Inosuke nuzzled into something warm in front of him. It felt good. He felt safe.
Bright green eyes slowly fluttered open, only to meet with a tanned chest. The top three buttons were undone on Tanjiro's pajamas.
"Monjiro?" He looked up to confirm his question. Tanjiro laid there with his eyes closed.
"Hmm?" The redhead was awake.
Inosuke's whole body was suddenly feeling very warm and tingly. His heart beating faster. It was that weird feeling again.
Instinctivly, the savage pushed his limbs out in front of him, shoving the redhead off the bed and onto the floor. From the force, he had also knocked himself off the other side of the bed. Both boys hit the floor with a loud thump.
"Ugh!" Sleepy dark red eyes shot open and met nervous emeralds underneath the bed. "I-Inosuke? What's wrong? Why did you do that?"
Inosuke blushed and immediately shot up from the floor, his forearms on the bed. "Why were you in my bed? You have your own!"
Tanjiro rubbed his head and then copied Inosuke's position with his forearms on the bed. "I figured since you had a nightmare that you would need some comfort."
The blue tipped boy blushed. "W-well, you figured wrong, Santaro! I don't need anyone's comfort. I'm Inosuke Hashibira. I'm not weak. I can handle it on my own!" The boar boy lied through his teeth, and it was obvious to the other boy, scent or not.
"Either way, I'm so glad you're feeling better than last night. I was really worried, you know." Tanjiro said as he got up and walked around the bed, offering the boy a hand, which he hesitantly took.
Inosuke sat on the bed, crossed his arms, and looked away from the redhead. "There's nothing to be worried about. It was just a stupid dream. Just.. don't tell anyone about it, okay?" His voice was low, so only the pair could hear.
Tanjiro had expected that. The savage was becoming more and more open with the scarred boy, showing more emotions. But he couldn't let anyone else know his weakness. Only Tanjiro.
"Of course." The boy smiled at Inosuke with that warm, gentle smile. It always made him feel weird, in a way that he liked. It made him feel special.
Although recently, it had been making him feel a little different. His heart speeding up, and stomach feeling weird. He didn't know if he liked it or not. But it was getting really annoying.
"Inosuke?"
"Hah? What?"
"Did you hear me? You were kind of spacing out. I asked if you wanted to get some fresh air with me? We should leave Zenitsu to sleep since he went to bed late again."
"I would like to if I could walk." He gestured to his wrapped ankle, clearly annoyed by the injury.
Tanjiro grabbed Inosuke's crutches and held them out. "Remember you have crutches. They're used for getting around when you're injured. Would you like some help with them?"
"I dont need any help! I can figure it out myself!" The boar boy snatched the crutches from the other boy and attempted walking with the crutches, and of course, he fell right onto his face almost immediately.
"Inosuke!" The redhead ran after him.
The said boy pushed himself into a sitting position as Tanjiro caught up to him. "Just.. Show me how to use these damn things, and we'll both pretend that didn't just happen, alright?"
Tanjiro smiled. He was happy to hear Inosuke actually asking for help. It wasn't often that he did, so the redhead was grateful.
The scarred boy showed Inosuke how to use them, and as a dual blade user, the boy picked up on it very quickly. Inosuke even tried to get Tanjiro to race him to the garden. Which, he obviously declined and then scolded the boar boy for being too rough with himself.
Without racing, they headed down the hall and onto the veranda by the garden. They stood there for a moment, taking in the winter atmosphere.
Butterflies would have usually filled the sky around them, but due to the cold weather, they were hibernating. The ponds were frozen over. Flowers covering every part of the yard, small bits of snow covered the leaves and petals of each flower. Even Inosuke had to admit it was beautiful.
Their hot breaths created little misty clouds as they admired the scene.
Inosuke allowed Tanjiro to help him take a seat on the veranda, injured leg hanging, and the other tucked up. The redhead plopped next to him and took a deep breath, and exhaled a large cloud.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Tanjiro asked as he stared out at the well put together garden.
"Yeah... Wish I had my fur, though." He mumbled.
There was a silence, and Tanjiro frowned as he thought about it. His eyes widened slightly at a sudden idea he was having. He then smiled with confidence.
"We'll get it soon. Once I'm all set to go, I plan to head out on my own and search for it. Don't forget I'll be able to easily sniff it out. I'll find it, so don't you worry, okay?"
"Thanks." The boy smiled slightly at Tanjiro, and then it dropped along with his head. "Y'know it reminds me of all the times we huddled together during this time of year. I guess.. I kinda miss it. The warmth, I mean." Inosuke pulled Tanjiro's haori around himself, eyes focused on the untouched snow below them.
Tanjiro's eyebrows turned upward, and his smile rested. "I understand what you mean. I miss my mom's warmth, too. I miss her hugs." He blinked away tears and smiled sadly at the other boy who began to shiver slightly. "But I promise I'll get your fur back."
Inosuke then felt warm arms around him. He jumped slightly at the touch. But he quickly settled into the hug and held onto the other boy.
The redhead felt that boy shiver under his touch. "We should probably head back inside. You're shivering." He whispered into his ear.
The pale boy continued to shiver. He couldn't tell if it was actually from the cold or if it was something completely unrelated. "I am not!" He lied, teeth begining to chatter. Maybe it was a bit of both.
"Even so, I'm starting to get cold myself." He then realised his shirt was opened. He blushed and buttoned it quickly just before standing up and up offering a hand to the injured boy. Inosuke took it with an irritable look and a slight pout. A giggle came from the Tanjiro. "You know, you're really cute, Inosuke."
The pale boy's cheeks went hot, and it was very noticeable on Inosuke's complexion.
"W-what the hell are you - what are you - I... I'm not cute damn it!!" Inosuke stammered in response . He didn't know how to feel about Tanjiro's words. But he knew it made his insides feel weird.
Tanjiro chuckled at the reaction he received from the other boy. This made Inosuke more frustrated. How can words make him feel so, so..weak... It wasn't fair. He didn't know how to make it go away. He didn't want to feel weak.
However, the feeling was so warm. Like an embrace. Which he surprisingly liked a lot. He only hugged certain people, though; like Shinobu, Kanao, Nezuko (only when Zenitsu wasn't around. He would get way too jealous, resulting in a huge fight between the two.) and most importantly, Tanjiro. He really did give the best hugs. They made Inosuke happy.
Inosuke turned to hide his red cheeks and began moving away from the other boy. " Whatever. I'm gonna get some food." He grumbled.
Tanjiro smiled slightly and sped up to catch the blue tipped boy. "Do you mind if I come with you?"
Inosuke swallowed. "Do what you want, Tanjiro. Doesn't matter to me."
"Great!" Tanjiro cheered with a large smile. He loved it when Inosuke said his name right. "What do you think will be for breakfast today?"
"I don't know. I'm just going to grab what I want."
"You shouldn't do that, Inosuke. That's stealing. You're taking someone elses food without permission. It's the same thing as taking Zenitsu's food when we're eating together. I don't mind sharing with you, but you can't just take others without asking first, understand?"
Inosuke pouted. He liked getting whatever food he wanted. Sometimes, they would make food he didn't like, which was mainly vegetables. So he would take extra meat when no one was looking. But he preferred tempura over anything.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it." Inosuke rolled his eyes.
"Good. Now let's go get some food, okay?" Tanjiro flashed his signature smile, and Inosuke's heart started beating faster.
"Whatever! Let's just go already!" Inosuke said angrily as he sped up on hs crutches, leaving Tanjiro far behind him.
"Wait! Inosuke!" He chased after the boar boy. Tanjiro wondered if Inosuke was thinking about him the same way that he was. He wondered if this would really work. It felt pretty much the same, except he'd never called Inosuke cute before.
-
"You called him cute?!" A certain blond overreacted, the other boy flinched at the sudden outburst as they headed for the kitchen with their dishes.
"I- well, yeah. I mean, he is!" Tanjiro was starting to get a tad frustrated. He was told to compliment him, right? He didn't want to mess up anything. So what was so wrong?
"Ugh..you idiot. Remember, Inosuke isn't a girl. Haven't you seen his insanely ripped body?! He wants to be told that he's strong, not cute. Let me ask you something, Tanjiro. Would you prefer to be called cute or handsome?"
"Well... either would be fine, but I guess I'd prefer handsome."
"Right because if someone called you cute, you would be a blushing mess. Just like -"
"Inosuke..." He finished for the blond.
"Right, exactly."
"Darn it, Zenitsu. I messed up!" Tanjiro scolded himself. He wished he could dig up a hold and just hide in it. "He wouldn't look at me during breakfast, and he didn't even ask for any of my food! What did I do if he never talks to me again?"
"Don't worry. That isn't going to happen." Zenitsu reassured his friend. "At breakfast, he was just embarrassed. He likes you too much to never talk to you again. It's obvious that you're his favourite person."
Tanjiro's cheeks were warm. "You really think so, Zenitsu?"
"Are you kidding? He goes to you about everything. You guys are the closest I've seen friends be. Other than you and I, of course, in an actual friend way. Even though you and Nezuko look alike, that doesn't mean I would kiss you. No offense to you or anything, Tanjiro, but I just don't swing that way. Sorry, man."
Tanjiro was beginning to wonder why this was starting to sound like he had just confessed to Zenitsu and was now being turned down.
Before Tanjiro had the chance to question his friends words, he was interrupted by the blond. "Anyways, you guys already kinda look like a couple. We just gotta let the love blossom, and you guys will be lovebirds in no time."
"What do you mean we already look like a couple?"
"Seriously?! You've got to be joking!" Zenitsu exlaimed. Tanjiro just stared back at his friend. "Ah crap. You're not joking, are you?"
Tanjiro shook his head, eyebrows furrowed, and cheeks puffed out.
"Well, for starters, as I said before, he goes to you for everything. He finds a 'cool rock.''' Boom! He's at your side shouting out to you. He needs help washing his hair. Boom! He's asking you for help. He wants extra food. Boom! He's taking your food from your plate."
"He doesn't take my food anymore. He always asks nicely." Although, Inosuke asking for food nicely usually goes along the lines of, "Are you going to eat that?" and Tanjiro just giving to him.
"Well, usually only couples share food like that. Not to mention you two hold hands all the time and especially every time we go to the city."
It was true that they held hands when going to crowded places such as the city. Inosuke was afraid of crowds. He wasn't used to groups of people. Escpecially people he doesn't know. Not that he would say it out loud, but holding Tanjiro's hand made him feel safe.
Tanjiro was a little overwhelmed by the city life. He wasn't quite used to so many people either. But holding Inosuke's hand made him feel more at ease as well.
Zenitsu knew this already. So Tanjiro was a bit confused as to what he was referring to when he said "all the time." After all, they didn't go to the city very much.
Tanjiro must have been making a face of confusion because Zenitsu just rolled his eyes and sighed as they both put their dishes in the kitchen to be cleaned.
"You're hopeless. Both of you. You guys hold hands like every night and cuddle, too."
"Shhhh!!!!" Tanjiro covered his friends mouth with his hands. "No one can know. He would be so upset." He whispered in a panicked tone.
"But you guys are just so wholesome! It makes me feel sick every time I see you guys! I just feel so jealous! I wish i had a beautiful loving wife! Or even a girlfriend!" The blond whined loudly, which made Aoi kick them both out of the kitchen.
"She's so pretty when she's mad."
"You're not supposed to make anyone mad, Zenitsu."
"Me? It's your fault, not mine. You're the one fulfilling your dreams and living the life of a full-time lover."
"We're not together, though, Zenitsu.
"Ah, but you will be, my friend. Only time will tell when so you better get back. Maybe start with an apology for calling him cute."
"You think that will work?"
"The only way to find out is to try. You don't have very many options."
The redhead swallowed. "I know... Thank you, Zenitsu. I'm going to find him and talk to him. I'll see you later." He parted ways with the blond leaving him at the kitchen entrance.
"Later!" He waved. Once Tanjiro turned the corner, Zenitsu dropped his arm and frowned sadly. "Ugh. Why do I have to feel this way?"
He complained often about not having a wife. But he really didn't want just any girl to be his wife. He had his eyes set on a very beautiful girl. A girl that he wasn't sure if he could ever call his wife.
Zenitsu opened a door and walked into the dark room. He closed the door behind him and listened carefully. The room was too dark to see, but he could hear faint scratching. It was her.
The blond approached the sound and sat next to a familiar wooden box. Her scratching was light, and then it began to fade. He could hear nothing but steady breathing. She was asleep.
If they managed to turn her back into a human, would she even feel the same about him? Zenitsu wondered this every day. "Nezuko..."
--
Tanjiro opened the infirmary door to see Inosuke walking around on his hands and doing pushups, his injured leg dangling.
"Inosuke! You shouldn't be stressing your body too much. You need to be resting." The redhead walked in, hands up as if he were going to catch the other's legs.
The savage continued his workout as he made eye contact with the scarred boy. "You want me to get weak, Gonpachiro? As if I'll let that happen. You're not gonna beat me!"
"Please, Inosuke. You need to care for your body more. It's important. Will you at least do it for me?"
The blue tipped boy sighed, "Fiiiiiiiine. But only because my favourite underling asked me to."
Favourite? Tanjiro remembered his conversation with Zenitsu and blushed.
Inosuke bent his legs and folded his body backward, showing off his incredible flexibility. He landed on his good foot and then hopped over to his respective bed and plopped down. "I was just finishing up anyways."
"Inosuke," Tanjiro started as he took a seat next to the inured boy. "Can we talk abou-"
Suddenly, the room seemed to sway. Inosuke placed a palm on his forehead, trying to hold himself up. "Ugh, my head..."
"Inosuke?" The boy didn't respond, as he was losing consciousness. The redhead caught the savage by his shoulders, and his head fell forward. That was when Tanjiro noticed the blood soaking the bandage on the back of his head.
Panic rose in the scarred boy. He didn't know if he could stay calm. But he had to do something. He had to stop the bleeding.
The boy looked around for something to soak up the blood, but all he could see was the bedsheets. It would just have to do.
Tanjiro balled up the sheet in his fist and held the bleeding boy to his chest with his other arm just before applying pressure to the affected area.
Swallowing hard, the scarred boy felt a lump in his throat. Tears pricked his eyes. He had to get someone. He needed help. But he couldn't leave the other alone. He couldn't release the pressure to his head. He could only think of one option.
"Zen-Zenitsu!!!" Tanjiro croaked out, his voice in obvious distress. He knew the blond would be able to hear him. He couldn't be far away.
Within less than a minute, the blond threw the door open with his free arm. "What's wrong?!"
The redhead was slightly relieved, tears pricked his eyes. "Zenitsu! I need you to -"
The lightning user looked down at the boar boy. "AHHHHH!!! Is that blood?!! Did his wound open up again?! Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!"
"Yes, and he needs help! Now please, I need you to go get Aoi. Tell her it's an emergency."
"Okay! Okay! I'm on it!" He said in a panicking tone as he rushed out the door.
In just a couple of minutes, Aoi burst through the door with a crying blond behind her. "He's still alive, I can hear his heartbeat, but it's slow. What are we gonna do?!" He cried.
"How long have you been applying pressure to his wound?" Was the first thing out of her mouth, ignoring the sobbing blond.
"Uh, I don't know, maybe five minutes."
"Great, keep holding that there and put this on top. You need to hold it for atleast fifteen minutes total." She handed him a thick cloth to soak up any excess blood. "I'll have to take a look first, but I may have to redo his stitches. So I'll need you both to leave me to my work."
"Y-yes, of course." Tanjiro voice quivered.
After the full fifteen minutes, they checked the injury. Aoi confirmed that she would have to re-stitch his wound. She left the boys and ran off to get her tools and another blood bag.
"I stopped him right as I got here, but it was already too late. I was just about to do it, you know, before he passed out." Tanjiro managed to get out as he clutched the boar boy closer to him, applying slightly more pressure to the back of his head.
"Hey, don't worry. He's not going anywhere. He'll be just fine. He's Inosuke Hashibira. And when he wakes up later, you can just talk with him then."
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Zenitsu." He smiled a bit as he held the unconscious boy before whispering. "Everything's going to be okay."
The pigtailed girl came back with a cart full of tools, bandages, and anesthetics. "I'm sorry, but I'll need some space, you two. You can wait in the hall if you want."
The boys cleared the room and sat in the hall as suggested. Tanjiro didn't feel like talking. He felt like he would just start crying. Instead, he sat on the ground, knees to his chest, and head down.
Zenitsu sat on the floor across from Tanjiro and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.
After about half an hour, the infirmary door opened. "You can come inside now."
Tanjiro's head shot up, his tan cheeks stained with tear streaks. Zenitsu had fallen asleep while waiting.
The redhead was up in seconds to see the other boy.
"Pardon the bindings, but we can't have an accident like this again. He's too persistent, so this is just what we're going to have to do. He should be out for a while until his blood levels are back to normal."
The savage was tied to the bed posts by the wrists with clean some fabric from the bloody sheet. An IV was back in his arm, and all bandages changed. He was snoring lightly, so they knew he was going to be okay.
"No worries about that sheet, I'll fetch him a new one once I put all of this away."
"Thank you, Aoi, for everything. Really." Tanjiro bowed to the girl, almost in tears again.
"It's no problem. Just please make sure to watch him until he wakes up. And when he does, come get me."
"I understand."
The girl headed out with the cart, and right after that, the blond headed in. She must have woken him up.
Tanjiro pulled up a chair, and the lightning user followed suit.
"How long do you think until he wakes up?" The blond asked.
"I'm not sure... But I'm not leaving until he does." Tanjiro reached up, lightly touching the hair by his temple and brushing it behind his ear, careful not to touch the bindings on his head.
"You really do love him, don't you?"
The scarred boy quickly retracted his hand with a blush on his face. "I.. Yeah, I guess I really do."
"Not only can I tell from your heartbeat but by the way you look at him."
"I really do wish I could tell him as soon as he wakes up, but that would be really selfish of me."
"Understandable, plus you need to stick to the plan."
"You're right. I'll just keep doing what im doing. Except I won't call him cute."
"Handsome." Zenitsu reminded him
"And strong?"
"And strong."
Zenitsu gave him a thumbs up and decided to leave the pair alone. He stated he was going to hang out with the girls.
The redhead was relieved to finally be alone. He leaned over, arms folded on the bed and his head on top. After all that stress and crying, a little nap wouldn't hurt anyone. His deep red eyes soon closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.
"-chiro! Gonpachiro!" Tanjiro's eyes flew open. "Hey! Wake up!" The said boy picked up his head to see that the boar boy was finally awake.
Sudden relief washed over the boy, tears streaming. "Inosuke!" He jumped at the boy, arms around his torso and face in his chest. "You had me so worried." Tanjiro sobbed.
Inosuke was a bit shocked. He didn't really remember what happened, but Tanjiro filled him in and then explained why he was tied up.
"I'm not going to do anything stupid like that again. I just.. don't want to see you crying because of me is all."
"I'll try to see if I can convince Aoi to let us untie you. I think you've been through enough. I have to let her know that you're awake, though. I'll be right back, okay?" Inosuke nodded, and the boy left to get the pigtailed girl.
The savage felt bad for worrying Tanjiro so much that he was sobbing as hard as he had. He felt even worse that he couldn't hold him and say everything was okay, just like Tanjiro had done for him. He didn't want to see that sight ever again.
Not too much longer, the redhead came back with the girl so she could examine him again. "The pressure from being upside down caused your wound to open back up and bleed again. You can't be so reckless with a serious injury like this one."
Tanjiro could smell the guilt coming from the boar boy. His face showed it, too. Aoi noticed this as well. It was a new sight to see for anybody.
Aoi caved in to the boy's newfound guilty demeanor. "If you promise to not do anything stupid like that again and just rest, then I will untie you. But you have to promise." She said sternly, arms folded.
"I promise. I pinky promise." The boy used what Shinobu had taught him and stuck out a pinky finger to the girl from his bound hand. "I don't want to worry anyone anymore."
The pigtailed girl was slightly taken aback. She'd never seen the savage so cooperative. Without leaving him waiting much longer, she stuck her pinky out and joined it with his. "As long as you understand how important taking care of yourself is."
The boy nodded in return, and the girl began untying one arm while Tanjiro handled the other. Inosuke lowered his arms and rubbed at his sore wrists as Aoi checked the IV in his arm just before leaving the pair alone.
"You took care of me, right? When I passed out, I mean."
"Yeah, I did. I couldn't just leave you. You're too important to me for me to let anything bad happen to you."
"You're... important to me, too. I'm sorry... I was too weak. That's why I promised. I need to get better so I can get stronger. I don't want you or anyone worrying about me. I won't need help from anyone after I train a ton more."
"Oh, Inosuke.." Tanjiro smiled somberly. "There's nothing wrong with having help from your teammates. Although, I wish I could have done more. I still kinda feel like your injuries were my fault to begin with."
"What?! No, it was my own fault that I got hurt. I ran off on my own like a dumbass. Weren't you the one who killed the damn demon anyway? "
"Even so, I wasn't fast enough to stop that demon from attacking you."
"It's not your responsibility to protect me!"
"You say that, but how did you feel when you woke up in the infirmary?" Inosuke didn't need to answer that question to know that he was right. "We all feel the need to protect one another. But there's no use in blaming yourself for anything that happens. I have to keep reminding myself that, too."
Tanjiro was right. Inosuke couldn't deny it. He had to let it go. They were all alive and that's what mattered the most.
"Well.. Thank you for caring about me and taking care of me when I was bleeding out, both times."
Tanjiro's eyes went wide for just a moment. He hadn't heard Inosuke ever thank anyone for anything. The boar boy was changing in subtle ways, and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"It's nothing, really." Tanjiro blushed with a nervous smile as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm glad I was able to help."
"Hey, Tanjiro?" The said boy blushed deeper at the sound of his name coming from the savage.
"Yes, Inosuke?"
"You had something you wanted to talk to me about, right?"
The redhead tensed up at the question. "I.. Yeah, I did, but it's not really that important right now. We can talk about it a little later. You should really get some rest."
Inosuke raised an eyebrow at the other but decided not to push any further. He didn't really have the energy to do so anyway. "Fine, whatever. But I have a question for you."
Tanjiro couldn't prepare himself for what he was about to ask since the savage was so unpredictable. "Sure. What is it?"
"What was that this morning? Before I shoved us both off the bed."
"Oh, um, that was cuddling. It's when two people hold each other close as a way of showing affection."
"Cuddling, huh?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Can we do that again? Right now?"
"Right now?! I-I thought you didn't like it." Tanjiro stuttered.
Inosuke snorted. "Pfft! Now you're the one being cute."
Tanjiro blushed. His heart skipped a beat. He decided to accept the compliment. But that didn't mean he wasn't still going to apologize. He might as well just do it now.
"Hey." Tanjiro whispered
"Hmm?"
"What I meant to say earlier. I meant to say I'm sorry for calling you cute." Inosuke's expression was one of confusio, and Tanjiro felt a slight panic rise in his chest. "If you wan, I can call you something else! Like handsome or strong or cool, since you are those things after all. B-but I mean that's completely up to you!" Tanjiro babbled, his face red.
"I don't understand why you're apologizing. I do...I do like them..." Inosuke crossed his arms and turned his head away as he mumbled. "I like all those things you said you would call me. Andcutee is okay too..."
The redheads eyebrows raised in shock. That was definitely unexpected. Zenitsu was wrong about one thing. But at least the apology went well.
"It just made my insides feel weird." Inosuke mumbled. "Anyways, I was just... surprised is all. About the cuddlin, too."
The redhead took a deep breath before speaking. "I see..Then yes. I would like that very much. To cuddl, that is." Tanjiro's cheeks were tinted pink.
"Really?!"
"Yes, really." The boy chuckled.
"What should I-?"
"Just scoot over, I'll show you." Tanjiro chuckled.
Inosuke did as he was told and made some space for the other boy and rolled on his side. Tanjiro slid into the bed, his arm propping up his head and held his arm out for the savage to climb in. "Come here." He smiled softly.
The boar boy eagerly took the invitation and cuddled up to the other. It felt better than before. So warm and comfy. Both of their hearts were beating a thousand miles a minute. However, something wasn't quite right to the blue tipped boy. Tanjiro could tell. The scent of unsatisfaction.
"Is there something wrong, Inosuke?"
Without responding, the said boy began unbuttoning the redheads pajama top.
"W-what are you doing?!"
"I want to cuddle like before. Like this." Inosuke pressed the side of his face to his chest and nuzzled into it. The redheads tanned skin tingled where Inosuke touched him.
"You're always so blunt about what you want." He chuckled and patted the pale boy's dark hair.
"Yeah? Well, what am I supposed to do? Pretend that I don't want this?" Inosuke nuzzled more into the others' chest, his arms snaked under the other boys' shirt, making more skin contact.
Just then, the door opened, and Tanjiro launched himself off the bed, landing on his stomach on the floor. Hiding.
Inosuke didn't know what just happened. But he was irritated by the sudden interruption.
The savage turned his body to the door to find Aoi, who had brought him a replacement sheet and some lunch.
He'd immediately forgotten the anger he just had as he squirmed in his seat, practically drooling over the food beside him as the pigtailed girl removed the IV, for hopefully the last time. She informed him he was okay to bathe but to be mindful of the stitches when washing his hair. She also left fresh pajamas for all three boys and then took off.
Once they we're alone again, the boar boy reached over the edge of the bed, picking Tanjiro up by the back of his shirt. "What the hell was that?"
"I just.. didn't want us to get caught." He chuckled.
The savage dropped him and picked up the tray of food, immidiately inhaling it. He spoke with a full mouth. "Caught for what?"
"You know. Cuddling."
"So what? We can't cuddle now?" Rice flew at Tanjiro as the savage spoke.
Tanjiro flicked a piece of rice off his cheek, unaffected. "No, no, that's not it. I just mean in front of others. Cuddling is kind of a private thing that you only do in eachothers company."
"Doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I don't give a shit if anyone sees us. If they don't like it, then they can look away, or I'll just punch them!" He crushed a rice ball in his hand, rice falling onto the tray.
Tanjiro chuckled at the savage. "What's so funny, huh?" Inosuke's fists were clenched, like he was ready to fight.
"It's nothing." The redhead reassured, changing the subject. "Inosuke, before dinner, I'll help you wash your hair since you can't see where the wound is." They had bathed together before anyways, so this wasn't anything new to them.
"Sure. Do whatever." He started to calm down, and eventually, they just talked all the way until it was almost dinnertime.
Tanjiro led the other boy down the hall to the empty baths. Inosuke waited as the other boy filled the tub with hot water. He would have usually cannonballed in, but due to his leg injury, he decided against it.
Once filled, the boar boy attempted to climb inside the large wooden tub by himself. The other boy quickly realized the struggle and immediately went to help the pale boy. He lifted him and sat him in the water. The savage let out a relaxed sigh as his body became submurged. Other than eating and working out, bathing was one of Inosuke's favourite things to do.
"This is really nice." Tanjiro's muscles were beginning to loosen up. He couldn't help but follow suit, letting out a relaxed sigh.
Inosuke closed his bright eyes and lowered his head into the water, stopping right at his cheekbones. His mouth and nose submurged. Then he began blowing little bubbles.
Tanjiro giggled, and the boar boy looked up at him, picking his head up out of the water. "Hah?! What's so funny? I always make bubbles."
"Yeah, but I've never been able to say that you look really cute when you're doing it."
Inosuke's cheeks went hot, though it was hard to tell since his face was already flushed from the hot bath. Tanjiro's nose never fooled him, though.
"You're just too scared to say what you're thinking. If you...want to call me cute, then just do it. No one's stopping you." He encouraged.
The scarred boy was shocked at the verbal response. Did that mean he really liked it when he called him cute?
He smiled widely, sweetness in his voice. "Fine, then. You're really, really cute, and I love that about you."
All Inosuke could do was lower his red cheeks into the water again, now blowing bubbles more aggressively due to his embarrassment.
They finished up in the bath and got out so they could wash up. Tanjiro was very careful around the stitched area on the savages head as he washed the blood out.
During this, Inosuke realized that he loved feeling Tanjiro's fingers through his hair. He never wanted that to stop. But to his disappointment, the redhead removed his hand and grabbed a bucket full of water. "Close your eyes, Inosuke." He did as he was told, and the bucket of warm water was dumped over his soapy head.
Once they were finished, they changed and went to go find Zenitsu. Who they found in the kitchen with Aoi and Kanao cooking dinner for everyone. Tanjiro dragged Inosuke away so he wouldn't steal any food. He may have been injured, but he was still fast.
Tanjiro couldn't believe how fast the day had gone by with Inosuke's accident and their endless conversations.
Inosuke was perfectly fine with Zenitsu being gone for now. That just meant he had more time with Tanjiro before dinner. He loved spending time with Tanjiro. He gave him feelings of bliss every time he was near. He wanted to cherish every moment he had with him. Though he wasn't sure if he'd actually say any of that out loud.
They found themselves back at the imfirmary. Tanjiro sat on his bed, legs crossed and patted the space in front of him. "Come sit?" He asked, smiling.
The savage hobbled over and took a seat in front of Tanjiro. The tan boy tossed the towel he had over the others head and began carefully drying his hair.
Once done, the boy took the towel off, revealing a fluffy mess of hair. Tanjiro giggled at the sight. "Let me go get a brush." He was gone and back in a matter of seconds with the same brush that was used on Nezuko.
The bristles massaged the pale boy's scalp as Tanjiro combed his hair, making him hum happily. Inosuke's scent was euphoric. It was flowery from the bath, but there was still a masculine scent of fresh pine.
The redhead finished getting all the knots out, but he wasn't quite done with the blue tipped boy. His gentle fingers slid through dark hair, grazing the boy's scalp.
"Mmm.. feels good..."
Tanjiro played with his hair for another couple of minutes. The boar boy was so quiet that the other boy thought he might have fallen asleep.
"Inosuke."
"Hmm?"
"You must really like this, huh?" Tanjiro whispered sweetly.
"Mhm." Inosuke confirmed without hesitation. "Play with my hair more often."
The scared boy giggled. "I don't mind at all." In fact, he loved the response he was receiving from the pale boy. Tanjiro ran circles through the dark hair, and the other hummed calmly.
"Will you turn this way?"
The savage did as he was asked and faced the redhead, a curious look on his face. Bright green eyes stared back at Tanjiro, waiting. But all he could think about was his eyes. Green like grass. Like a large field of grass, each strand blowing in the air as the wind carries them away.
"What's wrong?"
Tanjiro ignored the question and slid his fingers back into the boy's hair, thick eyelashes softly closed, and pink lips curled into the cutest smile. Tanjiro couldn't help but want to kiss them. He held his breath as he moved in closer, his lips now inches away from Inosuke's.
Green eyes slowly opened, quickly going wide with shock. "W-what are you -?!" Inosuke backed up, startled by the others' action.
The scarred boys' hands were still in the other's hair. As Inosuke moved backward, Tanjiro was pulled forward, falling on top of the savage.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Tanjiro stammered as he quickly pushed himself up, still hovering over the flexible boy.
Just then, the door opened. Zenitsu entered, finding the pair at the most awkward time possible. Everything had just happened so fast.
The blonds face immediately heated up. "What are you- What the hell is with your hair?! Are-are you guys.. really? Oh my God, no! I don't wanna hear it!" He slammed his hands over his ears. Even if it did hurt his arm, he didn't care. "Ah la la la la la! I can't hear you! La la la la la!" He yelled as he exited the room in a rush.
"What the hell?" Inosuke questioned angrily.
This reminded Tanjiro of their current position. He quickly pushed himself up, back to his original seating position. "I'm really sorry! I dont know what came over me."
Inosuke was confused. By both Tanjiro and Zenitsu. He had no clue what either of them were on about.
"It's fine, I guess. I just thought you were gonna headbutt me again.
"No! No! I wouldn't do that so suddenly or even at all really. I only did it that one time to calm you down."
Inosuke snickered. "It calmed me down, alright. Put my ass straight into a coma with that forehead of yours."
A small laugh came from the redhead. "Anyways, you should let me re-brush your hair. It's uh, messy again." He reached out, lightly fingering his hair, attempting to get some of the knots out.
"Sure, whatever. But you better hurry up because I'm gettin' hungry, and I bet that idiot was here to say that dinner is ready."
"Alright, let's get started then."
Inosuke turned back around and hummed happily as he continued to enjoy the bristles massaging his scalp, except for where his wound was. Tanjiro was very gentle and avoided the cut with ease, just like before.
The scarred boy was still thinking about how he'd tried to kiss Inosuke. He clearly didn't even know what kissing was. He thought he was going to headbutt him for crying out loud. This was going to be more difficult than Tanjiro thought.