Chapter Text
It started one day, a week before the university nearby was supposed to start giving people midterms, when he first met Agatsuma Zenitsu.
Tanjirou sighed. It had been a long night--- so many students coming in and out, looking like death warmed over, while clutching their laptops, readings and six cups of coffee in their arms while mumbling about how they can not fail this semester. As the barista in the closest coffee shop that stays open late enough for the college students who got kicked out of their school library to migrate to, this was a normal occurrence. To him, he could safely say that he was used to the desperate, albeit half-dead, auras that come in to order coffee.
Which is why it was a shock to him, ten or so minutes before closing, that he heard the unmistakable sound of a new customer enter. Tanjirou grimaced slightly--- they were about to close after all--- but when he turned around to face the customer, his polite smile was firmly in place as he greeted his newest customer.
Peaches and rain was the first thing that came to mind. The delicate aroma of the peach mixed with the unmistakable smell of petrichor nearly fizzled out his addled brain. It was so strong. It cut through the smell of coffee, which was not a small feat. He swallowed thickly, briefly wondering if it started raining without him even noticing.
“Oh, thank the gods!” came the shrill, desperate cry of his new customer. He blinked dumbly, finally realizing that he had a job to do. Tanjirou looked over at him--- all choppily cut up blonde hair and exhausted eyes. If his other customers were half-dead, this guy was half-way through death’s door with one foot already in the grave. “I’m so sorry for coming in so late, but my teachers have been giving papers nonstop! I haven’t slept in three straight days, and I’ve run out of coffee at home!!”
He couldn’t help but sympathize with that, as a college student himself. It was one of the only constants in his life, after all. He loved his family, he’s starting to get really tired of the smell of coffee, and that college students are constantly tired messes trying to get by. He smiled kindly at his new customer, nodding.
“It’s alright,” he said, watching as he visibly relaxed at the words. He almost looked like he was going to cry on the spot which made Tanjirou feel a little uneasy. “We get exhausted college students here all the time, so it’s no bother.”
That did it. His customer started bawling on the spot, unashamed and exhausted. “You’re so nice even if it’s like three in the morning and you’re about to close,” he gushed, not even bothering to wipe the tears and snot that was starting to fall from his face. Tanjirou briefly wondered about how many cups of coffee this guy already had if he was crying this much, or if it even was coffee. “Can I please have your strongest, largest cup of coffee, to go please?”
“Sure thing,” he said, smiling as he picks up the largest paper cup that they had. He took out a marker from under the counter, and looked at him expectantly. “Can I have your name please?” There really was not any need considering they were the only ones there, but the process didn’t feel complete without it.
“Uh, Zenitsu,” he--- Zenitsu--- replied, the tears finally dying down as he wiped it against the sleeve of his bright yellow hoodie. Tanjirou nodded, placing the cup down on the counter before turning to start making the drink. After working for months in the shop, creating drinks has become second nature to him. He threw himself into it the same way he does with everything else, with unrelenting passion and vigor. It was one of the reasons he got hired in the first place. He looked like a hard worker.
He placed the finish cup of coffee on the counter once he was done, watching as the exhausted and dull eyes widened and looked at the innocent cup like it was the gates of Takamagahara itself and that he was about to meet Amaterasu, herself. Zenitsu immediately reached for it, taking an incredibly long slip, his eyes slipping closed as he did so. It was like a switch was flicked and the smell of peaches sweetened and ripened before his very nose, eyes closed and cheeks tinged bright pink. He hummed contentedly when he finished his sip, looking up at him with bright brown eyes--- the exhaustion clearing just a little.
Tanjirou blinked stupidly.
“This is amazing! It’s like I’ve never felt more alive before!” he exclaimed in wonder, looking at the coffee cup in his hand like it was the secret to life itself. His eyes widened a little in surprise before he started digging inside his pockets before triumphantly finding what he was looking for. “I’m so so sorry, I almost forgot to pay!”
He was hardly paying attention at this point. The smell and the shock hitting his tired brain hard .
“Um, hello?”
Tanjirou blinked again before he smiled apologetically, remembering where he was and that this was a business and he was still on duty. He couldn’t just space out like that. “I’m sorry! I may have lost myself there,” he said, mentally berating himself for his slip up earlier. It must have been the late hour or something. Zenitsu nodded in understanding nonetheless and he felt himself sigh in relief. “That will be 500 yen.”
Once he was paid the right amount--- with a generous tip because “ I came here far too late already! Please let me,” --- the other boy left. He couldn’t help but rub a hand through his hair and check the clock, noting that the shop was due to close ten minutes ago. He walked over to the door, flipped the sign from open to close, and slapped his cheeks.
Zenitsu, huh? He mused to himself.
Tanjirou did not see him again for a good while after that. It was almost two weeks and the looming threat of midterms ceased, allowing the coffee shop to slow just a little. He was on the night shift again--- his classes in the morning not allowing him to work in the day--- and the shop was mostly empty. Save, of course, for the odd student here and there who was studying on a Friday night. He heard the door open and close and the smell of rain wafted through the coffee shop. It was raining just outside, so he didn’t think much of it until he looked up.
Zenitsu looked better well-rested and not on the verge of a mental breakdown every five seconds. He still looked stressed and even a little shy, fingers twiddling nervously and head slightly averted. He unconsciously straightened his back a little, mouth breaking open into a big smile at the sight of him. A slight pink tinged the other’s cheeks, but he tried not to think much of it--- it was pretty warm inside the shop after all.
“Hello! Welcome to the Breath Café, what would you like to order?” he asked, readying his finger on the cash register. He saw him browsing the menu for a bit, looking over each item on the menu whilst shifting a little from foot to foot.
“Um, a regular matcha latte would be nice,” he finally said, a slight smile tugging on his lips. “For here, please.” Tanjirou nodded, punching in the order and picking up the smallest paper cup they had and a marker once again.
“That would be 250 yen,” he said, looking up at him expectantly until he was given the money. “Can I please have your name?” He knew exactly what the other boy’s name was, but that didn’t stop him from extending their brief interaction by even just a little.
“Zenitsu,” he replied, sounding a lot more docile now that the threat of five exams per day wasn’t bearing down on him like the heavy burden that it was. Tanjirou quickly wrote it down, drawing a quick little smiley face at the end of the name just because . He could already hear Nezuko judging him silently in the cute sort of way only little sisters like her could do, especially after he told her all about the encounter two weeks ago. He finished quickly, turning around to find that he was seated near the wall at the back.
“Here you go,” he said, smiling at him as he placed his order on the table in front of him. Zenitsu’s eyes immediately lit up at the sight of it, smiling up at him with the same smile that made him pause for a second to reorganize his thoughts. “Is there anything else you would like?”
He shook his head before picking it up, looking it over before his smile broadened at the smiley face he drew on the side. “Aw, this is cute,” he complimented before taking a sip, and letting out a contented hum. The smell of peaches, quickly becoming his favorite thing in the midst of roasted coffee beans and tired, unbathed college students, grew stronger. “Thank you so much, uh…”
“Tanjirou,” he replied, feeling his cheeks heat. He was really hoping that his tan would hide it well enough, but he was seriously doubting it. Zenitsu doesn’t seem to notice, nodding and returning to his coffee.
“Thank you, Tanjirou,” he said, looking up at him through his blonde hair. He nodded mutely, keeping his smile in place until he reached behind the counter before he felt himself mental berate himself the entire time. He didn’t know why he was acting like this, and his sister won’t really tell him why , but that didn’t stop him from watching Zenitsu from the corner of his eye until he eventually left with a wave and a smile.
It took a couple more weeks of Zenitsu coming in and out of his coffee shop every now and then, looking like either the sun itself, or death warmed over in the microwave. In that amount of time, he found out a couple more things from some of his inane chatter or explosive bursts of teary desperation for coffee. He was a music major--- apparently he has perfect pitch and he’s been classically trained in many different instruments since he was young--- and was currently studying in the same university he was in. He lived in an apartment nearby, they had a couple of mutual friends, he was a little older than he was, and his last name was Agatsuma.
Oh, and of course. He likes coffee quite a bit.
Tanjirou finished writing Zenitsu’s name, drawing another smiley at the end before smiling at him, and putting the empty cup down. “I’ll get your order ready,” he said, before gesturing to one of the chairs with a bright smile. “You can sit down if you want, I’ll get it to you.” He nodded before turning and heading for his usual table. It became the same table he first sat in, the one tucked in the back, next to the wall.
He got to work, making just a simple macchiato this time, and bringing it to his table. As always he gave a smile, picking it up, taking a sip and he had to watch as the caffeine did its magic. Another thing that Tanjirou has learned over the weeks of casually observing him, he found that before drinking his coffee he was either shy and docile, on a good day, or a crying, sulking mess who was muttering about how he’s going to fail and then die. However, afterwards, his face brightens, his scent sweetens and Tanjirou immediately stops functioning properly.
“Thank you, Tanjirou,” Zenitsu said, voice grateful and suddenly more chipper. “You have no idea what I would be like without you and your coffee! I probably would have failed my midterm…” He sounded so exasperated that he couldn’t help but smile fondly at his antics.
“Well, it is my job after all,” he replied, tucking the tray he used to bring the coffee against his person. “Enjoy your coffee, Zenitsu.” He bowed and was about to turn and leave, to silently contemplate why his life was the way it was when he felt a hand at the crook of his elbow. He turned to see a pale and nervous face.
“Uh, wait,” he said, sipping his coffee as a little boost. “We go to the same university, right?” Tanjirou blinked at him, not knowing where this was going, but nodding his affirmative.
“Yeah,” he said, tilting his head for him to continue.
“Well, I was just wondering…”
“Yeah?”
“That we should hang out, y’know? Like outside your work!” Zenitsu said this all in a rush, coming out almost as a jumbled mess, but the weeks of Tanjirou handling him at what he’s going to assume are some of his worst moments, he understood what he was trying to say. That didn’t mean he knew what to reply with. Of course he wanted to, but he found he didn’t know how to say it without sounding too excited.
He settled on casual, nodding and giving a brilliant smile. “Yeah, sure,” he said, assuaging the other’s fears as he watches him visibly deflate as if all his nervous energy finally left his system and he can go back to being a barely functioning human being. He was gifted with a similarly brilliant smile, Zenitsu bringing out his phone.
“What’s your schedule? Maybe we can arrange something when we’re both free,” he offered, tilting his phone screen so that Tanjirou could see the picture of his schedule. He mentally compared his breaks with the one on the screen and he wanted to mentally pat himself on the back.
“I’m free every Thursday, lunch time,” he replied, nodding before checking again and then nodding to reaffirm himself. “We can do that this coming week?”
“Sure, it’s a date.”
Tanjirou felt himself stare dumbly at Zenitsu who, in response, went from pale to bright red in a matter of seconds. It would have been quite funny if he himself was not starting to blush in response. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the clearly frazzled and slightly tearing up boy.
“I didn’t mean it that way! I mean, like. Y’know, as friends?! We--- we are friends, right? Or, we can be friends?? I just--- I just want to, I don’t know, talk to you without being a bother while you’re working! I just---”
“But you’re not a bother to me while I’m working,” he cut in with a frown, not agreeing with half of what he was saying. He smiled at him, scratching his cheek with a finger. “I’d like to think you’re one of my favorite customers, since I consider you my friend.” He looked to see what Zenitsu’s reaction would be. The blush was still quite clearly there, but his mouth was gaped open in shock. Tanjirou would have thought he said something wrong if not for the scent ripening, not cut by an undercurrent of anything, but what he could only describe as something pure and unadulterated.
“Tanjirou!” he wailed, gripping his coffee cup hard as his shoulders started shaking. “You can’t just say something like that! I’m going to start crying! You’re too nice…” He sipped his coffee some more, the unmistakable shine of unshed tears were there, but it didn’t spill over. He felt himself calm down at that. He hadn’t said anything wrong after all.
“I can meet you at your last class before lunch, if you’d like,” he offered and Zenitsu nodded, giving him a smile, his cheeks still a bright pink, a stark contrast to how normally pale they were.
“Yeah, I’ll see you then.”
Saying Tanjirou was nervous was an understatement.
It was one thing to see each other in the coffee shop, where its non judgemental eyes and the fact that he’s contractually obligated to keep his cool and smile all the time, but standing in front of his university’s music building with only his school bag, a jacket and no means to communicate with Zenitsu if something were to happen, it was not bearing well for him.
They decided earlier in the week when Zenitsu came in, right as his shift started with a shamisen still strapped to his back. He suggested inviting some of their mutual friends together who was free at the time. It was a good idea, he had to admit, since they were going to hang out as friends. More friends meant more fun, of course, but he still couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
Their one mutual friend turned out to be Hashibira Inosuke which surprised him. He didn’t seem like the type of person that a guy like Zenitsu would find in a friend.
Tanjirou met him as a freshman, of course. It was at a party he was invited to, and urged to go to by his sister because she knew that he probably wouldn’t have gone to any parties otherwise. The party itself was fun. They were all underaged, of course, so it was at someone’s house and, in hindsight now that he was older, tame. If you wanted to drink, you could, but if you didn’t, no one would necessarily judge you.
Inosuke came to that same party, challenged everyone to do a keg stand, a Western drinking game where players handstand on a small barrel of beer and the person to last the longest was deemed the winner, with him because he believed that he was all superior, and won every single one. Of course, by the end of the night, he challenged Tanjirou the same thing. At that point, he had never drank anything in his life, not even a single beer. He was still 18 back then after all, the legal drinking age was 20, but he was surprisingly convincing.
There he was, staring down a small barrel of beer he wasn’t even sure if he was going to like, next to a flushed, shirtless man who was already swaying and threatening to fall down and vomit. He steeled himself then, handstanding on top of the barrel with a plastic tube in his mouth and hands in his legs. His first taste of beer was disgusting--- positively foul--- and he had no idea how Inosuke was able to drink three whole kegs of this stuff, but he drank anyway. The blood was quickly rushing to his brain, making him dizzy, and the taste of beer was making his stomach turn.
It all ended, however, when his competition fainted, barely being caught by the people who were helping him stay up and Tanjirou won his first drinking game. He was already feeling flushed, stumbling and lightheaded, but he was grinning from ear to ear. He broke the law, of course, so he never really told his younger siblings about it lest they decide to copy him.
When he came back to school a couple of days later, he was hunted down by Inosuke, demanding to be given a rematch, and he’s been demanding ever since. Slowly, the demands have just been casual invitations to different parties--- most of which he goes to just to drag his friend back into his dorm by the end of the night.
“Hey, Gonpachirou,” Inosuke asked, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. “What time did he say he was coming out again? It feels like we’ve been waiting for thirty minutes!” Tanjirou glanced down at his watch, Zenitsu was a little late.
He gave him an exasperated smile. “It hasn’t been 30 minutes,” he said, shrugging. “He’s only a little late by--”
“I’m so sorry I made you guys wait!” came the tired, whiny and all too familiar voice that he’s come to associate with peaches and rain. Zenitsu slowed his run a couple of feet away from them, pouting a little. “My teacher only let us out until the very last minute, could you believe?!”
“Yeah,” came the grumpy reply from Inosuke. “Cause we’ve been waiting for 30 minutes!” There was a distressed squawk and Tanjirou knew he had to intervene before someone started crying and begging for forgiveness.
“No, we were not waiting for 30 minutes,” he said, giving his friend a hard look. “He’s over exaggerating because he’s hungry. It was just 5 minutes, tops.” Zenitsu nodded, looking visibly more relaxed than he was earlier.
“Oh,” he said, smiling again. “That’s good to hear! Let me buy you a dessert or something to apologize.”
Tanjirou shook his head, “No, it’s f--”
“Yeah, Monitsu’s going to buy us lunch!”
“I wasn’t talking to you! Come to think of it, I didn’t even say lunch!”
“What?! Come, minion! You are to buy us our lunch!”
“I never said such a thing!”
Zenitsu and Inosuke seem to play fast and loose when they say “mutual friends.” Tanjirou had his work cut out for him as he watched as the pair hurried off without him, a soft and fond smile tugging at his lips. Despite how it was going, it was surprisingly nice.
Despite what he said, Zenitsu still bought everyone lunch.
It was not at anything too fancy--- it was mostly just a simple Japanese place that sold donburis for a reasonable price--- but it was enough for him to feel awkward about it. He tried to pay his share, but he was stopped before he could.
“You can just pay me back with a free coffee or something,” he said with a hand on his wallet before he could bring out any money. Tanjirou wanted to protest, he was not raised to let people buy him things, but he stopped at the earnest look in the other’s eyes and he nodded, taking note to make him one at some point.
“Thank you, Zenitsu.” He said and was awarded with a flustered smile, mutterings about how he should just sit down already, and the distinctly pleasant smell of the first fall of rain permeating through the restaurant. How he could constantly smell like that, and so strongly to boot, was a mystery to Tanjirou, but he sat down opposite to Inosuke anyway.
“Hey, Inosuke?” he asked once he settled, resting his elbow on the table and leaning on his hand. “How do you know Zenitsu?”
“Hm,” he said, scratching his head a little. “We were seatmates last year. We both had the same general education course, and we ended up sitting together. He cried more than half the time because the teacher sure sucked, but it was alright.”
“It was alright for you because you copied all of my notes and homework,” came Zenitsu’s irritated grumble. He slid in the booth next to Tanjirou. “You just slept the entire time!”
“But that’s what minions are for!”
“I’m not your minion!”
“Thank you for waiting,” came the cheery and polite voice of the waitress as she held out her tray of food. She quickly placed them in front of each of them before bowing. “Enjoy your food!”
Tanjirou looked between the two of them, the food was enough to curb whatever animosity between the two of them as they started to eat. Maybe putting these two in the same room was not the brightest idea, but neither of them held any genuine real hatred. If he did, he could have smelt the subtle change in their smell, but Zenitsu still smelled as fresh as he was when he would visit the coffee shop, only slightly more muted.
Maybe that was just how they showed affection as friends? He shrugged, smiling at the two of them before clapping his hands together and generally expressing his gratitude before digging in. It was good for the price, and the chatter between the three of them started up again when Inosuke tried to steal his food.
It was nice.
“Tanjirou!!” came the wail from the front door. It was 2 in the morning, and honestly at this point, who else could it be? He sleepily looked up from staring dazedly at the empty chairs and tables to see a, quite frankly, haggard looking Zenitsu--- his hair was sticking out everywhere, hoodie he could swear he remembers seeing him wear last week, and tired, crazed eyes. He blinked dumbly, only just managing to greet him as per protocol with a smile on his face. “I need your help, Tanjirou!! I have a major requirement due in like three days and I’m nowhere near ready yet and I need an audience, but I live alone and this is the first place that came to mind, and--- and---”
“Coffee?”
“Yes! Coffee!” he practically yelled, whimpering slightly as he pouted at him. “You, my friend, are the best person in the whole world, you know that?” Tanjirou resisted the urge to flush at that, automatically punching in the largest and strongest drink they had. He still smiled nonetheless, but it really feels like it was mostly for him.
“Your name?” he asks, brandishing his marker as he looked at him expectantly. His friend spluttered in confusion, which was slowly but surely becoming the norm now that they were getting closer. At this point, it was less for policy and more his own amusement.
“You know my name already!” Zenitsu huffed, cupping his face in his hands, but conceded anyway. “Zenitsu.” Tanjirou smiled, writing down, ‘Zenzen’ with a small tiny peach at the end. He tried not to question his decision much by placing it down quickly before he can change his mind and begin the process of making the drink.
“Anyway,” he said, not looking up from his work. “What’s this major requirement you’re freaking out over?”
“I have to play this long and convoluted piece on my shamisen successfully in front of like a bunch of people, but I can’t seem to get it right at home!” he explained hastily as he removes whatever he had strapped to his back--- his shamisen , apparently--- and taking a seat nearest to the counter. “I came here because I knew you would be here, so I figured y’know…. I mean, you don’t have to help me! You do have work to do and I might end up just distracting you from your job or something and someone will get mad at you!”
Tanjirou smiled because it was nice that Zenitsu cared enough about him and his job to take that into account. He handed coffee to him before shrugging. “There aren’t any customers at all right now, and we’re really close to closing. I doubt anyone would come in, so--”
“Really?” came the excited reply of his grinning friend.
“Yeah.”
Zenitsu’s smile brightened immediately, and he turned to his coffee, downing the large cup until there was only about half left. He hummed in content as per usual, eyes closing in bliss, and color returned to his cheeks. He patted his hair, straightening it out a little, before turning to Tanjirou with the same bright, brown eyes he has after he gets effectively calmed down. “Thank you,” he said before placing his coffee cup down and turning to his shamisen --- plucking it experimentally, and adjusting it as he sees fit.
Seeing him handle his instrument so expertly was a surreal experience for Tanjirou. It was almost like giving him coffee after a particularly gruesome mental breakdown, like earlier, but more intense. He held it like it was the most precious thing in the world, but tuned it without even missing a beat. His face was drawn in concentration, but his eyes deepened with a fondness he doesn’t normally see.
Tanjirou itched, fingers jerking slightly. His mind buzzed insistently as if it was trying to tell him something, but he wasn’t quite sure exactly what it was, but he recognized one thing--- want. What did he want? He had no idea, but it was enough for him to swallow thickly.
Zenitsu reached for his coffee cup, downing it and finishing it--- which Tanjirou fleetingly thinks is probably unhealthy--- before turning to him. “Alright, don’t judge, okay? I really, really suck.” he said, his scent souring a little. He definitely thought that with all his heart which made Tanjirou frown a little.
He nodded, excited because this would be his first time hearing him play. He’s always figured that he was incredibly good since this was what he hoped to do for a living, but it was a different experience standing there in the late, late hours of the night in the middle of a coffee shop where the warm overhead lighting cast a warm glow over Zenitsu’s still figure. He played his first note--- perfect and delicate--- as it rang through the empty space, followed by another and another.
The music was incredible, of course. Each note seemingly better than the last, but he didn’t understand it. He couldn’t hope to understand the intricacies of the notes or the rhythm of the song, but he felt it anyway. He felt it through his nose as he smelled the soft oaken notes from the shamisen and the peach intermingling with the fresh smell of coffee. He felt it through the way his mouth started to gape open in absolute awe as his addled mind started to straighten, as if the music itself freshened him just by existing. He felt it through the vibrations in the air, almost as if he could feel it as his heartbeat--- every pluck and twang, ever shift in key.
However, he also felt the music in the soft curve of Zenitsu’s cheek, the sweep of his hair--- choppily cut and far, far too blonde--- against it. He was biting his lip, his front teeth were surprisingly big, and it helped him look so much younger than he actually was. His brown eyes were half-lidded under pale lashes, set in concentration but were brighter than he’s ever seen them, and his eyebrows, thick and spiky, were pinched together. The music itself flowed through every inch of his face and body, relaxing him in a way that coffee never could possibly do.
And Tanjirou wanted, he really really wanted. Because under the dim, yellow light of the coffee shop with the notes of the shamisen as his backdrop, he’s never seen his friend like this--- beautiful in a way that only he could be.
Twang . Came the dissonant note that broke the spell that he was in and Zenitsu huffed in irritation, clearly finding this particular part incredibly difficult. Still, he turned to him expectantly, waiting for him to comment on how he did.
“It was good,” he said, though his voice sounded particularly strained and his smile was tight despite how he genuinely thought that it was an amazing performance.
“Tanjirou!!” he wailed, lower lip trembling as he pouted. “Tell the truth! Is it, really?!”
He couldn’t help but laugh, nodding. “Yes. Yes, it is,” he said, moving back behind the counter. “Do you want another coffee? You can stay as long as you’d like, I’m sure my boss won’t mind.”
He blinked up at him, before he gave him a soft smile. “Yeah, sure!” Tanjirou nodded, quickly punching in the new order and picking up another cup.
“Your name?” he asked, despite knowing the answer. His smile widened as he could hear the small whine.
“Zenitsu.”