#you will see me draw him a lot i want everyone to know cirrus

[drag00ni]

i added lace to the rim of his robe, i think it looks nice :) Cirrus is developing

[maple-writes]

[Image ID: Banner image reading: The City of Eventide, Chapter 32, Maple-writes. End ID]

Did I forget about this chapter a little bit? Maybe...

###

Ginger left after three days. Striker went back to work. I didn’t always see him until he came home, leaving in the morning long before I was awake. The quiet was almost too much, too pressing alone at home for the first few days. I didn’t want to go out, didn’t want to leave alone just in case, in case something happened. Once I tried, I thought maybe it would be nice to take a walk around the neighbourhood but I hadn’t made it much further than the sidewalk before tightening nerves and a pounding heart made me turn back. Made me flee back to the safety of the house.

           The next week, Striker asked if I felt ready for Ember to come home and when I agreed he told Kyra and Ember they could come back whenever was best for them. That day Striker worked the day shift and I spent my day pacing around the living room, the kitchen, the halls, all as excitement mixed with tension. Part of me could hardly believed she’d stayed, stayed and hadn’t run off to the woods again like she had so many times, and the other part raced trying to think of what I would say to her.

           Finally late afternoon sun shone warm and spring-like through the windows I’d finally worked up the courage to draw the curtains back from. Not long now. I stood in front of the hall mirror, staring back at myself and hoping I looked put together enough that neither of them would worry. Clean clothes, brushed hair… It was all I could really do, right?

           A round of soft knocks came from the front door and I nearly jumped. I took a second, heart racing like a horse shot from the gate against my ribs, and tried to steady myself at least a little bit. At least a little as I walked towards, laid my hand on the door knob and took a deep breath.

           Kyra and Ember stood in the doorway. Ember’s face all but mirrored mine, all tense and not sure what to feel while Kyra just smiled, cautious, but relieved. I looked between the two of them, words caught in my throat. As much as I wanted to say, to apologize again for what I’d done, to thank them for coming, for everything, nothing came out and all I could do was stand there in the doorway and stare.

           Finally, I found myself again and managed a shallow breath. “Hi.”

           “Hi.” Ember sounded almost as nervous, squeaking out from where she almost hid behind Kyra’s shoulder. I could feel it, tension, leaking from her skin but it wasn’t so bad, wasn’t as bad as it was before. Like air too humid for comfort but nothing more.

           Kyra smiled, as if relieved I’d actually said something. “Can we come in?”

           Right. I nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

           I stepped away and let them in. Ember dropped her backpack—the one I’d bought her months ago now—in the doorway and kicked off her shoes, Kyra following suit. She’d cut her hair since I’d seen her last, short and tucked back from her face with two snap clips. Ember nudged her shoes out of the way and stood up straight again, shoulders wider and stronger than I remembered.

           They followed me into the living room, settling down around the coffee table. Kyra took the couch while Ember and I took the two armchairs, all casting glances at each other like we all hoped someone else would start the conversation.

           Eventually, it was Kyra that broke the ice. “Been a while hasn’t it?” She gave me a little smile. “How is it being back?”

           “I don’t know,” I shrugged, letting my shoulders bunch close to my ears. “It feels strange, if I’m being honest.” My eyes settled on Ember across the table. “It’ll be nice to have some company when Striker’s gone.”

           “Right,” Ember said. “It does get a little lonely when he’s gone all day.”

           “Are you getting out at all?” Kyra asked, head tilting just a little like she already knew the answer. “The weather’s been getting better and better these days.”

           I lowered my head, fiddling with my hands in my lap. Had Striker said something to her? Guilt simmered low in my gut. She probably didn’t want to hear how I was too scared to leave the house on my own, even when I tried. At the same time though, would she believe me if I tried to lie?

           “Not really.” I mumbled, keeping my eyes down to avoid hers. “Its… It’s overwhelming right now.”

           She nodded, and Ember mirrored. She slouched in her chair, red eyes flicking to the top corner in thought.

           “What about nighttime?” Ember refocused on me. “I find it quieter. Less to process.”

           Night? I paused, blinking and turning her words over in my head. “Maybe.” There’d be less traffic late at night at least, fewer sudden noises, fewer people to look out for. “I could try that.”

           She smiled. “I could go with you too if you want.”

           “That…” I started to relax, sitting up and leaning back in the chair. “That would be nice.” It’d been a long time since the two of us did anything like that.

           “Yeah, we can sneak into the park and take the trails like we used to.” Ember leaned forward now, excitement drifting from deep inside. “It could be fun, just the two of us.”

           Kyra frowned, turning to Ember. “Are you sure that’s safe?”

           She nodded. “We used to do it all the time when we were younger.”

           I sunk deeper in the couch, letting my legs stretch out under the edge of the coffee table. It felt like ages ago, when Ember would nudge me in my bed to see if I was sleeping. We’d creep out of the house in the middle of the night and take the dimly-lit side streets to the park where we’d all but disappear under the dark of the trees for hours until we were ready to sleep.

           Kyra shrugged. “If it works it works.”

           The front door opened softly and she lifted her head, leaning back to peek into the hallway. Footsteps came a moment before Striker slipped into the room in his after-work hoodie and sweatpants. He leaned over the back of the couch, greeting her with a soft hand on her shoulder. She stretched up closer so he could reach for a light kiss on her cheek. I stared, glancing between her and Striker until Kyra noticed and cracked into a slight giggle.

           “Did Striker not tell you?” She smiled, glancing up at him with gentle eyes. “We’re dating as of a couple months ago now.”

           Striker shrugged. “Must have slipped my mind.”

           Good for them. Warmth spread through out from my chest, comfortable through the vessels. The two of them murmured to each other as Striker held his head next to hers.

           Ember caught my eye with a cheeky grin. “You’ve missed a lot of PDA while you were gone. Consider yourself lucky.”

           Striker half smiled as he stood up straight. “I’m going to take a shower.”

           He slipped out of the living room, footsteps disappearing up the stairs. A moment or later Ember stood too. She leaned over to pick up her bag, slinging it over one shoulder.

           “I’ll be right back, just going to toss this in my room.” She smiled, then looked confused a moment as I frowned, eyebrows furrowing. “Ah right. Cirrus’ old room.”

           Right. He didn’t need it anymore, did he? If Ember took his room, then, “So you’re really here to stay?”

           “I think so.” She smiled, warmth slipping out from her skin as she got closer, not quite contained by the walls of her body. “I’m glad you’re home too, Ash.”

           She ruffled my hair as she passed, soft heat spreading wherever her claws brushed my skin, gentle and harmless. Then she was gone, disappeared the same way Striker had and it was just me and Kyra. She leaned back, draping on arm over the back of the couch as she faced me.

           “Welcome back Asher.” She smiled, quiet and comfortable. “I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better. Oh, and Dylan told me to tell you he says hi. He wanted to come himself but I told him to be patient.” She laughed once under her breath. “Still, don’t be surprised if he stops by sometime but also don’t be scared to tell him to go away if he starts bugging you.”

           Dylan? Even him? I tried to think of something to say, but nothing wanted to come up. My chest tightened, heart rising to my throat. I’d never thought he would think twice about me, after all, we hadn’t met that long ago, we hadn’t spent all that much time around each other and he still wanted to know how I was doing?

           Kyra frowned. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

           Was it that obvious? I swallowed. “I don’t know, I, I’m just surprised that’s all.”

           “Fallon too. Though I don’t think she’s about to show up at your doorstep unless you invite her over.” She smiled again, one corner of her lip curling higher than the other. “You didn’t think you could just vanish like that and expect everyone to forget about you?”

           This time the mass in my throat pressed too tight to ignore and my eyes stung with stray tears. I rubbed them away with my sleeve and took a breath, deep, shaky and staring down at the empty coffee table. Maybe, maybe it was stupid to think people wouldn’t care, wouldn’t notice I was gone. Maybe I was stupid to think they might have even preferred me gone and no one’s problem.

           “Ash?”

           Ember’s voice and crackling warmth at my shoulder made me look up from the ground. She stood by my chair, hand resting on the backing and leaning over with a concerned glance at Kyra.

           I took another breath and dragged the cuff of my sleeve over my eyes again. “Sorry, sorry, I’m alright.”

           My shoulders slouched and I leaned back, resting against the back of the chair. A heartbeat, and Ember’s hand went from the chair to my shoulder. At first she held on cautiously, gently, as if she wasn’t sure how I would react. But all that came through was heat, warm, not too hot but enough. Like sunlight through a window on a lazy afternoon. She squeezed my shoulder and I had to dry my eyes again.

           “It looks like it might be a clear night.” She said “If you want to go out tonight. I mean, if you want to, it’s okay if you don’t.

           Tonight? I swallowed and steadied myself before meeting her eyes. I nodded, still too choked up to say anything meaningful in response. It would be nice to get some fresh air if I could make it out of the house without turning and running back inside.

           Ember grinned, wide and excited with the points of her teeth poking out from under her lip. “Remind me to fill a thermos with hot chocolate before we go then.”

#

Midnight came we slipped out, Ember slinging a little backpack full of drinks and snacks over her shoulder. I stuck right by her side, flinching at every little sound, every occasional car passing by and catching us in it’s headlights as it rounded a quiet traffic circle. My jaw clenched, my heat started to pound and my legs wobbled by the time we reached the end of our street.

           Hanging over the intersection the light shone bright green. The walk sign blinked. A night breeze blew through street trees and toyed with my hair. The walk sign blinked. Night chill crept through my hoodie. The walk sign blinked. The walk sign blinked. It blinked bright white, white next to the green of the lights shining where an evening rain had left the roads wet and dark and shiny.

           I stared. I shook. I stared at the lights and the reflections and shivered in the wind and I should go back I should go home. This, this was too much. What if we saw someone else? What if someone else saw us? What if, what if something went wrong. What if I, what if I did something so far from home where I couldn’t go, couldn’t hide. Couldn’t get away. Couldn’t hide away, get away in time before I did something awful and—

           Ember stepped in front of me, blocking out the lights and the reflections and the headlights of errant cars. “Ash, you alright?”

           “I, I can’t,” I shook my head, backing up, backing away, back towards the house. “I can’t do this, I can’t, I can’t do it.” It was too much, too much that could go wrong, too much that could happen.

           Ember kept close, creeping after my retreat. “Come on, you’ll be fine. I’ll be right here the whole time. It’ll be fun.”

           No, no it’s not enough. I tried to swallow, to force down the tightness wrapping its way around my throat. She couldn’t help me if something happened. She couldn’t, didn’t know what to do. My head felt light, dizzy, until I realized I hadn’t been breathing. Not enough, not deep enough, not enough.

           “Here, hold my hand,” Ember reached out. “It’ll be better once we’re in the woods.”

           “No!” I snapped, clenching my teeth. Words ran fast through my head, faster than I could catch them, use them. “No, I… I want to go home.”

           Her shoulders fell. “What, really?”

           I nodded. My hands shook by my sides and I tried to hide them in my pockets, but she might have already seen by the way her red eyes flickered in the low light. I hunched my shoulders and stared down at the damp cement. It swam, wet and hot.

           Ember sighed and toed at the ground. “If you really want to, fine.”

She reached for my arm, but stopped short when I flinched. Her face fell and she looked like she wanted to say something before turning and leading the way back to the house without another word. Hands jammed in her pockets and posture hunched, something hot simmered just under her skin just barely contained, just barely kept at bay for my sake.

Working up the nerve to move, I slunk along behind her. My head down, I stared at my feet with every shuffled step. I rubbed my eyes and wet my sleeves. Why was this so hard? It should have been easy. Should have been nothing.

Ember didn’t say anything to me when we got home, didn’t say anything when I left her for my bedroom. Door shut behind me I didn’t make it to the bed before sinking to the floor in the dark. Leaning against the wall, I drew my knees up and braced my head in my hands as I tried my best to steady my breath. Tried to slow the racing of my heart and still the tremble in my hands. Tried to stop my teeth from sharpening and my claws from curving out. Just in case. Just in case.

But nothing happened. My teeth kept blunt and my fingertips soft and rounded. The darkest shadows cast from the streetlights outside stayed where they were, nothing drawn too close, nothing pulled my way. Nothing happened.

Slowly I raised my head and let it rest against the wall as I stared at the dark sky outside the window. Quiet. It was so quiet. Quiet enough I could hear the floor creak outside as Ember crossed the hall. Hear her stop in front of my door and stand, just stand. I crossed my arms over my knees and rested my cheek in the crook of my elbow, facing the closed door. My eyes still stung even when I tried to blink them out as she hesitated. As she stood silent in the hall.

Finally the handle clicked and she pushed the door open just a crack. Just enough to poke her head through the gap. She hovered for a second, hesitating before stepping the rest of the way into my room.

“Do you still want that hot chocolate?” She asked.

Right, she’d made some before we left. It was probably still hot, at least warm in it’s insulated container. Longing rose, dull and aching in my chest. She used to make the best hot chocolate, back before everything went wrong.

Ember looked away, swaying a little as she spoke. “If you’re not up to the park, what about the back yard?”

I raised my head. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. The park would still be there another night.

[astertataricvs]

Giyuu with a fem s/o thats an artist? but giyuu finds out on accident and stumbles upon their sketchbook with drawings of him? tyy

Thank you so much for requesting! I hope that you like this one ♡

Fingertips grazing on the white silky papers and hands holding a long thin wooden stick of fine charcoal. The tepid breeze of air blows through your body as you sight the sky coated with cantaloupe and pinkish colour. The smell of nature around proffers you a rejuvenating feeling as you embed the scenery in front of you in a blank piece of paper.

You were on a cliff where you're sitting under the huge oak tree as you sight the majestic sky and composition of the town underneath the cliff. This is your hideout whenever you had your day off from your profession of being a demon hunter. You found this place when you're exploring for something you can draw about. Then hours of walking, you stumble upon this place that eventually lured you because of the tranquil and enticing view. Since then, you would generally visit the place and it became your hideout due to no one was passing by and trying to visit the place.

Everyone in the demon slayer corps doesn't have any idea that you like to draw since you've been trying to hide it from everyone. It's not that you're obscuring it because your drawings are suck, it's just... all of your drawings were all about a certain ravenette who allured you by his captivating gaze and how graceful his gesticulations were.

The first time your eyes caught his figure, you already had the urge to draw his appearance in your sketchbook that you've been keeping for almost a year.

He gives you this odd sensation whenever you're going to stare at him; you would automatically command yourself that you want to draw his gorgeous face in your sketchbook since you don't want to pass the enchanting look you had witnessed. That's why the content of your drawing pad was full of Giyuu's face; slaying demons; sitting in the meeting room where all the pillars and Oyakata-sama were holding a meeting; Giyuu eating, and also, Giyuu's stoic face whenever his eyes were going to dart at you.

You don't have any idea why you're getting inspired to draw his face in your sketchbook, but all you know is that he's a perfect piece of art that you can't thwart your gaze and you can't repress your hands from scribbling in the paper and draw his face.

Flipping all the pages of your sketchbook, your lips curled as you look at the different portraits of Giyuu that you have drawn. For some unidentified reason, you couldn't help but always grin every time your eyes would settle on his figure. In spite of Giyuu isn't showing any signs of emotion, you still had the propensity to be attracted to him and draw him whenever you had spare time. The water pillar was an enigma to you, you don't know what he was feeling or his thoughts when you're going to sight the man and once the two of you will be paired up by Oyakata-sama for a mission.

You had known him as the emotionless and an uptight man. You never even saw him smile even if it's just a microscopic one. He would always have this poker face displaying on his handsome features and isolate himself from all of you. Although you wanted to speak to him and be close to the water pillar, his actions were enough reason to halt you from your plan. On your missions, you tried communicating to him with the best of your abilities, but his response would eventually end the conversation which was really challenging for you to think about a topic that would kill the awkward silence that was inundating the both of you.

Extorting a sigh, you heard your stomach gurgle since you still haven't eaten your lunch yet. Therefore you decided to go to your house and grab your lunch to eat in your hideout. Rising up to your feet, you place your sketchbook and pencil beside the trunk of the tree and leave it there. Yet again, you look at the view in front of you then afterwards, a smile tugs at your lips as you feel the gust of wind blows through your body.

"I'll be back," you said into emptiness and started your journey to your house.

Giyuu was taking a walk around to find a spot to invigorate his mind. He just returned from his mission that Oyakata-sama had sent him. It's been a while since he relaxed his tense self and for always thinking about slaughtering demons and his days with Sabito. Although he was an unobtrusive man and doesn't talk a lot, his mind was the exact opposite of it. He's always been thinking about the feasible outcomes that would occur to him whenever the sun had risen again.

As the water pillar come across to a cliff where an oak tree is at the centre and a beautiful scenery lies ahead. His eyes widen ever so slightly and sauntered towards the big tree. Trudging closer, the wind began to gush his body as his eyes caught a sketchbook and a pencil lying beside the trunk.

Giyuu's eyebrows rumpled, did someone just got here before him? Then where's the person that was here a moment ago?

The water pillar stared at the sketchbook, Giyuu wasn't the type of guy who would stick his nose into other peoples business but a moiety of him was intrigued about the sketchbook that was lying underneath him.

The deep blue-eyed man roamed his eyes to sight someone's figure but to no avail. Reluctantly, he started to pick the mysterious notebook then once he picked it up, he flips the first page and the water pillar's eyes widened a bit upon seeing the beautiful canvas engrave in the white sheet of paper.

It was a field of sunflowers where the petals were wafting in the air. Behind of the flowers was a group of trees where leaves were swinging due to the wind. Despite having no colour and just plain black and white; Giyuu was still fascinated at the well defined and real-life image.

After admiring the first canvas, he started to flip the page again. Darting his eyes to the next drawing, this causes Giyuu's mouth to fell open and dumbfounded at what he just saw.

It's a portrait of him where he was looking to elsewhere with his usual emotionless facade. This made him baffle and ponder who's the one drawing him and who owns the sketchbook he was holding. His first assumption was someone in the demon slayer corps since no one else would know him despite the organization. But what if it's someone he helped from the past?

To inspect further, he flips the next page and yet again he was astounded because the next drawing was also him, though, he's slaying a demon. Giyuu was awestruck because every page that he flips, it was still him with diverse scenarios. He was in utter disbelief that someone was sneaking behind his back to draw his features. Giyuu had mixed emotions after encountering the sketchbook; confused, disbelief, amazement, his curiosity was beginning to resurface as he flips the pages until it stopped from an unfinished drawing. It was the view of the place where he's standing right now, the town underneath the cliff and the view of the vast sky with cirrus clouds slowly moving.

Giyuu stared at his portrait that was very well elaborated. His geometrical and plain red haori, the shape of his eyes and nose. His long spiky hair that was tied into a low ponytail and his left hand that was gripping his sword. Minutes of examining the drawing, it just dawned upon him that it was really him. But why would someone bother to draw someone like him? Is he that appealing to draw?

"Tomioka-san?" Giyuu snapped out from his deep solicitudes when he heard your gentle voice rang in his ears before whipping his head to look at you.

"(Last name)..."

Gaping at the man in front of you, your eyes landed on the sketchbook in his hands which causes you to frantically grabbed the drawing pad in a quick pace.

"D-Did you s-saw it?" You sputtered as your face becoming to heat up because of embarrassment. You hug your sketchbook into your chest while looking at him with a faltering gaze.

Giyuu was stunned when he found out that you're the owner of the mysterious sketchbook that he rummaged. He felt his lips involuntarily parted once he sights your blushing face and how you protect the sketchbook in between your arms.

So his assumption was correct? It's someone in the demon slayer corps who was sneaking to draw him.

"I have no idea that it was yours," he monotonously said to which your blushing face augmented.

"I-I'm sorry i-if I'm drawing you without your permission..." you hung your head as you still hug your sketchbook.

You feel so ashamed right now that you had the urge to hop on the cliff if you only had the resolve to do it, same as you don't want to see his face this instant, you're too embarrassed to look at him. In many people that might saw your sketchbook, why does it had to be Giyuu? Why does it have to be the one you least you wanted to discover your book?

Ah, you wanted to be eaten by the ground right now.

"It's actually fine for me."

Your head promptly snapped at him to see Giyuu only looking at you with his usual deadpan face.

"What?" You asked for confirmation.

"It doesn't bother me if you wanted to draw me." Giyuu faced the landscape in front of you, relishing the warm breeze of nature.

"I thought you're going to be mad."

This causes to catch Giyuu's attention and looked at you with a perplexed expression. "Why?"

"I-It's because... I'm drawing you without your consent..." you awkwardly responded while gazing at your feet.

Giyuu only bored his eyes at you before diverting his gaze to the scenery. "I don't have any complaints about you drawing me. But I have a question to ask."

Lifting your head, you tilt your head. "What is it?"

"Why do you want to draw me?"

Upon hearing his question, your body automatically stiffens as you gaze at his face still fixated on the view. You feel your lips quiver and heart beats erratically. Before you can answer him, you bite your lower lip.

"I don't know why but... I had this sensation inside me that I wanted to draw you. Every time I'm going to draw your face, it always gets me the excitement and for me... you're a beautiful person, Tomioka-san..."

Giyuu's body went rigid once he heard your answer. He gradually turned his head to face you with shock evident on his handsome features. Never once in Giyuu's life that he would receive from someone telling him that he's beautiful. It totally took him by surprise and he didn't foresee that answer from you, specifically that you two weren't that close to begin with and just acquaintances.

"A-Ah! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you by telling you're beautiful! Well... y-you're handsome-- no! What I mean is you are indeed beautiful-- ugh!"

Giyuu only watched you being frantic as you oppressively ruffled your hair. Seeing you being a mess makes him elicit a soft chuckle.

"Eh? Did you just laugh?" You stopped from your hysterical self when you heard a chuckle coming from him.

"No, you're just hearing things," Giyuu instantly replied with nonchalance.

"But I really heard you--"

"Think of whatever you pleased. I didn't laugh, it's just your imagination." Giyuu sighs then started to walk away. This makes you startled and shouts for his name.

"Tomioka-san!" The water pillar paused in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.

"C-Can I still draw you?" Your voice shakes as you said those words.

"Do whatever you want." Then in just a few seconds, you saw a minuscule smile tug at his lips that totally caught you off guard.

Before you can utter a word, Giyuu began his steps. "You're good at drawing, you have my praise for that," he stated then disappear into the woods.

You only stared at the path he walked on while blinking numerous times, confirming that you're not hallucinating. Did you really witness Tomioka Giyuu the known emotionless water pillar just bestowed you a smile? If so, he notably looked dashing if he's smiling, though he looked handsome even if he's in his usual indifference.

"You really are a masterpiece in most of my drawings, Tomioka Giyuu-san."