Chapter Text
Feet, sore from training, paced back and forth, practically destroying the floor. Gnawing on his lower lip, he cast his eyes downwards, balling his hands up at his sides. The frustration was evident all throughout his tense form, and it was palpable from nearly a mile away.
Because it couldn’t be you .
You, whose smile made his stomach do constant flips. You, whose voice made his entire body erupt into flames. You, whose nonstop affection had him regularly a flustered mess .
Yet still, Genya Shinazugawa would coldly deny any chance that he might have developed feelings for you. Because it’s impossible. There’s just no way.
You’re a guy after all.
What would his friends think? What would his brother think? Heck, what does Genya himself think?
He thought it was ridiculous. Absurd. Insane.
Throwing himself on his futon, he forced his eyes shut. Sleep would help his thoughts get back on track, and away from you. Thinking of you would only make this all worse. Except when he closed his eyes, all he could see in his mind was you. It took all of his effort to not let out an irritated scream.
Genya stayed up well into the night, tortured by his own thoughts of you.
Because it couldn’t be you . Except, maybe it was.
“Genya!”
His head snapped towards the sound of his name, and his face flushed upon realizing it was you who was running up to him. The smile painted across your complexion nearly blinded him with how bright it was. Were you really that happy just to see him?
Once you were close, you wrapped both your arms around his arm, tugging him forwards. The sudden unbalance almost made him trip onto you. When Genya caught himself, he looked up to see your face grinning right at him. His breath caught in his throat. Your eyes looked so soft, your lips so warm, and—
And oh gods, you were so close to him. So close, that strands of your hair were almost brushing against his cheek. His face turned crimson, and suddenly all of the air was gone from his lungs.
Seemingly oblivious to his state, you only smiled wider. Still hugging onto his arm, you chirped, “I missed you so much! Ugh, that latest mission was terrible…”
Right, currently you both stood in the halls of the Butterfly Estate. You were recovering from your mission on Natagumo Mountain, which you went on with your friends and fellow Demon Slayers. What a coincidence that you’d run into one of your closest friends.
Physically unable to reply, Genya just nodded curtly, his face still scarlet. He envied how easily others conversed with you. He hated how the butterflies in his stomach felt like moths, trying to eat through his skin. He hated how his skin crawled where yours touched it, how the warmth from your own body made his heart erratic. Why couldn’t he just act normally around you?
Maybe he just had to accept the fact he’d developed feelings for you , another guy .
You started to swing his arm back and forth slightly, making him jolt. You were so affectionate, something Genya found endearing. So freely showering him in attention as if you were already dating. His mouth went dry at the embarrassing thought. Mindlessly, you chatted about the mission, complaining about how tiresome and difficult it was. Still unaware of how Genya was struggling to even inhale. He hated this close contact with you as much as he craved it.
Suddenly you piped up, “But how have you been, Genya?”
Blinking a few times, he saw your patient gaze, easily watching him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he opened his mouth, but the words came out late. “I, uh… I’ve been- been fine,” he mumbled lamely. Still, you nodded eagerly.
“That’s good to hear!” you beamed. Genya’s body almost stopped working right then and there with your carefree expression. It sent several arrows into his already weak heart, rendering him half dead.
Finally letting go of his arm, you scooted back, suddenly avoiding his gaze. “I, um, was actually wondering if we could catch up,” you admitted, your feet shuffling slightly.
“Catch up?” Genya parroted, brows furrowing. His cheeks flushed at your implications, although rather innocent.
You looked up. “Yeah, like maybe we could sit outside and just talk? Something like that…” you trailed off, seemingly unsure of the suggestion. Genya didn’t want you to take back the offer.
“Um, yes!” he forced out, voice a bit higher than usual. “Yes, I’d- I’d like that.”
Your smile returned at full-force, and you jumped slightly. “Okay! Okay, great. I’ll see you outside on the engawa at sundown?”
When Genya sharply nodded, you backed away a bit more, waving to him. “I’ll see you then!” you called, running off to a different part of the estate. You left Genya standing there, mouth slightly open, one hand half raised. Shoving his hand down, he stomped off, mind distressed with warm thoughts of you.
You were sitting, facing the setting sun, when Genya found you. He roughly sat down beside you, and your head immediately turned to his. Your smile was kind and soft, and it made Genya melt. When you scooted closer to him, his face quickly warmed up.
“So,” you started, voice quiet, “what have you been up to since our last mission together?” Your tone sounded genuinely interested, almost impatient to hear about the details of Genya’s life in the past few weeks.
For some reason, it was a little easier finding his voice. “You know, just… slaying other demons,” he replied slowly. Despite the answer being anything but intriguing, the interested glint in your eye never left.
Fully taking in your appearance in the light of the sunrise caused Genya’s breath to catch in his throat. The warm lighting coated your features in a heavenly way, casting a slight glow. The shines in your eyes were accentuated, digging right into his soul. He wanted to roll you up in something soft and tuck you behind his ribs so you’d forever stay safe with him. That slightly possessive thought shocked him.
“I’ll be honest, I was a little worried when my next missions weren’t with you anymore,” you confessed, fidgeting with your hands slightly. “The thought of you getting hurt, or worse… It makes me so panicked.”
Something stirred in Genya’s chest, softening his expression with your worried one. He wanted to be bold and reach out to grab your hand, but decided against it. He wanted to say something to comfort you, but his mind went blank.
“Um, seeing you again, it really calmed me down,” you continued, looking up at the sky. “I’m… I’m so glad you’re okay.” Your words went soft, practically stabbing Genya’s poor heart.
“I’m- I’m glad you’re okay too,” he spoke up, uncertain about his own words. He felt somewhat foolish, revealing an almost embarrassing thought. His hands felt empty, aching to hold yours. His face refused to return to it’s normal shade, instead staying a bright red color.
You smiled gently at the sky, drinking in his words. Slowly, you turned to stare at him, with loving eyes. Genya physically froze at how beautiful you looked, how kind and sweet and perfect .
“I may be a fool,” you hesitantly began, “but when I look at you, I see the stars in your eyes.”
Genya’s heart pounded , probably cracking a few of his ribs and popping both of his lungs. His mouth fell open slightly, all air escaping his body. Such a suffocating, warm , welcoming feeling enveloped his body and mind. If he didn’t watch his words, he might accidentally let it slip that he loved you.
He loved you.
Any scrap of denial fled from his body. He wholeheartedly knew that what he felt for you was undying love. The kind of love that lingered when he tried to fall asleep, the kind of love that followed him when he tried to run. The kind of love that felt like wearing rose-colored lenses. It blocked out the bad from the world. You were like his sunshine, coating the earth with light and chasing the demons away. Screw the fact that you were a boy, that didn’t matter anymore. You were still you , the person Genya had fallen in love with.
He deeply craved a domestic life with you. Sharing a bed, cooking, maybe starting up a garden together… Peeling back your shirt after a long day, running his hands down your chest and back, nudging his face against the side of your neck… and oh —
Oh no. You were staring at Genya, waiting for an answer from him. And he was staring at you too. Had he just been staring this entire time?
The neverending blush adorning his face somehow worsened, his entire body heating up. “I-I, um… I think it— It’s like the same, when I… when I look at you,” he shakily forced out. For the first time, he saw your cheeks brighten up.
“I…” You paused to take a quick deep breath, seemingly trying to calm yourself. “Can I… tell you something?” Nerves suddenly pricked at his skin, but Genya nodded.
“I… Genya, um… I like you. Like— like a lot. I like you a lot, and oh gods, this is so embarrassing—” you stammered, covering your face with your hands. “I know, it’s weird. I… I get it if you don’t feel the same.”
Genya’s mind and heart stopped, before suddenly exploding into a frenzy. No way. No way, no way, no way . You liked him? As in loved him ? As in you possibly wanted to spend your life with him? Was he dreaming? Was he dead?
The silence was strangling, the tension thick enough for him to tear into it with his teeth like it were a demon. After several eternities, Genya squeaked out, “I like you.”
Your hands fell away from your face, and you stared at him in shock.
“I mean, I— I like you too !” Genya corrected himself quickly, cursing under his breath. “Even if… Even if you’re a guy, and we’re both guys, I still… I still like you.”
You stayed silent, which caused Genya’s anxiety to spike. What if it was a joke and you were going to laugh at him? Had he just made a fool of himself? It would make sense, he isn’t stupid. He knows he isn’t anywhere near attractive. How would a gorgeous person like you fall in love with him?
Before his thoughts went completely down the drain, you lunged forwards, snatching both of his hands. Genya yelled out in surprise when you yanked him forwards.
“Can I kiss you?” you nearly shouted, causing him to wince. It took a second before your words sunk in and a heavy blush engulfed his face, but he made himself nod. His thoughts were still bouncing around in his brain when you made your move.
Caught up in the excitement of your feelings being returned, you practically leapt forwards and slammed your lips onto Genya’s. He yelped, the sound muffled against your mouth. Tilting your head slightly, your lips slotted against his a bit easier, and Genya’s heart fluttered.
You were both obviously inexperienced, that much was clear. You didn’t really know what to do with your mouth so you settled for moving closer to Genya and putting your hands on his waist. Similarly, Genya had no clue what to do with his mouth or his hands. They hung awkwardly in mid-air.
You sighed against his mouth, before finally leaning back, blinking. Genya was frozen still, mind struggling to catch up with what had just occurred. He was caught up on how nice your lips felt on his, how warm your hands were when they touched him. You chuckled at his disastrously flustered appearance.
By then, the sun had sunken low beneath the horizon, making way for the moon. The air had cooled, and you suppressed a few shivers. Standing up, you offered your hand to your new lover, gazing fondly at his still-sitting form. It took him a moment to catch up, but when he did, he slowly took your hand. You pulled him up, and grinned at him.
“Let’s go back inside now, ‘kay?” you said cheerfully. Genya nodded, still dumbfounded. His heart was racing too fast for the rest of his body to catch up. He couldn’t get enough air into his body. Everything was moving so fast .
“Should we request a separate room together?” you wondered aloud.
Your sudden words had him stiffening. You shared a room with your other friends, didn’t you? And Genya had just been here for the day for a quick check-up. Yet, you wanted to share a room with him? With presumably one bed ? This was moving way, way too quickly! He had no time to catch up!
Noticing his anxious, flustered state, you continued, “We don’t have to! It’s okay if you want to be alone for a bit. I’ll see you in the morning though, right?” Your tone was warm and concerned, somewhat calming Genya.
He nodded. “Yeah… yeah. I’d like that. I’ll… I’ll see you in the morning,” he mumbled. You smiled at him like he was something precious, and his heart picked up.
Standing on your toes, you leaned up to press a soft peck to his cheek. Before Genya had time to even react, you were running back to your room, turning to wave goodbye.
Positively lovestruck, Genya found himself frozen to the spot for a few minutes after, just thinking of the events that’d occurred. A sudden desire to show you off overtook him, but he shoved it down. He’d never even heard of two guys having any sort of romantic relationship. It’d be best to keep this a secret.
Unbeknownst to the both of you, a certain blonde-haired boy was practically writhing in his bed, picking up every single word you and Genya had exchanged.
Regardless, you slipped into bed easily, falling into an easy slumber. On the contrary, Genya stayed up for several hours, stiff on his back, replaying the events of that night.
The morning would just not come quick enough.