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Tanjirou was a good man. At least, that’s what Inosuke saw.
He wasn’t perfect. He had a habit of butting into people's business like the social butterfly he was, often asking questions about things others would normally try to avoid bringing up or trying to help them out with something when they clearly weren't asking for it. He did this from the goodness of his heart though and usually when he thought he was making things easier for others so..yeah. A good man. One who cared for others and stood up for people even like him ...who caused nothing but trouble, ever since they were kids. He was rough and brash, rude and aggressive, but Tanjirou was always patient with him. Tanjirou was always kind. He’d do anything for his happiness. In fact, he’d sacrifice his own if it meant the people around him got what they wanted. Even before, when they were young and in High School with eyes for other people. When Tanjirou had a seemingly harmless crush on one of their friends but decided to let her go so she could be with the one she liked. At the time, Inosuke wanted to encourage him to ‘be a man ’ and fight for her, but now...he was glad that he didn’t. Because Inosuke was not that good of a man...he was selfish and he wanted Tanjirou all to himself.
Tanjirou was a great boyfriend.
After they graduated and settled into their college lives, Inosuke began to isolate himself in fear that his attachment to his best friend would grow too troublesome. They’d been separated by both their classes and different dorms too but Tanjirou–ever the persistent man he was–made sure to continue butting in to keep him company, perhaps to fill the void in his own life respectively. He took care of him, spent more nights in his room than his own and always brushed his fingers through his hair when he put his head into his lap. When they decided to be together– really be together–they didn’t talk about it. They just fell into the rhythm of it all like it was natural. From many nights spent in the laundromat, to dinners just the two of them that they always insisted on paying for, then pizza after pizza after pizza in the dark, growing cold on the bedside table while he kissed him into his sheets. Inosuke’s heart soared for him and he was happy knowing that despite how bad of a boyfriend he could be at times, Tanjirou was always going to forgive him at the end of the day. He would always love him.
Tanjirou was a thoughtful friend.
Inosuke observed many times the things he did for others without hesitation. He was always available to tutor despite his terrible teaching skills, always willing to go out of his way to talk to someone or deliver things on another person’s behalf. And no matter how annoying Zenitsu got, Tanjirou was almost always there to be his wingman before he inevitably got his shit together and asked Nezuko to be his officially. Even through all the times he whined and cried about this and that, he was always a shoulder for that man. He always remembered the little things, what would make his friends smile and feel better and that included their blond friend, who Inosuke found wallowing all over the couch in their apartment many...many times. Admittedly, Inosuke was a bad friend on most days... since he frequently laughed at Zenitsu’s woes and pushed him around when he was being especially tiresome. To Kanao and Aoi though, things were different. They’d gotten married some time after college and started coming by as a pair whenever Tanjirou wanted to host dinners for all his friends. Inosuke found it harder to be mean to them–not like he really wanted to anyway–especially after one particular dinner one very random winter night. The couple was the last to go that evening, enjoying their final few drops of wine while catching up with their longtime friends and old flames. It was then when Kanao asked them. Shly, while resting a hand on Aoi’s shoulder, deep violet eyes fluttering toward the floor and voice quiet.
Children. They wanted one. Maybe two, but One for the time being and they couldn't think of any better donors than either of their closest friends.
Tanjirou was a really good friend, so of course he hardly hesitated to help them. In fact, he was thrilled! He was excited for them hearing that they wanted to take this huge step in their lives together and while Inosuke was hesitant at first, he was at least happy to see his fiance light up with so much awe and gusto.
“And if you wanted to do the same...” Aoi added this with a voice that sounded so professional and sure, that it suddenly felt as if they were discussing a business transaction right there in their living room. Although the pink dust on her cheeks showed how she really felt underneath her poise. Fidgety. Inosuke could practically feel the pounding in her chest from where he sat. “I-I mean, after you guys–...well, anyway, I mean, I’d be willing to do the same for you two, whenever you’re ready.”
Kanao and Aoi were thoughtful friends too.
It was a big deal, getting pregnant. They had thrown a party the day Kanao’s test finally came back positive, in celebration of their child to be of course, but to also thank Tanjirou for being such a generous friend in making it all happen in the first place. He’d given them this amazing thing without asking for anything in return...like the good friend he was.
Though Inosuke was jealous. He wasn’t sure of what exactly but the feeling bubbled up in his belly and churned and knotted up whenever he was reminded that his fiance’s baby would be born to someone else. Was it Kanao? Was it the baby itself? The fact that this child would look like them?
It took him some time. He didn't get it at first, but eventually he did.
And just like that, he eventually got over it too.
Tanjirou was an incredible Husband.
Not like Inosuke had much to compare him to, but he just had this feeling . He wasn’t going to rave about how perfect he was though; they still had their squabbles and disagreements over the stupidest things, but at least by the end of the day, they were already moving past it and were able to sleep in the same bed in peace. He was better than he used to be–both of them were–and they talked more about their feelings, were more attentive to each other’s too, and because of this, Inosuke had finally noticed it: the smoldering, conflicted emotion behind his husband’s red eyes the day they finally met Kanata, Kanao’s Son, who thankfully looked mostly like her. Honestly, he was afraid of what would have run through his head if he’d seen any of Tanjirou in him. Would he have hated the boy? Would he have wanted the boy for himself? Would he have changed into a terrible friend, an unforgivable man who turned his back on these people, on his own husband, over this one seemingly small but really monumental shift in their lives...?
Despite these selfish things racing through his head, his husband still held onto him, loved him and paid him more attention than it . It wasn’t his to love like a Father, after all, but...he couldn't help but notice the conflicted glimmer in his deep cherry irises, the family man behind them, who’d been raised by one so large and wonderful.
And then it all made sense.
Just like that, Inosuke knew what he wanted. A gift to the greatest husband ever, who in a more subtle way, was jealous of the girls too.
That feeling inside him made sense after that.
He pulled Aoi aside to discuss with her these feelings and his idea...to see if she still wanted to help them and thankfully, by the next spring, they were able to successfully set things up and get the green light to move forward. All that was left at that point was Tanjirou’s approval and when the day came that they’d finally revealed their plan and his husband’s face lit up in such pure elation before promptly crumbling into tears, Inosuke was the one who felt like an incredible partner. The best ever, he might add. For once in his life.
And he’d accept his praise in any form. In kisses, in food, in long nights tangled together, swallowed up by each other's devotion.
And when the day finally came, when they got to meet him–another little boy–they stood right there in the corner of the room with bated breath. He was offered to Inosuke first, for being the providing Father, but instead, he had the baby handed off to his husband, who’d been surprisingly restless throughout the night. After all, Inosuke had learned that it was okay to let others go first. Especially Tanjirou, who’d wanted this his whole life. To be a Father. It wasn’t something that he’d always thought about himself, but in the recent months and especially right then in that moment, he felt grateful and even excited. He never knew the love of a Father, so his confidence for once was fractured, but he wanted to do his best despite this. He wanted to be the best.
Thus came his enthusiasm, his unofficial competition to wake up the fastest to the cries in the middle of the night. To see which one of them could change the diapers faster, which one would hear Aoba’s first words, who would be called Papa before the other. Although, as time moved forward and he observed Tanjirou’s lax attitude toward their competition, how slowly he moved the blankets away despite Inosuke’s feet already stomping down the hall, he was beginning to get the feeling that it was very one sided. Was this it? Did Inosuke win? Was he the better Father? Did Tanjirou even care that much?
He did.
Tanjirou was an inspiring Father.
Inosuke didn’t realize it at first, but a lot of the reason why he wanted to work so hard to be quicker than him was so that he could be a good parent too.
The eldest Kamado was born into a small Family, but it grew as time went on, and he’d gained five younger siblings that he treated with so much love and care that by the time he was an adult with a child of his own, he’d already seen everything. He already knew what it was like to change a diaper. He already knew which lullabies worked best and which stories were the most interesting for a child’s short attention span. Sure, he had his ups and downs. A little over a year later, after the two couples had enthusiastically agreed to try again, Inosuke found him sleeping in the crib one morning with their newest baby, Sumihiko, because he wasn’t sure what to do for once when all the young child would do was cry on and on into the night without any sign of stopping.
Sumihiko wept quite a lot for no reason, really, and when he wasn’t crying, he was fast asleep, albeit fussy and easy to wake. Tanjirou struggled but he persevered while Inosuke only continued to be unsure of himself as the days went on. Aoba was easy. He was quiet and observant, a lot like the woman who’d put him into the world for them. He was still very young but at least Inosuke could play with him without unleashing the hell storm of shrieks and waterworks that would normally come from their youngest.
Eventually, it wasn’t about competition anymore. Inosuke just...wanted to be a good enough Father for his children. For himself. For Tanjirou’s sake too. He was a quick learner, that fire-scarred husband of his, eventually taming the sobbing beast of a boy Sumi was, finding just the right things he liked to calm him. He warmed his milk a little more than he did for Aoba, he found a toy he liked to lose himself in while laying on his back in the middle of the living room floor. And the blanket..that damn stupid blanket they found at the store with the yellow chicks on it. Sumihiko adored it once he was wrapped snugly in its soft fabrics and once again Tanjirou proved himself even more.
Inosuke thought that maybe he should leave it to Tanjirou to deal with the children.
Sumi didn’t like him much anyway, still cried when he picked him up and held his chubby fingers out for Tanjirou instead. Though he couldn't help wanting to change that. Initially, all he’d wanted was to be the best. The fastest. The first to see and hear whenever their children did something new. But now...he just wanted to be like Tanjirou. At the very least, he wanted to be able to be a figure of solace for his son too. Even though Inosuke was far from being a comforting human being when compared to his husband. He was loud and heavy footed and hardly covered up his arms, which he was sure looked quite intimidating to a baby as young as Sumihiko. But then again...Aoba didn’t seem to mind him. He cried occasionally when he was still a newborn but at least now he was old enough to develop a more inquisitive personality that wasn’t shaken by the sight of new things. Though he still got anxious whenever Aoi and Kanao came over with their kids. Inosuke was proud to say that the little boy even hid behind his leg one day when Aoi set Kanata down to explore.
He was his spitting image so he wanted to encourage him to be stronger, but of course, he wasn’t even two yet, so he had no idea what he was saying.
Though he was a curious soul and had the drive to learn. His first attempts at speaking came so suddenly that he’d almost dropped him. Tanjirou had almost dropped the dishes too when he realized that what their child was trying to say was incredibly inappropriate and clearly something that Inosuke had said aloud in his presence before.
So okay. Be better. Bad words are for when they're older, he had to tell himself. What would Tanjirou do?
What would Tanjirou do....?
“Just be you, silly.”
Inosuke hadn’t come into the room in a few days, always insisting that Tanjirou put Sumi down for bed in the evenings. He liked to watch him from the doorway, anyway, to see how naturally he moved about the room to get both of the boys ready for bed, putting them in their onesies and brushing their hair with his hands as he hummed a sweet song. A similar song he’d heard Nezuko sing to her own children once, when they visited her and Zenitsu’s home. A Kamado song, he thinks.
Inosuke didn’t have a song.
“Just being me scares him.”
“I don’t think so.” Tanjirou wrapped the little red haired baby in his favorite blanket, until he looked like a burrito with soft pink cheeks and then he set him down in the crib with rough palms but delicate hands. Sumihiko hated the feeling of them at first. It devastated the man but...it seems he’s gotten used to them. “I bet you’ll be his favorite when he’s older.”
Inosuke sucked in a breath. “I better be. I’m the cool Dad.”
Tanjirou chuckled, crossing the room and flicking off the light. “Yeah. You are.” The night light in the corner of the room illuminated the space behind him, a crown of green and blue as he stopped in the doorway in front of him. Inosuke’s chest felt fluttery and warm, as if he were a teenager again, forced to share the same space with his long-time crush. No matter how long they’d been together, even just an innocent kiss in the doorway was enough to get his heart racing. Cheeks burning. “I think you’re a great Father. Just because you're different from me doesn’t change that.”
“But I never—”
He shook his head. “This is something you learn. My Father passed away when I was still pretty young so it's not like he was there to help me when I started taking care of my siblings.” He smiled at him, soft like, making Inosuke’s head feel fuzzy and light. “It was my choice. To help my Mom and take the load off her shoulders.”
Oh.
Like his Mother, Tanjirou had been doing most of the work. Inosuke frowned at himself, realizing that.
So, the next day, he got up extra early, before the other man could stirr in his sleep, before the cries or curious morning mumbles from the boys could be heard from the monitor, and he began making breakfast with the resolve in the back of mind saying that anything Tanjirou could do he could do too. And he’d do it his way. He’d be a good Father. He’ll take his time and really figure out what things his kids liked from him , how they wanted him to hold them, how they wanted him to feed them. It wouldn't be easy, but where was the fun without a little bit of a challenge? These children were his ...so he should take it more seriously. He should be there to take the load off Tanjirou’s shoulders.
Sumihiko liked his milk warmer than usual, so he did what he saw Tanjirou do, holding the bottle under some hot water from the sink instead of throwing it in the microwave to potentially overheat it. As for what he’d do with him...He liked to play with his toys on the floor in front of the couch, all bought by Tanjirou, who had a good eye for what kids liked. So, picking the boy up was the easy part, but keeping him still long enough to sit down on the floor surrounded by the colorful mobiles and stuffed animals was a little more difficult. At least, before the tears could begin to spill from his poor little red eyes, however, the bottle was his perfect distraction. Keeping him wrapped in his blanket helped him a lot too.
For a moment, there was peace.
Though it didn’t last long. Once the milk was gone, the calm was gone, and the crying began anew.
He was about to apologize to Tanjirou when he eventually left the bedroom with bleary eyes and a messy mop of hair, but the man only smiled at him and the adoration in his expression, albeit fatigued and short lived before he turned into the other room to fetch Aoba, was all enough to encourage Inosuke even more.
From that day on, he felt more confident in his actions. From that day on, being a Father felt a little easier...felt natural.
Perhaps children could smell fear and hesitance.
Once he’d found his center, understood how he wanted to be the man he was, Sumihiko didn’t cry as much when he held him. He was still quite fussy, but the waterworks had slowly, over time, begun to dwindle out and were eventually replaced with small sniffly fits that hardly did more than turn his cheeks pink and his eyes glossy. Perhaps it was the fact that he’d purposely spent more time with him after that day, to hopefully become a presence he could get used to, but the small red-haired child had even taken to him after a while, enough so that when Tanjirou had tried to take him away from his arms, the baby nearly fell back into his old habits and wept until he left him be.
He found, one evening, big red eyes watching him from above a yellow pacifier, as Sumi was held against his chest while he lounged on the couch. He was leaning on his husband, who’d placed Aoba in his lap and opened up a picture book to read, stopping every once in a while to coo and praise the boy when he jabbed a finger onto the pages and barked out gibberish that almost sort of sounded like words. He thought, to keep the sniffles at a minimum, listening to his Father’s voice as he read aloud while also being held against his chest would be the best option. He did not expect to see the baby watching him so intently. So curious. As if he’d never really looked at him before.
He smiled at him, lifting an eyebrow as if the baby could understand his questionable expression. To his surprise, however, Sumihiko’s eyes dropped down to his lips and then, the cutest fucking sound he thinks he’s ever heard in his entire life erupted from his tiny little mouth. A giggle.
“Holy shit!” Inosuke barked, grinning from ear to ear. “Shut up, Tanjirou did you hear—”
“Inosuke.” Tanjirou elbowed his lower back. “Language.”
“I made him laugh!” Through his excitement, he nearly missed the baby's silence as a sign to calm down. It wasn’t until he’d begun to tear up again that he realized, noticing his small hands gripping the front of his black muscle shirt and his small pink nose wiping across the fabric. He reached up to fix his pacifier, as it had begun to slip out from his quivering lips and relaxed against Tanjirou further once that seemed to calm him. He felt the other man shift behind his shoulder and after hearing a soft, pleased hum, lips were pressed against the top of his head. With soft praise, he went back to reading and Inosuke sunk into him further, keeping his hands firm around his son, his green eyes on delicate fluttering red lashes as they fanned over squished cheeks against his chest. Sumihiko, for the first time ever, fell asleep in his arms.
Pride swelled up inside him. So much so that he wanted to scream again.
But he restrained himself, tilted his head back a little more to nuzzle it into Tanjirou’s shoulder, silently expressing his joy. His contentment. Even when Aoba tugged on a lock of his hair, just for hanging within arms reach, he couldn’t feel less hopeful for the many days to come as parents.
Inosuke could probably get the hang of this whole Father thing, after all.