It's okay to be a bit selfish
The fifth day is here~
Theme for the day is: Stargazing/Four-Leaf Clover (be mine, good luck)
Without further ado, on with the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own KnY.
Tanjiro loves Kanao.
From the way she smiles when they're talking, to how her eyes lit up when he greets her, to the way she blushes when they kiss, the way her eyes narrow when she is focusing, how she says his name; he could go on non-stop listing the things he loves about her.
Even more so, he can confidently say that she loves him back; she has said as much on more than one occasion but, to him, it's the way she shows it.
Always trying to be the first person to greet him when he comes back to the Butterfly Estate, the way her eyes scan him for any signs of an injury, how she immediately takes him to see Shinobu if she sees a wound, even if it's just a minor one.
One time, he had mentioned his favorite food during a conversation and Kanao had made it for him the next time he came back, she confessed she needed a lot of practice and, even for the one she was serving now, Aoi had helped her out but the fact she went out of her way to learn how to make it was enough to make his heart beat like crazy.
Yes, it was safe to say that Kamado Tanjiro was head over heels over Tsuyuri Kanao; even a blind man could see it from how obvious it was, every time he thought of her he had a huge grin on his face that some thought would permanently stay there from how often he is seen with it.
Yet, lately, every time he thinks of her, a knot forms in his stomach at a particular thought he has about her.
As per usual, Tanjiro is using his time off missions to stay at the Butterfly Estate.
He and Kanao were resting at the garden after spending the entire day together, they had spent some of the day helping around the house, then training and, once everything was over, they went to what everyone had dubbed 'their spot' to talk.
The sun had set and the night was chilly so Kanao had leaned on Tanjiro's shoulder while the latter took off his haori and covered the two with it.
"It's a beautiful night." Kanao mentioned calmly.
"Yeah." The Kamado nodded, smiling.
It was at these moments, when he had her so close, that his body seemed to move on its own and pull her closer, tightening his one-armed embrace on her.
'Damn it.' He internally chastised himself and eased on the strength of his embrace to the point he only had his arm around her but wasn't pulling her.
"Tanjiro?"
"Yes?"
"Is something wrong?"
"Eh?" Tanjiro couldn't help but panic for a second, was he being that obvious? "Wh-what do you mean?"
That stutter sealed his fate, he almost never stuttered, if Kanao was just confused before, then she was definitely suspicious now.
"Lately… it feels like you're acting different." She revealed.
He had to consciously stop himself from pulling her back into his embrace when she moved so they were at eye-level.
"It's like you are… hesitant? Maybe awkward? When we're together." Kanao began, her eyes, that Tanjiro would usually lose himself in, narrowed and a frown on her features. "Like just now, it feels like you are keeping your arm around me but… not really hugging me, just placing it there."
Despite himself, Tanjiro felt proud, the Kanao he first met probably wouldn't have caught on to that; the way she had grown only made her more beautiful in his eyes.
"M-maybe I'm just imagining things, and I'm sorry if that's the case but… I'm worried, did I do something wr-?"
"No." Tanjiro had to cut her off there, he could not let her finish that sentence or think that she is somewhat responsible for something that is his fault. 'But… she is already thinking that.' With a sigh, he looked down and passed a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, you didn't do anything wrong Kanao, it's just…" The Kamado trailed off, moving his gaze away from her.
"What?" The moment he felt her hand on his, he couldn't help but look at her again. "Please, tell me."
Even without his abnormal sense of smell, the way she looked at him was enough to convey her worry.
"…I love you, Kanao." She immediately blushed.
"I-I love you too but-"
"No, sorry, it just came out; I wasn't trying to change the subject." He smiled at the way she said it back before anything else and intertwined his fingers with hers. "It's just… lately…" The Kamado trailed off again but steeled himself. 'I've worried her enough already.' Taking a deep breath, he took another second before speaking. "Lately… the thought 'my Kanao' has been crossing my mind a lot."
"…eh?" He saw her blink in confusion.
"Like 'my Kanao is really kind' or 'my Kanao has the most beautiful smile' and things like that." Tanjiro elaborated, glancing away. "I don't know when I started thinking like that but you're not 'mine', you're your own person, so whenever I think that I feel horrible and-"
"Wait!" This time, she was the one to interrupt him. "Tanjiro… that's okay."
"…what do you mean?" He looked at her again and noticed her blush.
"I… I had similar thoughts." She confessed.
"Really?"
"Yes, one day, you were talking with Aoi and I had this pain in my chest so… I asked Shinobu-nee-san what it was." Kanao's face quickly turned read after admitting that but she refused to look away. "Ah! Don't get me wrong! It's not that I don't trust you or Aoi but… nee-san said it was normal to feel like that about the person you love, even if you know there is nothing to worry about."
"...really?" Tanjiro repeated, completely gob smacked.
"Really." She nodded. "Besides…" Kanao brought her free hand to his cheek and Tanjiro moved his on top of hers. "You have presented me as 'my girlfriend' before… I don't think the way you were thinking was any different from that, is it?"
The Kamado frowned in thought for a moment before smiling.
"I guess not." He said before pulling her to his chest, his arms firmly but gently wrapping around her back. "After all, I'm the only one that gets to call you 'my girlfriend'."
"Yes." Kanao said softly as she hugged him back. "You're the only one."
Day 5, done!
HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE FANBOOK?! THE TANKANA ONE IS SO BEAUTIFUL! I RANTED AN ENTIRE FIC ON DISCORD BASED ON THAT ONE IMAGE! THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVED IT! AHHHHHH!
Ehem… sorry, I had to get that off my chest.
Anyway, until tomorrow!
