Work Text:
It was a peaceful aftermoon at the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu had served Mitsuri a cup of tea as they sat outside. She had nothing to say, just quietly listened her friend's rambling as she came to visit her and a few injured slayers she had rescued.
“Iguro-san is so sweet! He gifted me this new pair of socks! He was so shy when he handed me the box, so cute!” Mitsuri squealed, replaying the scenario in her head, a gleeful smile raising on her lips.
“And I hanged out with Tomioka-san the other day, he's so calm and composed, his voice is so quiet and soothing..he's so handsome!” she continued, tea barely touched as she focused on her talking, while Shinobu had already finished hers, setting the cup on the small wooden table.
“Ahh, Shinobu-chan, they're both so handsome and strong! They make my heart pound whenever I'm near them. It's such a shame they don't get along! Obanai-san always gets so jealous whenever I spend time with Giyuu, and Giyuu gets quiet and upset whenever I mention Obanai in front of him!” Mitsuri's cheerful tone dropped, a hand on her chest as she sighed.
“They both like you, don't they?” Shinobu finally spoke up, her words made Mitsuri's cheeks flush with a faint pink.
“...You think so? W-well I really like Iguro-san!” the other replied, her gaze suddenly getting shy as she eyed at the flowers surrounding them.
“But, Tomioka-san is also so so handsome!” she quickly added, before squealing and rambling about the two again:
“Iguro is very mindful of my interests and is always so patient with me, his jealousy is so adorable, he speaks little but he speaks such sweet words! Tomioka is very quiet, his little hums are so cute! He's also very patient, and tries to show he cares through small actions, he's so...!” she trailed off, as if she had a sudden realisation. Her cheeks got warmer and were now being held by her hands as she shook her head.
“Ah, Shinobu-chan! I can't decide!” she whined out, cup long forgotten on the table, and the tea was probably getting cold.
Shinobu let out a thoughtful hum, a finger under her chin as she pondered.
“Try to imagine yourself in a relationship with one of them, who would you see yourself better with?” she asked, her hands in her lap as she fully faced the other hashira.
Mitsuri thought about it for a while, visualising herself with Tomioka, then with Iguro...but it was so hard! If she imagined herself with Iguro, she'd feel bad for not including Tomioka in her vision, or vice versa. She was stuck in a loop, until images of her being with both of the men started mixing up, showing up as foggy pictures in her head, then became extremely clear, and too detailed.
Iguro nuzzling her neck and Tomioka hugging her side...so sweet and heart-warming...but what was that?!
She shook her head, trying to recompose herself.
“I can't choose!” she voiced out, desperate.
“That's alright, let's try something else...who do you think cares about you the most?” Shinobu asked, phrasing another question to help her friend.
Mitsuri replayed all the times she hanged out with Obanai and Giyuu in her head...well, Obanai always waited for her to finish her food till she felt full, no matter how long it took, and she appreciated the fact she wasn't judged for her appetite. Giyuu was a good listener, he'd often offer her to walk around his mansion to help her get her mind clear whenever she was upset and needed someone to talk to.
Either way, she felt comfortable with both of them, she could be herself around both of the hashiras. Both appreciated her gifts, her visits, and her cheerful personality.
“Uhh...Giyuu maybe? No, Obanai! But Giyuu too!” she fumbled over her words as she couldn't help but think about that image of her being in the arms of the two again, face flushing red once more.
Shinobu sighed, it was harder than she thought.
“Ahhh! Shinobu-chann..help! I can't choose!!” Mitsuri whined out, her voice high-pitched in frustration and helplessness.
The insect hashira seemed to think about something again as she watched her garden in thought, then she offered yet another idea:
“Why don't you go out with both of them and see who treats you better?” she suggested, and Mitsuri's face lightened up.
“That's a great idea! Shinobu-chan, you're so smart!” she beamed, clapping her hands in delight.
That aftermoon, Mitsuri left the mansion in a hurry, already thinking about the date, hoping that her mind would finally make up who it wanted to be with.
The next day, Mitsuri was waiting outside of a restaurant, the previous night she had sent both Giyuu and Obanai a letter, inviting them to eat together at lunch, mentioning one of the presence of the other, just to make sure they wouldn't bicker about who was supposed to be with her.
She had to wait around twenty minutes before seeing the two of them making her way towards her, already exchanging few glares, but she brushed them off.
“Good morning!” she greeted, Obanai greeted her back while Giyuu stayed silent, but gave her a twinge of a smile.
“Let's head inside, I'm starving already!” she said, and both of them nodded.
As they stepped inside, they were set at a nice table deeper in the restaurant, in a comfortable corner with the window next to them, sunlight rays hitting both them and the table.
Mitsuri had already started picking ten different dishes, calling it a "start". Giyuu picked five of them, he probably loved food just as much as Mitsuri. Obanai merely picked one, and he seemed a bit picky about it too.
While they had to wait for their dishes to be served, Mitsuri tried to start a small chat.
“So, how was your day, Giyuu-san?”
“Oh, uh...good. I slept in, I woke up in the late morning...but I feel rested.”
So cute! His voice is still somewhat sleepy, and his eyes still half-closed...he's so adorable!
Mitsuri thought, nodding in acknowledgement to Giyuu's words, before turning her attention to Obanai.
“What about you, Obanai-san?”
“I trained in the early hours of the morning and stopped moments before showing up here.” he replied, the snake softly hissing as they had Mitsuri's attention.
Ah, Obanai-san is so dedicated...no wonder he's so strong!
Mitsuri thought while petting Kaburamaru's head with her finger, she could still smell the faint scent of Obanai's body wash, he had probably just showered too.
When the first two meals arrived, Mitsuri grabbed hers with eagerness, grabbing her chopsticks and shoving in her mouth bitefuls of her food. Giyuu was eating his dish slower, savouring each biteful in his mouth and appreciating the flavour, though he was watching Mitsuri with some kind of awe.
Obanai played with his food around a bit, before bringing it in his mouth, inspecting it as if it could betray him. Nonetheless, he also liked the dish at hand, but he was definitely the slower out of the three.
“Kanroji...you stained your haori.” Giyuu blatantly pointed out, though he wasn't trying to shame on her. Mitsuri stopped mid biteful and glanced down at her clothes, ears turning red as she saw the very much noticeable stain on her white clothing. She had been so immersed in her food that she hadn't noticed how messily she had been eating, and embarrassment flared.
She set down her chopsticks and hoovered a hand over her mouth, trying to hide her chewing but also her greasy lips as she tried to keep it respectful.
Obanai quietly gave her his napkin, and Mitsuri mumbled a small and grateful "Thank you", before cleaning her mouth.
Once she was done, she took her haori off, exposing her uniform.
“If you'll ever get cold, I could lend you my haori.” Giyuu told her, quietly appreciating her form. As he spoke, Obanai's gaze flickered over the other two, and hearing his words made him glare at the other in begrudging jelousy, though he tried to keep it subtle, and Giyuu barely noticed it.
“That's Very kind of you, Tomioka-san...I'll keep it in mind!” Mitsuri replied, a light pink flush on her cheeks.
They are both so mindful!
She tought, smiling to herself as she also took note of Obanai's little jealous glare.
They kept on eating, Obanai stopped after finishing his first dish, Giyuu was still eating and so was Mitsuri, eagerly emptying bowls and bowls that piled up on the table.
Obanai watched them both in complete silence, something strange blooming in his chest as he watched the two and noticed the differences between them:
Giyuu chewed slowly, he could see a faint smile on his face as he did so, which was a very rare sight, and he couldn't help but feel a flutter in his chest.
Mitsuri ate fast and eagerly, and in between bitefuls, she talked about different topics, which matched her bubbly presence and looks. Eventually she touched the "Cat" topic, which seemed to make some words leave Giyuu's mouth as they both rambled about cats and their favourite kind, which was rather amusing.
He was kind of disappointed in himself as he had these thoughts for both Mitsuri and Giyuu, why would he have those thoughts about Giyuu?
He turned his head and gazed at the restaurant lovely activity, watching waiters roaming around, clients coming in and people talking and interacting with eachother, while Kaburamaru kept hissing in Mitsuri's direction, watching her finish dish after dish.
As Giyuu stopped at his sixth dish, Mitsuri was still going, but had a pause as she waited for her meals to arrive at the table. She watched the waiters taking away all of the empty dishes, then started reflecting on the outcome so far.
Both of them were still standing strong in her head, they were both paying their utmost attention to her, caring for the small things such as Obanai calling the waiter to fill her glass or Giyuu's setting aside in a neat pile her empty dishes. Both of them were sitting silent watching her finish, or occasionally chatting as she replied in between spoonfuls.
She squirmed in her seat, she still couldn't decide, they were both so sweet! Her heart couldn't take it, and she was cursing her mind for being so greedy.
After finally satisfying her hunger, she asked for the receipt, to which Obanai and Giyuu had a small argument over who had to pay, and Mitsuri thought that it was exhilarating seeing them both fight over who had to make a gesture of courtesy for her.
It was very brief as Giyuu gave up, despite his calm tone and sassy responses, he wasn't one who liked to argue at all, especially in public spaces, Mitsuri thought it was a precious trait...
Obanai payed, a generous amount of money that had to cover all of Mitsuri's eaten meals, and she'd feel bad about it at first, but seeing how he was being so genuine and telling her not to worry, her heart lightened a bit.
Once outside, she thanked them for keeping her company at lunch, and went to her own mansion, completely defeated as the lunch hangout didn't do a thing to make up her mind.
“Shinobu-chaann...” she whined the next day, visiting her friend's mansion again, her lips trembling and her cheeks red. She sat on a chair, while Shinobu stood behind her, patting her shoulder with gentle taps.
“That's a shame that it didn't work out...are you sure that there wasn't one who impressed you more, not even in the slightest?” she asked, still trying to help her friend.
“No...! My heart keeps beating fast for both of them, I can't get them out of my head!” Mitsuri complained, hiding her face in her hands.
Shinobu sighed, squeezing her friend's shoulder. She wasn't an expert in the love field, but if Mitsuri was the love hashira...
“You're the love hashira, why would your love need limits or fit the "normality"? At this point, if you like them both...try speaking to both of them and confess your feelings. There's nothing wrong with that, I mean, looks at Tengen-san, he loves three people at the same time, so what's wrong with you doing the same?” she said, her words making Mitsuri's face go red.
“Do you think they would understand?!” she squeked out, she was willing to try it out after Shinobu's encouragement.
“You'll never know if you don't try it out...I personally know Giyuu, I don't think he would be too opposed to the idea. But try to speak with them.” she replied, and Mitsuri immediately jumped on her feet from happiness, nearly making Shinobu stumble.
“Shinobu-chan, you're the best!” she said as she pulled her in a bone-crushing hug, making her wince.
Later, that day, after the Hashira meeting, Mitsuri called both of them to have a word with them.
Now, both Obanai and Giyuu were standing in front of her, and she was nervously fiddling with the sleeves of her haori.
“There's something I need to tell you both, so please hear me out!” her tone high-pitched from a mix of embarrassment and nerves, face flushed as she avoided their gazes.
“I...these past few days I asked you both to hang out...because—, because I like you both!” she blurted out, making their eyes go wide.
“I like you both and I wanted to understand who I liked more out of the two, but my heart keeps beating for both of you! I want to be with you both!” she quickly added, fists clenching and eyes searching for their reaction.
Giyuu seemed stunned, his cheeks flushing of a light pink. While Obanai looked a mix of flattered and pissed, in fact he said:
“I don't share...” he grumbled, eyebrow twitching.
“Wouldn't that mean that me and him would also start dating...?” Giyuu quietly asked, pointing at Obanai, who froze as he heard his words.
“Dating?! Me and him?!” he sputtered, he tried to look pissed but his cheeks were also flushed, which made Mitsuri giggle to herself.
“Y-you don't have to be okay with my idea, I'll back off if you find it weird...but I just had to let you two know...” she muttered next, a shy smile on her lips.
Giyuu looked at both her and Obanai, trying to picture himself with them. It wasn't too bad, the picture in his head seemed kind of nice, if he thought about it...he did like Obanai afterall, he just thought it was a fleeting crush, something superficial. He also liked Mitsuri if he reflected about it a bit more...he enjoyed her bubbly and cheerful personality, her lovely looks and her affection...he liked Obanai's reservedness, quietness and that small spicy spark in him that showed up whenever he argued with him.
“I wouldn't mind.” he finally voiced his opinion, making a spark of hope light up in Mitsuri's chest. Obanai flickered his gaze to Giyuu, he had to admit that, unfortunately, ha also wouldn't have minded too much the idea.
“I'm up to try out the idea...” he started, then he turned his head to fully face Giyuu, “But the moment I see you hogging Mitsuri all to yourself...I'm calling the dibs.” he tried to threaten, but his grumpy mood paired with the flush on his face only made both Giyuu and Mitsuri think how adorable he looked.
Mitsuri squealed in delight, jumping on her feet as she managed to make both of the men she liked get along. A giddy and wide smile appeared on her face as she grabbed both of their hands with her warm ones, pulling them closer and pressing a kiss to their cheek, which made Obanai gulp and Giyuu sputter.
“I'm overjoyed!!” she exclaimed, giggling to herself as she watched Obanai shyly looking the opposite direction, trying to look unaffected, and Giyuu holding the cheek that had just been kissed.