Chapter Text
His fever’s gone, and he’s gained enough strength to be able to walk around the Butterfly Estate. Right now, though, Giyuu’s in bed.
Not just in bed, he’s in bed and pretending to be asleep. He woke up minutes earlier, but he doesn’t want to disturb the person in the room with him.
Said person is Sanemi, because of course it is. When he can, he makes a point of stopping by between missions like a doting mother. It’s endearing, but he also worries about how much back and forth Sanemi is doing. Traveling from town to the Butterfly Estate to the next village must be exhausting.
Nevertheless, Sanemi is currently doing the most endearing thing he’s ever done. (It’s not actually the most endearing thing he’s done. Giyuu’s just a bit flustered.) Sanemi sits at his bedside, running the back of his knuckles gently across his face. It’s a soft caress, a gesture so gentle yet it shakes him to the core.
His stomach’s doing the weird flipping thing it does when Sanemi’s around.
He wonders if he does this often, when they fall asleep together after a hard day’s work. It’s a thought that brings heat to his cheeks. This man does things to him, good things, but things nonetheless. Giyuu wonders if he should be frightened by just how much love he holds for Sanemi.
“I know you’re awake. I can feel you blushing.”
Giyuu snaps his eyes open. He pouts, embarrassed. “You’re so unfair sometimes.”
“You like it, sweetheart.” Sanemi snipes back. He’s got a smug grin on his face.
He covers his face. Giyuu knows his face is on fire. “Low blow.”
The thing is, Giyuu has a lot of weaknesses when it comes to Sanemi. Sanemi himself is his weakness. But there’s certain things that he does that gets Giyuu absolutely flustered.
For one, physical affection. He likes it. Likes how it grounds him. Also, Giyuu’s sort of a heat leech. It’s not like he can help it. His hands are always cold and Sanemi’s are always warm. It only makes sense he steals his body heat like a lizard basking in the sun. (Sanemi is his sun. But you didn’t hear that sappy stuff from him.)
But that’s when he initiates the contact. When Sanemi does it his mind goes blank. Whether it be swiping rice away from his lips, or pulling him close on a busy street in some village, all of it has Giyuu hot and stumbling.
And just now, pet names. Sanemi has an assortment of them. Sweetheart, baby, honey, princess. Probably a lot more. Giyuu doesn’t know if it’s just the pet names or Sanemi’s voice, but they get him weak in the knees. The way he says them so casually, with so much affection Giyuu can’t comprehend it’s for him. Affection for him .
So, yeah. It’s a double whammy, two birds with one stone. Sanemi hit him where it hurt, and now he’s essentially mush in his hands.
Giyuu should be resting, instead he is being subjected to all this affection he can’t handle. Sanemi is a menace.
“C’mon, let’s go to the gardens.” Sanemi peels his hands away from his face, leaning down to peck his nose. “You can do that for me, right?”
“Yes,” Giyuu responds immediately. Sue him, he’ll do anything for Sanemi. (Especially since it makes him happy and sometimes he gets praise and Giyuu thrives off of it all.)
“Good boy.”
Heat crawls up his neck. Somewhere in his mind he’s thinking, what am I, a dog? But another part is getting extremely horny. So.
He gets up and follows Sanemi out of his room. Sanemi slips their hands together and laces their fingers. They pass by one of the girls who live at the Butterfly Estate, Aoi. She raises a brow at them.
“We’re going to the gardens.” Giyuu offers an explanation.
Aoi nods, her eyes still a bit weary. “Absolutely no training under any circumstances. You should be resting.”
Sanemi raises a dismissive hand. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure this motherfucker doesn’t pull anything.”
“Good.”
And with that they’re off again. Soon they make it to the porch. Giyuu inhales deeply, enjoying the dainty scent of the flowers.
“I love the gardens here,” he says fondly.
“Yeah?” Sanemi leads them further into it, so that they’re amongst all the pretty blooms.
Eyes scanning the plants, they land on a particular set that reminds him of a certain someone. The flowers are white and slightly purple at the tips, but what’s truly unique about them is how spikey the petals are. They’re pompous in that way. The leaves are like that too.
They’re simple, yet striking. Loud and pretty. He laughs, pointing to them and glancing back at Sanemi.
“Those look like you,” he says with mirth.
Sanemi’s eyes follow his finger, letting out an offended squawk when he spots what Giyuu’s talking about. It brings him absolute joy. He’s broken out into fits of cackles and snorts.
“The fuck? You telling me my hair looks like that?”
When Giyuu looks at Sanemi, his eyes are squinted in mock offense and thinly veiled amusement. It makes his heart swell. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Asshole,” he mutters fondly.
He pulls him close so that they’re chest to chest. Sanemi leans down so that their noses touch. He nuzzles them together, then moves to his cheek to do the same. Giyuu thinks he’s never been happier.
“I adore your laugh. It’s so fuckin’ cute.” He says it so quietly, like it’s a secret between them and the flowers.
Pink creeps onto his cheeks. He mutters, bashful, “Sanemi.”
He then hides in Sanemi’s neck, opting to show physically that he’s grateful. Giyuu grips the back of his haori, hugging him tightly.
“I love you.” Sanemi whispers in his hair.
“I love you too.” Giyuu responds, just as soft.
≡
Antsy is what Giyuu is after his first week at the Butterfly Estate. He’s itching to do something, especially since his fever is gone. There’s a tingling in his arms and legs. They urge him to get up and move, swing his sword and dodge blows.
He’s able to walk now, has been for awhile. With this, he comes to the conclusion that he’s okay to leave. Of course, Shinobu does not agree with this, and none of the other butterfly girls do either.
“I told you already, three weeks of rest. This isn’t negotiable.” Shinobu’s stern voice rings in his head.
Negotiable my ass, he thinks saltily. Giyuu is a grown man, coddling is for children. He does not need any more rest.
Call him out of his mind, but he decides the best course of action is to sneak out. Training at the Butterfly Estate—where anyone can catch him—is not ideal.
So he plans it out, and on a moonlit night he almost escapes. Slips out his room on light feet, avoids the creaky floorboard that lets him know Aoi’s coming with lunch. He’s walking through one of the corridors, peeking around corners, before he’s being dogpiled by the butterfly girls.
He grunts, bracing himself against their added weight.
“I knew it! I went to get water and I saw your silhouette! Tomioka-san, what were you thinking?” Kiyo cries out.
Escaping this hellhole is what he wants to say. Giyuu bites his tongue, though.
“I can’t believe you made us wake up to drag you back into bed.”
The devil has made her arrival. Shinobu’s standing in front of him, hands on her hips. One of the little girls—who had presumably woken her up—stands at her side, behind her slightly.
Shinobu’s doing that scary smile thing, the one where veins pop out of her forehead and her eyebrows pinch. But in contrast, her lips are curved in a smile with barely concealed rage. “Well? Tomioka-san? Get back to bed, before I feed you to the carnivorous plants I keep for troublemakers like you.”
Her tone is light and airy, how it usually is, but somehow she conveys it as thunderous.
Shivers are sent straight down his spine. He does not want to die tonight, not when Sanemi promised to bring deserts the next time he visited.
Giyuu retreats, licks his wounds and plans another attempt a day later. This time, in the morning. He reasons that they wouldn’t expect him to try again so soon, especially not in broad daylight.
And as it turns out, he’s correct. The attendants are too busy helping other sick patients to notice him slip out of his room. He can almost taste freedom when he spots the front entrance of the Butterfly Estate. Giyuu books it down the path, but before he can take a step outside, he’s being pulled backwards.
With a quiet grunt, he slams into a firm chest. “The hell you think you’re going, huh?”
Sanemi’s voice is hot and low in his ear. It makes him jolt, the skin on his face sizzling. The arms winding securely around him aren’t helping, either.
“Sanemi, let me go.” Giyuu says. He squirms in his arms, trying to break loose. Much to his disappointment, nothing is helping. Curse Sanemi and his big, strong, muscular, sexy…warm arms. God, he thinks, this sucks.
Imagine trying to be mad at your boyfriend, but he’s so incredibly hot your brain goes to mush. Embarrassed, Giyuu is embarrassed.
“No,” he responds, before picking Giyuu up and slinging him over his shoulder.
Giyuu yelps, surprised. Although he has a mighty fine view of Sanemi’s ass, he doesn’t want to be carried so precariously like this. He trusts him not to drop him, but it’s still mildly terrifying.
“Let me down,” Giyuu groans. “Please, Sanemi? I can walk.”
“Y’know, Kocho told me you tried to sneak out yesterday. Is that true, sweetheart?”
His protests die in his throat. He replies guilty, “…No.”
“You sure?” Sanemi prods, clearly amused. He’s making his way back to the main house of the Butterfly Estate. Back to the prison disguised as a hospital room.
“I don’t wanna be here anymore,” he pouts petulantly, not far from a child being forced to eat vegetables. It’s good for you, but at what cost?
“I know, baby. But you need to rest. And I know you’ll make a mad dash for the exit, so bare with me, yeah?”
Well, it’s not like he’s wrong. Giyuu would most definitely try to run if he’s put on the floor. It’s a blessing and a curse, how much Sanemi knows him.
He just sighs in defeat, flopping against Sanemi’s figure like a dead fish. “I hate you.”
“You fuckin’ love me.”
He grins mischievously. “Hmm, I dunno. Do I?”
Suddenly the floor is too close, and he almost faceplants into it. He screams, arms reaching out to try and brace himself before he’s tugged up.
“You were saying?” Sanemi teases smugly.
Giyuu slaps his ass, hard.
≡
After his two failed attempts, he’s resigned himself to the fact he’s never making it out. Giyuu will have to comply to the devil’s—Shinobu’s strict recovery plan, begrudgingly.
He’s become all mopey and quiet, more silent than he is normally. Prods at his food, stares at the ceiling debating life. It’s even gotten to the point where Giyuu looks out his window longingly, like some princess trapped in a tower.
Shinobu’s taken pity on him (what a surprise, he was starting to think there wasn’t an ounce of sympathy in her body), and told him he’d start easing into training with Kanao. So, he’s got that going for him.
The only time he’s not pouty is when Sanemi’s around. Luckily for him, his boyfriend is very diligent when it comes to visiting him. Sometimes he brings his favorite food and feeds it to him. Giyuu is not ashamed to say he almost purrs like a cat from the attention. It’s not his fault. A very attractive man brings him food and feeds him, who wouldn’t be over the moon?
Lost in all his musings, Giyuu isn’t paying much attention to his surroundings. And as such, as he rounds a corner, he bumps into someone. Someone with a very big chest, very warm, it feels familiar.
The impact isn’t too hard, but it still sends him stumbling back. Hands quickly grab at him, pulling him close.
“You okay there, angel?”
His head snaps up, surprised to hear Sanemi’s voice. Giyuu was just thinking about him too. He wonders if Sanemi has a Giyuu-sense or something.
He had come to see him two days ago, then left to go to some rural area far away. There’s a cut on his eyebrow, and bruises on his chest, but he seems overall in good condition.
Good , he thinks to himself. Giyuu isn’t fond of the idea of anyone touching him, much less a demon actively trying to kill him. Sanemi is his, all his. He’s the one that gets to squish his cheeks, play with his hair, feel up his arms because god are they big.
Sanemi readjusts his grip on him. An arm makes its way around his hips, while a hand comes to cup his cheek. Instinctively, Giyuu rests his hands on Sanemi’s chest. Their faces are so close, if he leans in just a bit they’d be kissing.
“Yes. Was your mission fine? I didn’t think you’d be back so early.”
“Fuckin’ peachy. The demon was a pain in the ass but didn’t take too long to track.” Sanemi replies. He follows it up with a cheeky smile, “What? Did you miss me that much?”
Goddamnit . Curse Sanemi and his ridiculously handsome face, his smile that just magnifies his beauty. Giyuu blushes, almost stumbles over his reply. “I didn’t say that.”
The other hums. “It’s okay if you did, I know I’m irresistible like that.”
“I am sick of you, Shinazugawa Sanemi.” Giyuu says as he covers Sanemi’s teasing face with a hand.
Muffled laughter pokes fun at him where words cannot. He sounds so sweet, so happy. Giyuu finds himself smiling too. It’s hard to stay huffy when Sanemi’s bright chuckles light up the hallway. Giyuu pulls his hand away so he can see his face.
The sight melts him a little (a lot). Sanemi’s face is not made to smile. He’s roughened up from years of suffering, yet he looks stunning like this. His threatening scars do nothing to diminish how good he looks. Giyuu’s absolutely charmed.
Once Sanemi’s laughter dies down, he asks, “What are you doing out of bed anyways?”
“Ah. I wanted a snack, so I was going to the kitchen,” he answers.
“Good idea. Heard from one of the girls that they made ohagi.”
“Okay. Let’s go.” Giyuu prompts.
Neither of them make a move to pull away despite his agreement. He should’ve expected this. Once they’re touching it’s hard to stop. They keep looking at each other, he’s practically entranced. Giyuu’s eyes map out the face he’s already memorized by now. Trails down his sharp cheekbones and jaw, follows the slope of his nose to his elegant cupid’s bow.
Sanemi’s hand jerks to life, pulling him across the small distance between them. He sighs contently when their lips meet. Warm , Sanemi is always warm. It makes him settle closer against him, seeking more contact.
Heat crawls up his neck when he feels Sanemi’s tongue prod at the seam of his lips. Obediently, he parts them, whining quietly when it slips past.
The kiss stays slow and sweet. It’s nice. Giyuu feels all fuzzy, like he’s about to burst at the seams with all the love he feels for Sanemi.
This familiar dance never gets old. Sanemi pushes and Giyuu pushes back just as hard. Sanemi leads and Giyuu follows. It’s easy to get swept up in how gentle Sanemi handles him.
Kissing will never get old. I want to do this with you forever, Giyuu thinks. Sanemi replies with a nip at his bottom lip, me too.
“I’d appreciate it if you both weren’t eating each other’s faces off in the middle of my hallway.” Shinobu teases from the other side of the corridor.
Sanemi parts their lips, because Giyuu doesn’t even register her words until a whole ten seconds later. He’s just staring, doe-eyed at how pretty Sanemi’s kiss bitten lips look. All red and shiny, makes his gut curl with the thought of mine.
He only snaps out of it when those very lips move. “Yeah, yeah. Sumi said they made ohagi, did you wanna join us?”
Despite common belief, Sanemi is actually civil with his fellow Hashira and their attendants. A shocker, really. He had said, “As long as they’re doing their job, I don’t give a fuck.”
“I’m alright, thank you Shinazugawa-san. You two can be lovey dovey by yourselves, I need to file some things away.”
“Suit yourself. See you, Kocho.” Sanemi waves before tugging Giyuu along with him.
“Let me know how good the ohagi is, I’ll try some later with Kanao.” Shinobu calls.
If there’s any left, Giyuu thinks to himself. Knowing Sanemi, he’d wolf it all down in two seconds flat. He laughs to himself at the thought of his boyfriend with stuffed, puffy cheeks.
“What are you laughing about this time?” He asks over his shoulder.
Giyuu grins, “Just thinking of how cute you are.”
“Shut your ass up. I’m not cute, I’m fucking terrifying.” Satisfaction comes in waves when he sees red crawling up the back of Sanemi’s neck. Giyuu did that, Giyuu got him all flustered. He’s pretty sure he’s making that expression Sanemi calls the stupid fucking smug cat face.
For the second time, Giyuu bumps into Sanemi. This time, his back, because he had stopped walking. He’s about to question him, but bites his tongue when the other looks down both sides of the hallway.
A foreboding feeling settles in his stomach.
Sanemi pulls him so that he’s standing in front of him, before leaning down and pressing a flurry of pecks on his face. They tickle, light and soft on his cheeks, his forehead, his nose. Giyuu immediately starts laughing, trying to push away from the onslaught.
“Sane-Sanemi! Stop it—you’re tickling me!” Giyuu protests between giggles.
Eventually he does, but not before they’re both laughing, faces flushed. Light, he feels so light. He loves this man so much it hurts.
Once he catches his breath, he asks, “What was that for?”
“Revenge.”
If that’s what Sanemi’s idea of revenge is, Giyuu wouldn’t mind if he gets revenge on him everyday.
≡
After patiently waiting, Giyuu finally gets to train with Kanao. He’s working on gaining his stamina back, as well as practicing his reflexes. At this point, fighting has been ingrained into him. It won’t take long before he’s back into shape.
She’s not here, though. Kanao would arrive much later in the day. That’s why he’s on the floor, hands reaching to his toes, stretching. Sanemi’s sturdy hands push him down gently, letting him adjust to the strain.
Giyuu sighs happily. It feels so nice to finally get to move again. After the failures of his escape, he had been dreaming of this moment. It’s even better that Sanemi’s with him, and touching him no less.
“Good?” Sanemi asks from behind him.
“Yes, feels so good,” he replies.
Wait, wait wait wait, his mind races. This sounds… completely wrong.
If anyone were outside the door, they’d definitely be taking it the wrong way. His once lax form becomes frigid. He jolts, face scorching.
Unsurprisingly, Sanemi notices this. “Something wrong?” He asks, concerned.
“Uhm. No, it’s—it’s nothing.” Giyuu mutters.
The weight on his back draws away. “You sure?”
Yeah, just thinking about how it sounds like we’re fucking in here, Giyuu thinks.
There’s a choking sound, a choking sound coming from Sanemi . Did he say that out loud? Out of all the things, and out of all the times, it had to be that, huh.
“You pent up or something? Why would you think that?” Sanemi sounds amused.
His face gets hotter. He pulls his legs to his chest. Giyuu’s so glad they’re not facing each other, this is mortifying. They’ve had sex so many times he’s lost count, but it doesn’t make it any easier to talk about. Giyuu just isn’t that type of person.
“It’s not like that,” he says.
Sanemi scoots so that he’s in front of him. He can’t look him in the eyes, so he stares at the floor. “Hey, look at me.”
He doesn’t.
“Giyuu, please? Look at me, baby.”
Tone urgent, it makes his head snap up. Sanemi doesn’t sound like that unless he really has something important to say.
“Thank you. Y’know, it’s okay to tell me these things. We’re dating, yeah? You can say what you want, that’s okay. I’ll listen, just talk to me.”
He sounds so sincere. Sanemi is always so patient with him when it comes to these things, feelings and opening up. God knows Giyuu needs it. Like a beacon of light, he guides him with a steady hand.
It makes Giyuu feel bad, for making Sanemi think he was having one of his emotional constipation moments. He’s thankful, though. So thankful for him. If the world did anything right it would’ve been creating Sanemi.
He pushes his legs down and to his sides, then hobbles his way into Sanemi’s lap. Giyuu nuzzles his neck, hands curled on the back of his shirt.
“’Course, ’Nemi. I know you’re here for me always. My mind just went there.”
“Good. I didn’t expect this from you, though. Thinking about us banging in the Butterfly Estate?” Sanemi teases.
His blush comes back tenfold. “It wasn’t intentional,” he says, trying to defend himself.
Giyuu yelps when his back suddenly hits the mat. Sanemi hovers over him, hands so hot as they push his legs apart. They trail up to straighten his knees.
“Sa-Sanemi? What are you doing?” He asks, flustered beyond belief.
“Stretching you, what else?” Sanemi raises a brow, mischief dancing in his pretty eyes.
A menace, this man is a menace to society. If he keeps this up, they will no longer be stretching. They will be fucking, and although that sounds pretty good, he does not want a repeat of the hotel incident. Anything but that.
Alarm bells ring in his ears as Sanemi leans down. This will not end well. His mouth latches onto his neck, sucking gently. Giyuu makes a strangled sound when his teeth graze his skin.
Mustering all his self control, he protests. “Not here, Sanemi. Please, don’t want anyone to see.”
He pulls back. “Not here, huh? How about your room, then. You can be quiet, can’t you?”
Giyuu nods hurriedly. He does not end up training that day.