your most regular patient at the butterfly house is none other than the flame hashira, RENGOKU KYOJURO. you're sure it means nothing. literally everyone else knows otherwise.
content. 1.6k ノ fluff, comfort, reader is oblivious, loser!rengoku, bad flirting, period-inaccurate medical procedures, shinobu is done ノ m.list
your newest patient at the butterfly house is, in fact, not new.
“you really need to take better care of yourself, rengoku-sama,” you chide as the man perches on the edge of the bed.
he has the decency to look marginally abashed, face flushing as he averts his gaze. something about him is quelled in these rare moments where he's on the receiving end of the type of help he usually gives so readily. somehow, he feels more reachable; less a star burning valiantly in the deepest folds of the sky and more the crackling comfort of a fireplace one curls in front of, wrapped in its heat like a blanket, thawing out the biting cold.
regardless. your job is not to latch onto the awkward way he scratches the back of his neck or how he speaks a touch quieter than ordinary. it’s certainly not to notice the uncharacteristic way his gaze flits around you but never quite seems to land; certainly not to think that — presumptuously, horrifyingly — you would like to be somewhere he can rest.
an initial cursory assessment returns no clear signs of illness; his complexion is deep and warm, movements lithe, muscles coiling underneath his uniform. everything about him, from the thick waves of his fiery hair to the brightness in his eyes and the rich timbre of his voice, speaks of a lavish vitality. even so, he must be feeling under the weather if he’s back here so soon. you can't help but worry about the increasing frequency of his visits. perhaps he’s experiencing headaches again, or those mysterious stomach pains you’d never gotten to the bottom of.
what are you missing?
you sigh, voice laden with concern. “i don’t like seeing you here so often…”
“you don’t want to see me?” he says, instantly crestfallen.
“that’s not, i mean…” you flounder, the starched fabric of your collar scratching uncomfortably against your neck. the penlight slips briefly in your grip and you force yourself to refocus. “can you look at the corner of the ceiling for me?”
he obeys readily as you check his pupillary reflex, tilting his chin upwards. the flame hashira has such strength of presence; you’d always been acutely aware of him, though he'd operated in the periphery of your life until a vicious demon attack wounded two slayers who had accompanied him on a mission. your first proper encounter was hurried, flavoured by distress, yet despite the bags under his eyes and the bloodstains drying on his clothes, he took the time to thank you with a sincerity that quite frankly left you floored. you'd never been quite able to get him out of your mind after that.
standing between his legs, you're acutely aware of the heat radiating off his body, mere inches away from your own. and still, the distance. as per the procedure his eyes next fix on your features with an intensity you can't quite name and you have to fight to uphold your mask of professionalism as blood rushes to your face. he smells spicy and sweet. something about him makes you dizzy — almost unwell, pulse fluttering and breathing shaky — as if he's sucked all the oxygen out of the room.
“everything's looking good...” your brow furrows as you turn off the penlight with a soft click. his eyes follow you as you hastily retreat to note down his symptoms in a crisply organised folder, trying to calm yourself against your rising apprehension. the very least you can do for him is find the source of his discomfort, and yet...
“hmm…” lost in thought, you lean over and rest the back of your hand on his forehead. it’s warmer than ordinary, but that’s to be expected given the nature of his Breathing style. “i don’t feel a fever,” you murmur.
his skin heats under your touch as he smiles brilliantly up at you, and you feel your breath catch in your throat.
“oh!” he says. “how interesting!”
for some reason you haven't moved an inch. he’s fixing you in place, pulling you towards him. if he is a star then you are a planet trapped in his orbit, and who are you to complain if he is illuminating you? he feels strangely alive under your touch in a way you didn’t expect. flesh and skin and blood and bone. you find your hand slipping, your knuckle brushing against his temple, threatening to do more. cup his jaw? hold him together? as if you have the right. as if he doesn’t know he is just as breakable as everyone else (and still, you know, he pushes himself past his limits). the epitome of strength and he is porcelain to you and just as motionless, as if he has grown roots.
“rengoku-sama…”
your voice melts into the air between you like cotton candy: a burst of sweetness, entirely insubstantial. you speak without knowing how your sentence will end — knowing it cannot, in good conscience, end in any way at all — yet his eyes widen as he looks up at you, breath stilling between his parted lips as if he’s somehow learned the shape of your silences too.
“you’re kidding me,” says a flat voice.
shinobu has paused in the doorway, balancing a huge stack of papers in her arms with graceful ease. your hand drops from the hashira’s face like a dead thing, posture straightening — when did you get so close?
“back again, rengoku-san?” shinobu queries, tone dripping honey.
“it seems so!” he looks completely nonperturbed, legs swinging back and forth over the edge of the table in the manner of a small child.
though it's against protocol to disturb a consultation, you're grateful for the uncharacteristic intrusion given your current concerns regarding the flame hashira’s health. “shinobu-sama, do you think you could spare a moment to—”
shinobu gives a conversation-killing smile. “i'd rather not get involved.”
confused, you exchange a look with rengoku-sama whose expression is just as clueless as yours, head tilted to the side.
“i don’t…”
but shinobu’s smile only intensifies, leaving your voice trailing off into the air. “please find me as soon as you have a free moment, by the way. transitioning to the new system of organisation is proving to be quite tiresome and i need everyone on the same page.”
and before you can respond, she’s shaking her head to herself as she moves on. you'll have to follow up with her later; there's always a certain exasperation in her stance whenever rengoku-sama is involved.
when you turn back to rengoku-sama, he’s tossed his cape over his arm with a flourish and gotten to his feet, reaching out to clasp your hand in both of his, skin rough and warm. “thank you for your assistance. i wouldn’t want to take any more of your time.”
you slip your hand out of his grasp, shaking your head. “you’ll have to sit back down, rengoku-sama; i haven’t quite gotten to the bottom of this yet.”
“don’t worry! i’m feeling much better now.” the flame hashira pauses as he heads towards the door, turning to assess you with a critical eye. “however, i do feel concerned about your own health.”
you startle. “my health?”
“i’d hate to overstep, but… you give the impression that you haven’t been resting well as of late.”
well, it’s true you’ve been struggling with your sleep lately, and the relentless nature of your work means you’ve been skipping more meals than you’d like. but… how did he know that? has the quality of your care declined? have you messed up in any way? are there bags under your eyes?
rengoku-sama, however, has not quite finished; he seems to be choosing his words with weighted deliberation, his face more serious than you’re used to.
“to serve others as selflessly as you do, you must first look out for yourself. i would very much appreciate if, in the future, you made sure to see to your own needs as earnestly as you see to mine.”
a flush of red is blossoming on his face as he speaks — from what, you can’t imagine — but his gaze is steady. he hesitates, then rests his hand briefly on your shoulder. “would you promise me that?”
you feel heat rush to your face, senses alight, and it seems a monumental task to string together a sentence. “i… i promise.”
he beams so brightly it’s as if someone flicked a switch. “wonderful! i’ll see you soon, then.”
“well, i’d hope not,” you falter, considering the implications of rengoku-sama having to visit you again so soon.
the words seem to tumble out of him. “if i didn’t have other responsibilities, i wouldn’t mind falling ill if it meant spending time with you,” he says rapidly, then exits out the door with such haste he knocks into the frame.
oh, that was sweet.
…
oh.
oh.
hold on.
“whatever are you standing around for?” shinobu says over her shoulder as she passes through the hallway outside, dragging you out of your reverie. her eyes seem to latch onto something in your expression and she does a double take.
“you finally realised?”
“yes,” you say hoarsely. “i did. shinobu-sama, do you think…”
“there’s absolutely no doubt about it.”
“are you sure? i just never thought he’d actually want to — well, be friends with me.”
shinobu stares at you. five full seconds of an expression you’ve never glimpsed on her before — something deeply pained, between exasperation and despair.
“do you have a headache, shinobu-sama?” you venture cluelessly.
“two, actually,” she grits out, massaging the bridge of her nose. “god help me.”
waxing poetry about each other all "u havent eaten 🥺" & then pretending they're just coworkers. pmooo
am i back in my fluff era, one may ask? the answer is NO!
the answer is i'm cooking up angst so horrific behind the scenes i'm already feeling guilty & am offering these up as a preemptive apology. enjoy
first time i've had enough drabbles to put a couple on queue i feel so Writer and Organised ... sugawara fluff out #soon
★ want to be added to a taglist? — @lizbix @alcyneus @warfairie @stars4you777 @1-800reki @riniaras @evesfairytale @livteracts @vorfreudevortex @adoresia @callme-naomi @little-hell-and-co
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Delusional enough to believe that the Doctor decided to call the quantum fold chamber where he kept Missy ‘the Vault’ because it held something dear to him.
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had the awesome opportunity to work with the good folks over at Haunted Table a few years back - got to contribute a few pieces of artwork for Triangle Agency's mission book, The Vault!
was a super fun project, thank you everyone who's supported and enjoyed the game so far o/
