"Is it going good in the garden?" @ackie-slays - Tumblr Blog

Jul 15, 2025

Heart of Stone | Post-Infinity Castle Spoilers. | CW: mature themes. | 5.6k words. | Chapter 1 of ?

Every morning is quiet now.

Time is a blur for the former slayer of demons, as he hides under his bedding and wishes fervently to dwell in the place between sleep and the waking world. It’s hard to greet the daylight… even more difficult to get out of his bed, to care for himself… he didn't feel hunger. He felt empty and heavy at the same time.

Every move he makes comes with a certain amount of effort. the blankets pull from his face with a tug of his hand… He squints his jade eyes to look to the ceiling. His silver hair is unkempt, facial hair comes out scraggly because he hasn't bothered to shave for a few days… everything in this life came at a cost… his energy… his sanity. his loved ones… everything had an expiration it seemed.

He doesn't have the heart to look to the empty side of the bed… He already knew his lover was gone forever. Faded to the winds just as every demon had also returned to the earth, Genya Shinazugawa was never coming back. None of the plans they made, the dreams they had shared, would ever come true for Genya now… and that made the hole in Gideon's heart ache more than anything.

It had been a few years since the events of the infinity castle, a hellish scape that had opened up to swallow up all of his comrades and himself. They had defeated Muzan Kibutsuji at the tragic cost of so many lives… and one that Gideon had sworn to protect. It still hurt. Years had passed and he was still simultaneously numb and tortured from the inside… perhaps this was what rotting felt like.

At least a few times each week… Gideon would force himself out into the world. He had one more person to care for outside of himself. Someone who had suffered a greater loss… and that person was Sanemi Shinazugawa. Genya certainly wouldn't have wanted either of them to waste away… and Gideon feared that Sanemi would let himself go if left unchecked on.

So the younger man would force some ghost of a shower, and dig for clean clothing to put on… and he'd make his way to the former Hashiras's estate.

Sanemi may have become used to his intrusions but it didn’t mean he enjoyed the visits. Gideon was one of his more constant visitors, especially since Tanjiro was planning a wedding with Kanao as of late… More than anyone, Sanemi hated the fact that his little brother couldn't experience life after demons, or just life in general now. Hated that he wouldn't be able to see a wedding, even if it may have been with this twit who kept on checking on him…

Gideon arrived at the estate and removed his shoes, lightly knocking to announce himself. He would then peek his head in, and softly call for Sanemi.

“...Are you home?” he asks, stepping in. The house was quiet, which wasn't entirely alarming. Gideon would usually find him in his room. So he ventured that way, looking around at the state of the man's home.

He finds him…Sanemi is laying in bed, likely not asleep but staring at the wall ahead. He heard the door, and without moving to see who it is… speaks.

“Can't you just… leave me alone? For fucks sake…” A typical greeting. Gideon ventures in.

“...I know you're hurting still… and I'm not going to leave you alone until I know you're okay.”

“I'm fucking great, I dont know what youre talking about,” he growls.

Gideon ventures over to give him the most unbelieving shake of his head. The former hashira looks up at him with the same beautiful eyes his brother had… a pang of pain resonates with Gideon as he once again makes that connection.

Sanemi huffs. “You look like shit.”

Gideon blinks with hardly any fight in him. “Thanks it's the depression.”

“Why do you insist on coming here… I dont fucking get it.”

Gideon starts picking up articles of clothing from Sanemi's floor. “Because Genya wouldn't have wanted either of us to just stop living.”

“I have one year left to live before this slayer mark curse takes me out…” he says, not moving.

Gideon hated when he pulled that reminder out, as if it was a waste of time to care for a dying man. “Sanemi…” his voice cracks a little, and he places the clothing in the nearby hamper. “You arent fucking dying later today, or tomorrow. Why can't you just…”

He doesn't know what he was going to suggest… Shut up? Get out of bed and enjoy life? Neither of those options seemed fair. He'd hate it if someone tried to do that to him. So he sighs, picking up Sanemi's hamper.

“ …Nevermind. Just please, stop… Reminding me. Damn.”

He exits the room… Sanemi stays, blinking and looking to the wall, feeling something different than what he had been experiencing that morning. Whatever the feeling was, it bid him to get out of his bed easier, and he adjusted his sleep pants to follow Gideon out.

“...I can do my own laundry.”

Gideon looks back, surprised and relieved to see that he'd gotten out of bed. It was the small benchmarks with Sanemi that gave Gideon some hope that he'd make progress. “I can help you, if you want. There's a lot here.” he says, not wanting to stubbornly insist on doing things solely for Sanemi. He knew the older man well enough to know he wouldn't tolerate such actions and wouldn't see it as kindness.

Sanemi pauses to look at the basket, and then nods. “ …Fine. I'll let you help me.” He growls softly, looking at Gideon as he picks the basket up himself. Hesitating, he murmurs a thank you.

“...Of course, Sanemi.”

Quietly, at the washing station, Gideon helps sort the clothing and Sanemi starts washing. They do this mundane task together, the work not feeling nearly as daunting. Gideon doesn't really pry at him… He's tired, and just wanting to spend some time around another person… He knew Sanemi at bare minimum could also use that (even if he didn't articulate it, or couldn't admit it) so it's why Gideon usually chose to venture to his estate often.

Sanemi is the first to speak after they hang up the garments. The summer breeze rustles them with the promise of a quicker dry in the sun…

“Isn't tomorrow your birthday?”

Gideon looks over to him. Shit… He was right. August 21st… “...Oh yeah…. huh.”

He'd be turning 19. Not really a milestone birthday by any means… His entire body felt older and more tired than his age.

“...Dumbass… are you going to do anything for it?” Sanemi prods.

Gideon shrugs. “...Not particularly…” All of his friends seemed busier these days with their family building… and he didn’t feel right asking Sanemi. He felt like it'd be burdensome for the former hashira to do anything for him.

Gideon turns to venture back inside, and Sanemi follows him. There's a moment where it seems like Sanemi is thinking of what to say… and then he speaks as they get to the engawa.

“Look… You’ve… Been kind to me through this whole thing. You were certainly important to Genya, and… I…I want to return the favor for everything you’ve done. Why don’t you come over tomorrow, and we can celebrate?”

Gideon's gaze softens on him. There’s a little bit of hope behind his tired eyes. “You'd… Do that for me? What do you have in mind?”

Sanemi shrugs. “... I guess I was drinking at your age… so what if we had some sake and just hung out on the engawa? I can invite a few people over… we can figure out some games or something…”

Gideon winces a little as he thinks of being social in front of more than just Sanemi, but… he smiles, and agrees. “Okay… That sounds like it could be fun. Thank you…. For doing that.”

Plus, he feels rather proud of Sanemi for doing this. It'd get him out of his room as well, and he would have to socialize with others. Gideon's birthday would be a blessing in disguise for the both of them.

Sanemi steps closer to him and examines his hair. “...Your undercut is growing out a bit. I could shave it for you. I used to help Genya do his hair when we were kids.”

Gideon gives him a grateful smile. “Th-thank you, yes please… I just haven't really… had the energy to go to the barber.”

“I know, kid… I know.” Sanemi's voice is softer.

******

Evening greets Gideon like an old friend. He walks home from Sanemi's estate, feeling just a little bit optimistic. The crickets sing, fireflies glow in spurts… He smiles softly. He… wished he could share this moment with Genya.

A gentle breeze tussles his hair, feeling cooler thanks to Sanemi's careful trimming. He has come to believe that Genya is with him in the soft breezes. *You're here with me, aren't you love?* he thinks, stopping a moment to take in the evening beauty.

“...I miss you so much…” he murmurs softly into the night air.

He holds his arm, a self soothing thing that he has always done to ground himself. He remembers times when Genya and him would stargaze on the mountain… the soft moments where he would hold his hand and lay in the cool grass with him by his side. A moment passes and he keeps on walking back to his home. The place that should have been for both of them one day… now lays in wait for only him.

He would try not to focus on that though. He'd open the windows to invite the breeze in. He'd bathe, he'd clean up his facial hair… He would try to rest well. He will get to see friends tomorrow… He'd get to spend time with Sanemi again. He could look forward to things, and even if the morning would bring a certain weight to his being, he would fight through it and live.

Because… Genya would have wanted that for him. He would have wanted Gideon to live, and to carry his love with him.

Gideon can still remember the tender way in which he spoke when they were alone. A small inner voice still held onto his cadence, and Genya would whisper to him there. Praising him, cooing softly to him when he cried… reminding him that he was brave, and that none of this was his fault. The absence of Genya in his life felt unbearable sometimes for him… But there were pieces of him imbued into Gideon's soul now.

He looks himself over in his vanity mirror… Sometimes he didn't recognize the man staring back at him. Tired to his core but… still here. Still alive. Perhaps he didn't recognize himself because of the way grief changes a person. The love felt eventually goes through a form of entropy, expanding… leaving something completely different and evolving in its wake.

Fragments stay… the rest returns to the universe.

Gideon certainly felt like more of a jagged edge of something broken rather than a collection of fragments and stardust… Perhaps it was just how he was supposed to be shaped.

As he's done most of his life… he holds himself gently. He shaves his facial hair, trims his patch of silver hair adorning his chin… looks at how long his hair has gotten as he takes it out of the hair ties that pinned it into more of a mohawk. Soft silver hair falls in sections on his shoulders and he remembers a time when he would have taken scissors to it once it got that long…

But something about the length was comforting. Something about the longer hair helped him feel… reminded him in a softer way of his lost loved one.

He feels heavier as the night goes on… he wishes that he could just… have someone to talk to as he falls asleep. He opens his bedroom sliding door just a crack, allowing the night breeze to come in from outside…

He feels less lonely somehow. He falls asleep, cuddled under his blankets and facing the cracked doorway… not the empty side of his bed.

******

A knock wakes him the next day. He cracks his eyelids open… Feeling out of touch with time and space for a moment. The knock persists, and then he hears the door open. Only two people would just… come in like this. One was Tanjiro, and the other…

“Oi! birthday fucker! get up, I planned a whole party for you.”

… was Sanemi.

Gideon groans softly and to no avail tries to pull the blanket over his head. Sanemi is stronger than him and muscles it away from him, throwing it across the bedroom.

“... Sanemi…”

“Get up, idiot. Come on. I got you a strawberry bullshit cake and everything.”

Gideon looks at him for a moment… and just a hint of a smile appears. He sits up in his bed and scootches to sit on the side. Sanemi walks around and glares into his eyes.

“I'm going to step outside. If you do some goofy shit like go back to bed or take forever, I'm dressing you myself.”

Gideon snorts and stands up to find an outfit.

“Oh you think that's funny huh?”

Gideon looks over from his closet. “It's hilarious, I've seen your fashion sense unchecked.”

Sanemi puffs up. “Bastard! I dress myself just fine!”

Gideon chuckles softly trying not to burst out laughing, finding a nice purple kimono with star patterning. He just starts undressing to change, knowing that Sanemi was going to defend his taste in clothing and not step outside at this point.

“You remember that one festival where you wore the most god awful combination of colors, and *Giyuu* purposely avoided you?”

“SHUT UP-”

Sanemi throws a pillow at him and it makes Gideon laugh. Gideon picks out a dark purple kimono and black haori, tying a gold belt around his middle and choosing gold earrings to put in. for the first time in a long while, he fusses over his appearence, tying his hair back a few different times trying to collect everything away from his face just so. Sanemi groans and flops down on Gideon's bed, making the younger man look to him.

“This isnt *that* formal of a thing, Gideon, for fucks sake. They are all people you know and its like seven people at most.”

Gideon blinks at him. He guesses that putting makeup on was out of the question. He dabs on some nice cologne that Genya used to like, and turns to Sanemi, walking over to poke his forehead as he still sprawls dramatically on his bed. “I'm ready to go.”

“Finally!” He heaves himself up. “Let's go princess. You'll be lucky if the guys haven't already demolished your cake.”

******

“I'm back with the birthday boy!” Sanemi says, entering into his home with Gideon in tow. Gideon blushes as all eyes settle on him. Tengen and his wives are the first ones to stand and greet him.

“Happy birthday kiddo!” Tengen says, giving him a huzzah and pulling him in. Gideon laughs shyly, glad that the hug is brief. Sanemi had essentially invited whoever was left of the demon slayer corps to celebrate Gideon's birthday if they were able, and he'd gotten a decent response. Giyuu of course came; he wasn't missing an opportunity to spend time with Sanemi. Murata had also come, standing up with Giyuu as they had been chatting before Sanemi came back in. Zenitsu, Tanjiro and Inosuke had come earlier, but ultimately left their gifts for him and had to head out for prior commitments. Gideon blushed as he realized everyone in the room were the older generations of demon slayers… and he felt somewhat out of place.

Sanemi gives Gideon a wicked grin and hands him a small ceramic cup of sake. “Drink up you little dork, you're not leaving my house sober!”

Gideon immediately takes the shot. He'd need all the bravery he could get to socialize with his party. The group cheers as he does so, and he settles in between Tengen and Murata.

Makio appears with Gideon's cake and candles and Gideon blushes *more,* trying to hide his shy face behind his sleeve. “Everyone sing happy birthday to him!”

They do. It makes him want to slide under the table and disappear. He was going to need so much more alcohol to tolerate this day… but they are all so happy, and Gideon is actually glad for that. It, in turn, makes him feel a certain warmth that isn't related to the sake. He relaxes a bit and blows his candles out… making a wish.

Sanemi hands him another cup of sake, he takes it and coughs a little. Tengen pats his back enthusiastically. “Atta boy! Let's get some hair growing on that chest of yours!”

Murata stands up. “I'm gonna help with the cake, be back!” he says, leaving Giyuu by himself. They'd been chatting amongst themselves while the Uzuis and Sanemi were dead set on getting a few drinks in Gideon’s system.

A sheepish part of Gideon wants to remain in Sanemi's shadow, because he doesn't know the other people incredibly well. If only he hadn't overslept… he could have chatted with Tanjiro quite easily. But none of them really pressure him to chat with them. Murata comes back and hands Giyuu, Tengen, and finally Gideon a piece of cake. The birthday boy murmurs a thank you and picks at the moist desert.

“Let's play a game!” Sanemi says, echoed by Tengen that it was a great idea. “Never have I ever! If you've done the thing we say we haven't done, You've gotta take a shot of this sake! We stop when the bottle is gone.”

Sanemi grins and makes direct eye contact with Gideon. “Never have I ever… broken five of my nichirin blades.” Gideon flips him off. that was incredibly pointed. “Drink bitch!”

Gideon takes the shot. “Oh yeah? well… Never have I ever… fuckin' pined over a woman!” he points at everyone in the room. Everyone has to take a shot at that one, even Tengens wives. “HA! Got your asses~”

Murata almost spits his shot laughing at Gideon's sudden burst of confidence. Tengen refills his cup and raises it. “Never have I ever had to worry about being single!~” Giyuu, Murata, and Gideon in unison all said “fuck you,” and took their shots.

Time goes on, and Murata and Gideon are seemingly the most affected by the drinking game. Tengen and his wives leave as evening starts to set in… leaving four at the party.

Murata and Giyuu exchange a glance, and Murata suddenly stands and looks to Gideon, who is all but on the floor.

“Gideon!! Let's… go outside, and uhm… and look at ROCKS!”

Gideon, in the back of his mind… finds this weird as fuck. However, he gets on the hype train for pretty much anything if he's drunk.

“Holy shit! Fuck yeah I'll come look at rocks!!” He says, trying to stand.

Murata has to help him out the door, and he casts one last glance back at Giyuu before stepping into the evening air. He… doesn't really know if he should keep his bit up, but he does so anyway, leading Gideon to the plainest looking fucking rocks on Sanemi's property.

“WOW!” He says, pointing at nothing in particular in the rock pile. “Look at all these rocks! They're gonna … they're gonna rock your socks off!!” He says. Gideon scrunches his face, clearly amused. What the actual fuck was even going on right now? He had no clue.

“Hey now!! Don't take this time with me for granite!” Murata says, trying desperately to think of more rock related shit to say.

Gideon laughs. “You're so old with your dad jokes~” he says, wobbly on his feet so he ends up leaning on Murata for support.

“Y-yep! Like a rock! Heh. Because…. Because rocks are old.”

Gideon laughs, snorting. “Hey… you know what else…is just like a rock? Hold on …” he holds up a finger and uses Murata to support himself as he sinks to the ground, and grabs something. He sits, holding a regular ass rock up to Murata, hardly able to contain his laughter. “This fucking thing~”

Murata laughs, helping him to his feet. Gideon gives him the rock. “I got it jus’ for you …” he says, grinning and then holding the bridge of his nose.

Murata blushes. He knows Gideon is drunk off his ass, and he isn't much better off. But something in him feels the need to also stoop down and find a rock to present to him. So he does so.

Gideon sinks down with him and Murata crawls over to find a good rock. He taps Gideon's shoulder once he finds one.

“Hey h- hey…Gideon… heh. Your mom.” He gives him the rock and Gideon laughs even harder. He pockets it. “I can't believe you found her!!~” he howls.

Murata can only make rocks so interesting before Gideon is yawning heavily. “...Murata, you should… take that rock… and and…. And throw it at me. So I can sleep like a rock.”

Murata laughs. “Nah~ you're funnier awake.”

Gideon groans. “A fucking curse upon me. No sleep. Only jokes for Murata.” He whines, and sways. Murata catches him, keeping him from toppling over completely. “Can't we go back inside?” He whines.

Murata shakes his head, looking to Gideon.

“N-no. We can't. Um… Giyuu and Sanemi are… Busy. Right now.”

Gideon snorts. “Asshole. Getting laid on *my* birthday. Oh well~”

Murata blinks. That was easier to explain than he thought. "It has to stay between us though, okay?” he says, and Gideon sleepily nods yes.

“I jus’ wanna go to bed…” he says, yawning again. Murata is stuck, he realizes… Could Gideon even give directions to his house? He asks him.

“Yeah I live hhhhh …. Oerthere,~” he points, but it's not helpful. Murata sighs.

“Alright. You're coming with me then.”

“Sleepover!” Gideon exclaims, very much at Murata’s mercy. But the former squad leader wasn't about to just abandon Gideon on Sanemi's porch, especially not if things were actually going the way Giyuu hoped.

“Youre so excited for like. Everything,” Murata observes, acting as his support as they walk. He doesn’t live incredibly far away from Sanemi’s estate, having opted to remain near the primary demon slayer homes out of habit. The demons may be gone, but everyone who fought them or dealt with them firsthand generally wanted to stay nearby each other. Shared experiences, shared community.

Murata's home was humble, and took on the appearance of most wisteria houses simply because it was what he was used to. He leads Gideon inside after the adventure of taking their shoes off outside the door, and leads him immediately to a spare bedroom he maintained.

He helps him settle into a seated position on the edge of the bed. holding his hands out just in case, he tries to look Gideon in the eyes. “Will you be okay if I step out and get some things for you?”

Gideon nods. “Mhm, I'll be good…”

Murata nods and smiles at him. He is grateful that alcohol didn't hit him as hard now that he was a little older, but it still made him feel like garbage after the fun part wore off. He can actually walk and function, even if he hated the experience.

He brings Gideon a change of clothing in the form of a looser yukata for sleep, and a cup of water. He's carrying two cups, the clothing hanging from his arm. “Okay. You and I, we are each going to drink two cups of water before bed. Deal?” He hands Gideon the cup and sets the garment beside him on the bed.

Gideon nods, and sips at the water. Murata sits on the ground across from him and sips as well.

“Youre such a nice guy,” Gideon observes. “ Coulda just… Shoved me in bed and been done with it… But look at you being a good host.”

Murata laughs a little. “Yeah… I guess it’s left over from taking care of squad members. It’s never really been in me to just walk away from someone who needed help.”

Gideon blinks and drinks more water. “Huh. You'd make a good husband for someone.” He squints at Murata’s hand to check for a ring. He doesn't see one. “I'm really surprised you’ve not wed… Have anyone in mind?”

Murata blushes and rubs his neck shyly. “ N-no… um. I'm getting over a rejection at the moment. I'm not sure how badly I want a wife if I'm honest.”

Gideon leans in and squints. “...Not sure, huh? Interesting…”

Murata furrows his brow. “What does that mean?”

Gideon smirks. “Jus’ a hunch but… You like men too right? Men and women…”

Murata’s heart almost stops. How the fuck could Gideon have known that?! Gideon laughs a little at the look on Murata's face.

“Dont look so scared,” He teases, drinking the rest of his first cup. “I'm jus’ good at reading people. I think a lot of the corps members were at least bisexual, there were more men than women… Not that big of a surprise in a high stress job that people made… discoveries~.” He shrugs.

“Plus, I am gay.” Gideon adds nonchalantly. “But I knew that before I joined, so…”

Murata seems to relax slightly. Knowing the man he was giving shelter wouldn’t be outing him or worse puts him at ease. He finishes his cup and collects Gideons. “Be right back.”

Gideon waits in the quiet room. Despite his non-sober state, he’s calmer… Though he hopes he didn't rub Murata the wrong way with his probing.

Murata re-enters and hands Gideon his refilled cup. “...What gave it away for me specifically?”

Gideon grins at him as he settles back down. “For one thing… your hair. First thing I noticed. Second was your hesitancy to touch. You tensed up every time I leaned on you, like you weren't sure what was okay to hold to help me. You also helped Giyuu out so he could have time alone with Sanemi, but that's just a good friend who understands and is an ally…”

Murata blushes. “M-my hair?! but… I…” he blushes and averts his gaze. “A girl I liked… said she liked my hair. So I've…. always kept it nice.”

Gideon grins. “You know what straight men would do with that information, especially if the girl wasn't interested anymore?” He pretends to toss something in the bin, making a whoosh sound. His jade eyes sparkle with humor, he's enjoying this.

Murata looks slightly lost. Gideon slides himself off of the bed and crab-crawls over to him. “Shhh it's okay that you like more than one gender~” He says, holding his hands out and gently taking Muratas into his own. “You've got a friend in me. I dunno what it's like to be attracted to women but… I can empathize at least. So take a breath… I'm sorry I scared you.”

Murata looks at their hands. It's a friendly gesture but feels incredibly different than that for Murata. He instantly tenses once more and tries to pull away. Gideon allows him to. But he smirks about it. The irony of his action is too good to pass up. He makes eye contact with him, and Murata gives him a somewhat annoyed look back. “Stop it,” Murata hisses, but there's no malice there. Gideon laughs and tries to stand… his time, able to do so.

“Well, father, I've drank all my water…” He says teasingly, looking at him as Murata stands up too. “Shall we go to bed? Or are you wanting more girl talk?~”

Murata has to admit… It's nice to have company. Even if the company is this gay twirp who's having a little too much fun teasing him.

“You could tell me about your crushes. You know. The ones you felt like you couldn't talk about… We could chat in pajamas just like a real slumber party~” Gideon grins, taking up the lent sleepwear.

This was a lot for Murata to process. He's not sure if he wants to talk about everything to Gideon, someone he really didn’t know well… but damn. He was approachable… He sort of reminded Murata of Tanjiro in certain ways.

The older warrior sighs. “...You know what? Sure. Fuck it. I'll be back.”

He exits, and Gideon takes the opportunity to strip himself and change into the garment. It's… *Just* a little too short for him, but it'd be alright for the night. Not really thinking about it, he simply makes himself comfortable, keeping the chest loose and open so he has room. It's how he slept otherwise… He looks less than innocent as he lays down though. He's covered in the important areas… But inadvertently showing a lot of leg and chest as Murata comes back.

Murata comes in, wearing a similar garment, tied more modestly. He stops and almost short circuits at how Gideon is wearing it. Gideon sits up with a confused look on his face.

“Whats with the face?” Gideon asks, and then looks himself over, answering his own question quickly. “ … Ah. Hang on.”

He stands up and readjusts the garment so that his chest is more covered. He can't do anything about his legs… but he turns and settles back into the bedding, reaching to invite Murata to sit, patting the bed.

Murata murmurs a shy thank you, and sits. He fidgets with his hands, not unlike an action that Gideon also does when nervous. Gideon watches him with gentle, tired eyes, waiting for him to speak.

“ … I… Liked Giyuu. At one point.”

Gideon's eyes widened slightly. “...At one point… or… still?”

Murata grabs his arm, much like Gideon does when in need of comfort. “...Perhaps still.”

The way he admits it hurts Gideon's heart. Gideon sits up a bit, concerned eyes searching Murata from where he sits. “Murata…” He reaches to gently touch his arm.

“...It must have been torture for you… But you're so selfless… You played wingman anyway.”

Murata looks over to him, tears streaming down his face. Gideon doesn't hesitate any longer, he pulls himself all the way up so he can wrap his arms around Murata, inviting him into his shoulder. Murata chokes a small sob out and takes the invitation, Gideon strokes his back and rests his head against his. “I'm so sorry…” Gideon says softly.

He doesn't have the words right away for Murata. He thinks back to the party, before Sanemi got him to drink… Murata had been by Giyuu's side through the entirety, aside from the handful of times he stood up to be helpful elsewhere. What's worse is… Like Sanemi, Giyuu's time is limited. Just one year left… Maybe even mere months in his case. His heart aches at the familiar void… The all too familiar bleeding heart. He starts to cry a little too… Poor Murata.

He feels Murata's arms snake around him and cling… Shit, he knew this feeling all too well. He holds Murata tighter. Muratas sobs quiet down, and his breathing becomes a little more even…

“I know it doesn't feel like it right now… but hear me out okay?” Gideon says, his tearful state evident in his throat. He pulls back and gently wipes any remaining tears from Murata's face, taking care to gently push his hair from his eyes.

“Things… Are going to be okay. You have an entire life ahead of you. Waiting for you. And if anyone was ever deserving of love… It'd be you. Hands down. So I know… You're going to meet someone who loves you just as much as you'll love them.” he shakes his head softly, and smiles.

“I'm sorry that the person can't be Giyuu.” He adds, his voice pained. Murata shakes his head a little as well and reaches to dry Gideon's tears with the same gentle touch. He doesn't want to pry… but he gets the sense that Gideon can empathize closely with him.

“It's okay… I figured… It wouldn't be him. It feels good, sharing that. Getting it off my chest at least. I never thought I would.” Murata looks into Gideon's eyes, gratefulness pouring out of him as he remains close. “Thank you…”

Gideon smiles… Good. He'd helped him a little bit at least. “Any time.”

Murata pulls away, almost reluctantly. Gideon feels a sort of ache as he does so, but he doesn't voice it. He knows the wound that acts up when he is about to spend time alone once more… it must be apparent on his face, because Murata leans to catch his gaze.

“Will you be okay?” He asks Gideon.

Gideon blinks, giving a little shake and smiling to him reassuringly. “Of course. I'll be fine. Thank you so much for… Everything. You've been kind to me.”

Murata stands and smiles at him. “...You have too. Goodnight, Gideon.”

Gideon murmurs a goodnight to him as well… and lays down to sleep off all of the birthday happenings.

He leaves before the sunrise.

Murata knocks softly on his cracked door only to find a made bed and a folded garment. A small note and a paper crane are left near the pillow. He picks the note up and reads…

“Thank you for your kindness. Visit me sometime, if you'd like.” Gideon ends the letter with his name and his home address. Murata exhales a breath softly, wandering out of the guest room and setting the origami crane and note under a particular gifted rock.

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