✨Thoma’s Troubles✨
Idk why Itto is so low-res bro
⚠️This fic focuses mainly on tickling. Please do not read it if that upsets you.⚠️
Thoma is sad until Itto makes his day better :)
a/n: the word “muzzle” is mentioned, but it refers to the body part of a dog. I’m pretty sure the nose / face area is called that? Nobody is wearing a muzzle, English isn’t my first language. Also, some swears appear.
Word count: 2908
It was a rather gloomy day in Inazuma. The sky was cloudy, the weather was cold, and the air smelt of rain. Most people preferred to stay indoors today, so the streets were emptier than usual. Unfortunately, mother nature wasn’t alone in her sadness; it affected some of the people as well. Especially Thoma…
He let out a sigh after the last customer of the day left Komore Teahouse, relieved to no longer need the customer service mood. He was meant to assist the loyal pooch Taroumaru today, as Ayato had noticed he needed a break from his usual duties.
“Won’t this rain ever end…?” He mumbled, petting Taroumaru’s head to distract himself. He felt grateful for the break, though he still had a lot on his mind.
“Woof!” replied the shiba, his tail wagging as he received pats. The two of them wouldn’t receive customers for a while, so they could just chill.
“Haha, you sure are cheerful today, buddy…” Thoma said with a small smile as the doggo gave his hand a reassuring lick.
“Hm? Ah, it’s nothing, don’t worry about me.” Thoma said, trying to smile in spite of his mood, but he still felt that nagging pain of Sadge™️ in his heart.
“Woof woof!” This clever dog saw right through him, and he was having none of his lies.
“Hey, I’m not-…!” But before the shiba could scold him further for lying, footsteps quickly approached the teahouse’s entrance.
“Hoo! Phew, finally some shelter! C’mon, buddy! Hurry!” The door opened, revealing a slightly drenched Itto with his little bull companion Ushi, both wet from the heavy rain.
“I-Itto?! Oh my! You’re- You’ll catch a cold…!” Thoma exclaimed, surprised to see them entering like that.
“Heh! Oh don’t worry, this is nothin’. Mind if we crash here?” Itto said with confidence, shutting the door once Ushi was in. “I’ve been through worse!” he added with a chuckle.
“L-Let me get you some towels. I’ll be with you in a moment!” Thoma sprung into action right away, leaving the room for a moment while Taromarou went to greet his guests.
“Hahaha! Thanks, man! You’re a real one.” Itto replied, chuckling as Ushi tried to shake himself off. “Hey, hey, be still. Gimmie a sec.” he said, kneeling down to remove the bull’s armor.
“Mooo…” Ushi moo’d with satisfaction, stretching a little before walking towards Taromarou, who had hopped off the counter to play with him.
“Woof woof!” he barked, happily wagging his tail as Ushi replied with another moo.
“Hah! You two sure get along well, huh?” Itto said, chuckling at their cute communication. “Aww, hello, boy! Workin’ hard today, huh? Such a good boy!” He knelt down once more to pet Taromarou, before being “attacked” with puppy kisses.
“Woof woof!” The shiba was happy to see him, licking the oni’s face affectionately, which made him stumble a little.
“Hahaha! Easy there, pal! It tickles.” He said, laughing as he played with Taromarou. “Mooo…” Ushi watched and yawned a bit before he looked around, wondering when the retainer would come back. He preferred to be without chaos for now, wanting to sit beside his master after he’d calmed down.
Meanwhile, Thoma had found the towels, but struggled to leave the room to join the others. He knew they needed to dry themselves, but unfortunately he felt like he couldn’t go back just yet. He knew he should, but the moment he felt tears in his eyes from all the built up sadness, he just wanted to hide. Hearing the fun Itto was having, he didn’t want to spoil it. He knew deep down the oni would understand, being as kind as he was, but he chose to stay to finish crying first.
The playful chaos in the other room lasted for quite a while before the trio realized Thoma hadn’t come back yet. Taromarou had calmed down by then, laying in Itto’s lap with a content expressionon on his widdle face while Ushi huffed to get their attention.
“Hm… hey, shouldn’t Thoma be back now?” Itto asked, petting both animals on their heads.
“Moo.” Ushi agreed, looking to the direction the human had gone.
“Uh-huh… Hey, Taromarou? Wanna earn yourself a treat?” Itto asked with a smile. The shiba perked up and wagged his tail. “Go find Thoma for us, alright?”
“Woof woof!” Taromarou barked with some excitement before he hopped up and sniffed to pick up his master’s scent. He didn’t really need to do this, since he knew where the towels were, but he did it anyway just to be sure.
“Damn it…!” Thoma muttered to himself, wiping his tears away to stop crying. Hearing the door be pushed open by Taromarou startled him, and he almost dropped the towels onto the floor. The loyal dog whined as he walked up to his human, sensing something was wrong.
“Ah-.. what’re you doing here, boy?” Thoma tried to act normal, but couldn’t hide his slightly dampened face from man’s best friend. Taro let out a small growl before barking, basically telling Itto to get over there. “Ah- shh, sshh, don’t-!”
“Woof! Woof woof!” Taromarou huffed and looked at him with big puppy eyes, his tail resting behind him as he felt worried. Thoma was about to say something, but Itto came in just then.
“Aha! You found him! Good boy!” Itto praised, chuckling before he noticed the lack of excitement in the shiba.
“Ah…! S-Sorry for the wait.” Thoma tried to act natural, smiling slightly as he handed a towel to Itto. “You must be cold by now. Please, take this.”
“Ah- thanks, heh!” Itto focused on drying his hair before anything else. He had to be careful not to rip the towel with his horns as he rubbed it against his head.
“Moooo…” Ushi closed his eyes and Thoma knelt down to dry him off. It felt good, he thought.
“There you go, lil- ah, I mean, big guy. Hehe.” Thoma chuckled at his error, but to his dismay started to feel sad again. Emotions are complicated, he thought. He couldn’t hide them from Itto, especially not when knowing he’s so kind and caring. The oni was talking about the weather, but Thoma wasn’t paying attention, trying to control his tears and distract his mind.
“…and it was cold, man! I usually try to brush it off… real men don’t carry umbrellas, I say. I’m starting to reconsider that, though… ugh…” Itto rambled, messing up his hair with the towel as he tried to dry it quickly.
Taromarou whined at Thoma while Itto combed his hair to fix it. The oni glanced at the housekeeper and noticed a sniffle. “Hey…? Are you okay?” he asked.
And that’s when the floodgates opened, of course, at that simple question. He trusted Itto, so his brain was simply wired to let go of his emotions now. He couldn’t say much as he wiped his tears.
“Thoma…” Itto knew Thoma liked hugs, so he sat down next to him on the floor and invited him into one. Ushi wiggled away from the towel to comfort the worrying shiba while the men hugged one another.
“There there, I got you…” Itto comforted, patting the other’s back. Thoma’s cries were mostly sniffles and hiccups. His voice was barely heard. He rested his head against the other, melting into the embrace as he sought comfort. “I’m just so tired…” he said, sniffling and wiping his eyes.
“I get that…” Itto couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen Thoma cry before. It worried him, but he kept focusing on comforting the other. Poor guy, thought Ushi as he stood by and watched, trying to comfort the whining shiba. Thoma calmed down after a while, feeling much better after letting his frustrations out. He wanted to pull away, but simply couldn’t as he rested against Itto, so tired from such a long day.
“You okay?” Itto asked, patting his back as he loosened the hug.
“Mm… it’s been a long day, I guess…” Thoma replied, wiping his eyes again.
“Yeah. Maybe it’s the weather? I mean, it’s pretty shitty today, isn’t it?” he said with a light chuckle, pleased to hear a snicker from the other.
“Heh, yeah. It’s been raining all day. I’ve felt down since I woke up this morning.” Thoma said, sighing. “I guess I got up on the wrong side?”
“Mm, maybe. I know how it feels. It sucks.” Itto replied, adjusting himself as Thoma pulled away.
“Yeah… one thing lead to another, and-… here we are.” Thoma said, hinting as if something else was wrong.
“Mhm? What happened?” Itto gave him a curious look.
“Ah, just… minor inconveniences building up.” He didn’t want to talk about it and hoped Itto wouldn’t pry.
“Ah, dude, I hate when that happens! And it’s always when we’re already upset- THAT’S when our clothes get caught on door handles.” Itto ranted, crossing his arms.
Thoma laughed, and Itto felt glad for that. “It’s true! It really is…!” the pyro wielder agreed, chuckling at Itto’s attitude.
“For real. Ugh!” Itto rolled his eyes before smirking and laughing it off with Thoma. They were still sat on the floor, allowing Taromarou to come cuddle his master.
“Y’know you can tell me anything, right?” Itto asked, patting Ushi who’d come over to join.
“Yeah… I just… I heard some whispers around the estate, and all… I kinda miss Mondstadt, too.” Thoma took a breath and explained as best as he could. Sometimes, certain estate guards were not kind to him. They didn’t think a guy from Mondstadt belonged there, working for such an important family in Inazuma. Their distasteful jabs really stuck with him today, since his mood was already down to begin with.
“It’s not the first time… I’ve already told Master Kamisato about it. Again.” he sighed as he said this, petting Taromarou while he spoke.
“Psh, then you gotta tell them to fuck off! Stand up for yourself, man! Those guards ain’t shit!” Itto said, angry that someone would be so mean to Thoma. He was such a kind soul! He didn’t deserve that!
“Ah, I know… but- well, they’re kinda intimidating, heh…” Thoma chuckled slightly, a bit embarrassed. Ushi huffed in response.
“They’re pussies, actually! What, they can talk smack behind your back, but can’t say it to your face?” Itto questioned.
Thoma chuckled. “They do, sometimes. It’s pretty back-handed.”
“The audacity! Ugh, when I catch them-…” Itto huffed angrily, clenching his fists.
“L-Let’s not escalate anything, okay? I’ll talk to Ayato about it…” Thoma said, smiling nervously.
“You still need to stand up for yourself and tell those guys to buzz off!” he said, now censoring his swears for Thoma’s sake.
“I-… I can’t do that, Itto.”
“Yes you can. Ayato wouldn’t fire you for that, y’know. He’s a chill guy.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. Those guards just scare me too much…” Thoma frowned and looked away, getting nudged by Taromarou.
“Then scare them back. Tell them the big bad oni will come get them if they don’t stop!” Itto said, grinning with some amusement at his idea.
Thoma chuckled. “Itto, they’d arrest you on sight if I threaten them with that!”
“So what? I’m not going down without a fight!” Itto chuckled too, enjoying their newfound banter.
“And how do you think Ayato would react seeing you beat up his guards?”
“If his guards are asshats, they deserve it.” Itto shrugged. Thoma snickered and started laughing at Itto’s goofy arguments.
“Hahaha…! Oh you’re impossible to reason with~!” he teased.
“Pfft, so are you!” Itto struggled to contain his giggles.
“Touché. Hahahaha..!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Once they had calmed from their shared giggles, Thoma felt the weight on his heart lighten. Taromarou wagged his tail and nuzzled him to comfort further. Thoma giggled at the shiba’s antics, feeling ticklish from the way his muzzle rubbed against his neck.
“Aww~ such a good boy!” Itto cooed, smiling at the cuteness. Ushi agreed, giving a small nod he’d learned from the bipedals around him.
“Pfft~ Hehehey!” Thoma protested half-heartedly as Taromarou excitedly pawed at him, licking his face and wagging his tail. “I-It tickles!” Thoma giggled more as the dog managed to push him over.
“Hahaha! Yeah, get him!” Itto joked playfully, laughing along at the scene.
“Itto, help me~! Hehehehe!” Thoma laughed playfully, putting little effort into escaping.
“Haha, fear not, I’ll help ya out!” Itto said, with a rather devious expression which the housekeeper didn’t see.
“Ahahaha! Hurry!” Thoma laughed as the playful shiba licked his ear, trying to push the doggo away.
“Heheh, do I have to?” Itto took his time, giggling at the scene before scooping up Taromarou and placing him aside.
“Hehe…! Thank you…” Thoma chuckled, about to sit up before he suddenly found himself laughing out loud again as Itto betrayed him, tickling him instead. “WhAAHAHA!! Wahahahahait- nohohohohoho!!” he squealed with surprise, weakly pushing at his tickler’s wrists as he laughed and wiggled.
“Instructions unclear, couldn’t let him have all the fun!” Itto teased, playfully wiggling his fingers all around, gently but quickly tickling the other. Taromarou hopped around playfully as he watched, happy to see and hear Thoma smiling and giggling.
“Ihihittohohoho!! Ahahahahahaha! Plehehehease!” Thoma laughed, not squirming around as much as Itto had hoped he would. The tickly sensation of those nails combining with his shirt’s fabric was simply maddening, yet strangely fun.
“Heheh! You want me to stop?” Itto asked, targetting the other’s sides and ribs for the funnie.
“Ahahahahahaha!! N-Not thehehehere!!” Thoma squealed, his eyes squeezed shut as he laughed and wiggled. Despite how badly it tickled, Thoma didn’t squirm too much, but the teasing made him want to roll away and curl up. Itto snickered, finding him oddly adorable while tickling his tummy, making him laugh and flutter his legs. “Mhm? You want mercy yet?” he asked.
“Ahahahahahaha!! Y-Yehehes, plehehehease!!” Thoma finally pleaded, giggling his head off. He was a really ticklish guy; a fact both Kamisato siblings knew well before Itto found out.
“Hahaha! There ya go~ was that so hard?” Itto teased playfully as he stopped tickling. He reached out to help Thoma, pulling him up to sit.
“Haha… huff… haha… that was mean, you know…” He said, too shy to admit he’d needed it.
“Heh! Ya better keep on smiling now, or the tickle monster might getcha!” Itto joked, laughing at the playful shove he got in response.
“Don’t be so childish! Hahaha…” Thoma joked back, chuckling with amusement. Boy, he sure was lucky Itto had shown up.
“Hahahaha! I’m not being childish, I’m just warning ya.” Itto replied, sticking his tongue out in a playful expression.
“As if, you goof.” Thoma chuckled, feeling a lot better than he did earlier today. He was really glad Itto showed up, relieved to no longer have to cry. “Heh… thanks for cheering me up, though…” he said, a bit sheepish since he’d been tickled.
“Ah, no problem. I’m just glad I could help out!” Itto replied, grinning proudly. “And besides, it was really funny seein’ you giggle like that.”
“Oh, don’t even mention that!” Thoma blurted out, embarrassed by his teasing.
“Heh! Or what? What’re you gonna do ‘bout it?” Itto taunted playfully, giggling at the playful banter.
“Tch.” Thoma had to think of something…
“I’ll just tickle you agai-”
“Taromarou, get him!”
“Wh-What?!”
“Woof woof!” Itto’s confidence was short-lived as the shiba sprang up, wagging his tail as he unleashed his nuzzling attack. Ushi huffed and sat a bit further away from the chaos, knowing dang well his master wouldn’t last without squirming.
“Pfft- that’s not fair!” Itto protested, giggling his ass off already as he tried to gently push the dog away. The affectionate nuzzles and licks against his jaw tickled real bad.
“That’s how it started for me, so it’s plenty fair.” Thoma replied, chuckling with amusement. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the courage to tickle Itto himself, so he let his pupper do it instead.
“Hahahaha! Make him stop~! I- hahaha! I cahahan’t-! Hehehehe!” Itto struggled to speak through his giggles, and Taromarou pushed him over just like he’d done to Thoma.
“Hehehe, that’s so cute~!” Thoma cooed, adoring his dog’s antics. It was also really funny how such a small dog could bring such a powerful oni down like that.
“Hahahaha! C’mohohon! Stahp it!” Itto snickered and finally managed to convince Taromarou to let up, giggling as he caught his breath.
“Are you really that ticklish, Itto?” Thoma teased with amusement. He was genuinely curious, though.
“Tch, am not! Shut up…” Itto protested, though he struggled to act grumpy because that moment was simply too sweet not to smile at.
“You sure about that? Taro sure had you fighting for your life there.” Thoma said with a chuckle.
“Psh, that was nothing! It’s not like I was dying from some puppy love.” Itto scoffed, trying to save his pride.
“Mhm, sure…” Thoma chuckled and shook his head before standing up from the floor.
“I’m not lying!” Itto retorted, standing up as well.
“I didn’t say you were!” Thoma replied.
“You-…! Pfft-…”
Neither of them could continue their banter as they laughed at the situation. Itto never failed to bring joy and sunshine wherever he went, even on the gloomiest of days. Thoma felt grateful to have him as a friend; he was always so kind and loving to him.
Perhaps he should seek him out more often…
