Chapter Text
The day was going by really slow. He wasn't used to staying home, if he was being honest. Kamado Tanjiro was used to visiting the villages closeby, and doing work there, helping people out.
So he had no idea what he could do here at his own home, when no work was needed done. For the first time in a while he had free time. He should spend it wisely, his father had told him.
Tanjiro decided to go fishing. Because it seemed the safest. Nothing could go wrong with fishing, right?
"Kaa-san, I'm leaving for a while. I'll be back for dinner!"
"Alright!" His mother called back.
...
Tanjiro threw his fishing line out to the pond. It was pretty unusual for a pond to be on a mountain, so he treasured this area very much. It was a place where he could truly and deeply relax. Tanjiro was sat on a rock a few feet above the water. In this place, it was just him, the water, the trees, and the fish.
He hears a rustling sound coming from the bushes. He sniffs just to make sure it wasn't one of his younger siblings that had followed him and tried to sneak up on him. But it wasn't. It had the scent of a wild animal, and... something else. But he couldn't tell exactly what it was.
He ignored his confusion when he feels a tug at his line. He pulls his fishing rod up, and reels the line in. There was a large fish on the hook. Tanjiro gaped at it. Once he got it to the land, he took a look at it again before tossing it in the bucket he had brought.
He hears an even quieter rustle from the same bush once again, so he calls out.
"Oi! Who's over there?" He then hears a feral growl before something leaps out of the bushes gracefully and just looks up at him. It was wearing a boar mask? And regular clothes as well, so Tanjiro knew it was a human male. He didn't know if the clothes were what you would call regular, though. His shirt's collar was so low he could see the his abs. And the dark blue pants were probably made out of boar hide at the top. Tanjiro didn't know where he got the socks or shoes or sandals or whatever they were, but he really liked them.
"I'm the king of the mountain not far from here!" The boy pointed to some random direction that Tanjiro supposed the mountain was at. And he honestly did not know how he had trouble hearing him before, because he was very loud. Tanjiro blinked, curiosity overcoming him.
"There's another mountain that way?" The boar person grunted in reply. "Ah, and what is your name again?"
"Inosuke! Hashibira Inosuke!"
"I'm Kamado Tanjiro." He offered him a kind smile, and patted the spot next to him invitingly. Inosuke stood there for a few moments.
"What are you doing?"
"Fishing." Tanjiro replied. "Would you like to come up here and watch?"
Inosuke runs towards him and easily jumps up onto the rock. He sits a few feet away from Tanjiro, watching him.
"Have you ever gone fishing before?"
"Of course! All the time! I bet if we went against each other I could catch more than you!" Tanjiro blinked for a few seconds, and stayed silent. Then he smiled.
"Would you like to help me catch some?" Inosuke looks away. When he looks back, he replies.
"Heh, I guess! I'm pretty amazing, so I could help you out easily, any time!" Tanjiro grins. This Inosuke guy was really interesting.
Said interesting guy takes off his mask, revealing his face to Tanjiro. Who had never seen something so gorgeous, and just sat there staring, flushed pink. He then looks down at Inosuke's chest.
"Y-you are a guy, right?" He knew that most girls kept their chests covered for whatever reason, unlike Inosuke, who proudly showed his to the world, but he just had to be sure. Because he hadn't seen a face like that on any of the men he had ever seen. Not on the men in the village nearby, not on teens in the village nearby, not even on his cutest baby brothers!
Inosuke seemed taken aback by his question.
"Of course I am a guy! I'm the manliest of them all, I'll show you!"
"Right, I'm sorry! Really sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, Inosuke!"
"Whatever, Kamaboko Gonpachiro!" Kamaboko... Gonpachiro?
Inosuke jumped into the water just after Tanjiro threw his line again.
Not long after, Tanjiro feels a small tug on his line, and he pulls it up to reveal a tiny fish. He sighs, and throws it back in the water. Just then, Inosuke jumps back onto the rock, with a fish in each of his hands. One was even in his mouth. Tanjiro gestured to the bucket, which Inosuke threw them in proudly. The feral boy then shakes off the water, getting Tanjiro all wet. Despite this, Tanjiro smiles. He really likes Inosuke, and is glad to have had his help. He knows he wouldn't be able to fill the whole bucket alone, but with Inosuke's help, he may be able to.
"Hah! How many have you caught, Gonpachiro?!"
"I caught two so far, but I let the other go." Inosuke got confused.
"Eh?! Why would you do that?!"
"It was too small."
"Hah?!"
"Yeah, it was too young. It didn't have nearly enough meat on it to be useful for a meal. Hopefully, though, maybe in a few months, that same fish will grow to be one of the biggest in the pond." Inosuke was silent at this.
"I'll catch all the big fish! All the ones that aren't too young, just watch me!"
"I bet you will."
...
After the sun began to set, the bucket was full. About three-fourths of the fish had been caught from Inosuke. Tanjiro was forever grateful for the feral beautiful boy.
"Inosuke..."
"I'm great, aren't I?!"
"Thank you so much!" Inosuke fell silent once again for a few seconds.
"Huhh?"
"You helped me a lot today!" Inosuke just blinked. "Now, with all of this food, my family will have a full meal for days! Thank you!" The boy's eyes widened in surprise.
"Your... family." Inosuke replied in a small, quiet voice. It was a complete contrast to how he had been before.
"Yeah-" Tanjiro's eyes widen as well. "Hey, you should come with me to meet them! You caught most of this food, didn't you? You should have some with us!"
"Hah, that's fine Monjiro, I can get my own food anytime! I'm so amazing, I'll be able to help you whenever you need it!" Tanjiro smiles.
Inosuke looked so perfect with the light of the sunset beaming down on him, making his skin glow. The boy's beauty was enchanting. Tanjiro had never felt this way about a boy before. He always saw many pretty women, and handsome men in the village he would usually visit, but this beauty was on a whole other level. Inosuke was just so unique. So many qualities that made Tanjiro want to get to know him even better.
"Inosuke... You really are amazing."
Inosuke gaped. Then, once the meaning of what Tanjiro had told him sunk in, he grinned, his face flushed pink.
"Of course I am!"
~ × ~
Tanjiro's family was more than a bit surprised when he had come home with all of the fish he had.
"Tanjiro-nii, how did you catch that much fish?" His brother, Takeo, asks him in awe.
"I had help from a friend." Tanjiro smiled as he replied. His mother turned around, confused.
"Tanjiro-kun, what do mean?"
"There was boy there. His name was Hashibira Inosuke." His mother turns back around, continuing on with cooking the fish.
"Oh? What was he like?"
"He was amazing! He was loud, but also sweet and helpful at the same time!" He looked up at his mother, checking if she was even listening. She motioned for him to go on, so he did. "Well, at first, I actually thought he was a girl once he took off his boar mask, because he was so pretty! Like a girl! In a way that most guys aren't."
"I see..." (Kie really didn't see. So the boy had a boar mask on? Then when he took it off, her son thought he was a girl since he was pretty!?)
It seems that her son had found his first real friend. How cute, she was so excited! The more her son yapped about this Inosuke kid, the more excited she would get. She just needed to meet him sometime.
"And he was so amazing!"