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Sanemi had been sent on a mission that had lasted two weeks. Not that he was complaining; the longer the mission, the more demons he could kill. He was never the best at caring for himself, so he found his crow leading him to one of the houses with the wisteria crest for a much-needed rest. Despite making a few disagreeable remarks, he was secretly relieved once his crow gave him the news. He couldn't remember the last time he could have a real meal, so he looked forward to having some warm, delicious food.
Now that he could finally have a few days of rest, he couldn't help that a soft smile was on his face once he saw the entrance to the Wisteria house. As soon as he reached the front gate, he was greeted by a small, elderly woman. She was said to be one of the families that demon slayers saved, so as a thank you, she offered her estate for shelter for demon slayers to rest. Sanemi isn't one to lower his guard, especially around people he has just met. However, whether it was because of the calming atmosphere the wisteria trees created or the two long weeks of overworking, he was too tired to stay wary of the tiny grandma.
"Hey grandma, is there a bath in there?"
She didn't speak. However, she entered the house with a sleepy Sanemi following closely behind. Almost like magic, she slid a door open to reveal a wooden tub full of hot water. The smell of lavender filled the air; various wooden bowls were full of other herbs with healing properties and some salts and powders. Once the old woman left the room, the tired hashira quickly removed his uniform and submerged himself in the water. All the tension that filled his body instantly vanished.
Although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he was glad he decided to come. Sanemi isn't the biggest introvert in the world, but he did value his solitude, and being on missions and constantly having to interact with people slowly began to drain him. He made sure to take advantage of his time in the bath. Using as many herbs as he could, the room started to smell of chamomile and rosemary.
He felt like he could stay there forever, and he almost did, but Sanemi heard some rustling from outside the bathroom. It was a little annoying to know that someone else came by. Sanemi was secretly hoping he could have the entire house to himself. Not that he knew what it was like to be in a home alone. There was a brief time when he was the only child. Genya was born after five years of living with just his mother and father. Soon after, his other six siblings were born, and life became crazier. He loved his family and loved the little life he had, but unfortunately, the world had other plans for the Shinazugawa family. After that, Sanemi had a hard time being alone. He wasn't used to it, but his anger for demons allowed him to move forward.
Now at 21, he started to prefer being alone. It was much easier for him to be on his own. Sanemi could only stand to be with others for so long until he got annoyed. As a child, he was much more patient, but that was a different time, and Sanemi was no longer that person. So, the thought of someone else at the Wisteria house ticked him off a little. He found a robe next to the tub that wasn't there before. It scared him a little, but he quickly put it on and exited the room. If he weren't so vigilant, Sanemi would have knocked over the small woman waiting for him just outside the room; thankfully, he had quick reflexes and could hold himself on the sides of the door.
"Nice bath?" she asked. She can talk?
"Yes…it was good," he replied.
The herbs from the bath still had their effect, making Sanemi a lot more manageable than usual. He also felt indebted to the old woman, so he wanted to be as polite as possible to a stranger.
"Come," she said.
She led him around the house to another room. Just like before, when she slid the door, there was somehow a tray of food. Actually, there were two trays of food, but Sanemi was the only person at the house. Unless all that noise was from another traveler, none of that mattered, though, since the wind hashira now could eat a homemade meal which was the one thing he wanted. He quickly made his way to sit down and eat. Sanemi made sure to thank the older woman before he dug in. Among the spread was a variety of tempura, a big bowl of rice, some grilled meat, and a cup of herbal tea. Grateful was an understatement; he was genuinely excited to eat something so delicious. He contemplated eating the other person's meal but didn't want the lady to be mad at him.
The door flew open before Sanemi could go out to ask for some more food.
"Your friend is here," she said before giving Sanemi more food and mysteriously disappearing from the room. Friend? What friend?
From what everyone knew, Sanemi Shinazugawa was not a friendly person. Genya was the only one who believed him to be, whom Sanemi was no longer speaking to. Not that he was an evil man, he was actually very kind, but not in an outward sort of way. His kindness was more discreet; as the older brother of seven siblings, his love language was acts of service with no desire of his sweet nature to be found out. It was hard for the eldest Shinazugawa sibling to live without his family, let alone deal with the idea of losing Genya too. The other pillars won't say it to him directly, but Sanemi is a stand-up guy. The world may have been cruel to the wind hashira, but it couldn't take away that gentle character. That being said, Sanemi still had no friends.
The pillars were mainly coworkers, so he didn't see them as friends, especially that guy. He could get along with all of them except for Giyuu Tomioka. Even Muichirou, who was the worst at conversation, was respected by Sanemi. There was just something about Giyuu that rubbed Sanemi the wrong way. It was his calm attitude, how it seemed like Giyuu couldn't care less about any of them, or how he never participated in the pillar meetings. It could even be the way he just stared at you. Sanemi always had a hard time meeting Giyuu in the eyes. It felt like the water hashira was trying to make you feel inadequate, like you didn't deserve his breath. That bothered Sanemi more than he would like to admit.
In mid-thought, the door quietly slid open. It was so silent that Sanemi wouldn't have known someone had walked in if he wasn't facing directly in front of it. His cold, blue eyes staring into your soul made it almost impossible to pretend he wasn't there. Time seemed to slow down for a few minutes; it was possibly only a few seconds of startled eye contact between the two before Giyuu sat right next to Sanemi.
Giyuu gently sat himself down without a word and began to pick at his food. It was dead silent between the two, the only noise being the sound of munching on their dinner. Awkward was an understatement; it was downright unbearable in that room. You wouldn't be able to sit there without hoping for someone to bail you out, and that's what was going through Sanemi's mind then.
Sanemi Shinazugawa was sharing a meal with Giyuu Tomioka. Sharing implies that it was a decided event; this was more like an I wish you weren't next to me, but I'm hungry and too tired to do anything about it sort of meal. Sanemi didn't know what it was about Giyuu Tomioka that made him so angry. It always seemed like Giyuu caught Sanemi at his worst moments. It was like Giyuu's mission to watch the wind hashira make a fool out of himself. Not only that, but it seemed like Giyuu despised him, and for some reason, Sanemi couldn't stand it. He would even try to get a reaction out of him by being unnecessarily mean, but that never worked. It was like the water hashira was made of stone or something even more annoying.
There was a time when Sanemi genuinely wanted to be on good terms with the man beside him. But all his efforts proved to be useless. Sanemi, a man who wasn't great at conversation, tried his best to start one with the silent man long ago, right when they met for the first time. He heard of the new water hashira and how dedicated he was to protecting people, that he was powerful yet somehow had a gentleness about his craft. It interested Sanemi, and when he saw the infamous water pillar in the flesh, it left ideas of more than just a partnership to be made. But all his efforts were in vain; Giyuu Tomioka was uninterested in getting to know Sanemi. So, Sanemi gave up and eventually ignored Giyuu's existence until this very moment, which proved more difficult than training to become a hashira.
A quiet voice broke through Sanemi's thoughts.
"Did you like the bath?" the man beside him asked. Long pause. A very long pause.
Sanemi turned to look at the man to his right, but Giyuu was still eating, so he must have misheard. There was no way he spoke. No way the stoic man talked to Sanemi. After so many months of being ignored, Sanemi could not believe this moment was happening. Since that what his logic, Sanemi stupidly assumed he had misheard and made up the whole thing.
The white-haired hashira returned to his meal, not bothering to question what had happened.
A soft voice spoke once again.
"Did you use the herbs?" Giyuu asked.
Sanemi looked next to him again, only this time, to be met with a pair of sea-colored eyes. Shocked couldn't begin to explain how he felt at this moment. Giyuu spoke to him, and not only that, he asked him something. A slight blush slowly made its way onto Sanemi's face, but in his embarrassment, he swiftly turned his face back to his tray, which was empty. He's so close.
"What's it to you?" Sanemi said. No, no, no!
That was not what he wanted to say. He wanted to respond well to his fellow hashira. This was the time to make a good impression and get Giyuu to like him, but Sanemi got so nervous that he blurted out something he didn't want to say. Yes, Giyuu annoyed Sanemi, but that wasn't the only thing he felt for the raven-haired man. There was a time when Sanemi believed Giyuu to be attractive, and he still did, but now he felt upset for even thinking the stoic man was pretty. It was extremely upsetting for Sanemi to find Giyuu so beautiful, only to remember that Giyuu hated him.
“You smell like chamoille,” Tomioka said.
There were two things that Sanemi could do, either ignore Giyuu or respond. If he chose to respond, he could choose between responding like he usually would or how he wanted to. This conversation may never happen again between the two. Life as Hashira was never promised. Who knows the next time Sanemi will be able to meet with Giyuu like this? At this moment, Sanemi was sharing a meal with the man he was desperate to get to know. So, the scarred-covered man made a choice he knew he wouldn't regret.
He decided to be a dick.
"You smell like shit." He smells like flowers.
"Oh…do you not like lavender," Giyuu asked.
By this time, both men had finished their meals. There was no reason for either one to still be in that room, sitting beside each other, with their thighs slightly touching. No reason at all.
"It's alright," Sanemi said.
He loved lavender. Especially on Giyuu, who somehow made the herb smell strong. In Sanemi's eyes, Giyuu was strikingly beautiful in both a cutthroat and soft way. His eyes were sharp as a knife, yet his movements were smooth as a ballerina. In truth, Sanemi was embarrassed by how much he thought of Giyuu Tomioka. But it couldn't be helped, almost like it was natural for him to feel this way towards his fellow pillar.
"Does it bother you," Giyuu asks.
"Does what bother me?"
"That I'm here."
Sanemi didn't know the conversation about herbs would lead to this moment. He began to feel nervous. The butterflies in his stomach started to grow and spread throughout his entire body. He was secretly happy that Giyuu was the one who was at the house and not the other Hashira. But the idea that Giyuu despised Sanemi was enough to sour the wind pillar's mood. Whenever Giyuu was around, Sanemi's emotions would go back and forth like an ocean in the middle of a storm. He would be happy to see the back of Giyuu's figure only to then curse him out when he saw him the next day; Sanemi would smile softly, watching Giyuu tend to the garden outside the master's house, and a few hours later, feel utterly depressed that Giyuu ignored him again.
Sanemi Shinazugawa had it bad for Giyuu Tomioka; that much was obvious.
"I don't know," Sanemi said.
"You used to talk to me a lot more, but now, you curse at me," Giyuu said.
This was true. Very true. Sanemi was an idiot when it came to the feelings of his heart. Although it was difficult, Sanemi could say to himself that he may like Giyuu in a way that wasn't friendly even though it was apparent, significantly so that all the other hashira could tell that Sanemi was longing for Giyuu.
But Sanemi was tired of acting mean to his crush. It hurt him to be mean, especially to someone who never had a clue. So, he thought now was the best time to clear the air. He took a nice bath, had a delicious meal with the man he was pining for, and would hopefully have the best night's sleep after burying the hatchet.
"I know, and I'm sorry about that. I don't know how to say it, so I'll just be honest with you; I wanted to be friends with you for a long time, and I tried, but you hate me. I'm a dick to you, and I get why you dislike me. I won't bother you after today; I want us to be on good terms, okay? I'll leave you alone now."
There was a slight ache in Sanemi's chest after he spilled his heart out. He hoped Giyuu would want to try to be friends with him again so they could start over from scratch. There was even some slight hope that Giyuu may feel exactly how Sanemi felt. Maybe Giyuu liked Sanemi? Maybe Giyuu was just nervous like Sanemi was and actually wanted more than friendship. But it was too good to be true because how can someone as great as Giyuu Tomioka want anything to do with Sanemi Shinazugawa?
In a self-conscious haze, Sanemi moved to stand up and leave the room, but a hand quickly shot up to drag him back to his spot on the floor.
"I don't hate you," a soft voice said.
Giyuu was looking at Sanemi with a pleading look. Almost like Giyuu was also afraid, they would never speak to each other again. But that couldn't be true, right?
"But you never talk to me, and you always stare at me like I'm some freak loser, and whenever I'm in the room, you always walk out," the lovestruck man said.
"That's because you make me nervous," the beautiful man replied. Eh?
"I make you nervous?" the idiot asked.
"Yes," the other idiot said.
Giyuu turned his head to look at the ground, pink slowly making its way on his face, neck, and even ears. He was now a blushing mess. Sanemi couldn't believe his eyes were witnessing this moment. Giyuu was nervous around Sanemi. All this time, Sanemi thought the only thing Giyuu felt for him was indifference, but to find out he was just shy, just like Sanemi was, made him so stupidly happy.
"What about me makes you nervous," Sanemi slowly moved his hand so his fingers were right below Giyuu's chin, guiding his face upwards so the two hashira were now making eye contact. Sanemi dropped his hand to his lap, wanting to touch him more, but he didn't want to scare Giyuu off.
Warmth spread throughout Sanemi's chest. He couldn't stop the soft smile from forming on his face nor the gentle look in his eyes that practically screamed to Giyuu I like you so much. He was just so happy, so pathetically, embarrassingly happy.
"Everything," Giyuu quietly said. He spoke in a small whisper; Sanemi probably wouldn't have heard it if he wasn't so close.
"So, you don't hate me," Sanemi asked.
"No, not at all. Do you hate me?" Giyuu asked.
"No, not at all."
"So, do you like me?"
Giyuu looked at Sanemi like he was a dream. That at any moment, Sanemi would walk away from this room and disappear off the face of the world, but that it was a miracle he chose to be sitting beside him. Giyuu had feelings for Sanemi for a long time, but he was even more of an introvert than his fellow pillar. He loved that Sanemi spoke to him because Giyuu was not confident to do it first. All the times the wind hashira made conversation were welcomed and even wished for. Giyuu wasn't aware that Sanemi was so upset by his words and actions. In the water hashira's mind, Sanemi was being nice because it was his duty as a pillar. But, the atmosphere at this moment started to feel more than just an attempt at friends. So, as an apology, Giyuu would take the next step for them both.
"Yes, but not in a friendly way," Giyuu said.
"So, you like me in a coworker sort of way," Sanemi moved, so instead of being next to Giyuu, he was now directly in front of him. With Giyuu sitting with his legs crossed, Sanemi sat on either side of Giyuu, caging him in with his thighs.
"No," Giyuu whispered.
"Oh, so you're a fan of mine," Sanemi moved his hands so they rested gently on Giyuu's.
His rough fingers played around with Giyuu's light fingers; it was silent while the two of them just enjoyed each other's close company. There were a few giggles from the two as they interlocked hands, both of the hashira making eye contact right at that moment, sweet grins forming.
"I guess you could say that."
"So all that time I was being ignored, you were working up the courage to ask for my autograph?"
"Yes, and to tell you, I like you," Giyuu said.
Giyuu had a gentle grin with a beautiful pink blush spreading, making him look like the most gorgeous person Sanemi had ever seen. Sanemi had a rich smile and bent his head down so he could gather himself before the few tears that started to form made their way out. But almost like Giyuu had a sixth sense, he took his hands and held Sanemi's face before he sweetly kissed Sanemi's lips.
Sanemi had undergone brutal training before becoming a hashira, yet he thought Giyuu would be the one to kill him. Not only is the man he has longed for confessing to Sanemi, but he is sharing his first kiss with the man he has been head over heels for; it was enough to give the wind hashira a lifetime of happiness.
"I like you too," Sanemi breathed out.
Just as Sanemi got the words out, the old woman returned to the room. The two men would have been embarrassed if they had enough time to register her movement, but she was so mysteriously fast that she was already out by the time they knew it. Both hashira looked to their side to find two new trays of fresh hot food. It didn't take long for either one to start laughing at their awkward situation. Not every day do you see two of the highest-ranking demon slayers giggling while holding on to one another for dear life.
"Do you want to go on a date," Sanemi asked.
Although the two had already eaten, they decided the meal beforehand didn't count. Sanemi reached over to drag both trays so that they could start their new journey together on a clean slate. After several months of misunderstanding, the two hashira can finally enjoy a meal together, not as friends, but as boyfriends.