» This boy is a sunshine. He'll probably always try to make the first move in the relationship and be the first to propose a date. He's the type of man who would pay for you and give you flowers. He's careful with those he loves, not just with you, so that includes the rest of the people in his life as well.
» He's pretty affectionate. Tenza doesn't mind public displays of affection, and neither does pet names. In fact, he probably has one reserved just for you.
» Tenza is the type of man who remembers everything that's important to you. From things you said you would like to do or try one day, to dates and places. He'll probably be the first to congratulate you on your birthday and he'll take you to that place you have been wanting to visit for so long. He's a good planner and all his plans are a guaranteed success!
» In domestic life, Tenza is concerned and attentive. He doesn't know how to cook or do laundry, but he won't wait for you to do it for him. He will be happy to learn from you and you'll have a great time considering he's afraid of setting fire to the kitchen.
» Definitely his favorite time of the day is at night, after you cook dinner together, when you're lying on the couch or in bed. He'll be under you, gently stroking your hair. His body is the best place to rest after a long day, you can hide your head in his chest and cling to him while listening to his heartbeat.
» He likes quick kisses. Holds your face carefully and place one kiss after another on your mouth until he feels you smile because he has touched your belly to tickle you.
➛ Yamada Asaemon Shion
» Definitely husband material, no one can say otherwise. Shion is a determined and passionate lover under a calm facade. He's quite overprotective of you, he's the kind of man who would get behind you on the escalator when you're wearing a skirt, the kind of man who walks along the side of the road on a narrow sidewalk, the kind of man who asks you how you got home although he was the one who brought you in first place.
» He's mature and stable, and aware that everyone needs their own space. He'll respect your limits just as you must respect his. He's pretty concerned, if there's a problem in the relationship, he won't mind talking about it calmly.
» He will find a lot of comfort in someone who will laugh at his bad jokes and even go along with it when he tells one.
» Displays of affection don't bother him. He likes to take you by the hand and turn you around to draw you towards him and encircle your waist as you reach his lips. He's affectionate in private, he'll sleep better if he is hugging you, hiding his face in your neck; likes to share a blanket and do house chores together. He can be quite passionate about kissing. He has those that take your breath away and leave you with red cheeks and moist lips; those quick and small, of greeting or farewell; he has kisses for all occasions, light touches on your face, holding your jaw, caressing your neck to press you closer to him, going deeper.
» Shion is like another friend. You can count on him if you have any problems or dilemmas, and he won't tell your secrets to anyone. He's not the type to talk about you to his friends if they haven't asked first. They probably didn't even know he had a partner. He's quite reserved, but he loves it when you gossip about things you hear about and end his critique by saying "but who am I to judge?"
➛ Yamada Asaemon Fuchi
» Fuchi is a rational thinker by nature. He needs to find a logical meaning to all his decisions, including those that involve a relationship. Perhaps that's why he finds it difficult to find the romantic meaning of many things. He's not the type of man who notices when someone has feelings for him and probably needs to be told.
» His love language is quality time, definitely. There's nothing he loves more than having a good conversation with his significant other about anatomy, or biology. After years in which he was considered an odd person, he finds great comfort in having someone listen to him and all his theories about how the human body works. He's attracted to intelligent people and would love to ask you to do dissections together, but deep down he's still afraid you'll think he's a weirdo.
» In domestic life, Fuchi is quite busy. He likes to amuse himself by cleaning and ordering his library, where he keeps hundreds of books and manuscripts on medicine and other sciences. He's good at cooking and making desserts. He won't say it, but he loves to see your smile when you taste the result of his new recipe.
» His activities as an executioner don't make him insensitive. Fuchi has a very big heart and loves to help you with things that are difficult or bother you. He's also quite a direct person with what he thinks, so he won't hesitate to advise you when you need a second opinion. Your happiness is his happiness after all.
» He doesn't like public displays of affection. He prefers to reserve those moments for when you are alone at home. Kissing while he rests when he's writing a new manuscript is a small pleasure in life. He will take your hand before you leave, when you have left him a cup of tea, and he will look at you without saying anything, silently waiting for you to understand what he means and if you want it too then it's yours. He will gently grab your shoulder, crinkling the fabric of your clothing, and hold your jaw to place a kiss on your lips.
➛ Gabimaru
» Touch starved, but won't tell. He loves displays of affection and cuddles, and you can always see a cute blush on his face even from a simple kiss. Gabimaru is quite clumsy and sweet when it comes to relationships.
» He'd like to help you with the housework, but he's a mess. He'll probably burn down the kitchen and mix the coloreds with the whites in the wash; his ninja abilities are apparently not useful for everyday things like that, and you don't mind doing them yourself. Though he silently feels guilty for not helping.
» Gabimaru is not the jealous type, but he's quite insecure with the guys who approach you. He has seen the worst of society and of the human being and, therefore, his greatest fear is that something bad will happen to you, or that someone will hurt you. For that reason, he often gets defensive when someone gives him bad vibes.
» When he's had a good day, he sleeps a lot. He can spend twelve hours straight in bed, snoring loudly. His spirit animal is a cat, definitely. He will sometimes cling to you in his sleep, probably hiding in your chest or gently resting his cheek on your shoulder, because he feels safe that way. He doesn't wake up easily, but the first thing he'll do when he wakes up is look for you. If you're not there, he'll most likely jump up and call to make sure you're around.
» He's the type of guy who asks you for a goodbye kiss, only to spend five or ten minutes in your arms, kissing you gently, alternating with small kisses on the forehead while he holds you by the waist. Gabimaru is quite respectful when it comes to touching and will only touch to get closer when you two kiss. He respects holding your hand and is embarrassed by displays of affection in public
🦋 summary: in which you got sick after running under the rain, and tenza just so happened to be paying you a visit
🦋 warnings: ooc? bad writing? (come on i was sick)
🦋 notes: i’m so salty over his death 😔 LET ME COPEEEEE
totally didn’t come up with this idea while i was being such a sick bitch that i ended up bedridden for two days. yes i have a thing for wet hair pls don’t question it. how sick the reader was here was basically how sick i was. i somehow wrote half of this while sick so i wrote the other half while recovering, i am still coughing but better now
The weather seemed to do you no favour. The blazing sun made you feel so weak and unmotivated. Running under the rain for a delivery had to have been one of the worst ideas you have ever gotten. Now, you were bedridden with horrible coughs. The worst part was that you lived alone. That must be nice…
Growing up a troublemaker that was later abandoned by your own parents. You could remember little from your own childhood. Except for your only friend, Tenza. He had been taken in by a swordsman while you finally got your life together and managed to make a living for yourself. Though you and Tenza still kept in contact as he often visited.
When Tenza was taken in, you were off somewhere busy robbing someone. It was only when you returned to find him missing that you finally realised there was more to your own life, though you had no interest in the way of the sword.
Designing clothes has always been what your mind dreamt of.
The fever was really making it hard for you to work. You could barely walk. You puke up almost everything that enters your digestive system, it was horrible. It had to have been your worst fever ever. Your brain felt like it could explode any second. You could barely even speak due to your throat being as unwell as ever. You could only lay down and hope for the best, hope that it would go away. You did not like to visit the doctor, not once did you enjoy a visit or the taste of medicine going down your throat.
“Y/n?” The sound of your door sliding open, followed by the familiar voice calling out your name caught your attention. You could only weakly stumble across your home to greet Tenza.
“H-hey…” You mumbled, leaning against the wall with all you could muster.
Tenza stared at you in shock before rushing up to hold you, “Oh my… what happened Y/n?” He asked while leading you back into your room, allowing you to rest.
“I’m f-fine,” you replied, though your body had long betrayed your lies and exposed your true status to Tenza a while ago. Tenza might be a little stupid from time to time but he wasn’t that big of an idiot to not realise it when someone was sick.
“Your legs were shaking!” Tenza pointed out, “Did you run under the rain like old times?” He asked.
Of course, the days when you would run away together after causing yet another trouble. It didn’t matter how dirty the both of you got, so long as you had each other. No consequences shall matter. Except maybe sickness as a consequence from time to time…
You nodded in response to Tenza’s question, to which he could only sigh and shake his head in disappointment. “How many times have I told you to stop that? You fall sick more than me!”
“I’ll b-be fine,” you replied before a violent coughing fit started to hit you. Tenza patted your back as though you were a baby as you kept violently coughing. It seemed to be never-ending and it was making it harder for you to breathe regularly. You definitely need someone to take care of you at this stage. The coughs sounded rough and almost like a growl from a bear. Tenza’s face only grew more worried as he saw your coughs grow more violent each passing second.
“Hmm…,” Tenza mumbled as your coughing slowly ended, this had to have been one of the very few times you saw Tenza carefully thinking something over. “I think I’ll stay and take care of you. I’ll be worried if I left you like this.”
“Don’t you h-have duties?” you asked, trying to speak normally after the series of coughs you had just gone through.
Tenza rubbed the back of his neck and laughed, “I’ll be fine! I’ll let master Shion know. I am sure he will understand! He’s a nice man.”
“No…,” you replied, “I can’t prevent you from carrying out your duties and let you trouble others.”
Tenza shook his head in disagreement as he got ready to send out the message to his master. He rummaged through your room to look for a parchment, brush and an ink. Tenza did not leave your room a mess, he always ensured that everything looked the same, like he had never touched it. He sat down and began to write, though it did not take long for another trouble to strike.
“Eh…,” Tenza rubbed the back of his neck as he flashed you an awkward smile. “I don’t know how to write…”
Of course, the both of you had never stepped foot into a school. Your minds never understanding the complexity of things. That included words. Both you and Tenza had never really learned how to read and write. You had thought that Tenza would receive education while learning how to properly swing a lethal weapon. You had thought wrong.
“I will just… ask someone!” Said Tenza enthusiastically, his smile still plastered onto his face.
“My neighbours know how to write, ask them,” you replied, while still laying down on your futon weakly. You watched as Tenza hurried out of your home and listened as the doors slid shut. He was trying to get the paper written as soon as he could.
What a good friend he was…
You had fallen asleep by the time Tenza returned. He was panting like he had just run about the country. He had to ensure that the letter got sent to his master. He did a lot of things. In his hands were some medication that he had bought.
“Y/n?” His voice echoed in the house. No answer returned to him as he walked towards your room and slid your door open.
In there you were, laying on your futon, sleeping. Yet it was anything but peaceful. Sweat pooled on your forehead as your eyes seemed to be squeezed shut. You looked like you were having some troubles as Tenza rushed towards you. He gently placed a hand over your forehead and soon realised the rising temperature. A worried look washed over his face as he ran around your home, fetching all of the towels he could and filling up the largest bucket he could get his hands on. Your chest kept rising and falling, every breath could be heard. One does not have to be a genius to see that you were in pain from your fever.
It had to be your worst sickness in years.
Tenza returned to your side, one hand full of towels and the other carrying a bucket filled with water. He soaked one of the towels in the bucket, squeezed the excess water out, folded the towel into a rectangle before putting the strands of your hair covering your forehead out of the way, and placing the towel on your forehead. Next, he placed a hand on your chest, on top of your blanket, in hopes of helping you to regulate your breathing.
“Hmm,” you mumbled weakly. Your face still seemed stressed as ever.
“Yes?” Tenza asked, thinking that you wanted to ask him something. He leaned in closer towards you, hoping to be able to hear what you had to say.
Instead, your face started to look more uncomfortable as your body turned to face Tenza, the towel falling from your forehead. Tenza slowly placed it back while watching you with worry and concern plaguing his mind. Tenza had changed for the better ever since meeting his master Shion. Shards of his old self replaced with shiny pieces of the new man he was.
It was pleasant seeing him improve into the man he was now. You couldn’t be happier for Tenza. One of the best things about growing with someone was seeing their growth as a person. The way they mature and grow given the circumstances around them, how they chose to adapt to it. You were glad to have seen that change within Tenza.
He was kneeling beside you as you curled your body into a fetal position, your hands reaching out to grab onto his hakama. Your breaths remained irregular, each time you took in a deep breath, it could be heard loud and clear even if one was in another room.
“Don’t leave me… please,” you uttered, taking in another deep breath. Tenza could not tell at all if you were awake but he could tell that you were unwell. Beads of sweat dropped onto the wooden floor as your grip slowly weakened.
“Alright alright I won’t go anywhere,” Tenza reassured as he slowly moved your hand away from his hakama and repositioned you. Next, he took another towel to wipe the sweat away from the areas he could reach. He did not want to move you around too much in case you actually fell asleep. Yamada Asaemon Tenza was not the sharpest tool in the shed after all.
Tenza made a mental note to himself to give you your medication as he soaked the towel that had dropped on the floor earlier before placing it back on your forehead. The sun was nowhere to be found at this point. Tenza still hasn't showered. He had just spent the past few hours tending to you. Maybe he should even make a small meal in case you wake up feeling hungry? He had tried to make a few dishes while he was learning how to slash around.
He looked about your home, trying to look for anything that he wanted to wear. There were just so many robes of fancy design that he could not just pick one. It did not take him long to just… try on everything before picking his favourite, and off he went to shower. The water greeting his face has never felt more refreshing. His yellow hair flowed down his face, sticking to his skin as he washed himself. It was a relatively quick wash up as he still wanted to see what he could make for you, he wasn’t the best chef but he was willing to try his best. He could not just let you live with an empty stomach.
Your kitchen did not seem to have much for Tenza to work with. He frowned as he dug about every corner he could. He might have to cook up dust as dinner at this rate. You had rice, but every sensible household had them. Maybe a few vegetables but there was no fresh meat anywhere. Maybe he would have to ask the neighbours for some? You hadn’t bought any meat recently as you did not feel like eating them. Those go bad in a few days, if only there was a way to preserve them…
Tenza decided to work with the things you had in your kitchen. A true man does not blame his circumstances, right? They work around it and make the best they could out of it, creating the best possible outcome. It was just cooking, it cannot be harder than swinging the sword. All there was to cooking was just washing the rice over and over, heating it over water, right?
Tenza would be correct, except he had failed to realise just how tiring the task would be. He did not know how long he should wash the rice for. The water kept coming out cloudy so he just gave up, he had washed it five times. Next was the vegetables. He just had to fry them right?
Tenza was never cooking for a sick person ever again.
It was like hell. He would rather die than to cook again.
He had managed to make a simple dish. Porridge with vegetables. He just hoped that it would taste better than it looked. There was too much water in the porridge and he had poorly placed the vegetables into the bowl, some were sticking up. He had also chopped them too long. Cooking was such a chore. You had the honour of being the last person he has ever cooked for.
Maybe having that honour wasn’t the best thing.
The sound of the vegetables frying had woken you a while ago. When you made your way into the kitchen, Tenza was already finished with his cooking. It took you a while to realise that he was wearing a robe you had recently designed, which was supposed to be a gift to him. It was red with wild flowers embroidered onto it. The wild flowers were supposed to represent the days you and him spent as troublemakers. The flowers were mostly spring flowers.
Aside from the robe, Tenza’s hair was also dripping wet, his headband out of the way. It was those two things that had caught your attention, not the bowl of porridge he was holding, nor his concerned face.
Why did he suddenly look… much more dashing with his hair in that state.
“You should be resting!” He uttered as though he was a father. His eyes examined the kitchen for any seats so that he could force you to sit down and eat.
“I’m a-alright,” you replied as he found a spot and placed the bowl in front of you.
“Eat up,” he said. Tenza was ready to feed you, like you were some child.
You tried to take the spoon from him, “I can t-take care of myself.”
Tenza shook his head, the spoon still in his hands. He was adamant on taking care of you. There was no choice but to listen to him. You slowly opened your mouth as he slowly fed you, it was starting to be embarrassing. You just snatched the spoon from him and started to feed yourself.
“Alright,” he said, getting up and got your medication from another room, which he left it in. “Eat these once you’re done alright?”
“Are you… leaving already?” You asked, a part of you not wishing for his departure. A part of you wanted to spend as much time as you could with him.
Tenza laughed and shook his head, placing a hand on your hair and ruffling it like you were a little pet, “I am not going anywhere until you recover.”
You could only respond with a small smile of your own.
You were lucky to have him around.
After your meal and the medication, you went back to sleep. Your body just can’t seem to function during awake hours. There was something wrong with you. Really, there was. It has been a tiring day for your body. You were out like a rock in minutes.
Tenza was amazed at how fast you fell asleep, despite waking up mere moments ago. He was tired as well but he did not have the ability to knock himself out. He still placed a soaked towel on your forehead. Next, he decided to sleep beside you, having nowhere else to lay down. Besides, he would rather be as close as possible, so that he could take care of you if something went wrong in the middle of the night.
Things did go wrong.
You suddenly shot up, hours later, eyes wide open as the towel fell from your forehead. Tenza was fast asleep however. So much for sleeping beside you to take care of you. You did not know why you woke up, but your body felt hot all over. Not wanting to trouble Tenza, you slowly soaked the towel and squeezed it dry before wiping parts of your body that you could reach. You soaked the towel again, squeezed it and placed it on your forehead before falling back asleep.
It was such a weird sickness.
The next morning, you were the one who woke up first. Somewhere in the night, your body had turned to face Tenza, making his face the first sight to greet your eyes in the morning. The rays of the sun resting gently on his soft skin, luminating his peaceful expression as he slept.
The towel was the only thing in between both of your faces. A strand of your hair fell out of place as your vision rested on the man in front of you.
A soft yawn from Tenza broke the silence as his eyes slowly opened to meet yours. He shot you a sleepy smile before moving the hair strand away, his hands glazing past your cheeks. The skin to skin contact suddenly making your body freeze. “Are you feeling better?” He asked.
“Y-yeah,” you answered, stammering for no good reason after being brought back to reality, your thoughts lost in Tenza’s smile. Was your brain as sick as you? Something was not normal about how you seemed to be feeling towards him.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea seemed to hit you from nowhere and you rushed out, leaving a stunned Tenza behind. He shouted and ran after you, only to see you crouched down and vomiting the contents of the previous night. He walked closer towards you and held your hair together, ensuring that they were out of the way as you continued to clear your stomach. You could feel Tenza gently patting your back as he held your hair together. You kept coughing as the contents left your body.
A pile of vomit rested in your backyard, everything you ate was now out there.
“Better?” Tenza asked, you shrugged.
Tenza took you to wash up as he too, took the opportunity to freshen himself up. This sickness was really something else. Tenza decided to ask your neighbours for something small that you could eat. You couldn’t just be empty all day. You could only eat half of what was given to you, however, your appetite was nowhere to be found, but at least your body temperature was now back to normal. You just had coughs and your head also felt like imploding.
But at least you were getting better?
Tenza fed you your medication after you finished eating. You just laid down, your head seemed to be too much for you. Your vision seems hazy and the light seems to be too bright somehow… Maybe you were dying and seeing heaven? You just wanted it to all be over soon. You somehow fell asleep again. How did you keep on falling asleep like that?
Tenza had no idea if he should be amazed or worried. He was just glad that at least your temperature was down. That was one trouble down, he just had to take care of you until everything else returned to normal. Then he would finally feel alright to leave you by yourself.
You woke up after a mere hour, feeling hungry and rummaging about to find something to eat. You found Tenza in the kitchen as he greeted you with a smile and knife in hand, he was cooking again. You could tell that he barely knew what he was even cooking. He was struggling. He was putting in so much effort into taking care of you… It really made your heart soften, to see him put so much care into you. He had really improved as a person.
“Sit down,” Tenza ordered, in the sweetest tone a man could manage. “It will be done soon! Oh I am finally getting the hang of this!” He continued happily. You enjoyed the sight that had welcomed your eyes. It was so heartwarming, if only this was something you could have everyday…
Your mind wasn’t in the best state, considering the fact that you had just woken up and still suffered from sickness. Your body moved towards where Tenza was. He laughed as he saw you move towards him.
“Come on now,” he said. “I may be an idiot but a sick person should not be near when preparing a meal!”
“I know,” you muttered, leaning against him, your head resting on his shoulders. “I just… kinda like… the way you look right now.”
Tenza stared at you, eyes widened as his cheeks got flustered. He quickly turned back, facing away from your smile. He was trying to distract himself now, on the food that was brewing in front of him. Good thing that it was almost done.
“Tenza,” you continued, dragging the sound of his name. “I’m not wrong.”
“I think there’s something gravely wrong with your brain right now,” he muttered, presenting your lunch right in front of you, motioning for you to eat up. He went ahead and retrieved your medication. Something was going on.
Tenza watched as you slowly forced yourself to eat. Your appetite was still incredibly small, it was a miracle that you could even eat half a bowl. To Tenza, that was enough. He took the bowl away when you were half way done, sensing that you could not go on anymore, then he fed you your medicine.
“Thank you Tenza,” you grinned. He patted you on the head.
You slowly met his eyes, suddenly lost in his soft, innocent gaze on you. His eyes stared into yours, the tension suddenly deepening between the both of you. You were lost in the moment, his eyes just looked so beautiful, you could get lost in those any time of the day. His sweet smile was something you’d kill to see as well. He placed a hand on your shoulder, resting ever so gently there. “Are you sick out of your mind?” He asked suddenly.
“THat’s so… out of the blue,” you replied. “I–”
The next thing you felt was a soft kiss on your cheeks. You stared at Tenza, whose cheeks was even redder, beyond what was even comprehensible. You could feel the heat entering your cheeks, spreading all over your face, even your ears. Tenza looked away from you, hand rubbing the back of his neck out of embarrassment.
“I uh… just felt like it,” Tenza finally uttered a word, breaking the silence.
“My entire face feels hot,” you answered. Tenza sighed.
“Another fever?” Tenza asked in disbelief, “I’m going to have to stay longer? Wait, that's actually not so bad.”
You wanted to laugh, “It’s not fever you idiot. Do you enjoy taking care of me so much?”
Tenza laughed, “If we take out the vomit, yes. And isn’t fever the reason why you would feel hot?”
It was your turn to break out into a series of giggles now. He was one of the best swordsmen you ever knew and yet, he thought fever was all there was to body heat. The both of you had never stepped foot into a school, yet one knows more than the other.
Though it was thanks to him that you were now feeling better, and more flustered than you ever have in your life. Though you now know one thing thanks to Tenza’s action.
