"Your eyes are red" I murmured.
It came out as a hush.
My own voice failed me, yet in spite of this all of Obanai's movements came to a sudden halt as if he were frozen in time because of those four words. The colour drained from his face and his eyes widened at my whisper.
He refused to make eye contact as he took a shaky breath. Obanai wearily mumbled my name.
"Obanai" I mumbled his name back, my trembling hand slowly reaching out for his back.
"I-" the hashira started but the delicate caressing of his back with my hands stopped him, his words getting stuck on his throat.
The silence was broken by Obanai's quiet sniffles as I continued to pat him, my eyes glued on his broken frame, his eyes locked on the ground.
I inched closer to him contemplating.
Should I hug him?
The question left me pondering as my gaze softened seeing Obanai finally cry.
Using all the courage I had in me I wrapped my hand, previously on his back, on his shoulder and brought him closer to me. I trapped him with my other hand in a warm embrace as I rested my face on his shoulder.
Obanai made no effort to break the hug off.
Instead, he relaxed his head on my shoulder too, and tightened the hug with an arm. I could feel his teardrops wetting my shirt.
Kaburamaru too, wrapped himself around us making the both of us chuckle despite how serious the moment was.
Nevertheless, Obanai broke the hug soon after. Moments like this never last long with him, even when the two of us were younger. He's always been a little shy when it came to touching others.
He averts his eyes as he gets up from the floor and whispers 'I'll bring out a futon' as he opens a wardrobe.
His small comment made my heart flutter even though it shouldn't have. Of course he wouldn't make me walk alone in the night like this even if I don't live far off. He's always been considerate of others, of me...
...Of Mitsuri.
I can't help but to blush and mumble out a 'thank you' to him as you stare at him taking the futon.
For the first time in what seemed like forever, he finally looked at me, albeit his cheeks seemed a little flushed, or at least I hoped so.
"Aren't you going to follow me?" he says, the spare futon wrapped around his arms.
'Snarky as ever' I mumble, "Yes yes i'll come" you reply playfully as you get up and follow him out of the room and walk to his.
To his?
To his room?
He slides the door to his room open with one hand.
I stopped dead in my tracks in front of his door as I realise he's putting the futon next to his own. Granted he does have a small house compared to the others, surely I don't need to sleep in his room??
My mind races as I try my hardest to maintain an impassive face.
He pats the futon one final time and looks back up at me "There's... some spare change of clothes in the closet" he breaks the silence , choosing his words carefully. He stands back up and walks towards me "you can change I'll leave the room" he continues and takes some change of clothes for himself.
I can only simply nod and look at the floor as he closes the door and leaves.
Falling on the floor with a quiet thud, my legs finally give out.
Head in hands- 'is this a moment to rejoice? Being able to sleep in the same room of my long-time crush? No, of course it isn't! He clearly doesn't see me as anything but as a friend- a sister maybe even? God no that would be even worse- friends, please Obanai see me as a friend'
I mentally cry to myself as I finally regain control of my poor legs and walk to his closet.
'It smells like him' my mind wonders but I quickly shot that thought down feeling uneasy of the fact that I know how he smells.
Sighing, I take some of his clothes and lay them on the futon as I undress and put on his sleepwear.
It's not too large on me, his physique has never been far off from mine, even when kids we two shared clothes often when sleeping at Kyo's house. Between the three of us, Kyo was the one that grew the fastest and he also gained muscle much easier than me and Obanai.
My reminiscing of older and questionably better times gets interrupted as Obanai knocks on the door.
"Are you done yet?"
"Yeah, come in" I said- my voice trembled a little, turning my head towards the door.
He opens the door with Kaburamaru in his hands and without his mask.
My eyes widen from surprise- seeing Obanai not wearing it was rare after all.
Before he can notice my surprised gaze, I turn my head and stare at the futon- I don't want to make him feel any more vulnerable than he probably already is.
Obanai closes the door and sits on his own futon, placing his little friend on the floor, whomst slithers away to his own little abode in the corner of the room.
"I'll turn the lights off" I said quietly and he simply nodded and got under his own sheets.
With the click of the lights, the room gets darker, but thanks to my training as a demon slayer, seeing in the dark isn't all that hard. I walk slowly over to the futon he placed for me, adjacent to his own, and put the covers over me.
"Goodnight" I whispered, unsure of whether he's still awake or not.
"..."
'He must be sleeping'
I shuffled to a more comfortable position, closing my eyes. The tension in my muscles finally left my body as I tried to drift to sle- "Y/N".
He whispered my name so softly- so quietly I almost ignored it thinking it was part of a dream , regardless I swiftly got out on my trance and managed to mumble a 'hm?' in response .
"Thank you" Obanai meekly whispered.
"...I'll...always be here for you" you whispered back.
—
The birds were chirping by the time I woke up yet Obanai was still in his bed, with him normally being an early bird I can't help but to be surprised. He was sleeping on his back, his chest rising and falling as he was still in a deep slumber.
I sat on the futon for what felt like hours admiring his sleeping face, the black strands of his silky smooth (poorly cut too) hair covering his face half-hazardly.
Gathering myself, I finally got up and put the futon back as my childhood friend continued to sleep.
Upon reaching the kitchen, I noticed Kaburamaru already munching on something, he looked so cute yet my heavy footsteps stirred him, however, he didn't seem to mind as he joyfully slithered closer to me.
I promptly bent down and helped him up my neck with a smile on my face. "Hey Kaburamaru, good morning. '' I said, patting his little head with my finger as he wrapped himself around me.
I prepared breakfast by starting to steam some rice and frying some eggs for both me and Obanai.
As the smell of my cooking wafts through the kitchen, Obanai comes inside, still a little groggy and still in his sleepwear.
"Morning" I cheered "I'm making breakfast for the both of us, just sit down"
He complied and sat down but his words said otherwise "You didn't have to cook for me I don't usually eat breakfast".
I plate the steamed rice and his egg and serve it to him on the table dismissing the comment he just made "Yeah yeah whatever you say Obanai.."
Sitting next to him, I started to eat my own food, breaking the yolk over the rice mixing it thoroughly, whilst he kept staring at his bowl with a stoic face.
What he didn't know is that his flushed ears were giving away what he was actually feeling- he's quite embarrassed.
"What happened yesterday...," he started cautiously, furrowing his eyebrows, "was a lapse of judgement- a moment of weakness".
His tone was irritated, but not at me, rather- it was at himself.
Hesitant on how to reply- I just nodded, putting the food in my mouth as an excuse to not speak, yet his words sting a little . They almost feel like a warning.
"We have another meeting with Kyojuro and Kanroji today, let's make haste" he reminded me finally touching his food.
---------
yooooo you guys didnt have to wait 2 years for this update LMAO