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“Hurry up, Giyuu-san!”
Giyuu stumbled. And as much as he wanted to stop to regain his balance, the firm grip on his wrist tugged him to motion. He still wasn’t used to balancing his body without an arm in sudden situations. In fact, he should’ve fallen quite some time ago, but Tanjirou’s hold was actually the reason why he was only stumbling.
“Wh-where are we going in such a rush?” He gasped.
He barely had any time to wipe the sleep from his eyes when the burgundy-haired man dragged him from his bed (how did he even arrive at his faraway house, in such an early hour at that?). Panic would’ve been the first thing he’d feel, but one look at the man’s face had him feeling otherwise.
A smile painted his lips in a beautiful curve, complemented by the light dancing in his mismatched eyes (looking at it now, he didn’t feel the same sadness that struck him a few years ago). His hair had grown long, now tied in a high ponytail that he ultimately fails to do successfully. Instead, it’s lopsided, the hair tie looking like it was about to give up anytime soon.
His chuckle was cut short as the man dragged him with a force that was strong yet gentle. Now, he’s currently running across his estate’s narrow hallways with nothing but his nightwear to protect him from the cold morning. Not that his companion was in a better state clad in his own nightclothes as he rushed from their house to visit Giyuu.
The idiot.
“Well…” Tanjirou drawled out, and Giyuu could hear the smile on his face without having to see it. “You’ll see!”
“Right.” Giyuu wryly responds, though there was a smile on his face that he couldn’t stop.
He was nearing his life’s end, that much he knew. Yet he didn’t dread it like he initially thought. He felt light, and happiness bubbled inside his chest and out his throat in the form of a fond laugh as Tanjirou sheepishly tried sliding the door open with his shoulder.
“You could let go of my hand, though. I won’t run.”
“Don’t want to.” He pouted. “Just—there!”
After a few more tries and he finally succeeded with an unabashed grin on his face. Without wasting another second, he dragged Giyuu in his unstoppable pace—kind of like a welcome summer storm.
There’s a certain giddiness in the man’s face that stopped Giyuu from inquiring further. Well, he thought, he might as well see what he has to offer in such an early hour.
The sudden brightness of the morning momentarily blinded him. But when he finally saw his front yard, he understood. The reason why Tanjirou felt so happy was because of the whiteness that covered almost everything. The snow finally came and piled over the early hours of the morning. Some translucent particles still fell from the skies in a slow, comforting manner, blanketing them in its cold embrace.
“You don’t mind getting a little cold?”
They were standing at the edge of the entry porch, their bare feet on the cold floorboards. If it was a few years back, Giyuu might’ve said this was irresponsible and childish. They had no valid reason to drench themselves under the snow doing whatever it was the man wanted to do. But now, Giyuu immediately answered an affirmative. He was always weak to Tanjirou’s requests.
“It’s fine. Wh—!”
Of course, the response was as immediate as his answer. With nothing but a widening grin as his cue, Tanjirou dragged him down where his shoulders jumped at the instant his feet made contact with the cold snow, a small gasp already out of his mouth. His reaction, however, was relatively calmer than Tanjirou’s. He literally jumped (making Giyuu’s arm awkwardly jump with him) and nervously laughed as he said, “I never thought it was this cold.”
“You’re the one who suggested doing it.”
“Yes, yes!” He exclaimed as they walked away from the house. His hand moved down from GIyuu’s wrist to quietly interlace their fingers as he kept talking. “Snow! We didn’t have one last year. Plus, I promised to show you how to make snow bunnies last time.”
Giyuu remembered it well. Two years ago, just as the snow melted and made the ground full of dark puddles, Tanjirou lamented how they didn’t get to enjoy the snow because he was away for most of the winter.
“We could’ve made snow figures!” Then his red orbs traveled to his dysfunctional hand, the one that stayed old enough that he couldn’t move them at all. “Small figures!”
“Hmm, like what?” Giyuu inquired as he sipped from the teacup on his hand.
There was a thoughtful look on Tanjirou’s face, his brows knitted together while his eyes squinted to look at the remaining snow on the ground. Not long after, a smile broke out of his face as he exclaimed, “A bunny! Snow bunnies are adorable!”
“I’ve never heard of a snow bunny.”
“Really?!” Tanjirou’s right hand grasped his left one just as soon as he thankfully laid his cup down beside him. He beamed at Giyuu, his eyes as bright as the winter sun that rose from the horizon. “Then I’ll make one for you next time it snows! Or maybe you can help me! Let’s do it together!”
His words didn’t leave anything else to be said as they continued to look at the rising sun, their hands together with fingers interlaced. Something they don’t talk about, yet it always lingered in his mind. He loved the feel of his calloused hand on his own, the shape of them imprinted on his skin like a brand he never wanted to fade.
It was warm.
They stopped at the middle where the snow piled the most, their path unhindered by trees. Tanjirou dropped to a crouch, which automatically made Giyuu mirror his pose. The man let go of his hand (and it took Giyuu’s great restraint to stop himself from whimpering at the loss of his touch) and gathered the snow in between them. Wordlessly, Giyuu followed suit and brushed the snow with his cupped hand.
In a way, they were moving like one unit with how they only have one functional arm each. And in some strange twist of fate, they were left with what the other didn’t have. Well, wasn’t that just perfect in its own flawed way?
The cold seeped into his arms and feet, but it didn’t really matter to him. His chest and face felt comfortably warm as they continued their work in silence.
Giyuu sneaked a peek at Tanjirou’s face and saw how flushed it had become (was it from the cold, or something else entirely?). His cheeks took on a rosy tint that he somehow looked like an embodiment of fire amidst the white background. His eyes were bright and full enough for Giyuu to see how happy he felt.
“Mmm, this should be enough.” A mound as big as a grown cat sat in between them. “Now pat at it Giyuu-san! Like you did with that black cat last week. We need it to be rounder!”
A blush crept at his face at the thought of being discovered. He actually stayed for almost an hour with the stray cat on his lap, patting and light scratching at its ears with a smile on his face. He thought he was alone, so he talked with the cat about his feelings for one burgundy-haired man.
“Tanjirou!” Giyuu exclaimed, feeling embarrassed. The man simply let out a laugh that rang like wind chimes as he turned to reach for fallen leaves and rocks.
Giyuu let out a shaky breath as he shook away the embarrassment. Instead, he moved to do as the man instructed, patting the mound until it had a clean shape, not unlike a mochi. It did look like a mochi, he nodded to himself. Maybe they can get some later.
Tanjirou turned back and pushed two, round pebbles on the white mound. Giyuu almost wanted to stop him from destroying the almost-perfect shape he made with some effort. Tanjirou probably saw him open his mouth that he motioned his hand in a dismissive gesture.
“It’s fine, it’s fine!” He then put two elongated leaves on top, completing the look. “You did a perfect job with the bunny’s body! Now, look!” Tanjirou grinned at Giyuu (which almost made his fragile heart stop). “We have a healthy snow bunny!”
And he couldn’t stop the bright smile that graced his features, offering it to Tanjirou as he said, “Does that make us its parents?”
It was really supposed to be freezing by now, but it was like the heat his body was exuding melted the snow that piled on his head and shoulders. Even the snow on his feet felt more liquid than the solid bunch they should’ve been. Instead, it was really, really warm.
His heart soared, and his hand moved to tuck a stray burgundy strand behind Tanjirou’s ear before he cupped the man’s cheek like it was a natural thing to do.
“I—” Tanjirou was left speechless, his mouth agape as he stared at Giyuu with widened eyes. But it took only a few seconds until he melted to Giyuu’s touch, tilting his head towards it. The small movement was enough reason for his hair tie to give up its failing hold, and burgundy waves tumbled across Tanjirou’s broad back and shoulders. It was beautiful. It was like Giyuu witnessed something ethereal unfold before him because, at the same time, Tanjirou’s molten red eyes spoke of a love that was boundless and pure.
“Wouldn’t that mean we’re already married, Giyuu-san?” The man giggled. “You didn’t even ask for my hand.”
Giyuu shook his head fondly. “Then, would it be fine if I ask for it now?”
“Mmm…”
There’s a playful smile on his pink, chapped lips as he raised his hand also to cup Giyuu’s cheek.
Giyuu took a sharp intake of breath and gathered every courage he had as he spoke in a steady, affectionate voice. “Kamado Tanjirou, you make me the happiest I’ve ever been. You’ve seen me become weak and cry, and yet you always say I’m the strongest man you’ve met. I don’t express my emotions well, and it may not seem like much to others when all I do is look at you with nothing but a smile on my face, but…”
He brought their foreheads together, his eyes drifting close. He wanted to feel and only feel. Their skin felt cold, but their breaths made it warm. And their unbound hair swayed and tickled as the breeze picked up. “I love you. And I will continue to love you through the passage of time.”
The only sound he could hear was their bated breaths and beating hearts.
“Will you marry me, Kamado Tanjirou?”
Tanjirou’s ‘yes’ was short-lived as Giyuu closed the gap between them and sealed the vow with a kiss. No sooner, they tumbled like idiots on the cold, white ground as they playfully tossed snow at each other.
Their laughter resounded like the bells at the shrine they occasionally visit.
Later that morning, the two of them laid close to each other under a single blanket. Dressed in thicker and drier clothes (Giyuu still couldn’t stop the heated feeling that assaulted at his heart when he saw Tanjirou wearing his clothes), they sniggered at their silliness, occasionally interchanged with wet sniffles.
“We could’ve made a snow bunny at the engawa, you know.”
“Ah, but that would take too much effort.” Tanjirou jokingly glanced at their useless arms.
Giyuu chuckled and moved close, bringing his arms across the man’s shoulders. Tanjirou, in turn, snuggled further in the warmth of Giyuu’s hold, sniffling. “Right. And it’s better that we both got sick, then?”
“It’s worth it.” Tanjirou giggled wetly. “I even got you to confess and propose.”
“Okay, okay.” Giyuu blushed. It was a miracle he even managed to do whatever he did some time ago. He never thought he’d ever get the words out of his mouth and would probably also take them to his grave. “It’s about time we should really sleep. Now shush.”
“Giyuu-san is just being his embarrassed self.”
“Shhh. Sleep.”
“Love you too! Good night.”
Giyuu breathed in the scent of snow and sunlight, letting it lull him to sleep as he pathetically sniffled, “Goodnight, love.”
“Oh my god.” Nezuko came the next day with Zenitsu in tow. “I worried because my brother wasn’t back for a day, and then he was just here, sleeping without a care in the world?”
They unceremoniously barged inside when no one went to answer the door. She knew there was only one place her brother would go to without fail. It was the former water pillar’s estate, less than an hour’s travel if one ran from their house.
She’s sure he ran yesterday, under the snow, without even changing out of his nightwear. He even left his haori. Nezuko puffed her cheeks in frustration.
“Shhh, Nezuko-chan.” Zenitsu chided in a whisper. “They’ll wake up at this rate.”
They were looking at her brother, and Giyuu locked in a tight embrace as they slept. Upon closer look, their faces were flushed to the point that they looked feverish.
“Are they sick?” Nezuko, now calmer, asked. She tip-toed her way close while Zenitsu worriedly watched her at the back. She raised her hand to motion for her husband to come with her. With a resigned sigh, Zenitsu silently knelt beside her and looked over the two sleeping men.
“Ah,” Nezuko sighs as she felt her brother’s forehead. “Definitely sick. Probably Giyuu-san too.”
“They look peaceful, though. Happy, in fact.”
“Mmm, well…we all knew they were going to end up in each other’s arms, anyway.” She stood and dragged Zenitsu with her. “Why don’t we get some ingredients and medicine? I’ll make something for them.”
Before she slid the door close, she took one last glance at her brother’s smiling face. It was the most peaceful smile she ever saw in his face. And he had such a pleased expression while asleep with a fever at that.
I’m happy for you, Tanjirou-nii-san.