Bathhouse Incident
A/N: This story was born thanks to the encouraging words of some friends. Hehe and once the idea had formed into my mind it was already too late to stop. I’m so excited for the upcoming version and I really hope that we might be able to invite characters to join us~
Summary: Aether just wanted to relax in the newly opened bath, unfortunately, his friends - or rather one of them - had different plans.
Words: 2,328 words under the cut
Aether hesitated at the entrance of the newly opened Aisa Bathhouse in Inazuma, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his tunic. The warm, inviting glow of lanterns illuminated the wooden interior, the faint scent of herbal steam wafting through the air.
The blonde had been invited by some of his old friends to try out this new establishment and after being away for such a long time, he had happily agreed to join, eager to see all of them again. He had been on his feet all day, traversing from Natlan back to the islands of Inazuma, and the idea of soaking in a hot bath sounded heavenly.
He had only arrived a few hours ago, already having meet with them for a (very) late breakfast in Hanamizaka, to indulge in some Tricolor Dango, much to the joy of Paimon and the detriment of his wallet, and had agreed upon meeting with them in the bath, after checking in in a nearby Inn.
But as he glanced down at his attire and then at the row of lockers before him, a flush of embarrassment crept up his cheeks. With a deep breath, he stepped forward, unbuckling his boots and neatly placing them into an empty locker.
The cool floor against his bare feet sent a small shiver up his spine as he continued, peeling off his clothes, layer by layer, until he was left in nothing but a simple towel wrapped securely around his waist. His hands briefly hovered over the lock on his locker, his stomach twisting with nervousness.
It wasn’t like he was unfamiliar with bathhouses - Liyue had plenty - but being this exposed in the presence of others still made him shy. Taking another breath, he straightened his shoulders and stepped past the entrance curtain into the steamy bathing area.
“Aether, buddy! There you are!” a loud and enthusiastic voice boomed across the bath, making the blonde jump slightly. Itto grinned widely from his spot in the hot water, waving him over eagerly. Next to him, Thoma and Gorou were already settled into the bath, their heads barely visible above the rising steam. “Hey Traveler~” “Aether, glad you could make it.”
The trio looked relaxed, their expressions glowing from the heat of the water and Aether couldn’t help grinning at them. “You took forever! C’mon in, the water’s perfect!” Itto added, slapping the surface of the bath, causing small ripples to form. Aether chuckled sheepishly, stepping towards the edge and carefully dipping a foot into the water.
The heat immediately sent a soothing wave up his body and he exhaled in relief as he slid further in, submerging himself up to his chest. The tension in his muscles began to melt away and he sighed contentedly. “Man, you look so tense and did you get even more skinny!?” Itto commented, tilting his head before he waded towards him.
“You should really loosen up a bit~” Aether raised an eyebrow, but before he could retort, he felt large fingers suddenly squeeze at his sides. A high-pitched squeak slipped from his lips as he jolted, his arms instinctively snapping to his sides in defense. “WaHAh! D-DoOHohn’t!” he laughed, gently pushing his hands off of him. “Oh-ho! What was that?”
Itto smirked, his ruby eyes lighting up with mischief. “Did you just- No way! Traveler, don’t tell me you’re ticklish?” he fake-gasped and Aether could clearly hear Thoma and Gorou giggle at him. “He got you now~” “Itto found his next victim, ehh~” Aether’s face burned instantly, his body stiffening in place and he once again cursed his body for it sensitivity.
“W-Wait, that was just-” he began, instinctively taking a step back from the oni. He was in trouble now. “…Just you being ticklish?” Itto grinned wickedly, eagerly wiggling his fingers at him. Yeah, in a very big trouble. “Oh, this is too good to pass up!” he laughed. He had to get away, like right now, before it was too late.
However, before the blonde could even make a proper escape, Itto lunged, wrapping his strong arms around him in a playful yet secure hold. “C’mere, you squirmy little guy!” he chuckled, not wasting another second as he dug his fingers into his ribs.
Aether immediately burst into uncontrollable giggles, twisting and wriggling as he tried to pry himself free from Itto’s iron grip. “N-Nohoho! I-ItohOho! StoHohop!!” he pleaded, his laughter echoing in the steamy room. He just wanted to relax and spend the afternoon soozing in the water and here he was, in the arms of an excited oni, getting tickled to pieces.
This wasn’t like he expected his afternoon to turn out. His hands grabbed at the white-haired’s arms, his legs were kicking out, splashing water everywhere, but the hero of nations, the conqueror of dragons and Master of the Jinni couldn't break free. Instead, he felt a tingle inside his stomach, creeping up, further and further throughout his body.
“HhahAhHAHa I-IHIhiTOo! IhiHit ehEhhehe it tiHIicklekeles!” He managed to breath out, tears of mirth forming in the corner of his eyes and running down his flustered cheeks as Itto continued to explore the ticklishness of his flanks, even daring to sneak his fingers up into his underarms, wiggling into the sensitive holes with gusto.
“That’s the whole point compadre; nothing beats some good old’ laughing with your bro IttOh~” he teased and to emphasize his statement, he moved on of his strong arms around his midriff, allowing him to tickle the blonde’s stomach, wiggling and sliding his fingers around his navel.
As soon as they made contact with his skin, Aether broke into another wave of contagious chortles and he sucked in his stomach, but neither did it help, nor made it Itto relenting. “AHhhAhahah! YoHou cAhahn’t wehEh’re- ahAhhahah noHoho!” he laughed, trying to reason with his antics, but he wasn't even able to finish his sentence.
“Aw, you sound so adorable!” Itto teased, clearly enjoying to see the youngest member of the Arataki Gang at the loose of his hands. At this point, Aether had given up to try and break free, so he just lends back against the other's chest, letting his laughter out. Seeing this Itto smirked, and he bend his head a bit forward, so that it was now close to his.
"Giving up already? Don't disappoint me now..." he said, blowing in his ear and making him shriek. That was too much for him. In a last attempt, Aether eyed with his other friends who had watched the whole scenario without even lifting a finger to come to his aid.
“WHahAHAhh p-pleHEhehase heEHhelp,” he whined stretching out a hand towards them, taking into account that Itto immediately sneaked a finger into the spot again, well he had to bite the bullet if he wanted to get out of this situation.
…It was Thoma, who had been watching with an amused grin, that finally took pity on Aether and leaned forward. “You do realize this could backfire, right?” he mused, wading closer to the duo before suddenly striking. His fingers poked into Itto’s toned sides, causing the oni to jolt and let out an uncharacteristic yelp.
“HiYaHh…! H-Hey! Thoma! ThaAhaht’s cheap!” Itto barked, his body twitching under the unexpected assault. The moment of inattention allowed Aether to break free and Itto whined when he realized his little toy had escaped. Aether, now freed from Itto’s grasp, gasped for air, his face already flushed both from the tickling and the bath’s heat.
“Thanks T-Thoma, I thought I was gonna die.” He shot Thoma a grateful look, which the housekeeper returned with a knowing smile, having been a victim himself not long ago. “I wasn’t kiIHihll- noHohHOhoho!” Itto wanted to argue but got interpreted by his own laughter as Thoma continued to drag his fingers down his sides.
“Oh, come on Itto, you can dish it out but can’t take it?” Thoma teased, continuing to tickle the large oni playfully. “Well, this is actually kinda fun. What do you think, Aether?” Aether glanced at Itto, who was flailing in the water like a fish out of water, and couldn’t help but laugh along with him - he looked so hilarious right now.
A mischievous grin crept onto his lips. “I think Itto could use a little payback,” he admitted, “after all ‘nothing beats some good old’ laughing with your bro IttOh’, right?~” he mocked making the oni gulp. Thoma grinned, winking at him. “Then let’s get him!” “…W-WahAhahit, guHuys, cahAn’t we talk- aHAHAHAhhahaH!”
The oni’s loud laughter began to flood the room as soon as the duo launched their combined assault with Thoma continuing to squeeze his sides, while Aether, little as he was, wiggled his fingers down his toned chest, dragging his fingers along the patterns of his tattoos lining his skin, reveling in the way Itto’s booming laughter filled the air.
“WAHAHAHahhAhAhh!” The whole room seemed to shake as Itto’s belly laughter broke out of him, not even trying to hold it back, making Aether wonder if he really wanted them to stop. “You’re so ticklish, it’s kinda adorable~” “NoOHohoo teHEehasing,” Itto whined and hid his face inside his palms. He could never handle verbal teasing.
Aether chuckled and stood on his tiptoes, allowing him to reach his armpits, while Thoma focused on his ribs and stomach, making sure their giant friend was left gasping. “Coochie, coochie coo~” “NOHOHO! Y-YOU GUYS ARE EVIL!!” Itto howled, thrashing in the water, he had created a monster, well two of them, when Thoma joined. “Coochie, coochie, coochie~”
“HAHAHHAVE M-MEHEHEHERCY ON MEHEHEHEHHE!” he cried, seeming to forget that he could just fight them off if he really wanted to, but the tickling made him weak and his legs were giving in, making him sink further to the ground, making it only even easier for the blonde duo to reach all these ticklish spots on his body.
Aether and Thoma exchanged mischievous grins, doubling their efforts as they scribbled their fingers along Itto’s ribs and up to his underarms, making the oni nearly jump out of the water. “HAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!”
“Mercy? From us? Nah, I think you can handle a little more, big guy!” Thoma teased, wiggling his fingers right under Itto’s chin and over his neck, causing him to cackle uncontrollably. “GAHAHA! NOT THEHEHERE! AETHER, BRO, PLEHEHEASE!” Itto pleaded, but Aether only chuckled, dragging his fingertips down to Itto’s sides and squeezing rapidly.
“What was that? I can’t hear you over all this laughing,” he teased playfully, watching as Itto’s face turned a deeper shade of red. Thoma suddenly darted his hands to Itto’s belly, squeezing his lower sides before poking right into Itto’s belly button.
“I always wondered if oni were sensitive here,” he mused, feigning curiosity while Itto’s laughter skyrocketed, “turns out, you’re just as sensitive as anyone else!” “STAHAHAHAP! I’M TOHOHO TIHICKLIHIHISH FOR THIHIHIS!” Itto’s howls echoed through the bathhouse, but his thrashing only encouraged them to keep going.
Gorou, who had been chuckling at the scene, was distracted watching the playful attack unfold, feeling a light sting of jealously in his chest, not sure if he was allowed to join. His hands curled into claws and his tail wagged slightly in the water and he let out a low sigh. “I wanna… tickle too,” he grumbled, the last getting lost in-between the loud laughter.
However, his attention was cut short by a sudden, high-pitched scream of his own when he felt a sudden touch on his spin, catching him completely off guard. Turning his head to the side he gazed into a familiar pair of olive-green eyes. “W-WHAAHAHAHAT?! HEIHOZOU?!”
Heizou had appeared from seemingly nowhere, grinning mischievously as he wiggled his fingers into Gorou’s sides. “Hehe~ You looked a little left out,” the detective teased. “I thought I’d give you some attention.” Gorou’s ears twitched frantically as he squirmed in the water, laughter bubbling past his lips.
“N-NoHOohho! I-I didn’t neHEheed any attention! WHahHAHAHH!” “Liar,” Heizou snickered, slipping his fingers to Gorou’s belly and watching as the poor general dissolved into helpless giggles, his tail thrashing in the water. “I could clearly hear you back there~” he mused and gave his sides another squeeze. “HAHAHahahHAHAhahah!” “AHAHAAHhHAhah noHOhoo!”
The bathhouse was soon filled with overlapping laughter - Itto still suffering under Aether and Thoma’s combined tickling and Gorou barely able to form coherent words between giggles as Heizou tormented his sensitive stomach.
Minutes passed before the tickling finally slowed to a stop. The group, exhausted and overheated, collapsed onto the warm stone floor beside the bath, their chests heaving with residual giggles. The bathhouse’s soothing ambiance finally returned as they all lay sprawled, staring at the ceiling in post-laughter bliss.
“...We’re a mess,” Thoma chuckled breathlessly, running a hand through his damp hair. “No kidding,” Aether sighed, rubbing at his flushed cheeks, exhausted but happy. Their peaceful rest was interrupted by a calm, amused voice. “My, my, what do we have here?”
They all turned their heads sluggishly to see Kamisato Ayato standing over them, his usual elegant smile gracing his lips. “You all look like you’ve just fought a battle,” Ayato mused, raising an eyebrow, “and judging from your expressions, I assume you’ve lost?”
“Ugh,” Itto groaned, throwing an arm over his face, “we weren’t fighting… just… a little too much fun.” Ayato chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You’re all quite silly.” “Yeah, but it was worth it, right~” Heizou smirked, still watching Gorou with amusement as the poor general tried to regain his composure, glaring daggers at him before retuning his smile.
“I’ll get you back for that…j-just you wait~” he mumbled, making the whole group laugh. Aether sighed happily, his muscles still warm and relaxed despite the ticklish ordeal. As chaotic as it had been, he had to admit - it was one of the most fun bathhouse visits he’d ever had, and judging from the laughter still lingering in the air, the others felt the same.
