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The loud creak of the front gates made Tomioka jump just when he thought he'd finally started to fall asleep.
He heard someone walking through the snow outside. They took slow, heavy steps and probably struggled to reach the front door.
The snow had already been a couple of inches deep when Tomioka had arrived here earlier, it probably was a lot more now.
Wide awake again and with a scowl on his face he turned to lay on his back and stared at the ceiling.
Outside the wind howled threateningly and Tomioka shivered.
He had never been good with freezing temperatures.
He could bare most cold days just fine, even when he was out on a mission.
But days like today were a different story.
When it was so cold even taking a breath hurt Tomioka tended to wrap himself in extra thick clothing, drink lots of tea and sit close to a fire if possible.
But since he'd been on a mission far away from home he hadn't brought many things with him. His usual clothes were soaked through and he'd hung them up next to the small fireplace in his room. The long sleep garments he had gotten from the owner of the estate were soft and fit perfectly but they did little to warm him, even with the added blanket he'd burrowed himself into.
He wondered who came by this house in the middle of the night – and in the middle of a snow storm.
A poor soul who hadn't sought shelter in time and had seen this house in the distance?
Someone with an urgent message for the owners?
Maybe a servant that had been sent out earlier and only now had managed to come back?
Tomioka didn't know.
But he was up and reaching for his katana anyway, despite the lingering cold outside of his bedsheets.
He'd learned long ago that one could never be too careful.
It could just be a traveller in need but there were always people who would take advantage of kind-hearted people like the owners of this estate.
It wouldn't hurt to check.
He slung his free arm across his waist to try and shield himself from the cold and slowly tip toed towards the door.
Downstairs someone knocked on the front door.
The owners had been so kind to give Tomioka the only spare room that was on the first floor.
He had assured them that he would be fine sharing the bigger room downstairs with a couple of other members of the demon slayer corps who had sought a safe place for the night too.
But since his status was way higher than theirs the owners had insisted on giving him the small guest room and a part of Tomioka was glad that he had accepted.
It was less noisy upstairs and if it wasn't for the biting cold he could have probably rested well there.
Now though he padded towards the stairs and quietly made his way to the ground floor.
“... what an honour to meet you! I'll have a bath prepared for you right away. Unfortunately, we do have a lot of guests tonight and we already gave our only other spare room to someone else but if you want to we can-”
“Don't you worry about me, Sato-san. A bath sounds just wonderful! And I will gladly share the bigger room with the younger members. I don't mind at all.”
Tomioka instantly recognized the voice of the person who had answered.
It was loud and cheerful, a little boisterous almost.
It could only really belong to one person and Tomioka wasn't surprised to catch a glimpse of familiar fiery red and blonde hair when he reached the bottom of the stairs and peeked into the entrance hall.
His grip around the hilt of his katana loosened.
“Very well. One of my servants will come and get you once everything is ready.”
The traveller bowed.
“Thank you very much!”
The owner left with hurried steps and once it was quiet the traveller suddenly noticed that he wasn't alone.
He turned around and his eyes went wide when he recognized Tomioka, then he smiled brightly.
“Tomioka-san!”
“Rengoku-san”, Giyuu greeted him quietly but with a tiny smile softening his usual serious expression. “I didn't expect to meet you here. And this late at night too.”
Rengoku's thick winter clothes had bits of snow still clinging to them and his hair was starting to get wet from the melting snowflakes.
“Yeah, my mission took longer than I had anticipated and so I had the unfortunate luck of almost getting lost in this snow storm”, he explained. “But luckily I came across this wisteria house on my route.”
The hashira barked a laugh.
“I don't think I have ever seen so much snow. The journey took so long and I'm quite tired now.”
Tomioka felt a twinge of compassion in his chest because he felt quite the same.
“You can come upstairs after your bath and share the guest room with me. It will certainly be more quiet than sleeping next to all the younger members.”
“Are you sure?”
Rengoku knew Tomioka was a quiet and introverted person and sometimes he even feared that he talked to him too much and therefore annoyed him unwillingly.
But Tomioka nodded.
“Yes, I'm sure. It's the first door to the left.”
With that he left to go back upstairs.
He wasn't sure why he had offered to share the space with Rengoku so quickly but Tomioka actually enjoyed the flame hashira's presence quite a lot, even if he was loud and a little overwhelming at times.
Tomioka knew that he was a good person and Rengoku deserved some good rest after the long mission he no doubt had just completed.
He shivered when he opened the door to his guest room again and wasted no time getting back to his bed and wrapping himself in his blanket.
He hoped that Rengoku didn't take long to join him because while he was still super tired he was also sensitive to noise.
In the unlikely case that he did fall asleep in the next half hour he would just jolt awake again anyway when Rengoku eventually entered their room.
So he tried to stay awake – which wasn't hard because he continued shivering despite the added – but admittedly little – warmth of the blanket.
When he then finally heard steps coming up the wooden stairs he was curled up on his mat, trying to preserve as much heat as he could by making himself as small as possible under his blanket.
The door quietly slid open.
“Tomioka-san?”
“Yes. Come on in.”
Rengoku stepped inside and slid the door shut behind him.
He carried his travel baggage, katana, another mat and a set of bedding in his arms and as far as Tomioka could tell he was already dressed in sleep clothes too.
“I didn't wake you up, did I?”
“No. I wasn't asleep yet.”
“Okay, good.”
Tomioka watched over the edge of the blanket as Rengoku put away his things and then set up his bed a bit away from his.
“Are you feeling up to talk a bit?”, Rengoku asked as he made himself comfortable. “Or are you too tired?”
“I am quite tired, Rengoku-san”, Tomioka apologized quietly. “But if the snow continues to fall like that we probably won't be able to leave tomorrow. Let's talk in the morning.”
“Alright.”
Rengoku smiled as he said this and Tomioka felt himself smiling the tiniest bit in return.
“Good night, Rengoku-san”, he mumbled and burrowed further into his pillow.
“Good night, Tomioka-san.”
Tomioka closed his eyes and the room was filled with a comfortable silence in seconds. He found that he felt actually more at ease with Rengoku there.
His life was a lonely one for the most part, had been for years now and he had made his peace with that a long time ago.
But it felt nice just sharing a room with one of the few people he actually considered a friend.
After a few minutes Giyuu felt himself drifting off slowly and sent a silent prayer to the gods, thanking them before sleep started to pull him under.
But then a strong breeze suddenly rattled the windows and let in a bit of cold air that immediately made Tomioka shiver violently as it hit the sensitive skin on his nape.
His sleepiness was gone and he cursed quietly as he tried to pull up his blanket higher around himself.
Startled by the rustling and the noise Rengoku raised his head and squinted over to his friend.
“Tomioka-san? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I'm fine”, the water hashira said through pressed teeth. “Sorry if I woke you up.”
“I wasn't sleeping yet”, Rengoku assured him, then he sat up properly.
In the dim light of the dying fire he could see Tomioka shivering beneath the blanket he'd slung around his body.
“Are you cold?”, he asked, but realizing it was a stupid question once it had left his lips he immediately followed it up with “Let me add some more wood to the fire.”
He got up and walked over to the fireplace only to see that there were only two small logs left.
“The owners don't have much left”, Tomioka explained. “And almost all of the rest is now wet from the sudden snow, only a few are still dry.”
Tomioka had actually wanted to ask for more firewood earlier but he had noticed that the family had a small child to take care of and they obviously needed the warmth more than he did.
He'd been sure he could manage for a night.
Rengoku hesitated for a moment, then he carefully placed one of the two logs into the small flames.
He waited until he was sure the fire grew again then he returned to where Tomioka was still hiding underneath his blanket.
“It will get warmer soon.”
“Thank you.”
He sat down on his mat and just looked at the bundled up form of his friend for a moment.
“Are you always struggling with the cold this bad?”
“No. Just when it's really freezing and I'm tired.”
“Long mission, huh?”
“Yes. It was supposed to be done two days ago but I had a weird gut feeling and took a couple of more days to observe the situation.”
He peeked up at Rengoku and frowned.
“How can you sit there without your blanket?”, he suddenly asked and sounded very irritated. “I'm shivering even more just by looking at you.”
Rengoku couldn't help but grin.
Tomioka had never been much of a talker but obviously it was a different case when he was sleep deprived and cranky.
And honestly?
It was fucking adorable because Tomioka was known to everyone as this serious, stoic type of guy but to see him like this now?
Kyojuro found it endearing and funny at the same time.
“I run very hot, so I've never really struggled with the cold”, he explained and moved to sit at the end of Tomioka's bed.
Giyuu couldn't see what he was doing there but he didn't care much either.
“Good for you, I guess”, he mumbled, still shivering.
Rengoku laughed.
“My father is quite the same, I probably got it from him”, he added.
There was a short pause where only quiet rustling echoed in the room, then Rengoku said: “Hey, Tomioka-san, would you stick out your feet for a moment?”
Tomioka thought he'd heard wrong at first.
“Excuse me?”, he asked, peeking out a little from his nest.
But Rengoku was just smiling at him and held up a pair of socks.
“They will help keep you warm.”
Tomioka let his gaze wander and realized that Rengoku was now barefoot.
“No way, you can't just give me your socks. You need them for yourself.”
“It's fine, I promise! I prefer sleeping without them anyway.”
Tomioka didn't answer.
“Come on”, Rengoku tried again, coaxing softly. “They'll warm you up.”
Giyuu still hesitated.
He didn't understand why Rengoku was being so nice to him.
But he also knew his friend wouldn't budge and so he tentatively stuck out his left foot first, then his right one.
Kyojuro smiled sweetly at him and carefully put his own socks over the ones Giyuu was already wearing.
Tomioka watched silently and pulled his feet back into the safety of his blanket cocoon once he was done.
“Thank you”, he mumbled shyly.
“No problem at all. Will you be fine now?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Once the fire has gotten a little bigger again you won't have any problems falling asleep”, Rengoku assured him while he went back to his own mat.
Tomioka gave a tired hum in response but didn't bother with a proper answer.
Rengoku didn't seem to mind at all and it made Giyuu smile a little into his blanket.
He briefly caught Kyojuro's eyes in the dim, flickering light before he let his own slip shut to try and finally find some sleep.
His feet were wonderfully warm now thanks to Kyojuro's thick socks and Tomioka let out a sleepy sigh. He rubbed his legs and arms together to combat the rest of the lingering cold and felt himself getting tired quickly.
But just as he dozed off – the same thing again.
A harsh breeze rattled the windows of the house and sneaked it's way into the room and when it reached Tomioka he shivered so hard his teeth chattered.
Across from him Giyuu heard the sheets rustle, then another strange noise and when he opened his eyes he saw Rengoku pushing his mat and bedding over until it was right next to him.
“Rengoku-san, what-?”
“I'm not going to lay here and watch you shiver all night.”
His voice was firm but his eyes were gentle.
“Let's share, alright? It really is cold tonight and you need some rest, Tomioka-san. You look exhausted.”
Would it be any other person Tomioka probably would have argued that he wasn't. That he could manage and that he would be fine for one night.
But for some reason he didn't.
He did not understand why yet but he really felt drained and curling up next to Rengoku didn't sound that bad, not at all.
Still, he needed a long moment before he got out a small “okay”.
He hadn't slept this close to someone in a long time and although the thought did not scare him it made him feel a little weird inside. Suddenly he felt tense.
“Could you please get up for a moment?”, Rengoku asked him before Tomioka's thoughts could run away with him completely. “You can keep your blanket, don't worry. I just want to put mine on top of the mats.”
Still a little confused, Tomioka did as he was told.
“It will help preserve our warmth”, Rengoku explained as he placed the big blanket over the two sleeping mats and smoothed it out. “When the mats are thin like this they can't keep warmth in well and it ends up seeping into the cold floor.”
The flame hashira placed their pillows on top once he was satisfied with his work and then smiled up at Tomioka.
“Come on, now it should be fine.”
Tomioka's socked feet made no noise as he stepped onto the bedding and then moved to lay down where he had lain before.
Rengoku smiled, then he checked on the fire once again before he came back.
“Tomioka-san, move over, yeah?”
Tomioka, irritated because he was so tired was about to ask why but shuffled over to Rengoku's mat and watched in silence as the other man lay down.
“Mind sharing your blanket with me? I'm warm now but it gets a little cold without one, I think.” He smiled. “Even for me.”
“Oh... sure.”
Tomioka moved a little closer and untangled himself enough from his blanket so Rengoku could find space under it too.
“Thank you”, he said with a smile and then promptly yawned as he lay down on his side. He adjusted his pillow with a few pats and then let his head sink into the soft material with a sigh. He crossed his arms across his chest as usual and glanced over to check on Tomioka one more time.
His friend seemed to be a little indifferent about this new situation, his nose was scrunched up, his brows were furrowed the slightest bit and he kept as much distance as he could.
But that was fine, as long as he wasn't freezing anymore.
“You'll be warm soon”, Kyojuro added. “As I said, I run quite hot. The fire and the bedding will help too of course.”
Tomioka hummed again.
It was a foreign feeling sharing such a small space with someone else but he didn't feel uncomfortable, just a little...
He didn't know how to describe it.
Rengoku noticed the small unusual shift in Giyuu's expression.
He yawned again and closed his eyes.
“If you're still cold though you can always come closer. I don't mind.”
Tomioka was sure he tensed a little upon hearing these words but when he glanced up Rengoku's eyes were already closed and so he didn't say anything in return.
They were so close that his arm was only a few inches away from Rengoku's chest and as Rengoku slowly drifted off to sleep his last sentence kept replaying in Giyuu's mind for some reason.
He told himself it didn't mean anything.
Rengoku was just being friendly. He would offer the same to all of his friends.
That's just the way he was.
But then another howling breeze swept over the estate and Tomioka flinched, pulling up his shoulder to try and protect himself from the cold wind.
Except this time it never came.
Only a small hint of cool air reached his face.
Tomioka's tired brain struggled to understand why but then his eyes landed on Rengoku and the dots connected themselves.
The flame pillar had insisted on taking Tomioka's previous spot so he could shield him from the freezing winds.
It was such a small thing but it made Giyuu's eyes go wide and he could only stare at Kyojuro for a long while.
The next time the window rattled Giyuu carefully inched closer until he could curl up just next to Kyojuro's warm body.
His forehead was a mere inch away from Kyojuro's chest but he didn't care.
Their shared body heat warmed him up in just a few minutes and he felt like he was in heaven. Even his cold hands didn't shake anymore now that they were resting in the small space left between the two of them.
With a content sigh Giyuu let his eyes fall shut.
It took only a few heartbeats until he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Kyojuro briefly woke up about an hour later and glanced down to where Tomioka had cuddled up to him.
A tired but happy smile played on Kyojuro's lips as he carefully adjusted their blanket so it wouldn't slip off of Tomioka's shoulder.
Giyuu snuggled a little closer in his sleep and for a heartbeat Kyojuro was overcome with the desire to pull his friend even closer and just hold him in his arms.
He didn't know much about what happened in Tomioka's life before he'd joined the demon slayer corps. He had no idea why he kept to himself so much and if he had always been that way.
But sometimes he caught one of Giyuu's rare smiles. On some days he was a little more talkative than usual and Rengoku would listen attentively to every word he said.
He might have only made a friendly offer to Tomioka earlier that night but that he actually trusted him enough to take it and be this close to him meant a lot to Kyojuro.
He wanted to give Giyuu so much more.
He wanted to be a friend that he could come to whenever he needed something or someone. He wanted to give him company and ease the loneliness that clung to him like a shadow.
He wanted to see him smile more, to hear him laugh out loud at least once.
Hold him maybe...
Yeah, Kyojuro wanted that...
But maybe this right here... maybe this could be a start.
In the end Kyojuro hesitantly dared to sling an arm around Giyuu's waist.
To keep him close so he wouldn't freeze, he told himself.
He closed his eyes and slowly drifted back to sleep.
Outside the snow kept falling.
Tomioka had a hard time waking up the next day.
He had no idea how many hours he'd slept, not that he cared much.
He was warm and comfortable and it was tempting to just go back to sleep.
He hadn't even moved yet, hadn't yawned or blinked and he struggled to understand why he had woken up in the first place when he was this comfortable.
It didn't make sense.
His foggy mind fought to stay awake and find the reason and he was already drifting off again when he noticed something.
An unfamiliar weight on his hip.
He shifted a little and slowly realized that the weight must be Kyojuro's arm.
Faintly he could feel the tips of his fingers graze the small of his back.
It didn't bother him – to his own surprise.
He could feel his cheeks warming up but he didn't pull away or anything like that.
Rengoku's touch – no matter if intentional or not – left Giyuu feeling secure and he welcomed that feeling and allowed himself to bask in it.
It felt... nice.
He was surprised he stayed as calm as he did.
For a moment he longed to inch closer.
The memories of last night came back to his tired mind like drops of oncoming rain, gently and one after another.
How Kyojuro had showed up at the house late at night, Tomioka's own offer to share his room, how Kyojuro had given him his socks and later suggested they sleep next to each other so Giyuu wouldn't stay freezing.
And so Giyuu for the first time in forever allowed himself to be selfish and enjoy Kyojuro's warmth and close proximity.
Both combined lulled him back to sleep in just a few heartbeats.
When he blinked his eyes back open later he still had no idea what time it was.
But Rengoku was still there.
When he glanced up sleepily he was met with Kyojuro's tired gaze looking right back at him.
“Good morning”, Giyuu mumbled because he couldn't think of anything better.
“Good morning”, Kyojuro echoed softly. “Did you sleep well?”
“Very.”
Kyojuro's lips stretched into small yet blinding smile.
“I'm glad.”
Giyuu had to cast his eyes down then but he stayed where he was.
“Thank you for offering... well, this last night.”
“Anytime.”
Giyuu smiled a little.
The arm that Rengoku had wrapped around him in his sleep was pulled away but before Giyuu could mourn its loss Kyojuro's now free hand gently cupped his jaw and tilted his head up.
Their eyes met again and Giyuu knew his own must be wide with surprise, yeah, almost shock at the tender gesture.
His heart had started to beat uncomfortably fast and he swallowed nervously.
But Kyojuro just grinned softly.
“I like it when I can make you smile”, he admitted quietly. “Smiles look good on you.”
“It's easy when I'm with you.”
Tomioka hadn't meant to say that out loud, it had just slipped out.
His face felt like it was burning in an instant but Rengoku's own grin just widened.
“Yeah?”, he asked, happy and a little in disbelief.
Tomioka nodded.
“Yeah.”
“I'm glad then.”
Tomioka had to break eye-contact again but this time he dared to lean a little into Kyojuro's palm.
Kyojuro knew this was another sign of how much Tomioka must trust him.
He really shouldn't push his luck now.
But the overwhelming feelings from last night came crashing back down like a tidal wave and it was pure willpower that kept him from pulling Giyuu close and crushing him in a hug.
He gently let his thumb sweep across Giyuu's warm cheek though.
In return he got another small smile.
Kyojuro's heart skipped a beat.
Oh, he really shouldn't...
“Tomioka-san...”
Brilliant blue eyes glanced up to meet his.
“Hm?”
Kyojuro struggled to get out what he wanted to ask.
Instead his thumb found the corner of Giyuu's mouth and his gaze briefly dropped down to his lips.
Giyuu of course noticed and for a heartbeat he froze but it was only because he was wholly unprepared for this situation.
He didn't feel uncomfortable, just some weird mixture of anxious and excited.
He was so horribly inexperienced in all things romantic and Kyojuro obviously wanted to...
He knew the question his friend struggled to ask, guessing the words on the tip of his tongue was easy.
Kyojuro wanted to ask for permission before he kissed him.
He would always be considerate like this, it was typical for him and Giyuu felt himself melt a little inside when he realized that for the first time he'd known Kyojuro he was struggling with his words.
And it was because of him.
It was so bizarre that Giyuu couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
Rengoku's eyes widened at the sweet, unfamiliar sound.
His heart suddenly pounded harshly against his ribs and it felt like there were a million butterflies trapped in his stomach.
Tomioka only said one word but Kyojuro knew it was the answer to his unspoken question.
“Yes.”
It was merely a whisper and came out a little breathless but it was all that Kyojuro had hoped for.
Still, he inched closer very slowly as if to give Tomioka time to pull away if he changed his mind.
He didn't though and so Kyojuro smiled softly when he let his eyes flutter shut and closed the remaining gap between them.
Tomioka had been slightly shivering with anticipation but it melted away the moment Kyojuro's lips softly pressed against his own.
He took a second to just feel, experience this long forgotten sensation anew and enjoy the feeling it created within him.
It wasn't the stomach turning feeling of a hundred butterflies anymore.
Instead it felt more like a small flame flickered to life in his chest, making him feel warm and a little giddy too.
Kyojuro kissed him softly. His lips lingered, testing the waters and Tomioka was glad that he did – simply because even such a gentle kiss was overwhelming to him at first.
To think that someone like Kyojuro wanted him...
It made him smile – and accidently break their kiss in the process but a heartbeat later he had re-captured Kyojuro's lips and hurried to kiss him gently in return.
Giyuu felt Kyojuro's fingers stroke his cheek slowly.
It felt like reassurance.
Kyojuro let him take the lead and Giyuu gladly set his own pace.
Small and gentle pecks at first, then he dared to cup Kyojuro's cheek with a cool palm.
It felt good, so good.
It was a new and unfamiliar kind of good, exciting and Tomioka found all of his worries from before fading with every new kiss, every light touch.
Kyojuro readily played along and enjoyed everything Giyuu was comfortable with giving him.
Before last night he had never dared to dream of this very scenario he was experiencing right now, had never expected that the lonely water hashira would let someone like him get this close.
But now that it had happened he ached to give him more.
To show him the way he really wanted to kiss him, a way that would try to make up for all the years he'd spent alone and that showed him how loved and appreciated he was.
He held back though.
Maybe one day he could do that but not yet.
It was way too early.
Right now he was content to just hold Tomioka and kiss him as much as he let him.
Tomioka could feel that Rengoku was holding back though and for a moment he entertained the idea of letting him take more.
He imagined what it would be like if he just turned on his back and pulled Kyojuro on top of him, to feel his weight pressing him down, let him kiss his neck, his chest...
The mental image sent hot sparks through his body and he couldn't stop himself from sighing softly into their kiss.
Kyojuro broke away, his eyes now open wide and staring down at his friend.
Giyuu swallowed nervously but before he could ask if something was wrong Kyojuro said: “That was... please do that again” before he dived back in for another, more passionate kiss.
Tomioka made a surprised sound that was muffled against Kyojuro's lips and for just a moment he was overburdened with the way the flame hashira kissed him, hungry and wanting.
But it also made the fire inside of him grow in excitement and he allowed Kyojuro to do as he pleased. After a moment he managed to play along.
Kyojuro still held back.
He didn't push Tomioka over onto his back, like he had imagined earlier.
Instead Giyuu felt the hand on his cheek wander a little more until fingers tangled into his black hair.
The feeling made him sigh again, more needy this time and an embarrassing blush started to burn across his cheeks again.
He gasped involuntarily when he felt Kyojuro's tongue dart out to lick his bottom lip next.
Startled because of the unfamiliar sensation he pulled back an inch and opened his eyes.
Rengoku was looking right back at him, his gaze concerned but also a little dazed.
“Was that too much?”, he wanted to know.
His fingers untangled themselves from Tomioka's hair but before he could pull them away, Giyuu quickly covered his warm hand with his own and leaned into it.
“No, I was just surprised”, he admitted quietly.
For some reason he was suddenly hyper aware of the faint red colouring his cheeks.
“It's been years since I've kissed someone and...”
He didn't finish the sentence but he didn't have to.
Rengoku could guess what he wanted to say.
“Tomioka-san, do you trust me?”
Without hesitation Tomioka nodded.
Rengoku smiled.
“Then close your eyes please. And let me kiss you again.”
Instead of answering Giyuu took a deep breath and then let his eyes flutter shut.
He briefly felt Kyojuro's warm breath against his lips before he re-connected their lips once more.
Something about it was different though.
Kyojuro held his head with something that could only be described as tenderness, the kiss was slow and sweet, yet demanding, Kyojuro's full lips feeling just perfect against his own.
It was hard for Tomioka to describe it but it made him yearn for more.
Tentatively he opened his mouth a little, effectively deepening their next few kisses and when Kyojuro's tongue touched his lips this time he didn't pull away.
He couldn't help but gasp quietly against his lips though but what he hadn't expected was the flame hashira pulling him a little closer upon hearing it.
“Don't try to hide your voice”, Kyojuro pleaded and kissed him once, twice on the corners of his mouth. “You sound so lovely.”
The words felt like Kyojuro had lit a wildfire in Tomioka's chest because now he suddenly pulled Kyojuro in and kissed him open-mouthed and needy.
It was Kyojuro's turn to be surprised and Giyuu smiled widely against his mouth before he went back to devouring him.
He had never thought of himself that he could be this confident and demanding when kissing someone else, especially not someone like Rengoku.
But apparently he had been wrong about this part of himself and soon Kyojuro pulled all of these sweet sounds from him with ease, having figured out what he liked since the moment they had shared that first chaste kiss.
The embarrassment faded away entirely after a while as he let Kyojuro take and take and take.
When he eventually pulled away both of them were gasping for air.
Tomioka had his arms crossed behind Rengoku's neck by now and the flame hashira had one arm slung around his waist and his other hand cradled Tomioka's face lovingly.
Their eyes met and Rengoku laughed quietly, Tomioka giggled shyly and hid his face in Kyojuro's shoulder.
Kyojuro let him.
Both of them looked for something to say but couldn't come up with anything.
The sun had risen by now and Rengoku could hear footsteps and quiet voices coming from downstairs.
“Are you hungry?”, he wanted to know.
“Yes.”
“Want to go downstairs for breakfast?”
“Maybe in a couple of minutes.”
Giyuu wasn't ready to give up this new found closeness just yet.
And on top of that – Kyojuro was still so wonderfully warm.
Kyojuro laughed.
“Alright, in a couple of minutes then.”
Tomioka could already feel himself start to overthink everything that had just happened.
He asked himself if he should talk to Kyojuro about it.
About what it meant for them and their relationship. If it had changed anything, hell, if he wanted it to change anything.
He himself had no answers to all of these questions yet.
But he knew it had felt good.
It still felt good, the warmth of Kyojuro's embrace.
Tomioka noticed then that the flame hashira hadn't let go of him once since last night and somehow that brought him comfort.
The questions could wait a little longer because he was sure that Kyojuro would still be there when he was ready to ask them.
As it turned out they were snowed in.
The skies had cleared by now but it was still freezing and the sun had no chance of melting the snow any time soon.
After breakfast Rengoku, Tomioka and the other demon slayers helped the family clear their property of snow as best as they could.
They brought more logs inside so they could dry properly and decided to chip some more wood. The family had been so nice to them and winters could be hard, especially when one had a small child to take care of so they did everything they could to help.
The more inexperienced slayers were exhausted after a long day of physical labour out in the cold and the two hashiras allowed them to bathe first while they helped prepare a big dinner for everyone.
The sun had already gone down again and they were all tired but warming up now that they were inside again.
The owners had invited them all to stay another night and none of them would reject such an offer.
Tomioka had shared little glances with Rengoku over the course of the day and found himself smiling more than usual.
The kisses they'd shared were on his mind almost constantly.
He asked himself if Rengoku looked forward to when they'd go upstairs to bed too and he wondered if he'd find himself in his arms again.
He hoped so.
Dinner was simple but very enjoyable.
Rengoku strived in the company of so many talkative people and was his usual loud, confident self.
Tomioka watched in silence for most of the time and only talked rarely but he actually enjoyed the evening too.
It was getting quite late when the younger demon slayers bid them a good night.
Rengoku wished them a good night as well before he got up and disappeared down the hallway, leaving Giyuu behind to finish his small cup of sake.
He usually had a distaste for alcohol but it warmed him up wonderfully now so he bared the bitterness without complaining.
He had just swallowed the last mouthful when Rengoku came back.
The flame hashira turned to the family's father and bowed.
“Thank you again for the delicious meal! We appreciate it very much!”
The young man waved him off with a smile.
“We are the ones who have to thank you”, he insisted. “You helped us so much today, we couldn't have possibly done it all by ourselves. You saved us a lot of trouble.”
“It was no problem at all, it was a pleasure if anything!”
Rengoku smiled brightly, then he turned to Tomioka.
“Our bath is still waiting for us”, he reminded him.
Ah, right.
Tomioka had almost forgotten.
Kyojuro had made sure that he'd gotten a place close to the crackling fire and so he was very comfortable right now, especially with the effect of the alcohol.
(He hadn't had much, he was a lightweight to be honest – he'd had just enough to make him feel nice and warm)
He got up, bowed to the owner as well and mumbled a couple words of gratitude before he followed Rengoku down the hallway.
The house had a big bathroom at the west end that was pleasantly warm and Tomioka felt his tense posture loosen almost immediately.
Everything was already laid out for them (or maybe Rengoku had brought it here?) from towels to fresh sleep garments and there was a middle sized wooden tub already filled with steaming water in the middle of the room.
“I hope you don't mind sharing”, Rengoku said and Tomioka noticed that he seemed to be a little bashful if the red tips of his ears and cast down gaze were anything to go by. “We can fill up another if-”
“I don't mind”, Tomioka interrupted him. For a moment he was surprised that Rengoku had even said that but then he realized it must be because of this morning.
They had definitely crossed a line and now Kyojuro seemed unsure of how much further he was allowed to go.
Tomioka found he had no answer to that but he didn't feel uncomfortable at the thought of sharing a bath with Kyojuro.
All of the hashiras had bathed together before, on the days they had spent on Oyakata-sama's estate, where their long talks had gone on long until after dinner and late into the night.
But this time it was just the two of them.
And that excited Tomioka.
He made sure to give Kyojuro a small but reassuring smile.
“I really don't mind, Rengoku-san”, he repeated, then he started undressing.
Rengoku's eyes lingered on his friend for a second longer than usual, then he shook his head and slowly got rid of his clothes too.
Tomioka, who had noticed this, tried to suppress a little smile.
He tied his hair up and then briskly tiptoed towards the tub.
The water felt almost a little too hot at first but Tomioka sighed blissfully once he had sat down and the water engulfed him. The tension in his muscles was slowly bleeding away and Tomioka closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation.
He heard slow steps echoing on the stone floor, then Kyojuro stepped into the tub across from him.
Tomioka opened one eye halfway to watch him as he made himself as comfortable as he could.
It was a tight fit for two grown men and their legs were touching but Tomioka didn't mind at all.
In fact he closed his eye again and let out another content sigh.
He could feel Kyojuro's eyes looking him up and down though and again he tried his best not to smile.
“You're staring.”
Kyojuro jumped, making the water ripple.
Ah, guilty.
“I'm not staring”, he argued weakly.
“Never said you had to stop.”
When Giyuu opened his eyes back up Kyojuro was a little too red in the face for it to be only from the warmth of the steam.
“Be honest, you chose this particular tub because you wanted to be close to me again, didn't you?”
Kyojuro laughed but not as loud as usual, a little more reserved actually.
“Yes, I did”, he admitted. “But then I thought maybe it's too much. I can't really tell but I thought I'd try my luck anyway.”
Tomioka thought this hadn't much to do with luck at all.
After all, he had been the one to allow that first kiss.
But he appreciated that the other man was being so considerate and didn't try to pounce on him right away.
Although he had to admit that thought made him feel quite excited.
“You know, I couldn't stop thinking about kissing you all day.”
Kyojuro's big eyes lit up.
“Yeah?”
Giyuu smiled softly.
“Yes”, he confirmed. “So... are you going to kiss me again?”
He raised one arm and held his hand out towards Kyojuro.
The flame hashira took it and let Giyuu pull him closer until he had to grab the edges of the tub for balance, effectively caging Giyuu in.
He didn't seem to mind at all because he wrapped his arms around Kyojuro's neck and whispered a “come on” before he slotted their mouths together.
Kyojuro was surprised by how bold Giyuu was being right off the start, teasing him with his tongue, using his teeth to nibble on his bottom lip.
“Did the sake get to you?”, he grinned against Giyuu's lips before he licked deep into his mouth to get a taste of the last traces himself. The action pulled a quiet but needy moan from Giyuu's lips, the sound lighting a fire deep in Kyojuro's core.
“Maybe a little”, he admitted shakily as Kyojuro broke the kiss to nibble on his earlobe instead.
Tomioka could feel him smile against his skin, then his teeth sank into Tomioka's neck, right below his ear and he gasped, his fingers digging deep into Kyojuro's shoulders.
He started shivering when Kyojuro bit down harder and his eyes rolled back a little when he felt him starting to suck on the sensitive patch of skin.
“Fuck, Kyojuro”, he whispered, trying to be quiet.
The flame hashira let go then and leaned back so their eyes could meet.
Tomioka was breathing heavily and his face was flushed a pretty pink.
Rengoku leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips.
Giyuu tried to pull him closer but their awkward position didn't let him.
He grumbled against Kyojuro's lips and Kyojuro laughed sweetly before he solved the problem by sitting back down and pulling Giyuu into his lap.
It was a new, intimate position and it didn't hide how much the previous minutes had affected both of them, not at all.
It was embarrassing at first, especially for Giyuu but Kyojuro gently cupped his face and made him look him in the eyes.
“Is this okay with you?”, he wanted to know.
Giyuu found himself nodding.
“Yeah, it is. I'm just not used to all this.”
“That's perfectly okay. Just tell me if something's too much.”
Kyojuro leaned in and Giyuu closed his eyes.
He kissed his lips, his cheeks, the tip of his nose.
Giyuu smiled and relaxed thanks to the feather-light touches.
Then they kissed properly again and one of Kyojuro's big hands settled on Giyuu's thigh.
The simple touch had him exhaling a shaky breath against Kyojuro's lips.
“What else do you like? Tell me, Giyuu.”
Hearing his given name spoken out loud like that made a hot shiver run down Giyuu's spine.
“I... I'm not sure”, he had to admit though.
But Kyojuro just smiled at his words, a warm loving smile, just for Giyuu to see.
“Then let's find out together.”
And Giyuu smiled back, his eyes crinkling a little at the corner.
He was feeling warm all over and he wanted to stay here forever.
But all he answered was:
“Let's find out.”
When they went to bed later that night they didn't hesitate to snuggle up for warmth.
Tomioka still felt a little dazed from everything they had done in the bathtub earlier but he couldn't remember a time he had felt as utterly content as he did right now.
Sleep started to pull him under the moment he was comfortable in Kyojuro's arms, there was no way for him to fight it.
All the questions about their new relationship were still unanswered but Giyuu found that he wasn't scared of the answers anymore.
He felt safe with Kyojuro.
It felt good being with him.
He caught one last glimpse of the flame hashira softly smiling down at him before his eyes slipped shut and that gave him hope.
Giyuu fell asleep with a smile.
Not once did he shiver during the night.