Shinobu’s worried about Giyu’s weight. Extra missions taking into the time that would usually be left for eating and resting. She knows he doesn’t think he’s good enough and is trying to prove himself.
He’s proving nothing but the fact that he needs a break.
She finds the easiest way to get him to eat is when he’s little. Kills two birds with one stone. Get’s the water pillar to take a break as no one in their right mind would allow a mentally two year old to go out on missions, and she can make sure he eats at least one proper meal in the time that he’s small.
It’s still a fight, but it’s easier to actually see what he’s eating verses what he’s just pushing around on his plate or throwing out when he thinks no one is looking.
The problem is it’s time consuming, trying to get the regressor to finish a whole meal when he rather do anything but. And while Shinobu usually wouldn’t mind, with the increase of patients at the butterfly mansion she just doesn’t have the time.
And thus, her next great plan. Forcing one of the other pillars into their turn of babysitting duties.
~~~
The flame pillar had been given one task. A simple one at that.
Feeding Giyu.
Shouldn’t be that hard considering Shinobu told him that the boy hadn’t eaten yet. He had to be hungry.
Maybe that should have been Rengoku’s sign that this wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought considering it was already midafternoon and Shinobu was a little too eager to pass the regressor off on him.
Still he was nothing if not optimistic, carrying Giyu on his hip with one arm, a bowl of seasoned rice held in the other. Something simple, but the insect pillar had warned him that Giyu could be fussy when it came to complicated flavors when small. No need to overwhelm the boy.
“It’s a pleasant enough day, no reason to stay cooped up inside. Let’s eat outside!”
He gets a small nod from the little. Rengoku beams.
They find shade under a tree. They are a ways away from where younger slayers are training in the distance. Rengoku settles the regressor on his lap handing him the bowl of rice.
Giyu just tilts his head at him.
“Ah, want me to feed you my boy?”
Still no response. He takes the silence as answer enough.
“Say ahh.”
Giyu refuses to open his mouth. He taps the spoon against the mentally younger lips. “You must be hungry kiddo. Giyu shakes his head.
“Do you want something else to eat?”
Another shake of the head.
“So this is fine then?”
“No! ‘ucky!” Rengoku can’t help but laugh at the scrunched-up face Giyu is making, glaring at the bowl of rice as though it personally offended him.
“It’s not yucky. Look.” He takes a bite of the food. “Umai!”
Giyu giggles at his caregiver’s reaction. “See! It’s extra yummy. You’re turn.”
His smile falls, turning back into a pout.
“Just one little bite?”
“No!” Giyu tossed his head to the side, effectively dodging the spoonful of food his caregiver was trying to feed him. “Nuh uh! Don’ wanna!” He ends up smacking the utensil nearly out of Rengoku’s hand, astonished as rice manages to fly into the air and stick to the mentally older’s uniform.
“That’s not very nice.”
Giyu sticks his tongue out at Rengoku before promptly closing his mouth.
This was going to be a long afternoon.
.
.
.
.
.
“You’re horrible with kids.” Tengen comments dryly, having been watching the same scene for a few minutes now. Despite very valiant attempts to get the mentally younger to eat nothing was working.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Rengoku says with far too much enthusiasm for someone with rice in his hair and on his clothes.
Tengen gives him a look, pointedly glancing at the squirming little who was trying to escape from Rengoku’s lap, and the mostly untouched bowl of food.
“Uh huh. Sure. I believe you.”
He does not.
“He’s just being fussy is all.”
That Tengen can believe.
He takes a seat next to the two, lifting Giyu out of Rengoku’s lap. “Let me show you how it’s done.”
He grabs the spoon, loads it up with sticky rice. “Ahh here is comes, shwoom” he flies the spoon quite dramatically through the air, sound effects and all, coming to tap Giyu’s lip with it. “Open up.”
Giyu looks unimpressed. The spoon is smacked out of the sound Hashira’s hand.
Rengoku laughs. “You don’t seem much better with kids yourself, my friend!”
“Shut up!”
Giyu takes this moment of bickering to reach for the gems dangling off of the sound hashira’s headband. They look like they would taste good.
“Hey! Don’t bite those!” Tengen now turns to shout at him.
Giyu pouts. “So, you’ll eat these,” He jangles the string of beads a couple times, “but not food.” The water pillar tilts his head to the side mumbling something incoherent before trying to grab at the gems stones again. Tengen sighs, pulling off the head accessory and laying it out of reach of the regressor. “I don’t understand kids.”
Rengoku laughs. “Wait! I have an idea!” The hashira leaps to his feet. “I shall be right back my boy,” he ruffles Giyu’s head and runs back inside.
“He’ll be back in a second.” Tengen soothes noticing Giyu’s questioning gaze.
The flame pillar comes back with a blue sippy cup, looking far to please for himself.
“Look what I have!” He presses the cup into the regressor’s hands.
“Drink?”
"Mhm, not food this time, it's just chocolate milk in a sippy cup. Certainly not secretly a nutrition shake, nope, totally not, just drink the sippy.”
Tengen face palms. This might be the worst attempt at trying to get the regressor to eat. "If that works, I swear.”
Giyu squints at Rengoku, fingers wrapping around the cup.
He continues to hold eye contact to the last possible second as he brings the spout to his lips and drinks. When he doesn't immediately throw the cup Tengen is shocked.
“How did you do that?”
“I don't know best buddy!” Rengoku looks thrilled, drumming his fingers on his leg bands.
It doesn't work a second time. Once the little put down the drink, only half finished, it’s clear he’s not going to have any more.
Despite Rengoku being just as enthusiastic, trying to convince the little to finish the bottle, Giyu tosses the cup right back at him, nearly hitting Tengen in the head as he flails.
This time Tengen does curse.
.
.
.
That’s how Shinobu finds the three of them. The bowl of rice is almost empty but not due to Giyu actually eating any, but rather the fact that all three pillars are covered in rice.
Rengoku’s patting Tengen’s back placatingly. Giyu nomming on sound pillar’s hand, said man looking deeply disappointed in himself and like he rather be anywhere but there.
