where the current stirs
g.tomioka x fem!reader
summary: another ball of sunshine came into their lives, he finally felt whole again.
warnings: just to clarify giyuu and you are 18 in the first story :], slight suggestive content? if gyomei can swing a spiked ball and axe he can definitely craft something, room visualization incase you might get confuse
w.c: 3,538
(name) was walking home, feeling anxious about the news she was about to share with her husband, giyuu. after three years of raising a child together, she wasn’t sure if he was ready for another.
with their sleeping daughter in her arms, she pushed open the gate and stepped inside. she had expected giyuu to still be out on patrol, but there he was, setting his katana down on the table.
he looked over his shoulder and smiled at the sight of his wife and daughter. approaching them, he pressed a kiss to both their foreheads.
“can you tuck her into bed?” (name) asked softly. “i’ll make dinner.”
giyuu shook his head. “you should rest. let me do it. it’s the least i can do after being gone for two days.”
she sighed and nodded. giyuu noticed it, she always sighed like that when something was bothering her.
“are you okay?” he asked gently.
“just tired,” she replied, brushing it off. “i carried gikae all the way from shinobu’s.”
he frowned a little. “you’ve been visiting shinobu a lot lately.”
she opened her mouth to answer, but gikae began to fuss, prompting her to excuse herself and soothe their daughter. giyuu watched her walk away, unease settling in his chest.
he said nothing and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
the meal was tense.
the only one talking was gikae, who counted each bite of food out loud.
“nine… ten… eleven,” she mumbled, then tugged on her mother’s sleeve with her small hand.
“mama, food,” she said, her ocean-blue eyes—so much like her father’s—staring up at (name).
(name) sighed and refilled her daughter’s plate.
as she did, gikae turned to giyuu with a pout.
“mama cried earlier,” she said with childlike honesty. “please make mama happy, papa.”
giyuu’s heart clenched. her words hit deeper than she could possibly understand. why didn’t (name) tell him anything? was this how she felt when he kept things from her?
the rest of dinner passed quickly and quietly.
later, in their bedroom, (name) stood at the vanity, removing the last of her clothing before slipping on her sleepwear. giyuu sat quietly on the futon, watching her, waiting.
finally, he stood and walked over to her. as she brushed her hair, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his face into the crook of her neck.
“what’s wrong?” he asked softly.
when she didn’t answer, he pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, only for her to pull away causing his arms tightened slightly around her waist.
“please… darling,” he whispered, voice low and raw, “tell me what’s wrong.”
“i’m pregnant.”
the words left her lips in a whisper, barely louder than the quiet hum of the night outside. her eyes dropped to the floor, bracing herself for whatever silence or panic might follow.
but instead, giyuu gently turned her around and reached for her face, tilting it upward so she could meet his gaze.
and then he kissed her. it was gentle, slow, and full of emotion. not rushed. when he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, his voice barely above a breath.
“thank you,” he said. “for giving me another piece of you… of us.” she wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his chest.
“i thought you’d be mad,” she whispered.
giyuu shook his head. “why would i be mad?”
“we barely get enough sleep with gikae,” she murmured, “and now there’s another one.”
after several quiet minutes of giyuu comforting her, the two of them finally settled into their futon. her head rested on his chest, rising and falling with each breath. she looked up at him, eyes soft and warm, then reached up to plant a gentle kiss on his nose.
giyuu then sat up, causing her to look at him in confusion. without warning, he gently tackled her, ending up on top. it was a sight she’d never get used to, seeing him above her like this made her feel vulnerable in the most intimate way. both of his hands rested on either side of her head, pressed into the futon.
he leaned down and kissed her lips, the kiss growing deeper as they fought for dominance. soon after, giyuu began removing his clothes, and on that night, their bodies became one.
the news that the water hashira’s wife was once again pregnant spread like wildfire. why? because the sound hashira had accidentally overheard the news from (name), who was speaking with shinobu and mitsuri. unable to keep the secret, he told his best friend—the flame hashira. curious, kyojuro then asked gyomei what would be an appropriate gift for a pregnant woman, which naturally led gyomei to ask why. tengen had even planned to drop by the tomioka residence uninvited, but shinobu caught wind of his intentions and promptly scolded him before he could carry them out.
shinobu, arms crossed and with a stern expression, stood in front of tengen just outside the butterfly estate.
“you can’t just barge into their home, uzui-san,” she scolded. “she’s pregnant, not hosting a party.”
tengen sulked, clearly disappointed. “i just wanted to see how she’s doing! maybe bring a gift! a little excitement might be good for her.”
“no,” shinobu replied flatly. “what she needs is rest. not you causing a scene and tomioka-san chasing you out of his house. you can talk to her when she comes here.”
and that’s exactly what he did.
(name) was practically drowning in the sheer number of gifts brought by the flame, sound, and stone hashira. the butterfly estate’s hallway looked more like a festival booth than a medical facility. shinobu, visibly irritated, crossed her arms and muttered under her breath:
“my bad for giving poorly worded instructions to that man…”
still, she couldn’t do anything about it now.
(name) accepted everything with a warm smile, thanking each of them sincerely. gikae, on the other hand, was absolutely thrilled. she was even bouncing from one wrapped package to the next with wide, sparkling eyes.
while (name) was getting her check-up, gikae stayed behind with her “uncles”—as tengen proudly declared— kyojuro lifted her onto his shoulders, gyomei handed her a carved wooden rabbit that he had crafted himself, and tengen, unsurprisingly, was already planning matching outfits for him and gikae.
when it was time to go home, gikae threw a small fit—arms crossed, brows furrowed, and lips pouting—as she refused to leave. “i don’t wanna go home,” she huffed, “i’ll play all alone.”
(name) crouched down and gently cupped her daughter’s cheeks. “you still have five minutes left to play with your uncles, okay? then we’re heading home.”
just like that, gikae’s mood shifted and she bolted off toward kyojuro and tengen—gyomei had already left for patrol—with laughter echoed down the hallway as the two hashira pretended to dramatically “lose” in tag, letting gikae win every time.
five minutes later, giyuu walked into the room but only to freeze at the sight of a mountain of colorful boxes and gifts stacked near the corner.
“what… is all this?” he asked slowly, eyes scanning the chaos.
(name) looked up from her seat and smiled tiredly. “they’re from your friends. kyojuro-san, tengen-san, and gyomei-san.”
giyuu deadpanned, lips pressing into a thin line. he glanced back at the pile, estimating just how many trips it would take him to carry everything. it was clearly too much for one person and the idea of letting (name) carry even one of them was out of the question.
“mama! i have a new friend!” gikae shouted excitedly, dragging along someone nearly three times her height. the person had long black hair with teal tips and an unreadable expression, allowing the little girl to pull him without protest. as soon as gikae spotted tengen running toward them, she squealed and quickly hid behind her new friend, clinging to his leg.
(name) watched curiously, her gaze narrowing slightly. the person had sharp, strong features, but the long hair had thrown her off. giyuu, noticing her confused expression, leaned closer and said plainly, “that’s a boy. he just has long hair.”
(name) blinked, then looked again. the tall stranger simply stood there, calm and composed, while gikae circled around him excitedly. his expression remained neutral despite the chaos surrounding him.
gikae peeked out from behind him and giggled, “his name is mochi! he’s really quiet, like papa!”
as gikae used up more and more of her energy, her little body began to slow down, a yawn slipping from her lips. (name) felt a wave of relief, thankful that tengen and kyojuro had been there to tire her out, making bedtime much easier tonight as usually she’ll throw a fit.
she then approached her mother, raising her arms to be picked up. as (name) lifted her, tengen and kyojuro walked over to the couple, offering their congratulations on the second pregnancy.
giyuu nodded in thanks, then glanced at the stack of gifts behind them. “can the both of you help me carry those?” he asked, his tone calm but clearly hinting at how overwhelming the load was and the duo nodded.
(name) was now five months along, though her stomach only looked as though she were three months in. she gently rested a hand on her bump and sighed softly, brushing stray strands of hair from her face as the breeze slipped through the open window.
gikae, curled up on her lap, let out a quiet sigh in her sleep, tiny fingers still clutching the hem of her mother’s yukata. (name) smiled faintly and ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair.
her thoughts wandered to the appointment shinobu had scheduled for next week. she wasn’t worried, but she knew giyuu was. he’d been more attentive lately, like asking if she needed help getting up, bringing her extra pillows at night, and quietly sitting by her side whenever she felt even the slightest bit off.
the door creaked open, and (name) looked up to see giyuu stepping inside, holding a small bag of sweet potato mochi—the kind she’d been craving all week—he paused when he saw the two of them, a soft expression taking over his features.
“they were still warm at the stall,” he said quietly, kneeling beside her. his eyes flicked to her belly before meeting hers again. “do you feel okay?”
she nodded. “just a little tired. she wore herself out playing.”
he glanced at gikae with a small smile before leaning in to press a kiss to (name)’s temple. “you should lie down soon. i’ll take her.”
she nodded, gently prying the sleeping child off her numb lap. giyuu carefully scooped gikae into his arms, holding her close as he stood up and quietly stepped into the next room to tuck her into her futon.
when he returned, (name) was sitting exactly where he left her, quietly munching on the sweet potato mochi he had brought. her eyes flicked up when she saw him, and a small smile tugged at her lips.
without a word, giyuu moved behind her and lowered himself to the floor. he gently pulled her back so that she leaned against his chest, his arms slowly wrapping around her, resting over the curve of her stomach. his large hands spread across her belly with quiet reverence, his thumbs stroking small, slow circles.
they stayed like that for a while until (name) suddenly stilled. giyuu noticed the shift in her breathing just as he felt it too: a small, gentle nudge against his palm. it was faint but unmistakable. they both froze, eyes wide, then slowly turned to look at each other.
“did you feel that?” she whispered, still in quiet disbelief.
giyuu gave a small nod, a rare soft smile forming on his lips. “yeah… i felt it.”
(name) let out a quiet laugh, eyes sparkling. “i guess someone’s saying hello.”
he gently pressed his hand against her belly, hoping for another kick. “hello there, little one,” he murmured, his voice calm and warm.
during (name)’s seventh month of pregnancy, most of the hashira would drop by to check on her and ask how she was doing. the one she rarely saw was the wind hashira. but there was one particular day when sanemi got dragged along by tengen to visit.
the moment they arrived, gikae was about to run excitedly toward her uncle tengen until she spotted sanemi. the wind hashira stood beside him, arms crossed and a deep scowl on his face. gikae froze in her tracks, hiding slightly behind the doorframe.
noticing this, tengen quickly elbowed sanemi in the ribs. sanemi grunted, glancing at the small girl who was now peeking cautiously from behind the wall. awkwardly, he tried to soften his expression though the result wasn’t much better.
gikae then slowly ran up to tengen and wrapped her tiny arms around his legs. smiling, tengen immediately scooped her up into his arms. she leaned in close, cupped her hand over his ear, and whispered, “he looks scary.”
tengen stifled a laugh, glancing sideways at sanemi, who clearly heard the comment and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
after a long, curious stare, gikae finally gathered the courage to speak.
“are you papa’s friend?” she asked, tilting her head.
sanemi crossed his arms. “sure.”
“do you like sweets?”
“sure.”
“do you like dogs?”
“yes.”
gikae pouted. “you only talk in one word.”
sanemi sighed through his nose.
after an hour of gikae asking endless questions and sanemi giving nothing but short, dry answers, (name) finally stepped in with a small plate of ohagi for the two hashira.
“here, thank you both for dropping by,” she said warmly, handing them the treats. gikae immediately took one from the plate and began munching happily beside tengen.
“forgive me if she’s too talkative,” (name) added with a soft chuckle. “she takes after me, not her father.”
tengen laughed. “it’s charming! way better than having a quiet little shadow.”
while tengen chatted with (name), explaining how his three wives couldn’t visit, he handed her three bento boxes as an apology to which (name) explain that they didn’t have to.
snapping back to reality when her daughter poked her arm, (name) blinked and asked her to repeat the question.
“when is sa-chan coming back, mama?”
a confused look crossed (name)’s face as she tried to recall who ‘sa-chan’ was. gikae pouted, “the scar man!” (name)’s eyes widened in realization before she gently scolded.
“i’m not sure, angel,” she said softly, brushing gikae’s hair back. “we’ll have to wait. just like your papa, they are busy with their work.”
this was the day, (name)’s water had broken while they were on their way to the butterfly estate. giyuu had dreaded this moment, not because he wasn’t happy, but because he had no idea what to do first: rush (name) to the butterfly estate and leave gikae behind, or leave (name) to run gikae to safety first?
thankfully, luck was on his side. a familiar figure appeared ahead, a young man with burgundy hair.
“tanjiro!” giyuu called out, his arm firmly supporting his wife, who clung to his haori with one hand while the other cradled her swollen belly.
tanjiro immediately rushed over, eyes wide. giyuu quickly gave him instructions: take gikae to the butterfly mansion and inform shinobu and the midwife as fast as he could.
tanjiro nodded and gently took gikae into his arms, sprinting off without hesitation.
giyuu then scooped his wife into a bridal carry, holding her close before sprinting toward the butterfly mansion. (name) barely registered the motion because she was too focused on breathing through the pain to feel dizzy. for every step giyuu took was careful and steady, his heart pounding louder than his footsteps.
when they arrived, a bed had already been prepared for (name), and the only ones allowed inside the room were her, giyuu, and the midwife. the atmosphere was tense, broken only by (name)’s strained cries as her contractions worsened.
outside the room, gikae was growing more anxious. she didn’t understand what was happening, but hearing her mother in pain made her small heart ache. she tugged on tanjiro’s hand, trying to reach the door.
tanjiro knelt down, gently trying to distract her, but it didn’t work. “mama… mama!” she sobbed, refusing to be comforted. just as she tried to run toward the door again, she spotted shinobu entering the hallway. with tearful eyes, gikae ran straight to her, wrapping her arms around shinobu’s legs. “auntie ‘nobu… mama’s hurting,” she cried.
shinobu crouched down, gently picking gikae up and holding her close. “i know, angel,” she whispered softly. “but your mama’s very strong, and she’s going to be okay.” her gentle coos slowly lulled the child to sleep, her tiny fingers gripping the fabric of shinobu’s haori.
shinobu looked over at tanjiro, who stood nearby, unsure of what to do. “care to accompany me, kamado-kun?” she asked quietly, careful not to wake the little one in her arms. tanjiro nodded right away, and the two quietly stepped away from the delivery room, leaving (name), giyuu, and the midwife.
as the room fell quiet except for the soft cries of the newborn, giyuu sat beside (name)’s futon, his arms carefully cradling their baby boy. (name) had passed out shortly after the delivery as her body too exhausted to stay awake any longer but even in her sleep, her brow was furrowed from the pain that she had endured.
the midwife moved gently around the room, cleaning up and checking on both mother and child. she gave giyuu a small nod, reassuring him that everything was fine. he returned it with a quiet glance, then looked back down at the tiny face nestled against his haori.
the baby gave a small yawn and curled his fist, nuzzling closer to his father’s warmth. giyuu brushed a finger across the infant’s cheek. “tsukiya,” he whispered gently. he leaned down slightly, placing a feather-light kiss on his son’s forehead.
(name) woke up to the warmth of sunlight that casted on her face. she blinked slowly, her body heavy and sore from exhaustion. when she tried to sit up, a dull ache spread across her body, making her wince.
her eyes drifted to the right side of the room, where another bed lay. there, she saw her husband sitting with his back against the bedframe, cradling their newborn. gikae was taking all the space beside him, still fast asleep.
a tired but gentle smile tugged at her lips. she whispered his name, her voice raspy from last night and rhe lack of water.
his eyes opened immediately at the sound, gaze shifting to her. upon seeing her awake, relief washed over his expression. he stood and made his way to her side, gently passing tsukiya in his arms into hers. tsukiya squirmed a little as he settled against his mother’s chest, letting out a soft sound.
giyuu grabbed a stool and placed it beside her, sitting down with a quiet sigh. he leaned in, brushing a few strands of hair away from her forehead,“you did so well, darling,” he whispered.
(name) leaned into his touch, eyes welling with tears as she let out a soft chuckle. “you still looked so pale during my birth,” she teased gently.
bonus!
gikae didn’t really like her baby brother at first. she thought he was the reason her mama had cried and screamed. so of course, she had to complain to her group of uncles. she told her papa that she wanted to see them, and not long after, they all showed up at the butterfly mansion: tengen, kyojuro, gyomei, muichiro, and even sanemi and obanai, even though those two always said they weren’t good with kids.
with puffed cheeks and a scowl on her tiny face, gikae stood in front of them and declared, “mama was crying! and— and i wasn’t allowed in the room!”
tengen crouched dramatically, arms wide. “how awful! our dear little princess was kept out of the room!” he gasped, then grinned. “but don’t worry, your flashy uncle will throw you a special party to make up for it!”
kyojuro clapped his hands, fire in his eyes. “excellent idea, uzui-san! a party for our brave big sister!” he turned to gikae.
gyomei just gave a soft chuckle and patted her head. “your mama was working very hard, little one.”
muichiro, quiet as usual, offered her a candy from his pocket. “you did a good job waiting, kae-chan,” he said softly.
sanemi had his arms crossed and mumbled “you were probably like that when you were born” but the child didn’t hear him.
obanai was just there listening along with his snake kaburamaru.
then tengen let out a loud laugh. “maybe she needs cheering up. gikae-chan! should we prank your papa and blame the baby for stealing all the mochi?”
gikae giggled at the idea, finally letting the tension go. and maybe being a big sister wasn’t all bad, especially with this many uncles around.
meanwhile, (name) heard every single word her firstborn said, and a sweat drop formed on her face, causing mitsuri and shinobu to laugh.
where the river rest — part one
can i get a part two on “where the river rest”? where (name) is pregnant again? — @/hashiralover
🍒 reblogs and notes are appreciated !
🍒 sft-chrries 2025