Chapter Text
Tengen has been a hashira for about a year and a half when Tomioka Giyu becomes a hashira shortly followed by the younger Rengoku Kyojiro. Tengen and Rengoku get along very well and become fast friends. Rengoku was just as flashy and flamboyant as Tengen himself. He probably would have asked Rengoku to join him in his marriage had it not been for Tomioka stealing his heart. The water hashira was quiet and cold at first glance, nope he was just overly shy and seemed to be mute. He was aloof and distant, and nope his self-worth was in the negative thousands, he also just didn't know how to talk to people at all, his social skills resting right next to his self-worth in the negatives.
Tengen has to have his wives first before he starts to convert Tomioka into the person he could be. He talks to them all.
"Alrighty my dear flamboyant wives I have something to tell you or rather someone," He says at dinner. Suma perks up a little, Makio looks thoughtful, and Hinatsuru just smiles.
"Who are they?" Suma asks.
"His name is Tomioka Giyu, a new hashira I want all of you to see him before we start to make sure we all like him!" Tengen exclaims. Suma nods clearly happy, Hinatsuru and Makio nod along as well likely already scheming.
Tengen does not fare any god, he fears when his wives glance at each other and mirth dances behind their eyes.
They end up all walking through water hashira land anyways to get to their next mission. It only makes sense to look for Tomioka. Hinatsuru finds him making sure he doesn't notice anyone. They all agree that yes he will be their husband someday.
(Suma falls for his hair and the way it's so perfect, he's pretty and angelic.
Makio falls for the mismatched haori that doesn't make sense but clearly means something to him, and his eyes deep blue a calming ocean.
Hinatsuru just falls, his hands look soft, and his skin is pale making his hair look even more glorious. She can tell he's calm and she can practically feel the trustworthiness rolling off of him, if you put your lives in his hands, he wouldn't let it fall.
Tengen sees all the half-hidden smiles when Rengoku says something funny, or the huff of air he always sighs when the Kocho sisters come near him, especially Shinobu.)
Tengen is the first to talk to Tomioka dragging him off for dinner a few weeks after him becoming a hashira Tomioka accepts not really being able to say no.
"So Tomioka if in a few weeks, your free you can come meet my wives!" Tengen says, hoping and praying that Tomioka doesn't recoil at 'wives.' Tomioka simply tilts his head to the side.
"Wives?" He asks.
"My family practices Polygamy so I have three wives," Tengen explains, their relationship is polyamorous they're all married to each other and love everyone the same, they're just one big couple, or well fourple.
"Oh that's interesting my town was very... old-viewed I don't follow what they think, and I'm glad you have three happy wives," Tomioka says before looking down.
"Oh and I would like to week your wives they must be nice," Tomioka says somehow looking further down. Tengen would think this as a talent.
"Oh! Tomioka! How come you never speak when others are around?" He asks.
"ah, just harder to find my voice, I've never really been good at talking to people, worse when there're more people you're just easy to talk to I suppose," Tomioka says folding into himself. he's trying to make himself smaller, Tengen realizes.
Two weeks later Tomioka meets Suma. Tengen runs into Tomioka on his way home and invites him for tea and a place for the night. Tomioka lets himself be ushered away to the sound estate. Suma is there to greet them. She's unhappy to say that Hinatsuru and Makio were called out for an assist. Tengen only shrugs, Tomioka can meet everyone else later plus two more people might make him stiff and mute again.
--
Suma is internally gaping at Tomioka Giyu, sure she's seen him before. But he's less than a third of a meter away from her! His lips look so soft, and his hair looks fluffy too! She wonders if he's a little chubby under his loose uniform because his cheeks look so full and chubby! He's so cute! She can tell he's more shy than anything.
However, before he tries talking to Suma he makes a gesture. Suma lights up seeing it. She gestures back while saying.
"HI, hello Tomioka-san! I'm Suma, it's nice to meet you!" Suma watches as Tomioka makes more gestures.
'Hello, Suma-san it's nice to meet you,' He signs. Suma only smiles, everyone in the Uzui house is fluent in sign, the older and newer versions both. Tomioka is using a mix of the two. They end up talking for hours to the point that Tomioka's arms get stiff. Suma watches with worry as he slowly pops his joints methodically, practiced, he's avoiding parts of his hand like his pinky and his palm. Now that Suma's looking his fingers seem to be shaking.
"Tomioka-san are you hand alright?" She asks, worried. Tomioka blinks at her owlishly. He opens his mouth a bit and quietly in a tone that Suma can barely hear says,
"They're okay I just have phantom pains and beat up my hands quite a bit as a kid."
Suma could swoon right there, his voice, HIS VOICE. It's soft like a calm ocean but she's sure if he wanted to could become the fiercest of typhoons. They keep talking like that quietly as Tengen dozes head slipping every so often.
"Tengen I think it's time you head to bed," Suma teases quietly.
"Nonsense I'm a host right now, entertaining a guest with my very beautiful and flamboyant wife," Tengen says eyes still blurry from dozing.
"Tengen, Hina will kill you if you don't go to bed and we both know it, go to bed I can help Tomioka set up the guest room myself, you're half asleep already go to bed you moron," Suma says shooing Tengen in the direction of the sleeping rooms. Tengen only yawns before walking by and patting Suma's head and out of reflex patting Tomioka's head as he walked by.
He must have been really tired then. Tomioka turned red.
Suma and Tomioka talked for a bit longer before she showed him the guest room. Well the nice guest room, they usually didn't let people use it, Tomioka would get to use it, it was right next to the master bedroom, it was about two sq meters smaller on each side than the master bedroom but was large enough that it was it's own connecting toilet.
The room was most used when one of them didn't want to join in with sex, or someone was snoring too loud and they just wanted to sleep. Makio was the room's user mostly.
Tomioka thanked her as she walked out, she just smiled back.
For the first time meeting someone that went well, Suma thought. She flopped down on top of Tengen and he made an 'opfhm' sound before spooning her.
--
Makio met Tomioka when she and Suma were called in for assistance for a mission. Tomioka had been on his way back to the water estate when they ran into him. Suma lit up, and waved her hands around frantically, for a moment Makio wondered if Suma finally lost it and had gone insane.
"TOMIOKA-SAN!" She shouted, Makio jumped just a bit. A few seconds later a pitch-haired man walked out from the trees holding an old crow in his hands looking just a bit far gone. He blinks a few times before sighing.
"Hello, Suma-san," He says quietly, almost silent.
"Tomi- oh is it okay if I call you Tomi? So Tomi this is me and Tengen's wife Makio, Makio say hi, and be nice," Suma shoots Makio a frown, to which Makio flips her off.
"Hey," Makio says looking the man up and down, "Why the hell you holding a crow?"
"This is my crow he dropped out of the sky," Tomioka explains lifting up his crow a little.
"I'm sorry Giyu my wing gave out," The crow caws sounding very disappointed in itself and sad.
"It's alright," Tomioka says patting the crow.
"What's your crow's name?" Makio asks.
"Oh, hm, his name is Kanazaburou," Tomioka replies. The crow hops out of Giyu's hold to stand on his shoulder.
"Tomi-san which way are you going?" Suma asks.
"East."
"So are we you could walk with us for a bit then," Makio says. She revels in the way Tomioka squirms when stared at for more than a second. She's been staring at him this whole time, keeping eye contact. His face is pretty.
His eyes seem so calm, but also somewhat dead. They walk together exchanging little nothings and pulling Giyu into a race for who could get to the edge of the forest fastest.
Makio's supposed to say that Giyu wins, seeing not even a little out of breath.
They break apart about an hour before sunset. Suma manages to get Tomioka into a hug which Makio joins to see the man squirm more, she thinks it cute.
As he walks away Makio turns to Suma.
"I like him he squirms."
"Your torturing poor Tomi!" Suma exclaims.
"Hm, but I'm still your wife, aren't I? Surely if he's anything like you, he'll like it too."
Suma pouts, "You're so mean Maki."
"But you love me," Makio says.
"Yeah, I do," Suma says turning to face her wife. Makio smiles knowing she's won this round. Just before she starts to walk again Suma jumps up and pecks her on the lips.
Makio shuts down for five minutes.
--
Hinatsuru meets Tomioka purely by quiescence. He was walking back from a mission and she was as well. Hinatsuru walks up to him, already knowing who he is.
"Hello there," She greets, tapping Tomioka on the shoulder while walking by. He turns his head to look at Hinatsuru.
"Hello Hinatsuru," he greets back.
"Hm, what gave me away Tomioka-san?" Hinatsuru asks keeping in pace with the shorter.
"Earring all of you have matching ones," Tomioka says.
"Hm, I suppose we do, it's nice to meet you though I've heard good things about you."
"You all like me?" Tomioka asks disbelief on his face. Hinatsuru almost gapes.
"Yes! Of course, we like you otherwise you wouldn't be seeing us!" Tengen was right when he said that Tomioka's self-worth was in the negatives. Hinatsuru was starting to get worried now. What if? She didn't want to think about that. She whirled in front of Tomioka and grabbed his hands.
"If we didn't like having you around Suma wouldn't have spent three hours talking to you, if we didn't like having you around Tengen wouldn't have had dinner with you, if we didn't like having you around Maki wouldn't have teased you! Moreover, if we didn't want you around why would I come and talk to you?" Hinatsuru says squeezing his hands. He looked a little stunned.
"Really?" He asks barely able to be heard.
"Really."
"Would you all mind if I stayed for a night, my house is quite far," Tomioka says looking down. Hinatsuru smiles and starts walking hand still on Tomioka's.
"We'd love to host you Tomi-kun," Hinatsuru says.
--
Giyu doesn't know how to feel, Hinatsuru is dragging him to the sound estate while he's trying to not blush because he's at eye level with Hinatsuru's bust and he has to crane if neck to look her in the eyes. Hinatsuru's grip on his hand is also tight not enough to hurt, but he hasn't really touched people in years before Suma decided to hug him to death two weeks ago. Plus they're married and Giyu doesn't want to be caught dead looking at a married woman's or man's chest.
Giyu also felt bad for lying to Hinatsuru, his house wasn't far, he didn't have one. He stayed mostly at Wisteria houses between missions and slept outside during them.
He does like every Uzui all of them are nice and hot. Suma's the cutest, and Giyu can't decide whether to be more scared of Tengen or Hinatsuru.
When they make it to the house dinner is already cooking and being eaten by Tengen, Suma, and Makio.
"So we have enough for two more mouths?" Hinatsuru asks. Suma jumps up.
"HINA! TOMI TOO AAAAA YOU'RE BACK," Suma screams barreling into both Giyu and Hinatsuru. She nearly knocks over Giyu.
"Yep! We have plenty, Tomi come sit next to me and Suma, Tengen has horrid table manners!" Makio states. Hinatsuru huffs and sits next to her pouting husband. Two minutes later after Giyu standing there quietly not knowing what to do, Suma pushes him down with a bowl of food next to Makio.
"Thank you for the food," Giyu says.
"No problem I like cooking," Makio says cracking her knuckles. Giyu winces when he hears the sound. If he did that he wouldn't be able to use his hands reliably for a few days. They'd hurt too much to be useful for anything. He gratefully eats food with the Uzui's.
They're really nice if a bit weird. Then again that might be the trade-off for liking someone like Giyu.
He gets set up in the same guest bedroom even though there are two of them and the one he's in is next to the master bedroom and it feels weird, he just lets it be.
Fifteen minutes after he has fully laid himself down and is drifting into a peaceful doze Makio comes into the room.
"Scoot," She says, Giyu hums only half awake, and shuffles over a bit giving her room on the futon. He plops down next to him and rests her head on his back. Giyu is sure he's redder than his haori. After a few minutes of squirming trying to get used to the feeling of Makio next to him, he drifts into a doze again. Right as he's on the edge of sleep Makio wraps her arms around him and squishes her face in his hair.
"G'night Tomi," She says giving Giyu a little squeeze. Her drip doesn't lighten as she sleeps. Giyu resigns himself to the fate of getting murdered tomorrow morning by Tengen Uzui because his wife snuggled him.
Giyu wakes up with a stiff back and aching hands. The weather won't be any good. He reflexively moves his fingers and has to stop a hiss, that hurt. Giyu moves his neck a bit and really just wants to go back to sleep and wallow in pain.
Giyu blinks up at the ceiling. He feels the reminder of phantom cuts along his body. It's lighter than when they happened but the feeling of cold metal digging into his skin is all the same even if less.
Giyu hears footsteps.
"Ah you're awake Tomioka, glad to see Makio has just finished cooking breakfast come down and eat with us," one Tengen Uzui says jolting Giyu out of his daze. Giyu's body is stiff with pain as he stands up and follows Tengen to the dining room. Hinatsuru and Suma are jabbing their chopsticks at each other playfully. Giyu sits at the end of the table slowly moving his fingers bit by bit. Makio is sitting down next to Tengen by the time Giyu can move one hand without pain. His back is still screaming at him, and so is his neck but he can deal with that later. He eats with everyone else nodding along when they say something to him.
His voice is lost somewhere in the rain outside.
Everyone leaves to do their own thing around the house as Giyu walks to the garden. He sits down on the outcropping with ink and paper next to him. Slowly he starts to move the brush.
He inks down the backyard garden of the Uzui family in the rain until he's called for lunch.
He closes his paper notebook and walks over with Hinatsuru to lunch, which is just light fruits and tea.
"I think I'm going to sleep on the engawa outside," Suma says as she gets up taking everyone else's plates with her.
"I was thinking me and Hina would train a bit more, Maki?"
"Hm, nah to cold out I'm going to be reading," Makio says shaking her head. A few minutes later after everyone had left for their respective activities Giyu walks to the kitchen and starts washing the dishes. It's not a lot but it's the least Giyu can do.
He ends up outside again only this time sitting next to an asleep Suma.
While Giyu was distracted by inking paper Suma shifted over to face him and use his leg as a pillow. He's stiff at first before resigning himself yet again, he is now most definitely going to be killed by Tengen Uzui. At least Suma's warm.
By the time Suma wakes up Giyu's fingers have long gone numb and stiff but he's still inking too lost in the process to care. Suma rests her head on his shoulder sighing. Giyu closes his eyes giving into the heaviness of his eyes for a moment.
Apparently, that's long enough for Suma to drag him down and stuff them both under the blanket she was using. She purposely leaves her head on Giyu's chest. Giyu feels fear spark up for a moment before Suma starts humming.
He's never been able to take naps, all he needed was one Suma Uzui to do so.
--
Tengen is so happy. His adorable wife Suma was laying on top of the equally adorable Tomioka Giyu both snoring slightly. Suma's hand has wrapped itself into Tomioka's hair.
"His hair is really fucken soft," Maki says.
"It looks like he takes good care of it," Hina says back.
"They're both flamboyantly cute," Tengen says making sure not to raise his voice so the two can sleep. Maki giggles.
"Remember how Suma said she thinks Tomi has extra chub?"
"Yep."
"Mhm."
"He does," Maki says gleefully, "He's super soft, you can tell he has muscle but not hard muscle like you Tengen."
"Is his butt flat or?" Hina asks, Maki snickers.
"Not flat, hard to tell though he's drowning in his baggy clothes."
"I do wonder why he does wear such loose clothing," Tengen speculates aloud.
"Comfort maybe? Maybe he has scars he doesn't want people to see? Could be that he runs cold fast," Maki theorizes shrugging.
"I feel like all three of those factors play into this," Hina says.
"Now Tengen, Makio let's make dinner, we'll wake them when we finish," Hina continues turning around to walk towards the kitchen.
They keep having Tomioka around for dinner or a day about once a week. Tengen likes it. About a month into this happening Tomioka caves and admits he doesn't own a house.
Their nice guest bedroom becomes Tomioka's.
Tengen is quite sure by now (about three months later) that Tomioka has figured out that if someone comes to snuggle with him at night the others are having fun for the night.
They also just pile up in Tomioka's room when they can tell he's having a bad day. Or when he gets back from long missions, they do the same for Tengen sans Tomioka unless Tengen drags him in.
They're having dinner out. Tomioka is sitting next to Tengen it's secluded and away from foot traffic.
And boy does dim red light do wonders to Tomioka's face. Tengen has to smother the urge to kiss Tomioka into the ground each time he looks at Tomioka dead on. Tomioka, bless his soul, is just as obvious as ever.
Tengen breaks when the waiter goes to get their check, he pecks the shorter man and doesn't look back. Tomioka's eyes widen a bit before he looks down, clearly flustered.
It doesn't take long for everyone to start pecking Tomioka whenever no one will see.
It's fun. Around the mark of four months after Tomioka moved in, he's officially Giyu in the house.
Giyu has some sleeping problems and it seems they get worse when it's cold or rainy. One night while it's still raining and after Tengen and his waves have fallen asleep there's a knock on the front door. Tengen gets up unhappily to get to the door. When Tengen opens the door he's greeted by a soaking wet Rengoku.
"Uzui-san! I seem to have been caught up in the rain mind if I stay the night?" He asks in his normally loud voice.
"Yeah sure let me show you to the guest room," Tengen says pushing Rengoku in by the shoulders, the draft outside is cold, and the house is already unusually cold, Tengen doesn't want it colder. As he pushes Rengoku past the kitchen Rengoku pipes up.
"Am I hallucinating or is Tomioka-san sitting on your outside engawa?" Rengoku asks his voice just a little too loud. Tengen grumbles and looks to the engawa to see Giyu sitting with his hands in his lap looking out at the garden as rain pours down. Tengen scrunches his nose, that's why it's cold.
"Yeah you're hallucinating Rengoku, go to sleep," Tengen says as he pushes Rengoku into the guest room. Rengoku nods before loudly saying goodnight and closing the door. Sighing Tengen walks over to the engawa and looks down at Giyu.
"Giyu," Tengen says over the thunder. Giyu doesn't react, even when a peal of thunder so loud Tengen thinks his ears are going to bleed rings out. Tengen sits down next to Giyu and looks between the two of them. A small notepad backed with bamboo and an ink brush sits on Giyu's left side. Tengen picks it up and opens the book. Dates are marched with each painting. Giyu's inkwork is beautiful. As Tengen flips through pages he finds one of his backyard garden. It was the date after Giyu spent the night for the second time. It was raining that day too. Tengen flips to the next page to find a painting of Suma sleeping looking back at him. Tengen runs his fingers along the lines. It really does look like his wife. He flips the page again, greeted this time by his kitchen where Makio is saying something to him. As Tengen flips more and more pages he finds more paintings of his house and his family. Tengen flips to the newest page painted that day.
A boy with a scar running down his cheek smiling with carefree eyes and a haori that looks so much like half of Giyu's looks at the painting. Tengen can see the hiragana written next to it.
'Sabito, happy birthday, you'd be seventeen today, I'm already a bit past eighteen. Sleep well, my friend.'
Tengen sighs and closes the book to look at Giyu. His eyes are still looking out at the rainy garden unseeing.
"Giyu," Tengen sighs. The other doesn't respond. Tengen places a hand on Giyu's shoulder and shakes him just a bit. Giyu remains entranced by the rain, unseeing of Tengen. Tengen reaches out and holds Giyu's freezing and picks up the shorter. Giyu still doesn't respond. Tengen carefully walks up the stairs to the master bedroom, Giyu's too cold and Tengen would rather Giyu be smothered by him and his wives than cold. As he opens the door Suma blearily looks at him.
"Tengen what're you doing?" She asks words half slurred.
"Giyu was outside and is freezing so we're gonna have to warm him up," Tengen says before placing Giyu next to Suma and sifting into the spot he was in before. Suma nods tiredly and grabs Giyu to use him as a teddy bear. Maki whines in her sleep before curling around Suma and Giyu, Hina snuggles closer to Tengen's back throwing an arm around his back and pulling up the blanket. Tengen smiles and stuffs his nose into Giyu's hair to breathe in the scent of cold rain, mint, and peonies.
Yeah, he thinks, yeah I'm pretty damn happy to have these four be mine.
About a month and a half later they were eating out of dinner. It was a nice place, Giyu sat between Suma and Hina talking with everyone.
"Ahh, I'm so happy, six months! Only six more til a year!" Suma exclaims smiling. Giyu tilts his head to the side.
"Six months of what?" Giyu asks. Tengen would be able to hear a pin drop.
"Of us dating?" Maki suggests.
"We're dating?" Giyu asks looking hopeful yet confused.
"Yes, did you think we weren't?" Hina asks looking astounded.
"You all weren't just doing it to get my hopes up?" Giyu asks, he looks a little close to crying.
"Giyu I've kissed you, we all have we wouldn't do that for shit and giggles, you live with us for hell's sake!" Tengen says. Giyu places his face in his hands.
"I feel so stupid," He says quietly.
"Don't say that, we did never really say anything about us being official so I guess that would make it a bit confusing," Suma says patting Giyu's back. Giyu just murmurs something.
"What was that Giyu?" Hina asks.
"Thanks, I really do love you all," Giyu says. Tengen feels his heart just about burst. His wives do too.
If that night after dinner they all snuggle Giyu half to death that's for them to know and enjoy.