𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬

Navigating The Unknown

The sun was rising, casting soft, warm light through the trees. Obanai slowly woke up, feeling the cool morning air against his skin. His body was sore not just from the fight the day before, but from everything else that happened after. As he shifted, he realized Giyuu’s arm was wrapped around his waist, and that made his heart race all over again.

Everything from the night before came flooding back. The battle, the confession, the way they couldn’t hold back their feelings any longer. Obanai’s face heated up at the memory. He wasn’t used to being so close to someone, especially in such an intimate way. His scars always made him feel self-conscious, and last night had left him feeling more exposed than ever before.

Obanai glanced at Giyuu, who was still asleep beside him. The Water Hashira’s face looked calm, peaceful, and Obanai felt a strange mix of emotions. He liked seeing Giyuu like this, but it also made him nervous. How were they supposed to act now? What did this mean for them?

He tried to carefully move away, not wanting to wake Giyuu, but the small shift caused Giyuu’s eyes to flutter open.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. The silence was thick with the weight of everything they’d done and said the night before. It wasn’t the usual comfortable silence they were used to. This was different charged, full of unspoken things.

“Morning,” Giyuu mumbled, his voice soft and a little rough from sleep.

Obanai felt his chest tighten. He wasn’t sure how to respond or what to do. The truth was, he didn’t know what came next. He wasn’t used to these kinds of feelings, and last night had been overwhelming in so many ways.

“Morning,” Obanai replied quietly, looking away. His face felt warm, and he didn’t want Giyuu to see. He wasn’t used to feeling this vulnerable, even though Giyuu had already seen him at his most vulnerable.

Giyuu sat up a little, resting on his elbow as he looked at Obanai. His expression was hard to read, but Obanai could feel the intensity of his gaze.

“You okay?” Giyuu asked after a long pause, his tone gentle but concerned.

Obanai stiffened. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He snapped without meaning to. The truth was, he didn’t know how to handle any of this. He wasn’t sure what to say or how to act now that everything between them had changed.

Giyuu didn’t seem fazed by Obanai’s sharp tone. He just looked at him, calm as ever. “You seem… off,” Giyuu said quietly, his eyes not leaving Obanai’s face.

Obanai’s heart raced. Of course, he was off. How could he not be? He wasn’t used to someone caring about him like this, and it made him feel exposed. “I’m fine,” Obanai muttered, but his words didn’t sound convincing, even to himself.

“You don’t have to hide things from me,” Giyuu said, his voice soft but steady. “Not anymore.”

Obanai froze at that. His mind raced, a thousand thoughts swirling around. He wasn’t sure how to handle the fact that someone especially Giyuu was seeing him like this. It was terrifying, and a part of him wanted to pull away, to go back to the way things were before.

But another part of him didn’t want that. He didn’t want to push Giyuu away, not after everything.

Obanai shifted, sitting up a little and running a hand through his hair, not looking at Giyuu. “I just… I don’t know what happens now,” he admitted quietly, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

Giyuu’s expression softened, and for the first time, Obanai saw a hint of vulnerability in him too. “I don’t know either,” Giyuu said, his voice low. “But we’ll figure it out.”

The words were simple, but they held a promise. Obanai looked at Giyuu then, really looked at him, and saw something in his eyes that made his chest tighten. It was understanding, something Obanai wasn’t used to. For so long, he’d felt like no one really saw him, scars and all. But Giyuu did.

And somehow, that was both terrifying and comforting.

“I’m not used to… this,” Obanai admitted, gesturing vaguely between them.

Giyuu nodded, his eyes softening further. “Neither am I.”

For a moment, they just sat there, the silence between them feeling different now not as heavy, but still full of things left unsaid. Obanai’s heart was pounding in his chest, and he didn’t know how to deal with the feelings swirling inside him. But he knew one thing he didn’t want to go back to the way things were before.

Tentatively, Obanai reached out, his hand brushing against Giyuu’s. It was a small gesture, but for him, it felt like a huge stp. Giyuu looked down at their hands and then back at Obanai, his expression soft.

“We don’t have to rush anything,” Giyuu said quietly, as if sensing Obanai’s hesitation.

Obanai nodded, grateful for that. He wasn’t ready for everything to change all at once, but he also didn’t want to lose what they had. Maybe they didn’t know what would happen next, but for now, this hatever it was was enough.

And that was a start.