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Kyojuro woke from his nightmare with a quiet start, jolting a little. He touched his face shakily, wiping away the remnants of tears as he stared at the ceiling as he tried to remember where he was.
He wasn't at the Rengoku family estate. He wasn't in the bedroom that he had grown up in, with its warm futon and gently worn tatami. He wasn't at the home that held so many memories, his brain hurt just thinking of them all.
He was at the home of the Uzui's. Tengen and his wives- and, well, his wives too now. It had been a month now since their wedding. It was more of a vow renewal for Tengen, Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru. And then his actual wedding. But he adored that night all the same.
Kyojuro Uzui. Thinking of his name still made him smile. It was a name that promised a fresh start. A new chapter of his life, one filled with love and warmth.
Nothing like the raging and burning fires of his youth.
And when he turned over onto his side, to try and get comfortable to fall back into the restless sleep he knew would take him, he was met with the concerned eyes of Suma.
"Kyo. Are you okay?" Suma whispered, her hand coming to gently smooth some of his wild hair back from his face.
Kyojuro debated on how to respond. He knew Suma was prone to worry, and especially over him- he was the only one out of the five of them still risking his life, after all- and he didn't want to add on to her nervousness.
"Just a nightmare, Suma. Nothing to worry about." Rengoku was sure to keep his voice low, not wanting to wake anyone else.
Suma sighed, and rested her hand on his cheek. She knew, realistically, the nightmare probably wasn't anything too bad. But it unsettled her. Kyojuro always slept like a rock, and had said himself that he never really dreamed.
"Why don't we take a little walk around the estate? So you're tired enough to sleep again." She suggested it gently, running her thumb back and forth across his skin.
Kyojuro found himself leaning into her hand just the slightest, closing his eyes with a relieved sigh. It had shaken him more than he would like to admit- nightmares of his father never came to him often, but they were some of the worse he'd ever had when they did.
"I suppose that might help." He sounded quieter this time, almost timid.
Kyojuro was thankful for the fact that they were on the outside of the tangled mess of limbs that were his sleeping lovers, making it easy for them to gently pull away and leave the bedroom in favour of the cool moonlight and smooth stone paths of the estate.
They walked hand in hand, their feet barely making a sound across the stones that lead out to the garden.
The gentle tap and hollow click of the deer scare Tengen recently set up filled his head, mixing with all of his thoughts and almost drowning out Suma's words.
"Kyojuro? If you want to talk about it, you know I'll listen." Her thumb rubbing over his knuckles brought him back to the moment.
"I....suppose I haven't told you. My father isn't the greatest man." There was a heavy sadness to his voice, and he looked up to the sky with a soft sigh.
Suma frowned when she heard that, and decided to lead them to one of the little benches that were dotted around the garden. She was as gentle as ever as she pulled him to sit.
"How so? If you're comfortable with sharing." Her hand never let go of his.
Kyojuro appreciated how loving and respectful everyone was in this relationship. He wasn't ever pressured into sharing- although he normally did. It was just....easy to talk to them all. It was easy to be comfortable, and to be vulnerable. Something that he wasn't used to.
"He never hit me, even if he came close. It was mainly just....verbal. Not a lot of insults get me anymore because of that," He had to pause, using his thumb to wipe away a tear slipping down his cheek. "And I guess I've just been having a rough time lately. Nightmares aren't common for me."
Suma reached and pushed hair away from his face again, letting her fingers stay tangled up in the strands as she pressed the sweetest little kiss to his temple.
"It's always good to talk, Kyo. I don't understand what its like to go through that, but I'll always listen." Her voice was quiet again- just like it had been when they were still in the bedroom.
It made Kyojuro smile. Of course he knew that any of them would listen, and comfort him, but hearing it always made him feel better.
"I know, love. We should probably head back. Wouldn't want them to wake up and miss us, right?" He chuckled, standing and offering Suma his hand.
Suma giggled at the thought of it, intertwining her fingers with his as she stood. Kyojuro brought a lovely warmth to their lives, and she was glad Tengen had finally gotten the courage to talk to him.
Suma didn't miss the cool metal that pressed against her fingers as she held his hand, a faint smile crossing her face.
"You wear it while you sleep?" Her question was gentle, and she brought their hands up so she could press a tiny kiss over the smooth metal band that was his wedding ring.
"I do indeed! I imagine I'd lose it if I didn't wear it all the time!" Rengoku's laughter was loud and bright as they walked, his face lighting up.
Such a change from the solemn man just moments before.
Suma found his laughter infectious, and could help but giggle as they stopped in front of their door. They quieted down soon enough, though, the only sound being made turning to the rustle of clothes and the smooth sound of doors opening and closing.
Hand in hand, they stepped back into the bedroom, and were met with quite the surprising sight.
Makio, Tengen, and Hinatsuru were all awake. They had lit a few candles, and were sitting together, still in a sleepy, half-hearted cuddle pile. And notably, Tengen and Makio looked a little pouty.
"Kyooo. Sumaaaa. Did you two run off to kiss in the garden?" That was Makio, yawning as she spoke and motioning for them to lay back down.
"And we weren't invited?" Tengen also motioned, opening his arms out to them in a offer to rejoin the pile.
"We just went on a walk. Kyojuro had a bit of a nightmare." Suma spoke softly as she sat down, snuggling up to a very pleased looking Hinatsuru.
Kyojuro settled himself with Tengen and Makio, yawning as he got comfortable.
"I apologize if we woke you up when we left. Just figured it'd help me settle down again." Kyojuro's voice was also quite soft, his head laying on Tengen's chest as his eyes followed Makio when she went to snuff the candles.
"No, no. Just woke up to you guys being gone," Makio yawned again as she practically curled herself around Kyojuro, her hand finding one of his and holding it. "And now you're both back. Which means it's bedtime again."
Kyojuro chuckled at that, closing his eyes with a satisfied sigh.
Tengen was quiet as he reached and tucked back some of Kyojuro's hair behind his ear. It worried him, that he had a nightmare. He knew that his husband was far from being a light sleeper- hell, he snored so loud sometimes it woke them up. So what was causing such a disruptive nightmare, that it startled him awake?
"Kyo? Darling," Tengen's voice was soft, practically whispered into his ear. "What was it about? You're normally a heavy sleeper."
A small sigh escaped Kyojuro, and he leaned to press a soft kiss over the scar that covered Tengen's eye.
"Just something from when I was a kid, Tengen. Old memories." There was a heavy weight that contrasted the softness of his voice.
Tengen understood what that meant, even if he didn't like it. So he ran his fingers through Kyojuro's hair, humming a soft lullaby into his ear. One that he had sung many a time to them all, on nights where sleep eluded them all.
And it helped. Kyojuro wouldn't trade this feeling for anything in the world. His thoughts were filled with pleasant memories as he drifted off, and the faint notes of Tengen's song.