Giyuu Tomioka x Tsuguko! reader
How y’all met? You were out adventuring, as you do, your hair a mess, your clothes dirty, barefoot, strolling through the forest with nothing but a knife and a candle. One would think a 17 year old would be a little more responsible, not you.
A loud crash came from a house somewhere in the forest, a small family who gave you baked goods sometimes and treated you nicely. On instinct you ran toward the screams, ignoring the sticks and ruble biting your feet.
Kicking open the door, you were met with an ugly, man-looking creature with horns and sharp teeth about the take a bite out of a girl, one who you taught to climb trees and steal from the market. The demon looked at you as if deciding if you were just really brave or a dumb bitch. He must’ve gone with the latter because he went back, focusing his attention on the girl when a knee struck his shoulder and he was suddenly kicked into the wall, a foot smashing into his face.
“Run!” You instructed, an ecstatic grin on your face as you struggled to keep the beast down for enough time for her to escape. She sent you a grateful nod, her eyes fearful as she ran out the house, probably to get help. Right as she left the demon kicked you off of him, sending you flying into a door which opened upon impact. You tumbled into the next room, clutching your knife as you pulled yourself up just in time to see him charging at you. It snarled, growling as it approached.
Riskily, you jumped up on a table and over the demon, wrapping yourself around his back and plunging your knife deep in his skull, wincing yourself at the gross squelching and croaking noises that came from its bones as you carved it open.
Giyuu was already late, if he was judging by the condition of the house. Things were thrown everywhere, doors were broken, walls had holes in them, and blood was everywhere. He followed the trail of red, and that was when he laid his deep blue eyes on you.
Your clothes were shredded, blood covering your hands and feet entirely, demon guys splattered on the rest of you. Not to say you didn’t have any injuries, but there was someone clearly winning here and it wasn’t the demon who you had pinned under you. A bat was in your hand, mid swing on the already twitching and barely conscious creature of the night, when you noticed him.
Freshly nineteen year old Giyuu Tomioka, just promoted to Hashira of the demon slayer corps. He just wanted to go home, have a nice cup of tea or something. But instead he was faced with you, a bloodied up girl with a potty mouth who was beating a demon like it was a sport. A wide grin was spread out on your bloody face, your hair half covering you as you paused, dropping your bat.
You seemed to have it handled, so he didn’t need to stay around, right? Unfortunately for him, he actually did have to stay around. With no words at all, the pretty boy walked over to the demon and slashed its neck.
He didn’t stick around to watch it disintegrate, but you did. In awe of the gorgeous man who just graced your eyes with his face. You wanted to know who he was, how he did that, what his hobbies were.
Jogging up to him, you were about to grab his haori when you decided against it, knowing you’d get it messy so you stepped in front of him instead, blocking his path.
“What’s your name?” You asked, surprising the boy. He blinked, confused at the look of admiration on your face that he was sure was directed at him.
“..what?”
You laughed, a lopsided grin looping onto your face. Giyuu swear his heart stopped right then.
“Your name, my angel?” He paused, looking at you like you grew three heads.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re like, angelic dude, seriously, ever think about modeling?” He was stunned, but you kept going. “Your eyes are insane, could I braid your hair sometime? Oh also, how’d you kill that guy? I tried everything! I want to do that too, think you can teach me, angel?”
You were loud, and you talked a lot. Your smile was almost as blinding as your energy was suffocating. Poor Giyuu could hardest keep up, his heart beating weirdly fast.
“..My name is Giyuu Tomioka. Stop calling me that.” He said bluntly, and somehow you managed to grin even bigger, shaking his hand with your own. Giyuu grimaced at the demon blood that was touching his hand right now.
“Well, I’m (Y/N), it’s nice to meetcha’ Giyuu.” His eye twitched at the abrupt use of his first name, wondering if you had any manners whatsoever.
He kept walking, and you followed, looking at him like he was the most interesting thing ever.
“Sooo what was that guy? He was totally strong, like he hella kicked me at least 15 feet, actually I think my rib might be broken..” You questioned it, poking at your abdomen.
The man beside you sighed. “That was a demon. You can only kill them with special nichirin weapons, which is why he didn’t die for you.” He said only what he needed to, hoping you wouldn’t say more. Unfortunately, you did have more to say. You always had more to say, didn’t you?
“So this is your job or whatever? How do I apply?”
He looked at you weirdly, his brow furrowed. You were nothing but a foolish girl, wanting to work in the corps without need to. “Why would you want to be a demon slayer?” He asked honestly, surprised he was still even tolerating you.
You tilted your head like it was obvious. “So we can be colleagues, obviously. And so I can slice and dice bitches. That’s badass as fuck.”
You wanted to work with him? That’s ridiculous. He was nothing special, just barely getting by. But something about your happy-go-lucky personality, and that stupid smile you had whenever you looked at him reminded which of someone special. Which is maybe why he was in front of your house, one you lived at with your mother who was already looking at you with disdain, like seeing her daughter come home covering in blood was a casual thing.
He turned to you, handing you a lousy nichirin sword. “To practice, this is the only thing that can kill demons. In five months there’s a final selection, 15 miles north. Don’t die.”
You had washed off the remaining blood on your clothes by now, changing into some hakama pants and a clean kimono. That said, you grinned giddily, taking the sword in your hand and jumping up onto the man, wrapping your arms around his neck in a hug.
Giyuu stilled, unsure of how to react or if he even wanted to. By now, if it were anyone else he would have been gone long ago, so why was he letting you hang off of him like some overweight koala? You put your mouth by his ear, your warm breath hitting his neck as you whisper one last thing,
“I’ll miss you, Giyuu.” You smirked, pulling away and beginning to walk back into your little house, waving a goodbye with a big grin.
You barely missed the way his ears turned a der shade of pink, and how fast his heart started beating.
In the next five months you trained hard, going through the motions of exorcise and sword work everyday as you finished your studies and kept up with chores. Giyuu visited three times, not having a lot of time to spare. Apparently he was the highest rank in the corps, and you were determined to stand by him.
Turns out, a sadistic girl with zero will to live made a damn good slayer. You finished the final selection, proud and unscathed, using the same blade your dearest friend had gifted you. After hearing the news of your return—Giyuu and you would send letters via crow often— He came to your house as soon as he could, a spark of hope igniting that maybe you wouldn’t leave him.
The two of you had grown close enough, so the stoic man invited you to be his Tsuguko. He didn’t want to hold you back, and sometimes he thought you’d be better off with another slayer. You were strong, both mind and body, he knew you had so much potential but seeing your happiness just getting to work with him helped push a lot of those thoughts away.
One day, they were having an annual Hashira meeting, when the master turned to him. “Giyuu, I understand you have a Tsuguko now, yes? How is it?”
This blew their fucking minds.
Giyuu avoided the leering eyes, only responding with a vague answer. “She’s fine, learns quickly. She’ll probably climb the ranks in no time,” For the first time since he joined, he was more sure about that fact than anything. Of course, others noticed and didn’t hesitate to point it out,
Shinobu was first to turn, her eyes wide and smile delighted. She pranced up to Giyuu after the meeting, annoyingly sweet and teasing. “I’m surprised you landed a Tsuguko with your attitude, Tomioka.”
He looked at her blankly for a moment, almost insulted, but decided he didn’t really give a shit and turned away. Not before muttering under his breath, “I’m surprised you landed one with yours..”
Safe to say he was learning a thing or two from you.
The two of you stood across from each other, swords angled in front of you. Sparring was your main form of practice together, as the rest of it revolved around strength training for you. In a flash you both lunged, swords clashing, bodies moving in sync. Your movements were fast, aggressive, playful. You took it slow, liking the chase more than the kill. Giyuu was the opposite. He was precise, quick, every movement purposeful and calculated.
Like your personalities, they were quick to clash. He got a hit on you, your sword coming up too late and had you stumbling back a few feet. You steadied yourself, already ready for more. This was the funnest thing to you, being able to spar with him.
"You were distracted," He stated, his face deadpan as usual. "Your movements are too reckless, they need to be more fluid, or you'll leave yourself open."
You grinned, fixing your grip on the sword. "You're quite the distraction. I was admiring your hair, a strand was in your eye, and I wanted to fix it."
He scoffed, mostly unfazed by your advances. He used to get flustered, turning around and walking inside every time. You were nothing if not honest about how you felt. Maybe not so direct, but it was there. In the flirty comments and bold statements was something real, something between only the two of you.
"Focus, (Y/N). We aren't stopping until you can beat me." He ran a strict schedule, but you were determined. Minutes went by, your swords clashing, dodging. Teasing remarks were thrown, smack talk if you will. A hint of amusement of his lips as you jumped around him, shouting gibberish.
You made yourself airborne, avoiding his slash and locking your legs around him, bringing the man to your ground with a thud.
You stared for a little too long, straddling his torso. He looked pretty like this, his hair sprawled out on the ground. Grinning, you poked his chest. "I win~ You owe me that date now."
Giyuu quipped a brow, throwing you off of him as he got up, brushing the dust off of his uniform. "I didn't agree to a date."
You pouted, resting your hand in your palm. That night, he got you a strawberry cheesecake, just like you agreed upon. A date would have to wait. But for him, you'd wait forever.
On a sunny day, no missions, the two of you sat outside by the pond, basking in silence. You weren't particularly fond of silence, but Giyuu liked it. It was calming, and you were always talking so this was shut the fuck up hours for you.
The silence was cut short however as two figures walked up, one smiling menacingly and the other looking like she didn't agree to this.
"You must be Tomioka's tsuguko, hm?" The butterfly girl asked, tilting her head at you. Your eyes flickered to Giyuu's blank ones that held slight irritation, then back to her.
"Loud and proud. Who're you, pretty lady?" Her smile widened, a sparkling glint in her eyes.
"Kocho Shinobu, the butterfly pillar. You're quite the charmer, unlike your master." She giggled to herself.
The other girl was Mitsuri, the love pillar. The two of them dragged you away, no complaints coming from you or your superior.
Mitsuri liked to gossip, asking questions like 'Are you and Tomioka together??' and 'Do you like him?'. Shinobu was more 'Does he always look like he just smelled shit or does he just not like us?' and 'Does he brush his hair?'.
The three of you really hit it off despite your differences, and they found your personality an interesting contrast to your dear friend's.
Shinobu introduced you to her own Tsuguko, a small girl who talked even less than your teacher. You promised her a sparring match soon, hugging her in an embrace she didn't return. Much like you and Giyuu's first hug, actually.
The girls would often ask about you, just to tease him mostly. "Tomioka!"Mitsuri called out, jogging over to the water pillar. "How's (Y/N)? I haven't seen her in forever! Tell her I said hi, kay?"
Heads were turned, the hashira started talking.
"So, are you ever going to ask her out, Tomioka?" Shinobu teased, poking at the man's shoulder. He rolled his eyes, not engaging. It was a ridiculous notion, really. You were everything he wasn't.
You had just come back from a mission with your dear friend and teacher, and you had gotten a pretty big cut along your abdomen. It wasn't anything that couldn't be patched up, but Giyuu was not happy with you.
"That was reckless. You could have dodged that," He stated, like it was a face, his usual nonchalant expression holding the smallest amount of anger.
You skipped along the dirt road beside him, your blood still pumping from the adrenaline, a grin still present. "I could have, but what's the fun if it's over so fast, y'know?"
Giyuu didn't know, and he didn't understand the pleasure you got from getting hurt, putting yourself in danger just for the fun of it.
"I'm flattered you're so worried about me, Giyuu." You smiled cheekily at him, a gesture he didn't return. He never did, but especially not now.
"You're insufferable.." He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. As he was about to continue his lecture, the two of you paused, a wall of people standing in front of you.
Two you recognized, Shinobu and Mitsuri, who looked at you knowingly. You were probably standing too close to him, it wasn't 'respectful'. You didn't care, and Giyuu didn't either, but they might.
"I'm surprised she's real, I figured it might just be a figment of his imagination." The serpent hashira sneered, eyeing the two of you like a spectacle.
The white-haired one beside him let out an ugly cackle. "She looks like a weakling, must be if she's training under Tomioka."
You tried not to say anything, but they really made it too easy. Shinobu could practically hear the gears in your head grinding, already smiling and taking a step back.
"Where the fuck are your eyebrows dawg?" You blurted out, gagging half the Hashira. Giyuu stiffened beside you, already seeing this coming. He avoided introducing you to them for a reason, godammit.
Sanemi's eye twitched, and you continued. "You're not worth my insults, besides, with that forehead of yours they'll just fly right over your head anyway."
Your eyes flickered to Obanai, judgment written all over your face. "One big bird comes by and it's over for that snake. Giyuu is actually nice unlike the assholes like you who plague the corps, so not too much on my boy, aight?"
Obanai seethed, his snake beside him oblivious as ever. He was almost embarrassed, Mitsuri giggling beside him and Rengoku's bisterous laughter on the other side. "I like your fighting spirit, young lady!" He praised, his voice as fiery as his hair.
The big beefy one with the makeup laughed, slapping a hand over his knee. "Oh my god, this is gold. She's flashy, I like her! I might have to snag her for myself, Tomioka!" He was surprised that someone as flashy as you would be into someone as unflashy as Tomioka.
You huffed, an amused grin on your face as you stepped closer to your hashira, setting your head on his shoulder. "Sorry, I've got my sights set on this one already, I'm right where I want to be."
Mitsuri squealed, her face heating up at the outward display of affection.
Giyuu's eyes widened slightly, his shoulders tensing as he felt your body against his. You not only stuck up for him, but you showed everyone here where you stood. He didn't show it, but he loved it. He loved that about you, how you weren't afraid to show up for him
When Giyuu put his life on the line for some demon girl and her brother, you put yours too. Y'all were the definition of 'ride or die'. Giyuu had his worries of you leaving him or dying, but everytime you came back and proved him otherwise. He trusted you when he trusted no one else.
When you met Tanjiro, he immediately found you endearing and could literally smell how much you adored Giyuu. You got along with his sister too, meeting her after vouching your life on her. He was overjoyed that Giyuu had someone like you by his side.
Zenitsu had immediately tried to marry you, clinging to you like it was life or death. On multiple occasions, Giyuu had stepped in, dragging him off and glaring daggers at the boy. After that, Tanjiro had always kept him at a distance, making sure to remind the boy, "Mister Tomioka will get mad at you, remember?"
The other Hashira warmed up to you as well, each in their own special ways. Obanai had to by exposure therapy via Mitsuri where he had to witness first hand his snake liking you more than him.
Uzui and Rengoku already liked you due to your loud and unfiltered personality, always ready for a fight, and going headfirst into literally anything.
It probably took the longest for Sanemi to warm up to you, the two of you in a constant argument. Anytime you two saw each other, it was on fucking sight. Immediate bickering. It became just how the two of you communicated.
The first time you and Giyuu kissed was so stupid. You were exhausted after a mission, your mind still hazy from the battle.
The sun was beginning to rise and the two of you slumped down on the side of the trail, a large field slowly buzzing to life.
Giyuu looked lovely, the shadows contouring his face just right, his hair falling over his shoulders and his uniform slightly disheveled. You wanted that cookie bad.
Life was short, and you were destined to make it shorter. You were never one to beat around the bush or wait. So in that moment, exhausted and probably not thinking straight from the blood loss, you went on your tippy toes, one hand on his chest and the other on the side of his cheek, and you kissed him. Your body flattened against his as you deepened the kiss, not feeling him pull away. The sun had rose more by the time you had separated, and you could clearly see his flushed cheeks and the shock on his face.
Somewhere deep inside you might have been a little flustered, but you didn’t regret it. You smiled, turned on your heel like it was nothing. The two of you walked back in comfortable silence, Giyuu’s from pure shock and yours from just thinking. Thinking how you’ve never wanted something so bad.
During the final battle against the demons you had fought like hell, risking everything for one purpose. It was for him, Giyuu Tomioka. He was so incredible, fighting with amazing precision and almost too fast to keep up with. And wherever he was, you were there, always making sure you got up just in case he didn’t. You were always there, not protecting him but just waiting, a precaution. He had never see you so focused, so still. You had fought with everything he had ever taught you. Because of you, he came out of the battle whole.
And you did it all with a big, wicked grin on your face.
After it was all said and done, he got down on one knee and proposed. No more labels, no more demon slayer corps, just you and him and a shiny ring.
Of course, you said yes. Jumping into his arms and spinning around.
The two of you were each other's missing half, the traits the other lacked, fire and ice water. lol.
He learned how to live and love without holding back, and you learned how to hold back to keep living.
This took me THREE FUCKING TIMES to write cus fuck ass tumblr kept deleting my draft🥹 so if it feels rushed THAT’S WHY. lmk if y’all wanna see more of Giyuu and his psycho little tsuguko <33
