Can't I See You One Last Time?

Chapter 19: Names

"Do you have a-"
Shinazugawa felt a lose of presence near him the looked around himself. He looked to his left side, and found nothing. He stopped walking then looked to his right side then behind him. Shinazugawa couldn't find a single trace of the person he was just talking to. Shinazugawa sighed and continued walking forward.
"That frickin lover boy."
That was the start of a new nickname for a certain raven haired slayer.

The certain raven haired slayer had rushed away from Shinazugawa as soon as the other let his guard down. Unsurprisingly, he speed walked all the way to Butterfly Mansion. To show respect, he took his shoes off at the door entrance then proceeded to run, take a left, and after a little running, he turned right. It wasn't long before he arrived in front of the door of the third room on the right side of the hall.

Inside the room, the second bed closest to the door on the left side was being used by the slayer, Tanjiro, he wanted to see. Although the person in the bed was sleeping, the slayer sat on the chair next to the bed and stayed there.

Around a half an hour, Tanjiro in bed woke up, and he was quite surprised by the first thing he saw. It was a surprise to see one of the Hashira by his bedside. Not only that, but he was sleeping.
What is Tomioka-San doing here?
One hand was resting on the sword handle barely holding Giyuu's upper body up. His feet were firmly planted on the floor, but his upper body was leaning forward. It looked like Giyuu was about to fall forwards.

Tanjiro thought it wrong to wake someone who was peacefully sleeping. Especially, if that was someone a person who stayed up and hadn't slept for about a day. He would've just left Giyuu there if he didn't look like the guy was about to fall forward. So, Tanjiro, as quietly as he could, got out of the bed and started walking towards Giyuu.

Tanjiro was quiet as he could possibly be, but when he got into sword draw range, Giyuu woke up and he instinctively slid his blue sword out of the scabbard, more commonly known as a sheath. Tanjiro stopped where he was and bent his elbows to put his hands up.
"Did you sleep well Tomioka-san?"
Giyuu put his sword away and gave a slight smile.
"Yes, I had a very pleasant dream."
Giyuu got up and Tanjiro put his hands down then smiled as well. Giyuu walked closer and picked up Tanjiro to gently place him on the bed.
"You shouldn't be standing while your injured."
Tanjiro was stunned for an instant then gave Giyuu a smile while scratching his cheek.
"You're right, Thank you."
Giyuu smiled and then bent down,
"Can I hug you?"
That was a surprise to Tanjiro. A guy who seemed to want to put space between himself and other people, asked for a hug.

Although he was surprised, Tanjiro caught the sent of nervousness from Giyuu. He opened his arms wide and said,
"Sure, Tomioka-san!"
Giyuu wrapped his arms around Tanjiro gently making sure he didn't put any pressure on the younger's injuries. Tanjiro laid his hands on Giyuu's back, returning the hug.

For some reason, the hug made Tanjiro feel safe and secure. Tanjiro felt warm. Tanjiro felt as the arms wrapped around him would keep him safe as long as he stayed inside them. Tanjiro rested his head in Giyuu's shoulder and closed his eyes.
"Tanjiro, call me Giyuu."
It was an immediate response from Tanjiro,
"I couldn't possibly."
Giyuu unwrapped his arms and pulled away in confusion. Tanjiro called Shinobu by her first name, but why had he full on rejected calling Giyuu by his.
Is it the difference in ranks? Or maybe it's because we don't know each other that well? Does Tanjiro feel uncomfortable around me?

In this situation, Tanjiro's nose was being overwhelmed with the different emotions. Worry, nervousness, confusion, desperation, sadness, anger, happiness, anxiousness, and then there was that overly sweet sent that didn't cause the usual headaches. Tanjiro was confused and overwhelmed. Usually, this wouldn't be a problem, but all of these emotions were coming from one person. Not only that, but the person was right in front of him was the one admitting all of these different smells.
"Tomioka-san, if you want me to call you by your first name then I will. It's just not only did you save my life, but my sister's as well. To show my respect and gratitude, I call you by your last name..."
That was reliving to hear. Tanjiro didn't hate him nor did he find Giyuu uncomfortable to be around. It was all because Tanjiro respected him and held him in high regards. It meant that Giyuu still had a chance.
"If you're not going to call me Giyuu than I'll just have to call you Kamado."
Tanjiro laughed at the childish way Giyuu was acting. It reminded Tanjiro of his younger siblings. They were cheerful and extremely stubborn when it came to some things.

Confusion washed over Giyuu. He didn't understand what Tanjiro was laughing about. He didn't understand, but Giyuu still found the sight pretty. His laugh was attention catching and his expression held the person's attention.

Tanjiro was forced to calm down after feeling the pain from his broken ribs. The sudden wince in pain worried Giyuu, but Tanjiro quelled his worried by telling the older that he was fine.
"Apologies for laughing, you just reminded me of my younger siblings."
Giyuu was embarrassed and it showed from the slight blush on his face. Tanjiro smiled nervously,
"Besides, It's rare for someone to call me by my last name, so if you suddenly called me Kamado, it'd take a while for me to understand that you're calling out to me."
"Well then, if you're not going to call me Giyuu you'd better get used to being called Kamado."
Tanjiro laughed a little before saying,
"You're such a kid, Giyuu-san."