Hi! Thanks for clicking on this story! It's an idea that jumped into my mind out of nowhere and I had to write it down.
I hope you will enjoy this story!
XXX
The chatter of countless people buzzed around him, his sensitive ears easily picking up every word they said to each other, no matter whether they shouted or whispered them. Not even the noises of the subway he was currently sitting in rushing through the underground tunnels could silence them, so Zenitsu had no other choice but to continue and listen to the blabbering of the people around him, constantly failing at ignoring the noises. He could name many good points about having his sensitive hearing, but at the same time, he could curse it sometimes too.
The dim lights in the tunnels flashed before his eyes, but the blond barely noticed them as he leaned his head on his hand, staring into the darkness. It was already late in the evening and he was currently on his way back home. Work had been tiring, to say the least, with his colleagues asking him every few minutes to help them with their stuff.
Years ago, he might have just ignored them or told them he couldn't help, but this had changed over time. The image of an attractive redhead with a beaming smile that was brighter as the sun itself flashed in front of his inner eyes and Zenitsu sighed. Tanjirou was rubbing off on him, that much was obvious.
But he didn't mind. Zenitsu would conquer the world and even the entire universe for the man he loved if he would ask. Of course, Tanjirou would never ask something like this, but Zenitsu still smiled a small smirk at the silly thought. Oh, how much he has fallen for this man, the silver around his ring finger suddenly feeling warmer than usual.
However, even thinking about his perfect husband didn't make his current circumstances any better. The day had been long and was more stressful due to his co-workers pestering him throughout his entire shift. He was tired and he felt how a headache was blooming right behind his forehead, expanding to his temples and turning it even more painful than it already was.
The blond groaned from his chest and apparently it was loud enough for some people to turn in his direction, looking curiously at him. Of course, his sensitive hearing picked up their thoughts a moment later and it made him groan again. Suddenly a metallic voice echoed through the wagon and released him from his suffering.
"The next stop is at Sagiri alleyway. Please watch your step when you leave the cart." The announcer said through the speakers.
Faster than lightning Zenitsu grabbed his backpack and rushed to the door, eager to get out of the stuffy wagon. With every passing second his headache was becoming worse and worse and he seriously hoped that some fresh air would help.
A minute later the subway entered the next station and came to a halt, the metallic doors sliding open. The blond was the first to leave, breathing in relief when the voices in his head dulled to a mixture he couldn't make any sense of. More people were waiting at the station, but most of them were busy scrolling through their phones or simply sitting around and staring at nothing in particular.
Zenitsu followed the dimly lit pathway he knew like the back of his hand. He had lived for years in the city and his former apartment wasn't too far away from where he lived now after he and Tanjirou moved in together, so nothing really changed for him in the aftermath aside from being welcomed by his husband now instead of a cold silence once he got home.
With most of the ruckus silenced, he allowed himself to just stand on the escalator and enjoy the rides upward until he made it to the entrance of the subway. The engines of cars roared but their sounds didn't bother him as much as did the chatting of people. Most engines had a similar sound, a deep rumble he grew accustomed to over time, so if he didn't focus on them, Zenitsu didn't notice them often these days anymore.
With people, it was a different story. Not only had each of them a different voice, but their thoughts were different too. Sometimes, it got overwhelming to listen to all of them at once for him, especially when he was tired. Therefore, the ride back had been like torture to him today, but it was finally over. However, his blooming headache remained stubbornly, the fresh air doing little to nothing to improve it. Rubbing his temples to get rid of it didn't help either.
The blond made a noise that was a mixture of a sigh and a groan. There was nothing he could do about it now, so he had to deal with it for the time being. A good night's rest would hopefully help him with the problem, so the sooner he got back home, the better.
Zenitsu walked along the pedestrian walkway, passing by restaurants and shops alike. It was late, late enough for the stars to twinkle in the sky, yet the stores were still as busy as always. He figured a city would never calm down, no matter the time. He was actually even glad shops were open this long because it meant fewer people on the walkway since they swarmed the insides of the businesses lining the street.
It made his way back home a lot easier because he didn't have to navigate through a mass of people. Soon enough, he arrived at the multi-storey building of his apartment and mentally prepared himself for the upcoming climb to the top. Due to Tanjirou's insistence, they moved into the top floor even though the apartments on the ground floor had been empty back then.
Zenitsu didn't see a reason why they should go through the hassle of moving their stuff through the entire stairwell if they had a much easier option. Yet, his husband didn't move an inch from his position, rambling about how they should think about old people who might want to move in there instead.
The blond had stared hard at Tanjirou then and there, not believing how compassionate and considerate a single person could be. Zenitsu knew that Tanjirou wanted to save the world, but the large forehead had the annoying tendency to forget about his own well-being, something Zenitsu didn't like at all. Therefore, he gladly took the role of being the one to tell Tanjirou to calm down once in a while even when this meant he had to be a bit pushy. He knew his redhead well, so Zenitsu had his ways to convince Tanjirou to let work be work and instead live in the here and now. Still, it didn't help him much back then.
"You can't be serious, Tanji! Do you have an idea what you are suggesting?!" Zenitsu remembered quite well how he reacted because his husband's trail of thought was simply insane. Of course, he was met with fierce resistance and he would never forget Tanjirou's reaction. "We are moving to the top floor and that's final! Hmpf!" The redhead retorted, his cheeks puffed up in a very childish way, pouting.
Tanjirou was stubborn, extremely so with his large rock-hard forehead and all and on rare occasions, it could lead the redhead to become a bossy little bitch, something many would probably never think about him. Zenitsu knew better and it was one of his greatest weak spots.
There was no point denying that Tanjirou was attractive, but something about him standing there with his round cheeks was also extremely cute. How could Zenitsu possibly deny the man anything if he looked like that?
"Fine! But if I get crushed by a bookshelf or anything, I will haunt you forever!"
"I won't let that happen!" Tanjirou boldly replied, still pouting before his expression suddenly changed and he mustered the softest and brightest smile he could. "Aside from the forever part. That I will let gladly happen," he said, grabbing Zenitsu's hand and pressing a soft kiss on its back, brushing over the band of silver around the blond's ring finger with his thumb, grinning like a fool.
"Tanji!" Zenitsu screeched, his face as red as a tomato at how cheesy Tanjirou was behaving. "You can't just say stuff like this! My Heart! My freaking heart! Think about it!"
"But when it's the truth? Also, you know that I don't lie." The redhead answered, his grin growing even larger when he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on the blond's lips, causing the man's brain to stop all functionality.
With that, any protest that lingered within Zenitsu's heart vanished even though he was already dreading what he got himself into. But Tanjirou's tender and plush lips on his were very distracting and he decided they were more important than anything else at that moment.
They only returned on the day of the actual move because it went as well as Zenitsu had imagined it would. Two 23-year-old and 22-year-old young men and the stuff from their two apartments versus a narrow staircase which they had to climb all the way to the top floor. What possibly could go wrong under such circumstances? A simple question with a simple answer.
Everything.
Zenitsu's memories of that particular day were nothing but a blur, most likely a protective measure from his body to prevent him from remembering anything. He only knew that they started long before the sun rose over the horizon and were not finished before it exchanged places with the moon in the sky. And they only managed to get everything inside the apartment which didn't include setting everything up.
Their new apartment was filled with boxes piling up to the ceiling neither of them knew the contents anymore. They didn't even have a couch or a bed because they had to disassemble them. Otherwise, they would have never fit through the damn staircase.
This led to Tanjirou and Zenitsu lying on the cold and hard floor with their clothes drenched in sweat acting as the only cushion. Zenitsu was sprawled out, his aching limbs covered in bruises. His expression was void of any emotion and he simply stared at the ceiling.
Beside him, Tanjirou was awfully fidgety, playing with his fingers. The blond could easily tell that the redhead wanted to say something, but he had no energy left to ask. So he would just wait until Tanjirou would say whatever was on his mind. Eventually, Tanjirou broke down and the words tumbled from his lips.
"I'm sorry," he said meekly, unable to meet Zenitsu's eyes that glared at him without the blond moving his head.
"About what?" The blond asked even though he was aware of what this was about.
"About the move. You were right." Tanjirou admitted, still unable to meet his gaze.
"Of course I was! Stupid Tanji!" He shouted dramatically even though there was no bite behind his words. If anything they were playful because he was grinning like an idiot, happy that Tanjirou finally saw his point.
Without warning, he dragged his body on top of Tanjirou's which finally earned him the other male's attention. Before the redhead could ask what this was about though, Zenitsu made his move and silenced any words with a sweet kiss. He might have been right, but it was already too late to complain. But Tanjirou and his tanjirouness could things not let simply be things, so it was up to Zenitsu to take his mind away.
It has been a few years since their move and the blond grew used to the daily fight of dragging himself to the top floor. After all, his lovely husband scratching at the concept of perfection was waiting for him up there, so it was worth the cost.
Still, with his head pounding and his body tired the climb didn't get any easier and he had to take a deep breath when he stood at the bottom. "I swear the things I do for this stupid forehead," Zenitsu mumbled to himself before he took the first step.
It took him longer than normal which was no surprise, but eventually, he made it and finally stood in front of the door to their shared apartment. Fishing for his keys in the pocket of his pants, he pulled them out when he found them and unlocked the door. He didn't even manage to open it by a slit before Tanjirou's voice reached his ears.
"Welcome Home!"
XXX
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first part! Originally, I thought this would be just a small 1k one-shot since I have only two notes in my mind, but the boys run away from me, so I decided to split this story into two parts. Next up is Tanjirou's turn!