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Zenitsu sighed as he weaved around yet another couple who were obviously grinding a little bit too much to be called publicly acceptable behaviour, before taking refuge in an unoccupied corridor. Leaning his head back against the wall, he let his shoulders relax.
The blonde had finally been invited to his first party, and it only took until his last year of high school! Still, Kanao had been gracious enough to let him come to her demon themed Halloween party (because he was friends with Aoi and kind of with her, but still), and for that he was forever grateful.
After all, this was his chance to get a girlfriend!!! Finally!! He wouldn’t have to wallow alone in his room, daydreaming about unfairly tanned skin and kind ruby eyes and- NO, BAD THOUGHTS ZENITSU. He may be the very definition of a disaster bisexual, that he wouldn’t deny, but this was the blonde’s chance to finally get over his two-year long crush on resident heartthrob and straight boy Tanjirou Kamado.
Don’t judge him based on the fact that Kamado and Kanao were dating, or that they were the envy of the school with their picture-perfect relationship, because the heart wants what it wants and all that crap. It wasn’t like he’d asked to like him, now was it?!
To be honest, he just wanted to move on with his life as quickly as possible: Cue where getting a girlfriend comes in (as no guy could ever compare to Kamado, at least in his completely unbiased opinion).
Zenitsu was brought from his reverie by the approach of a familiar sound- but he couldn’t tell who it was, between the blasting bass of the music and the earplugs he had hastily shoved in upon arriving. He was glad he kept them on his person ever since that clown incident (he shuddered just thinking about it), but still, didn’t these kids know that they were ruining their hearing with this volume??
Praying that Aoi was about to stumble through the hallway and introduce him to her as-of-unseen hot friends, the blonde smoothed down his shirt a little, frowning. When did that stain get there?
Distracted as he was, Zenitsu was not prepared for the arm slamming into the wall, far too close to his face for comfort. Squawking in shock, golden eyes flicked upwards to determine his assailant, who had black hair, blue-
Kaigaku?!
What the fuck was his aniki doing here? Sure, he said he was going to a party, but this one?!
Zenitsu swallowed dryly, nerves returning as he remembered what he was wearing. You see, he did have a costume fully planned out, something to make him look good and have the girls swooning (hypothetically), but the order fell through last minute and so … well, he dressed up in his brother’s clothes.
It was a demon themed party after all, and to him, Kaigaku might as well have been the devil himself throughout his childhood.
But … that didn’t exactly bode well for his chances of surviving the night with all of his limbs attached.
His elder brother snarled at him, and even through Zenitsu’s mildly intoxicated state he could feel some spit land on his face.
“Why the fuck did you come here dressed in my clothes.”
It wasn’t so much a question as it was an accusation, loaded with hatred, something that he hadn’t heard from Kaigaku in years. Recently it had settled down to … intense apathy, but something was different tonight. Something was about to go wrong.
“A-Aniki, I didn’t mean anything by it, my costume just didn’t come, pl-”
“Is there a problem?”
Just his luck, to be found like this by the one and only ray of sunshine, Tanjirou Kamado himself. Zenitsu could only watch, speechless, as the redhead put his physique to use and pushed his brother off of him, before standing in a protective manner between them.
Kaigaku just sneered.
“Nope, just talking to my brother here. You can go now.” The command was evident in his tone, but Kamado seemed unbowed by the pressure that would have Zenitsu scurrying with his tail between his legs.
“You’re not a very good brother, are you?” replied the redhead instead, cocking his head as if he was genuinely curious.
Zenitsu heard rather than saw Kaigaku tense, his sound switching tracks from annoyed to pissed off. Ah, fuck, this definitely wouldn’t end well. Right before Zenitsu could tell Kamado that it was fine, that he should go, a head popped into the corridor and yelled at them all.
“Yo, Kai-kun, let’s ditch this joint! This music is shit anyways!”
Like magic, Kaigaku’s face contorted with distaste as his frame relaxed slightly, before muttering something that the blonde chose to ignore and stalking off. At the sight of his retreating back, Zenitsu let out a breath that he didn’t even realise he was holding.
Kamado seemed to feel it as well, as when he turned to face Zenitsu, an easy smile graced his vision. Ah, fuck. He tried, he really did, but Zenitsu just couldn’t concentrate on the other boy’s words when those eyes were looking at him, noticing him, and with such warmth contained in them that the blonde felt as if he could stand in front of the sun itself and would feel colder.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay Agatsuma-san? You seem shaken up.”
Zenitsu blinked his way back into reality upon hearing the concern lacing Kamado’s voice. Hell, just how long was he spacing out while staring at his unfairly pretty face? A heartbeat or five passed, and then he suddenly realised that the redhead was waiting for a reply.
“I- uh-. No, I’m- I’m fine. Really. Thank you, Kamado-san.”
Well, that was a train wreck of a reply.
It didn’t seem to matter though, or Kamado must have taken his nerves as being from Kaigaku, because he didn’t let up.
“You don’t seem fine.” Kamado reached out a hand slowly, the blonde just watching the muscles in his arm extend before his fingertip brushed Zenitsu’s shoulder.
“See, you’re still shaking.”
Zenitsu blinked, realising that it was true. Was that really from Kaigaku? Or Kamado being so close? He honestly didn’t know.
Kamado seemed to come to a decision then, that, while Zenitsu had never actually interacted with the redhead (read: watched him from afar), oozed stubbornness.
“Okay then, in that case, you’re coming home with me tonight! And call me Tanjirou!”
Zenitsu’s mouth quite literally dropped open.
“HUH?!!” he squawked.
The redhead just nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied.
“Well, if he’s your brother, then I don’t trust you to go to the same house as him tonight! You can’t change my mind.”
Zenitsu spluttered, trying to come up with something to say. You don’t just invite random strangers to your house, what was this idiot thinking?!
Instead, he settled with “Uh, call me Zenitsu! But, I- I couldn’t disturb your family! Besides, he said he wouldn’t be home tonight! Don’t bother yourself for me, please.”
But Kamado- No, Tanjirou wasn’t having any of it. “Nope, the only reason I’m even here is because all my siblings had sleepovers, and it’s Kanao-chan’s party. I’m sure my mum would love to meet you anyways!”
Meet him?!?! They had known each other (IGNORE THE STALKING) for approximately 5 minutes?! If it wasn’t for the redhead’s legendary sobriety and kindness, Zenitsu would think his leg was being pulled!
The rest of Tanjirou’s words then registered. Right, Kanao’s party. His girlfriend’s party. Why his brain had even gathered up a shred of hope in the last few minutes, he didn’t know.
Oh wait, yes he did. Zenitsu was a stupid, lovestruck, idiot.
Deflating a bit, the blonde just shook his head, and Tanjirou frowned at the action.
“Mmm. Fine.”
Oh thank the gods, he had managed to navigate his way out of the hellhole of dealing with his crush without bursting a blood vessel or, more likely, four.
“In that case, I’ll just come to your house!”
Zenitsu’s hand shot to his nose as if expecting the blood to just pour out and leave him comatose on the floor. Actually, you know what, that might have been a preferable fate to what was currently happening to him.
“HEH?! DID YOU JUST INVITE YOURSELF TO MY HOUSE?! I DID NOT CONSENT!! REPENT!!!”
Tanjirou just chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, but somehow the blonde knew that his next words wouldn’t be an apology, or better, the admission that it was a joke.
“I couldn’t live with myself if I wasn’t there and something happened, so it looks like you’re stuck with me! Besides …” his voice dropped lower, and he leaned into the blonde’s personal space where before he had stood at a comfortable distance. “I wouldn’t mind being in your bed.”
Zenitsu flushed red, and some part of him was glad of the dimness of the corridor, while the rest of him was currently SCREAMING INTERNALLY.
“I-! I HAVE TO GO PEE!” he almost screamed out, before high-tailing it so quickly that the redhead couldn’t even respond. Gay panicking apparently gives you superpowers, because the first door that Zenitsu barged into was indeed the bathroom, and even more shockingly, it was unoccupied. The blonde knew enough about parties to know that this was a miracle, and quickly decided this was his new home for the night.
He could absolutely not leave, of that he was sure. Yes, he had been praying for a certain redheaded athletic god amongst men to notice him, but- he never thought that it would ever happen! He was-
He was dating Kanao.
The implications struck Zenitsu in the head like a sack of bricks, and he decided the most logical course of action was to sink down to the floor, leaning against the door all of the way, and bury his face in his hands.
What the fuck was going on??
Was Tanjirou really … a cheater? Zenitsu’s mind flashed back to her, the one who had-
No, he wouldn’t even giver her the satisfaction of thinking about that, let alone her name.
But surely someone with a sound that kind couldn’t really do that when he was already in a relationship … could he?
And yes, Zenitsu had this strange ability to hear not only heartbeats, but a unique sound that was different to each person. Sue him, he was a weirdo, okay?? But, when he had first heard Tanjirou’s, it had made him want to break down with the beautiful kindness and simplicity of the sound. (As in no, he wasn’t like the other fangirls, it wasn’t all about the looks for him).
So he couldn’t cheat!! There was no way!
Zenitsu repeated that like a mantra in his head for who knows how long, but the imagine of Tanjirou leaning in, his breath mingling with Zenitsu’s own, as he whispered that so close to his ear …
What else could it mean?! It was like a cruel joke, to have his very much taken crush do such a thing to him …
That’s it! It had to be a joke, right? Guys joked about that kind of stuff, didn’t they?
It wasn’t that he was the joke, was it?
No, even if he hadn’t met Tanjirou before tonight, he was too kind to do that to him. His heart screamed nothing but compassion, he couldn’t possibly make fun of someone else. So it was a joke, just a harmless banter between two guys.
Just a joke.
Zenitsu repeated the words like a mantra as he dragged himself up from the bathroom floor, stumbling a bit. Ooh boy, those shots from earlier were definitely affecting him now, but he should be alright enough to get home.
Cracking the door open, the blonde stepped back into the adjacent room, only to stumble again as he was immediately pushed past by someone else who clearly had to pee, if their urgency was any indication. Just how long was he in there, anyways?
He shot back a vaguely annoyed look, but the door was already shut, and so he headed back to where he had left the redhead. He would feel bad without saying goodbye after all (and he totally didn’t want to soak up his crush’s attention just a bit more, not at all).
Somehow, Zenitsu successfully made his way back to where Tanjirou had been last, but his lips turned down with disappointment upon seeing the corridor empty. Well, it was probably for the best, but still, he couldn’t help the bitter sensation that ran through him as a result.
… it wouldn’t hurt to find him in order to say bye, would it?
Nodding to himself, Zenitsu decided to do just that. It was to be polite, that was it!
Turning and heading towards the main party area, the blonde was once again assaulted by the bass of the god awful music, accompanied by the sight of a large clump of people doing whatever drunk people call dancing. Seriously, whoever was in charge of the playlist needed to be fired, he was wearing earplugs for crying out loud and he was wincing with how bad it was.
He wasn’t exactly the best with crowds, but Zenitsu grit his teeth, after scanning the tops of heads for burgundy, snaked his way around it to a quieter spot. He would just find Tanjirou, thank him, and go home. Easy.
Zenitsu hadn’t been to Kanao’s house before, but had a vague idea of where the kitchen was from doing shots in there earlier, and so he headed there next, also keeping an eye out for Aoi, but to no avail.
Still, someone must be smiling down on him, because he caught a flash of red hair as he stepped into the kitchen. It was a pretty large one, all sleek marble countertops and electric gadgets, totally unlike the blonde’s own traditional home, but he didn’t even register it as he stared at Tanjirou in shock from across the room, the redhead’s name caught in his throat.
The redhead was currently facing away from Zenitsu but angled a bit, so that he could watch Tanjirou’s Adams apple bob up and down (no impure thoughts, no impure thoughts!!) as he had the better portion of a sake bottle poured down his throat by a guy next to him – and coming from a traditional household, that was certainly not the right way to drink it. You’d have to be wasted to even consider the thought, so what was Tanjirou (who was always sober???!) doing??
Just as the Zenitsu was about to go over there and give the redhead a piece of his mind, something unexpected happened.
Zenitsu blinked as his first step was stopped before it could happen by a girl popping up and blocking his path, twisting her long black hair around a finger while beaming up at him. His brain scrambled to remember her name but came up blank (and here he thought he had every girl in the year and their birthdays memorised by now), so he settled for a polite hello instead and prayed not to stutter.
“Ah- Hi there!”
Yes, normal speech! This was a first! (he just hoped that she would forgive the lack of her name, but he was tipsy in his defence)
“Hi Agatsuma-san! I just- Are you really dressed up as your brother?”
Heh?? That’s what she wanted to know, seriously?!
“I- Well, uh, yeah, I guess?”
Smooth, but his gaze was kind of currently focused on a certain redhead. So focused, in fact, that he almost missed the girl’s squeal of excitement.
“I knew it!! Agatsuma-san, you’re so cool! Um- this might be forward, but did you want to go somewhere a bit more … private?”
Golden eyes snapped back towards the girl addressing him, widening with shock.
Yep, okay, that was it. This wasn’t real. No way. Not only a) did a girl talk to him, but b) she complimented him (was he drooling? He hoped not) and c) she wanted to go somewhere private??!
He listened intently, waiting for that manipulative tune to crop up, but was equally shocked to hear genuine lust radiating off of her. (whatthefuck whatthefuck whatthefuck)
The blonde licked his lips a little, suddenly feeling their dryness, and he tried to come up with a response. This was- this was it, the moment he’d been waiting for! Now he could get over Tanjirou and-
Fuck, Tanjirou just stumbled in the background of his vision, and he did not look good, barely holding himself up right now while his so-called friend just laughed at him.
Looking back at the still-unknown girl, his ticket out of singlehood, his gift from the heavens, he smiled sadly and watched as her body deflated a bit. She knew.
“I’m so sorry, I would love to get to know you but right now I need to take care of my friend.”
She nodded slightly, a small movement, and as he watched her lower lip tremble his heart gave a corresponding tug, but he couldn’t right now, not when Tanjirou looked about ready to fall apart.
And like that, she was gone, leaving a clear runway to the drunk redhead that Zenitsu quickly closed.
He grunted a little as he pulled Tanjirou up, the weight of the smaller but much more muscular boy unfamiliar- well, anyone’s weight would’ve been, but still- and Zenitsu staggered a little bit under it before getting his balance.
“Zenitsuuuuu” whined the younger boy, latching himself to the blonde’s side, and Zenitsu stiffened as he felt warm arms encircle him, the blush from the alcohol intensifying at the feeling.
“You came for meee, I knew you wouuuld.”
The fondness in Tanjirou’s tone was not at all justified given how long they had known each other, but then again, he seemed to be an affectionate drunk. And Zenitsu’s brain wasn’t exactly sober either. Ohhh dear.
“I thought you didn’t drink?” was his only reply, not able to think about the fact that Tanjirou had been waiting for him.
The redhead giggled noisily, and while Zenitsu tried to look at him disdainfully, it was as though the sun was finally shining through parted clouds with how that smile lit up his insides.
“Turns out I … can’t refuse other people’s offers of their drinks.”
Zenitsu sighed, of course that’s what got him drunk.
Tanjirou noticed the sigh though, and his smile turned into a pout, good mood shifting in an instant, and it was as if the clouds had come back in full force.
“Are you- are you disappointed?”
Zenitsu spluttered in surprise.
“No, of course not! It’s just- I’m going home, and wanted to thank you, and now you’re drunk, and I can’t leave you alone-” The blonde’s eyes brightened as an idea struck him. “I know, Kanao can watch you, and I’ll be off!”
Extremely satisfied with his elegant solution to the problem, Zenitsu turned back to that ruby gaze, only to be surprised at how the pout had intensified.
Apparently a stubborn one, Tanjirou shook his head adamantly.
“No!” His refusal was like a child’s, so uncharacteristic of the calm and composed school sweetheart that Zenitsu knew (not that he could talk/really minded, but still). “Can’t let you go back to Kaigaku alone.”
The blonde just tapped his foot, he liked the guy, but this was ridiculous.
“Come on, I’m not going to your house you forehead, so cut it out.”
But Tanjirou being Tanjirou misinterpreted, and his tone brightened. “Oh okay, let’s go to yours then!”
Wha-
“That’s not what I said!!”
It was (un)fortunately too late, because from some depths of his being the redhead gather his strength and picked Zenitsu up, his steps somehow sure as he dragged the older boy unwillingly out of his girlfriend’s (!!) party.
And although the blonde struggled against those deliciously muscled arms, he couldn’t escape, and so reluctantly began giving directions to his home.
Gods, he hoped Gramps was asleep.
-----
After a brief incident where Tanjirou had almost dragged him into a haunted maze, something which Zenitsu was adamantly against (which was a hard position to maintain in front of the redhead’s apparently perfected puppy dog eyes), and he only got out of by promising to watch a scary movie at his house (because it was Halloween, after all), they made it to the Agatsuma household.
And when he said they, he meant TANJIROU CARRIED HIM THE WHOLE WAY THERE!!
The blonde’s poor heart would never recover from the abuse it had gotten tonight from the proximity, but that was a future him problem.
Current him was now dealing with something else, something much better worse. You see, Tanjirou had taken his promise to heart, and now they were watching The Nun. Which was fine!! Except the redhead had also magically figured out that Zenitsu was deathly afraid of all things horror and creepy possessed nun related, and had decided that the only recourse was to essentially spoon Zenitsu and wrap his arms around him from behind in a hug comforting platonic gesture of companionship where he could feel the hardness of the other boy’s muscular frame.
It was safe to say he was losing his mind, and his only solace was that Gramps was probably definitely not going to wake up and find them like this.
He 100% did not know what on Earth was happening but he was trying so hard not to read into it, the man had a girlfriend!! Who he was in a deeply loving, and perfect relationship with!! His bisexual brain was just on overdrive because of the alcohol, right?
So when he swore Tanjirou’s lips brushed his neck, he decided it was an accident.
When Tanjirou’s hand slipped around his waist and began smoothing small circles in the fabric of his t-shirt (he had taken off Kaigaku’s leather jacket and basically just had a rather thin undershirt on without it), it was just to soothe his fears from the movie.
When Tanjirou shifted them around so that they were now reclining back and Zenitsu’s head was on his chest and the redhead’s hand was in his hair, playing with it, he figured the previous position must have just made his arm go dead and he couldn’t keep still.
They were reaching the climax of the film now, and Zenitsu let out a horrified squeak as the possessed Nun shoved it’s tongue down one of the characters throats in some sort of disturbing possession via French kiss (he really didn’t know what he was watching at this point but this was the best description he could give).
“Well, that’s not how you do it.” remarked the bane of his existence all too casually.
Naturally, Zenitsu could only turn to look at him and squawk in protest, but any actual misgivings never reached his lips.
When did Tanjirou get so close? And why was he moving closer and ohmygod-
The blonde barely had time to shut his eyes as he felt lips press against his own, a feather light touch that was soft and yet chapped and over far too soon. As Tanjirou pulled back, Zenitsu automatically chased his lips with his own, because god damnit he barely got to kiss back, but his efforts were apparently in vain as he heard a chuckle.
Peaking his eyes open, the blonde could make out the affection in those ruby eyes as the movie was reflected in them, flashes lighting up Tanjirou’s features in an unfairly handsome way.
“I wasn’t sure about the flirting advice, but it seems to have worked, what do you think Zenitsu?”
Zenitsu’s mouth dropped open for the- nope, he’d lost count, but Tanjirou never gave him time to respond, or indeed think about what was happening, before he was diving back in.
The blonde was caught with his mouth still open, and as a result, the kiss became steamy wet, Tanjirou slowly licking his way into his mouth, and Zenitsu let out an involuntary moan as their tongues brushed together, bringing his hand up to hold the redhead’s jaw.
It was everything he’d ever dreamed of, hot and passionate, and he could even taste the popcorn they’d been snacking on and behind it-
Zenitsu jolted back so quickly he almost bit off his tongue as he remembered the taste of the alcohol, remembered that they were drunk, Tanjirou was drunk, Tanjirou was straight and had a girlfriend who he loved.
He was in so much shit.
But the redhead was just looking up at him, panting slightly, his lips swollen like the universe was throwing the evidence in Zenitsu’s face, and worst of all, he didn’t seem even remotely bothered by the fact that they had just done that.
That he had just cheated on his girlfriend.
Yes, yes, he was drunk, but that didn’t- no, that couldn’t excuse it. He was- he was no better than her at this point.
Zenitsu staggered upright, and, after switching off the TV, turned back to face Tanjirou. His throat felt like ash, still being able to taste the popcorn, but he forced the words out.
“I- I’m going to bed. Don’t- Don’t follow me. You can sleep on the couch.”
With that, the blonde turned and walked towards his room, willing himself to focus on the sounds of the dog barking 8 houses down to tune out the other boy. In any other situation, he would have never made a guest sleep on the couch, but, well, Tanjirou deserved it.
Not only was he a cheater, but he had stolen Zenitsu’s first kiss, damnit.
Finally reaching his room, the blonde locked the door (thank goodness he had convinced Gramps to get him a lock back when Kaigaku was still being … well, him), and threw himself onto his bed, the blankets absorbing some of the dampness from his eyes. He suddenly didn’t have the energy to brush his teeth, but before he drifted off, he forced himself to slide his phone open.
He wouldn’t let anyone else go through what he had.
Staring hard at the message through the blurriness of his tears, he didn’t have the brainpower to come up with something more eloquent, and, satisfied, he hit send.
[Zenitsu]
I don’t know what to say
Tanjirou kissed me
I’m so so sorry
Sent at 3:18am
-----
Read at 8:23am
[Kanao – aka quiet but pretty]
It’s okay.
Read at 10:06am
Zenitsu stared at the message as if it held the secrets of the universe within it, willing it to divulge its secrets. What on EARTH did ‘It’s okay.’ mean?!?! The full stop at the end seemed vaguely threatening but it wasn’t his fault, was it?!! Was she sending hitmen to his location now??! Was there an app for that sort of thing??
Still, as much as he desperately wanted to text and ask, from personal experience he knew that Kanao probably didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. Which was totally fair, after all being cheated on was not a nice feeling. How could Tanjirou even think about doing that to sweet Kanao?
Right- Tanjirou. He was still in the house, the blonde could hear his contradictorily kind sound moving around a bit. Damnit, he’d hoped that the other boy would have left by now to avoid having to deal with him, and he had the brilliant idea to just stay in his room until Tanjirou got the hint. Unfortunately, his stomach disagreed with that plan, and was demanding to be fed due to the absolutely fantastic smell that was making its way through the house.
Sighing, Zenitsu stretched not unlike a cat, the feeling of the burn absolutely fantastic, before getting up and padding over to his door.
Did Gramps actually decide to make food for once? Zenitsu somehow doubted it, but it couldn’t be Kaigaku- his elder brother barely knew how to turn on the stove, let alone cook what smelt like a full Western-style breakfast.
Hell, did they even have bacon in this house?
Stepping into the kitchen, the blonde froze as he took in the sight of Tanjirou hunched over the counter, his tongue held between his teeth, apparently concentrating hard as he cracked an egg into a pan.
Zenitsu had to bite back an immediate coo because the sight was so domestic but this man, even if it was his crush, was a cheater, and he couldn’t indulge in the sight like he otherwise would have.
The redhead must have noticed him come in, because he immediately straightened up, placing the leftover shell in the now empty container to be thrown away before looking at him.
“You’re awake Zenitsu!” he chirped, sounding genuinely happy to see him.
Well, of course he’s happy, he made out with the blonde last night for crying out loud, cheating or not, thought the blonde bitterly.
Seemingly reading his thoughts, the redhead’s face twisted out of it’s ever-happy mould, and his voice lowered a bit with his next words.
“Do you uh- remember last night?”
Zenitsu grimaced, of course he wants to talk about it. But wait- this was his chance!
Playing off the grimace as if his head hurt, the blonde touched his temple gingerly, as if nursing a massive hangover (which he wasn’t) and groaning.
“Not really, I barely remember getting home. You didn’t have to make breakfast though.”
Tanjirou frowned a bit, and – were his nostrils flaring? – gestured behind him to the spread of food.
“I uh … it’s the least I could do. But ah, are you sure you don’t remember?”
His heart sounded so hurt that the blonde almost felt bad, but he didn’t forget what this man was for a second.
“You know what! I do remember something. I have to tutor a kid in an hour, so I need to get ready!! So sorry to kick you out like this Kamado-kun, especially after you cooked all this food. You know what, here, take this container to put some in, you can even keep it!”
Zenitsu knew that he was babbling now, but he just wanted to get this sweet and yet somehow so despicable person out of his house as soon as possible so he could cry. Cry at his own memories, cry at how Kanao must be feeling right now, and cry at how amazing that awful, awful kiss had felt.
Dumping the food on one of the plates into the plastic box, the blonde then shoved it into the younger boy’s hands, before essentially herding him to the front door (which thank goodness was right next to the kitchen) while keeping his eyes focused squarely on anything that wasn’t Tanjirou.
His hands were shaking from the anxiety of the situation, but luckily the redhead kept silent, his distressed sound Zenitsu’s only companion as he opened the door.
The redhead stepped out into the doorway, but hovered there, not leaving yet. Zenitsu tapped his foot once, impatient. Couldn’t he see that he just wanted to break down in peace?
Reluctantly, he dragged his gaze from the peaceful street to look into downcast ruby eyes. Hell, why did he look so sad?!
“You know… I said that you can call me Tanjirou.”
That was the problem? You know what, no. Zenitsu wasn’t going to dignify a cheater with such a familiar address.
Directing a frosty smile at the redhead, Zenitsu replied “Sorry Kamado-kun, but I barely know you.”
The expression on his face was like watching a puppy get kicked, but the blonde stood strong. Just a bit longer, just a bit longer.
Tanjirou looked ready to die, and he whispered something, something that Zenitsu knew he wasn’t reasonably meant to hear (but jokes on you, he has freakishly good hearing), before stepping back out of the doorway slowly.
“I’m not a cheater.”
Zenitsu was infinitely satisfied when he slammed the door in his crush’s that scum’s face, blood boiling at the other’s words.
Blood boiling at the audacity to not only say that out loud, after what had happened last night, but to whisper such a disgusting lie without his heartbeat even shifting the slightest bit to indicate he was lying. Not ever had the blonde met someone who was that much of a liar or so faithless, and that most of all made him enraged.
Stalking back to the kitchen, Zenitsu resolved to throw the food that that man prepared out, but, looking down at the plate with a smiley face made in ketchup over the hashbrowns, his stomach rumbled unhappily, and his resolve spontaneously disappeared.
It would’ve been a shame to waste the food anyways.
He made his way over to the dining table, sitting down alone, and reluctantly started eating.
The fact that the food was so delicious only made him want to cry even more, and soon enough, tears were joining the variety of flavours that he was tasting.
-----
The rest of the school year went by fairly quickly after that. There were always tests to study for, assignments to do, until it was the final end of high school exams that they were getting ready for.
Somehow through it all, the blonde became closer with Kanao, sharing tips and tricks about how to best study for this topic and how did they go on that topic. Through it all, though, Tanjirou wouldn’t stop trying to talk to Zenitsu – asking him how his day was, trying to sit with him at lunch. One time he even followed him to the bathroom, for crying out loud!! (literally)
Zenitsu couldn’t help but be worried that the jerk was trying to cheat on Kanao with him again, and so he made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with the redhead. Honestly, he didn’t know why the girl was still dating him when he told her about each of the incidents.
She would just stand there, listening, and once his rant was over, plaster on that dreamy smile and say “I know.”
What kind of a response was that, anyways?!?
Soon enough, they had graduated from school, and it was the end of October again. Kanao was throwing another Halloween party, although this one was in some high-end ballroom (to celebrate the end of their struggles against the academic system, maybe?).
Regardless, it was the night of the 30th, the day before the party, when the blonde got a call from an unknown ID. Frowning, he went to dismiss it, but the thought that it might be someone important (or the love of his life maybe!!) was too strong and, giving in, he hit answer call and held the phone to his ear.
“Zenitsu- please, please don’t hang up.”
Oh my fuck it was Tanjirou. The desperation in his voice stayed his hand for a split second, but then his brain caught up, and Zenitsu quickly smashed the end call button. No way he was listening to that cheater’s words, he wasn’t even going to so much as look in his direction tomorrow.
Immediately though, the screen lit up with another call, which Zenitsu promptly ignored. He sighed as he set his phone to silent, effectively denied the use of it for the rest of the evening, before deciding to watch some TV.
Anything to get his mind off of a certain redhead.
-----
Zenitsu sighed as he hopped into his car. The party had started a while ago, but to be honest, he didn’t exactly feel like drinking or having a good time, and he had almost made the decision to stay at home before Gramps had yelled at him to ‘enjoy his youth’. So, the blonde would go, if only to see his friends and show off his costume (which actually arrived in time this year!). He was a pretty hot nurse, if he did say so himself- and no, wearing a nurse outfit wasn’t weird at all (read: it was).
He hummed to himself on the short drive, trying to dispel the feeling of foreboding that was creeping up on him. Must be to do with the Halloween atmosphere, he thought idly.
Pulling up to the ballroom’s address, the blonde parked his car, but he couldn’t bring himself to get out of it just yet. How could he, when he had woken up earlier today to 6 missed calls and a voicemail?
And- when Tanjirou was going to be there?
Heck, he was going to have to listen to the voicemails, wasn’t he?
“Stupid Tanjirou” muttered Zenitsu as he pulled out his phone and opened up his voicemails, hitting the first one.
“Zenitsu …”
The blonde sucked in a breath at the sound of Tanjirou’s voice, who had clearly been crying. And crying hard.
“I know you think that- that I’m horrible. But I … I just needed you to know. Everything that happened on that night, it was all real.”
Zenitsu’s rising fury immediately died down upon hearing his next words.
“It’s all fake. The relationship. We- we’re both gay.”
Yes, his mouth did indeed fall open in shock. No, he wasn’t about to close it.
“This bigshot rich guy … Kibutsuji … he hates my family for some reason, and he threatened to run our bakery out of b-business …. The only thing he wanted was for me and Kanao to get m-married, and so we had to, to fake the relationship.”
Zenitsu’s heart broke as he listened to Tanjirou sob, suddenly wishing that he hadn’t of hung up last night.
“I don’t know w-why he’s doing this … but know that I’ve always liked you, Zenitsu. Maybe if you’d have been there with me, I could’ve st-stood up against him. But- it’s too late now, isn’t it?”
A few seconds of silence followed, but the crackling sound indicated that the voicemail was still going. Finally, in a softer, defeated voice, Tanjirou kept speaking.
“I’m just sorry, I’m so so sorry that you hate me, when all I wanted was- was to make you smile.”
With that, the voicemail ended, and the blonde was left sitting in the car, shocked into silence. He could only sit there as a few fat drops of rain began to fall from an angry grey sky, and he idly thought that the weather was appropriate for the news he had just received.
But wait- the party! It … it might not be too late for him to fix this!
Hope bloomed within the blonde, and he ripped the car door open, sprinting towards the double doors that made up the entrance. It could all be fixed, he just needed to find Tanjirou!
He just needed to find the boy that he somehow still had liked, after all this time, and tell him that it would all be okay.
He burst through the doors, expecting to see someone, anyone that he recognised, and a party in full swing, but was only greeted by a lobby and a receptionist looking at him quizzically.
Blushing in embarrassment, Zenitsu slowed down, awkwardly making his way towards them.
“Hi, uh, I’m here for Kanao’s party? Do you know where that is?”
The receptionist looked him up and down once disdainfully, before typing something and nodding.
“Ah yes, the wedding itself is already over but they are still in there. Down the hall and on your left, sir.”
Zenitsu’s world had frozen over for a second there, but he couldn’t panic. He couldn’t.
Licking his lips, he laughed nervously. He didn’t need to get his hearing checked, did he?”
“Sorry, could you repeat that? It’s Kanao’s Halloween party, not a wedding.”
The receptionist glanced back down at their screen, reading something, before looking back up at him.
“Ah that’s right, I believe the guests were told it was a normal party, but rest assured, it is, or rather it was, Tanjirou Kamado and Kanao Tsuyuri’s wedding. Down the hall, on the left. Have a great time.”
But Zenitsu didn’t move, or rather, he couldn’t move.
It was Tanjirou … and Kanao’s … wedding.
Bit by bit, he felt his world falling apart, the hope that he had just carried inside of him for the first time in a year crumbling like ash in the sun.
They were married.
He was too late.