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The night felt cold, the crowd was noisy and bustling as lights flashed from the stage, speakers boomed in the distance as he approached the crowd that gathered at the parking lot outside of a mall, excited and lively, anticipating the start of a new year.
Tanjirou adjusted his scarf, burying his nose in the familiar scent of detergent, his parents are probably tucking their younger siblings to bed now. His hands wrapped tightly around Nezuko’s, he snuck a glance at his sister, who wore a soft smile as they waited to meet up with their other friends. His fingers tugged at his cream-colored coat, which rubbed against his long-sleeved, checkered shirt underneath his coat. Nezuko wore a pair of ear warmers, the color matching with her ribbon that kept her hair in place, two strands of hair hang freely at the side of her face while the rest was tied into a ponytail. She wore a turtleneck with a jacket that protected her from the cold of the night, the jacket looked big on her, giving off a cozy and huggable aura to her, a long skirt and black socks covered her legs as she grinds her boot at the ground beneath her.
“Nezuko-chan!!!!” A loud call startled the girl, a blond boy waves enthusiastically at her while charging at the siblings, ready to capture Nezuko in a hug. “Zenitsu!” Tanjirou smiled at him as he greeted, one arm in front of Nezuko protectively. “Zenitsu, good evening,” Nezuko said sweetly as Tanjirou held back his friend who was squirming in his arms. “Waaah!!! You’re so cute!!! Cute as usual!!! Even cuter!!!!” Zenitsu exclaimed loudly, taking in large breaths even when the cold air attacked his lungs.
Tanjirou lets go of Zenitsu as the boy calmed down, his hands still clasped in front of his chest, his hand-knitted scarf hangs at his shoulder, he wore a thick yellow jacket patterned with white triangles and a sweater beneath, a beanie was wrapped around his head, its color contrasting to Zenitsu’s hair.
“PIG ASSAULT!”
Tanjirou yelped as Inosuke’s head made a hard impact on his back, the three turned to the boy who just arrived.
Inosuke beamed at them with his usual smirk, his bright blue eyes meeting his friends’, his hands were on his hips, his coat wrinkled and his scarf draping loosely due to his movements, “Inosuke!” They greeted, who only charges his fist into the air and yelled in a challenging tone, “Let’s compete who can scream the loudest!!!” Tanjirou chuckles at his enthusiasm, he patted Inozuke’s shoulders with both hands, making the other to drop his arm, standing still as Tanjirou’s hands pulled at his dark blue coat and fixed his scarf, “You are definitely as loud as Zenitsu.”
“I can be louder than him!” Inosuke yelled as soon as Tanjirou pulled away, returning to his sister’s side when Zenitsu stopped hugging Nezuko’s arm and got in front of Inosuke, he then screamed in his face, “Do you ever shut up?!!! Give Nezuko a good impression for once you moron!!!” Inosuke twitched, fire burning within him as he thought that Zenitsu was challenging him, “Lord Inosuke is about to destroy this man’s whole career!!!” He yelled with all his might, he inhaled, puffing out his chest, ready to unleash a loud, screeching scream.
“Giyuu-san! Sabito-san!” Tanjirou rushed towards the couple, Inosuke froze in midair, he straightened his spine, tailing Tanjirou as his hand found the back of Tanjirou’s coat to grip onto. Giyuu’s expression was stoic but the softness remains, Sabito wore a smile, his hand linked with Giyuu’s. “Tanjirou,” Giyuu said as a faint smile crept up upon his lips.
“Good evening, Tanjirou,” Sabito said, a certain depth lying in his voice, almost intimidating, yet his soothing smile made the boys feel relieved. “EEEEEEK!” Zenitsu hid behind Nezuko, his hands held tightly onto Nezuko’s shoulders as he shivered at the sight of his seniors. Inosuke remained silent, his fingers gripping onto the fabric as he eyed Giyuu and Sabito suspiciously.
Giyuu simply wore a winter jacket with a fur-trimmed hood that kept his neck warm, Sabito had a coat was long that it reached his knees above his sweater. Giyuu had gloves covering his hands, one hanging at his side, another in Sabito’s hand.
“Are the others coming too?” Tanjiro asked hopefully, earning a nod from Giyuu, “I believe so, Kocho told me that they are buying something before they reach here.” “Alright, Got it! Let’s wait for them then!” Tanjirou nodded and grinned before he turned back to Nezuko, who was approaching them, she then bowed politely, “Good evening,” she said while Zenitsu switched his clinging object to Tanjirou, who attempted to push him off when the other stuck to him like glue.
“Good evening!” A loud voice rang, making the group turn towards the source of the voice.
Rengoku Kyoujuro his usual confident smile, hands stuffed in his cream-colored trenchcoat’s pocket, white shirt and pants emitting a glint of elegance despite his wild, wavy blonde hair with red tips. “Good evening, Rengoku-san!” Tanjirou called out, then Senjuro waved shyly as he held onto his older brother’s hand, his small body wrapped in a jacket that seemed like Kyoujuro’s size. “Senjuro!” Tanjirou waved back while the younger Rengoku brother shuffled towards the red-haired boy.
Before Senjuro could say anything, a motorbike’s loud engine alerted them as it stopped next to them, a male stepped off the bike, as soon as the helmet was slipped off, his hair which was dyed pink was revealed. He wore a smirk that wiped Kyoujuro’s pleasant expression away. He also wore a fur-trimmed jacket similar to Giyuu’s with a lavender long-sleeved top, his fingerless gloves match the dark black of his pants.
“Good evening, Kyoujuro,” his voice was just as provoking as usual, light and carefree while he approached Rengoku. “I don’t remember inviting you,” Kyoujuro said flatly, his eyes staring at Akaza’s blue iris, “Don’t treat a friend like that~” Akaza laughed, he wrapped an arm around Kyoujuro, who surprisingly doesn’t resist as much as the others expect him to.
“Hi there, Senjuro-kun,” Akaza waves at the younger male, who was next to Tanjirou, wearing a worried expression and tugging on his jacket. “Hi, Akaza-san,” Senjuro seemed to have grown used to Akaza’s presence, Tanjirou swallowed, raising an eyebrow as he stared at the dark lines of the tattoo at Akaza’s neck. “Tanjirou, Zenitsu, Inosuke,” Akaza called out as he pointed at the trio, Inosuke was almost riled up, then he turned towards the male with a low ponytail, standing next to a peach-haired male.
“Giyuu, right? Did I get all their names right? Kyou-” Suddenly, Sabito was in his face, gripping at his jacket and pulling him towards him, inconsiderate of Kyoujuro’s position. “Why are you calling Giyuu by his first name?” He glared down at the pale man, who only responded with a smirk, “Oh, is someone jealous?”
Kyoujuro tries to get out of Akaza’s grasp but then Sabito pulled his arm back, ready to deliver a fist to Akaza’s face. He swung forward, only to get his swing interrupted by Akaza’s hand, gripping at his wrist with a tight, threatening grip.
“Work up your strength, squirrel.”
Waves of shouts from his junior and Giyuu’s concerned voice didn’t help the rage and humiliation, he inhaled sharply, his hand trembles, Akaza’s jacket remain still in his grasp, his arm restrained by the man in front of him.
“S-Sabito-san!!!”
“Sabito-”
“AAAAAAAAAAA-”
"Nii-chan-"
“Moshi moshi~” Shinobu interrupted the two as she sing-songed, her hand on the side of her face. Kyoujuro huffed out a breath when Sabito shoves Akaza away, he didn’t even stumble and stood steadily on his feet. Giyuu was cupping Sabito’s face, slapping his palms against his cheeks as if Sabito was a boxer that got his face punched.
“Is everything alright?” Shinobu asked, even when she could care less about the situation, Kanao appeared from behind Shinobu, searching for Tanjirou, and skipping towards the group to say hello. Uzui lowered his car window, as he laughed loudly, “I hope the fight was more flamboyant!” Sabito turns his face away from their friends, embarrassment blooms on his face and hammers at his chest. Kyoujuro was pushing Akaza away from him while the other kept sticking next to him, he crossed his arms, expression neutral as he debated with Akaza. Uzui’s car was big enough to pick up almost all of their friends, Shinazugawa Sanemi pushed down a car seat, his feet sticking out of the car door, he hopped out of the vehicle, muffling a sneeze with his scarf, Genya stuck his head out of the door, gazing at his brother before getting out.
Obanai and Mitsuri emerged from behind the car since they exited on the other side. Obanai was busy fixing Mitsuri’s scarf even when the fabric was already perfectly wrapped around her, she seemed flustered, yet enjoyed the intimate gesture since she was beaming at the male with a surgical mask covering his face. Sanemi scowled at the crowd, the package of food was wrinkled as it was gripped tightly while he stuffed fries into his mouth. Genya made his way towards Tanjirou, who was chatting with Kanao, but immediately shifted his attention to Genya, who was dressed in a coat with a beanie covering his scalp.
“Here is the food we bought, we almost finished our own shares,” Genya chuckled and waved the paper bag at Tanjirou, “Thank you, Genya! I’m not really hungry though, but I’ll share it with Zenitsu and the others,” Tanjirou flashed a gentle smile, taking the paper bag carefully and showing it to Zenitsu and Inosuke, who were chatting with Senjuro and Nezuko. They excitedly jumped at Tanjirou and Genya, Inosuke poked his beanie, wrestling playfully with Genya when Zenitsu was eating a fry, which has almost gone stale. Tanjirou’s receive a sudden hug from Muichiro, who appeared out of nowhere in silent and bumped into Genya accidentally when he captured Tanjirou and buried his face against his shoulder. Tanjirou only laughed when Muichiro said he was cold.
Uzui parked his car on an empty space which probably isn’t a completely appropriate place. He placed his hands on his hips. Shinobu was talking with Giyuu as Sabito clung to him, his hands around Giyuu’s waist, something seemed to irritate him when he violently rubbed his face against Giyuu’s hair, tickling him and making the other squirm as Shinobu giggles to herself.
Kyoujuro was still distracted by Akaza who kept talking to him and playing with his ponytail. When he approached Giyuu and Sabito, Akaza stuck by, he smirks at Sabito, almost in a friendly way, but Sabito glares at him. Kyoujuro apologizes to Giyuu and Sabito, and Akaza frequently interrupts how Sabito had an arm of a squirrel, if not for Giyuu holding Sabito back, they would be fighting each other to death by now.
Uzui ruffles Kyoujuro’s hair, making the shorter male shifts his attention to him. “Uzui-san,” Kyoujuro says, a little surprised. “Looks like this llama’s spit is getting everywhere,” he mocked Akaza’s appearance, who only frowned but kept his smirk on, “Too bad Kyoujuro prefers this llama instead of you,” he receives an elbow to his ribs, causing him to double over, but Kyoujuro slips Akaza’s arm off him, watching the other cover his sides. “I like it rough,” Akaza stood up again, cackling when Kyoujuro pushes the heel of his hand against his nose bridge, catching Kyoujuro’s wrist, he pulled them down away from his face, with no intention of letting go. Kyoujuro kicks his shin, making the other stumble, yanking on Kyoujuro’s arm, the blonde’s forehead almost meets his head, Kyoujuro shoves Akaza away with his free hand and pats away imaginary dust off his coat.
“What a flamboyant fight!”
It took a few minutes, but it finally reaches the last minute of the countdown, Tanjirou stood next to Nezuko, his hand intertwined with hers while Tokitou rests his chin on Tanjirou’s shoulder and his hands around Tanjirou’s torso, Inosuke was gripping at Tanjirou’s coat, staring curiously at the screen. Tanjirou’s expression was bright, hopeful, in contrast to Zenitsu’s who was furrowing his brows as he peeked at the screen between his two friends. Kanao clasps her hands together, blowing warm air onto her gloves and resting her hands in front of her chest, she breathed in, her hair swaying on the side of her head as she observed the large screen upon the stage, the timer circling and numbers reducing by each second.
Giyuu stood by Sabito’s side, their arms circling each other and swaying to the beat of the music, Giyuu enjoyed Sabito’s warmth as he nuzzled close to him, his head resting on Sabito’s shoulders. He closes his eyes and smiles faintly to himself, he felt tired, he felt sleepy, but he loved the cool breeze of this night and how warm Sabito feels next to him. His fingers were slightly numb under his gloves as he strokes Sabito’s back, he wants to lay in his bed to rest, but he doesn’t move so his legs could stand a little longer and lean against Sabito for another minute.
Shinobu was by Giyuu’s side, paying the couple no mind as she sipped on her tea in a plastic cup, still hot as she blows on it to cool the liquid. She smiles at the shadows of the younger group, looking up at the screen as lights snuck through the gaps of their bodies.
Mitsuri was delighted as she stared at the flashy lights and stage and occasionally skipping and bouncing along with the music. Obanai keeps a distance between them, not too far away but just intimate enough. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and watches Mitsuri dance around enthusiastically, only catching her when someone was about to bump into Mitsuri.
Genya stood next to his brother, he didn’t mind the odd silence from the male, or maybe he did since he felt like Sanemi might yell at him any second. He distracts himself by focusing on the screen in front of them, though his gaze flickers towards Tanjirou’s direction pretty often. Sanemi stared off into space, sleepiness already claiming part of his mind, he wobbled slightly, scaring himself to clear consciousness again to stand steadier on two feet.
Akaza grew quieter the further the night goes, Senjuro was hugging his waist, burying his face against Kyoujuro's body as he tries not to drift off to sleep. Akaza's hand was holding onto Kyoujuro's, surprisingly gentle and comforting. Uzui crossed his arms, his silver hair tied back, accessories reflecting the bright lights from the stage as he stood taller than the crowd. Kyoujuro strokes Senjuro's hair softly, he glances at him, wondering if he should carry his younger brother on his back.
The timer reaches 0, he hands of the clock meet at 12, fireworks explode along with the loud cheers of the crowd as they welcome the New Year, Tanjirou's group of friends stares up into the sky, watching the colors burst in the sky and the vibrations in the air and through the ground. Sabito presses a soft kiss to Giyuu's forehead before meeting his lips, the smell of smoke and strikes of the fireworks flash behind their closed eyelids, booming loudly above them, ringing in their ears.
Akaza clenches his fingers around Kyoujuro's, he shifted closer, until he's in front of him, Kyoujuro's fingers stop in his little brother's hair as he felt his heart leap, even more furiously when the sound of the fireworks made his chest tighten, tension fading in and out with each explosion. Colors painted the sky, dissipating only for them to add another colorful stroke in the middle of the night.
He swallows, observing the way that Akaza's hair glinted along with each fire that bloomed above, his blue eyes staring into his own when the light lits up part of his face, making the other male the more tempting, when he was so close to Kyoujuro.
A pair of lips met his own in a matter of seconds, it felt like time slowed down for them, slowed down for just a second so Kyoujuro could watch Akaza's face glowing under the sky, in the middle of the crowd, in front of him.
He closes his eyes, trembling fingers met Akaza's face, he pressed his fingerpads down on his jaw, his cheek, and he kisses back just as softly until the fireworks died down.
The hands of the clock, the digits, hits 12.01 AM. And it's the first day of their 2020.
Kyoujuro carried his baby brother on his back, who was sound asleep with his hands hooked around Kyoujuro's neck, Shinobu wrapped an arm around Kanao, who looked just as drained out as Senjuro. Tanjirou waved them goodbye, with Nezuko trying her best to keep her head up. Inosuke was still awake, supporting Zenitsu whose head was either rolling too far back or hanging in front of his body. Sanemi slumps against Genya when they were back in Uzui's car, with Obanai and Mitsuri who also leans onto each other. Muichiro insisted on joining Tanjirou's sleepover, since he really can't stay awake for a minute longer.
Akaza lets go of Kyoujuro's hand, a helmet tucked under his arm, he watches Kyoujuro lays his younger brother in the car seat.
Kyoujuro beamed a smile at him before he left.