Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Zenitsu, Inosuke, let’s eat outside today!”

Zenitsu sat up from where he had his head resting on the table. He looked over at Tanjiro, who was standing at the entrance to the classroom with a wide smile on his face.

“Outside? But it’s hot,” he whined. “Why would we eat outside?”

“It’s fine!” Tanjiro exclaimed. He marched into the classroom, ignoring the glances his fellow students gave him, and tugged on Zenitsu’s arm, pulling him halfway out of his chair. “It’s a beautiful day, and it’s not that hot at all! Come on, Zenitsu.”

“Noo,” he whined, even louder. He slumped against Tanjiro’s arm. “Why do I have to go outside and eat with you? If you want to eat outside so bad, do it by yourself! If I go out there I might seriously die. Heatstroke isn’t uncommon, you know!”

“You’ll be fine. You have plenty of water. And I have a special canister of iced tea that Nezuko made.”

At that, Zenitsu stood out of his chair, his fatigue appearing to have dissipated in an instant.

“Well, if you’re that lonely, I don’t mind going with you.” He bent down to grab his lunch and a few of his books. “How much iced tea did you say you have?”

Tanjiro didn’t say that he had planned for this inevitability and offered him a friendly smile instead. “I have plenty to share. She made a lot!”

Nezuko had made a large portion of iced tea, but it was at Tanjiro’s request. Since he had been planning for this day, he didn’t want anything holding him back. Not the heat, not his schoolwork, and not his friends.

“What about you, Inosuke?”

“Huh?”

Inosuke was staring out the window, twirling a pen in his hand. He glanced away from the window and paused his twirling. As was typical for him, his shirt hung off his shoulders unbuttoned, and his mask sat in his bag at his feet.

Inosuke gave Tanjiro one good look and then turned back to the window, putting his chin in his hand.

“I’m busy studying.”

That was Inosuke’s favorite pet phrase for to get out of doing anything; he would claim he was studying, even though the opposite was always true.

Tanjiro had prepared for this too.

“I understand,” Tanjiro said kindly. “Like Zenitsu said, it’s hot. I think it’s admirable you’re thinking about your health. Having a strong mind is important, but so is a strong body! Heatstroke is really dangerous. We’ll leave you to it, Inosuke.”

Inosuke leapt out of his chair, reached into his bag, and slammed his mask over his face.

“Ha? As if I’d get heatstroke! I don’t get sick. I can stand any level of heat! Just you watch me!”

“Then you’re coming?” Tanjiro clapped his hands together. “That’s great! Thank you, Inosuke!”

“Scary,” Zenitsu said from behind him. “It’s scary how you do that.”

Together, they moved into the hallway, down the stairs, and outside with their lunches in hand. Tanjiro took the lead, heading towards the school’s center where they could eat under the shade of one of the large trees.

“Like I thought,” Zenitsu started the moment they sat down, “it’s hot.”

‘Yes,” Tanjiro said, “it’s hot!”

“Why do you sound like you’re excited about that?”

That time, Tanjiro didn’t respond. He was focused on looking at their surroundings. He didn’t even start eating until Inosuke and Zenitsu pointed out how distracted he seemed.

“I’m not distracted,” Tanjiro replied. “I’m very focused. I’m eating. See?”

He removed the top of his lunchbox and popped a bit of rice into his mouth. If possible, he didn’t want to eat anymore than that. He was too nervous already. He and Nezuko had a routine where they regularly swapped who would prepare lunch—mostly because Nezuko was a much better cook than him. This time, he had made their lunches, and because of his nerves, it had turned out barely edible. He wondered if it was a bad sign.

No. It’s fine. It’s going to be fine.

Inosuke and Zenitsu kept conversation flowing around him. Tanjiro piped in a few times, but mostly, he was focused on keeping his eyes out for a specific someone.

About ten minutes passed before he saw him. Voices came from the other end of the school yard, and then he came into view.

Rengoku Kyojuro.

There he is!

He was another student at the academy, and he had the type of personality that meant he would be a perfect fit for sports teams like basketball or soccer. He was on the soccer team with his friends, but he had no plans to continue on after high school. Apparently, he was a huge history buff with a passion for history and teaching.

It wasn’t that Tanjiro had done any investigating to learn that; Rengoku was an increasingly admired figure in the school. His unique hair and vibrant personality meant he was undeniably popular. Tanjiro would have to be deaf to have not heard all the things people said about him.

None of that really mattered. Tanjiro may not have known him as well as his friends, but he knew Rengoku was kinder than most. He had a unique understanding of the world, and to many, he was seen as a pillar of sorts.

Tanjiro still remembered their first meeting in vivid detail.

The morning of Tanjiro’s first day of the new year at a new school, rain had threatened, and Tanjiro had forgotten his umbrella. He managed to get most of the way to school without issue, but as he got closer to the entrance, he heard a clap of thunder, and sprinkles of rain began to pepper his clothes and hair.

“Crap!” he exclaimed out loud. “Please hold on a little longer, clouds!”

He hurried along, but the rain came down harder, and he knew then that there was no way he would make it in time before he got soaked.

There was another student walking some ways ahead of him, and as Tanjiro passed, out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of his shocking hair color.

Tanjiro turned on instinct, and through the sheet of rain coming down, their eyes met.

Whoa.

“Forgot your umbrella?” he said in greeting. Tanjiro continued to stare at his eyes, trying to determine whether they were contacts. “You’re getting all wet!”

He stepped up to Tanjiro and held his umbrella over the both of them. He’d smiled, and Tanjiro’s heart had skipped a single beat.

“Oh!” Tanjiro came to his senses and lifted his hands. “Thank you! But you don’t have to do that. I should keep going; I have to get to school earlier because there are a few things I need to take care of.”

“You’re a first year, aren’t you? What’s your name? I’m Rengoku Kyojuro!”

“Kamado Tanjiro,” he replied, taken aback by his volume. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Well, in that case, you can take this,” Rengoku said, and shoved his umbrella into Tanjiro’s hands.  

“What? No, this is your umbrella!”

“I insist! I have more at home!”

Rengoku released his hold on the umbrella, forcing Tanjiro to take it from him, and then he stepped back into the rain. Immediately, his hair began to go dark and flatten from the downpour.

“What are you doing?” Tanjiro cried. “Now you’re soaked!”

“It’s your first day!” Rengoku said, raising his voice to speak over the rain. “You should try to look your best!”

“But—”

“Go, Kamado!” he said, waving a hand. “Unlike you, I’m in no hurry. And besides—” he spread his arms wide, an equally wide and cheerful smile bursting across his face “—I love the rain!!”

Tanjiro hadn’t been able to forget that moment. The rest of the day, his thoughts had been consumed by Rengoku. He wondered if he’d gone to school okay, and if he’d had an extra pair of clothes. He worried about him all morning, up until he spotted him during lunch wearing his gym clothes.

He watched him, relieved, thinking about the words he’d spoken; the passion in his voice.

He quickly learned that was just what Rengoku was like. And then as time passed, Tanjiro’s curiosity about his strange upperclassman transformed into something more meaningful.

I liked him. I still really, really like him. And today, I’m going to confess.

Currently, Rengoku was walking in line with his usual group of friends, and they were headed past where Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were eating. As they drew close, Tanjiro’s heart started pounding. His face began to flush, only compounded by the intense heat that day.

Tomioka Giyu, one of his close friends (though from what he heard, Tomioka denied it), said something that made him throw his head back and laugh. Tanjiro watched him, his heart fluttering and his lunch completely forgotten.

So handsome. He’s really too handsome!

Eventually Rengoku stopped laughing, and they kept walking, passing by close enough that Tanjiro and the others bowed their heads in greeting.

Rengoku waved his hand at them casually. Even though it hadn’t been meant for Tanjiro specifically, his mouth went dry. He checked his phone.

There’s fifteen more minutes left in lunch. I still have time.

“Man, Rengoku really is something. We practically have the same hair color, and he’s way more popular than me.” Zenitsu scoffed and picked up the canister of tea, going to pour himself a cupful. He paused when he looked over at Tanjiro. “Tanjiro? You okay? Your face is all red.”

Tanjiro opened his mouth. He tried to find a way to encapsulate everything he was feeling just then, but nothing came to mind. He eventually decided on the simple truth.

“I’m…” Tanjiro clenched his hands around his lunchbox. “I’m going to confess today.”

Zenitsu’s tea erupted from his mouth onto the ground in front of him. Inosuke sat up, paying full attention for the first time all day.

“You what?” Zenitsu wiped his mouth clean with a napkin. “To who? Rengoku?”

“Yes. Rengoku,” Tanjiro said. He stood up and quickly shoveled the rest of his lunch in his mouth. “That’s right! I have to do it! We have less than a year until he graduates; now is my only chance!”

“Wait… Hold on…” Zenitsu reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. “Wait, wait, wait. You’re not seriously going to do it now, are you?”

“I am. It’s why I wanted to eat out here today. I knew I wouldn’t have the nerve if I didn’t have you both with me.”

“Tanjiro…” Zenitsu gaped. Tanjiro met his gaze. “I know that you like him, but haven’t we been over this before? He gets confessed to all the time by the girls in our school—what makes you think he’ll pay any more attention to you?”

“I,” Tanjiro began, puffing out his chest, “am not a girl.”

Beside them, Inosuke burst into laughter.

“You say that like it’s a good thing! You’ve got nothing on a cute girl!”

“It’s not a competition of looks,” Tanjiro declared. He laid his hand against his chest. “As long as you don’t abandon hard work and diligence, and live your life honestly, anyone will come to recognize what a great partner you can make. That’s what I always say.”

 Now Zenitsu and Inosuke were giving him matching looks of disbelief.

“There’s no way in hell that’s true,” Zenitsu said. He leaned back and sipped on more of Tanjiro’s tea. “Either way, you’re running out of time. Class is starting soon, so you may as well give up now. If you really want to confess, why don’t you try again tomorrow?”

No. It has to be today.

“Thank you for your concern, Zenitsu, Inosuke, but I’m going now!”

“Wait!”

Tanjiro came to a stop. “What?”

Zenitsu opened his mouth, then shook his head and closed it. He smiled.

“Good luck, Tanjiro. If he doesn’t see what a catch you are, he’s an idiot!”

Tanjiro smiled back.

There were eleven more minutes left until class. If he found Rengoku within the next few minutes, he would still have time. Tanjiro looked all over where he thought he’d gone, then even asked another student if they’d seen him. He learned that Rengoku had forgotten his bag, which had him turning back around and heading for the gymnasium. By the time he made it there, he was out of breath from running and there were seven minutes left.

Tanjiro went to open the side door, and he was surprised when the door slipped out of his fingers and swung away from him, revealing Rengoku standing in front of him in all his glory.

“R-Rengoku!” he blurted. Tanjiro stepped back and bowed his head slightly.

“Hello, Kamado,” Rengoku greeted. He stood there for a moment, and when Tanjiro didn’t move, blasted him with his signature smile. 

He remembers me! Well, we have spoken a handful of times… but still!

The fact that he was smiling at Tanjiro made a part of him want to melt away. Rengoku’s smile was so unique to him.

“Ah, yes! Um—” Tanjiro reached up and began hastily addressing the problem that was his hair. Since he’d been running around, it was now a complete mess. That morning he had asked Nezuko to help him style it.

“Is there something you need?” Rengoku inquired, as the silence dragged on.

“Sorry, yes! I—"

Rengoku’s smile was back, and the speech Tanjiro had prepared dried up in his throat. He was rarely rendered speechless, but just then, his mouth wouldn’t work properly. Words fled.

Rengoku waited a moment, and then gingerly moved past him with a short nod. His friends followed. Tanjiro watched them go, feeling his chance slowly slip away.

Tomorrow would be better, said a voice that sounded a lot like Zenitsu. Tomorrow you have another chance.

Rengoku’s loud laughter echoed again, and his unique scent pulled him in, tugging at Tanjiro’s heart.  

No!

Tanjiro curled his fingers into fists and took a step forward.

“Rengoku!” he yelled. “Um! Can I talk to you for a minute?”

There was a long pause before Rengoku answered. He glanced at his phone, then shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“OK! What is it?”

“I was… hoping I could speak with you in private.”

Tanjiro felt his face start to burn even hotter. He had planned for this moment, but it was still incredibly nerve-racking to have the object of his affections so close and about to listen to what he had to say.

“Sure,” Rengoku said easily. He walked away from his group of friends, ignoring the one wearing crystals who whistled, and led Tanjiro over to the side of the building.

“Class will be starting back up soon, you know!” he said as Tanjiro moved into place a few feet in front of him. “You shouldn’t be late to class, Kamado.”

“I appreciate your concern, Rengoku. But I have something to tell you.” He glanced down at the ground. “I…”

For a fleeting second, Tanjiro was tempted to close his eyes, or focus on the patch of grass at his feet. Then his heart might not feel like it was about to explode.

But then if he did that, it wouldn’t feel genuine. It wouldn’t be right. He needed to tell Rengoku directly.

Tanjiro wrenched his head up from the ground and met Rengoku’s eyes.

“I like you!” he exclaimed. “Rengoku, I’ve liked you for a long time. I think you’re very caring, and you’re extremely handsome. Please go out with me!”

Immediately after blurting out his confession, it was like all the heat that had gathered that day made a direct line for Tanjiro’s cheeks. He could feel it radiating off his face in an intense blush. Even so, he didn’t look away from Rengoku. He held his gaze.

I did it! he thought. I confessed! And it feels so good to finally say it out loud!

Other than blinking at him a few times, Rengoku didn’t react, at first. Tanjiro wasn’t surprised; he was probably used to being confessed to fairly often. Then, Rengoku crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side.

“Mm! First, I appreciate you sharing your feelings with me,” Rengoku said, sounding like he’d had a lot of practice with that line. Tanjiro’s heart sank a little, but he held on. “That takes a lot of guts! And second—” Rengoku paused for a beat, his smile disappearing before coming back a second later “—well, I guess… if you really want to date me, you would have to ask my father for permission first.”

Tanjiro was too engulfed in the joy of the lack of rejection at first to realize what he had said. After a solid ten seconds where he fought with himself not to react too obviously, he finally absorbed the words Rengoku had spoken.

“Your… father?”

“Yeah!” Rengoku nodded. “My father.”

Is he serious? Tanjiro’s brows furrowed. Can he really not date without his dad’s permission? This isn’t the dark ages! He nearly shook his head, immediately irritated with himself. No, don’t be so judgmental. Rengoku doesn’t seem upset, and he was the one who brought it up. If that’s the only way…

“So I just need to speak with your dad first and get permission?”

“That’s right!”

“And then you’ll go out with me?” Tanjiro couldn’t keep the eagerness out of his voice. Rengoku’s smile widened.

“Maybe!” Rengoku yelled, then looked at his phone. “Oh! Would you look at the time. We’re going to be late. We’ll have to save this conversation for later. Thank you again for your heartfelt confession, Kamado. See you later!”

“Eh, wait—” But Rengoku was already walking away. “A-ah, okay! Have a good day, Rengoku!”

Tanjiro watched him go, feeling numb. It had all happened so quickly that he didn’t know what to think or feel. The numb feeling didn’t go away until he reached his building, walked into the classroom seconds before being late, and sat down.

Then it finally hit him. Numbness fell away, replaced with a deep, intense joy.

Tanjiro curled forward and leaned his head on his table, trying not to squeal with delight.

He said maybe! He bit his lip and pressed his fist into the underside of his desk. That’s almost a yes!

This was not an outcome he had truly allowed himself to consider. Tanjiro could hardly contain himself. He stamped his feet lightly on the ground, so happy he could cry.

Rengoku Kyojuro had heard his confession and responded.

“Tanjiro? Are you paying attention?”

The teacher’s voice rose up from the front of the classroom.

“Y-Yes!” Tanjiro’s head snapped up, and he sat up straight. “I’m sorry! Yes, I’m paying attention!”

The classroom echoed with muffled laughter. Tanjiro ducked his head, but it wasn’t out of embarrassment; he was still too pleased to stop smiling. He turned his head to the left and saw Zenitsu staring at him intently.

How did it go? he mouthed. He raised an eyebrow as if to say, how much will I need to comfort you?

Tanjiro wanted to tell him it was more complicated than a simple yes or no, but instead, he smiled.

Tanjiro intended to tell his friends everything shortly after school. He intended to go home and draft a plan of action after that. He would give himself plenty of time to be ready and prepared to meet Rengoku’s father.

But then Rengoku stopped by his classroom, and all of Tanjiro’s thoughts fled.

“Kamado,” Rengoku greeted casually, as though Tanjiro’s heart wasn’t trying to climb out of his chest and up into his throat. “So, this is your classroom? Your class is pretty loud! Sometimes we can hear you on the floor above.”

“Please, call me Tanjiro!” Tanjiro blurted. “Uh, yeah! Sorry about the noise.”

“Hmm.” Rengoku crossed his arms. “Tan-ji-ro,” he sounded out slowly. “Tanjiro. I’ve always thought that’s a good name! What characters do you use to spell it?”

Tanjiro told him and Rengoku laughed, loud and bright.

“Charcoal? What an interesting combination! I like it.”

I like you! Tanjiro thought. He wanted him to keep saying his name.

“Rengoku,” he said, before he could overthink it, “please let me walk you home today!”

Tanjiro could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. He hadn’t realized that while few students were looking at them directly, a good portion of the student body was paying attention to their conversation. The ever-popular Rengoku Kyojuro, talking to a random student in second year? And then he said something like that?

Rengoku’s eyes slid past him and into the classroom. Tanjiro thought he saw the slightest bit of color rise into his cheeks, and after a few seconds Rengoku rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged again.

“You want to ask today?”

“Yes,” Tanjiro answered. “I’d be honored if you’d let me!”

“I’ll give it to you, Tanjiro, you’ve really got guts! That works for me. I live only a short bus ride away.”

Tanjiro’s smile burst out from his face. He wasn’t sure he would ever stop smiling after today.

Since leaving school, Tanjiro’s phone had been buzzing on and off. He resisted looking since he was walking alongside Rengoku, but eventually he did check.

Most of the messages were from Zenitsu, and a few were from other classmates. Apparently, word had gotten around that Tanjiro had asked to go home with Rengoku.

I don’t care what people are thinking. I got to go home with Rengoku, and today I confessed. This day can’t get much better.

“Did you get a good message from a friend?” Rengoku asked, somewhat hesitantly. “You’re smiling.”

Tanjiro jolted upright from where he was staring at his phone. “A-ah, uh, yes! My friends are just surprised I left without them. Thank you again for letting me walk you home.”

“You are so polite,” Rengoku said appraisingly. “Are you nervous? You don’t have to be.”

“I think that’s asking the impossible,” Tanjiro admitted. “To be honest… I’m just happy you heard me out. I meant what I said earlier today. You’re such a nice person, Rengoku. You’re always so friendly and you care about the people around you. And you stand your ground when you believe in something! You have no fear, and everyone really respects you.”

“You’re going to make me blush!” Rengoku yelled. “I’m not all that. I just do what anyone would do!”

Tanjiro wanted to insist otherwise, but he was already gushing like a fool. They fell into a semi-comfortable silence after that, and by the time they reached Rengoku’s household, Tanjiro was feeling much more confident.

Up until he saw his house.

“This… this is your house?”

Tanjiro had heard mention of the Rengoku household once or twice, but he’d never really thought about the way classmates made reference to it. His house was a beautiful home that looked like it had been there for hundreds of years, but it had clearly undergone renovations. The siding and front entrance had been modernized, though it still had that traditional Japanese flair.

And it’s way too big.

“Don’t be nervous!” Rengoku said, interpreting his silence. He grabbed Tanjiro by the wrist, and Tanjiro was so shocked that he didn’t have time to think about how this was the first time Rengoku had touched him.

“Come on!” Rengoku said, pulling him towards the door.

“Huh?”

Rengoku stopped in front of his door and began unlocking it. Tanjiro watched him ring the doorbell just before he opened it, compounding his confusion even further.

“Huh?”

Rengoku pulled him inside onto the genkan. He exchanged his shoes for slippers, and motioned for Tanjiro to do the same. With no other choice left but to follow directions, Tanjiro grabbed a pair of slippers and had just placed them on his feet when he heard footsteps.

“Kyojuro?”

Huh?

A young boy appeared around the corner. He spoke politely to Rengoku, his eyes widening when he saw Tanjiro.

No, Tanjiro thought.

“Did you bring a friend?”

No, he thought again. No, wait. Hold on.

“Mm! Sort of. This is Kamado Tanjiro. Tanjiro, this is my brother, Senjuro. Where’s father?”

“In his study.” Senjuro curled his hands around the edge of the wall shyly. “Should I go get him?”

“Please!”

It finally clicked for Tanjiro. Rengoku’s earlier words played in his head, now with a completely different meaning.

‘You’ve really got guts!’

Cold, icy horror gripped Tanjiro by the chest. He watched, his terror rising, as Senjuro bowed to him politely and left to find their father.

“Hold on a second,” Tanjiro said, feeling like he was rapidly losing his grip on reality. He didn’t know where to start. “You—your father is here?”

Rengoku cast him an odd look, as though it were Tanjiro who was strange one. “Of course! He lives here. Today is actually a good day, because work has been slow for him, I gathered.”

Tanjiro’s mouth opened and closed silently. Senjuro came back into the room a minute later and bowed to Tanjiro again.

“Do you two want to come in? I made tea just a short while ago. If you’d like, I could pour you some while we wait.”

Tanjiro had always thought Rengoku spoke too politely for his age, and now he understood perfectly why. They lived in a house like this, and his brother was like that, and his father…

His hands went to his uniform. He patted himself up and down, and then shoved his fingers in his hair.

This is bad. This is very bad. I’ve been sweating all day, and my hair is a mess. I didn’t think he meant we would meet his family today!!

He wanted to scream. Senjuro was still looking at him. Rengoku, too. Tanjiro’s instincts kicked in, and he bowed his head without even thinking about it.

“Thank you for having me! That sounds—wonderful. Thank you, Senjuro. I would love some tea. What flavor is it?”

The only reason Tanjiro still held onto his composure was because, since his family’s funeral, he was very used to putting one foot in front of the other, no matter how stressful the situation.

“It’s a black tea that I particularly like. I hope you’ll find it pleasing to the taste.”

“I’m sure I will,” Tanjiro said, finding his smile. Setting aside everything currently happening, Senjuro seemed like a nice, polite boy. He could see how the two of them had cultivated their manners from the same place. If he thought about it, it was likely that their father would be even more polite and congenial. And if that was the case, this might not be so bad.

Look at this as an opportunity, he told himself. You’re here now. In Rengoku’s house!

That was right. Tanjiro was in Rengoku’s house. It was full of Rengoku’s scent. If he focused, he could detect the trail leading upstairs, probably to his room.

He was so distracted by his ability to track Rengoku’s smell with his unusually keen nose that by the time his father came into the room, Tanjiro was the same level of prepared as he was when he first walked in.

“Who is this?” his father asked, directing his hard gaze onto Tanjiro. “Someone from school?”

His curt tone cut straight through him. Tanjiro felt sweat gather on the back of his neck. Rengoku’s father, Rengoku, and Senjuro were staring at him now. It felt like his mouth had been filled with cotton balls. He swallowed several times while his mouth hung open uselessly, wringing his hands on the strap of his school bag.

Say it!

“Um, I’m—”

Say something! Don’t stand there like an idiot.

“I’m Kamado Tanjiro!” he cried. “Mr. Rengoku, please give me your son!”

Rengoku’s father froze. Senjuro gasped.

Tanjiro thought he might be sick. His throat clicked when he swallowed a third time.

He was near one of the air conditioning vents, at least. Tanjiro wasn’t sure he would survive the ordeal otherwise.

After his hastily worded confession, Rengoku’s father invited him inside, past the genkan and into the household. There he greeted him officially.

“I’m Rengoku Shinjuro. Come inside and have a seat. Kyojuro,” he added sharply, “you, too. The living room.”

That encompassed his greeting, and then the terrified Tanjiro followed him into their living space, resisting the urge to look around. There, he was seated next to Rengoku and then made to wait.

I’m so glad they have AC, he thought for the fifth time. He was bathed in sweat. Tanjiro plucked at his shirt for a brief moment, fanning himself.

They were only alone for a few minutes, so there wasn’t time to have a conversation. He chanced a glance at Rengoku, watching as he continued to shift his gaze to the door where his father had disappeared. Other than that, he didn’t say much.

Another few minutes passed, and Shinjuro finally returned. With him he had brought a bottle of sake, which he set down on the table between them.

“Would you like a drink?”

Tanjiro glanced at the bottle, then at Shinjuro. “No, thank you,” he said. “I don’t drink, since I’m underage.”

“Good answer.”

Shinjuro picked up the bottle and set it aside. Internally, Tanjiro was relieved. If that was his first test, the rest might not be so bad.

“Let’s see. Young man,” Shinjuro began,” no—Kamado, would you mind repeating to me what it was you said earlier? Speak frankly.”

“Um. Well—I am one of Rengoku’s classmates. I’m sorry for interrupting your evening, Mr. Rengoku, but I appreciate you hearing me out!”

Shinjuro waited, and Tanjiro realized he actually wanted him to repeat it.

Don’t feel nervous! he thought, echoing Rengoku’s words from earlier. He glanced at him, and caught his gaze for a split-second. This is why you’re here.

“What I said earlier was a knee-jerk reaction. But it wasn’t wrong!” Tanjiro planted both hands on his knees and bowed his head low. “I came here today because I would like to ask permission to date your son! Please!”

Shinjuro looked at Tanjiro for a single, long minute.

“Absolutely not.”

Tanjiro’s heart sank. He hadn’t even hesitated.

“May I ask why?” he asked, grateful his voice remained even.

“Firstly, you’re a man,” Shinjuro said derisively. “While I have no issue on the basis of your gender, because of that, marriage is off the table, and you won’t have any children. Aside from that, say I allow you to date my son. What are you going to do when it affects his relationships with his friends? The school? His job?”

“Well, we haven’t exactly gotten that far—”

“And you won’t get any further. My answer is absolutely not.”

Tanjiro’s only response was more stunned silence. Beside him, Rengoku folded his hands in his lap and glanced down at his knees. In spite of his low expectations, Tanjiro hadn’t expected it to go like this. He’d thought it would take some convincing, sure, but not outright rejection at the very start.

Focus and calm down, he thought. Are you really going to let this be where it ends?

“I’m sorry,” Tanjiro said, lifting his head, “but I really must insist! I like your son very much! I would really like to date him. Will you please hear me out for a little bit longer?”

There was no other way to interpret Tanjiro’s actions other than rude, but he just couldn’t help himself.

Shinjuro crossed his arms and level Tanjiro with a look. He turned to Rengoku.

“Kyojuro,” he said, “I haven’t heard from you.”

Rengoku straightened his shoulders. “I don’t know Tanjiro well, to be frank. From what I know, he is earnest. He seems to get along well with others.”

“Hmph. That’s not much to go on.” Shinjuro leaned back. “I’m familiar with your family,” he said, and the cold horror still clinging to Tanjiro went tight. “The Kamado clan. You’re an orphan now, right?”

“Yes,” Tanjiro said. “My little sister is alive.”

“I was sorry to hear that,” Shinjuro said. “You two must live alone, then.” He waited for Tanjiro’s nod. “You seem like a resourceful child have gone through that all alone. However, that makes you an even poorer choice. What about money?”

“Money?” Tanjiro repeated.

“How will you support my son financially?”

“Father—”

“Not now, Kyojuro. Don’t interrupt me.”

Tanjiro felt Rengoku‘s scent muddle in a way he couldn’t interpret.

“I have prior work experience.” Tanjiro sat up straighter. “And I plan to work through university. After that, I intend to get a job, of course.”

“The job market is getting harder every year for new applicants. What will you do if your plans fall through? Or do you plan to siphon away my son’s money while you search for a job?”

This is ridiculous, Tanjiro thought, his anger building. We haven’t even started dating. How can I possibly plan for situation that’s years ahead?

“Your face is telling me you don’t like what I’m saying. Listen, Kamado. Kyojuro graduates next spring. He’ll need to focus on his studies. You’ll still be in high school for another year.” Shinjuro sighed and shook his head. “There: I heard you out. And you heard my answer.”

He stood and picked up the bottle of sake. It was a clear dismissal. And for a moment, Tanjiro considered letting that be the end of it. He hadn’t anticipated defending himself against Rengoku’s father’s rejection so soon, and he couldn’t have been expected to do well on such short notice.

But then he met Rengoku’s eyes, and the sight of his face made all of Tanjiro’s hesitation and worry melt away.

“I’ll figure it out!” Tanjiro blurted, rising to a stand. As Shinjuro turned to look at him, some of Tanjiro’s anger bled into his voice. “I’ve made it this far with just myself and my little sister. I have good grades, a good work ethic, and plenty of friends, but aside from all that, I just really like your son! I’m here to prove that to you!”

Tanjiro bowed low again.

“Please consider my request!”

Tanjiro could feel Rengoku’s gaze on him. He wondered what he was thinking then. Had he known his father would be like this? Was this his way of telling Tanjiro he wasn’t interested?

He didn’t have a chance to find out. When he raised his head, Shinjuro was walking towards him, and he looked angry. Really angry. Tanjiro held his ground, sweat pouring down his sides, but Shinjuro walked past him, towards the back of the house.

“Fine,” he said, terrifyingly even. “If you’re so insistent to prove yourself, follow me.”

Tanjiro glanced at Rengoku. Rengoku opened his mouth, but he didn’t say anything. He looked unsure. Tanjiro flashed him a nervous smile and then turned to follow his father towards the back of the house.

He led Tanjiro out the back doors, past the small engawa and down a small set of concrete stairs. Their yard was clean in the garden was beautiful, but near the far end of the fence, there was a large shed that had fallen into obvious disrepair. Shinjuro came to a stop in front of the door and gestured to it.

“This shed has been here since the house was built. As you can see, it’s in dire need of repairs. Fix it, and I’ll consider it.”

“Fix… it?”

Tanjiro stared up at the sizable shed, which had long lost that shine after being exposed to the elements. The front overhang roof had collapsed, and parts of the upper roofing were missing. It looked like there was a huge water damage problem just from where he was standing.

“What?” he said, at Tanjiro’s look. “You want to support my son. Show me you have what it takes.”

Tanjiro was no stranger to labor. His family had never been well-off, and when they’d lived in the countryside, Tanjiro had been enlisted to help his father—and then his mother, after his father fell ill—with a number of repairs, including plumbing and woodwork. It had been a long time, but he was familiar enough with all the basic tools.

Relatively speaking, it’s not that big. He touched his thumb to his lower lip. A team of two or three people could have this fixed in no time at all.

He heard Shinjuro scoff. When he looked over, he appeared even angrier than he had been before. Tanjiro hadn’t realized it, but he had taken the bottle of alcohol with him on the way out here. He held onto it, but didn’t open it.

“This is ridiculous. You’re just a child! It’s unreasonable and unethical to ask you to do this. You’ve heard my answer, Kamado, and now it’s time for you to go home. It’s late, and you have school in the morning.”

“I understand,” Tanjiro said, still staring at the shed. He was making a mental map of what he imagined the blueprints might look like. When he was satisfied, he turned to Shinjuro. “Thank you for speaking with me today, Mr. Rengoku.”

Although Tanjiro was pained at the abrupt dismissal, he had no choice. They said their goodbyes, and Tanjiro left out through the front door. He desperately wanted to find Rengoku and check on him, but knowing he had overstayed his welcome, he couldn’t go wandering around the house.

Then, as he was on his way out, he heard Rengoku call his name.

“Tanjiro!”

Tanjiro came to a halt just outside the door.

“Rengoku! Thank God, I was hoping you could speak with you. How are you feeling?”  

“I should be asking you that.” Rengoku gripped the door handle with one hand and the edge of the connecting wall with the other. “I… I wanted to apologize to you, Tanjiro. This is not how I thought this evening would go. Earlier, I was honestly struck speechless. I had no idea that my father would react like that. He’s—”

Rengoku stopped and ran a hand through his hair. Half of it had been gathered into a tight ponytail. He looked especially gorgeous with his hair up.

“I didn’t bring you here to embarrass you. My father hasn’t been the same since our mother died. He’s been improving since, so I thought—”

“Rengoku,” Tanjiro interrupted, once he realized what he was trying to say, “you don’t have to say anything! I understand.” He looked down, a bitter smile rising onto his face. “After my parents died, things weren’t easy. It must’ve been the same for him, right? For all of you.”

Rengoku’s brow furrowed.

“So you don’t have to worry about me!” Tanjiro smiled wide. “I’m perfectly fine!”

For some reason, Rengoku looked unhappy at that. His expression went tight.

“Good.” He nodded. “That’s good. I’m sorry this was your experience! It couldn’t have been pleasant. I’ll—” he sighed, leaning forward out the door, and then back. “I’ll see you around at school, then?”

“Yeah! See you around, Rengoku. Have a good night.”

And with that, Tanjiro turned around and began the long walk home. Because Rengoku lived a little further out from the city, it would take him a while to get back to the apartment he shared with Nezuko.

It’s okay. It’ll be fine, he thought. I won’t hesitate any longer.

A week later, on Sunday, when Rengoku opened the door he seemed genuinely surprised to see Tanjiro standing there.

“Tanjiro.” He pulled the door all the way open and stepped back. “What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?”

‘Like that’ referred to how Tanjiro was dressed in an old T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. Over his shoulder was a bag full of all the supplies he thought he’d need to get started.

Tanjiro pointed past Rengoku, towards the back of the house.

“I’m here for the shed,” he said simply.

“You’re serious,” Rengoku said. He looked curious.

“Of course I’m serious,” Tanjiro replied, frowning. “Didn’t I tell you? I told you I would see you later!”

“I thought… After we spoke, I hadn’t heard anything in a week!” Rengoku said, as though it was Tanjiro who was missing a key piece of information. “I had assumed that was the end of it.”

“Planning took a bit longer than I thought it would,” he admitted, embarrassed. That, and he had felt so humiliated by the poor way he had handled speaking with Shinjuro that he spent a few days wallowing. Now, though, he was ready to get to work.

“First, I don’t own any tools,” Tanjiro continuing, ticking points off his fingers. “Then there’s the travel distance, since I can’t drive. Thankfully, there’s a hardware store I can bike to! How lucky is that?”

Rengoku stepped back and allowed Tanjiro to come inside. He was still staring like he didn’t know how to make sense of him.

“Why?” Rengoku asked.

“I like you,” Tanjiro said. “A-Ah, but hopefully that doesn’t come off as creepy! If you want me to leave, I won’t stay. No—I should have asked already. Crap. Rengoku, do you want me to leave? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

 “No,” Rengoku answered slowly. “No, it’s fine.”

“I’m so glad!” He smiled. “Well, I wanted to get a head start, so I’ll see you later.” Tanjiro started walking again, only to stop short a few seconds later. “Oh! But don’t worry about bringing me any food. I don’t want to get in your way; I brought lunch. I’ve got water, too. Thanks, Rengoku!”

Rengoku watched Tanjiro go, saving his response for after Tanjiro had exited through the door.

“…Okay!”                                                            

Tanjiro started work on the shed.

It wasn’t every day, because he still had his classes and his social relationships to maintain, but multiple times a week he would make the trek to Rengoku’s house and head straight for their shed. Tanjiro determined several major issues with it in the first few days. Different parts of the walls would need to be replaced. Some of the shelves hanging on the walls were rotted from water dripping through the roof, and the pipes lining one of the walls had burst at some point and would need replacing as well.

Tanjiro wiped the sweat from his forehead and stared at one of the pipes.

Thankfully, there’s no water running currently. But… based on the placement of the shelves and the pipes, I wonder if somebody was trying to set up a garden.

Tanjiro’s mother had had a garden in a shed much like this. He remembered the afternoons he would spend with her while she tended to it, singing her favorite songs.

‘Tanjiro, could you come over here and help me water these?’ 

He took a breath, then set the pipe in the discard pile.

Shinjuro never came by to visit Tanjiro. He had announced his intentions to Rengoku, and he was sure that he must have relayed the message, but either he was too busy with work, or didn’t want to see him. Sometimes Tanjiro would feel eyes on back of his neck and turn, but the window leading to Shinjuro’s study would remain empty.

A week after he started work, Senjuro stopped by. He knocked on the open door and called Tanjiro’s name.

“Senjuro, hello!” Tanjiro sat down the tool he was fiddling with and met him by the door. “How are you? Are you already done with school?”

“I am. You sure are hard at work today!”

“Yes.” Tanjiro looked at his surroundings. He had made most of the repairs to the walls and he’d assembled new shelves, but because he had to have the hardware store cut the wood for him, progress was slower than he liked.

“I still have a long way to go!”

“I see.” Senjuro fiddled with a canister in his hands before speaking again. “Um, I finally found out what’s been going on. My brother and father didn’t want me to know, I think, but I figured it out. Tanjiro, are you really courting my brother?”

“C-courting?” Tanjiro began to blush. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the ceiling. “Well… courting is… I guess you could say that’s what I’m doing.”

Senjuro nodded absently and walked further into the shed. He blinked rapidly, looking around the space.

“It’s so hot in here! How can you stand it?”

“A lot of water!” Tanjiro said with a smile. “And I have ice towels I put around my neck. And that large fan over there.”

He pointed at it. Senjuro walked over to stand in front of the cool breeze, still fiddling with the canister.

“So… my father is making you do this? Why?”

“He isn’t, exactly, but this is how I’m proving myself to him. Then, if everything goes well, I can be with your brother.”

It all sounded so awkward when he simplified it like that. But Senjuro nodded like he understood, and then unscrewed the drink he’d been holding onto.

“I kept thinking about how cruel it is to leave you out here all by yourself. So I made some iced tea. If you wouldn’t mind, would you like to have some?”

“Iced tea? That sounds great!”                           

Tanjiro rushed to his side. Senjuro poured some in the cup, and Tanjiro drank it down in record time.

“Mm! That’s so good! What’s in it?”

“Mint with lemon and cucumber,” Senjuro said.

“It tastes really good. It’s exactly what I needed, thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” Senjuro replied. He walked further into the room, stopping near where Tanjiro had repaired parts of the wall. “You seem like a really nice person, Tanjiro. I was worried, because things seemed tense the other day. But I’m glad.”

“Me too.” Tanjiro’s smile softened in the face of Senjuro’s concern for his brother, and then Tanjiro, a stranger he hardly knew. “Would you mind if I had the rest of that iced tea? It’s really refreshing.”

“I intended to give all of it to you, so yes!”

When Senjuro smiled at him, Tanjiro could see the resemblance to Rengoku—aside from his hair—and even Shinjuro. Senjuro left after that, and Tanjiro started working again, only to have another interruption happen in the form of a much firmer knock at the door.

“Tanjiro?”

“Rengoku!” he greeted, trying not to let on how delighted he was to see him. “What are you doing here?”

“This is my house!” he replied, smiling. He hesitated by the doorway, but eventually walked inside. “I heard…” He cleared his throat. “Senjuro told me he was bringing you some tea he made. He forgot this coaster, so I thought I’d bring it!”

His voice rose as he spoke, until he was nearly yelling at Tanjiro. Tanjiro looked at said coaster, then glanced at his surroundings. Every surface was covered in dust and dirt; there was clearly no need for a coaster. But Rengoku had brought it to him.

“Thank you!” Tanjiro took it and set his cup down on top of it nearby. “I’ll use it well!”

“Mm!” he hummed. “It’s very hot, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s pretty toasty. I’m hoping fall will hit sooner rather than later.”

“Me, too. I love the fall.” He tapped his fingers along his thigh. “I’m sure that tea hits the spot.”

Tanjiro wanted to laugh; what kind of conversation were they having? It wasn’t awkward, but as they stared each other, a certain sort of tension arose. Tanjiro scratched at his arm and Rengoku cleared his throat again.

“Tanjiro,” he said suddenly. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Rengoku,” Tanjiro replied, repeating his name like it was a promise, “I know. I want to.”

The week after that, the heat became sweltering. They had reached the end of September, and an unexpected heat wave hit the city. Tanjiro was still working on the shed—more than he had been before—and the heat only slowed him a little. By that point, he grown used to heading inside for a quick break to use the bathroom or fill up his water. If he saw Shinjuro, he rarely said more than a curt greeting. His thoughts seemed preoccupied.

Mostly, it was Rengoku who spent time with him. He often lingered after school and before he had to study, and Tanjiro enjoyed what conversations they shared. There was an ease that was starting to develop more time they spent together, which only motivated Tanjiro to work harder.

“You know, I saw you out by the gardens earlier at school,” Rengoku told him one day, as he briefly helped Tanjiro measure out a portion of the shed wall. “I didn’t know you had such an eye for fashion!”

“Y-You saw that?” Tanjiro nearly dropped the tape measure. “One of the girls made it for me. It took her a lot of work; I couldn’t really refuse.”

Rengoku’s acknowledgment was another thing Tanjiro had noticed. Before, they may have recognized each other, but his eyes easily slid past. Now, they locked on to him from all the way across the school grounds, apparently.

“No need to be embarrassed!” Rengoku said, laughing. “You’re much more suited to a flower crown. It was pretty. Is this the right height? You look a little crooked to me.”

Rengoku was still smiling as he adjusted his position on the wall. Tanjiro refocused, grateful to have a reason to stop thinking about Rengoku seeing him wearing a flower crown and complementing him on it.  

If I got to see that smile directed at me every day, he thought, as he pulled off his cap and wiped the sweat from his brow, I could die happy.

Later that week, Tanjiro had just gotten back from filling his water with ice when a wave of dizziness and nausea hit him, hard. He immediately stopped and slid down against the shed wall, burying his head between his knees until it went away. Then, when he tried to move, he realized couldn’t. Or rather, if he did, he might just immediately fall over.

Fifteen minutes passed where he considered making a call on his phone. That was when Rengoku found him.

“Tanjiro?”

He poked his head around the door, frowning when he spotted him. Tanjiro lifted his head with a groan.

“It’s… pretty hot today,” he said, trying to muster up a smile.  

“Whoa, you’re flushed all over! Are you feeling all right?” There was a pause were Tanjiro didn’t reply. “Tanjiro?” Rengoku’s voice was more frantic that time. He crouched by Tanjiro’s side and pressed a hand to his forehead. “You’re covered in sweat! Let’s get you inside. Come on, lean on me.”

Tanjiro didn’t remember most of the trip back. He remembered feeling hot and sick, and then before he knew it, he had been lowered onto a couch and someone was putting an ice pack on his forehead, neck, and under his arms.

“Cold,” he whined, even though he hardly felt it. He was still so hot, and he felt awful. As the cold from the ice packs set in, he felt some of his exhaustion lift away, though he still felt ill.

“Tanjiro? Are you okay?”

That was Senjuro. Tanjiro opened his eyes and sat up slowly. He groaned, sliding his palm along his cheek.

“I’m fine,” he said eventually. “Just… might have gotten a bit too hot there.”

When he met Senjuro’s eyes, he didn’t look happy. He had several more ice packs, and what looked like a popsicle wrapped in plastic. First, he laid the ice packs over top Tanjiro, and then he unwrapped the popsicle. It was blue.

“Please, eat this. It has electrolytes. Our father keeps them around.”

Tanjiro took the proffered treat and stuck it in his mouth. “Where’s Rengoku?” he asked.

“I think he went to speak with our father. Please don’t move. Kyojuro said you probably have heat exhaustion.”

“I guess I do feel pretty terrible,” Tanjiro agreed. “I didn’t think… it didn’t seem that bad when I was out there. I’ve been drinking plenty of water.”

Senjuro left to get more popsicles for Tanjiro, and soon after Rengoku returned to replace him.

“That was extremely dangerous,” was the first thing out of his mouth when he sat down.

Tanjiro winced. “I know,” he said. “I should’ve been paying more attention, and not causing you all trouble. I’m sorry, Rengoku.”

“That’s not point!” Rengoku exclaimed, sounding truly angry. “That was—” he dragged a hand down his face. Because of the heat, his hair was in a ponytail, and Tanjiro couldn’t stop thinking about how good he looked with it up. “That was really dangerous, Tanjiro. No human being is worth injuring yourself. And I spoke with my father earlier—my god! I’m angry at both of you now.”

“It really hasn’t been that bad,” Tanjiro said in reply. Rengoku went silent. Tanjiro could smell his anger rising. He laughed, inexplicably. “I’m sorry, Rengoku. I should have been more careful. Is it terrible that I’m happy you’re worried about me?”

“No,” he said eventually. “But you need to know that none of this is necessary. I’m not… it’s not worth it!”

“You are.”

Tanjiro didn’t hesitate, not even for a second. He slid his palm over his forehead and took a few deep breaths before speaking.

“Besides, I can tell that that place—that shed—it’s important to you all, isn’t it?”

“And why do you say that?” Rengoku asked, some of his anger dissipating.

“Every time one of you goes there, the scent of sadness follows. It was strongest with Mr. Rengoku. A scent so strong, it makes me want to cry.” Tanjiro frowned as he looked up at the ceiling. “What kind of man would I be if I didn’t help?”

Rengoku was silent for so long that Tanjiro didn’t think he would answer. He closed his eyes, waiting for the awful feeling hanging over him to pass. Finally, Rengoku said,

“You’re a strange one, Tanjiro. And you’re not wrong. But.”

Tanjiro heard movement. By the time he opened his eyes, Rengoku was hovering above him, so close that Tanjiro could feel his breath ghosting across his nose.

“Don’t endanger yourself like that again. That shed is not worth your livelihood. Nothing is. Got it?”

“Yes,” Tanjiro said, blinking. He reached up with one hand and added, without thinking, “your eyes really are so pretty.”

Immediately after saying it, Tanjiro’s senses came back to him. He sat up too quickly, forcing Rengoku back, and braced one hand against his head.

“Sorry,” he hurried to say. “I mean… I do think that, but I didn’t mean to say it out loud.”

Now it was Rengoku’s turn to blink. When Tanjiro chanced a glance at him, he had backed up a few steps, and one of his hands was resting under his eye.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?” Tanjiro asked suddenly. There was a scent in the air he couldn’t parse. “All this time, I keep wondering if I’m just pushing my feelings onto you. If—if you’re not interested, I want you to know that you can tell me.”

“If I wasn’t interested,” Rengoku said slowly, lowering his hand, “I would have stopped you a long time ago.”

That tension was there again; the tension that Tanjiro would have been an idiot not to recognize. Rengoku’s cheeks were the slightest pink. Even though he knew he must have looked the same, Tanjiro couldn’t help but think the color suited him.

Tanjiro’s heat exhaustion lasted a few days. Rengoku insisted he see a doctor, and after being given some medicine help with the chills while he cooled himself down, he returned home. The timing happened to be perfect—the first test of their semester was coming up, so Tanjiro needed to put his efforts on pause anyway and spent several days studying, reviewing new materials, and catching up on the areas he’d been lagging in.

The night before the test, he ended up pulling an all-nighter to make sure he was prepared. Maybe it was because he’d just suffered from heat exhaustion not long ago, but the moment the test was over and lunch began, Tanjiro was out like a light at his desk.

“Let him sleep,” Zenitsu said to the few people crowding around him. “That idiot wants to work himself to the bone.”

That day, the classroom emptied itself as students collectively decided to be somewhere else for lunch. Tanjiro ended up being the last one left.

And then, as he slept in the peaceful silence, Rengoku opened the door and walked inside.

From where he was now standing by the door, Tanjiro seemed so small. Rengoku quietly walked up to his side and sat on top of the nearby desk to watch him for a few minutes.

“You’re exhausted, aren’t you?” he said.

Tanjiro was asleep, so he couldn’t respond. Rengoku chuckled quietly to himself.

“My father has been blown away by your persistence, you know. Yet he has no idea how cruel a request this is. You won’t give up, will you? Why do you work so hard? You like me that much?”

His question was a genuine one, though it came with no answer. Granted, with how obvious Tanjiro was with his feelings, he didn’t need one. Rengoku reached out with one hand, jerking back when Tanjiro shifted in his sleep. When it was evident he wouldn’t suddenly wake up, Rengoku reached the rest of the way and allowed his knuckles to gently brush the right side of his forehead, over the scar.

His hand stayed there for several long moments. At one point, Tanjiro moved again, but it only was a slight shift as he burrowed his face further into his arms, unintentionally bringing his forehead closer to Rengoku’s hand.

The press of Tanjiro’s warm skin against his knuckles felt like electricity.

Rengoku pulled back, staring at his hand. He flexed it a few times. Then he brought it to his chest and pressed it over the space above his heart.

“Well, you’ve done it now, Tanjiro.”

He smiled at no one and tipped his head towards the ceiling, covering the lower half of his face his other hand.

The last day that Tanjiro worked on the shed, it rained. Or more accurately, it poured.

Tanjiro had been so busy with school that he hadn’t spent nearly enough time on it. Normally he wouldn’t work in the rain, but it doubled as a means to test the repairs he’d made to the roof. And since it was coming down so hard, he didn’t want to track mud and rainwater into the house, so he came in back fence entrance.

The moment he stepped past the door, his eyes lit up.

“I don’t see any water anywhere!”

He scoured the entirety of the shed just to make sure nothing had slipped through, looking at every nook and cranny, but as the minutes passed, and the rain continued to come down, Tanjiro felt a sense of pride unparalleled.

I did it. That puts me a huge step closer than I was before. This is really tiring work, but I did it!

He stood there, surveying his work, too proud of himself to feel the proper motivation to really get started. Sometimes, he thought about how far he had to go, and the fact that he didn’t know what Shinjuro’s exact expectations were, and he almost wanted to put it off.

But if he did that, Rengoku would be nothing more than an acquaintance.

I’ve come this far. I can’t go back to the way things were. Not after this. It would kill me.

Tanjiro had just turned around to close the door and keep out the worst of the rain, when a large figure standing there moved into frame. Tanjiro let out an undignified screech.

“M-Mr. Rengoku,” he breathed, once he realized who it was. “You scared me!”

Shinjuro was looking at him like he couldn’t figure him out. The heavy scent of confusion hung in the air.

“What are you doing here this early?”

“It’s raining, so I wanted to check on things in the rain,” Tanjiro answered sheepishly. “I’m sorry I didn’t greet you; I didn’t want to bother you this early. But—look!”

Tanjiro turned around and spread his arms wide, grinning.

“I fixed the roof, Mr. Rengoku! No leaks!”

Shinjuro stared at him. Eventually, he walked past him and into the shed. He slipped his palm over the new shelves Tanjiro had installed and placed both palms flat on the large table that had become Tanjiro’s workbench.

“Let’s go inside,” he said after a long pause. “It’s too early to be working out here in this rain. I’ll put some tea on.”

Shinjuro sat Tanjiro down at the dining table before moving to make tea. He didn’t seem like he wanted to hold a conversation, so Tanjiro kept quiet. Once the tea was steeped and ready, Shinjuro walked up to the table and set it by his hand.

“Here, tea.”

“Thank you,” Tanjiro said, his tone polite, but unsure. Shinjuro took the seat across from him. After waiting a few minutes for it to cool slightly, Tanjiro took a sip. He let out a pleased hum.

“Is this the black tea Senjuro made the other day? It’s so smooth and warm. Thank you!”

Shinjuro sighed as though Tanjiro had said something painful, then looked away and began sipping his own tea.

“I’ll allow it.”

It was spoken so quietly that it first Tanjiro didn’t hear what he’d said.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

Shinjuro sighed louder that time. “My wife,” he began, “loved that shed. Or at least, she loved the idea of it. She wanted it to be her garden. As a gift to her, I wanted to complete the project myself, but then she fell ill, and I became absorbed with work. I never had the time.”

He fell silent, sipping at his tea, and Tanjiro watched him without knowing what to say.

“I’m sorry,” he said, when the scent of grief became too strong to bear without saying something. “I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been.”

“Thank you. However, I’m not trying to make this about me.” Shinjuro combed back his hair with his hand and took another sip. “It was unfair of me to ask you to do what you did. But you did it. You wouldn’t have stopped until it was finished, would you?”

Tanjiro didn’t know if he actually wanted an answer, but Shinjuro kept talking regardless.

“What I said earlier was this: I’ll allow it. You and Kyojuro. If that’s what Kyojuro wants, I’ll allow it.”

“Really?!” Tanjiro burst.

“Yes. I shouldn’t have—you’ve proven that you won’t give up, at least.” He laughed, and seemed surprised the sound came out of him at all. “That was always my worry. Kyojuro is too kind and too friendly; he’s setting himself up for heartbreak someday. I tried to prevent that, and maybe that makes me a fool.”

“If you’ll pardon me for saying so, I think your son understands how you feel,” Tanjiro offered gently. “I would never want to hurt him. So thank you, Mr. Rengoku. Your blessing means a lot. You don’t know how happy this makes me.”

“I think I might,” he replied, his inflection unchanged. “You’re a good kid, Kamado. Finish your tea, and then go home. Rest up. From this point on, that shed isn’t your responsibility anymore, understood?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Shinjuro said. “You come back here with Kyojuro within the next few days. You’re not dating my son without some ground rules set in place. Got it?”

“Y-Yes!”

Tanjiro didn’t see Rengoku until Monday, which was a good thing, because he wasn’t certain he could contain himself if he saw him the same day.

He felt the same giddiness he’d felt when Rengoku had taken his confession into consideration the first time. None of his feelings had faded with time; if anything, he felt even more strongly now than ever.

On Monday, Tanjiro hurried to school extra early. He made sure his hair was styled with Nezuko’s help, and he double checked that everything about his uniform was in place. He wanted—no, he needed everything to be perfect. Tanjiro even had a new speech prepared.

Remember, don’t talk over him, he told himself as he started his walk to school. Nezuko had left earlier than him to walk with her friends. He would see Inosuke and Zenitsu later. The way was quiet, and as he neared the school, his nerves ramped up.

You’ve got this, Tanjiro!

“…ro.”

Give him time to respond.

“…jiro.”

Sure, he said he was interested, but that could mean anything. Don’t be upset if he doesn’t feel the same way anymore.

“…anjiro.”

Don’t get too excited and blurt out something stupid—

“Tanjiro!”

Tanjiro’s head snapped up. He’d been so focused on staring at the ground, lost in his thoughts, that he hadn’t even noticed he had passed the school gates and that Rengoku stood there.

“Huh? Rengoku! What are you…” He took in the clipboard and pen in his hand. “You have morals duty? I thought they never gave that to seniors.”

“I offered!” Rengoku exclaimed, smiling. “I called your name a few times, but you were so deep in thought I wasn’t sure I’d ever get through!”

“I’m sorry!” Tanjiro replied, embarrassed. “What were you saying?”

Why is he here now? I wasn’t prepared to see him this early! It’s too soon to see that handsome smile!

“You’re lucky it’s me on duty today,” Rengoku said with a wink. He walked up to Tanjiro and leaned in, raising one hand and sliding his fingers under one of Tanjiro’s earrings. “These hanafuda earrings are interesting, but they definitely wouldn’t pass inspection!”

He’s close, Tanjiro thought.

“Go out with me,” he said.

Rengoku blinked. His lips parted slightly. Tanjiro’s mouth continued to move on its own.

“I got permission from your father yesterday. Rengoku, please go out with me. I promise I’ll take care of you!” Tanjiro’s voice rose, and as it rose, the other students’ voices around them began to quiet. And because it was Rengoku—a senior—guarding the gate, there were more than usual, and others were still streaming in.

“I know you’re going to university soon, and I won’t get in the way of that! I-I really like you. And…” He slapped a hand against his chest. “I also like the rain!”

Rengoku stared at him, his mouth now hanging open. Whispers began to rise up around them. Tanjiro’s face had flushed a deep red at his own audacity, but then Rengoku’s sharp laughter cut through all of that.

It only lasted seconds, and when he stopped laughing, the smile that spread across his face was so bright it was like staring into the sun.

“Yes, I’d love to go out with you!”  

“You… would?”

Tanjiro really thought he might pass out just then. He was so happy to hear those words, so overwhelmed, that it took all his willpower not to burst into overjoyed tears.

“Unfortunately, I still have my duties here,” Rengoku continued. “And to think I only took on this job so I could surprise you this morning!”

Maybe he had already passed out. Maybe this was heaven.

“I could… do it with you,” Tanjiro offered numbly. Rengoku looked down at his clipboard, tapping on it with his pen.

“I suppose I do still need to confiscate your earrings,” he replied slowly. “Come over here, Tanjiro. Stand next to me, and when I get a chance, I’ll confiscate them.”

Tanjiro moved to Rengoku’s side, still feeling like he had stepped into a new reality. The small crowd of students that had stayed nearby began to disperse, with nothing else to watch, though not before offering whistles and congratulations both.

This must be a dream, Tanjiro thought the entire time he stood there. As the beginning of classes drew closer and closer, the number of students coming in whittled down until it was just one or two every couple of minutes.

Tanjiro glanced up at Rengoku. He caught him doing the same, and they ended up grinning at each other like a pair of idiots.

We’re dating now. As of this second, Rengoku is officially my boyfriend.

He moved a hand up towards his heated cheek. Tanjiro wanted so desperately to release some of his affection some way, and it was Rengoku who slid his palm down behind Tanjiro’s and clasped their hands.

“It seems like my hands are full.” He lifted his clipboard in a gesture. “I’ll have to take those earrings another time.”

Tanjiro started giggling. And then once he started, he couldn’t seem to stop. All the joy was leaking out of him, and all he could do was clutch Rengoku’s hand in his sweaty one and try to burn this moment into his memory.

“Your laugh is adorable!” Rengoku said. “And now I’m going to be thinking about all day!”

“Honestly, I don’t think I’m going to get a single thing done,” Tanjiro admitted. “I’m so happy I feel dizzy.”

“Yes!” Rengoku squeezed his hand. “This is not how I thought this day would start, but I’m not upset! So, Tanjiro!”

He turned, releasing his hand and moving his to Tanjiro’s shoulder.

“Meet me after school! This time, I’ll walk you home. I insist!”

“O-Okay! Yes, I’d love that.”

They stayed together for another few minutes, but Tanjiro was absolutely late for class, meaning Rengoku must have been, too, and they had to separate.

Tanjiro was all smiles the whole time, even as he was reprimanded in front of the whole class. He played the part of the diligent student and apologized, even though his mind was somewhere else completely. He could feel the students’ gazes on him until the teacher hold their attention back to him, but a few of them kept shooting him glances. Tanjiro surmised that news of the scene outside must have spread already; if he was somebody else, he may have been more worried, but in that moment, he was only thinking about Rengoku, and everything that would come after.

He couldn’t wait.

Epilogue

“No fraternizing on my property.”

“Yes, Mr. Rengoku.”

“Yes, father!”

“The door to your room stays open. No exceptions.”

They repeated their assent.

Shinjuro crossed his arms and looked at Tanjiro specifically that time when he spoke. “You already have a curfew, but it’s home by 9 PM.”

Tanjiro he wanted to point out that if he ever wanted to study with Rengoku, or spend time with him outside of school, that would only leave them with a few hours after club activities. And that was only if they went to Rengoku’s house after school. Tanjiro lived closer to school, but the travel distance from Tanjiro’s to Rengoku’s was a longer trip on its own.

He hesitated that time. He thought about the fact that he didn’t have parents, and he would be perfectly fine housing Rengoku in the event that he couldn’t get home on time, but he knew that Shinjuro knew that.

“Okay,” Tanjiro said after a pause.

“Father, don’t you think that’s being too strict?” Rengoku piped in. “Tanjiro is no delinquent. 9 o’clock is too early.”

That’s right, Tanjiro thought, giddy, I’m no delinquent. I’m your boyfriend.

To him, it really didn’t matter what restrictions he set in place. The fact that he was dating Rengoku was a gift on its own.

Meanwhile, Shinjuro was looking between them and seemed to consider Rengoku’s request.

“9:30 PM. No later than that. If you have a problem with that, I would like you to explain to me why you think you need permission to be out so late with my son.”

“9:30 is fine!” Tanjiro all but yelled. “9:30! Perfect!”

“Good.”

Beside him, Rengoku’s chest heaved with a silent sigh, but he was smiling. They both were. And once Shinjuro had finished grilling them, he invited Tanjiro to dinner and they shared in that, too.

“I feel like we’ve done this backwards,” Tanjiro said as they walked out the door. Behind him, Rengoku quietly shut it and stood in front of the doorknob.

They were outside, in the dark, but finally alone.

“What do you mean?” Rengoku asked.

“Well, we just started dating, but I’ve already met your dad. I’m just not used to it,” he clarified.

“I see. I understand! I suppose that is the case, for some. But, frankly—” Rengoku took a step closer, taking Tanjiro’s hand in his “—it made sense to me. I like that you’ve met my father. I liked your dedication and your persistence. I like you, Tanjiro!”

Tanjiro could feel the air near his face getting hot. “That’s… I think that’s the first time you’ve said it back to me. That you like me.”

“Is it?” Rengoku lowered his voice, shooting the door a quick glance before he stepped even closer to Tanjiro. “Then I’m sorry I haven’t said it. I like you.”

“Oh, it’s okay! I mean, I know now.”

“No, I think I should say it. That I like you,” he repeated, lowering his head slightly. Rengoku’s thumb brushed the inside of his wrist. “I like you.”

“R-Rengoku—”

“I like you!!” he suddenly bellowed, tipping his head back. He grinned at the stunned Tanjiro, and started gently leading him down the steps by his hand. “Come on, Tanjiro, you’ll be late for the bus.”

Recovering quickly, Tanjiro laughed and hurried to catch up to him, adjusting his grip so their hands were clasped securely. If this was a dream, he’d be fine if he never woke up.