Chapter.7 Curiosity

Kazuha nipped at the fluorescent plant, taking in the bitter taste with a smile on his face, holding back his laughter as he watched the wolven boy scrunch his nose with knitted brows, clearly disapproving of the swordsman's choice of food.

"Purple grass not food," Razor said, shaking his head in disapproval, wondering if he could ever come to understand the swordsman's taste for strange plants.

The team had just finished up doing some daily commissions and were taking a small break before they headed back to the teapot realm. Kazuha had stayed behind with Razor out in the fields while Thoma and Xingqiu headed into town to buy some groceries and materials that the traveler had needed.

The snow had thickened since the last time they had been to Inazuma, and Razor's wound had already healed up nicely since the incident last week.

Razor's trained eyes studied the young swordsman beside him, watching his body closely for any signs of shivering, but his attention was quickly taken when one of the village dogs came running towards them. In an instant, Razor quickly stepped in between the small black dog and the young swordsman. Before he allowed the dog near Kazuha, the two sniffed each other first, making sure of each other's presence before relaxing.

Kazuha smiled at the small animal before extending a hand, allowing the dog to sniff him before being allowed to give any gentle pets or scratches. It was obvious that the dog had been around people but he was still nervous with strangers, but Kazuha's magic touch quickly made the animal feel relaxed and even comfortable enough to lie down.

Razor watched Kazuha pet the small dog sweetly and could feel that same stinging in his heart, like that time when Gorou had reached for the swordsman. He fought back a growl and instead, he sat beside Kazuha and leaned against him, nuzzling his head against his shoulder lovingly, wishing, begging to be loved back by the other, to steal away his attention from the other dog.

"Razor?" Kazuha's cheeks flushed a soft pink, confused by the sudden affection, but when he looked at the feral boy, he couldn't help but find himself wanting to just spoil him.

Pulling his hand away from the dog, Kazuha pulled down the feral boy's hood and brushed his fingers through Razor's thick silver locks of hair, slowly sliding his hand down to his cheek to gently caress it, feeling the wolven boy lean into his touch. His cheek was so warm against his chilled fingertips, and being so close together kept the cold air away, making it easier for the swordsman to forget about the snow surrounding him.

Razor had closed his eyes, feeling content with the swordsman's affection, feeling the scent of maple tickle his nose, and the gentle touch creating butterflies in his stomach. He wanted Kazuha to groom him lovingly like this every day, to wake up to his warm smile, to sleep beside him every night…He wanted to be with Kazuha forever.

Kazuha watched the feral boy, still curious as to what had caused the boy's sudden clinginess in the first place. One could say it was jealousy, but Razor wasn't the type to get jealous over anything… or at least he didn't think he did. He had never seen the boy get bothered when Thoma would pet other animals, and he never seemed to mind it when Kokomi would brush Gorou's tail. So what was different now?

Interrupting his train of thought, Razor shifted in his seat, lifting his head up a bit and giving small licks to the young swordsman's chin. He could feel him shaking a bit before small sounds of giggling escaped his lips.

"R-Razor stop, that tickles," Kazuha said in between his laughter. Hearing him make such sweet and joyous sounds only encouraged the wolven boy. He wanted to hear more, he wanted to see the swordsman react more to his touch, to hear sweet noises escape his lips.

Kazuha could feel the feral boy's tongue beginning to trace his jawline "Razor…stop" His laughter died down as heat was slowly rising to his cheeks and he let out a soft breath, his body almost stiffening to the touch. Razor's movement continued, leaving a thin trail of saliva as he licked up to his earlobe, tickling the delicate skin. Kazuha's voice hitched, fighting to keep any noises from escaping his lips, desperately trying to find the strength to protest any further advances from the other boy.

"R...Razor" Hearing his name called out so breathlessly, heat seeping through the swordsman's voice, all of it made an intense heat begin to burn in the feral boy's groin.

Opening his mouth a bit wider, he let his hot breath ghost over the cold skin, fighting every urge in his body that desperately wanted to bite the swordsman, to leave his mark, to hear the swordsman call out his name as if to beg for his touch… but he couldn't, he couldn't bear to make the swordsman angry with him again.

Before Razor could pull away, he felt a harsh pinch on his ear, tugging his head away from the delicate ear. He whined at the pain as Kazuha gave a slight look of disapproval, his cheeks burning a soft red color.

"I know you and the wolves lick each other, but I'm very ticklish, and I told you to stop earlier..." Kazuha explained, making sure to get his point across that when he says stop, the feral boy better stop or his nose will be the next thing to get pinched.

Razor nodded in understanding, but he couldn't help but feel intrigued by this new knowledge. He never imagined the swordsman to be ticklish, and he couldn't help but wonder which spots were the most sensitive.

Smelling the familiar scent of the two boys, Kazuha and Razor looked towards the coming footsteps of the Guhua boy and the golden haired Inazuman, both of them crunching through the snow with paper bags in their arms, filled to the brim with fresh produce.

"Hey, sorry to keep you two waiting," The older blonde said, a warm smile planted on his face.

"We would have been back sooner, but Thoma had gotten a letter from lord Kamisato and had to run a quick errand" Xingqiu explained, remembering how the older blonde seemed to go above and beyond for the young lord.

"It's alright, you didn't keep us waiting that long," Kazuha said, giving the two a small smile, hiding the blush in his cheeks.

Hearing the new voices, the small dog shot its head up and quickly went to go sniff the blonde man, staying cautious of the blue haired boy until he finished inspecting the other. Thoma was delighted to see the dog, wishing he could play with it all day… but he knew they had to get back to Aether and deliver the groceries, so they escorted the dog back home before returning to the teapot realm.

Entering the emerald peaks, the group enters the Inazuma mansion, greeting Tubby on the way in. It was nice to finally be inside after being out in the cold all day.

"Your back" The first one to greet them inside was Chongyun, who was quick to help Xingqiu with his grocery bags.

"It took longer to carry everything since it was just the two of us. Razor didn't feel comfortable entering the city" Thoma said, thinking back to the busy streets of Inazuma. It was the holiday season, and Razor was still trying to adjust to being around lively cities. Inazuma in particular had very narrow streets, making it feel extra crowded in comparison to Monstadt or Liyue harbor.

"Now I can finally take my hot bath" Xingqiu chimed, happily relinquishing both of the heavy bags into the young exorcist's arms.

"I'll put away the groceries and see if Aether needs help in the kitchen," Thoma said as he headed towards the doorway down the hall in front of the stairway, delivering the requested items to the young traveler.

"Chongyun, you should join me, the water will be nice and warm" The Guhua boy teased, amused by the exorcist's flushed expression. He giggled when Chongyun quickly protested, escaping into the kitchen as he followed after Thoma, but not long afterward, you could hear the sound of pots and pans come crashing down…

Razor arched a brow curiously. Why had the boy become so flustered over bathing with Xingqiu? He would bathe all the time with his Lupical back home...but then again, people were different, they weren't like the wolves back in Wolvendom. So then...would Kazuha become flustered if he asked to bathe together with him?

"Kazuha... bathe with me?" Razor asked, looking at the young swordsman beside him.

"Hm? You want to bathe together?" Kazuha asked, his expression seeming no different than usual.

Razor nodded, reaffirming his earlier question. Kazuha smiled and simply said "I'd rather not" before he headed outside.

Razor watched the young swordsman exit the room before quickly following behind him, and instead, asks him to show him the funny leaf music like last time. Kazuha smiles brightly at this and happily agrees, tracking up to the hilltops of the emerald peak and sitting beneath a large maple tree. Kazuha would play his soothing melodies while Razor would quietly listen, watching the swordsman closely before letting himself drift into a peaceful slumber, but he would make sure to wake bef