CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
The car ride back to their respective places was filled with laughter, grumbles, and drunken antics.
Giyu, being the designated driver, drove everyone home while Tengen and Gyomei lounged in the backseats, in various stages of intoxication.
As Giyu dropped off Gyomei first, he mumbled incomprehensible complaints about being the chauffeur for his friends.
"Why does it feel like I'm babysitting full grown man babies? You guys need to pay me for this." Giyu grumbled loud enough for Tengen and Kyojuro to hear.
Tengen, ever the cheerful one even in his drunken state, retorted from the backseats, "Oh come on, Giyu! You love us, so it's not a big deal!"
Giyu rolled his eyes, unable to argue with Tengen's logic, and continued driving to drop off Kyojuro next.
They reached the front of the Rengoku estate, and Giyu stopped the car.
"Alright, Kyojuro. We're at your place now. Time to get out," Giyu said, trying to sound stern despite the exhaustion in his voice.
"Thanks, Giyu." Kyojuro, still inebriated, struggled to stand up with Giyu's help. He swayed on his feet, feeling the alcohol making everything a bit hazy.
Then suddenly-Tengen, in his own drunken manner, suddenly wailed and hopped on Kyojuro's back, wrapping his arms around him.
"No. I wanna be with my Kyojuro babes." Tengen exclaimed, trying to be dramatic but instead sounding silly.
Kyojuro, surprised by the sudden addition of weight on his back, howled a laugh and said, "Tengen, you're being ridiculous. Let me walk inside."
Giyu, trying to keep things under control, shook his head with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Alright, Tengen-Get back in the car. Seriously."
"Nope." Tengen said, popping the P in the end. "I'm staying with my Kyojuro babes."
Before Giyu could protest or even considering dragging the big bulky man by the hair to the car, Kyojuro cut them both off.
He smiles at Giyu, "We've done enough trouble for you, Giyu. I don't mind Tengen crashing at my place."
"Are you sure?" Giyu persisted, "He's drunk and he might fuck you in his sleep."
Kyojuro shook the thought away, "It's perfectly fine. Have a safe trip back home."
"Yaayy~" Tengen dragged out, "We'll definitely be spooning tonight. I'm the little spoon."
Giyu left and Kyojuro and Tengen managed to make their way to the front door of Kyojuro's house.
With Tengen ringing the doorbell repeatedly, he started his drunken ramblings about the unflashiness of Kyojuro's place.
"Ding, ding, ding, ding!" Tengen chimed, "Kyojuro, seriously, your place is so ugly. We need more colour."
Kyojuro laughed, trying to hush Tengen, "Alright, alright! You're making a scene!"
Just as Kyojuro was about to explain that his father might be sleeping and that they should keep things down, the door opened, revealing Kyojuro's younger brother, Senjuro.
Senjuro blinked, clearly taken aback by the sight that greeted him.
His brother, looking slightly tipsy, was standing there with Tengen, who was practically clinging to him.
"Big brother... What's going on here?" Senjuro asked, trying to process the unexpected situation.
Kyojuro grinned sheepishly, "Hey, Senjuro. Tengen's spending the night."
Tengen cheered, still in a jovial mood, "Yeah, we're going to have a great time tonight, Senjuro." He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Senjuro's expression turned from confusion to amusement as he saw the state his brother and Tengen were in. "I can see that. You guys look like you had a wild night."
Kyojuro nodded, trying to keep his balance as he spoke, "Oh, you have no idea. We had a few too many drinks."
Senjuro stepped aside, gesturing for them to come inside. "Well, come on in. I'll make sure you both get to bed safely."
Tengen eagerly followed Kyojuro inside, making himself at home as he stumbled around the living room, taking in the simple decor.
"Tengen, be careful!" Kyojuro warned, trying to guide his friend without tripping over himself.
Inside the Rengoku household, Senjuro guided Kyojuro and Tengen, who were still in their drunken state, into the living room.
He made sure they were comfortable on the couch before he went to get them some water to help with their hangovers in the morning.
"Fathers out for the night and I invited some friends. Stay there while I grab some water." Senjuro said with a chuckle, amused by his brother and Tengen's antics.
Kyojuro nodded, his head feeling a bit heavy, "Thanks, Senjuro."
As Senjuro left, Kyojuro glanced around the living room.
He noticed that the place had been rearranged, and there were a few sleeping bags and blankets spread across the floor.
"Hey, Tengen, did you hear that? Senjuro said he invited some friends for a sleepover," Kyojuro mumbled, trying to keep the conversation going.
Tengen, sprawled on the couch with a goofy grin, replied lazily, "Yeah, he did. But who cares, let's just sleep."
Kyojuro chuckled, agreeing with Tengen's sentiment.
They were both too intoxicated to be curious about Senjuro's friends at the moment. They just wanted to rest and sleep off the effects of the alcohol.
As Kyojuro and Tengen tried to settle into their sleepy stupor, a voice from the other room broke through the haze of alcohol and fatigue.
It was a voice Kyojuro knew all too well - (Y/N)'s voice.
His instincts immediately kicked in, and his mind cleared for a brief moment as he heard her unmistakable tone.
"Senjuro, do you have any more cups I could borrow?" (Y/N) asked from the other room.
Kyojuro's heart skipped a beat. (Y/N) was here, in his house, as a part of the sleepover?
His thoughts raced as he tried to comprehend the situation.
Was it all just a coincidence, or did Senjuro purposely invite her here?
'Ugh... Kyojuro. The alcohol is making you delulu-Stop it!'
Senjuro returned with the water, and Kyojuro couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. "Senjuro, who did you invite over?"
His suspicions were confirmed as Senjuro responded nonchalantly, "Oh, I invited (Y/N) and some other friends. There's Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Kanao and Nezuko, Inosuke."
Kyojuro's heart pounded even harder. He was grateful that the alcohol-induced fog in his mind had cleared just enough for him to process the information.
(Y/N) was here, and not just her, but the entire Kamaboko squad too - the group of friends that she was close with.
"Thanks for the cups, Senjuro," (Y/N) called out from the other room.
Kyojuro hesitated for a moment, torn between wanting to join the festivities and not wanting to make a fool of himself in front of (Y/N).
Fortunately for him, the alcohol coursing through his veins were far too strong.
He passed out right there on the living room, with Tengen looking at him unimpressed.
"Man, you are a whimp. What about the spooning?" Tengen whined.
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