle the walls slightly.
“Thoma…” He lifted his head just enough to glare up at the younger man. “What’s got you in such a frenzy?” His pen continued to scratch away as he dropped his attention back down.
After catching his breath, Thoma stepped over to take a seat on the other side of the desk, hands on his knees. “Have you been in here the whole time?”
“Yes, unfortunately I have not the time to waste. My deadlines are an ever creeping force.” He placed his pen down to take another sip of tea. “Now, what is it you need?”
He wasn’t sure why, but Thoma felt half his size under Ayato’s gaze. Like whatever he had to say was trivial. More than likely that was just his own anxiety on the situation. He knew it was a ridiculous issue to bring forth. Well. it wasn’t even really an issue. And he had no idea what he was supposed to say. Really, nothing has happened, it was just a general sense of unrest.
“Have you noticed anything off?” he finally spit out, dropping his eyes to the floor.
“Off?” Ayato pondered, leaning back to fold his arms. “No, I cannot say that I have. I ask that you clarify what you mean exactly by ‘off’.”
Thoma lifted a hand to rest on the back of his neck. Again, he was beginning to regret bringing anything up. “I dunno, weird sounds, shadows. Like someone else is here?” He let out a shuddering breath. “It’s odd, I can’t really explain it better than that.”
“Thoma, are you trying to tell me you think there’s a ghost here?”
The blond perked up. “What? N-No, not really. But if that’s what it sounds like, then maybe. I was thinking more along the lines of an uninvited guest.”
Ayato smiled softly and hummed lowly. “I can assure you, there is no one here that is not permitted to be..”
“Yeah, of course. I’m probably just tired,” he sighed, forcing his shoulders to relax.
“Perhaps you need to take it easy for the rest of the day. Take a break. Get out for a bit. I have a feeling I’ll be stuck here for a while, so I should not require any assistance for the rest of the day.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Go.”
Thoma stood hesitantly and nodded. “Alright then. Is there anything you need before I head out? Any more tea?”
Ayato waved his hand. “I’m quite content, thank you. You may leave now.”
The blond hummed and stepped out, taking one last look before he closed the door. Something far in the back of his mind was pestering him to stay, but he shook it away. It really wasn’t a big deal and he knew all of it was just him overreacting.
Keeping his steps light, Thoma stepped out, breathing in once more that calm air that put his soul at ease. As he walked, he gazed back, eyes drifting to Ayato’s window. Before he stepped onto the pathway leading into town, he watched a shadow, presumably belonging to Ayato, pass by the window.