🎇 — Umemi.
RELATIONSHIP: Wanderer x Reader
SUMMARY: Wanderer welcomes you back from your long trip to Inazuma, and you brought back some souvenirs.
A/N: Day 2 of the Hanami Event! I cannot believe how long this one got (1.6k). Happy spring!
Not that he was counting the minutes, but Wanderer was and it was 20 minutes past when (Name) said they were going to get back from their trip. And it wasn’t like that was an unreasonable amount of time, especially with the poor weather he had observed in the last few days— yet that didn’t stop Wanderer from being pissed at forces out of his control.
It was already utter bullshit that the only study abroad location (Name) could take was Inazuma and it was even more bullshit that they had to be gone for two months.
He thought back to the day (Name) signed up. He looked over their shoulder and scoffed, “seriously? Inazuma?”
(Name) leaned back and laughed, nose brushing with Wanderer’s. “That’s harsh. What do you have against Inazuma?”
The silence that followed was poignant. Wanderer liked to think he didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, but (Name) was always great at noticing the subtle changes of his expression that let them know they hit a topic Wanderer didn’t want to talk about.
He had no clue why (Name) bothered with him. He was a brick wall when it came to opening up about his past; there was nothing good he had to say about it, and even if he wanted to, there was no way to ease into a conversation about how he was nothing but a discarded puppet that foolishly chased divinity. In spite of that, though, (Name) saw something in him that he couldn’t see for himself.
Another beat of silence flattened the curve of (Name)’s smile. “Well,” (Name) sighed, changing the subject after sensing Wanderer’s discomfort. “I’ve never been. So, I’m pretty excited to study there for two months. Will you miss me?”
They tilted their head to bump their forehead against Wanderer’s. He rolled his eyes but snaked his arms around (Name)’s shoulders, clutching the fabric of their top to keep them close. “That’s a stupid question.”
It was a stupid question because (Name) already knew the answer. The past two months without them were utter torture for Wanderer and no amount of heartfelt letters exchanged between them could change that. That didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate the small bits of communication they provided— Wanderer nearly withered away in embarassment when Nahida walked in on him attempting a second draft at a reply when (Name) wrote a passionate paragraph about how much they missed him. But it was no subsititute for actually being together.
He waited outside of (Name)’s home, where he could be frequently found the last two months looking even more annoyed than normal. Wanderer paced back and forth, repeatedly glancing at the crowds on Treasures Street hoping to finally catch the sight of (Name)’s grand return to Sumeru.
The footsteps behind him didn’t even make it within 2 meters of him before Wanderer whipped his head around at the noise. An intense glare softened instantly at the sight of (Name), looking startled but not too upset that their sneak attack was thwarted.
“Aw, I wanted to surprise you. I walked the long way around for nothing!” (Name) grinned, some of the tension in their travel weary body dissipating at the sight of their partner. They threw their bag aside and beckoned Wanderer for a hug. “I’m home!”
Wanderer’s face turned a vibrant shade of red, and if he weren’t so happy to see (Name) again, he had half a mind to pinch their cheek for beckoning him for a public display of affection in such a crowded place. (Name) loved to tease, and Wanderer liked that about them more than he cared to let on.
So he scoffed and closed the distance, pulling (Name) into a tight embrace and burying his face in the crook of their neck. Wanderer squeezed (Name) so tightly in some vain attempt to stop (Name) from leaving his side ever again. They squeaked out a breathless whisper, “I missed you too, but I’m gonna suffocate if you keep holding on this tight!”
He loosened his grip just enough for (Name) to take a deep breath. Their arms found respite resting over his shoulders, one hand playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. It was strange that, even though he wasn’t the one to leave, Wanderer thought that Sumeru only felt like home if (Name) was there with him. Something about their presence just made things click into place. If there was a word to express that, Wanderer wasn’t ready to say it.
The embrace didn’t last long enough for Wanderer’s taste, who thought that maybe he would have liked to hold on to them forever. (Name) tugged on his cape, wriggling away from him and taking the opportunity to kiss him when he looked up in annoyance. It was a chaste kiss, short like the hug but with a sweet warmth that eased him in a way that the Sumeru heat couldn’t compete with. “You were gone for too long,” Wanderer said.
(Name) shrugged. “I was gone for exactly as long as I said I would be! If it weren’t for the storm, I would’ve even gotten home early!” Their hand traced circles along his shoulder blades. “You have such a silly way of saying you missed me.”
Silly probably wasn’t the way most people would describe Wanderer’s attitude, but the fact that (Name) thought fondly of it was a blessing he didn’t quite understand. Wanderer retorted, “I didn’t say anything like that.”
Because saying things like that wasn’t Wanderer’s thing. The brick wall around his psyche was an obstacle he struggled to overcome, too. Sometimes he really wanted to return the same affection (Name) gave, but all he could do in response was sputter out some harsh words.
At the very least, he could rely on his actions. Wanderer kissed them again, his lips lingering on theirs and savoring the sensation. He might have released his death grip, but his hands were still sturdy on (Name)’s hips, grounding them both.
“I got you—” (Name) was interrupted by Wanderer pushing forward for another kiss, and another one after that. Their words come out as breathless whispers between them. “— A gift!”
He didn’t think there was any gift from Inazuma he would want, but he kept that thought to himself because (Name) excitedly broke away from their kiss to rifle through their bag. Just one glance was enough for Wanderer to see that it was filled to the brim with all sorts of Inazuman goodies and treats.
“I don’t need a gift.” Wanderer hoped that (Name) could fill in the last part of his statement: because all I needed was you.
They laughed. “Of course you don’t. But, I got you one anyway because I really like you.”
Are some people just born with the confidence to say such things out loud? Another explosion of red spread across Wanderer’s face and he was glad (Name) had their back turned to him in that moment. Whatever gift they had gotten him was buried underneath an, in Wanderer’s opinion, unreasonable amount of souvenirs.
After enough digging, (Name) struck gold. “There it is!” Their arm emerged from the bag with leather bound book. It looked worn, but in a way that highlighted that it was a well loved book for a long time.
When they handed it to Wanderer, he read the title: The Byakuyakoku Collection. “I saw a really beautiful place called Enkanomiya! It was unlike anything else in Inazuma. I found this book on their folklore, so I’m not sure how much of it is actual history… But, you like discerning that stuff, right?”
Wanderer hesitated to take the book. He had never ventured to Enkanomiya during his time in Inazuma, so it was almost foreign to him— it didn’t carry the same weight of his past like anything else from Inazuma would. He wasn’t sure what he would do if (Name) had brought back a book from that fox’s publishing house.
If (Name) picked up a book from Enkanomiya with that in mind, Wanderer didn’t even know how to begin expressing appreciation in a way that wasn’t behind harsh words. He took the book while also grabbing onto (Name)’s hand.
“... Thanks.” Wanderer struggled to push out the bare minimum and he wanted to smack himself for it. So he brought their hand to his chest and squeezed gently and tried to get a kinder message across.
Their eyes lit up, so Wanderer felt a bit better about his response. “I’m glad you like it! Open it, though. There’s more!”
Wanderer raised a brow, and (Name) laughed again at his skepticism. “It turned spring while I was there. The cherry blossoms were really beautiful!”
Most people loved cherry blossom season in Inazuma, but Wanderer cared little for it now. In his deep cynicism, he would go as far to say that they were overrated. They were just flowers and they bloomed every year— what was special about them?
But they made (Name) happy, so Wanderer supposed he could concede on that. He opened the book at (Name)’s behest and it naturally fell open to a page that had flower blossoms tucked in between them, pressed flat and preserved in their splendor. They weren’t the cherry blossoms (Name) just mentioned, though— they were plum blossoms.
Wanderer looked up at (Name), who looked quite proud of themself. “I didn’t think cherry blossoms would be your thing, though. I saved some plum blossoms for you instead!”
There was something painful about being seen; it burned Wanderer inside to know that (Name) knew him this well because they weren’t afraid to confront parts of him that he thought he locked away. The world was so cruel, so why did he deserve this?
He trembled, and pulled (Name) back to him again, cradling the back of their head with his free hand. The words came easier that time.
“Thank you… Really.” He whispered against (Name)’s skin, pouring everything he felt into those few words.
If only he knew how lucky (Name) felt, too. “Of course. Anything for you.”
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