𝑻𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒐𝒌𝒂 𝑮𝒊𝒚𝒖𝒖 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏: 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕
Pairing: Giyuu x fem!reader
Word count: 2.0k
Warnings: none.
Tags: fluff ┇ mutual pining ┇ friends to lovers
Tomioka Giyuu doesn't find out about the rumor when it starts, he doesn't find out until it's been circulating for months.
"Where's your partner? Did she leave on a mission?"
The question catches him so off guard that he stares at the kakushi for several seconds, unable to fully process the words he just heard. He even wonders if he heard correctly.
"My what?"
"Your partner, the Moon Hashira."
The man says it so confidently that, for a moment, Giyuu wonders if he's missed something important. It feels like everyone else had a conversation he was never told about.
"We're not a couple," he says quickly.
"Oh."
The response is brief, but the expression on the kakushi's face speaks for itself, making it painfully obvious that he doesn't believe him at all.
Giyuu doesn't think much of it at the time. He makes the mistake of assuming it's a one-time thing, but it happens again, and then again, and again. Every time you show up, every time someone sees the two of you talking for more than a few minutes, every time you end up sitting beside him during a meeting, every time someone finds you sharing a quiet conversation in a secluded corner of headquarters…
At first, it's just passing comments, knowing looks, and amused smiles, small hints that Giyuu simply ignores, but as the days go by, they become far too frequent to overlook.
The most confusing part is that nobody seems to question it. Even Shinobu has joined this mission to drive the Water Hashira insane, and every time she approaches him, it's only to say something about you.
One afternoon, after hearing a question related to you for the fifth time that week, he finally frowns slightly.
"Why does everyone think that?" The question slips from his lips before he can stop it.
The kakushi standing in front of him blinks.
"Think what?"
"That the Moon Hashira and I are together."
The man raises his eyebrows and looks at him as if he's just asked the most ridiculous question in the world.
"Well…" the kakushi rubs the back of his neck. "It's pretty obvious, Tomioka-sama. You're very affectionate with each other, and Koucho-sama said the other day that she saw you kissing…"
Giyuu goes completely still. The world seems to stop around him, and the kakushi's words replay endlessly inside his head. His jaw tightens ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, but enough to reveal that something in his usual patience has begun to crack.
"That's not true."
The kakushi opens his mouth as though he wants to insist, but something in Giyuu's expression stops him. He leaves with a quick, awkward bow, leaving Giyuu alone with his thoughts.
Giyuu lightly curls his fingers inside the sleeves of his haori as he starts walking at an unhurried pace, though his steps now have a much clearer destination.
He finds Shinobu shortly afterward, and of course he finds her smiling peacefully. She's sitting beneath the shade of a tree, reviewing medical reports, and she doesn't even seem surprised when he stops in front of her.
"Good afternoon, Tomioka-san."
"Kochou."
She looks up.
"Do you need something?"
"Of course I do," he growls.
Shinobu's smile widens just a little.
"Really? And what would that be?"
"Why did you tell people that [Name] and I kissed?"
Shinobu's expression shifts into something far more amused, and Giyuu is convinced she knew all along that they would eventually have this conversation.
"Oh, did you find out?"
"So it was you," Giyuu says, his hand unconsciously brushing the hilt of his sword as Shinobu immediately raises both hands in surrender.
"Well, maybe."
"Kochou."
"It was an innocent joke, Tomioka-san," she dismisses with a gentle wave of her hand.
"It wasn't funny," he snaps.
"I laughed."
Giyuu feels a vein pulse in his forehead, and Shinobu lets out a quiet giggle. Even he doesn't know how he's managed to tolerate the other Hashira and fight alongside them for so long, though you're the exception. He prefers every mission to be with you, where he only has to deal with your jokes or complaints.
At least yours are adorable. Shinobu's only seem to test his patience.
"It's not like people needed much help anyway. You two are very obvious, you know?" Shinobu shrugs, returning her attention to the reports.
"We're not dating."
"Of course," she agrees, but Giyuu can hear the sarcasm.
Without question, Shinobu wins the title of most annoying Hashira. It's impossible to have a conversation with her, and every time he does, he feels like he ages a little faster.
"Anyway, if you want the rumors to disappear, you should talk to her."
Giyuu freezes. His cheeks flush faintly, and he clears his throat while looking away. It hadn't occurred to him to talk to you about the rumors. After all, it's embarrassing, no matter how much he tries to deny it. Maybe you don't know about them, or maybe you do and simply don't care.
"And how would that solve anything? People will keep talking," he mutters.
Shinobu studies him over the top of her reports for a few seconds.
"Yeah, probably."
"Then there's no point." Giyuu frowns.
"Then keep pretending you don't understand why the rumors started." Shinobu begins gathering her papers.
"I already told you I don't understand."
The Insect Hashira sighs dramatically.
"You're even denser than I thought, Tomioka-san."
Giyuu takes offense and tries to speak, but Shinobu continues.
"The other day, [Name] came back with three cracked ribs and a mild head injury."
Giyuu immediately straightens.
"What?"
"There it is." She smiles.
"I only care because she's my partner and she was hurt." Giyuu takes a step back, jaw tightening.
"Of course."
"Anyone would react like that."
Shinobu's smile becomes unbearably sweet.
"Do you know how many slayers came in injured last month?" The question leaves Giyuu speechless, but Shinobu doesn't stop. "How many of them did you ask about? Do you know how many times you showed up at the infirmary to check whether she'd woken up?"
Giyuu doesn't answer, and Shinobu stands up, delicately dusting off her haori.
"Three times in a single afternoon. By the third time, you didn't even bother pretending to have an excuse."
Shinobu walks a few steps away, then turns back to look at him.
"So do us all a favor and go talk to her, okay?"
So that's exactly what he does.
He goes looking for you at your estate. He walks stiffly, and people stare as he passes, but he doesn't even notice, too uneasy about having to discuss this with you.
You're sitting on the edge of the engawa with a cup of tea in your hands, your gaze lost in the garden. Your eyes brighten the moment you see him, and you motion for him to come over and sit beside you.
"Giyuu," you say as he sits down.
Something in his expression makes you tilt your head slightly.
"Did something happen?"
"Yes."
"Something bad?"
Without thinking, you place one of your hands over his, and Giyuu startles slightly.
"I don't know."
That only confuses you more, and you frown a little.
"Giyuu, tell me what's wrong. Give me something more than one-word answers…"
"People think we're dating," he blurts out.
You fall silent for several seconds, completely speechless. You blink a few times in surprise before bursting into laughter. Giyuu looks at you as though you've suddenly grown a second head, and it's adorable.
"What's so funny?" he whispers, feeling his stomach twist.
The idea that you find it amusing to imagine the two of you as a couple makes him feel sick.
"You didn't know?" you ask, wiping away a tear forming at the corner of your eye.
"No."
That only makes you laugh harder.
"Giyuu, people have been saying that for months."
"I've noticed that now," he says with a grimace.
"I thought you knew and just didn't care." Your eyes widen dramatically. "How is it possible that you never heard them before?"
You cover your mouth with one hand, trying to contain your laughter.
"I'm sorry," you attempt to apologize, but you don't sound sincere at all.
When you finally calm down, there's still a smile lingering on your lips. You look at Giyuu fondly and tighten your hold on his hand. This is the moment you've been waiting for. You thought you didn't have a chance because Giyuu never seemed interested, but if the only reason was that he hadn't heard the rumors…
"Well, I guess it makes sense," you begin, scratching your cheek.
"It doesn't," he denies, frowning.
"Of course it does."
Seeing Giyuu so stubbornly in denial almost makes you consider backing out and forgetting the whole thing, but you need to get these feelings off your chest and finally breathe a little easier.
"Why?" Giyuu holds his breath, and you give him a small smile.
"Do you really not realize it?"
Giyuu shakes his head, unable to find the strength to answer. Suddenly, a strange feeling overtakes him. The weight of his own body crashes down on him with overwhelming intensity, crushing him little by little, as though an invisible force is anchoring him in place and preventing him from taking even a single step or changing his posture.
"I like you," you whisper shyly, lowering your gaze to your joined hands.
You squeeze your eyes shut, waiting for a reaction, but nothing happens. He doesn't pull his hand away, he doesn't move back, and he doesn't answer. You can only feel his gaze fixed on the top of your head. Your cheeks slowly redden until your face feels like it's on fire, and you finally lift your head just enough to look at him through your lashes.
He's staring at you as though he didn't understand what you just said, but he understood perfectly. The problem is that his mind seems incapable of moving past those words.
You like him.
You like him.
Part of Giyuu had always assumed his feelings were doomed to remain exactly where they were. He'd learned to live with them long before he ever found a name for them. He liked spending time with you, sought out your company even when he had no reason to, and found a strange sense of peace in your presence. He'd accepted all of it without expecting anything in return.
Expecting something would've been too much, because in his eyes, you're far beyond his reach, far beyond anything that would allow him to hope for a place by your side. That's why your confession hits him with a force he wasn't prepared for.
His fingers tighten slightly around yours.
"You… like me?"
The question leaves his mouth before he can stop it. He needs to hear it again to convince himself he didn't imagine it.
You lift your head completely, inhaling sharply.
"Yes," you say without hesitation, and something inside Giyuu suddenly loosens.
He hadn't realized how much tension he'd been carrying until that moment. He closes his eyes, feeling his heart race wildly inside his chest.
You're the first to look away.
"You don't have to say anything if you don't…"
"No."
Giyuu interrupts you so quickly that both of you are surprised.
"No, it's not that."
He intertwines his fingers with yours and rests his forehead against yours, closing his eyes.
"I'm just trying to understand how I didn't realize it sooner."
And when your eyes meet his again, the smile that appears on your face makes his heart lurch so suddenly and so painfully that he almost doesn't know what to do with himself.
Because no matter how difficult it is to admit, he's starting to suspect that Shinobu is going to laugh at him for the rest of his life, and for the first time, he's not entirely sure he can say he doesn't deserve it.
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