#sanegiyuu fluff

[xxlady-lunaxx]

aaaaa sanegiyuuuu 😞

imagine after the war, giyuu opening the door when he got a knock at 3am, bleary-eyed and tired, seeing sanemi standing there soaked to the bone. giyuu like wha are you okay come in ARE YOU CRYING- OH NO- and comforting him, getting tea and hurrying to get a towel and blanket, throwing logs and a couple matches into the fire place. sanemi exhausted and resting his head on the kotatsu(/table) as giyuu drapes a blanket over him and almost spilling tea everywhere in his haste. asking him what was wrong, hugs and cuddles. sanemi starting off mumbling incomprehensibly about genya and then saying iguro (?? giyuu couldn’t understand) and how they all left him alone and how he should’ve protected shinobu for kanae and how gyomei and sanemi used to be close-ish, at least they were friends, and then sanemi lapsing into a blubbering mess, falling asleep in giyuu’s arms with fresh salty tracks trailing down his cheeks. giyuu waking up later at noon with a note of apology and some salmon daikon<3

idk i dont see enough sanemi angst and i love him just collapsing w/ emotional exhaustion and going to giyuu for support 😞 i love them help

[applepie-enthusiast]

Imagine in an au where Giyuu had more time to try and do his "ohagi in my sleeve" stunt to be friends with Sanemi.

Giyuu will most definitely do it any opportunity he can, which is not too many chances anyway.

Whenever he passes by Sanemi, he would try and offer Sanemi an ohagi.

First time it happened, Sanemi seemed visibly shocked, but the latter's expression immediately became sour, irritation reflecting in his face.

"What the fuck are you trying to do?!"

"Ohagi." Giyuu replied, the treat in his hand still being offered, but Sanemi turned the other way instead.

A few more tries and attempts at making friends with Sanemi occured, but to no avail.

The last time it happened, Sanemi was having a rough day after encountering that Kamado kid and Genya.

In happenstance, when he turned to a corner, he saw Giyuu, offering him another ohagi.

In an outburst of emotions, he gritted his teeth and violently swatted the ohagi out of Giyuu's hand, an action that visibly surprised Giyuu, and he realized the consequences of his actions a moment after when Giyuu wordlessly picked it up after being frozen for a few seconds. Giyuu nurtured it in his hand, holding it tenderly before he turned his back against Sanemi.

And then Giyuu walked away.

"Tomio—"

"It's alright, Shinazugawa. I apologize." And then he was gone.

Sanemi couldn't stop about that event even if forced himself to.

Tomioka's shocked face, and the day his expression relaxed into resignation, his shoulder slumped, and the slow way he picked up the treat.

More than giving up on giving Sanemi that treat,

It seemed Tomioka gave up on something else.

And it was because of him.

Thinking about it, Sanemi realised that out of all the others that Tomioka could possibly befriend, Tomioka chose him.

Sanemi wanted to apologize in whatever way he could, even if not through words like "sorry." He would just talk to Tomioka.

But then infinity castle happened.

Imagine right after the battle. Sanemi took time to recover and reconnected with everyone.

Everyone except Giyuu.

Because he found out Giyuu was in a coma.

He wouldn't wake up, and oh, how Sanemi sat by his side on multiple days, and one day,

Sanemi reached out and held Giyuu's unmoving hand, and smiled.

Through his broken voice, he whispered,

"Tomioka, wake up. I'll accept the ohagi you want to give now. Just... just wake up..."

[yana-bananai]

Giyuu pressed his freezing hands against Sanemi’s chest without warning, making the Wind Hashira jolt.

"The hell, Tomioka?!" Sanemi snapped, shivering as the cold seeped through his uniform. "Your hands feel like they’ve been soaking in ice water!"

Giyuu, as unreadable as ever, simply blinked at him. "They’re cold."

"No shit! Get them off me!" Sanemi grumbled but didn’t actually push him away. Instead, he crossed his arms, glaring at the other man.

Giyuu didn't move, his hands slowly absorbing Sanemi's warmth. His fingers flexed slightly, pressing into the muscle. "...Warm."

Sanemi huffed, cheeks turning pink—not from the cold but from the realization that Giyuu’s hands were still on his chest, palms resting comfortably against his pecs.

"You're enjoying this too much," Sanemi grumbled, looking away.

Giyuu blinked again. "Your fault for being warm."

Sanemi groaned but didn’t pull away, letting Giyuu steal his warmth. Maybe just this once.

[cowboy132]

NEWFOUND OBSTACLES

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CONTENT CONTAINS: (Making Out, Fluff, Angst, VERY small mention of blood)

PAIRING: Tomioka Giyuū x Shinazugawa Sanemi

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SYNOPSIS: This whole thing was supposed to be surrounded about giyuu staring at sanemis tits but then I kept writing and couldn't stop...

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Brushing through his thick, dark hair, Tomioka was kneeling in his empty, barren house. The repetitive motion tired his arm, so after a few more moments deciding it was detangled enough, he lightly set the brush down with a clank, letting his mind drift off, a blank expression still painting his face.

Recently, Tomioka has come up with a predicament; it’s not too big of an issue but... He just can’t stop staring at Shinazugawa’s chest. Luckily they don't get put on missions together because then it would certainly become one. It’s not like he was doing it on purpose; it’s just they were right there . Occasionally he’ll just glance over at Shinazugawa, and his eyes begin to...wander, and more often than not, his eyes drift even further, drinking up everything he can lay his eyes on. With a sigh, he gets up from his position to put his 2-toned haori back on, not bothering with his blade, and go for a walk. Something to calm himself down and think of...other things.

Closing the door behind him, Tomioka started on his way to a new patch of land he found. He has started to often visit to calm his mind. It's nothing too extravagant, just a small lake accompanied by a field of flowers, many of which are some of his favorites. Nobody ever visits it, seeing as it's quite a ways away and the only sounds that could be heard are those of nature. It was perfect, like a safe haven for him. Yet for some reason he finds himself wanting to visit it with a certain white-haired, short-tempered man to show him the quietness of it all. Share that special place just with him—their secret. Shaking away his thoughts, he finds himself approaching the muddied area of wood just before the lake. Taking a closer look, he notices fresh footprints. They didn’t seem like that of a demon, and even if they were, he didn’t have his katana, so he just decided to risk it and peek through the branches at who else could have found this place.

Him

of course, it was always him

He was smiling on the inside, though unsure why. When the branches began to crackle, Shinazugawa quickly turned around from his position sitting next to the shore, reaching for his blade before realizing it was unfortunately Tomioka. With a scoff, he sat back down and averted his gaze back onto the rippling water. Surprisingly, Tomioka started the conversation.

“How long have you known about this place?" He questions in his same monotonous manner, stepping closer before sitting at a distance. He knows Shinazugawa would have complained if he was any closer.

"I just found it today, but I guess if you’re gonna be here all the time, it’s not of much use to me." He responded a bit harshly.

Tomioka had no response; he wanted to retaliate, but it would do no good. So instead they sat in silence, comfortable silence.

Finally, Shinazugawa shifted to get up from his position. Tomioka, in the spur of the moment, spoke up. Partly due to not wanting the soft interaction to end, but also due to curiosity about the subject

“Why do you dislike me?” He questioned with a monotone voice, not looking up at the white-haired man.

What can only be interpreted as an angry scoff was heard from him as he responded, “Ugh, do I really have to go through the list?”

Tomioka stayed silent; a small, distasteful pang in his chest caught him off guard, confusing him. It’s not like he didn’t hear it often.

“You act like you’re better than everyone! You even go so far as to ignore others when they speak to you, so I guess if I had to choose one reason, it’d be your ego.” Shinazugawa said with a hiss

It felt as if he had been shot, whipping his head around to Shinazugawa; a burning feeling was boiling in his gut. Silence filled the air, along with confusion perhaps on both ends.

Had they actually thought that all along? Is that really what they think of me? Tomioka questioned himself, his stoic demeanor faltering ever so slightly, eyes widening.

“I–...” He tries to manage something out, but it’s as if he’s choking on his lack of words. Shinazugawa does nothing but raise an eyebrow, a vein still popping out of his forehead. However, he still let him take all the time he needed to speak. Then Tomioka finally found the words.

“I wasn’t aware; that’s how you took it. I simply distance myself and try to limit conversation because I don’t believe I’m…worthy, of standing next to the other Hashira because I cannot be considered one…There was a boy." He felt a prickly hotness in his throat, eyes glistening as he spoke, “he was dear to me and saved me during Final Selection, resulting unfortunately in his…death,” Saying the words out loud felt grueling. “As for me, I did not kill a single demon.”

Why he felt comfortable sharing that with Shinazugawa of all people he didn’t know, but he told him anyway. Many emotions could be seen passing through the angered man's face, all while Tomioka held the same emotionless expression.

This whole time I was wrong!? The stupid idiot was feeling... sorry for himself? Should I apologize? Shinazugawa was filled with confusion, anger, and... sympathy?

“You–? I–” Now it was Shinazugawa's turn to choke on his words, “Don’t go feeling sorry for yourself! It won’t get you anywhere. I'm sure this boy, whoever he was, wouldn’t want to see you moping around; instead, all you can do is get stronger. Don’t let him die in vain; he let you have this opportunity; don’t waste it.” He wasn’t the best at comforting, but it seemed to work on Tomioka; his body looked as if it had released all tension; shortly after, he raised a hand to his mouth, looking like he realized something.

“And…I'm—ugh—sorry, I guess. For saying…things” He said as he averted his gaze, a small blush blooming across his cheeks. By now he had sat down next to him, closer than before.

“Thank you.” Was all the water Hashira could get out.

He was looking down at his lap, where his legs were crossed, dirt under him. When he suddenly saw a droplet of water spread onto the dry patch of dirt, confused as more came down, he raised a hand to his face.

Oh, I’m crying

Shinazugawa turned over and looked panicked. Unsure of what to do, he muttered to himself.

“Shit…uhh”

Suddenly, Tomioka felt the warm embrace of Shinazugawa's arms around him. Someone he never imagined he could even get close to. He quickly hugged back, seizing the opportunity. All he could do was cry; it wouldn’t stop. Was it always this hard to stop?

Shinazugawa shifted his body to a more comfortable position, facing Tomioka, who was oddly twisting his body to return the hug. He softly petted the thick hair that wasn’t put up today.

Did he change his hair? Its…nice

He felt himself blush before remembering the situation he was in, feeling his shoulder wet with tears. Sure, it was annoying, and now he’d probably have to wash his clothes, but... for some reason, it felt different with him. A weird feeling grew in his body, branching out to every limb. Leaving him no time to dwell on the feeling, suddenly the rough heaving of Tomioka's back slowed. He lifted his head and had puffy eyes, his cheek still wet with tears.

Surprisingly, Tomioka was embarrassed, though, of course, he wouldn’t let it show.

“I apologize; I didn’t mean to start doing that,” he said between sniffles

This confused Shinazugawa before he realized what he meant

“What? …Crying? Ugh, don’t mention it... I guess, not much else I could do.” he mumbled that last part

“No, you could have left. You didn't. Thank you for staying.” He responded as he shifted, tucking his hair behind his ear. Shinazugawa had to ignore the way it made his heart skip a beat.

Tomioka had to have said more words than he had their entire time knowing each other, which he started to understand why, making that familiar warmth spread through him. The hoarse feeling in his throat from speaking too much didn’t feel too bad if he was using it for Shinazugawa.

“Tomioka, I–” He started before being cut off

“Giyuu…If you’d like.” He responded shyly

Shinazugawa looked flustered before responding

“G–..Giyuu I’m gonna be coming here every once in a while. Whether you like it or not.”

Tomioka almost…smiles? Surely Shinazugawa saw it wrong. Still, this time he couldn’t ignore the feeling bubbling up in his stomach.

“Alright then.”

Once they agree, an interaction lacking words, a bond forming quietly, they sit in silence once again. Comfortable silence.

Now that Tomioka has calmed down, he realizes the problem this newfound…friendship may pose. Before he realizes he’s side-eyeing the opening front and center of Shinazugawa's uniform once again, a blush starts to creep up on him.

Shinazugawa can feel Giyuu burning holes into him.

Seriously, I become friends–...damn it I guess I am friends with him. I become friends with him, and he doesn’t stop staring at me? I thought if we were close, maybe the staring would stop. Seriously, what could be so interesting about... Holy shit.

A furious red blush creeps onto his face when he turns his head to look at Tomioka, and their eyes don’t meet. Finally, he connects the dots on where the little fiend has been staring. Once Tomioka notices and their eyes meet, he quickly turns his head, and a blush spreads down to his neck.

“Hah! So that's what you’ve been staring at this whole time!? What’re you secretly a pervert or something?” Shinazugawa barks out, chuckling a bit. A sly smile on his lips.

“I– I don’t mean to stare; it’s just... distracting." Tomioka manages out, fiddling with his haori sleeves, while Shinazugawa stares at him, resting his head on his hand.

“I do it for a reason, y’know?” Shinazugawa says, calming down. Tomioka looks over and tilts his head in curiosity, making the white-haired man blush and look forward.

“I have marechi blood. If a demon slices me and smells my blood, it's basically an advantage.” While he poorly explains, Tomioka makes an ‘o’ shape with his mouth. "Plus, I get to show off my muscles to everyone so it’s a win-win,” He says and turns over to Tomioka with a smirk. Silence falls between them, this time with what seems like tension.

"Shinazugawa, are you gay?” Tomioka says suddenly, the same blank expression not faltering

“Wh–What!?” Shinazugawa sputters out

“I assumed it could be the case, seeing as you said ‘everyone’” He says with air quotes, “Plus…if we’re going to be friends, I have something I must share with you.”

“I–” Shinazugawa thought for a while; it’s not like he thought Tomioka would tell the others, but the thought of it getting out terrified him. For some odd reason, he wouldn't mind telling Giyuu. “I guess you could say I am; I’ve been with a couple of dudes... Girls are pretty, but I’ve never really liked being with them.”

There was a reassuring silence gazing at each other when Shinazugawa spoke up in curiosity.

“What did you want to tell me?” He says with a slight nervousness

“Oh, yes.” Tomioka says, suddenly extremely nervous, so much so that he couldn’t hide it under the stoic expression he has on at all times.

Is he? Shaking? Shinazugawa thinks to himself, and before he knows what he’s doing, his hands are cupping Tomiokas.

“Take your time." What the hell was he doing? When did he get so…soft? Was that the word?

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up.

“I was not born a man,” Tomioka says it like a curse, terrified of every possible outcome. He only just got Shinazugawa's admiration; he didn’t want to lose it so soon, though, any second he spent basking in it was worthwhile enough for him.

Shinazugawa sits for a moment, just thinking. He had a similar family member, a man who wanted to—no, was a woman. She corrected him on that very often. Something about brain chemistry? It was too confusing for him. But she was kind and helped him oftentimes.

After what seemed like hours to Tomioka, the other spoke up, “This doesn’t change anything.” Was all he could think of to say, and that's all Tomioka needed. Suddenly Shinazugawa was pulled into a hug; he relaxed into it after a moment before seeing Tomioka's shoulders move roughly like before.

“I think this is the most I've cried in my whole life,” Tomioka says with a huff, much like a laugh pulling away and wiping tears.

“You can make jokes?” Shinazugawa responds, a smirk on his face

And then Tomioka smiled.

A weird and warm feeling entered him. A hot blush tattered across him, furiously pumping through his veins.

Suddenly, much like moments ago when he mindlessly placed his hands onto Tomiokas, he leaned in slowly, an invitation the other would have ample time to decline.

But once Tomioka's eyes widened, realizing the situation, he closed the gap, rough yet gentle. Shinazugawas chapped lips against Tomiokas soft ones. The kiss felt like fireworks. Both of them shifted in place to get a better angle, though any angle felt like heaven on earth. When they pulled away, all they did was stare, lovingly. Even if both of them were an awkward mess, there was still that same silence, comfortable silence.

“I take it you don’t dislike me anymore?” Tomioka says, looking down at his lap, another slight smile twitching in the corner of his lips

“Oh, hush.” Shinazugawa says, yet it’s free of any malice.

“Do you mind if I kiss you again?…” Tomioka mutters, finally looking back up into Shinazugawa's eyes, which were already on him.

Instead of responding, he just leaned in once again, their lips crashed together. This time it was rougher, hotter, yet filled with that same kindness as the first. Tomioka was the first to slightly lick at Shinazugawa’s bottom lip, who happily opened his mouth for him. Tomioka licked and explored the inside of his mouth while Shinazugawa sucked on his tongue inviting him to continue. When they finally pulled away there was a string of spit that followed, Shinazugawa dove back in for small kisses one of which felt sharp but Tomioka ignored it. Soon after, Tomioka instinctively crawled into the shorter man’s lap slowly, so as not to startle him. Continuing the kiss there was a mix of saliva and…blood? Tomioka pulled back from the kiss with a string of saliva and touched a finger to his lips, surprised yet...aroused to see blood from Shinazugawa biting his lip, he assumed. Without thinking, Shinazugawa dove in and licked his bottom lip, making Tomioka shiver, before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips, then each of his cheeks, then his nose, each filled with a surprising new kindness Tomioka didn’t know he’d had. Though the whole interaction lacked words, they each knew they were happy, content. Tomioka rested his head on Shinazugawa’s shoulder.

“Giyuu? Would you care to... Do you—“ He was clearly struggling to find the words. Tomioka raised his head and looked at him, waiting patiently.

“doyouwannabemyboyfri—“

And before he could finish, Tomioka answered

“Yes. Please..” Feeling a bit embarrassed, he looked away a slight, though he couldn't really escape since he was still on his lap. To solidify the interaction and make sure he wasn’t dreaming, Tomioka pressed a soft kiss to Shinazugawas lips, then lifted himself off of his lap, resuming the previous position he was in.

“Now you can look at my chest all you want; I bet you’re happy.” Shinazugawa joked into the silence before looking over to see Tomioka once again, staring.

“You little…” He said with a scoff. Once Tomioka noticed the other's gaze, he started blushing again, and what sounded like giggling, not failing to send shivers of warmth down Shinazugawa's spine.

Quickly, Tomioka leaned over and kissed him once again, on the cheek this time.

Before getting up to leave, he had to ask, “Will I see you tomorrow, Shinazuga–”

“Sanemi.” He corrected him.

“Will I?... Sanemi” He felt fuzzy hearing the name come out of his…boyfriend's mouth.

“If you’re lucky." He said, blushing turned away from Tomioka, who knew that meant yes.

C0WB0Y_ETHAN on Ao3

[rainbowfey]

17 Only One Bed

@flufftober

A sharp thud made Giyuu‘s head shoot up. He glanced at his companion just in time to see a stone flying through the air, bouncing off a tree along their path. Giyuu made a mental note of it and set his internal counter to six. This was the sixth stone Sanemi had kicked away in frustration, either because he could not contain his anger or because he wanted to show Giyuu just how pissed off he was. Either way, Giyuu did the same thing he had done the past five times which was, well, nothing. He had not shown any reaction yet and he was also not about to start now. If Sanemi felt better mauling some innocent rocks, Giyuu was not about to stop him.

Realistically, Giyuu was also not sure if there even was anything he could do to brighten Sanemi’s mood – except for dropping dead, of course, relieving Sanemi of their joint mission. But while his back did hurt a bit from their last training session, he felt pretty lively otherwise, making his sudden death rather unlikely. Looking back, he should have known that Oyakata-sama would not leave it at mere training to strengthen their teamwork skills. Now that he thought about it, those sessions did feel like they had been a build-up to this point. And here they were, going on a mission together that for sure did not require two Hashira at once.

Seven, Giyuu thought absentmindedly when another stone flew past him, this time dangerously close to his legs. He half expected the next stone to hit his calves but surprisingly, Sanemi refrained from this rather direct approach of letting off steam. Instead, he just grumbled something to himself that Giyuu neither could nor cared to hear. Ignoring Sanemi, he turned his attention back on the path that had led them through a thick forest for the better part of the day. Mighty trees and the occasional rock lined the trail they walked along and wherever Giyuu looked, he could only see green and brown. Usually, he would have liked the serene calm of the forest but right now, he had three reasons to find it slightly intimidating.

The first reason was Sanemi and his brooding aura that seemed to radiate aggression. Of course, that was usually not a problem but after a few hours of it, Giyuu wished that Sanemi would lighten up a bit as it was starting to get on his nerves. The second problem was high above and presented itself in form of dark grey storm clouds on the horizon. And sure enough, they were walking right towards them. The third problem however was less of a nuisance and more of a potential threat – with every step they walked, nightfall came closer and there was no sign of civilization in sight. And with the night, the demons came which would make for a rather dangerous situation, should they still be left vulnerable in the forest when the time for it came.

So, Giyuu stared ahead, hoping to see a light shimmer through the tree stems and thickets. To his relief, Sanemi had fallen silent for a while now and if he did not listen to Sanemi’s footsteps behind him, he could even pretend to feel calm. He sighed to himself and shook his head. He had hoped that training with Sanemi would bring them closer or at least get Sanemi to stop hating him. But so far, Giyuu could not see any progress in that regard. The only thing that had started to change was the fact that they now knew more about the other’s skills and power than before. And Giyuu had to admit that Sanemi was indeed very powerful, even more than he had expected. And from time to time, when they had exhausted themselves, Giyuu had even sensed Sanemi letting down his guard a bit. But before he had the chance to say something, Sanemi always snapped out of it, foiling each attempt to get him to open up.

A cold sensation jolted Giyuu from his thoughts and he looked down at his hand. A tiny bead of water rested on his palm before running down his finger. Giyuu looked up and grimaced when he realized that the storm clouds had rapidly come closer, now looming over their heads menacingly. And as if the clouds had noticed his disdain, another droplet of rain hit him, this time running down the back of his neck. Giyuu flinched and pulled the collar of his definitely not rainproof haori up.

“If that isn’t great,” he heard Sanemi grumbling behind him. Apparently, he had noticed the harbingers of a mighty downpour as well.

Giyuu silently agreed with him. If they did not find shelter soon, they would be soaked to their bones in no time, judging by the color of the storm clouds. And there was no end to them as far as the eye could see. Even worse, the storm clouds had brought an icy wind with them that now howled through the trees. Their soft rustling quickly turned into a violent shaking and more than once, Giyuu had to dodge small branches ripped from the trees. He shielded his face with his arm and shuddered when another droplet of water hit his hand, this time even bigger than the first one.

For almost an hour, they fought their way through the increasingly inhospitable weather. Even though it had not started pouring yet, enough raindrops had fallen down to make Giyuu’s haori feel damp. He did not even want to imagine how Sanemi had to feel, considering that his uniform revealed his bare chest. Giyuu would not have wanted to change with him and he shuddered at the thought.

“What’s that?” Sanemi suddenly shouted, making Giyuu flinch. He turned around and found himself face to face with Sanemi who looked rather pale in his scant uniform. His eyes however had taken on a concentrated look as he pointed in a direction somewhere to their right. Giyuu followed his gaze and gasped when he spotted what Sanemi had seen.

Further into the forest, still quite a bit away from their path, Giyuu could make out a golden glow between the trees. He took a deep breath and hope arose in his chest when he squinted, staring intently at the light. After a moment, he was fairly certain that he could make out the distinct shapes of window, illuminated by a warm, welcoming light.

“Maybe it’s an inn,” he said a bit more excitedly than he wanted. The prospect of a warm bed instead of a tent somewhere in the depths of the forest was alluring and even more so since the rain started coming down harder now. The sky had almost entirely turned black as if it had gotten night already.

“We’re gonna find out,” Sanemi said curtly and without waiting for Giyuu’s reply, he dove into the forest, leaving the path and heading for the faint light in the distance.

Giyuu cursed to himself and quickly followed Sanemi who did not seem to care whether Giyuu could keep up or not. With the patter of the rain increasing by the minute, Sanemi quickened his pace until he was almost running. Giyuu made an effort not to fall behind but more than once, he had to jump over a fallen tree or catch his balance after his foot grazed a root. When he finally stumbled out of the forest and onto a road that he had not seen before, Sanemi had already reached the building nestled into the forest edge. Giyuu heaved a sigh of relief when he instantly spotted a wooden sign over the door that clearly revealed this house to be an inn.

While Sanemi ripped the door open and walked in, letting the door close behind him, Giyuu curiously glanced to the side of the house. A surprisingly big stable sat right next to the inn and if he listened closely, he could hear soft snorts from the stable. A vague inkling echoed through his mind but the icy cold rain convinced him not to ponder on it and he quickly jumped to the door, catching it just in time before it fell shut behind Sanemi.

Giyuu squeezed through the narrow opening – and bumped into something damp. When Sanemi turned around and glared at him, Giyuu just shrugged. After all, he could not have expected Sanemi to stand right behind the door. But now that he was inside as well, he could see the reason why. The inn was jam-packed with people, most of them looking as wet as Giyuu felt. The chatter was deafening and Giyuu thought to himself that it looked like everyone on the street had had the same idea as Sanemi and him, seeking shelter from the rain. He could see a man who appeared to be the innkeeper behind a wooden counter, his face looking slightly strained. It seemed like the innkeeper had not expected this press of people either.

It took another five minutes until the innkeeper had tended to the line that had formed behind his counter. When Sanemi and Giyuu finally got to the front of the line, Giyuu’s clothes had started drying and he was more than grateful for the fire crackling in the giant fireplace at the other end of the generous public room. The innkeeper looked at them and even though he seemed stressed, he gave them a smile. Before he could say something, Sanemi curtly asked, “Do you have any open rooms? We want to stay for one night.”

The innkeeper’s smile faltered for a moment before he looked down at an old leatherbound book in front of him he had been scribbling into. “Unfortunately, there’s only one open room left,” he said after a moment, shrugging helplessly. “It’s big enough for two people to sleep in though.”

Even from where he stood, Giyuu could see Sanemi’s expression darken and he quickly shoved past him, ignoring Sanemi’s growl. “We’ll take it,” he said to the innkeeper and was rewarded with another smile and a key.

“Right up the stairs and to the left, at the end of the hallway. If you’d like to have dinner first, you can try and find a place to sit in the public room,” the innkeeper said before turning to the next guest.

Giyuu took the key and looked at Sanemi who rolled his eyes. Giyuu took that as a yes to dinner and headed for the public room. And to his surprise, they were actually able to find a spot close to the fireplace.

“That was surprisingly good,” Giyuu said, more to himself, when they had finished eating. He shot Sanemi a glance before he innocently added, “A shame though that they don’t have ohagi here.”

Sanemi’s head shot up and if looks could kill, Giyuu would have dropped dead at that very instant. He chuckled to himself and ignored Sanemi glaring at him. The hearty meal had brightened his mood and the warmth of the fireplace next to them had made up for the cold wind they had braved on their way to the inn.

With a content sigh, Giyuu got up and plucked the key to their room from his pocket. “Up the stairs, to the left, at the end of the hallway,” he repeated to himself what the innkeeper had told them.

From the corner of his eye, he saw that Sanemi also got to his feet and followed him, his face still grumpy at Giyuu’s playful remark. Sanemi stomped a bit more than he had to while following Giyuu up the stairs and Giyuu grinned to himself. Even though he did not want to risk an open confrontation with Sanemi, he had slowly taken a liking to teasing him when the chance presented itself. Sanemi was wonderfully easy to wind up and even though Giyuu would not admit it to anyone else, there was something adorable about Sanemi’s efforts to keep calm when Giyuu teased him. Of course, the thrill of the risk to get hit over the head with any object in Sanemi’s vicinity also played into it but so far, Giyuu had been rather good at not carrying it too far.

With a pep in his step, he walked along the dark hallway, searching for their room. To his dismay, the warmth of the fireplace quickly dissipated the further they got and it did not seem like the innkeeper had any other means of keeping the upper floor of the building warm. Hopefully it would be different in the rooms. After all, the rain was now pattering against the windows so hard that it sounded like it was trying to break them. And however good the window sills were isolated, there always were some small cracks that allowed the icy air from outside to seep in.

“There it is,” Giyuu muttered when he reached the end of the hallway and found himself at a door with a number matching the one edged into their key. When he fumbled the key into the lock, he was overly aware of Sanemi’s presence behind him and somehow, it made his hands a bit shaky. But after a moment, the lock finally clicked and the door to a dark little room swung open.

Giyuu took a step into the room and closed the door behind him and Sanemi, locking it again. Then, he turned around and noticed instantly that this room did not possess a fireplace. In fact, the room felt even a bit colder than the hallway and Giyuu sighed when he looked to the big window to his right. He could already feel the cold seeping through the very visible cracks. However, at least they did not have to sleep outside in this weather.

Only after a moment, Giyuu noticed that something was wrong with Sanemi. Curious, he looked at him. Sanemi was standing frozen in place, not moving a single muscle as he stared into the room with widened eyes. Confused, Giyuu followed his gaze. Next to the window sat a small dresser and a few steps away stood a wooden table with two chairs. And behind it was the source of Sanemi’s weird behavior. Giyuu blinked a few times as he stared at back half of the room. The innkeeper had been right when he had said the room was big enough for two people. But what he had failed to mention was that there was only one bed.

Certainly, the bed was big enough for two people to sleep in, even if not very comfortably as the bed was rather narrow for two grown men. But even from just looking at it, Giyuu knew that it would be almost inevitable that they would at some point touch each other if they both slept in that bed.

A hysterical laugh bubbled up in his throat and he bit his lip while turning back to Sanemi whose face had taken on a sickly pale color. A vein twitched on his forehead and it looked like he was forcefully holding himself back to not entirely lose his composure. Giyuu bit his tongue, holding in his laughter. If he poked the bear right now, the narrow bed would not be a problem anymore as there would not be two people alive having to share it any longer. Instead, he waited silently for Sanemi to say something.

And when Sanemi finally did, his voice sounded strained. “No way in fucking hell,” he squeezed out. “I’d rather sleep on the ground.”

Giyuu shrugged and grinned at him. “Be my guest,” he said. “I’m not going to blow my chance to sleep in a warm, cozy bed.”

He gave the window a pointed look and Sanemi shuddered involuntarily when he followed Giyuu’s gaze. The rain was now hammering against the window, almost drowning out the howling of the storm. For a moment, Sanemi looked unsure but then he squared his shoulders and glared at Giyuu. “Suit yourself,” he hissed before he stomped over to the bed, grabbing one pillow and blanket each.

Giyuu watched amusedly how Sanemi made a makeshift bed on the floor beneath window. Then, he walked past him and to the bed. He quickly slipped out of his clothes and snuggled into the second blanket. When he had made himself comfortable, he glanced over to Sanemi who lay on the floor, a miserable expression on his face. Giyuu could only imagine how cold and uncomfortable the floorboards were as Sanemi could not both lay on the blanket and cover his body with it at the same time.

“Are you sure you want to sleep down there?” Giyuu asked carefully after a moment and instantly, Sanemi’s expression turned sour. “That does seem awfully uncomfortable.”

“Shut up,” Sanemi snapped back and turned away, facing the window.

For a long while, the room was silent except for the storm slamming against the window. A faint howling echoed through the hallway beyond their room and while Giyuu had it warm and cozy, he somehow could not fully relax. Whenever he closed his eyes, his thoughts wandered back to Sanemi on the ground. And when he finally admitted to himself that he could not fall asleep like that, he sighed and opened his eyes again. He glanced down at Sanemi but it had gotten dark enough that he could not make out details anymore. For all he knew, Sanemi maybe was already sleeping.

Giyuu shook his head and stared at the window, listening to the sounds of the rain. He was not sure why he cared about Sanemi’s comfort this much. After all, Sanemi had not said a kind word to him since they had started training together. However, a small voice whispered in his mind, Sanemi had also refrained from getting too angry at Giyuu while before their training, he had regularly exploded at him. Maybe this was a sign that Sanemi did start to respect Giyuu in his own way, he thought to himself. But then again, it was Sanemi, a walking bundle of rage who did not seem to like anyone except for one or two people.

A small anomaly in the sounds around him caught Giyuu’s attention and he listened closely. Through the rain outside, he could hear a faint noise that almost sounded like chattering teeth. Confused, he held his breath and focused on the sound. It took him a moment to realize that it came from the ground and when he understood, all tiredness left him. He heaved a deep sigh and struggled against his resolve to let Sanemi do his own thing. But the air around him was indeed very cold, even when snuggled into a warm bed. And with another sigh, he made a decision.

“Sanemi?” Giyuu asked. He waited for a moment. Sanemi did not answer but the chattering of teeth stopped abruptly. Giyuu rolled his eyes. “Sanemi, this is ridiculous.”

Giyuu waited and when he thought Sanemi would not answer, he heard him grumbling, “You are ridiculous.”

Giyuu could not help but laugh at that childish response. “Ya, real mature of you,” he replied before turning earnest again. “For real, Sanemi, you’re going to freeze to death if you sleep down there.”

“None of your business, Tomioka,” Sanemi snapped at him but his voice had lost its usual energy. Instead, he sounded strained and tired and suddenly, Giyuu felt a pang of sympathy. And slowly he realized that he did not want Sanemi to suffer.

“What can I say to convince you that you don’t have to sleep on the ground?” he asked solemnly.

For a moment, Sanemi stayed silent and when he replied, his voice did not sound as convincing as he probably wanted it to. “Nothing.”

Giyuu softly shook his head. “Look, there’s nothing to it. The floor is cold and the bed is warm. There’s no reason for you to suffer, there’s enough space for the two of us.” He paused, then he quietly added, “And if that helps, I promise to never speak about it again after tonight.”

After he had closed his mouth again, the room was engulfed in silence and his heart sank with each moment that passed. If this did not work, he had no idea what else to say to convince Sanemi to give up his resistance. But Sanemi stayed silent.

And when Giyuu was about to give up and try to sleep, he heard a quiet shuffling behind the bed. He held his breath and listened closely. When he saw a silhouette moving in the dark, he quickly closed his eyes, pretending to sleep already. Maybe that would make it easier for Sanemi. His heart started beating faster when he heard slow, hesitating footsteps coming closer. And after a small eternity, the bed creaked quietly when Sanemi laid down next to Giyuu, wrapping himself in his blanket. While moving, he accidentally touched Giyuu’s arm and instantly flinched. Giyuu did not dare to move a muscle and his heart skipped a beat when Sanemi moved again. But instead of getting up and leaving the bed again, he only shifted into a more comfortable position. And after a moment, he heard Sanemi sigh in relief as the warmth of the bed engulfed him.

“Not a single word about it, Tomioka,” Sanemi said out of nowhere and Giyuu winced in surprise.

“My lips are sealed,” he replied earnestly.

And after a while of silence, he felt Sanemi stir next to him. “Good,” Sanemi said and his voice had lost its edge, now sounding more relaxed, sending a warm shiver down Giyuu’s spine.

And while Giyuu listened to Sanemi’s breathing calming down and getting slower as he fell asleep, he lay awake, painfully aware of Sanemi lying next to him. And while the rain outside turned into a soft pattering, he asked himself why his heart started aching at five words, echoing through his mind.

So close, yet so far.

[tomiokas-lunchbox]

Hands

At 8 years old, Giyuu never thought much about his hands. They were meant to pick up, carry and grab things with. His big sister Tsutako would pull him alongside her by the hand. He thought his hands were small and nothing special.

At age 10, he met a boy named Sanemi. Sanemi also had two hands of course. Giyuu would watch Sanemi carry one of his younger siblings named Genya around with them. How he would use them to dig around for rhinoceros beetles. How Sanemi would use them to skip small flat rocks across the surface of a nearby lake. Giyuu never thought much of Sanemi's hands. Hands that had the same functions as his own, and the same tiny dimples along the knuckles.

But the first time they both reach for the perfect pebble near the lakeshore, their hands lightly brush against each other's. Giyuu can't help but feel the tiny sparks of that accidental touch.

Years later at age 17, Sanemi reaches for Giyuu's hand to intertwine the two as they walk to a nearby soba noodle shop. Giyuu's in awe of how a simple touch, can give him so much warmth and comfort.

At age 27, Giyuu stands opposite the love of his life while reciting his vows. He carefully slides a solid gold band on Sanemi's left ring finger. Now when he looks down at Sanemi's hands, he doesn't just see a boy that used to dig for rhinoceros beetles, or skip pebbles across a lake. Instead, all those years later, Giyuu sees his forever in those hands.

[fyodorsfavoriteanimewifu]

Your Eyes Remind Me of a Sad Flower On A Dewy Day

💧 Giyuu POV 💧

(Sanegiyuu!!)

(Little TW for implied depression!!)

Rest. 

No matter how much I got, I was still fatigued. Life felt like such a blur, I couldn’t remember anything from the day before. I couldn’t remember what time I fell asleep, what time I woke up, when was the last time I’d bathed, when was the last time I ate something, or drank water. 

I was laying in my futon, facing away from the shut door. My hair was a mess, free from its usual ponytail. I didn’t know what was bothering me, everything just felt atrocious to live through. Especially when you had to see innocent people get murdered in front of your eyes, every single mission. 

I could hear the birds chirping outside, as I took a chasmic breath. I turned onto my back, looking up at the ceiling. What time was it again? I couldn’t remember. I hadn’t moved from my bedroom in the past few days, I couldn’t at all think of the exact amount. 

My weary eyes just stared up at the ceiling, so much so that I didn’t notice the shadow standing at the door, before, it slid open. Sunlight poured into the room, the golden-white beams hitting me like a load of rocks. I winced a bit, covering my eyes with my arm. 

“Tomioka”, I heard a gruff voice say. I looked towards the door, before I laid my eyes upon the tall figure of Sanemi. What on earth was he doing here? “I’m not in the mood for sparing today”, I mumbled, turning over again, so I was facing away from him. 

“That… ugh, that’s not what I’m here for”, Sanemi scoffed, before I heard the small patter of footsteps stride towards me. “I just wanted to bring something for you”. The phrase shocked me, giving me enough energy to sit up in my futon, before I noticed what Sanemi was holding in his hand, a bowl. 

“What’s that?”, I asked, the smell was recognizable, before, it clicked. “Salmon daikon, I just… I just thought you might enjoy some”, Sanemi’s words weren’t as aggressive, not at all, his tone was more like a blank slate, yet, it held an idyllic and gentle ring to it. 

I felt surprised when Sanemi placed the bowl on the ground, before he sat down next to me. “Oh… uhm, thank you”, I thanked him, before I brought the bowl into my lap. There was a pair of chopsticks in the bowl, that I picked up, the smooth wood was a nostalgic feeling against my finger tips. 

I lifted a piece of salmon from the bowl, and into my mouth, savouring the slightly sweet flavour. “Mhm… it’s good…”, I said, looking over at Sanemi, who was watching me intently. “Yeah, I’d imagine it is” “do you want a bite?”, I asked, picking up another piece of the salmon. 

Sanemi paused, eyeing the salmon. “Yeah, sure”, Sanemi said, before I lifted the piece of salmon to his mouth. “Aye! Don’t feed it to me! I’m not a child!” “Just eat it”. Sanemi scoffed, seeming to swallow his pride, before he opened his mouth. I fed him the piece of salmon, feeling my heart flutter as I did so. 

Sanemi chewed the salmon, seeing how my eyes were on me. “Why’re looking at me?”, Sanemi called me out, making me feel a bit surprised. “Oh, I just wanted to see if you also liked the salmon”. He seemed to buy my excuse. 

Sanemi’s pale purple eyes were on me, as we watched me eat. “You look happy”, Sanemi commented, almost airily. “I am, that’s why”, I mumbled, as I continued to eat the daikon. For maybe the first time, I felt genuinely happy in Sanemi’s presence. I looked over at Sanemi, seeing as his cheeks bloomed with a faint pink colour. 

“You want another bite?”, I asked him, feeling softer next to him. “No thanks, I made it for you, not me”, Sanemi said, before he processed what he had spoken. “You… made this for me?”, I repeated, feeling my heart pound. A warmth spread throughout my body, one I haven’t felt before. 

“Yeah, I did, I was just… a bit worried”, Sanemi admitted with a gentle expression. I gripped the chopsticks, feeling my cheeks grow hot as I pursed my lips. “I appreciate that”, I let him know, before I felt my lips curl into a small smile. 

I heard Sanemi’s breath hitch, before his hand came up to my hair. “You should take a nap, you look tired”, Sanemi spoke, as I sighed from contentment when he ran his fingers through my messily, raven locks, almost combing them out. 

“I will, don’t worry”, I said, before Sanemi pulled his hand away, and standing up from the floor. “I need to go, Kocho said she wants to see me”, Sanemi informed me, before… he smiled, almost awkwardly. “Take care of yourself, m’kay?”, he said, before walking out my door, leaving it open, to let some sunlight into the room. 

“Yeah…”, my whisper was delayed, before I looked down at the bowl of salmon daikon. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, not one of sadness, but a rare feeling of happiness. Sanemi cared, and he expressed it, this is what falling in love feels like, isn’t it?

And that night, Sanemi came back, to find Giyu fast asleep, he looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. The bowl that was once filled with salmon daikon was now empty, which made Sanemi feel his stomach flip. And he just couldn’t help himself, Sanemi pressed his index and middle finger to his lips, before he touched those fingers to Giyu’s cheek. One day, he’d be able to kiss Giyu, but for now, that would do, right? 

A/N: Whos gonna be my Sanemi? I genuinely love this ship, they're so cute AHHHHHHH, anyways, I hope you enjoyed!! <3

[sweetwolf05]

Wolf Sanemi Shinazugawa

Based on all people shared ONE brain cell ON Sanemi Shinazugawa as a werewolf on SaneGiyuu server (plus you need to be 16 and older to be there.)

[shusoki]

Loving each other through a field of flowers

“Do you know how to make flower crowns, Giyuu?” Teiko asks, plucking another flower from the grass below.

“No, I never learned,” Giyuu answers with a small smile. “Could you show me?”

Sanemi watches the scene from the side, sitting down in the grass next to his boyfriend, who is sitting right next to Sanemi’s little sister, and now apparently making flower crowns together.

[giggly-squiggily]

okay okay wait i have some non-angsty hashira hcs too <3

okay so we know it's canon that sanemi can read but he can't write and given tengen's upbringing there's no way he can't write so when he finds out i bet he uses it against sanemi, he'll tickle him and when sanemi tells him to back off he'll be like "idk what you mean, can you spell that out for me :)"

So MEAN! 😭 Call me sadistic, but I love it lols! I've gotcha covered, Rey! :D

CW: Swearing

“Gah! What the actual- TENGEN!” Sanemi whirled, glaring daggers as the grinning ex-shinobi, arms pressed tightly into his sides.

“Hey Grump-zugawa! Got a question for ya-” He reached out poking Sanemi again and again. “Is it true you don’t know how to write? Like- you read really well, but you can’t write letters?”

“F-Fuhuhuck off, you oversized rock!” Sanemi snarled, stumbling back as he tried fighting off the hands prodding at him. His face burned, both from the tickles and his weakness brought up. “Geheheht the hell oohoohoff me!”

“Can I get that in writing?” Tengen winked, grabbing Sanemi’s fist before it could collide with his face. “Okay, mean- I get it. Still, I didn’t just come over here to bully you.” His free hand shot down, wiggling along the Wind Hashira’s exposed side. “Okay, maybe I did a little.”

“Geahahhahhahaha! T-Tehehehengen, I’ll fuhuhuhuhcking muhuhuuhurder yohuhuhuhou!” Sanemi shot up with a cackle, torn between yanking himself away and throwing another fist into the bigger man’s direction. For now, he had settled on trying to yank the offending hand away from his ribs. “Bahahhahahack ohohohohoohff!”

“Nah, this is too fun. Anyway- I genuinely came over about it. See- I grew up required to write, and I’m fairly good at it.” Tengen changed gears, clawing five fingers along Sanemi’s belly and making him double over with a squeal. “I can teach you how to write!”

“I dohohohoohn’t neehehehehehd yohohohohohur hehehehehelp!”

“They all say that- but in the end, my students are master writers. Here- first lesson’s free! T…I…” He poked out the shapes along Sanemi’s skin, giggling between letters himself at the way the pale haired man doubled over. “Hold still, I’m teaching you to spell! C…K…”

“TEHEHEHEHNGEHEHHEEHEN!” Sanemi cried, unable to fight back the laughter any longer. Figuring he was screwed either way, he reeled his leg back and kicked upward. Tengen’s instincts kicked in as he jumped back, releasing the other. Sanemi was free!

For five seconds. Then his back hit the ground and Tengen was looming over him with a new glint in his eyes.

“Wow, and I thought I was mean! Did you really just try to kick me in the chin?” His hands were back along Sanemi’s torso, making the other swear and scream. “Fine, let’s work on another word. S…O…R…R…Y… Can you spell that one for me?”

“TEHEHEHEHENGEHEHEHHEHEHEN, SCREHEHEHEHEHW YOUHUHUHUHHU!” Sanemi howled, feet kicking as he flailed about. “FIHIIHIHINE I’LL LEEHHEHET YOU TEHEHEHHEACH MEHEHEHEHEHE!”

“See? Was that so hard?” Tengen grinned, releasing him but stayed hovering. “Really- I do want to teach you, Shinazugawa. I think it’d be nice for both of us.”

“Heheh…hehe..hohow so?” Sanemi groaned out, too tired to do more than push his bangs out of his face.

“I feel accomplished as a teacher, and you get to send love letters to Tomioka!” Tengen grinned, laughing when Sanemi went beet red.

It wasn’t long before their positions were reversed, Sanemi’s fingers flying over Tengen’s armpits and the big oaf cackling for mercy.

Send me a headcanon and character(s) and I'll write a short 300-500 word dabble for it!

[xxlady-lunaxx]

(DOMESTIC) SANEGIYUU HEADCANONS

Sanemi is ALWAYS the one cooking

I’m sorry but I can only see Giyuu fucking up scrambled eggs or something. Sanemi cooks (or bakes) like a professional

Giyuu having a bedhead (he’s adorable) and Sanemi waking him up by either:

throwing a pillow on his face

running his hands through his hair and a “good morning, shithead”

One or the other, no in betweens

Sanemi usually does the chores like laundry, cooking, etc (malewife<33)

Giyuu can do things if given clear instructions tho

Hmm showering together just as a habit

If either of them were mad at the other (or they js fought) before bed, they’ll probably distance themself on the futon

When they wake up they’re always cuddling though

ouugh yes they share a bed

(it was so awkward at first like “ok… i’ll have this side” but then they got comfy and steal each other’s pillows (so romantic smh))

Sanemi definitely holds a longer grudge

Giyuu gets upset if he gets ignore too long, though, and Sanemi eventually caves

Why do I feel like Sanemi would just take pictures or videos of Giyuu randomly

When he’s asleep, when he’s just woken up, when he’s eating, doesn’t matter

Because Sanemi’s in charge of meals usually, Giyuu only gets salmon daikon once a week (which is already a lot as is, but he begs Sanemi for it so…)

Sanemi used to braid/put up his siblings hair a lot and when the two are cuddling, sometimes he makes little braids in Giyuu’s hair, or pulls it up in a high ponytail (often Giyuu wakes up with braids and his hair gets a lil wavy when he takes it out later)

Giyuu’s the baby in the relationship you cant change my mind. He’s the little spoon; he’s being carried because he’s tired; he’s given breakfast in bed.

Sanemi honestly doesn’t mind (he’s used to this) but likes teasing Giyuu about it

Giyuu has a bow of Tsutako’s (he stole a spare) and wears it to formal places always. (job interview? bow. prom? bow. work? bow.)

Sometimes Giyuu helps Sanemi hang up the laundry but they somehow end up hugging always (Giyuu goes on the other side of the clothing line and ThEIr lEgS juST mOVed By THemSElf)

On weekends, when there’s nothing to do, Sanemi will just scroll through his phone and Giyuu watching TV

Giyuu can NEVER not fall asleep during a movie though. depends on the day but he’ll either fall asleep 20 mins in or half way through

Sanemi doesn’t really watch movies and just slowly turns down the volume then off to not startle him awake

I can see Sanemi just volunteering to babysit for their friends (for free<3) and just having a box full of children’s toys for when they come over

Giyuu once overfed a baby to near sickness (“I thought her grabby hands were for more :(“ - “YOU IDIOT, SHE WAS TRYING TO PUSH AWAY THE BOTTLE!!”) and was thereafter forbidden to care for the children (unless they were older than, like, 12)

After a stressful day at work, Giyuu likes flopping down on the couch and having Sanemi run his hands through his hair and hum a bit, maybe small talk

I think Giyuu is actually an open book and horrible at hiding his emotions (like canonically as a child he was like that, only the deaths changed him sooo) whilst Sanemi is better at hiding things

But like after years of living with Sanemi/js being with him, Giyuu has been able to see small telltales

When he’s lying, Sanemi’s eyes flick every so slightly away (so subtly that only a few have caught it before), when he’s upset, he’s a little clingier or his voice is calmer (though many people interpret it as tiredness), when he’s angry but trying to stay calm he’ll probably have a lot of clenched fists (his hand opening and closing x100) but behind his back haha

Why can I see them both as dry texters tho.

Giyuu tries to sound more upbeat by adding emojis/emoticons but overall it’s basically just “Ok 😁👍❤️😋😚✨🎆🎉🎊🎏🍩🔥” // 😭 yeah he doesn’t have a lot of people to text…

I can also see Sanemi being a little old fashioned in a way, idk… He knows perfectly fine how to use a phone and shit but for some time mostly sent letters (except for casual/small talk ofc)

ok that’s it i can’t think of anything else anymore!!

[applepie-enthusiast]

very few sanemi vs sabito ideas for that AU part 2 (part 1)

in that particular joint mission that sanemi and giyuu were in, that sabito willingly crashed into, sabito finds ways to piss off sanemi (while loving giyuu genuinely)

one great example is when the three of them are all sitting together and giyuu eats messily, with rice all over his lips and cheeks, sabito would smile fondly and whisper, "geez, you're helpless, giyuu" as he grabs a cloth and gently wipes the crumbs off giyuu's face

sanemi, not wanting to lose, looks at giyuu straight in the eye and says, "stop eating so messily, dumbass! a kid eats better than you!", with it sounding harsher than intended.

"it's his endearing trait! a real man should acknowledge everyone's eccentricity!" sabito exclaims, comically hugs giyuu closer, much to sanemi's annoyance while giyuu just wants to eat his soba

during the mentioned times when pillars would eat outside, with giyuu always eating messily, and sabito doing the same silly thing, sanemi has had enough of it (not to mention he's drunk as fuck, they all are) and that time he lost control, in front of others, he reached out to giyuu across the table, leaned over the food, and lapped his tongue on giyuu's cheeks in a futile attempt to remove the stupid crumbs off his face

sanemi, flustered yet had an irritated yet surprisingly sincere expression, whispered to giyuu, "stop being messy, stupid..."

suffice to say everyone was shocked. shinobu had a hand close to her lips as she said, "oh my..."

tengen whistled amusedly,

rengoku exclaims how "young love is beautiful",

mitsuri covers mui's eyes but mui is already asleep after eating a lot of food (and obv not drinking), while she herself is blushing too hard, gasping in excitement

obanai glares at giyuu who's confused as fuck why obanai is mad at him

gyomei pets a stray cat that wandered beside their table

sabito wasn't amused but he didn't let it slide, especially when he saw the faintest blush on giyuu's cheeks

sabito slammed his hand on the table with enough force to have everyone's attention on him

"men shouldn't do scandalous things like that to the person they like!" he exclaims, "you're a pillar, for god's sake!"

now, giyuu's attention is focused on sabito, seemingly now confused to know that sabito implied that sanemi likes him.

"hey! hey! what if we vote on who we want tomioka-san to end up with?" mitsuri, clearly drunk, intervenes with her cheerful smile and raised hand, getting everyone's attention

and then everyone voted, in their drunken haze,

Team sanemi: obanai, tengen

Team sabito: mitsuri, rengoku

gyomei opted out of it saying 'they should figure it out by themselves...'

mui is asleep

shinobu said she'll be Team Tomioka bc she actually sincerely enjoys giyuus company here and thinks he "shouldn't be alone even in voting" so instead she came up with having sanemi and sabito be on separate dates with giyuu so giyuu can decide who to date

it was decided that the three of them would be free from their pillar duties for a total of one (1) night, oyakata-sama allowed it (he's a wingman stop me), sabito on the first half of the night and sanemi on the second half

sabito's strategy involved taking giyuu on a date on places he and giyuu hanged out on when they were kids

he knew everything giyuu liked and wanted, including his favorite restaurant, favorite food, favorite scenery to watch, and even how giyuu secretly liked festivals, especially the fireworks scheduled late at night. but sabito knew his allotted time with giyuu ends soon before sanemi's turn and he wouldn't make it in time to watch it with giyuu so instead he takes giyuu to the mountains to view his favorite scenery

the mountains were dark but just below them are pretty light illuminating the entire festivals that had giyuu had his eyes sparkle at the beauty of it all. sabito just gazed at giyuu lovingly, and before he knew it, he reached for giyuu's hand and entwined their fingers together. giyuu finally looked at where their hands connect and was about to look up to ask sabito why but sabito slowly leaned down, and kissed him on the lips. giyuu didn't pull away, his eyes widened but soon he relaxes into the kiss and closes his eyes. it was brief but it felt longer for sabito, who's heart is beating so loudly and so fast, he hoped giyuu was feeling the same.

when they pulled away, sabito confessed, "giyuu, i love you."

giyuu opened his lips, closed them, and then smiled, "i love you too, sabito."

unbeknownst to them, sanemi was already close because it's his time already to be with giyuu. but instead he saw them kiss and he heard giyuu reciprocate. his heart felt like it was torn to shreds. Not being able to take it anymore, he started averting his gaze from them and walked away silently.

but he wasn't able to hear giyuu's continuation. "But sabito... I hope you understand I'm still figuring out what I feel." Sabito understood, and kissed giyuu's forehead instead, and said that it's okay, he can wait. meanwhile it was sanemi's time. sabito reassured giyuu that sanemi would arrive soon. so he left, not knowing sanemi had no further plans of showing up.

meanwhile, giyuu stood patiently, not even flinching or straying away from his spot, but just wandered what sanemi is doing and why he is taking so long. and then the loud bang of the fireworks, along its series of beautiful lights filled up the sky.

"what a noisy thing that is." giyuu intuitively and quickly looked for the source of the unfamiliar voice, and saw a demon smiling wickedly at him, he had red hair, and what seemed like tattoos all over his body. but what was prominent on him was his unusual eyes, with "Upper Moon Three" etched in them.

"you're a pillar, aren't you?" giyuu's hand itches for his nichirin sword, but it wasn't with him.

back to sanemi, who was busy staring at the stalls everywhere, until he saw sabito running at him full-speed. sanemi was about to ignore him, but sabito had that angry, yet almost very terrified expression on his face whilst he shouted, "SHINAZUGAWA!!! WHY DID YOU LEAVE GIYUU ALONE?! HE WAS WAITING!!!"

sanemi's eyes widened when he heard the tell tale shattering of his heart, he didn't have time to react to sabito's fist hitting his face, but all he could think of was giyuu.

To be continued.

[tanjir0se]

Love Me Mercilessly Ch 21–The Ocean

Giyuu awakens.

The thrilling kind of conclusion to my months-long Sanegiyuu fugue state! Full chapter up NOW on AO3 and of course a sneak peek below!

“Genya—!” Tanjiro whispered fiercely, wiggling against Genya’s arms around him. “Genya, wake up!” Genya groaned and peeked one eye open.

“Huh?”

“I think Giyuu-san is awake!” Tanjiro said, wiggling harder. Genya unraveled his arms from around him and picked his head up to listen to the muffled voices of their brothers. Tanjiro was already throwing his legs over the side of the cot.

“Um, Tanjiro, I think maybe—”

“Giyuu-san!” Tanjiro practically tripped over himself on his way out of the adjacent room and back to the foyer. Genya threw off his blankets and followed. Both stopped dead once they made it to the doorway.

Sanemi had pulled back and looked into Giyuu’s face, still holding on tightly to both sides of it.

“He’s okay. Everybody’s okay.” Sanemi whispered. He could feel the eyes of the meager few Kakushi on them, could feel the boys at their backs. He didn’t care. His previous plan of patiently listening to what it was Giyuu had had to say, like he should have known would happen to all his plans from here on out, was no match for the pain, the bliss of seeing Giyuu’s beautiful blue eyes open and alive again.

Giyuu blinked and tried to sit up, recalling Sanemi leaning down over him at the battlefield, drawing him up into his lap. Now, Sanemi’s eyes were wide, tearful, wild, as beautiful as they were then. Giyuu opened his mouth. In case I die, I need to tell you…

READ THE FULL CHAPTER NOW AND CRY WITH ME !!!!!!!

[beddybites]

Hiii :D

Loving the babynai au rn I’m so soft for them :((<3

With the au where obi is growing up, how fast is he growing up? And would he grow back up with out the scars or would they appear one day? Ohh that would be so sad sanegiyuu would just hold him as he relives it :(

funny enough i drew this the other day while brainstorming !!! im thinking even when he turns into a tiny baby he has his mouth scars ):

to be drawn but methinsk sanegiyuu (and the others once they get to see him) are all extremely careful with his scar … some of them give it gentle little kisses

often times his scar hurts him a lot.. insert angst -> fluff scenarios here

how fast is he growing up…? i’d say he ages up a year each week! however his growth can be stunted depending on the situation

— ex: if he’s having a really hard time emotionally he’ll end up being two years old for like a week and a half

[demonslayerunhinged]

hello! tis me once again.

I was wondering if you had any hc's to how the other hashira would react if sanegiyuu ever became canon (while everyone is still alive 😭😭😭) bc so far the kny fandom has been nothing but angsty and I crave fluff

Hiiiii! I don't have any stashed headcanons, but I'll make one right now just for you.

When Sanemi confessed about the true nature of he and Giyuu's relationship, Obanai was annoyed, but to be honest not all that shocked. Sanemi wasn't slick, he's noticed the longing looks and exchanges between him and Giyuu when they thought no one was looking. But why did it have to be Giyuu?? Sanemi always gave him flack for his love for Mitsuri, but then goes on to date Giyuu, of all people!

"I can't believe that guy." he huffed to himself.

But he noticed how calm Sanemi was lately, the little glimmer of light in his friend's perpetually bloodshot eyes, and on more than one occasion he caught the way Sanemi's eyes softened as he read what Obanai presumed to be one of Giyuu's letters. His friend was in love, he was happy and who was Obanai to take that away from him.

"Oi, Tomioka."

The evening after a brief Hashira meeting at the Master's mansion, he walked up to Giyuu much to the other man's bewilderment. He paused for a few moments, which made Giyuu more uncomfortable than he already was.

Then with a deep, resigned sigh, he fixed his gaze at the Water Hashira.

"Take care of him." he said. "Don't make him upset....or else..." Kaburamaru huffed in agreement at the unspoken threat as Obanai turned away sharply and walked away with Giyuu staring after him.

...

Obanai, unable to keep the huge news to himself, sent a letter to Mitsuri. The pair had discussed Sanemi and Giyuu's relationship on more than one occasion, and he knew Mitsuri would be thrilled to learn that her suspicions had been right.

It wasn't until he got a letter from Gyomei requesting for a meeting that he realized he had made a huge mistake. He made his way to the gazebo beside the Master's mansion, wondering why the Stone Hashira had wanted a meeting. When he there he saw not only Himejima but Rengoku, Kocho, Tengen, Tokito and Kanroji who had an apologetic smile on her face. His eyes widened in realization.

"Oh."

"Forgive me, Iguro-san!" cried Mitsuri, her face as red as a tomato. "I couldn't help myself!"

Gyomei turned to face Obanai. "We heard the news about Sanemi and Giyuu."

Obanai gulped slightly. Although romantic relationships between corps members wasn't exactly forbidden, he was still unsure about how the others would react.

"What should we do for them?" the Stone Hashira asked.

Obanai's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?" he said, "You're not angry?"

Now it was Gyomei's turn to be confused. "Of course not," he said. "Although I have to admit I was shocked at first"

"As was I!" said Tengen, as he folded his arms, he made his expression into one of exaggerated sorrow. "I can't believe Shinazugawa would court such a plain man!"

"Right!" exclaimed Obanai without thinking. "That's what I said!"

"I'm just shocked that Tomioka-san can feel love or any sort of affection." Muichiro mused half-jokingly.

"Mmm!" agreed Rengoku "I was shocked as well! But I'm happy for them!"

"I'm happy for them too!" squealed Mitsuri.

"We should celebrate!" said Tengen. "With a flashy party!"

"Yes! A party!" said Rengoku, cheerful as always.

"With lots of food!" added Mitsuri.

"Yes, food." said Iguro, happy to agree with anything Mitsuri said.

Shinobu, always the voice of reason, raised her hand in the air. Her soft voice cutting through the excited chatter.

"Umm," she started. "I don't think Tomioka-san and Shinazugawa-san would appreciate any attention brought to this."

"Nonsense!" said Tengen "This is love and love should be celebrated flamboyantly!"

"Agreed!" said Rengoku. "We need to celebrate!"

Even Muichiro nodded his head in agreement. "It's only right."

Shinobu gave up then, it was no use. Everyone was already excited, and a small part of her wanted to see how the pair would react to their colleague's antics.

"We have to make plans now." said Gyomei with a determined expression on his face as he clapped his prayer beads together.

They all agreed and gathered around in a circle as they came up with ideas for the ideal wedding party.

Somewhere on their respective patrols, Giyuu and Sanemi sneezed at the same time.

...

They both laid on the futon, their bodies flushed and covered in sweat that gleamed slightly in the moonlight. They were spending the night together at Sanemi's house at Giyuu's suggestion to prevent any interruptions from one of Tanjiro's surprise visits.

"Shinazugawa" he said. "Have you noticed the strange way the others have been acting lately?"

Giyuu turned and laid on his side to face Sanemi, who was panting softly with a scarred arm thrown over his damp face.

"Yes." replied Sanemi, his gruff voice was soft with sleep. "I have."

Of course, Sanemi had noticed, and strange was an understatement when it came to the behavior of the other Hashira over the last couple of days. Gyomei, Mitsuri and Muichiro were always smiling conspiratorially as he walked by, Tengen always greeted him with a clap on his back while smiling more broadly than usual. Rengoku just said, "Congratulations!" every time they crossed paths.

Yes, it was hard not to notice.

"Tch." Sanemi clicked his tongue in annoyance as he turned to face Giyuu. His expression slightly apologetic. "I told Obanai not to tell anyone."

"What do we do?"

He sighed and he put his arms around Giyuu. "We'll just have to tell them, properly."

...

"They're coming! They're coming!" squealed Mitsuri as she rushed to carry the platter of Sakura mochi. "Everyone get ready!"

The Hashira all took their places ready with platters of food and gifts. Sanemi was the first to enter the room followed by Giyuu.

"SURPRISEEEE!!!"

The strength of the voices of all the Hashira was so sudden it had Sanemi almost reaching for his katana out of instinct.

"Congratulations on your marriage!" cried Rengoku and Tengen. Mitsuri threw fistfuls of sakura petals over their heads, while Gyomei played some lovely tunes on his flute, tears of joy streaming down his face.

"Namu Amida Butsu." he said. "Love is always a joy to witness."

Giyuu looked like a startled deer and Sanemi, who had recovered from his initial shock, turned to glare at Obanai who was suddenly very interested in the wall beside him.

"Ah" Giyuu started, "We're not -" His sentence was cut off when a piece of tempura was shoved into his mouth by Rengoku who held a bowl filled to the brim with a neatly arranged stack of tempura.

"Eat! Eat!" he said excitedly, already pushing another piece into Giyuu's mouth. "This is a time to celebrate!"

The other Hashira then got out their gifts and surrounded the couple.

"Open mine first!" cried Mitsuri as she shoved something large wrapped in a Furoshiki cloth into Giyuu's tempura-stuffed face.

"No, open mine first!" cried Tengen.

"I have mine here, too." said Muichiro.

Giyuu looked over at Sanemi whose face was slightly obscured by his bangs, he shoulders shook slightly, and blood vessels popped up on his face. Shinobu feared that Sanemi was about to burst out in a raging fit, but instead he shouted with an intense blush spreading across his face.

"ONE AT A TIME, DAMMIT!"

Shinobu sighed in relief and smiled at the couple. Maybe this wasn't a bad plan after all.

...

"What is this?" Sanemi said, as he shook a tiny green silk pouch Tengen had given him, scrutinizing it with suspicion.

"Gingko nuts!" Tengen replied excitedly, "For your flamboyant wedding night, of course!"

Sanemi stared at the Sound Hashira in disbelief, a deep pink flush appearing across his face.

"Are you trying to be funny?" He gritted his teeth, ready to rip Tengen a new one when he heard Giyuu's soft voice behind him.

"Shinazugawa."

Sanemi quickly hid the pouch in the breast pocket of his uniform, much to Tengen's amusement, and turned to face Giyuu who stood with a shy smile on his face and his hand outstretched. In his palm was a single ohagi.

"Would you...like to share some ohagi with me?"

Sanemi's features softened at the gesture. He made a show of rolling his eyes, but gave Giyuu a smile as he gently took the ohagi from Giyuu's hand, "Sure" he said.

"He's going to share much more than ohagi with you tonight!" Tengen snickered.

There was a pop sound as Sanemi's blood vessels snapped.

"You!" he roared and lunged at Tengen.

"No, Shinazugawa!" cried Rengoku as he struggled to hold Sanemi back. "Not on your wedding day!"

"We're not married!"

Watching the ruckus that ensued, it brought a smile to Giyuu's lips. He was going to have to tell Tanjiro about this during their training.

I hope this is ok, it's not much and my writing skills are not very good 😖

*Gingko nuts are said to be an aphrodisiac.

[rainbowfey]

26 "I can't find it."

@flufftober

From the moment he had opened his eyes, Sanemi had known that this would be a shit day. Of course, that came as no big surprise since most of his days had been like this for a while now. But he still had not given up hope that one day he would wake up without the stinging and tugging in his temple. For the first half of the day, he had just shoved the feeling aside, focusing on everything but his throbbing temple. He had even ignored the fact that the bags under his eyes had deepened again, even though this was usually enough to make him angry.

And so far, his strategy had worked fairly well. He had made it through the morning and noon by channeling all his frustration in his training, beating up any demon slayer who was insane enough to show up to his training. And he had to admit to himself that violence was a solution after all, even though Shinobu always preached that it was not – unless demons were involved, of course. Strangely enough, the times where Sanemi spent the whole night awake chasing demons were those where he usually woke up feeling fine the next day. But since the demons had not shown their hideous faces in a few weeks now, he had started feeling progressively worse.

Sanemi grimaced when a pang of pain shot through his temple. He gritted his teeth and put all of his rage in a devastating blow, splitting the wooden training dummy clean in half with a satisfying thud. From the corner of his eye, he saw the last two demon slayers quickly take a few steps back and turn to flee as soon as their abrupt retreat did not seem impolite anymore. Sanemi grinned to himself grimly and gave the dummy halves a good kick. On days like this one, others seemed to fear him even more and while that was indeed satisfying, it was not worth the pain.

With an exasperated sigh, Sanemi walked to the well in the middle of the training ground. The cool water would bring him relief, even if it was only short-lived. When he was at the well, he bent down and reached for the water, only to freeze mid-movement when he saw his own reflection staring back at him. Relentlessly clear, the water showed his pale face and as if to scorn him, he could even see how bloodshot his eyes looked. With a growl, Sanemi punched the water surface. That was only effective in the sense that the splashing water did cool him down a bit but on the other hand, he now felt like a child unable to control its emotions. And on top, his reflection now showed him looking like a wet dog, his hair hanging down in his face.

Sanemi closed his eyes for a moment and desperately tried to convince himself that punching water and thereby splashing around like a puppy in a puddle would not make him feel better. If he resorted to violence again, it should probably be turned against a more worthy opponent. And while it took him quite some effort, he managed to swallow his anger. With gritted teeth, he leaned over his disheveled looking reflection and cupped his hands together, dipping them into the water. He scooped up a handful and brought his hands to his mouth. He drank a sip and focused his attention on the cold water running down his throat. When he had quenched his thirst, he washed his face with the remaining water and sighed quietly when the water drove the feverish feeling away. He pressed his hands against his temples and relished their cold cooling the fire burning in his head.

And when he felt slightly better, he left the well and walked back to his mansion, leaving the destroyed dummy behind carelessly. That was a task for when he did not feel like his head would explode at any moment. Even though the cold water had helped, he knew that when the pain returned, it would only be worse. And before that happened, he would do what he had promised himself not to do.

Thinking back to a few months ago, Sanemi entered the mansion and headed for his room. Without any warning, Shinobu had shown up to his mansion, her expression as earnest as always, a small bag in her hand. When Sanemi had asked her about it, she had given him this faint smile that sometimes made his hair stand on end. She had shot his temple a pointed look, almost as if she could see the pain raging within his head. ‘For your migraines,’ she had said, startling Sanemi to a point where he did not know how to react. For years, he had been entirely sure that he had not let anything on, that no one knew of his problem. And then, Shinobu had just shown up and acted like she never had had a doubt about it. And when she had handed him the bag, she had told him that she had tried her hand on a medicine that might just work with his type of headache. For months, Sanemi had refused to try it and Shinobu had never asked him about it again. But one day when the pain had gotten so unbearable that he could not even see clearly anymore, he had tried the medicine. And to his surprise, it had worked. Not without side effects, though, and since then Sanemi had saved the rest of the medicine for only the worst days.

Days like this one. While he rummaged through the drawers of his dresser, his temple started throbbing again, the pain slowly spreading through his head to the other side and even into his jaw. He blinked aggressively when his vision started blurring and to his relief, the world became clearer again. His hands rifled through clothes and supplies that he did not even know he had. Nausea started to form in his stomach and he swallowed hard, trying to suppress his discomfort. He just had to find the medicine and it would get better.

Except, the small pouch containing the medicine was nowhere to be found. At first, Sanemi did not give it too much thought as he did not remember clearly where he had put it the last time. But when he searched one drawer after the other, only to turn up nothing remotely close to the medicine, he started to get frustrated again. With a start, he slammed the last drawer shut again and spun around, gauging which dresser or wardrobe he could have put it in instead.

One by one, Sanemi worked his way through the two narrow wardrobes containing his uniforms and casual clothes but he could not find the pouch anywhere. With each door he closed again, the pain in his head grew until it felt like someone was hammering against his eye from the inside of his head. For a moment, he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, trying to drown the pain out.

And just when he felt like he could continue his search, he heard a knock at the door. The sound echoed through his head and he winced, fighting off the urge to press his hands on his ears. He decided to ignore whoever was at the door and instead walked to the next room which had two dressers as well. He turned to the first one and opened the lowest drawer, only to be met with the sight of neatly folded towels. He huffed and threw it shut again, opening the next one.

“Shinazugawa-san?”

Sanemi flinched and whirled around, only to freeze at the sight of familiar blue eyes looking at him. They widened when he faced his visitor and when he saw the concern on Giyuu’s face, his stomach started bubbling with rage again. But since going for Giyuu’s throat did bear the considerable risk of Sanemi’s head exploding, he wordlessly turned back to the drawer and rummaged through the bed sheets inside.

“What are you doing?” Giyuu asked and Sanemi absentmindedly thought to himself that with all his flaws, Giyuu at least did not have a booming voice like Tengen did. For once, his quiet voice was a relief to Sanemi.

“I’m searching for something, obviously,” he snapped back, without so much as looking at Giyuu.

Giyuu stayed silent for a moment, then he asked, “What’s the matter?”

Sanemi stopped and took a deep breath. His rage made his head throb with pain and he desperately tried to calm down, to no avail. “I can’t find it,” he growled, throwing the drawer shut, only to flinch at the thud when it closed.

“I can tell,” Giyuu said quietly and to Sanemi’s surprise, there was no mockery in his voice. “But that’s not what I meant.”

Sanemi sighed and turned around, crossing his arms. Giyuu’s face blurred before his eyes when his vision got hazy again. “What do you want, Tomioka?” he asked exasperated, hoping that this would make Giyuu leave him alone.

Giyuu tilted his head and looked at him before he asked, “Are you okay, Sanemi?”

Sanemi closed his eyes and clenched his teeth when another wave of pain surged through his head. “No,” he squeezed out before thinking it through. “Not that it’s any of your business, though.”

“Can I help?” Giyuu asked so quietly that Sanemi almost did not hear him.

Surprised, he opened his eyes, ready to snap at Giyuu for mocking him but when he saw his face, he bit his lip. Giyuu looked back at him with big eyes, his expression strangely vulnerable. And for once, Sanemi’s anger subsided, leaving only exhaustion.

“I don’t know,” he muttered, leaning against the dresser. His body started feeling heavy as if something had grabbed him by the ankles, pulling him down into the ground. He closed his eyes again and pressed his hands against his temples, desperately hoping to ease the stinging pain.

“Okay,” Giyuu said quietly, “how about you go lay down and I’ll find whatever you’ve been looking for?”

Sanemi opened one eye and shot a glance at him. Giyuu returned his look earnestly and while his face seemed calm, Sanemi noticed that he was nervously wringing his hands. It almost seemed like Giyuu was scared that he would reject his offer. And while Sanemi did not want to accept help, laying down did seem very alluring. And before he could stop himself, he slowly nodded.

Giyuu’s eyes lit up and the slightest hint of a smile formed on his lips before he quickly put on an unfazed expression again. He moved to the side when Sanemi came closer. And when Sanemi walked past Giyuu and through the door, he could almost feel Giyuu’s presence physically. While he walked to his room, he heard Giyuu trailing close behind him, his soft footsteps mirroring Sanemi’s.

When he reached his room, Sanemi hesitated and asked himself what he was doing. He was not one to need or want help and certainly not from someone like Giyuu. But then, he looked at Giyuu and the blue of his eyes reminded him of the cool water soothing his pain. And with a sigh, Sanemi decided to let this happen to him. While he sat down on his futon, he saw Giyuu looking around in his room curiously. Then, Giyuu walked over to the window and pulled the black curtains close, bathing the room in darkness.

“What should I look for?” Giyuu asked softly while walking back to the door of the room, his silhouette blocking out the light from the hallway.

Sanemi sighed and described the pouch to him, leaving out the detail that there was medicine inside. When he was done, Giyuu nodded and slowly closed the door behind himself, careful not to create any unnecessary noise. Sanemi stared at the door for a moment before he gave in and laid down on his futon, closing his eyes, gratefully embracing the darkness that now engulfed him. While his temples still throbbed, the absence of light took an edge off the pain and for the first time today, Sanemi felt like he could breathe again.

His heartbeat had finally calmed down when he heard the door quietly opening and closing again. Soft footsteps came closer and Sanemi opened one eye. In the twilight of the room, he could barely make out Giyuu’s pale face who now knelt down next to him.

“I found it,” he said quietly and handed Sanemi a glass of water. “You should drink this.”

Sanemi sat up and reluctantly accepted the glass. When he took a sip, his eyes widened as the familiar bitter taste of the medicine filled his mouth. “You …?” he muttered, staring at Giyuu.

Giyuu smiled at him and something about his smile made Sanemi’s skin tingle. “You’ll feel better soon,” Giyuu said softly. “And in the meantime, this might also help.”

And with a feeling like he was standing beside himself, watching the scene from above, Sanemi laid back down and allowed Giyuu to gently place a wet towel on his forehead. He sighed involuntarily when the cold towel touched his skin, relieving his pain. His body started feeling heavy again but this time Sanemi embraced it and closed his eyes, allowing his body to sink into a healing slumber.

And when he felt his conscience drifting away, Sanemi murmured, “Thank you, Giyuu.”