The Swimming Butterfly (Giyushino Fanfic)

Chapter 25

𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚞 𝙺𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚘 

Despite our yearning to stay beneath the blanket, indulging in each other's warmth, we both reluctantly arose. 

After searching the floor for a few moments, we both retrieved our uniforms and began to dress. Despite his airheadedness, Giyu's fingers nimbly made their way up his shirt, snapping each button in place with precision. 

He looked up from his shirt, catching me in the act of staring at his chest. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as he continued to button his shirt. Even after meeting my gaze, Giyu remained silent, his lips drawn tightly together as usual. 

"Ara ara, Giyu. Do you always dress this quickly? Are you that scared of a maiden's gaze that you need to quickly clothe yourself? Don't worry, my eyes won't drill holes into your chest."

To my displeasure, Giyu showed no response to my comments, instead choosing to act as if he had heard nothing. He only spoke after completing his 

"Trying to enjoy the show?" He asked smugly as the corners of his mouth lifted infinitesimally. 

"Oh my, when did you become so witty?" I jabbed him in the stomach, causing him to grunt and reel over in pain. "And you learned how to act as well! How nice!"

Giyu clenched his stomach, gritting his teeth as he craned his neck to look at me. A deeply betrayed expression formed on his face, which couldn't help but make me laugh. 

Before either of us could continue with our part of the banter, his messenger crow landed on the tatami mats in front of us. An awkward silence filled the room, the lightheartedness from only moments before completely gone. A bitter, chilling breeze flew in from the shattered door, pricking our skin as it flew by. 

The crow quickly informed us about the areas we were to patrol and what demons to actively search for. Just as quickly as it arrived, the bird took its leave. It swiftly jumped into the air and flapped its wings to fly back to Ubuyashiki's mansion. The only evidence of its arrival was a singular pitch-black plume, which his dog promptly took for an enemy and started fighting. 

'Such a feisty dog.' 

Clad in our uniforms and haoris of the dead, we set out immediately. The area we were assigned to was quite the trip from Giyu's modest home. 

We traversed at a hurried pace, trying to reach our destination before sundown. Our journey was wordless as we saved our breath to leap from tree to tree. 

"I had a bruise on that rib," Giyu muttered under his breath, just loud enough to be audible by me. 

"I knew that, Giyu. How good of a doctor would I be if I didn't realize that you were injured?"

Upon hearing my confession, he wore a slightly hurt and indignant expression. Despite his facial features barely changing, he always wore his feelings on the edge of his sleeve. When he felt angry, his eyebrows would everso slightly furrow, when he felt happy, the corners of his lips would rise, and when he felt embarrassed, he would always avoid eye contact.

I sighed, wondering when I had begun to pick up on his habits. 

"You're so cute Giyu," I remarked absentmindedly, the thoughts in my mind spilling out of my mouth. 

Only a delayed grunt came from his side. 

In an instant, he stopped on the branch he landed on, raising a hand for me to do as well. Looking down, I noticed two demons lurking in the forestry. Although they seemed to be relatively weak demons, we took the utmost precaution in exterminating them.