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Sanemi had seen this happen to people before—it actually happened a lot in the Corps; he figured it was some sort of way they coped with trauma and stress. Apparently it happened to Agatsuma a lot, which made sense considering what a whiny brat that kid was.
He was not expecting it from Genya, though.
Sanemi woke up in the Butterfly Mansion with a concussion and a broken leg, just as Shinobu finished wrapping said broken leg with a bandage. Mind murky from having had his head rammed into a tree with incredible force, Sanemi kept his eyes closed until Shinobu spoke. “Could you hand me that clip, Genya?”
His eyes snapped open.
“What a good little helper you are,” Shinobu praised, reaching up and petting Genya’s hair as if he was a cat.
Genya preened at the attention, and then his face lit up when he saw Sanemi was awake. “‘Nemi! You woke up!”
“What the hell is he doing here?” Sanemi spat. Genya’s face fell. He tried to hide behind Shinobu. It didn’t work very well; he was about twice her size.
Shinobu protectively stood in front of him all the same. “Genya’s also recuperating from an injury. He was worried when you found out you were hurt and he wanted to help. He hasn’t left your side.”
Sanemi frowned. It took him a minute to register what was going on. “Is he…regressed?”
“Mm-hmm,” Shinobu confirmed nonchalantly, gathering up her supplies to put them away.
“And you’ve been just…sending him on missions?”
“Not while he’s regressed, silly. I look after him when that happens. Tanjiro does too sometimes when he doesn’t have his hands full with Zenitsu.” She smiled at him, that deceptively sweet smile that Sanemi hates so much. “He asks about you a lot, though.”
“Missed you,” Genya said shyly, tugging on Sanemi’s sleeve. “Did you miss me too?”
Sanemi batted his hand away. “Leave me alone.”
The next few days were pretty awful. Sanemi hated being cooped up at the Butterfly Estate under normal circumstances; with a regressed Genya following him around like a lost puppy it was even worse. Everyone kept glaring at him whenever he’d snap at Genya to leave him alone.
“He doesn’t look very injured to me,” Sanemi grumbled to Shinobu. “What is he still doing here?”
“Oh, sorry. Did you want us to send him to kill demons when he’s in this state of mind?” Shinobu smiled.
Well…okay…no…but still. He was getting on his nerves.
“Tanjiro’s back! I hear him!” Zenitsu yelled suddenly, startling Genya and causing him to ruin the picture he was coloring. He couldn’t be mad, though—the two of them left their coloring things on the table forgotten as they ran to greet Tanjiro.
“Hello, you two!” Tanjiro grinned.
“‘Ro, you’re back!” Zenitsu tackled Tanjiro into a hug.
“Woah, hey!” Tanjiro laughed, steadying himself against the gate to keep Zenitsu from knocking him over. “Hey, Zen, I missed you too.”
“‘Nosuke?” Zenitsu asked, tilting his head.
“He had another mission. He’ll be back in a day or two,” Tanjiro promised, ruffling Zenitsu’s hair. He shifted his attention to Genya. “How are you doing, Genya?” he asked.
“‘Nemi’s here,” Genya told him. “But he hates me.”
Tanjiro frowned. “Oh, I don’t think he hates you, Genya.”
“No, I think he does,” Zenitsu said. “‘Nemi always yells at him a-”
“Don’t call him that!” Genya interrupted. “Only I call him ‘Nemi!”
“And don’t say that,” Tanjiro scolded him. “That’s not true. Sanemi does not hate Genya, I’m sure of it.”
Genya looked at the box strapped to Tanjiro's back. “I want ‘Nemi to love me like you love Nez,” he said quietly.
Tanjiro looked at him with the saddest smile Genya had ever seen and pulled him into a hug. “I think he does, Gen. He just doesn’t know how to show it.”
Fine. Fine.
Sanemi couldn’t stand it anymore. He had no idea what was wrong with Genya tonight. Apparently he’d regressed way younger than he usually was, and Sanemi had been listening to Genya’s sobs from the next room over for the better part of an hour. He really thought he’d have worn himself out by now and gone to sleep, but he was still going strong, while Shinobu and Kamado, who had been trying to get him to calm down, were the ones that seemed worn down.
“Genya, please, sweetheart, can you slow down and take a deep breath for me?” Kamado asked, sounding desperate.
“NO!” Genya wailed. “NO! WANT ‘NEMI!”
Sanemi swore he heard Shinobu mutter under her breath, “I’m going to kill Sanemi for this.”
It was useless to keep trying to sleep. Sanemi grumbled as he grabbed the crutch leaning against his nightstand. Fine. Fine. He’d help.
He slammed the door open, startling the three in the room. Genya gasped when he saw him, squirming out of Kamado’s arms and reaching towards him, all while still crying.
“You little brat,” Sanemi muttered. He dropped to the floor and roughly grabbed the back of Genya’s yukata, dragging him onto his lap.
All at once, Genya stopped crying.
Sanemi rolled his eyes. “Are you serious? All that fuss and that’s all you wanted?”
Genya hiccuped, burying his face in the crook of Sanemi’s neck and wrapping his arms tightly around him.
“Well, Shinazugawa,” Shinobu said with a raised eyebrow. “I see you’ve changed your mind.”
“Shut the hell up,” Sanemi growled. “He was giving me a headache. I just wanted to keep him quiet.” His eyes drifted over to Kamado, who was beaming at them. “And what do you think you’re looking at, Kamado?”
“N-nothing! I’m sorry, Shinazugawa-san! I’ll leave you be.” Kamado stood up to leave, followed by Shinobu.
“Oh, yes. It looks like you can take it from here,” she agreed.
“Wait,” Sanemi said. “Wait, no, I don’t want…I just wanted him to shut up, I’m not-”
Shinobu closed the door behind her.
Sanemi swore under his breath.
“Bad word,” Genya observed drowsily.
“Yeah,” Sanemi said. “Don’t repeat that.”
“‘Kay, ‘Nemi.” Genya let his body go slack in Sanemi’s arms, now that he was reasonably sure Sanemi wasn’t going to kick him off his lap. “Missed ‘Nemi,” he said. “‘Nemi missed me?”
Sanemi was quiet for a moment.
He wrapped his arms around his little brother. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Yeah. ‘Nemi missed Genya.”
“Don’t let go,” Genya instructed. “Promise.”
Sanemi wasn’t sure what he meant: was he saying don’t let go of him physically right now, or don’t lose him again, don’t try and force a chasm between them and try to keep Genya away.
Either way, he sighed deeply and layed down, situating Genya next to him. “Okay. I won’t.” Genya curled up into his side. Sanemi brushed his lips against Genya’s forehead. “I promise.”
Genya pushed away from Sanemi, face burning. He didn’t really do that, did he? Cry for almost an hour for his brother and then fall asleep in his arms lying on the bare wooden floor?
Judging by the fact that he woke up in Sanemi’s arms lying on the bare wooden floor, it seemed likely.
Sanemi sat up. “What is it, Gen?” he murmured.
“‘Nem- Sanemi, I’m so sorry,” Genya sputtered. “I didn’t mean…I wasn’t thinking straight last night. Or…or most of the week, I…I’m sorry for bothering you, I promise I won’t let it happen agai-”
“My god, shut up.” Sanemi laid back down. “I don’t care. It’s too early for this. Go back to sleep, Genya.”
Genya froze. He didn’t care? As in he didn’t mind? It was…okay? Genya thought back to last night. Sanemi had promised to not let go. Sanemi…didn’t break promises.
Cautiously, slowly, Genya laid back down on the floor next to his big brother.
They had been apart for so long. He missed him so much.
Experimentally, he scooted a little closer. Sanemi didn’t shove him away..
“Do you still hate me?” Genya couldn't help but ask, in a barely audible voice, around a lump in his throat.
“You’re an idiot,” Sanemi grumbled. “I never did.”