𝑮𝒊𝒚𝒖 𝑻𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒐𝒌𝒂 had faced upper moons without blinking. he had walked through blood and ruin with a steady pulse. but asking you out felt far more terrifying. which was exactly how he found himself standing stiffly in front of tengen, who lounged like royalty in the courtyard, sunlight catching on his gemstones.
“i require advice,” giyu said flatly.
tengen slowly lowered his tea. “advice? from me? finally, someone with taste.”
giyu didn’t react to that nonsense. “you have three wives.”
“you must have experience.”
“oh, i have experience,” tengen replied proudly. “flamboyant, overwhelming, heart-stealing experience.”
giyu stared at him. “i have fallen in love.”
tengen nearly choked on his tea. “you?” he leaned forward dramatically. “with who?”
giyu’s gaze shifted slightly to the side. “her.”
it was enough. tengen’s grin widened into something dangerous. “first of all,” tengen began, standing up in one fluid, dramatic motion, “you need flair. women love flair.”
giyu frowned faintly. “flair.”
“yes. grand gestures. sparkle. confidence. you walk up to her and say something unforgettable.”
tengen placed a hand on giyu’s shoulder. “tell her her beauty rivals the fireworks of the entertainment district.”
giyu blinked. “that seems excessive.”
“excessive?” tengen gasped. “there is no such thing.”
the next day giyu tried. you were sitting beneath a tree when he approached, posture rigid as a board. he remembered the advice, and opened his mouth. “your beauty,” he said solemnly, “is comparable to controlled explosions.”
you stared at him stunned. “what?”
he hesitated, because that didn’t sound right. “fireworks,” he corrected quietly. “in the entertainment district.”
your lips trembled. giyu’s stomach dropped. he had failed. a soft giggle slipped from your mouth, but not in a cruel manner. giyu felt heat crawl up his neck. he walked off like nothing happened.
that evening he returned to tengen. “it did not go as expected.”
tengen leaned back, dramatically offended. “impossible. my advice is flawless.”
tengen froze before his grin returned. “ah. that is good.”
“yes. laughter is step one. step two is mystery. you must ignore her for three days.”
giyu’s eyes widened slightly. “ignore her?”
“completely. become distant. brooding. silent.”
“i am already those things.”
“perfect,” tengen said proudly.
… so giyu avoided you for three agonizing days. he passed you in the hall and looked at the wall instead. he trained at a different hour. he left before you could approach. each time something in his chest twisted painfully.
on the third day you had enough. you marched straight up to him while he was standing alone by the engawa. “did i do something wrong?”
“then why are you avoiding me?”
he remembered the plan. be mysterious. be distant. “no reason.”
you narrowed your eyes. “giyu.”
the way you said his name made his composure crack. he inhaled slowly. “i was advised this would increase my appeal.”
you stared at him for two seconds. then you laughed amused. poor man felt doomed.
“for someone so strong,” you said gently, “you are really bad at this.”
you smiled at him and suddenly the air felt too thin. “can i ask you something?”
giyu nodded as his eyes found yours.
you hesitated. “could you imagine going out with me?”
his mind went blank. all the advice - the fireworks, the ignoring - all of it useless.
“yes,” he said immediately. no hesitation. no flair. “i could.”
your smile widened. “good,” you whispered. “because i was hoping you would say that.”
somewhere in the distance tengen probably felt a disturbance in the universe. giyu didn’t care. for once simplicity had won over flamboyance, and he decided he would never take romantic advice from tengen uzui again.
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