Caught By Flames (Kyojuro Rengoku x Reader)

22 : Lovey Dovey

"Hm... very well. You may continue."

You gave a nod and begun speaking about everything that happened between the two fights. It was starting to get dark as you began explaining what happened during the last fight.

"And when you woke, you felt as though he was still alive?" He asked seemingly reading your mind.

"Ah, yes, master!" You loudly claimed a bit flusteredly. (Bruh, is that a word? 'Flusteredly' idk) You had left out the part where you and Kyojuro had spent half the night at the garden, but immediately went to tell him once he said, 'anything else'. "Oh, not much else other than after I got patched up me and Kyojuro walked through Shinobu's garden." He nodded and let you be on your way since it had been hours that you had been talking, much less eaten anything.

You began walking back think I'm ng about why he wanted to know everything that happened between the two dates. He said he had already questioned the boys and Shinobu about the first fight, then Tengen about the second. It made sense, Oyakata-sama was a smart man and could easily figure out any puzzle laid before him. Although you were quick st figuring things out, you were better at beating through your problems with minimal thinking.

You had been dazed off so much you didn't even realize you had arrived at the butterfly estate and began to pace back and forth. When Aoi came out to watch for your return it didn't sit well with her. It was rare for you to think so much about something, sure you had your moments, but this seemed new. An old kind of new since it had been years since you actively devoted every thought you had to one thing for an extended period of time. Aoi called your names a few times getting no response, so she did the next best thing.

"Kyojuro kept his promise to you!" She shouted loudly finally catching your attention. Your eyes widened as you looked up to see Aoi by the door, but many footprints between you two. "As soon as he came back, he laid in his bed and went to sleep. I believe he's still sleeping, actually." She smiled and waved you towards the building happily. You nodded with a small smile.

"That's good to hear. I'm glad. Thanks for letting me know." You blankly replied.

Upon entering your room, you saw Kyojuro sleeping on his bed. His expression was calm and forced a smile to your lips. You couldn't have hid it, even if you wanted to. Quietly, you walked over to his bed and kissed his forehead lightly, "Thank you, Kyojuro, for keeping your promise." You whispered and backed away back to the door.

"Am I missing something?" Aoi questioned not knowing what to make of the situation.

You just shook your head, "Maybe he'll sleep better?" And shrugged your shoulders and changed the subject, "Where's the food, I'm hungry." You smirked at Aoi's sassy stance. She sighed and began walking in front of you leading you somewhere.

"You really sold that, buddy." Tengen walked out from the shadows of the room. "She actually believed you were asleep."

"I feel bad for lying to her, though... won't I just look even more tired tomorrow if I don't sleep?"

"We're all going to look tired. And don't worry, she'll get over it when she figures out why you lied to her."

Kyojuro went quiet for a moment, "... You're wrong, she hates lies and people who tell them."

Tengen grinned widely, "Have more faith in her, besides, she seemed rather flamboyantly affection towards you. I don't think a little white lie like this can ruin that." He watched Kyojuro's face burn a bright color despite his guilty expression.

. . .

You slowly ate the food Aoi placed in front of you. It was strange for her to walk away without much more to say, but you didn't question it. Once you were done you began walking back to your room just as slowly and lost in thought as before. You looked up, nearing your door and saw Aoi standing there with a wide smile.

"Got something on your mind?" She asked shuffling away from the door.

You only nodded and opened it with a small bow, "Don't worry to much, but thank you, Aoi-san. For caring, I mean. I'd like to rest, now, though, so I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night." Aoi nodded and bid you a farewell as she walked down the long stretch of hallway. You turned and sat on your bed with crossed legs and stared off into space towards the ceiling. Sitting there for a minute, you thought about Kyojuro's words from the last few years. It was true, he always did sound quite affectionate of you, were you really that dense? You slid your knees to your chest and sighed looking at the floor in front of your bed. It was rather peaceful to be in a quiet room. More so than a room full of loud brats, you supposed. "What am I doing wrong...?" You asked yourself so quietly, even you barely heard it, but Kyojuro could also hear it.

You noticed his eyes beginning to flutter open and immediately smiled, "Hey, sleepyhead. Did you rest well?" You questioned lovingly.

"Mm, well enough." He said still sounding tired. You frowned and gave your bed a pat. He got the hint and slowly stood up and walked over to your bed. You crossed you legs and guided him to where he was laying on his stomach with his head in your lap as you softly stroked his hair.

"I suppose that means you still didn't sleep well?" You questioned shyly.

"Mm..." he closed his eyes under your touch and wrapped his arms around your hips as if hugging his pillow. You chuckled and gazed at his strange hair. It was enchanting in a way, and the softness of it didn't help any either. "(Y/N)?" He spoke tiredly and you hummed in response. "If I was to lie to you... what would you do?" He innocently gazed up at you.

You thought for a moment not sure what you would do. "Well, I suppose it depends on the severity of the lie. If it was something big and you used the excuse 'I did it to protect you' I would be... probably very upset. However, if it was just for fun you'd probably just get slapped on the arm or something. Why do you ask?"

He smiled and shook his head, "No reason, I suppose I was just worried of accidentally ruining this by saying something that wasn't true."

You gave a small chuckle, "If I'm being honest, I probably couldn't stay mad at you for long, even if I tried. So there's no need to worry. I suppose, even if you lied about keeping the promise we made earlier I wouldn'tbe that mad."

"Why is that? Didn't you make me promise because you were worried I wouldn't do it?"

You gave a confident smile, "I still don't think you did it, but that's okay. I made you promise so I would worry less while I spoke with Oyakata-sama. It was a bit selfish, I admit but..." you watched as Kyojuro lifted himself onto his elbows. His face was awfully close to your chest and made your face explode in colors.

"It was both selfish and not." He sternly spoke. You didn't expect the sudden change in his tone and immediately switched to a more submissive one.

"B-but- di-d you keep yo-you're promise?" You stuttered.

"I'll admit, I had trouble committing, but I did try. Will you... let me try something to help?" He asked, gazing up at you affectionately. You gulped but gave a nod. He smiled widely, "Lay down, I want to sleep on this bed with you." Your breathing hitched in your throat as your processed his words. He studied your expression and sighed, "You don't have to, Snowball."

His words brought you back to reality, "N-no, it's fine. I was just surprised, t-that's all..."

"I could tell, I'm sorry." He watched the kind smile evenlop your red face as you turned on your side and laid down. He smiled and slid up a little so he could hug your body as his head was against your stomach. "You know, I don't even need a blanket. You're warm enough as it is!" He chuckled tiredly.

"You never change, you big goof. Get some rest, though." You spoke with redder cheeks than that of a tomato.

"You too, Snowball. If it gets uncomfy, just tell me." He whispered.

The two of you slept like that for the entire night...

A/N: I didn't proof read this chapter, but I did however make it snow in my kitchen while cleaning.... ;-; send help, author-chan needs it lmao

P.S. hope you enjoyed!!