Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You don’t get it, dumbass. Rei is the coolest, bravest, swordsman in japan. The type to beat up demons for breakfast and get confessed to a lot!” Murata proudly blares to the entire classroom, hands on hips daring for a rebuttal. Inosuke glances at him unimpressed.

In fact, said swordsman - Agatsuma Zenitsu - cried behind them internally.

He wished —

‘Rei’, the media dubbed this anonymous vigilante. A figure that roams the night dressed in a yellow haori, adorned with a nichirin blade and covered by a kitsune mask.

But if he learnt anything from being Rei, it was that the internet was absolutely terrifying .

From the beginning he had a miniscule cult following, yet in the aftermath of a series of viral videos his “fandom” (he has fans!) had exploded like dynamite into an unnavigable, labyrinth-like, amalgamation of art, fanfiction, and out-of-this-world theories.

His fandom is a seemingly endless stream of content ranging from innocent sketches of him to entirely self-indulgent creations depicting him as a godly man with a chiselled chin, sharp blue eyes, and peachy skin.

If the blonde were to be honest, these sorts of perfect people made him seethe with rage.

He’s losing to his fictional self!

Inosuke snorted and slouched further down his chair, “This Mei guy ain’t nothing special. What’s so great about slicing pests in the middle of the night? I can do that!”

“It’s R. E. I.” Murata snapped back, “And he’s better than you’ll ever be.”

“Why you!! —”

Zentisu sighed and sorrowfully took another bite of his sandwich while the debate about him raged along in the background.

“Zen look, I’ve learnt how to whistle!” Tanjirou said, then proceeded to demonstrate said skill. He squeezed his eyes and pursed his lips together to blow air as harshly as possible, which ended up sounding like a deflated balloon.

The other snorted amusedly, “Dumbass. You’ve gotta breathe like this.”

Inhaling from his nose slowly before breathing out from the mouth. He whistled a small tune when the redhead started to mimic his movements.

“Hey — HEY! If you do it while eating you’ll spit your food at me.” Zenitsu had an angry tone but the lopsided smile slapped on his face suggested otherwise.

What a dork .

“Getting enough sleep?” Tanjirou asked.

“The one who needs sleep is you, idiot.” he said “Your eyebags are sagging down your face from all those night shifts.”

“As if you’re one to talk!”

A small silence broke between the two. 

Suddenly, they began to giggle quietly together. They’re both hopelessly terrible at keeping check of their health.

Tanjirou - despite his clear fatigue - still looked as radiant as ever. He was unfairly handsome: rouge eyes gleamed in amusement, simply content, with a gentle smile that seemed ever present. 

People would probably kill to be in his position.

He’d seen how popular his kouhai can be from a front-row seat. Receiving confessions on a regular basis. Adored by both peers and teachers. Despite everything, the whiny, annoying, Zenitsu was chosen as his best friend.

Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he would never know.

What moment could he pinpoint as the start of their friendship? During Tanjirou’s speech at his entrance ceremony? When the blonde told him off for his earrings?

The memories are blurry at this point. 

Why can’t someone as nice and capable as Tanjirou instead be given the duty to slay dangerous monsters every night and then arrive early to school to do uniform check, huuuh?

He didn't sign up for any of this!

…

And yet here he is.

Another night, another dance with death.

His damn old man must be getting some twisted interpretations that the blonde somehow got kicks out of this.

Zentisu sighed for the nth time that day. At some point he’s going to either die from overwork or because of a demon or perhaps both .

He grumbled through his kitsune mask as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop and felt the wind glide through him.

Once he turns right, a demon will be waiting patiently for him. A monster from the darkest of nightmares. A creature beyond human comprehension.  Committed to murder. Unhinged.

The baggy trousers may hide it, but Zentisu’s twig legs were violently shaking. He should calm himself down before he gets a heart attack at the ripe old age of seventeen.

Zenitsu’s ears immediately picked up the sound of slithering screeching and a cackle echoing down the road. They’re here.

The noises envelop the blonde like a cocoon that smothered him until he cannot breathe. One of them slides around the corner and makes direct eye contact with him.

It smiles.

That’s it. He’s going home. Then bed. Then to sleep —

Abruptly, he felt the world falling. The blood in his body tilted until he went limp. He thought he was about to faint again with his view entirely shrouded in darkness. And in his place, Rei appeared.

“ Thunder Breathing: First Form - Thunderclap and Flash.”

"Mph!?" He suddenly jolted awake, greeted by the lovely view of two heads rolling across the ground to him, tongues sticking out, eyes rolling back and everything. The blonde leapt back by instinct and shrieked manically “Aurgh! They still creep the hell out of me —”

A faint voice crept behind him, “He’s over there, officer!”

Ah. The police.

THE POLICE?

He’s way too young to get jailed!

He hasn’t even gotten a girlfriend yet, God help him.

Zenitsu scrambled across the streets while a handful of police chased after him; the last moments the demons ever seemed to witness as they wilted away like flowers was the sight of their defeater struggling to run with a sword attached to him and fleeing hurriedly from the scene.

“He’s turning right! —”

Pure white moonlight shone harshly on the scampering blonde. Turning this way and that, he evaded each attack as if it were an amusing game of tag through the endless maze of dazzling Tokyo. It’s too bright and beautiful and breathtaking.

Internally the vigilante banged his head at his meager attempt to escape the glare of the law. Suddenly, his movements began to get more desperate. Golden eyes scanned for the closest exit. 

And sirens had played in his head when he had realised that he had hit a dead end in a stuffy alleyway. Sweat droplets trickled down his neck once cops surrounded him completely.  He started to write his will in his mind as they flashed their badges.

“Finally, we’ve caught you—” A single detective emerged from the shadows. “Rei.”

Golden eyes tried to shy away from soft pink ones. He was unmistakably easy to recognise: messy hair with burgundy tips, scar on his forehead, and a pair of hanafuda earrings.

Goddammit, he looks good when he’s out of uniform.

“Good work, detective.”

“Please, just call me Tanjirou.”

Detective Kamado Tanjirou.

Chapter Text

This situation is so unfair.

Thank God Gramps told him to mask his smell with chlorine. Maybe he’ll thank him for that once he gets home.

“Put your hands in the air!”

Or maybe not.

His ears picked up the jingle of handcuffs. Suddenly, Tanjirou appeared behind him and took a hold of his arms in a claw-like grip, “Restrain him now!”

His mind screeched for him to get out right there and then. However, a cuff was already tightly locked around one of his hands.

Zenitsu’s heartbeat froze.

Luckily he was able to swiftly move himself and dodge the other cuff before he was completely tied up —

Click!

And the boy turned to see said other cuff accidentally linked to Kamado Tanjirou.

"What—" the redhead stammered and pointed at the hard chains connecting them.  "Why are we handcuffed together!?"

The other was sure he heard a couple of giggles from some of the cops. A mature one grumbled:

“It doesn’t matter. Just drag him to the police station for now. I’m sure he has plenty of information he’d love to share regarding these demon creatures roaming around and killing people.”

“Please don’t!” Zenitsu interjected.

Everyone swiftly turned their attention back to the slayer.

They held their weapons even higher. He sweated bullets.

“Or else I’ll uh—”

His eyes scanned the area for an escape. Where demon slaying may not be his forte, he sure as hell would get a golden trophy in improvisation.

Breathing out calmly, his legs dashed upwards - leaving electric sparks trailing behind him that flowed smoothly like petals in the wind.

He felt a considerable amount of weight on his arm. “Whoops!”

Zentisu glanced at Tanjirou (still chained to him) as he struggled from being dragged along.

The pair were bathed in the moonlight and for a while it seemed as if time slowed down. Tanjirou took three seconds to grasp while his legs scampered that he may very well fall to his doom, chained to Rei of all people.

Yet midair he felt the vigilante advance closer and envelop him with his arms.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”

As they gently landed atop a building, Rei’s fairly sturdy body kept him held up bridal style. A blush crept up the redhead’s face at such an embarrassing position.

“Please leave or I’ll take this hostage with me!” He yelled impulsively.

Zenitsu had half the mind to slap himself right there and then.

The police craned their necks up to them and remained shortly static in utter shock before one yelled, “After them!”

Thus Zenitsu rushed away as soon as he heard them by leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Sort of a mixed bag though, since his best friend shook around violently.

“Let go of me please!” He squealed. Well, he was obviously not used to being carried often.

“I would let go of you right now. Very quickly, actually. But you’re kind of…Chained to me right now?”

“I still need to get home—”
“I’d love to come home too!” Zenitsu retorted, still sprinting away. “I despise all these demon slaying shenanigans. It’ll give you nightmares for years dude!”

Tanjirou didn’t reply.

Eventually, the police sirens faded away and they calmed down once they stopped at a roof of an apartment building.

“What are you up to, Rei?” He observed the blonde hesitantly whilst the other took out his golden nichirin blade.

Zenitsu cleanly cut the chain in half.

“Let’s get one thing clear!” He brought his sword back up and pointed it at the detective - who stepped back in response. “I don’t like demon slaying at all. In fact, I utterly loathe it with all my soul!”

He put the blade away and inched closer to Tanjirou, his yells gradually increasing in both pitch and volume. Hands scrambled about - trembling -  attempting to express the true extent of his fear.

“Demons are bloodcurdling! Police make me want to hide my entire existence!”

At this point his pale hands took the jacket cloth from the redhead’s chest and rocked him back and forth.

“Don’t you get it!? I’m going to DIE!—”

Amongst the pandemonium, Tanjirou managed to grab ahold of a wrist to force the other to stay still for a second, “Wait so—”

His eyebrow arched upwards in curiosity, “You don’t slay demons out of the goodness of your heart?”

“Exactly!”

A pitying face appeared.

“You’re forced to?”

“Yes! And if I don’t comply the punishments are hell!” Yet again, he shook the other while visible tears flowed down through this mask dramatically.

Zenitsu doesn’t even care anymore about pride. A regular teenage skinny boy shouldn’t be thinking about getting arrested by the freaking police every night.

Siren sounds that appeared again alerted the duo.

Speak of the devil. It’s the police again.

Zenitsu sighed and prepared himself to flee back home. He was absolutely done with this mess.

He was already imagining how it would play out: take a nice bath, complete his homework, then descend into a dreamland without this agonising labour.

“Please wait!”

Zenitsu argued with himself whether or not to humour him. But he once again turned back.

“Who are you?” Tanjirou asked, never breaking eye contact, “Who are these demons? What do you know?”

A short silence strung between them. The sound of the city below them was strangely serene, near midnight when it felt like only the two of them were awake in Tokyo.

With a kitsune mask still covering his features, he replied “I’m just someone who happens to have beheading as a chore.”

And then he jumped.

“I’ll see you around, detective!” Zenitsu suddenly disappeared in a blur, leaving nothing but a spark behind.

The other simply stared back at the thin air and whispered back, “Goodbye.”

...

He should start staying away from Tanjirou.

In hindsight, it was probably a terrible idea to become best friends with the guy who's actively plotting to jail you.

He’d seen the name Kamado Tanjirou on local newspapers one too many times to simply ignore the scale of his achievements and the immense danger that lurks around whenever he says hi. In short, he’s a pretty walking death flag.

Zenitsu initially thought that the detective would just get bored of him and move on. Days on end he’d repeat to himself like a mantra that at some point he’ll just stop being friends with him, just after a bit more time. One more chat together, or one more game.

He’ll do it today. Today will be the day he’ll muster the courage to finally sever ties with him.

“Button your shirt up!” He commanded Inosuke as he passed him on the school entrance and swiftly scribbled down his name on a writing board. His life is absolutely horrendous. Why is he being such a pushover? Following each whim of the adults around him like a puppet on strings.

He’d obeyed his grandfather and slayed the demons last night. And what does he get in return? Uniform check the next day.

Last night probably drained any scraps of his life force left. He spent the rest of his night fumbling in an attempt to lockpick the stray cuff still stuck to his wrist, which still left lasting bruises.

It was close. Too close. Unnervingly close.

“Good morning everyone!”

Zenitsu sucked his breath in at the familiar noise of the redhead’s steps. He didn’t know how to face him again after what happened the night before. What if Tanjirou recognised him?

He has such a kind sound. God, who is he kidding; he doesn’t think he could ever stray away from Tanjirou. He knows it’s pathetic. His best friend is just so bright .

“KENTAROU! What happened to you!?” Inosuke yelled.

Zenitsu was suddenly greeted by the sight of one Kamado Tanjirou who appeared to only be surviving on liquid optimism.

Panda-like eye bags invaded his cheeks and he had messier hair (“How is your hair always ruffled up?" “I just wake up like this~”) than usual, if that was even possible.

Nezuko was still snoozing softly on his shoulder, bread in mouth. He noted how adorable she was sleeping.

“Ehehe, it was just a case.” He put a hand behind his head bashfully. “I got a little carried away.”

Which was the understatement of the century.

“Psh, just headbutt ‘em and win. Who cares about protocols and the lot?” Inosuke said.

“Yeah, you can defeat anything!” Zenitsu promptly agreed.

Except please don’t arrest him.

Tanjirou simply smiled back. However, the other could detect a slightly forced chuckle emit from his kouhai probably as flashbacks of last night flew around him.

“I’ll try my best to bring justice! I swear the moment I found out who he is you’ll both see him get arrested first-hand.”

Zenitsu laughed nervously.

They all waved hands, parted away, and thus he resumed his duties.

“Ah,” Zenitsu finally remembered, “I forgot to tell Tanjirou to take off his earrings again.”

Chapter Text

Hard Headed

Found an emoji that looks like Urokodaki!

👺

PFFT

I'M IN CLASS

Whoops almost forgot that I

Start break a bit earlier.

…

Zenitsu was about to text Tanjirou back but it seems that he was laughing a bit too loudly to catch the gaze of one Shinazugawa Sanemi. He leered over and the blonde was able to emit a meek squeak and catch himself on time to hide his phone.

“Oi, look here and tell me the answer.” Sanemi commanded. His flat eyes bore holes into his to the point that Zenitsu could practically see every vein pop out.

A stagnant pause.

“X equals twenty three?”

Shinazugawa-Sensei huffed and turned his head back towards the chalkboard, “Correct. Now pay attention, scum.”

Sometimes Zenitsu wondered if Kimetsu Academy’s favourite maths teacher - Shinazugawa Sanemi - was a demon. He’d certainly caused more people to piss their pants in terror than any ever will. Unsurprising that he’s the type to hold a class past their break time.

“Dismissed!” His stern voice rang throughout the class. Everyone immediately stood up to scatter or slept on their desks to their heart’s content.

“Welp, that was the closest experience to death that I’ve ever had.” Zenitsu said to himself while escaping Sanemi’s class at record time.

A cough was rising up his throat from the sheer volume of dust accumulating in the academy. Bets upon bets were placed on the true age of the building ranging from a mere three decades to half a century to even reaching back to the taisho period. Hell if anyone knows the answer though.

“YOU!!—” Zenitsu spotted Tanjirou from the corner of his eye. “Stop being so damn funny while I’m in the middle of maths!”

“Ah, it’s not my fault Zenitsu finds me so charming~” Tanjirou said, bashfully putting a hand at the back of his head.

“Urgh. I don’t know why I put up with you.”

“You laughed because I was right.”

“All you do is stress me out. And you’re a girl magnet too! SHAMELESS!!”

“Hey! I didn’t do anything—” Tanjirou suddenly yawned midway through his sentence.

The blonde raised a brow.

“Another case?” Knowing full well it’s about Rei.

“Not really. It’s been the same case that’s been bugging me for a month already. Not as bad as the rest of the police force though since they’ve been trying to catch him for a year now.”

Yeah, it’s him. Ouch.

“I mean…What have they even done wrong?”

“Well, he hasn’t done anything particularly illegal.” Exactly.

“Except perhaps muder.” Demons murder humans!

“And property damage.” Hey, Zenitsu tried his best.

“And putting civilians in danger.” Perhaps flashing a demon’s decapitated head in front of a girl for calling him an eye-bleedingly insecure virgin wasn’t the best idea.

“But the main reason we wanted to catch him was for his invaluable information about demons—”

Soon, Tanjirou realised he just let the cat out of the bag and a sweat broke out on the redhead as he quickly darted his eyes left to right in an attempt to change the conversation to something else.

“Erm…Nothing about demons!” He pulled a strange face.

“You really can’t lie, Tanjirou.”

Giving up trying to convince the blonde, Tanjirou threw up his hands and sighed.“I don’t know how I became such a famous detective if I can’t even keep a secret or lie if I need to.”

“Stop lamenting about your popularity!”

Yet his dejected look remained. 

“Uh, well, look.” Zenitsu mumbled “You’re literally the nicest person I’ve ever met in my life. I’m sure they chose you because you’re really smart and wonderful.”
Tanjirou’s eyes widened. He was so used to complimenting others, that this really threw him off. “You really mean it?”

The tips of the blonde’s ears grew red. “Yeah.”

“I guess now who we’re trying to catch is super obvious.” The redhead laughed off his sudden slip of tongue.

“Rei.”

“But that’s now a secret. Right, Agatsuma-Senpai?~”

He placed a teasing silencing finger on Zenitsu’s lips. “I mean, both of us would be in trouble too. So it's mutually beneficial.”

Even with just the tip of a finger, Zenitsu could feel rough calluses and old scratches on the redhead’s hand. He pulled away shyly and squeaked “I-I’ll consider it if you take off your earrings for once.”

“Hmm…I guess you’re free to tell anyone about it then!”

“You took no time to think about that!”

The other simply shone back his usual five-thousand megawatt smile.

“Do you realise how harsh my life is!? I get mauled everyday by Tomioka-Sensei because of you!”

And Tanjirou had the audacity to laugh in return to his pleas of mercy. In fact, he snorted dorkishly. And it was very cute. And Zenitsu was probably smitten, but he’d take it to the grave rather than admit it out loud.

What is he doing with himself - actively encouraging camaraderie and laughing with the enemy?

This was dangerous.

He could feel his grandfather tearing away his white hair at Zenitsu’s exceedingly dumb decisions.

…

Zenitsu’s ceiling was really dull. It was like a cream colour but not quite matching. He thought it was really fit for him and sometimes he would spend hours staring at it and pondering.

Although, the rest of his bedroom was a cauldron of chaos: clothes littered from left to right, bits of wallpaper falling off, and an endless stack of homework dumped on his desk and abandoned to procrastination.

His honey eyes darted to the very top shelf, at the very corner of his room, where he hid away his demon-slaying uniform and nichirin blade.

Zenitsu knew that if he asked Gramps if there was anything he could do he would leave the house equipped with a sword.

Urgh. What a pain.

Sometimes he would spend hours locked inside his room just staring at the ceiling - breathing.

Letting his mind wander off to the woods. It helped him relax and collect himself.

Then his train of thought would always inevitably drift to Tanjirou, but he tried his very best not to question why that sort of thing happened.

…

Tanjirou - meanwhile - was currently in a crisis. He too was in his room, but pacing around in continuous circles, hand in chin, eyes focused, mumbling incoherently.

“Muuum, Nii-chan is doing that thing again!” Rokuta echoed all the way from the other side of the house.

Though the eldest Kamado couldn’t hear a single word of it. He was in his own world, currently drowned in his own thoughts of nothing except for a single blonde’s words.

You’re really smart and wonderful.

Tanjirou flopped down into his bed and screamed into a pillow. Perhaps now he had a chance?

Or maybe he’ll be stuck with the ‘Zenitsu’s best friend’ label for the rest of his life after all. He pouted at the sudden thought.

Suffice it to say, Tanjirou had developed somewhat of a…liking to Agatsuma Zenitsu.

A massive crush, to put it lightly—

He couldn’t help it. The blonde was just so endearing in his eyes - a hard worker who wore his heart on his sleeve, who had the loveliest voice and the most gorgeous eyes. A crybaby the redhead wanted to shield and protect with all his might.

He imagined an alternate universe where Zenitsu really did like him as more than just a friend:

“Zenitsu, I—” The redhead drew a breath in, “I love you.”

His hands were shaking from sheer nervousness, yet he impulsively grabbed the other’s hands and blurted out, “I promise to take care of you forever. Only you. Please.”

Zenitsu’s honey eyes softened at his words. He looked relieved.

“I love you too, Tanjirou.”

The screaming resumed.

The blonde’s peachy scent was driving him crazy at this point. Is it weird to say you want to smell your crush? It is, isn’t it?

He didn’t take the epiphany that he liked boys particularly well and the fact that it’s on Zenitsu of all people—

He’s so screwed.

If this sort of experience is what his father referred to as ‘beautiful adolescence’, Tanjirou wanted to partake in none of it, thank you very much.

Chapter Text

The silver moonlight once again shone down upon Tokyo. Various fresh scents wafted through and the noise of chatter or coins clinking scattered across the cold air. Amongst the crowds of customers, Agatsuma Zenitsu , with a large dark hood covering his kitsune mask, trudged through the Antique Marketplace: where (true to its name) it was as if it was stuck to the century before.

He noticed for a while now, despite the mess of sounds, mimicking steps trailing him. His anxiety skyrocketed.

He rushed down the bustling street, and pushed past hordes of people in order to lose the stalker in the masses, yet it was all in vain as he still heard the mimicking pitter patters a solid three minutes after.

In a last ditch attempt, he turned towards a more isolated alleyway and waited until he heard the other’s steps.

“Could you please stop following me …Detective?” A dumbfounded expression appeared under his mask.

As if on cue, he innocently waved a hand. “Hello Rei.”

“What are you doing here alone Tan— Detective?”

“Ah, well…” Tanjirou said. “Since they haven’t had any luck catching you. They just let me do a solo investigation where I go around finding possible places where you reside. There’s another line of houses three minutes from here.”

He playfully placed a hand on the blonde’s shoulder, who flinched from the sudden contact. “Luckily, I bumped into you here~”

Zenitsu tried to alter his voice to a lower pitch this time. Although he probably did a terrible job of it, he just prayed it wouldn’t blow his cover.

“Then why aren’t you arresting me then?”

“Well if you’re here so is a demon, no?”

“So you’re handcuffing me once I decapitate my target?”

“Pretty much.”
“Why you!—”

A screech abruptly alerted the pair.

“It smells like…”

“That sounds like…”

A demon.

Everything abruptly halted in priority of pursuit of it. They surrendered their bodies to their senses while pushing away more and more strangers. The blonde glanced at the detective in front of him, who had his eyebrows furrowed and teeth clenched. He looked like he was fuming with rage.

Zenitsu widened his eyes at the sight. He’d never seen anything like this before.

The scratching crescendoed once the shops and faces blurred past them. His hearing was overstimulated with the single noise. They fastened their pace and whizzed across the marketplace until they saw the source’s figure, and Tanjirou briskly grabbed the demon by the shoulder with a calloused hand.

Said demon turned around to reveal scarlet glowing eyes.

It was getting harder to breathe; Zenitsu’s ears were rumbling in agony. Compared to other demons, his sound blared through - the loudest he’s ever heard. The blonde noticed Tanjirou’s grip tightened, yet he didn’t say a thing.

“Daddy?” A voice popped in.

“Hmm…Yes?” His voice was low, raspy, and sent tingles down Zenitsu’s spine. He turned around to reveal a young girl.

“Who are these people?”

The blonde was appalled and outraged. This demon is living here, pretending to be human .

“What’s with all this commotion!?” Police whistles interjected once they noticed all the people pushed aside by the pair.

By impulse, Zenitsu grabbed the other by the wrist and dragged him away from trouble as swiftly as he possibly could. If this demon was who he suspected he was, they wouldn’t stand a chance in a fight with him in such a crowded place. However, the redhead resisted - in a frenzy.

“You…” Tanjirou’s breaths were erratic, staring back at the demon. “I’ll never forgive you!”

He simply stood still in response, unsettlingly calm. His hands still held onto the child to shield his supposed family away.

Once they reached a small dimly-lit park outside the marketplace, he finally let go of the other’s arm, who instantly moved to scramble back to the scene.

“I have to go back!”

Zenitsu held his wrist again. He’d never seen his best friend so intensely  emotional before and it overwhelmed him.

“Thank you for trying to help me, but I will be going back now.”

“No! —” Zenitsu began. “You aren’t in your right mind now. If we fight him here, more people will die.”

“Just breathe,” The blonde said.

“In.” Tanjirou took a breath in.

“And out.” Then he exhaled.

“Here.” He always kept a handkerchief in case he saw a cute girl crying, but he supposed Tanjirou would suffice. He sniffled a bit but he looked like he was going to be alright.

He doesn’t think he wants to see Tanjirou like this again. Ever.

“Feel better, detective?”

“Just call me Tanjirou. Everyone does.”
Zenitsu has called him that a million times, but he still felt sheepish as Rei, “T-Tanjirou.”

The other chuckled lightly. “Okay, I feel better now.”

An awkward pause waved over the pair. They were still feverish from the rush and adrenaline when they ran around the marketplace.

Tanjirou broke the silence. “Muzan killed my father while we were away. He must’ve thought he lived alone. That man had the same scent.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It’s okay. It happened a long time ago. I’m sorry for acting like that.”

Zenitsu ransacked his brain for something to help the detective.

Flimsy hands clutched Tanjirou’s checkered jacket. Slowly and carefully, he wrapped his arms around and enveloped him in a hug.

He awkwardly mumbled, “S’okay. I understand. Please, stay here until you’ve calmed down.

After two seconds, he replied “Sure.”

“Tell me when to stop then.”

“Mhmm.”

Ten seconds in, Zenitsu began to blush at the one-sided hug. He really had no social skills at all. But now it seemed that he didn’t know his best friend as well as he initially thought.

However, once the redhead returned the hug by encircling his waist with his sturdy arms his delicate turned redder in embarrassment.

He faintly whispered to Zenitsu’s ear words that would make him shiver when he recalled them, “To be honest, I was overjoyed when I was assigned to your case, Rei.”

“I-Is that so?” He should lower his voice.

“Yeah. I was really excited to meet you.”

“Thanks…”

“Though it’s true. I became a detective for an entirely self-serving reason.”

“Uh —” He murmured and realised what position they were in. He pulled away. “I’m so sorry for dumping that all onto you.”

“It’s a-alright!”

They both appeared somewhat disappointed at the lost contact.

“I know you want to help others too.” Zenitsu said. To stop others from experiencing the same pain he went through.

They were both interrupted once again by a sudden screeching sound and the stench of rotting blood. Another demon was nearby, likely the one he was sent for by Chuntaro.

“It seems this time the demon is approaching us.” The detective lightly joked. Zenitsu awkwardly laughed back.

He still hasn’t mustered up the courage to decapitate one by himself, even though it had already been a year.

It appeared that he had a habit of sleeping in the midst of battle. He never questioned it really because it worked like a charm. The truth was, Rei was nothing but a coward.

Tanjirou noticed the other’s hands shaking and smiled gently, “C’mon, I’ll distract them for you.” 

And before Zenitsu could even think of a reply, the boy was gone. He ran head-first into the monster, scooped up some stray rocks, and chucked a couple at it as if it were as easy as breathing.

“Hey!” He taunted and waved his arms around. The demon twisted around.

The blonde stood awkwardly and was unsure on how to move his legs at all. He saw Tanjirou’s pinkish eyes from afar, which shone with passion, screaming ‘you can do it!’ Too distracted to notice the demon crept closer to him.

“Tanjirou, behind you!” For a moment, Zenitsu and Rei synced. He pushed all his worries and anxieties aside to protect him. Summoned all scraps of his bravery left to mutter a few words:

“ Thunder Breathing: First Form - Thunderclap and Flash.”

Slash!

Zenitsu gripped Tanjirou’s jacket and hid behind him, quivering in fear.

“Rei…” The redhead’s soft voice drew out. “You did it!”
“H-Huh?”

Golden eyes opened and widened at the sight of a demon’s head lolling backwards from the pair, cursing at them.

“GYAH!” Zenitsu instinctively jumped back.

“You were amazing!” The detective clasped Zenitsu’s hands with his own, while Zenitsu himself - on the other hand - stood flabbergasted and unsure how to react yet again.

“I…did it.” He said. It was a strange tingly foreign feeling. Probably the adrenaline. He was breathing like crazy. And tried not to get too self-conscious about that in front of Tanjirou. Even though it was just a low level demon, he won.

The two stared at each other, grinning madly at their victory. And suddenly Tanjirou forgot all plans of arresting him.

Chapter Text

Rei Compilation

1,328,535 views

792 comments

hzaii23

Holy shit he’s so fine.

StanReiii

He can stab me with his sword whenever he wants 😩😩

Ritasna

Guys ill actually pay u to find Rei irl

thund.r

lmao theres no way anyone can find out who he is

Ritasna

Bet.

…

He’s starting to not rely on his unconscious self as much as before. In fact, the other day he sliced another demon with his eyes wide open. Though nearly passing out from the shock of the sheer volume of blood it leaked out.

Zenitsu’s trying dammit!

And that night began normally: one demon. That’s fine. Nothing he can’t handle.

First form worked like a charm.

But what had occurred after blew up the internet for a while, and how it was caused was the subject of much debate, but the thick red string that usually held Rei’s mask together suddenly snapped.

Exposing Rei’s face to the whole world.

People flocked him with their phones to take a peek into his true identity. It caused a frenzy in the public, though their efforts were ultimately wasted as Rei dashed past the crowd (covering his face) into the comfort of the shadows once again.

A normal person or camera would’ve simply caught a blur of lightning.

However, Hashibira Inosuke’s perfect 20/20 vision could spot from a mile away who was under Rei’s mask. With those misty eyes, overbite, and horridly yellow hair, he was unmistakable.

“Hah, Monitsu?”

…

If Zenitsu had a secret that he’d rather strip naked than admit, it would probably be the fact that he regularly indulges in googling Rei. He’d probably seen almost everything conceivable about him at this point.

It was an experience that was both slightly mortifying and admittedly ego-boosting.

Honey eyes wavered over an innocent link - another fanfiction this time - and snorted at the title:

His Gentle Voice: Rei X (Y/N)

Ironic, given that he’s been told that his voice is irritating so much that he doesn’t have enough fingers and toes to count. The blonde then glanced at how many words it had and nearly felt his eyes pop out of his head.

Two hundred and twenty thousand words—

Rei pierced (Y/N) with his dazzling light blue orbs, simultaneously as wide and deep as the ocean; she could stare at it for hours on end, hypnotised with want.

“(Y/N)...” He whispered filthy sweet nothings to her ear.

The blonde peppered soft kisses down her pale neck, unbuttoning gently until he found a soft spot - then bit down, bearing his fangs.

She whimpered.

He’d always been somewhat jealous of how popular his counterpart is, or since he is Rei, he’s jealous of himself?

It was no surprise that Rei’s fanbase was primarily girls. A lot of girls from Kimetsu Academy too, since he passes by in the hallways catching conversations about him almost every day.

“Have you seen the new Rei video?”

“If I knew Rei, I definitely could tell.”

“Don’t you think Rei’s handsome?”

Zenitsu continued the fanfiction and almost choked at the next lines, “Oh lord, she’s on her knees now.”

She felt ravaged by the mere intensity of Rei’s gaze.

He seemed proud of his work: (Y/N) on her knees, breathy, naked and ready for him to be entirely consumed.

Suddenly, Rei grabbed her chin and forced her neck to crane up. It hurt, but (Y/N) couldn’t admit that she hated it. A coy smile danced on his face.

“Come here, baby. Let me love you.”

Isn’t this just Rei fantasy porn!?

This is why he should read the damn tags. 

He felt filthy just by reading it alone. Is this the true power of literature? That was also the moment when he realised that he was just on the first chapter and there were forty-four more to go.

“Tonkatsu, whatcha up to?”

“GYAAA—”

His bangs flew up in fear. Right then, he felt more naked and exposed than (Y/N). Though it’s on him for reading fanfiction in the middle of school where anyone (especially Inosuke and Tanjirou) can catch him.

“Don’t tell me…” Tanjirou glanced at Zenitsu’s phone screen “You have a crush on Rei?”

NO.

…

For some reason today, Inosuke insisted that Zenitsu invite him into his room. The boar immediately dropped all his stuff on the floor (the audacity!) and began to scour the room.

“Let me just get this outta the way, are you Rei?” Inosuke said.

A gigantic imaginary siren blared into the blonde ears. CODE RED. He’s in hot water and he’s about to drown completely.

“What—” Zenitsu began to heave, “Ahaa, me? No way! Not in a million years.”

Abruptly, Inosuke grabbed the very top shelf, at the very corner of his room, and tossed a familiar triangular, haori, black uniform, and kitsune mask onto the floor.

“Tha-that’s my cosplaying kit!”

Inosuke raised a brow in response. He’s dumb. But he’s not that dumb .

Despite the odds, the blonde continued to ramble on, “I’m just a huge fan of Rei and I love cosplaying him all the time after school and it’s a huge secret of mine so please don’t tell anyone—”

“Then, what’s this!?” 

From the shelf, he pulled out Zenitsu’s nichirin blade.

“T-that comes with the cosplaying kit!” He continued on, “You have the complete kit of his triangle-patterned haori, the mask, and the sword. Please don’t touch it though because it’s extremely expensive—”

Inosuke (as expected) didn’t listen and spontaneously uncovered it from the cheap black scabbard, then waved it around in the air as if it were a magic wand.

“Oops.” He suddenly stabbed through the wall and left a big gaping void in the aftermath.

“Fine, fine,” Zenitsu finally admitted defeat, in tears, “I give up - I’M REI!”

Just put down that weapon please .

Exposed twice on the same day for different things. The devil must be having a field day right now, laughing at him.

“HAHA! It seems you have fallen for my genius plan!”
“You were just messing around as usual!”

“Nuh uh!”

The vigilante sighed and sat in the corner of his room with his knees up while lamenting about his terrible luck. Ever since he became Rei, his life had devolved into an unending spiral of disaster for him with now his identity revealed…To that loud-mouthed boar!

“Yabitsu.”

“Leave me alone to cry!” He’s absolutely done for - what is he supposed to say to Gramps now!? The blonde wants to curl up into a ball and die.

“You better not tell Tanjirou this. EVER.” Zenitsu glared holes into the other boy’s head, who then placed a hand on his chin in deep thought.

“Aren’t you my friend!? Why are you thinking deeply about this?” The blonde screeched.

“You think he’s gonna getcha?” Inosuke asked.

“He’s a good detective…but it’ll take a while until he can catch me.” A smug smile eased into his face. “Stupid Tanjirou.”

“Monitsu.”

“What.”

“D’ya possibly…” He drawled out, “Get off at the chase?”

“W-Wha—” His ears suddenly tinted red, “SHUT UP!”

“I’m not shamin’ you or anything!!”

Chapter Text

To say that Zenitu was worried about a certain boar accidently blabbing out his hidden identity would be too much of an understatement. He was infamous, even before highschool. Rumours of him being raised by literal boars (hence the nickname) as well as a staggering number of incidents pointing back to him. Here’s a short list of the highlights:

• Starting a food fight out of pure boredom (Which Zenitsu barely survived and had the lovely honour of cleaning up)
• Somehow getting Tomioka-Sensei’s car up three whole floors!?
• “Pig assaulting” headfirst into the girl’s locker room since the idiot has no sense of self-preservation

As exemplified above, Inosuke is a moron. And he prays with all his might that he wouldn’t cause a fuss tonight in particular.

“I need to talk to you about Rei.”

“You mean about you being Rei — MPH —”

Zenitsu swiftly seized him away from the group to another room and proceeded to scream right in his ear.

“WHAT IF SOMEONE HEARS YOU!?”

“YOU’RE LOUDER!”

The dark-haired boy simply huffed back. “I don’t get what’s the big deal. We’re just staying over at Murata’s.”

“BECAUSE!” the blonde emphasised “It’s boys night!”

“Playing games! Talking about girls! Staying up ‘till two!”

Ah, how he’s dreamed for so long for this sort of thing. Where he can discard all his layers to finally kick back, relax, and absolutely destroy his body with junk food and video games until he can feel his soul ascending to a different plane.

It’s by no means a massive party (only Zenitsu, Inosuke, Tanjirou, Genya, and Murata) but he’s going to make the most of possibly the last chance to cultivate his highschool life and memories before he’s stabbed to death by a demon!

Everyone’s already huddled by the TV playing and chatting while Tanjirou - this damn angel - brought as much food from his bakery that he could possibly carry.

Once they had returned, Zenitsu immediately flung his body into the already-crowded couch. While the rest have their usual chats, the blonde stuffed himself silly with a stray box of chocolates. He stuck his tongue out at the slightly bitter aftertaste though continued to eat them one by one.

He’d lost count of how many he’d already eaten.

Golden eyes started dizzily into the box and tipped it upside down. Then peered under and widened in realisation that no more chocolates fell down. “I finished the whole thing already?”

Zenitsu turned to his left. Tanjirou was hypnotised by the TV screen playing Mario Kart and even in his state, the blonde could tell that the other totally sucked at it. Probably from a lack of TV in his house. Yet he can’t help but be absolutely smitten by how the redhead continued to smile brightly while playing with everyone else.

Huffing, Zenitsu inched closer to Tanjirou and leaned closer to him.

“Tanjirouuuu,” The blonde whined, “Pay attention to me~”

“Zen-Zenitsu! —” The redhead stammered at the other’s sudden advancements; he could feel the tips of his blonde, choppy, hair stroke his cheek gently while the other cuddled up to him.

“Uh so — ” Murata picked up the empty box and held up, “It says whiskey chocolate.”

“Zenitsu, you’re drunk!”

“Mm not drunk. You’re dru —” He took a second to hiccup. The faint scent of alcohol clung onto him

 Murata immediately pulled out his phone and started to record everything.

“What are you doing?” Genya asked.
“Blackmail.”

“You’re too loud!” Inosuke - currently winning at mario kart - barked at the pair, “GET A ROOM!”

“Alright, alright,” Tanjirou said, “I’ll help him sober up a bit.”

The redhead left the controller alone and carried up Zenitsu (who slouched like a sack of rice) away from the others once again, this time into the guest bedroom of the house.

“Here,” He handed him a glass of water picked up from the kitchen, then sat next to him. “By the way, what were you and Inosuke talking about earlier on?”

The blonde accidentally snorted in some water, “N-nothing important!”

“Hmph.” The redhead pouted, “Keep your secrets then.”

“Tanjirou, could you possibly be…” Zenitsu’s hazy eyes had a playful gleam, “Jealous?”

Tanjirou swayed towards the blonde until he was completely enveloped by his peachy scent. He knew he couldn't lie.

At that moment, he was in a daze - caught up with feelings of impulse and daringness - and whispered quietly once their noses bumped together.

“So what if I was?”

“Guys, we’ve started a movie now —” Genya suddenly opened the door and paused at the scene in front of him.

Tanjirou lay on top of Zenitsu as if he were about to devour him alive, with the latter having prickles of tears in his eyes. Their hairs were ruffled slightly, breathing heavy, and their faces flushed red.

“It’s not what it looks like!” Zenitsu squeaked.

The other simply closed the door and muttered out, “...I’m so sorry for interrupting.”

And once again they were left alone to their own devices.

Suddenly, Tanjirou’s face broke out into a dorish smile, “Pfft.”

“THIS IS YOUR FAULT.”

Thus, they were teased mercilessly for the rest of the night after they returned to the couch. At least, until the group started to become tired from playing the whole night and fell asleep right then and there.

Inosuke hung upside down snoring (honestly Zenitsu thought it was a crime that he had such a pretty face) while Genya and Murata napped with controllers still stuck to their hands.

“Zenitsu?”

“Yeah?” His face was still red from whiskey.

Tanjirou figured that he probably wouldn’t remember a thing the next day, but it was alright.

“You’re the most important person in my life.”

“Hehe, is that so?” He smiled, then giggled childishly until he also started to feel tired, finally leaning his head against the redhead and ending the boys night with dozing off.

Chapter Text

“Muuum, Nii-chan is doing that thing again!”

This time, Tanjirou heard it loud and clear, but he continued pacing around his room nevertheless.

The redhead really can’t control himself. He was totally caught up in the moment and nearly kissed Zenitsu during that sleepover. In the end, he’s just a boy with urges.

And now the blonde probably knows everything about his feelings about him. Ugh.

Though it begs the question: did Agatsuma Zenitsu remember what he said that night?

…

Agatsuma Zenitsu did indeed remember what he said that night.

You’re the most important person in my life.

This guy! Can he be any more shameless? Saying things like that and then making him confused. He should probably focus on the demon chasing him, but he had more urgent matters to attend to internally.

He jumped from rooftop to rooftop while continuing to ramble on in his head. He’s been slicing demons for so long now, he could practically do it in his sleep. Though their disgusting eyes and tongues bulging out don’t help calm him down at all!

“ Thunder Breathing: First Form - Thunderclap and Flash: Sixfold!”

The blonde made it a habit to pray for more luck in the demon’s next life as he gazed at the aftermath of his work.

Zenitsu turned to look behind him and there stood Kamado Tanjirou - hanafuda earrings, scar, and all. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear in all his handsome glory.

These days, he almost sees the redhead every time he’s Rei. It’s as if he’s a Tanjirou magnet.

“Not going to catch me this time, detective?”

“No, you’re too fast.” Tanjirou laughed.

“Then what are you doing here!?”

…

Zenitsu doesn’t know exactly how it happened, but Kamado Tanjirou is currently in his bedroom.

To study, of course.

The idea popped up while they were eating lunch together and Tanjirou flopped onto his desk, complaining about his low English score when they all turned towards Zenitsu, who always had the top score every term.

Gramps had been suspicious of the other boy ever since he stepped into the house. Though what is there to be suspicious of? The redhead is the most pure being on the earth. Tanjirou greeted him as enthusiastically as he possibly could, with the brightest smile and a loud, clear voice.

(“Stop being so stiff. You’re just my son’s friend,” Jigoro’s eyes pierced holes into the other, “Aren’t you?”

“Y-Yep! Best friend!”)

The redhead has been sitting down for quite a while now, and occasionally pulled a strange face.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just —” He sniffed the air. “Your room smells like chlorine. Especially there.”

Then pointed to a certain shelf on the very top at the very corner of his room (now with a heavy iron padlock thanks to a certain boar) that may or may not contain all his demon slaying equipment.

Tanjirou paused at what he said and stammered out, “I’m so sorry! It’s a really rude thing to say!”

“Uh, It’s alright!” Though the blonde had half a heart attack at his sudden words. “Now let’s get into studying?”

“Yes!”

And so his room ended up becoming a whirlpool of worksheets on everything related to English. However, Zenitsu couldn’t help but feel slightly distracted at every smile, each brush of hand, or every time they inched closer to each other.

Zenitsu circled the last answer in bright red pen, “You’ve got it right. Well done.”

“Do I get a prize now?”

“Pfft. Sure.” He decided to humour him and patted his head, “Good job!”

It eventually devolved into a fit of giggles and a competition of whoever could pat the other the most, when Kuwajima Jigoro burst into the room with a tray of drinks.

“You both sure are studying hard.” He huffed.

They immediately unstuck themselves from each other with Tanjirou’s cheeks and Zenitsu’s ears tinted red in utter embarrassment.

And that was that.

Once the sun had set, the pair both knew that it was sadly time for Tanjirou to head home.

“You sure you don’t want me to walk home with you?” His face suddenly turned pale. “What if you’re eaten by a demon!?”

“Zenitsu, I’ll be fine.” He tried to give the most sincere smile that he possibly could, though the other could hear a hint of bittersweetness in him. “Thanks for studying with me today.”

Tanjirou held in a breath, as if he were about to say something. Instead, he blurted out, “I really trust you. You know that?”

Zenitsu stood silent but nodded awkwardly.

“It’s kind of sudden, but remember how my father is never mentioned?”

“Yes?” He tilted his head.

“The truth is,” Tanjirou’s voice devolved into a murmur, “He was killed by a demon.” And Zenitsu resisted all urges to cry out ‘I know.’

The blonde tried to reach out. “Isn’t that more of a reason for me to walk with you?” He replied.

“I just felt like saying it.” Tanjirou said, then promptly turned away.

Feelings of regret washed over Zenitsu. How can he call himself Tanjirou’s best friend when he’s lying to him every day about who he is?

Zenitsu doesn’t think he could handle being Rei anymore.

Chapter Text

In the cinema, everyone snuggled comfortably against the cheaply-bought seats: Murata with a box of sweet and salty popcorn, Genya with a pack of cookies, and Inosuke drowned in a rolling tornado of snacks ranging from two tubs of mint ice cream to spicy nachos.

“You have the appetite of a boar.” Zenitsu said, sipping coke from a straw. The other simply replied with a huff and continued to gnaw on his vile combination of processed goods.

Meanwhile, Tanjirou on his right beamed in amusement at their banter.

Another day of surviving demons, another chance to make high school memories, though he has no idea what part of his brain agreed to watching horror movies.

His choppy bangs flew up in fear when another gruesome monster flashed the screen.

“KYAAA!!—Mph!” Zenitsu desperately covered his mouth to block all forms of screaming and not get kicked out. Embarrassingly, he peeked to his right and caught Tanjirou looking at him, whose eyes softened in endearment.

Tanjirou looked sort of awkward. Hesitant.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.” He whispered.

Shyly, he stretched out a calloused hand and placed it over Zenitsu’s. Their fingers tickled each other.
It was a strange experience. New, but not bad. Tanjirou’s hands felt warm - like a candle. And eventually, they finished the rest of the movie with their hands still held together.

…

Things were still sort of awkward between them.

Zenitsu didn’t exactly know why but the vibe was just weird.

Tanjirou and Zenitsu still continued to be beside each other, even when walking out of the cinema, as if they were stuck to each other like glue. Though neither of them have even uttered a word yet.

“Psh,” He heard Murata scoff in front of them, “Anyone could’ve seen from a mile away that those two guys had a thing for one another.”

The black-haired boy abruptly turned back to the blond, “Isn’t it, Zenitsu?”
“Y-Yep!”

Tanjirou quirked a brow, “You don’t mind people who like boys?”
“I mean,” The blonde looked sheepish. “I kind of like boys too?”

Tanjirou’s eyes widened.

Zenitsu tried to nervously laugh it off and avoid eye contact. “I guess only a particular type of guy but since I always talk about girls it’s not really that obvious is it?—”
“—What type of boy do you like?” He asked.

He never really thought about those sorts of things a lot. Taken a hold by impulse, he smiled and said, “I think…Someone really kind. Maybe smart? And of course they have to be pretty.”
“Oh.”

He liked kind, smart, and pretty boys.

Suddenly, he paused.

Zenitsu turned to his right and saw Tanjirou smiling back at him innocently. Then thought: didn’t he tick all his boxes? His best friend is one-hundred percent his type, top to bottom, from his gentle demeanour to his lovely pink eyes.

Did he like Tanjirou?

…

He’s yet again back to staring at the dull cream-coloured ceiling of his bedroom, internalising everything that’s happened lately.

“I…” Zenitsu murmured, “Like Tanjirou.”

It made so much sense, it was kind of scary. Like declaring that the sky was blue or that ice cream tasted cold. Zenitsu was both surprised and unsurprised by the revelation. He probably could have fallen for him at any point.

“I like him.”

Words that came out so naturally. He was kind of angry at himself for falling for his best friend of all people. And angry at Tanjirou for being so charming.

Zenitsu squeezed his eyes and imagined confessing to him. The blonde would ask him to wait after school, under the large sakura tree where no-one could see them in case he messed up. He’d hold a breath in and say clearly:

“I like you—”

Nope, too embarrassing.

The dork would probably say something innocent like, ‘I like you too, you’re my best friend after all!’ then they’d hug.

But he absolutely wouldn’t want him any other way.

Urgh.

The night he first slayed a demon awake, he told his grandfather everything about his encounter with Muzan. Everything about him acting like a normal human - of course removing all traces of Tanjirou ever being there.

The redhead always strayed away from conversations of his life before moving to Tokyo. How long has his friend been putting up this front?
Who was the true Tanjirou?

He understood why the redhead never told him about this, but he still couldn’t help but feel sad. Zenitsu was his best friend, damn it.

But the vigilante supposed it would be amusingly hypocritical of him to grumble about keeping secrets.

Chapter Text

“Is it really true?” Zenitsu’s eyes dazzled.

“Ehehe…”  Tanjirou plucked out his recent English test from his bag. “Boom! Fourth rank!”

“Tanjirouuu,” Zenitsu teared up in pride, “You’ve gone so far!”

He can’t believe he’s talking to the same guy he screamed at for an hour from questioning how in the world he was able to survive for so long without knowing how to text anyone.

…

(“Get his phone.” Zenitsu said.

“Open your eyes - it’s Tokyo! Not the mountains where you grew up, you country bumpkin. At this rate you’ll end up as a girlfriend-less virgin swarmed with cases.”

A recognisable click was heard.

“Of course your passcode is Nezuko’s birthday.” Murata laughed.

“Steal his phone number!”)

Hard Headed

Hello, Kamado Tanjirou here!

I was sort of nervous since 

This is the first time I’ve tried

Texting and I hope I can learn the

Basics from you please. Thank 

You!

Rule 1: U don’t write

Goddamn essays

Oh my god my eyes

Convulsed in agony

Haha! Good to know Zenitsu

Rule 2: U can be informal too

U know

Well, I’m more used to writing 

Emails to my detective agency

Oh you poor soul 😔

Wait.

???

Those are emojis right?

U DON’T KNOW WHAT
EMOJIS ARE!??

I’m familiar!

It’s just that for some reason

They don’t appear on my keyboard

…

Hello?

……

Zenitsu you there?

Tanjirou, I’m thoroughly

Convinced ur not actually

A teenager.

Thanks,

Agatsuma-senpai.

AW don’t be cold Tanjirou

Ur such a 👴 

Hmph.

HAHAHA

Why not tell my how to get

It then?

Bc it’s fun to tease you

Still can’t believe it. You

Country bumpkin!

HMPH.

…

“ — So, our barkery is going to close down early today.” Tanjirou abruptly said. Zenitsu jolted at his sudden proximity to him.

“O-Oh? I hope everyone is doing alright.” He said.

“No, I mean erm —” Tanjirou fidgeted with his hair slightly. “My mum heard you were the one who tutored me for the tests so she was thinking…”

He heard the redhead’s heartbeat stutter. “...Want to come over for dinner?” He said.

His pink eyes twinkled in determination. Tanjirou’s face was radiant, easily shining the most out of anyone in the room and Zenitsu thought that if he looked directly at him any longer his eyes might sizzle up as if he was staring at the sun for hours.

“...Okay.” Zenitsu raises his arms up in surrender. He’s smitten.

…

Demon slaying duty went by in a flash, and suddenly he was back to the mundane. Identity: nothing but a high schooler, somewhat loud, somewhat annoying. No traces of Rei.

Golden eyes peered at the redhead who was swivelling around the bakery. Tanjirou was practically the life of the party there, as he greeted each customer with a warm welcome and served them a homemade treat, enchanting everyone who came.

Zenitsu sipped his coffee. The sounds of idle chatter and cooking pastries calmed him. Tanjirou’s heartbeat too. The bakery felt more like a safe haven than anything.

“Ahem.” A cough alerted Zenitsu. He flushed knowing someone caught him staring.

Wonderfully, it turned out that the person behind him was none other than Kamado Kie. “I take it you’re the infamous Zenitsu then?”

“Uh — Yes Ma’am.”

“Oh please, just call me Kie.”

“O-Okay!” He squeaked.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from my son.” She said ominously. “I remember once he told me about the time you —”

“MUM!” Tanjirou popped up. “There’s some more customers over there!”

“Oh my, I’m sorry but I’ll have to go.” She said to the blonde, then leaned forward to whisper. “You have my approval, by the way.”

What i s that supposed to mean?

The detective walked up to him. “Did she say anything weird to you?”

“Well,” Zenitsu replied “Not really.”

Around fifteen minutes later, the bakery started to close down. Zenitsu sat alone awkwardly as customers left one-by-one until he was eventually left alone. 

He hid behind Tanjirou and gripped his shirt.

“Zenitsu, you’re surprisingly…Clingy.”

“Ehh!?”

“Actually, I take that back. I’m not surprised at all.”

“What if they hate meeee?”

“Relax, Zen. You’ll be fine.”

All of a sudden, he felt a tugging force on his sleeve, then twisted his head and spotted four fluff balls with Nezuko in the background. All carbon copies of his best friend.

“I’m Takeo.” The tallest huffed.

“Shigeru!” He enthusiastically raised an arm up.

“My name is Hanako.” She twiddled her fingers.

“Erm, I’m Rokuta.” The youngest murmured.

“Can we call you Zen-nii?” They collectively asked.

“ZEN-NII!?”

…

Dinner was simple: curry with rice. It wasn’t too strong and left a subtle aftertaste on Zenitsu’s mouth whenever he ate.

Tanjirou’s siblings - on the other hand - verbally kidnapped him by interrogating with every possible question that jumped into their head. Though he had nearly collapsed earlier on from their remarks.

“Who are you to Onii-chan?”

“His best friend probably —”

“Ever killed anyone?”

“Technically no —”

“Why do you look so sleepy, Zen-nii?”

“Well, I have a night-shift job.”

“What job!?”

All eyes at the table peered at him curiously.

“Please don’t scare Zenitsu, everyone.” Tanjirou said and the blonde internally thanked him and wished him all the blessings in the world.

It was a scene that was all so normal and familiar. If one sound of kindness from Tanjirou wasn’t enough, the entire house was enveloped in it. And they were so warm. So loving. He wanted to cry right there and then out of pure happiness. Prayed it could last forever.

It was like all the shackles of responsibility left the blonde. Here, sat at a table eating curry in the Kamado household was none other than Agatsuma Zenitsu.

Not long after, they all finished their meals and began to tidy up.

He tried to help clean the dishes to no avail.

“Are you alright?” The detective asked while walking him out of the door “You seemed a bit out of it.”

Zenitsu’s eyes flickered away. His breathing remained steady. Still. Internally, the blonde was at war with his thoughts, with each one at odds with the other.

He wants to tell him he’s Rei.

“You know Tanjirou,” Zenitsu said instead, “I wonder if there’s a point to all my efforts. Trying to get a girlfriend. Getting into a top university.”

If there’s a point to killing demons.

What kind of person did he want to be?

The redhead paused at the other’s answer. He held in his fists and summoned his breath, “I have no idea what you’re going through right now, but know that I’m cheering you on!”

He’s so bright and so beautiful. Maybe like a blooming flower. Sometimes, he wondered if Tanjirou only existed in his imagination. Such a perfect human being can’t possibly be real. Yet here he is in front of him, smiling.

The blonde snorted at his best friend’s bold statement - playfully and tenderly. “Thank you, Tanjirou.”

A pang of guilt consumed Zenitsu as he walked away.

I love you.

Chapter Text

Zenitsu figured he wouldn’t be able to get over his crush any time soon. Whenever he would even take a mere glance at him, mixed feelings stirred all over his mind - ranging from remorse, to melancholy, to absolute happiness.

Though Tanjirou began to not talk to him as much as he used to.

In a span of a few days, the frequency of their conversations eventually tapered off until they only really chatted once a while. He doesn’t know when it really started, and he doesn’t know if he should be grateful or not for this sort of progress.

He glanced out of a school window, which displayed a murky sky.

“Tch. It looks like it’s gonna rain today.” Inosuke said.

…

A mist wrapped around Tokyo - a dreary night. It muffled the moonlight and had the scent of damp trees.

Zenitsu’s eyes were hazy as he stared into the decaying corpse of yet another demon. They always withered slowly. Though by routine, he held his hands in prayer and wished them better luck in the next life.

Droplets of rain began to trickle down on his yellow haori.

“No umbrella?” Tanjirou appeared behind him along with his general caring aura.

He held the umbrella out - a plain foldable one meant for one person - without a word. Zenitsu contemplated whether or not to humour him, yet stepped in nevertheless until their shoulders bumped. He stared back dully at the detective through his kitsune mask.

For a while, they only stood facing each other in the pouring rain. Despite the blonde hiding behind the veneer of Rei, he felt completely exposed whenever Tanjirou was around, as if his pink eyes could see his  true emotions past all the layers. That he felt terribly, terribly lonely.

“Why didn’t you tell me anything, Zenitsu?”

He tried to hold in his breath. The redhead, on the other hand, was eerily calm; his voice never wavered nor did he ever turn away.

When did he find out?

Zenitsu’s lips were quivering. He has no idea what he should do. His cover is blown.

Just breathe.

His instincts enveloped him. He gently tilted the mask upwards to reveal his face.

Golden eyes flickered up to meet soft pink ones. Tanjirou’s sound was so recognisable that it was both delightful and heart-wrenching. Everything about him stood out, from his joyful personality to his hanafuda earrings.

Zenitsu’s hand reached up and touched the other’s cheek so tenderly. Happiness and sadness reflected in his eyes.

“Because I like you, Tanjirou.” Zenitsu whispered.

The sound of drizzle echoing on the concrete ground filled the gap of silence between them. Tanjirou’s heartbeat invaded the blonde’ mind, while his own peachy scent overtook the redhead’s. As the rain continued on, they leaned closer to one another. When their noses bumped together, their hands intertwined.

And when their breaths synced, their lips softly touched. 

Zenitsu always thought that he’d have his first kiss with a pretty girl and it would’ve become a memory he would cherish forever. Something cinematic. Something he would’ve boasted about to all his friends.

Kamado Tanjirou was by no means a girl, but it really felt like time stopped for a moment - where all the raindrops had turned into fireworks and he was experiencing something that only happened in movies.

They suddenly broke apart.

Zenitsu’s ears had a faint pink shade to them and his face looked like it was still reeling back from shock,  with his body shaking from the realisation of what he had done. Tanjirou wasn’t in a much better state.

“I-I’m sorry.” The blonde muttered. “I went too far.”

Tanjirou was too awestruck to respond.

The blonde swiftly disappeared in a blur, leaving nothing but a hint of a spark and the redhead alone holding an umbrella to shield himself from the rain.

Zenitsu leapt from building to building. An aching pain built up in his chest from all the tension and adrenaline. He was suffocating.

Chapter Text

“Go on youtube right now!!”

“Have you seen twitter?”

“You haven’t heard? It’s trending!”

These whispers welcomed Zenitsu as he slowly tread his way to school. To be honest, he’s terrified to even step inside a classroom after what he did yesterday. Every time he thinks about it, his face turns bright red.

The blonde opens twitter and is bombarded by the same image:

A blurry snapshot of Zenitsu and Tanjirou’s kiss. His kitsune mask is gently tilted up and though the umbrella and his haori mostly does the job of covering them, a hint of Tanjirou’s burgundy hair could clearly be seen past the raindrops.

Oh no.

No. No. No. This is the worst case scenario!

Every single tweet he sees is either commenting on it or reposting the aforementioned picture all over the internet. He swipes to the trending tab.

Trending:

1. Rei
2. Mystery girl
3. Kiss

Who’s the mystery girl who stole Rei’s heart? FIND OUT NOW!!

      Istg ill kill whoever kissed him                                               

          I bet that bitch paid him.                

I’m the mystery girl 😜             

         That girl is lucky af     

    THIS AINT REAL WTF

   Hey Rei kiss me too 😳

  Stfu this is photoshop

    What a slut.

    REI IS MINE 😡😡                       

Tanjirou doesn’t deserve any of this. He’s burdened him with so much already and now this?

He felt his phone vibrate again and glared at a single message.

Stupid Boar 🐗

This is u 🤡

And he can’t even get angry at him because he knows the dumbass is right.

He’s quite grateful to be able to get away for so long. Unfortunately for the vigilante, Zenitstu knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay hidden in the streets like his master did thanks to the most irritating device ever created: the camera.

“Do you think she goes to our school?” His ears picked up a stray conversation from behind.

What if they find out that he was with Tanjirou?

A shiver ran down his spine at the thought. All those crazy fans. And he’s somewhat sure the internet would go into overdrive if they found out he kissed a boy .

Zenitsu felt like the lowest of the low.

He spent the rest of the day in a daze: mumbling in the middle of class, munching lunch half-heartedly, and falling asleep between periods. Suffice it to say, he didn’t see Tanjirou during school that day.

…

Kamado Kie frowned as she glanced at her son still stuck in bed, “You’re really feeling sick today?”

“Y-Yep.” He said, then coughed lightly, though making a strange face in the process.

She placed her hands on her hips, “Then maybe you shouldn’t have stood in the rain like a doll at such a late time.”

He simply smiled in response.

Kie sighed. She walked up to her son - a look of worry plastered on her face - and placed a hand on his forehead.

“What were you even doing that night—”

Tanjirou’s temperature suddenly flared up.

“—Oh my! You really do have a fever.”

His smile became a bit more stiff, “Yeah, and now I’ve got to sleep. I’ve got these massive eye bags over here.” and pointed to said eye bags.

Kie quirked a brow, then shuffled closer to have a closer look on his face, and sure enough, there were very small hints of exhaustion on him.

“Ohh! I see them now.” His mother replied. “But it’s only visible if you look close enough.”

The redhead suddenly paused at the revelation and remembered Zenitsu’s words.

Your eyebags are sagging down your face from all those night shifts.

He’s the only one who noticed?

Tanjirou’s hands trembled and crumpled his bedsheets. He’s utterly fallen head over heels for Agatsuma Zenitsu.

What is he doing? Running away from his chance at happiness?

He even said that he liked him.

Tanjirou turned to a clock: five minutes to three. If he ran fast enough, he could possibly catch the blonde while he’s walking home.

In a flash, he jumped out of bed, stuffed his body in a decent pair of clothes,  and sprinted out of his bedroom towards the front door.

“Tanjirou? Aren’t you still not well?”

“Uh— Actually I don’t feel so sick anymore!”

…

Zenitsu was able to trudge through the rest of the school day through sheer force of will. Honestly, he couldn’t wait to get home to shut himself inside his bedroom and wallow in pain.

He paused from walking and felt his chest twist unpleasantly upon realisation of where he was: the large isolated sakura tree, where no-one could see him mess up in case he confessed.

Well, he already certainly ruined his relationship with Tanjirou.

“Zenitsu!” He caught a painfully familiar voice.

He must be hallucinating, but he still turned around and his heart nearly stopped at the sight in front of him.

Tanjirou ran towards him in the blink of an eye. His hanafuda earrings were swaying side-to-side and his brows furrowed in determination. It really is him.

They stood in front of each other yet again, alone, in their own world under the giant sakura tree.

“Genya told me that you were walking home and you were around here—” He stammered, trying to catch his breath, “And I really need to talk to you and—” He continued on, “And, and!—”

Zenitsu thought that the colours of the petals brought out the pinkness of Tanjirou’s eyes along with his burgundy hair more.

“ZENITSU,” Tanjirou yelled with all his might, “I like you too!”

His eyes widened.

“No.” He said.

“You can’t possibly like me. You probably hate me.” Zenitsu said, “I mean, I did all those gross things to you—”

“Zenitsu, I could never hate you.” Tanjirou’s eyes softened. “You’re my best friend. You mean the world to me.”

Tears welled up in his eyes. Thank goodness there were so many falling petals that blurred his face from view. 

“Really?”

“Yeah.” It was as if the redhead’s eyes were smiling by themselves. They were dazzling in utter glee.

He leaned closer to the blonde without a hint of hesitation and entwined their hands one more time.

“I—” A press to the lips, “—love” Another kiss, “You.”

Zenitsu felt like he was on cloud nine, “I-I love you too.”

“I think I nearly forgot how to breathe for a second.” He squeaked.

“So you can be bad at breathing too.” Tanjirou teased.

Zenitsu smiled and felt his heart being pierced again.

Tanjirou placed a hand on his chin, “I suppose that would make us lovers?”

“Don’t use that kind of word!” Zenitsu looked scandalously at the other, “B-boyfriends would suffice.”
“Boyfriends then.” He laughed.

“You’re my boyfriend.” Tanjirou’s eyes twinkled. This dork.

“Yes, I’m your boyfriend!” Zenitsu screamed, “Now shut up before I die from self-combustion!”

He had no idea how he was going to explain this to Gramps.

But those problems were for future Zenitsu, weren’t they?

Zenitsu’s life still wasn’t perfect: he had mountains of homework, remained unpopular at school, and demons were still a looming threat over Tokyo.

Yet whenever he had those worries, he would just take a look at Tanjirou with his beautiful smile and gentle sound, and think that everything would be alright.