Chapter Text
“Tanjirou!”
His name, called out in an unfamiliar honeyed tone, has Tanjirou turning his head to see a pink-clad figure barreling towards him, silk skirts of their kimono lifted as he runs.
It’s only when the person flings themselves into his arms in cloud of scented perfume that Tanjirou realizes, upon closer inspection, that it’s Muichirou.
His face is made up as exquisitely as a doll’s, with ruby red lips and the barest hint of blush. The normally clean smell of sunlight and fresh air that clings to Muichirou has been downed under a cloud of sickly-sweet perfume, which makes Tanjirou’s nose itch. Muichirou’s lustrous inky-black hair is pulled back and away from his face, into a chignon woven with golden flowers.
He looks gorgeous.
Tanjirou’s cheeks burn bright as he focuses on his friend. Muichirou wears his happiness like the sun’s rays, radiating it to warm him. He is, as usual, free with his affections, reserved for only Tanjirou.
“M-Muichirou, what are you doing here? And what are you wearing?” Tanjirou, more bemused than anything, stares at Muichirou, blooming and glowing underneath a forest of embroidered pink peonies.
“Doesn’t it look good?” Muichirou says, cheeks dimpling as his smile widens. He seems completely at home in his new outfit, and, after disentangling himself from Tanjirou’s arms, spins in a slow circle for Tanjirou to see. “Uzui and I are going to the red-light district to hunt demons. It’s an undercover mission, so I had to dress the part.”
“You look pretty,” Tanjirou says, offering Muichirou a shy smile over the heat that seems to blossom in his cheeks once again.
“Thank you,” Muichirou replies, just as shyly, and he’s looking at Tanjirou with a peculiar expression that sets his stomach fluttering.
Tanjirou hesitates for the span of a breath. “Is – Is it just the two of you going?”
“No, he’s looking for more girls to help find his wives.” Muichirou says dismissively. “He’s got three of them, you know!”
“T-Three wives?”
Muichirou edges closer to him, linking their arms together. “You should come with us too! Tanjirou, please?”
“Sure!” In the face of wide crystalline eyes and a pouting lower lip, Tanjirou crumbles remarkably quickly. “I’ll get Inosuke and Zenitsu to come along too!”
Muichirou’s expression sours at the mention of their names, but a smile quickly curves up red-painted lips when Tanjirou agrees to come along.
Their arms are still linked, their bodies pressed close together as they leave to find Tanjirou’s friends.