ok. this was originally going to be a collection of headcanons but now its. well. a mini-fic dhsjkfmg just take it. very shippy. i love these two a lot (shocker)

⚠️SPOILER WARNING⚠️ for the entire game??? i guess???

(i use he/him pronouns for both of them this time)

i like to think that while omokage’s been manifested for a while, spending all his time alone and on missions and not being part of a citadel really didnt allow him to learn to be “human” outside of fighting and carrying out orders. this ties into my other hc that the one of the main purposes of citadel environments is to help tsukumogami learn to do just that!

anyway, back to omokage. im sure everyone helps him out and teaches him and answers questions any time he asks, but the one who plays this role the most ends up being tomoegata, who had no previous life, and “learning to be human” is all he’s ever known.

tomoe, to the best of his ability, explains to omokage what sarcasm is, and that he’ll be hearing it a lot from hasebe. no, you don’t Have to do everything tsurumaru tells you to. yes, mikazuki IS hard to understand sometimes, it’s not just you. no, you don’t have to wait for orders to choose, just choose. yes, you are as much a touken danshi as the rest of us.

omokage almost feels like he wants to apologize for having to be looked after so often, but tomoe is so sincere and so willing, and one of the few that omokage knows he can trust to be wholly honest. he cant bring himself to be anything but grateful.

he expresses his gratitude a number of times, nearly every chance he gets, and tomoegata’s response is always the same: “Yes. Remember to call on me if ever you need anything.”

one day, they exchange these same parting words within earshot of hasebe. it doesn’t escape his notice that tomoe tells omokage the same thing he always used to tell their master.

meanwhile, omokage thinks back to a conversation they had (from the bond convos).

“So your strength comes from your feelings toward someone important… It must be wonderful having someone like that.”

he’s never felt stronger than he does now.