Chapter Text
Shinobu led them towards her mansion. Holding Tanjiro’s hand, he kept his head low, biting back the embarrassment of what just happened. His secret was out, everyone knew he was an omega. They were judging him, they were—
Wait.
That didn’t matter anymore.
They’d attacked one of his pups, and threatened the other one. Clenching his teeth, his slowly raised his head to a decent level. He’d done nothing wrong. He protected his family, and that was something he’d never be embarrassed about!
Tanjiro was dragging his feet, limping. Giyuu would’ve carried him had they been alone, but he knew he only would’ve embarrassed Tanjiro in front of Kochou if he’d tried.
“Tomioka, Kochou, Kamado!” A loud voice sounded from behind them.
Biting his lip almost ‘til it bled, Giyuu turned around.
Rengoku beamed at him, cheerful as always. “Tomioka, Kamado, I sincerely apologize for what just happened! Please know I stand with you. And Tomioka, omega or not, you’re amazing as always!”
Tanjiro squinted at the flame hashira doubtfully.
Giyuu squeezed his hand a bit tighter. Rengoku had always been friendly with him. Even back there, he’d been sympathetic, despite his neutrality. So, slowly, he nodded. “It’s... okay.”
“Rengoku, I apologize for interrupting, but I really must get Kamado treated, and give Tomioka space to properly calm down.” Kochou spoke up. “So, if you’ll excuse us...”
“Of course!” Rengoku nodded vigorously. “I’ll stop by soon! Rest well, both of you!” He watched them leave, a dopey smile on his face.
As weird as that was, Giyuu didn’t see him as a threat.
Kochou lead them inside. “Kamado,” She asked. “Your friends are in a room together. Would you like to join them, or stay with Tomioka?”
Tanjiro looked up at his caretaker, a question in his eyes.
Giyuu shuffled on his feet, contemplating what Tanjiro was silently asking of him. He didn’t know Tanjiro’s friends, but... well who was he to deny him? “I’ll join them too.”
“Are you sure?” Shinobu asked, clearly surprised. “They’re both quite rambunctious.”
He nodded again, biting back a sigh. This was gonna be a pain. He didn’t like socializing, he didn’t like sharing rooms with people. But if Tanjiro liked them, maybe they weren’t all that bad?
—————
No. They definitely were that bad.
The yellow one, an omega, was screaming his head off, putting up a fuss over some medicine.
The boar guy, an alpha, was sulking on his bed, unmoving and barely responsive. Very different from the boar he’d met in that spider forest.
The blond one’s screaming was seriously giving him a headache. Holding back another sigh, he buried his face in his pillow. He was starting to wish he’d gone with Shinobu to set up a room for Nezuko.
Tanjiro was trying to soothe the yellow one— Zenitsu? Was that his name?— and was failing, more or less.
Tanjiro eventually gave up, letting Zenitsu be dealt with by the butterfly girls. He climbed into the bed next to Giyuu, giving his caretaker a tired smile. He flopped back against the pillows, falling asleep almost instantly.
Giyuu watched his pup fondly, heart warm.
It was then he realized that the yellow guy had stopped screaming, and now both him and the boar were staring at him intensely.
“Hey...” Zenitsu spoke first, voice rough from all the previous yelling. “You’re on Tanjiro’s side, right? Tanjiro’s our friend, so... Are you on our side?” Even if it was phrased as a question, the plain threat beneath the words was clear as day.
Sitting up, Giyuu rubbed at his eyes. “If I was against him, I would’ve killed both him and his sister the day I found them.”
Inosuke and Zenitsu both bristled at that.
Maybe that was the wrong thing to say. Wilting a bit, Giyuu explained properly. “I was the one who found Tanjiro and Nezuko after their family had been murdered, and after Nezuko was turned. I sent them to Urokodaki, I helped them become demon slayers. I’ve been helping them whenever and however I can. They’re my pups, they’re my family. So, to answer your question, I’m not against you.” He clarified, surprisingly letting himself be vulnerable towards these other two pups.
“...I see.” Zenitsu relaxed, eyes softened. He was a complete different person than the quivering crybaby Giyuu saw only moments ago. “I’m glad they have a Hashira on their side then. It’ll help.”
Had these two not heard the news yet? There was no need to be worried. “They’ve already been clearance to stay with the demon slayers, even Nezuko.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean people will treat them kindly...” Zenitsu murmured.
Inosuke grunted. “Don’t worry, Monitsu—“
“My name’s Zenitsu!”
“—we’ll just beat up whoever touches my other minions!” The alpha growled, though it was a bit dulled down by his exhaustion.
Giyuu tilted his head, squinting at the boar. He couldn’t really see where the guy was looking, thanks to his mask, but he kept moving his head in the direction of Tanjiro’s sleeping form.
He was an alpha. Tanjiro was an omega. Wait! Were they...?!
No, no, no! Tanjiro definitely would’ve let him know if he was being courted by anyone! Or at least, Giyuu hoped he was trusted enough to know. Besides, maybe they were just friends??? Was it stereotypical of Giyuu to be jumping to conclusions just because they were an alpha and omega travelling together??? Hmm...
Giyuu laid back down against the pillows.
“Hey, hey, don’t fall asleep yet!” Inosuke grumbled.
Sighing, he sat back up. “What is it?”
“How come you’re sharing a room with us, since you’re so great and all?!” Inosuke growled, almost challengingly. “Shouldn’t a high-ranked slayer like you get their own room?!”
“Tanjiro wanted to be in the same room as you guys.” He stared simply. “And he wanted to be with me. I didn’t want to let him out of my sight just yet either.”
Inosuke relaxed at that. “Hah! No wonder he wanted to be in the same room as me! And Honisu too, I guess.” He grunted towards the end.
“Zenitsu! My name’s Zenitsu! You know this, we’ve been travelling together for weeks!!!” The blond omega wailed, but his scent showed he wasn’t actually upset.
Giyuu laid back down against the pillows. This time, he wasn’t disturbed. He chose not to fall asleep yet. He still needed to talk to Kochou. Still, he didn’t feel like talking, so he merely pretended to be asleep.
If the other two pups noticed his faking, they didn’t notice or didn’t comment, instead choosing to bicker with each other.
What an odd group these four pups were, Giyuu thought. Even if they were strange, he would approve of them since they clearly cared about the Kamado siblings.
Satisfied, he blocked out their noise, losing himself in his thoughts.
The next morning, when he heard Kochou step inside, he sat up quickly. “I have to talk to you.” He told her.
“I know. Come.” She beckoned for him to follow.
The other three were sent to rehabilitation training after taking their morning medications.
He got up and moved after her.
They didn’t speak until they were within her soundproof office.
“Tomioka, as skeptical as I am still about this situation, I apologize.” Is what she started with. “I apologize for being tactless, and I genuinely apologize for distressing you to a state where even the scent blockers were useless.” She sat down, eyes surprisingly soft. “I know you wanted to keep your secondary gender a secret. Even if I don’t agree with the medication intake, you shouldn’t have been forced to tell everyone like that.”
“I don’t care.” He shrugged truthfully. “They would’ve found out sooner or later. And as for the tactlessness, you never had any to begin with.” He teased, surprising a laugh out of her. Barely hiding a smile of his own, he relaxed properly. “How long are you keeping me here? I should head out soon.” He decided not to beat around the bush.
“Oyakata asked me to put you on break for a few weeks.” Shinobu explained, sipping her tea quietly. “He says you should rest before your next mission, take your time and stay with Tanjirou while he heals.”
He bit back a sigh. He would love nothing more than to spend a week or two with his new family, but the world didn’t work that way. People out there needed saving. He couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. He opened his mouth to say as such, but Kochou cut him off again.
“You’re not the only demon slayer out there, y’know. You can trust other people.” She says, as if reading his mind. She stands abruptly, walking towards the window. “In a month, you’ll be leaving with Rengoku to scout out the Infinity Train. Take this time to rest and to prepare, I can tell it’ll be a tough mission.” She hummed, exiting the room without another word.
Giyuu blinked, stunned. A mission with Rengoku? That was a first. He couldn’t ever recall being sent on a mission with anyone except Kochou.
He retreated back to the sleeping ward, waiting for the others to return.
It wasn’t long before Tanjirou and his bizarre friends came back from their training. Instead of going into his own bed, Tanjirou hopped up on Giyuu’s, slumping defeatedly against his caretaker’s chest. Wrapping his arms around his pup, Giyuu scented him. They’d go see Nezuko soon, but for now, all Tanjirou wanted was to be hugged. And who was Giyuu to deny him?
Holding Tanjirou close, he closed his eyes.
Inosuke and Zenitsu were bickering like they usually did, but they fell silent when another presence entered the ward.
“Ah! It’s you, from the Final Selection!” Zenitsu shrieked.
Curious, he opened his eyes again, staring at the new person.
An alpha, big and strong, yet he still had that youthful scent about him. He couldn’t be any older than the rest of the pups around him. He smelled a bit nervous, but hid it behind his scowl. He had been dragged into the room by Shinobu’s apprentice— what was her name again? Kanao? She was another omega, and had been helping rehabilitate Tanjiro and the others.
“Genya Shinazugawa will be staying with you all for the time being.” She explained, expression blank. “Goodbye now.” She turned and left silently.
Her and Shinobu were similar in that way, then.
Still, more importantly, this pup had the same last name as Sanemi. Were they related? But his colleague never mentioned having a brother. Maybe they had a bad relationship? Who knew.
Whatever the reason, Giyuu kept his guard up, unsure if this Genya person would act similar to his brother.
Genya’s eyes examined the room, cautiously. Scowl deepening, he chose the bed farthest from them, turning away from them.
“Shinazugawa...?” Tanjiro stirred from his half-asleep state. He pulled back from Giyuu’s arms, blinking at the newcomer. “You have the same name as the wind hashira!” He pointed out the obvious. “Is he your big brother?”
“None of your business!” Genya snapped.
Giyuu tried to pull Tanjiro back to his chest, wanting to shield him from the bitterness of this new pup. Tanjiro wiggles out of his arms again, standing up.
“I don’t care if you are. It’s good to see you again though! How’ve you been?” He asked, kind as ever.
Genya looked over his shoulder, watching Tanjiro blankly. “Stop trying to be friendly after you broke my fucking arm.” He grunted, unamused.
“That was ages ago! I would apologize, but you deserve it for what you did to those girls.” Tanjiro kept smiling, unphased.
“Whatever.” Genya grunted, turning away again. “Leave me alone.”
Tanjiro shrugged, finally climbing back into Giyuu’s arms. “Shinazugawa was the one that stabbed Nezuko, right?” Tanjiro asked the water hashira. “Is he always that short tempered?”
“Shinazugawa always had a dislike for me. I don’t know the reason.” Giyuu explained.
“But you’re both hashiras!” Zenitsu added on. “Shouldn’t all of you be getting along?”
“None of them like me very much.” Giyuu shrugged.
Genya slowly sat up, facing towards the group again. “You’re a hashira?” He asked Giyuu almost hesitantly.
Giyuu nodded.
“You work with my brother?”
He nodded again.
“Then... at some point, can you help me pass on a message to him?”
Giyuu blinked, thinking it over. “I can try. But like I said, he doesn’t like me. I don’t think he’ll listen to me, especially not after what happened last night.” He sniffed. “And to be honest, I have quite a disliking for him too right now.”
Tanjiro nodded along. “He stabbed Nezuko!”
“AHHH?!” Zenitsu shrieked, thunder crackling around the room. “He STABBED Nezuko?!”
Giyuu and Tanjiro both nodded in sync.
“That bastard!!!” Zenitsu screamed, jumping to his feet. “I’m going to- I’m going to kill him!” He stormed out of the room.
“Zenitsu! Stop it!” Tanjiro raced after his friend.
That left Giyuu along with Genya and Inosuke. Great.
“He’s weird.” Genya spoke first, watching the door.
“Who?” Giyuu questioned.
“That Kamado guy. He’s strange.”
“What do you mean by that?” Giyuu’s eyes narrowed.
“I mean he’s... different from other omegas I’ve met.” Genya’s face flushed as he realize what he’d just said. He buried his face in his pillow, ignoring the existence of Inosuke and Giyuu.
Inosuke burst out laughing. “I know, right?! He’s so fierce! He’s amazing! He’s the perfect rival, the perfect minion!”
Giyuu blinked. Did they... both like Tanjiro? Would they both try to court Tanjiro??? He really wasn’t sure how he felt about it. From what he’s seen, these two were brutes. And Tanjiro was... well, to be blunt, Tanjiro was a godsend.
If he had to choose though, he guessed he’d approve of Inosuke, if only because Inosuke wasn’t related to the wind hashira.
Maybe that was biased.
Still, he couldn’t help but be a bit overprotective of his pup. Sighing, he leaned back against the pillows. A month. He’d have to spend an entire month here, stuck with these rowdy pups who never knew how to shut up and stay still for even a minute.
Rubbing his eyes, he left the room. He moved towards Nezuko’s secluded room, entering after knocking twice. As it was nightfall, Nezuko was out of her box. She was laying on the bed, probably having just woken up. She sat up, yawning around her muzzle. She blinked sleepily at Giyuu, making grabby hands in his direction.
Smiling softly, he climbed into the bed, holding her as she wanted. He found himself humming a gentle lullaby— something his sister used to sing to him.
Nezuko chirped, nuzzling into his neck, falling back asleep.
Her stab wound had healed, her kimono had been washed. Even still, the pain of helplessness as she’d been attacked was still there, and it still stung like hell. “I’ll do better.” He promised, kissing her forehead. “I won’t let anyone ever hurt you again, not ever. You and your brother, I’ll protect you both.” He swore on his own life.
It wasn’t long until he fell asleep, holding Nezuko tightly.
Somewhere amidst the middle of the night, Tanjiro entered, squishing himself into the cuddle pile. Tanjiro purred himself time sleep. It was small, tender moments like this that Giyuu loved the most. If he had it his way, it’d always be like this. What a shame the world didn’t work that way.