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“SHUT IT,” Sanemi snapped at Giyu, who had simply given his opinion on a situation. None of the rest of the Hashira said anything, perhaps a few of them agreeing Giyu’s opinion was pointless. Giyu simply stared downwards with his nonchalant face, pissing Sanemi off more.
Shinobu glanced at Giyu, somehow reading his emotionless face. She knew he wasn’t well liked, but it seemed like he was being bullied by a few of the Hashira- and by Sanemi the worst. She glared at Sanemi, but he wasn’t paying any attention to her. Her sister Kanae had told her how nice Sanemi was, despite appearing prickly- but his demeanor towards Giyu was too much.
Once their meeting had adjourned, Shinobu quickly caught up to Giyu, who was walking home alone like normal.
“Giyu! You seem to be having a problem with getting along with a few of the Hashira…,” Shinobu started, Giyu only giving her a small ‘mhm’ in agreance.
“Sanemi, in particular. I’m not sure what happened between you two, but you two should get along!” She smiled at him, and Giyu stopped walking. She peered up at him confusingly, before she read the slight emotion in his dead eyes.
“….i do want to get along with Shinazugawa. I’m sure we’d be great friends if he didn’t hate me….,” Giyu said, before continuing to walk home. Shinobu thought to herself for a second, before a mischievous idea popped into her head.
“Giyu, come to my estate tonight for dinner. I’ll help give you idea to get along with Sanemi,” Shinobu patted him on the back before walking away, leaving Giyu alone once more. Whilst Giyu wanted to spend the rest of the night alone, perhaps getting tips from Shinobu on how to make friends would be a good idea.
-
Giyu walked normally to Shinobu’s at dusk, but his heart was beating rather fast. He was a little nervous, but excited that Shinobu was willing to help him. They didn’t talk too much, but she was always nice to him and spoke to him like normal, unlike some of the other Hashira- unlike Sanemi.
Giyu knocked lightly on the door and Shinobu came quickly, ushering him in fast.
“Giyu! You finally made it, here quickly sit down!” Shinobu pushed him into her dining room, where Giyu was surprised to see Sanemi sitting at the low table. Sanemi looked to the side unamused before his face contorted into a disgusted look, and as much as Giyu felt sad at his reaction, he felt a little hopefully meeting him in a more personal space.
“What is HE doing here?” Sanemi spat out, and Shinobu walked up to him, leaning down to get right up in Sanemi’s face. Giyu simply watched from the doorway as Shinobu smiled at Sanemi widely. Sanemi swallowed in fear as Shinobu’s aura told him she was going to kill him if he didn’t listen to her.
“Giyu’s joining us for dinner. You don’t mind, do you?” Shinobu asked, but her eyes told Sanemi it was more of a demand. He shook his head no, unable to speak. He couldn’t be mean to Shinobu, she was Kanae’s younger sister. If she wanted them to eat together, he would do it.
“Good! Giyu, sit down and I’ll get us some tea,” Shinobu smiled normally at Giyu before leaving to get tea from the kitchen. Giyu hesitantly sat down and stared at the table as Sanemi looked the other way, holding his jaw with one hand. Giyu stole a small glance at Sanemi, and even though the grey-haired man was ignoring him, it was better than being yelled at. Giyu didn’t smile, but he felt a little joy at being able to sit side by side with Sanemi as if it was completely normal.
“Here, drink up!” Shinobu beamed as she reentered the room, setting a cup down in-front of both of the men. She stood there as she watched them drink the tea, and eventually concluded her plan was a success.
“Oh! I forgot, I have to go out and grab some vegetables for dinner. You two just stay here and chat for a while, I’ll be back shortly! Have some more tea if you feel like it…,” Shinobu set the tea pot down on the table before swiftly leaving her own estate. Sanemi tried to protest, but one glance from Shinobu told him to stay put or he’d be in for hell. Sanemi sat there and grumbled to himself as Giyu didn’t know what to do.
A few minutes ticked by, the only sound being Sanemi’s finger tapping on the table. Every second that passed, he grew more and more annoyed with Shinobu. Why did she leave him alone with Giyu? He hated the guy- they didn’t even have anything to talk about. The least Giyu could do is say anything to make it less awkward.
Sanemi stole a small glance at Giyu, who was looking down at the table. Whilst he had on his normal deadpanned gaze, Sanemi could see that his eyes seemed to sparkle a little bit, like he was a little happy. It only ticked Sanemi off more, Giyu was certainly a strange guy.
Sanemi quickly poured more tea and chugged two more cups, desperate for anything to happen. It was so awkward, sitting there in silence. Though, as more and more time passed, he felt less annoyed with Giyu and more curious as to why he was so quiet. Perhaps instead of thinking he was better than everyone, he was just an awkward guy? Sanemi had no idea.
“…..can I have some more tea?” Giyu asked quietly, and Sanemi looked at him intensely. Giyu now looked up and they made eye contact, Sanemi’s heart stopping at Giyu’s eyes. He never had the chance to admire how deep blue they were. Being the water Hashira really suited him, and Sanemi was quiet for a second, until Giyu tilted his head in confusion at the other male’s silence.
“Do whatever the fuck you want,” Sanemi said roughly, but not yelling at him. Giyu seemed content at the somewhat calm response, and reached to grab more tea. As he gripped the teapot, his hand slipped on the delicate handle and he dropped it, the teapot cracking and toppling over, now spilling lukewarm tea all over Sanemi.
“WHAT-“ Sanemi roared, before Giyu was at his side in an instant, a napkin now touching at his moistened muscles and damp uniform. Sanemi stared at Giyu’s gentle hands before looking back at his face, which had slightly changed. Sanemi could read the distress in the other male’s eyes, and surprisingly, Giyu’s eyebrows were furrowed just slightly, showing just a tiny hint of his emotion.
Before Sanemi could stop himself, his hand touched where Giyu’s brows were knitted together, causing the black-haired man to stop drying where he had spilt the tea. Giyu slowly looked up at Sanemi, who quickly withdrew his finger and turned away, feeling his face flush with embarrassment. What was that? Why had he touched Giyu? Giyu stared at Sanemi for a bit before continuing to dry him off, Sanemi’s unease growing with his annoyance.
“Okay, you can stop now, it’s fine,” he gritted through his teeth, just slightly trying to be nice. Giyu stopped and opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against it and closed his mouth. Sanemi looked at him and could tell he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. Giyu’s hands drifted downwards and laid in his own lap now, but he didn’t move from Sanemi’s side.
“What. Spit it out,” Sanemi growled, staring down at Giyu. Maybe it was the way he had touched Sanemi, or the way he was sitting there, all pitiful. Sanemi knew he was feeling strange, and he couldn’t pinpoint his feelings about Giyu in that moment.
Sanemi suddenly gripped Giyu’s face, his strong fingers curling under Giyu’s soft jaw. Sanemi’s thumb parted Giyu’s lips forcefully, opening the other’s mouth.
“Say it,” Sanemi commanded, and Giyu was suddenly taken aback. He was a little frightened at being at Sanemi’s will, but something about how he was commanded felt good. Giyu looked at him with a pleading gaze, but he didn’t want to share what he was really thinking. He shook his head slightly no, and Sanemi’s grip on his jaw tightened.
“What, scared you’re gonna hurt my feelings?” Sanemi taunted, now bringing his face closer to Giyu’s. Both men felt the heat in the room rise, the breathing between them growing frantic. Sanemi didn’t know what sort of high he was on, why was he reacting so strongly? He rubbed his thumb over Giyu’s lips and he couldn’t help but admire how plump they were, and how hot and wet the inside of his mouth was. Giyu blushed at the feeling and felt tingling at Sanemi’s intense gaze.
“Shi…..Shinazugawa…,” Giyu addressed the other man, now blushing furiously at the contact, feeling some sort of way he knew he shouldn’t. Sanemi stared at him, stared at how his dead eyes were now filled with a rich emotion, how his eyebrows turned up, how his lips quivered at being touched. Why was the room so warm? Why did he enjoy being that close to Tomioka? Sanemi couldn’t stop himself from opening his own mouth, bringing Giyu’s face closer to his. Giyu didn’t resist as he was brought closer, feeling a little too warm to think straight.
Sanemi frantically kissed Giyu, his tongue instantly asserting dominance as he almost attacked him. Giyu let out a soft whine at the feeling of being so roughly kissed, and Sanemi bit down on Giyu’s bottom lip, definitely bruising it. Giyu’s arms went to grab at Sanemi’s biceps, holding onto his strong muscles for support. Sanemi’s one hand now gripped the back of Giyu’s head as the other went to touch his waist, causing Giyu to shudder at the touch.
Sanemi could barely recognize what he was doing, he was just indulging in the heat and the sensation of kissing for the first time. How had he never experienced that before? Why did he feel the need to completely take Tomioka? Why Giyu of all people? What suddenly brought this on? Sanemi pushed all his thoughts aside as his brain clouded with need and he moved on instinct.
Giyu was as confused as Sanemi, but everything just felt so hot. He could barely breathe as Sanemi swallowed him, and his skin felt prickly at the other man’s touch. He was going insane, how did Sanemi go from hating him to kissing him? As confusing as it all was, he knew he didn’t want to stop. If Sanemi wanted to keep going, then Giyu would let him.
Sanemi parted from their kiss and made his way down Giyu’s neck. He roughly pulled on Giyu’s hair, arching the other man’s back and showing more of his neck. Sanemi undid the buttons on Giyu’s uniform to expose his chest better, violently sucking on his pale skin and leaving as many marks as he could. Giyu’s skin was so soft and so delicious, Sanemi felt like it tasted sweet- he loved sweet things. Something about the taste of Giyu’s skin was so addicting.
Sanemi’s free hand traveled down Giyu’s back, before coming around the front to undo his uniform belt. Giyu’s heart began to race as he realized how close Sanemi’s hand was to his crotch, letting out a gentle moan as Sanemi yanked his belt off and bit his collarbone harshly. His large hand made its way into the other man’s pants, and Giyu shivered and bucked up into Sanemi’s warm hand, which now rubbed him with fever.
Sanemi let go of Giyu’s hair and both his hands yanked the other man’s pants lower, showing off his undergarments. Sanemi lifted Giyu to straddle his waist now, kneeling above Sanemi’s crotch as he squeezed at Giyu’s ass. Sanemi moved to nibble at Giyu’s nipples, who wrapped his slender arms around the frisky man’s head, hugging him for support. Sanemi felt he couldn’t breathe from being smothered by Giyu’s chest, but also from how hot everything was. He was going to go insane, he didn’t know why he was doing what he was doing- all he knew was that he liked it.
Sanemi’s fingers prodded at Giyu’s hole as his other hand reached around to pull his cock out, stroking Giyu and pinching at his tip. Giyu’s legs began to shake at the feeling, Sanemi’s fingers diving deeper and hitting a soft spot. Giyu felt a shock of pleasure travel through him, and as Sanemi began to thrust his fingers in out, hitting that white hot spot thrust after thrust, Giyu’s vision clouded as he came undone, moaning loudly as he came hard.
“Shinazugawa….,” Giyu breathed out in content, and Sanemi froze up. Giyu loosened his grip on the other to look down at Sanemi’s face, unable to read the other man’s emotions. Sanemi quickly withdrew his hands and grabbed a napkin to wipe the gentle man’s pleasure off of his chest, turning to get up. Giyu sat there, pants still lowered and uniform undone, just staring at the back of Sanemi’s head. The wind Hashira quickly grabbed his things from the doorway and left Shinobu’s estate, slamming the sliding door behind him.
Giyu sat there, absolutely mortified. His heart was still pounding, and he felt hot with embarrassment. Sanemi really did hate him. He thought maybe they’d get along, maybe a meal together would have been okay. Despite everything that had occurred, even after that Giyu thought maybe they’d be closer- but he must have messed up. Now Sanemi would be further away from him than he was before. Giyu looked down at himself, the mess he had made. He wasn’t much for showing emotions, but after that, he couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. He didn’t verbally sob outloud, but rather just stared at his hands and the floor, letting the tears come. It had been such a long time since he had cried.
“I’m back! Did you two enjoy your tea?” Shinobu’s teasing voice rang as she closed the door behind her. She walked into the dining room to see a half-dressed Giyu kneeling on the floor, crying his eyes out. Shinobu dropped the basket of vegetables she was holding and ran to him, very confused and concerned.
“Giyu, what happened? Are you okay? Where’s Shinazugawa?” She questioned, and Giyu only continued to cry silently. Shinobu quickly went to dress him and help clean him up, bringing him some warm healing tea to help him relax. Giyu just sat there, somehow now more emotionless than before, and Shinobu felt she had hit a wall with Giyu. She wanted the two to get along, but what had happened? Were they now going to be further apart? Was Sanemi’s excessive bullying of Giyu only going to worsen? Shinobu had Giyu stay the night in her estate, hoping he’d open up to her the next morning.
-
Sanemi felt a pair of glaring eyes on him the whole meeting, but he kept his gaze straight. The master had called as many Hashira available to talk about a few demon heavy areas to patrol, and besides Muichiro, Gyomei, and Giyu, everyone was there. Rengoku and Tengen were having a very loud conversation and Obanai was conversing with Mitsuri very lovely, so that meant a very silent and pissed off Shinobu was glaring at Sanemi.
He wasn’t sure exactly why she was upset. Was it because he had left her estate before she had returned? Surely she hadn’t stumbled upon Giyu undressed in her room, he must have cleaned himself up and left as well. Was she upset her teapot had been cracked? Sanemi wasn’t sure what her problem was, but he didn’t want to find out.
“Shinazugawa, can I talk to you for a minute?” Shinobu smiled at him, her demeanor practically murderous. Sanemi glanced up at her, a little nervous, but he really didn’t want to.
“……no,” he answered bluntly, and a vein popped out of Shinobu’s head.
“I would like to discuss my disappointment in how dirty you left my estate,” her sweet yet venomous words said, and a small hand gripped his shoulder harshly. Whilst she was small and not as strong as him, he didn’t want to make her any more upset. He couldn’t do that to his departed friend’s.
sister. He figured she’d be upset over the broken pot and probably tea stained floor, so he’d offer to clean her estate or something to make peace.
Shinobu gestured for him to follow her around the master’s estate, to an area where no one else was. Once they were out of ear of the rest of the Hashira and Shinobu was certainly the nosy Tengen didn’t follow them, she sighed and dropped her fake smile.
“What happened between you and Giyu?” She asked, tilting her head and crossing her arms.
“Wait, you’re not mad about your teapot?” Sanemi questioned, and Shinobu shot him a pissed off smile.
“I’m more upset about the state Giyu was in when I arrived,” she said with a fake sweetness, and Sanemi’s heart dropped. Had she arrived back that quickly? Why hadn’t Giyu taken care of himself? Why did she have to see him like that?
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sanemi crossed his arms, turning his head to look away. He felt embarrassed and ashamed at Shinobu knowing what sort of thing occurred when she left. Sanemi didn’t have more than a second to collect his thoughts before a slap came across his face, Shinobu hitting him with an open palm. Whilst it wasn’t too painful, it stung a bit in the wind and Sanemi was shocked at her, almost too much to be upset. He instantly got pissed off, turning to shout profanities at her, before he noticed she had a very sad look in her eyes.
“How could you leave him like that? He was in shambles, he could barely speak to me!” Shinobu looked distraught and hurt, and Sanemi felt terrible he made her feel that way. Though, he also felt a pang of guilt for leaving Giyu in such a vulnerable state. He was certain Giyu was too embarrassed to speak to Shinobu as well, but what had she seen to be that upset over his normally distant behavior?
“Why did you leave? Did you touch him and then run away? That’s cruel,” Shinobu looked almost disgusted at Sanemi’s actions, and he felt worried. He was supposed to look out for Shinobu, to ensure she was happy for her sister’s sake- but instead he had made her hate him.
“I didn’t- I mean…. We did… stuff- MAYBE- but-,” Sanemi gripped Shinobu’s arms now, attempting to explain. He knew his face was probably a little pink at remembering just what he and Giyu had done, but he didn’t care. He had to try and explain he wasn’t in the wrong.
“I don’t care what you two did. It’s that you left him afterwards. How do you think that made him feel?” Shinobu gaze Sanemi a serious look, and Sanemi felt his heart stop. Was Giyu really distraught over what they had done? Perhaps he was so angry Sanemi touched him without his consent and then left, or maybe he was disgusted another man had touched him?
Sanemi dropped Shinobu’s arms as he began to think. He had left because he didn’t want to go any further- he didn’t want to assault Giyu anymore than he had. But more than that, he had left because his head was screaming that he wanted Giyu so badly. He couldn’t feel that way about Giyu, he just couldn’t. He had to leave to control himself, but he had never considered what Giyu would have thought.
“Giyu’s staying at his estate for today, I told him to take a day of rest. I think you should go over there and apologize,” Shinobu sighed, and Sanemi looked at her with an annoyed gaze.
“Huh? Apologize to that…. That-“ Sanemi tried to think of something negative to say, Giyu always pissed him off so much. Shinobu’s harsh gaze shut him up, and Sanemi sighed.
“……I’ll think about it.” Sanemi gave in, and Shinobu smiled a tiny real smile, before thanking him and walking back to the meeting. Sanemi didn’t want to go to Giyu’s estate though, he was sure it would make the quiet male uncomfortable to be alone with him again. Perhaps next time he saw him, he would apologize for what happened.
-
Sanemi never got a chance to apologize to Giyu, but Shinobu didn’t need to know that. It had probably been a month since the incident, and he hadn’t seen Giyu since. To his credit, Sanemi showed up at Giyu’s estate twice, but he wasn’t there so he couldn’t apologize. Sanemi was certain that everything would blow over though, and that Giyu would forget it or ignore him.
Another Hashira meeting had been called and after the master spoke, the members all congregated inside to discuss group patrolling and duos for certain areas. Sanemi sat with his arms crossed, shooting small glances at Giyu whenever he could. He felt a little uneasy, wondering if he should call the man over after they were done so he could apologize, but perhaps he didn’t need to anymore.
“I think Tomioka and Shinazugawa should patrol this area,” Shinobu’s voice rang clear in the room, and everyone got silent. It was well known the two didn’t get along at all, so her sudden suggestion was strange. Sanemi was now paying full attention, glaring at Shinobu with a questioning gaze. She only smiled at him, and her expression was unreadable.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Giyu surprisingly chimed in, and everyone looked at him with shock. He never gave his opinion on things, so him contributing was strange indeed.
“Huh? Why’s that?” Sanemi felt angered by Giyu’s nonchalant dismissal, and looked at the other man with rage. Giyu stayed looking in-front of him, not meeting Sanemi’s eyes. This only enraged him more.
“Because, I disgust you,” Giyu stated it like it was a fact, and Sanemi’s heart stopped at his words. Giyu disgusted him? Everyone knew Sanemi bullied Giyu and didn’t like him very much, but he wouldn’t say he found Giyu disgusting. In fact, how could he find Giyu’s perfectly smooth skin and delicate features disgusting?
“What makes you say that, Tomioka? No one finds you disgusting,” Gyomei chimed in, his deep voice granting some compassion. Giyu continued to stare forwards, not saying anything.
“Jeez Sanemi, didn’t think you’d tell Giyu he was disgusting, that’s a little far,” Tengen joked, but he was a bit serious. The air in the room felt heavy and Sanemi grew more and more angry. Why did Giyu have to say that? That painted Sanemi in a bad light, he had never said that to Giyu. Why did he believe that?
“I never said that,” Sanemi barked, and Giyu finally looked up at him. Sanemi’s heart felt heavy at Giyu’s gaze, only a small bit of sadden emotion showing through. How had he never seen Giyu’s feelings before?
“What about what happened at Shinobu’s? I disgusted you,” Giyu stated once again as if it was a fact, and everyone stared at Sanemi with wonder. Giyu had just given away they had hung out at Shinobu’s, and something had occurred to where they had some sort of disagreement. Sanemi was speechless and Giyu was still staring at him, so the rest of the Hashira turned to look towards Shinobu with morbid curiosity.
“What? I invited them over for dinner, that was it,” Shinobu’s facade didn’t crack, but Gyomei could sense she was a little uneasy. Shinobu was surely hiding something, and it might be best to stay hidden.
“……we need to focus on the task at hand. I think Tomioka and Shinazugawa should patrol together, to mend their differences. Obanai, if you would like to go with Mitsuri-“ Gyomei steered the topic away from whatever drama was occurring, and it mostly worked. Tengen was still keeping a keen eye on Sanemi and Giyu though, wanting to know every little detail. He loved to gossip, and especially about people as flashy as Sanemi or as strange as Giyu. Tengen was surely going to corner Shinobu later, perhaps invite her over so his wives could get the details out of her.
As the meeting adjourned, Sanemi stomped up to Giyu as he was walking back to his estate.
“What the fuck was that? Throwing me under the bus for nothing!” Sanemi aired out his annoyance, but Giyu only continued walking forwards in silence. Sanemi walked beside him now, wanting to sort this out so things could go back to normal.
“I never called you disgusting! Why did you have to say that? Now everyone is gonna be on my fucking back!” Sanemi was yelling, and he was thankful none of the other Hashira had seen them leave together. He felt a little bad, almost screaming his frustrations at Giyu, but he needed to vent how he was feeling, doing it the only way he knew how.
“You think I’m disgusting,” Giyu stated like fact again, still not looking at Sanemi. The other male felt what little composure he had left snap as he roughly grabbed Giyu’s arm, turning him to look at Sanemi now. Giyu was taken aback and looked up at Sanemi’s angry face, two strong hands holding him still.
“I DON’T THINK YOU’RE DISGUSTING. Where the FUCK did you get that idea from?” Sanemi yelled, his confusion and anger high. Giyu blinked at him a few times as he was processing what was screamed at him, before his wide eyes started to close with a deep sadness Sanemi felt uneasy about.
“……you left Shinobu’s, after I did something so….. so gross,” Giyu said softly, and Sanemi was taken aback. Giyu thought Sanemi had left because he was grossed out by what had happened? But that hadn’t been the case- Sanemi only left because he couldn’t accept that he had wanted to continue with Giyu. He didn’t know what to say in response, and after a moment of silence Giyu looked back up at him, before pushing Sanemi’s hands away.
“….I get it, you don’t have to say anything. I know what I did was horrible, I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. I’ll leave you alone,” Giyu stated, before headed back to his estate once more. Sanemi only stood there in shock, unsure of where to go from there.
-
Shinobu knocked on Sanemi’s door, already fuming. Sanemi opened it after a moment, a little surprised to see Shinobu and Tengen at his estate. Tengen had followed Shinobu home after their last meeting and convinced her to tell him the drama, and now he was fully invested. He had a suspicion perhaps Shinazugawa’s prickly nature towards Giyu had something to do with him liking the other man and not being able to handle his feelings. Now he was certain, even though Shinobu admitted to giving the two a special type of tea to push them to get along.
“What?” Sanemi said, already a little annoyed at their sudden appearance. Tengen laughed a little to himself as he clapped a hand on Sanemi’s shoulder. Sanemi looked ticked off but didn’t push Tengen away.
“Shinazugawa. Let’s talk about Giyu,” he smiled at the smaller man, and could instantly tell Giyu’s name made Sanemi squirm. He shoved Tengen’s hand off and went to slam his door shut, before Shinobu reached out to stop the door. Sanemi didn’t close it as to not hurt her, but he really didn’t want to deal with whatever he had started.
“Please, Shinazugawa. I think I made a mistake….,” Shinobu admitted, and Sanemi’s interest was peaked. He thoughts they were there to scold him, not apologize. What had Shinobu done? Sanemi stepped back from the door, not verbally inviting them in but signaling they could enter.
Once the three were seated at Sanemi’s table, Shinobu let out a long sigh. Tengen patted her on the back for support, smiling at her.
“I invited you and Giyu over for dinner so you two could have some time alone to get along. I know you’re normally rough, especially if you don’t like someone, but I could see how much it was affecting Giyu and I wanted to fix that. He really wants to be your friend,” Shinobu looked at Sanemi with a pleading look, and the hand he had balled into a fist relaxed.
“…..the tea I had given you that day, wasn’t a regular tea. I knew seeing Giyu would put you on edge, so I added some herbs with a calming effect. I also realized afterwards I had added something akin to an aphrodisiac-“
“WHAT?” Sanemi slammed his first down on the table, and Tengen glared at him. Shinazugawa huffed out an angry breath, knowing he had to try and keep his composure. He didn’t want to be angry at Shinobu, but hearing she had put him under some sort of influence was aggravating.
“I didn’t mean to inadvertently drug you, Shinazugawa. I just wanted to push you and Giyu to get along. When I saw him upon my return, I realized I had messed up. He didn’t say anything to me the whole night, and it was almost impossible to get him to tell me what happened the following morning. He told me he had accidentally spilt the tea on you and then proceeded to piss you off, before forcing you to…. Do things…. With him. Giyu was so worried he had ruined your chance to be friends, I felt so terrible…,” Shinobu was tearing up now, a rare sight to see. Tengen rubbed a comforting hand on her back, Sanemi just taking in her words.
“……I thought…. If you apologized to Giyu, then everything would be okay. I tried to reassure him that it had been my fault things had happened, but he wouldn’t accept that. I don’t believe for a second he forced you to do anything, and if you felt forced then blame me. Don’t hurt Giyu anymore, Shinazugawa. He doesn’t show emotions often, but he still feels them.”
Sanemi sat there in silence for a bit as Shinobu sniffled to herself. Giyu put all the blame of the situation on himself. If that didn’t annoyed Sanemi, perhaps it was that he hadn’t taken accountability the whole time. A hand gripped at his hair as he held his head, annoyed and trying to think things through. He had to talk to Giyu, but he had no idea what to say. He wasn’t even sure how he felt anymore, if he was really under the influence of something, did that mean his feelings at the time were all fake.
“Shinazugawa, can I ask- do you hate Giyu?” Tengen butted in, and Sanemi glared at him.
“Huh? No I don’t HATE him, he just… fuck he’s just… i don’t know, he just annoys me,” Sanemi sighed out, trying to make sense of how he felt.
“How about after what happened at Shinobu’s? Did you hate him then?”
“What? No- that’s fucking stupid…it was all my fault-“ Sanemi said, not understanding where Tengen was going with his words.
“Did you like what happened at Shinobu’s?” Tengen’s voice was suggestive, but he was also serious in trying to help Sanemi. Sanemi didn’t know how to respond right away, but felt like he could try and open up about what feelings he did have to Shinobu and Tengen.
“….I didn’t HATE it…. But… Shinobu said we were under the influence…. I’m not sure how to feel…,” Sanemi admitted, sighing and letting his whole body relax. He felt so wound up and on edge and he just wanted to blow off some steam. Perhaps tonight he would go on a demon killing spree to clear his head.
“Ah, so you don’t know because you were under the influence…. Doesn’t that mean you have to try when you’re sober?” Tengen suggested, and Sanemi didn’t recognize what he was insinuating.
“Yeah, I guess,” he stated calmly, staring at the table as he thought to himself. There was a long awkward pause and Sanemi looked up at Tengen and Shinobu with confusion. The two were staring at him and he wasn’t sure why until it clicked what Tengen had really meant.
“WAIT-“ Sanemi realized, immediately standing and backing away from the table. His face was surely red as he thought about doing things with Giyu again. He just COULDN’T like Giyu, he couldn’t. But, he had to figure out if his feelings were real or if it had all been a facade due to the tea.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you! I have three wives for a reason,” Tengen was at his side in an instant, and winked down at Sanemi. His fuse quickly shortened and he stammered out profanities as he pushed Tengen away, clearly flustered by the topic. Tengen knew it wasn’t just due to what they were talking about- Sanemi certainly had some sort of feelings for Giyu, whether he knew it or not.
“Shinobu, can you get Giyu to come to Sanemi’s estate tonight? I’ll deal with this one here,” Tengen smiled widely at her, excited for their flashy conversation. He loved being able to help a fellow Hashira out, especially if he was giving guidance. Shinobu smiled and nodded, leaving Sanemi at Tengen’s will.
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Shinazugawa paced around his estate frantically, waiting for Giyu to show up. Shinobu’s crow had flown over earlier to inform Sanemi that Giyu would be arriving shortly, so Tengen took off and left Sanemi with way too much knowledge for his own good.
Sanemi was nervous, a feeling he rarely felt around other people. Perhaps, flustered? Embarrassed? Excited even? No, he couldn’t see Giyu like that. He just had to test out his feelings, he had to see how much of the tea had influenced his decisions. He knew he’d have to try and keep his calm as to not push Giyu away, but it was going to be extremely hard.
There was a gentle knock on his door and Sanemi swallowed harshly, before stomping over and opening the sliding door a little too quick. Giyu looked at him and didn’t say anything, so Sanemi just moved over slightly to let the other man in. Giyu entered hesitantly, and Sanemi could read some sort of fear or anxiety in Giyu’s eyes as he walked by. Sanemi’s mouth was dry and his throat was closed shut as he didn’t know what to say.
Giyu stood there and opened his mouth to speak, but then decided to close his mouth and look away. Sanemi felt that little pang of guilt or hurt in his chest and he wasn’t sure why. Was it because he had hurt Giyu? Or was it because Giyu didn’t feel comfortable enough to share his own feelings? Sanemi pushed the jealous thoughts of Giyu talking freely with Shinobu away.
“Here,” Sanemi half commanded, showing Giyu to his table. Giyu sat down elegantly and then remained kneeling, not speaking as Sanemi sat across from him. Sanemi stared at Giyu who was staring at the table, nothing exchanged between the two men for a solid few minutes. Giyu didn’t squirm under Sanemi’s intense gaze, but Sanemi wondered if he felt pressured or nervous.
“…….why did you call me here?” Giyu asked after a while, still staring at the table. Sanemi swallowed and almost responded with a rushed shout of nerves, but then took a moment to think about what he was going to say.
“….I wanted to apologize,” Sanemi started, and Giyu looked up at him meekly. Sanemi realized Giyu’s look made him self conscious so he turned his head away, looking at anything else but the shy man before him.
“I, uhm, I didn’t mean to leave you… at Shinobu’s. I should have helped clean up at least…,” he started with, clearing his throat and closing his eyes, trying to convey his real feelings.
“….its okay, I understand why you left…,” Giyu started to respond, and Sanemi slammed a fist down on the table, wanting to scream at Giyu to stop misunderstanding. Giyu looked at him a little surprised and Sanemi took a second to breathe in, his fist firmly on the table as his other hand pinched the top of his nose in thought.
“No, I didnt…. I didn’t leave because I was grossed out by you. I don’t think you’re disgusting or that you forced me to do anything. It was me who forced myself on you, you have nothing to be sorry about,” Sanemi admitted, before sighing and looking down. “I didn’t…. I didn’t hate what we did, and that was scary and confusing…. So I left because I just needed to think it over. I didn’t realize that would hurt you, I’m sorry.”
Giyu continued to stare at Sanemi with widened eyes, completely shocked by his words. Sanemi never voiced his opinions, and hearing that he might have actually liked what had happened between them? Giyu immediately looked down, his face now red with embarrassment. Sanemi looked up at Giyu after there was too much silence and his heart sped up at the sight of an obviously flustered Giyu. When did Tomioka show so much emotion? Sanemi couldn’t stop himself as he quickly got up and came to Giyu’s side, now down on one knee to be at his height.
“I….uhm…,” Giyu was at a loss for words, knowing full well Sanemi could see the blatant blush on his cheeks. He brought his hands up to block his face, not wanting to be seen. Sanemi gently grabbed Giyu’s wrists, and Giyu’s heart fluttered at the feeling. Since when was Sanemi so gentle and caring? Giyu peered behind his fingers, before moving his hands at the sight of a blatant blush on Sanemi’s cheeks as well. He didn’t look as intensely pissed off as normal, sporting a small pout and a more relaxed gaze.
“…..Tomioka…, I still don’t know exactly how I feel…. But I’d like to try and figure it out…. If you’d let me…,” Sanemi led with, his voice dropping down quietly. Giyu was extremely flustered at the intimacy between the two now, and he didn’t know how to respond verbally. Though, he agreed with Sanemi. He wasn’t sure what they were or how he really felt either, but he didn’t dislike the idea of figuring it out. Giyu looked down and nodded slowly, Sanemi’s heart almost exploding at the other’s consent.
Sanemi brought one of Giyu’s hands to his face and kissed the palm, Giyu shooting a glance back up at Sanemi once more. Giyu wasn’t sure where this was going to go or if it would ruin their realationship, but he was starting to feel warm at Sanemi’s actions. Sanemi was unsure where this would lead, but he had to take his chances.