FIVE MAKES A HOUSEHOLD
𓆩♡𓆪 ── TENGEN UZUI X TENGEN'S WIVES X READER
After getting injured in the Entertainment District, the Sound Hashira's injuries need tending to. Your expertise in healing leaves you immersed in the Tengen household, changing your life completely.
A/N: I tried writing a Tengen fanfic, but ended up writing a love letter to each of his wives as well. File that under "whoopsie-poopsie".
Warnings: mentions of panicking, canon-typical injuries / blood loss, impostor syndrome, alcohol consumption, post coital soreness, canon-typical polygamy.
Word count: 2,248
The wooden floors creaked beneath your feet as you made your way to the back of the building. Goosebumps covered your lower back, your arms and the tops of your legs as anticipation settled into your chest. It made it harder for you to focus, so you tightened your robe in an attempt at getting warmer. The sliding door that separated you from the garden outside was left slightly ajar. The hot water interacting with the crisp, late autumn air from the onsen filled the air with a foggy steam, and you watched as the fog curled around your ankles.
“There you are!”
The sound of Makio’s voice boomed through the hallway as she made her way over to you. She raised her eyebrows, halting in front of you and considering the way you were hovering by the door.
“Are you not coming out to join us, after all?”
Makio had been the first to really approach you, all those months ago.
When Uzui got hurt in the entertainment district, you were called in to help tend to his wounds. Having completed your studies to become a healer was surely something to be proud of, but it seemed like a horrendous wake-up call to reality when you were summoned by the Sound Hashira’s household and came eye to eye with such severe injuries, not to mention an immense amount of pressure to get this man back to full health. The task seemed impossible; the blood loss alone had you convinced that this man would not see his 24th birthday. Add to that your terrible case of imposter syndrome – well, the panic pretty much summoned itself. If this man lost his life, it might mean the end of a very short career in healthcare.
That’s how Makio, one of the Hashira’s wives, found you: trembling, dissociating, and clutching a glass of water outside of Uzui’s room, wondering if you were doing enough in order to save the man. For a moment, you believed your career to be over – how unprofessional, to be panicking in front of a patient’s spouse.
Said spouse proved you wrong, however. With soft eyes and an uncharacteristically gentle voice, she spoke about how she had seen you take care of her husband with careful yet capable hands. Makio expressed how she was in awe of your determination, but understood how the pressure of getting him back to health was not to be taken lightly – she empathised heavily with your desire to work miracles and offered you a soft smile. In the darkness of the hallway, you watched her throat bob heavily as she admitted how hard it was to keep up her witty, loud demeanour around Uzui and her two wives.
“Nobody can be strong or confident 24/7. Please, don’t be too hard on yourself. If it hadn’t been for you, we would have lost him already. He’s getting better every day; please do not underestimate what an incredible feat that is.”
She had squeezed one of your hands, brushing her thumb across your knuckles, and left to join her wives by her husband’s bed side.
True to Makio’s words, Uzui’s condition had radically improved over the next couple of days. It seemed that he was more resilient than any patient you had cared for during your years of training, and it was admirable to see how his wives influenced his accumulation of hope and strength alike.
After his recovery, you were expecting to be dismissed and move on to the next call for help. It just so happened, however, that Uzui would have none of that.
“But, surely, you have others who have served you for years—“ you argued, unsure of how to take Uzui’s offer.
Uzui, now once again standing tall and healthy (minus the lost eye and arm), looked down at you with determination and mischief. “You underestimate how much you’ve become a part of this household,” he drawled, having taken on a calmer demeanour since the incident. “It seems that my wives will have no one else caring for us, and I must say that I agree. You are, truly, the best we can ask for. Please, stay.”
Spending the next few months proved to be nothing short of a dream. When the house wasn’t filled with dread and despair and the injuries were instead kept to a realistic standard for a Hashira’s household, laughter could be heard in all corners of the building. Whether it was the women entertaining each other or Uzui joining in merrily, more often than not, you found yourself falling asleep with a smile on your face. While a household that consisted of a man and three women was new to you (you were raised in a more simplistic setting), you quickly found yourself moving effortlessly with the tides of their relationship.
After all, how could you have qualms with something so wonderful - so balanced? Makio and Uzui kept a watchful eye; appreciative, protective and, some days, secretive. It wasn’t your place to question their intentions or their behaviour towards you – you were their employee after all – so you kept your curiosity to yourself. Their shared whispers remained theirs.
Suma, on the other hand, was more forward in her feelings towards you. Soon after you became the household’s main healer, Suma started coming to you whenever she felt anxious and needed someone to simply listen. No matter how much she loved Uzui and her wives, she found herself wanting to talk to someone who could see things from an outsider’s perspective. Some nights, this resulted in a dramatic Suma running into your quarters with a bottle of sake – unable to stop talking about her mind’s worries until she fell asleep with her head resting in your lap. It was hard not to grow fond of the way she would curl her fingers into your robe and mumble sleepily how much she appreciated you and how she wished you would never leave.
Hinatsuru, who was known to be calm and nurturing, intimidated you. It was strange, but to witness the fierce adoration she held for Uzui and her wives was like looking straight up into the light of the sun. It radiated off her, and she made you feel unreasonably breathless. Every interaction felt like she was looking straight into your soul; as if she were wading through the oceans of your intentions and touching her fingertips to the surface of your thoughts.
Makio could give reassurance whenever she felt like you may need it, without you even having to ask; Suma needed to express herself towards you almost constantly; and Hinatsuru made you feel so seen that you couldn’t help but pour your own heart out to her. And she would sit. And she would listen. And she would watch you.
And oh, how these women made you feel alive.
This, of course, did not go unnoticed.
The master of the household, Tengen Uzui, kept a close eye on the happiness of his spouses. From the moment he had gained enough strength to open his eyes, they were trained on you and the way you interacted with the loves of his life. It did not take long for him to pick up on the way Makio lowered her voice and lingered every time she held your hand. He noticed the many mornings Suma stumbled out of your room; robes wrinkled after she’d accidentally spent another night sleeping by your side. He spoke to Hinatsuru in hushed tones every time he wanted to know how you were doing and eyed you knowingly whenever you were tending to fresh injuries after he’d spent the morning training.
One such morning, it became evident how much strength he had regained. He felt more like himself again, which enabled his flashy behaviour to awaken from its slumber, a twinkle apparent in his remaining eye. Mornings like these were your favourite.
His hand came up to rest on top of yours as you tied off a bandage around his thigh, squeezing lightly. “Do you have a moment for me?” he asked.
Surprised at his candour, you blinked down at him and cleared your throat, “A moment? For – you?” You nodded quickly, a blush creeping across your features as you noticed the way he took your hand in his and got up from where he was sitting.
“Take a walk with me.”
It wasn’t a question, so you simply followed.
The chrysanthemums bloomed brightly in the garden as he held your hand and led you past the stream behind the house, walking you up to the centre of a small bridge that looked out on the koi fish, down in the water.
“Are you happy here?” he asked.
It took a moment for you to understand what he was trying to ask you. Were you happy?
While the first interaction with Uzui had been horrific and gruesome, it was not what came to mind. What did come to mind was Uzui’s laughter as it boomed throughout the rooms. You thought of the way he would not let the loss of his arm deter him from dancing with his wives, making them smile brilliantly. You could sit there for hours and watch them while you picked medicinal herbs and let the warmth of their happiness seep into your pores from afar. You were reminded of the many evenings Uzui had insisted that you join them for dinner, and you blushed as you thought of every time he boasted how the table had never looked so perfectly complete.
“I’ve never been happier in my life,” you replied honestly. There was no need to be bashful about your answer – Uzui wasn’t looking for bashfulness, nor was he stimulated by beating around the bush.
This was evident in the way he let a wide grin spread across his features – he looked relieved.
He took a tentative step towards you. It was becoming harder to breathe with how intensely he was looking at you, but you let out a steady, slow breath when you felt him touch the back of his knuckles along your cheek.
“You love them.”
It wasn’t a question.
“I do.”
He smiled, because you answered anyway.
“They love you just as much,” he stated.
At this, your breath properly hitched, and you felt tears sting at the base of your throat.
His thumb brushed across your bottom lip, but his gaze never left yours.
“And I love you,” he admitted.
Your bottom lip quivered now, and for a moment you could see the heartache that flashed across his features, clearly upset that he’d caused your tears. He smiled through it, however.
“I love you for who you are and for what you do for all of us. I love you for your smile whenever you have a fresh cup of tea. I love you for you determination to make us all feel safe and sound. I love you for the effort you put into our health, and I love you for letting us fret over you just the same.”
Your cheeks were wet with tears by the time he finished speaking, and he brushed them softly as he closed the distance between you, his breath ghosting over your forehead.
“There’s not a bone in my body that would wish to force you,” he continued, apologetic that he was putting you through emotional sappiness, but needing you to hear this, regardless, “but I pray that one day you may love me back.”
At his words, a laugh escaped your chest as you reached up between the two of you and curled your hands into the fabric of his yukata.
“You absolute fool,” you cried, “I fear I may love you already.”
Makio pulled a towel from a closet next to you, looking at you expectantly.
“Well, are you joining us or not?”
You blinked hard, looking away from the gap in the sliding door. You could hear Suma’s dramatic yapping coming from the outside onsen.
“Sorry,” you murmured, “I feel like I’m not all there, today.”
Makio chuckled, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your lips.
“After last night, I’m not surprised.”
You blushed furiously, trying desperately not to recall your wedding night, the night before. You were still feeling a little sore, and you couldn’t even begin to count the love bites that were peppered across your body.
After Uzui’s confession, a few weeks ago, it hadn’t taken but a day for the entirety of the household to know about it. Suma had cried happily until you kissed her, and Makio was rendered speechless with joy. Hinatsuru, ever the responsible one, had sighed deeply.
“Finally,” she drawled, closing the distance between the two of you and kissing you until you were trembling in her arms – which, let’s be honest, didn’t take that much time at all.
The wedding took place four weeks later. Apparently, Uzui was quite proficient at arranging them, by now.
Makio slid open the door completely, revealing the outside onsen where Uzui, Suma and Hinatsuru were already relaxing.
At the sight of Makio and yourself, Uzui beamed at you from the water.
Suddenly, the throbbing between your legs and the fog in your head mattered no longer. You jogged over to the water, dropped your robe and placed your towel on top. Dipping into the warm water, you smiled as you settled in between your spouses, relishing in the caresses and the kisses that followed.
What bliss.