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READ NOTE TO UNDERSTAND AU !
Walking along the road was a blonde we all knew and loved, besides him was a more emo… grunge? Copy of the blonde, Haruki. Same choppy hair between the two, one just had yellow with orange tips and the other black and red. If you can’t tell by the already given context, it’s father and son. Trust me, if you saw Haruki you could tell who he belonged to.
Haruki walked towards the inner part of the sidewalk, away from the road. Hands in his pockets, his face mask that was often seen on him, listening to his dad talk about some stuff. The modern urbanization of so many cities both of them still adjusting too.
That’s when the both of them picked up on a noise coming from an alleyway ahead. A cry? A whimper? Whatever it was, it wasn’t a sound that would come from joy. Did it come from a child? Neither knew or cared. They just picked up the pace on their walking.
Once they turned the corner of the alleyway, immediately lightening their footsteps to go undetected before they got a visual on the surroundings. The alleyway being so quiet it almost felt like they hallucinated the sound.
“Stupid..” Zenitsu noticed the muttering from his son besides him, the kid having already found and killed the one they were looking for. The human that caused the noise of pain is now imitating a piece of meat skewered with one of Haruki’s spinal-like tendrils. The blood finally started to leak and pool. “How dumb must they be to be in a dark alleyway alone..?”
Zenitsu let out a chuckle, “he was here committing a crime first. Seems to balance out,” Zenitsu watched as his son nodded to his commentary. Haruki was never much of a talker, hell sometimes he went completely nonverbal. That was fine to both parents, after all he was still their son.
Zenitsu watched as Haruki pulled out a bag, butchering up the corpse so it fit enough that they could take it home and store it. One question remained on Zenitsu’s mind, what exactly did make the noise of pain? He searched the alleyway for anything, a kidnapped kid? Doubt it could be a woman.. Maybe a bird? That’s when Zenitsu saw it.
Haruki was busy packaging the kill into an undetectable bag so they could head home. That’s when he heard his, totally very responsible and mature, dad squeal and coo at something. He scoffed and summed it up to a matter he could deal with after he finished his task at hand.
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Haruki finished up with packaging everything neatly, he stood up and turned to face Zenitsu. “Well I’m finished with that we can head…” Haruki froze when he realized what the other was holding. “Don’t tell me you’re taking it home.”
“100% am.”
“Mom’s gonna kill you.”
“Well he doesn’t need to know.”
“How are you gonna hide… Y’know what, whatever.” Haruki was just gonna let it play out. No one was actually gonna die from this so… well, except the man in his bag. The teen just walked alongside his father on the sidewalk, watching as the beast he was carrying moved in its box that Zenitsu found.
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Once Tanjiro heard the door open he’d know he’d read one more chapter of his book. The two arriving members take this time to hide the box with the beast inside from Tanjiro. Being gentle with it as they carefully set it down in an abandoned playpen. Haruki going up to his room again, typical.
Zenitsu sat by the playpen contemplating how he was going to hide this from his husband, meanwhile taking a toy and playing with the beast. Watching as it jumped and played, completely different than how it was at first.
“I thought this behavior would’ve ended with Hinoka moving out…” A soft voice came from behind Zenitsu, scraping his plans to not tell his husband. The owner of the voice softly rested his hand on the other’s shoulder below him. A tail-like tendril wrapping around Zenitsu’s forearm.
Zenitsu was slightly startled by the sudden voice behind him, letting out a guilty chuckle knowing he was caught. “Hi baby…” Zenitsu feigned innocence in his tone, softly grabbing Tanjiro’s hand and kissing the back of it in apology. Tracing the markings on it with his eyes.
Tanjiro blushed softly before pulling his hand away to ruffle Zenitsu’s hair. “Hello darling,” Tanjiro bent over the playpen. Picking up the beast inside of it, said beast being just a small stray orange tabby kitten. “It seems you haven’t been bathed or groomed, my my… I’ll do that for you little one.”
Zenitsu watched with a soft and wistful look present on his face. Watching his husband being overly gentle, starting to doubt that he’s actually the demon king who’s killed millions. Almost too busy daydreaming about how much he loves him to realize said love is currently walking away to tend to the small kitten.
“Wait..! I’m coming…!” Zenitsu quickly rose to his feet and followed his husband.