Chapter Text
"Tanjiro?"
Tanjiro tore his eyes away from the blocks of shops passing by outside the delivery van. He turned toward the driver's seat and smiled. "Yes, Dad?"
Tanjuro gave his son a quick glance, returning the smile. "I asked if anything exciting happened at school today. Are you alright? You seem distracted."
"No, just tired," Tanjiro said honestly, and confirmed it with a yawn.
Tanjuro seemed concerned. "If working in the bakery after a full day of school is too much, it's alright to step back. Your mother and I understand."
"I need to go to bed sooner. That's all," Tanjiro promised. "I like working in the bakery. And I like spending time with you." Ever since he was little, the afternoon deliveries had been his special time alone with his dad. In a few years, Tanjiro knew he might have to do it on his own. He wanted to cherish every moment together while they lasted.
Tanjuro cast him one last glance of concern. "As long as you're not too tired, and keeping up on your schoolwork."
"I am," Tanjiro promised.
They pulled into the alley behind the pizza place. Tanjiro unbuckled his seatbelt and got up to start unloading, expecting his dad to do the same. When Tanjuro took out his phone instead, Tanjiro waited, confused.
"Would you mind unloading this stop?" Tanjuro requested. "I need to call your mother."
Tanjiro nodded. "Of course." He climbed out and opened the back of the van, and started unstacking boxes of cookies and brownies onto the pavement.
Tanjuro didn't like to talk much about being sick, and Tanjiro understood that. He probably just didn't want his son to worry. If he wanted a break, that was fine. Tanjiro just wished he would say the real reason.
Tanjiro closed the back of the truck with a slam he was sure his mom would hear on the other end of the line. Just before he picked up the first box, Kanroji, the pizza delivery girl, burst out the back door.
"Tanjiro!" she cried, and jumped on him with a friendly hug.
Tanjiro smiled. "Hi, Ms. Kanroji!" he greeted. It was an awkward friendship, since it was built in the odd moments between Tanjiro dropping off deliveries and Kanroji taking them away. The tension was only worsened when Kanroji had started dating Tanjiro's second least favorite teacher, Iguro, which they tried not to mention around each other. They were both outgoing enough that it worked anyway, and Tanjiro always hoped he could run into her and update her on how things were going at her former, and his current, school. "How are you?"
She stepped back and, ignoring that he had spoken, shook him violently by the shoulders. "Tanjiro, it's an emergency!" she cried.
"What?" Tanjiro scanned the pizza place for flames. It had lit once, a few years ago, so he always associated it with burning down.
She shook him again. "A cute boy started working here! And he's your age!"
Tanjiro let out a breath of relief. "I'm not sure that counts as an emergency," he chuckled.
"It is," Kanroji insisted. "Oh, he's perfect for you! He's all dark, and mysterious, and mean but definitely soft inside, just waiting for someone like you to open his heart to love." She sighed wistfully.
Tanjiro wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't really looking for a boyfriend. Well, he wasn't not looking, he was just busy with other things, and unsure about letting Kanroji set him up with her coworker. This was the third person she'd tried to get Tanjiro to ask out, and it was getting old. Dark and brooding wasn't exactly his type, either.
But, he was curious.
"Inside?" he asked cautiously.
Kanroji's face lit up. "Yes! Yes, he's working the register today, but if you peek through the kitchen you'll get a direct view." She squealed, then bounced over to her motor bike. "Go get him, Tanjiro!"
Before Tanjiro could argue that he was only going to look to make her happy, she snapped on her helmet and rode away, a stack of pizzas strapped securely to the back of the bike.
Remembering he had a purpose here, Tanjiro scooped up one of the boxes. Every afternoon, his family delivered fresh brownies and cookies from the bakery for this and other local restaurants to sell as desserts. Tanjiro's job was to leave the boxes on the counter inside the back door, which was easy enough. He stacked the cookie box on top of the brownie box, then carried both inside.
The boxes dropped onto the counter with a soft thunk. Job done, Tanjiro decided to have a peek at the apparently cute cashier. He glanced around until he saw the doorway into the restaurant, thankfully flung wide open. Kanroji was right; he had a perfect view right to the back of the register. But when he saw who was working there, his heart stopped.
He wasn't wearing the school uniform Tanjiro usually saw him in. Instead, he was dressed vaguely punk, wearing a purple t-shirt with torn hems over a long sleeve black shirt. Under his red uniform apron, he wore black, loosely fitted cargo pants, held by a studded belt, and black combat boots. A customer stepped up to the register, and Tanjiro watched in fascination.
"Hi," he said, his usually gruff voice strangely upbeat. "What can I get for you today?"
The customer glanced at the menu. They seemed to spot Tanjiro lurking behind, because they frowned and squinted a little.
Tanjiro took that as his cue to leave. He stepped back, right into the counter. "Ow," he muttered, before slipping out the door.
Well, Kanroji had been right about one thing for sure. Genya was mean. He was on the very short list of people Tanjiro didn't get along with. Ever since they had gotten in a fight last year, Genya wouldn't speak to Tanjiro. If he did, he usually just shouted something along the lines of, "leave me the hell alone!"
To be fair, Tanjiro had broken his arm in the fight, which kept him from participating in marksmanship club for a while. To be even more fair, though, Tanjiro had only done it because Genya grabbed a first grader's hair and screamed at her. That was the only reason Tanjiro hadn't gotten in far more trouble than he did. Genya was suspended for a week, same as him. When he came back, he didn't speak at all for another week. Since then, he'd gone back to his normal self, except that he no longer talked to Tanjiro at all. Or anyone, really.
Tanjiro got back in the van with a sigh. His dad was off the phone, just staring into the alley. When he saw the look on his son's face, he frowned.
"What did Kanroji say?" he asked gently.
"She wanted to set me up with her new coworker," Tanjiro explained.
Tanjuro started the car. "I see. And you're not interested," he guessed.
Tanjiro shook his head.
"Did you meet them?"
"I saw him from the back." Tanjiro didn't want to tell his dad it was Genya. His family was still a bit on edge about him having gotten in a fight with a classmate, even though it was over a year ago. He slumped down in his seat. "I'm not interested."
Tanjuro seemed concerned, but he didn't comment any further, for which Tanjiro was thankful. His dad also sometimes tried to find him someone to date, occasionally telling Tanjiro about very nice people his age he'd come across handling the business side of the bakery. Tanjiro tried to be grateful, but it got old. He didn't know how to explain that he'd rather wait to meet someone than constantly be looking.
When they got home, Tanjiro hurried to tell Nezuko.
"I saw Genya today," he said the second she snapped her bedroom door shut behind them.
Her eyes widened. "The guy whose arm you broke? The evil math teacher's little brother?"
Tanjiro nodded. "He works at Hyottoko Pizzaria now."
"So you have to see him, like, every day." Nezuko gave him a look of pity. "That sucks."
"I see him in class every day," Tanjiro pointed out.
"That's different than outside of school," she argued. "What if he tries to talk to you?"
"I'm more worried about getting in another fight," Tanjiro admitted.
"Tell Dad," Nezuko suggested. "You could wait in the car while he does the delivery."
"No," Tanjiro reminded her softly. "I'm supposed to be taking over the more strenuous stuff. I can't make Dad do the heavy lifting because I don't want to see a boy from my class."
Nezuko's face fell. "Right."
"Besides," Tanjiro said, adding some cheer into his tone. He didn't want her to worry too much about their dad. "I'm not scared of Genya."
Nezuko nodded firmly. "You broke his arm, and you can do it again."
Tanjiro grimaced. "I was more thinking that I would avoid him. And, who knows, maybe seeing each other in passing will make things less awkward."
"Unlikely," Nezuko laughed. "But yeah, whatever you want to tell yourself."
Genya knew Tanjiro did the deliveries to the pizza place.
Like, come on. The boxes read, "Kamado Family Bakery," really big across the side. Genya's boss, Mr. Tecchikawahara, had told him that a nice man and his son delivered them every day in the late afternoon. Genya only worked three days a week, but every shift he'd had so far, the boxes appeared without anyone saying hello. It was pretty clear Tanjiro was intentionally avoiding him.
At the end of his shift, Genya pulled on his sweater and headed out to the bus stop. It was dark already, after eight pm. He had a lot of homework to do before he had to get to bed, and he was anxious to get home. Between school, shooting practice, this job, and homework, not to mention constantly dealing with whatever Sanemi decided to harp on him about next, Genya didn't have time to think about Tanjiro.
Tanjiro stuck in his mind anyway. Genya found himself glaring out the window on the bus ride home as he remembered all the times stupid Tanjiro had messed up his life. The first day of junior high, Tanjiro had immediately won the role of their homeroom teacher's favorite by being nothing other than his smiley, charming self. That same day, Genya had gotten himself labeled the troublemaker when he accidentally shot a rubber band into a girl's eye. It really was purely an accident, and he hadn't even gotten detention, but that didn't stop the comparison from beginning. Tanjiro was good, and Genya was bad. Everything after that only served to reinforce that central truth.
For a while, Genya had imagined that it would all blow over, and maybe he and Tanjiro could be friends. Then, Tanjiro had broken Genya's arm (yes, he'd grabbed that girl's hair, and no he shouldn't have, but was breaking his arm really necessary?) and Genya had missed three weeks of practice. That dropped him down to the lower bracket for six whole months. He'd fought hard to get back up before the season started in high school, and, with it, the potential for college recruiters and scholarships.
Blaming it all on Tanjiro was probably unfair. But then again, so was life. Genya had plans for his. He did everything he was supposed to, from getting good grades to helping out at home, always planning to go above and beyond, to get a degree and a good job so he could support his family like Sanemi did. As always, Tanjiro was the opposite. He ditched class, failed tests, and ran from Mr. Tomioka for breaking the dress code. He didn't have plans of his own, he was just going to run his family bakery like his dad and grandfather and great-grandfather, however far back it went. Why should he be everyone's favorite person and Genya the school delinquent?
Genya sighed as he walked from the bus stop to his building. He let himself in, then tromped up the stairs to his floor.
Tanjiro was nice, and Genya wasn't. That was the answer, and he knew it. So, Tanjiro would keep being the smiley ray of sunshine that everyone loved, and Genya would just keep as far back in his shadow as he could. This was temporary, he reminded himself. In three years, they would all graduate, and Genya would never see any of them again. He could start over in college, be someone else. Someone other people liked.
Before he got out his key, he checked to make sure he didn't have any flour or cheese on him. Sanemi didn't know he had this job. None of his family members did, but Genya doubted his mom would mind, if she even noticed. His big brother, though, minded everything. Genya's homework, his practices, even his clothes were all closely managed by Sanemi. That was part of why he wanted this job to begin with: to get some damn space. But if Sanemi found out... well, that was it. His job, his freedom, his life as he knew it, would all be over.
As he fiddled with his key in the lock, he tried to convince himself that Sanemi didn't care. Four times, now, Genya had come home after dark, and his brother hadn't commented. Sanemi hated him, so why should he care anyway?
Even as he told himself that, Genya knew it was futile. Sanemi watched him like a hawk. He was probably just waiting for the chance to swoop in and catch him.
The door opened to darkness. Genya felt his heart thump loudly in his chest. This wasn't right. Other people should be home. He shut and locked the door quietly, then turned around to find a light.
There was a click, and the lamp by the couch turned on. Genya turned to see his brother sitting there with his arms crossed, in the otherwise darkness, looking absolutely furious.
"Wanna tell me where the hell you were?" he growled, voice low.
Genya's heart was pounding, but he tried not to show it. He walked in and turned on light in the kitchen, killing Sanemi's dramatic setup, then swung his backpack up on the counter. "Good to see you too," he grumbled, aware that his answer would only get him yelled at. The longer he could delay revealing where he really went in the afternoons, the longer he could pretend he could keep his job.
Sanemi stood up and stomped into the kitchen. "Answer the damn question," he demanded.
Genya tried to ignore him again. "Where's Ma?" It was strangely quiet in the house.
Sanemi glared even harder than he already was, if that was possible. "Where the hell do you think?"
A chill ran through the air. Some evenings, their mom went down to the county jail to visit their dad. Genya always wondered why, though he had never been brave enough to ask.
As hard as life was, it had been a thousand, million times worse when Kyogo lived with them. Genya still cited the news of his arrest as the best thing he'd ever heard. That was three years ago, but Genya's memory of his dad never quite seemed to fade. It felt like a looming thundercloud, knowing that one day Kyogo's sentence would end. Before then, Genya planned to be on the other side of the country. He'd send money home, of course, but he wasn't going to stick around if Kyogo was going to be there.
That wasn't for a while, though. They still had ten more years of peace, between all of the charges his dad had managed to rack up getting into bar fights and failing to pay debts. Genya was still bitter he hadn't been convicted for child abuse or domestic violence. He knew why his mom hadn't said anything, but he wished she would just get a divorce and be done with it. At the very least, he wished she would stop visiting.
Genya walked over to the fridge and started sorting through. He found some leftover rice and popped it in the microwave.
"So," Sanemi prompted, his tone chilly. "Where were you?"
Genya glared at the microwave. "None of your damn business."
Sanemi scoffed. "I'm your older brother. Everything you do is my business. This is the fourth time you've been missing after practice, and for exactly the same amount of time. So, what the hell are you doing?"
"Coward," Genya muttered.
Sanemi stepped closer, his eyes wide. "What the hell did you just call me?"
"I said you're a coward," Genya spat. This was going to go badly, but again, he had to cling to this job with everything, or he would lose it. "Waiting until Ma's gone, cause you know she'd tell you to back the hell off."
Sanemi lifted his nose. "Ma agrees with me," he said, sounding way too pleased with himself. "You're up to something."
"Then I'll tell Ma," Genya decided, and reached for his food. She wouldn't care. She might even agree with him.
Sanemi moved between him and the microwave. "You'll tell me," he snapped. "Right now."
Genya felt his breaths getting heavy. He felt trapped, with his brother between him and his dinner, and no one else home. The kids were probably in their rooms to avoid seeing this very confrontation.
"Sanemi," he said as calmly as he could. "Please move."
"Tell me where the hell you were," Sanemi repeated.
Genya swallowed hard. "Sanemi," he tried again, his voice even quieter. "I want my food. Please move out of the way."
Sanemi met his eyes, his gaze hard. Then, without breaking eye contact, he scooted to the side.
Genya broke eye contact and reached for his rice. Sanemi was harsh, but he wasn't cruel. In his own way, he was kind. He could have taken a research position right out of college, studied math on the other side of the world and never looked back. He was a genius, a natural at it, the kind of person who owed the world his talent. Instead, he'd taken a teaching position at Kimetsu Academy, where he could still live at home. He paid all of their bills, made sure everyone got home safe at night, and then to school the next morning. That level of sacrifice was something to aspire to, Genya thought. It was too bad it came with Sanemi's unfortunate tendency to believe he was responsible for literally everything anyone in the house ever did.
Genya shoveled the rice into his mouth. It tasted plain, kind of like water, but that was what he liked. He tried to ignore Sanemi staring at him as he ate his dinner.
"Where were you?" Sanemi repeated. He sounded calmer now.
"Let it go," Genya grumbled.
"Nope. You're gonna tell me where the hell you were."
"Stop swearing at me," Genya complained. It wasn't going to help, but he planned to drag this out.
"Tell me where you were."
"I don't have to."
"Yes, you do. Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me."
"No!" Genya swiped his empty dish off the counter and dropped it in the sink. He started scrubbing it clean, turning his head so he couldn't see Sanemi still staring at him. "Let it go, Sanemi!"
Suddenly, Sanemi put his hand on Genya's shoulder. He tugged, turning Genya around so they were face to face, his eyes now burning with rage. Genya gulped, trying not to cower.
"Tell me," Sanemi demanded. "Right the hell now."
Genya realized he wasn't going to get out of this. Quickly, he searched for an answer. What was something that he should be hesitant to tell Sanemi, other than the truth?
He took a deep breath, and lied. "I was... with my boyfriend."
For a second, Sanemi just stared at him. Then, he took his hand away, and stepped back. Genya expected him to say something, but he just sort of stared at the counter, face blank.
Genya glared at him. He snatched his backpack, swung it over one shoulder, then pushed past Sanemi.
"Satisfied?" he growled as he intentionally bumped his brother.
Sanemi still said nothing.
Genya slammed the door to their unfortunately shared bedroom behind him. He sighed, and dropped his backpack by his desk.
When they had first moved there, Genya had been thrilled to share a room with only his big brother. Back then, they had been really close. It was a mystery to Genya how they had grown so far apart while sharing a space. He supposed it was because of how much busier Sanemi had gotten, trying to hold everything together. Genya was older now, too, no longer the little kid who needed his big brother's protection constantly. If only Sanemi could understand that, they would get along so much better.
Genya sat down and got out his homework. The only way having a job would ever work was if he could keep up with school. It was tiring, but so far he'd managed to get everything done in the evenings and his days off.
About half an hour later, the bedroom door creaked open, and Sanemi slunk in. Genya wondered if he might apologize, against all odds. Instead, he came and stood over Genya, glaring down at him.
"Who is it?"
Genya just stared back at him. "Who's what?" he returned, lost.
"Your damn boyfriend," Sanemi laughed dryly. "Idiot. So who is it?"
Oh yeah. Genya had lied about having a boyfriend.
He looked away. Lying had never been his strong suit, but he'd already started. If he wanted to keep his job, he had to come up with something.
"Maybe you don't know him," he tried.
"Tch." Sanemi moved so he was in Genya's line of vision again. "No way in hell are you dating someone I don't approve."
"What?" Genya was in disbelief. "You can't do that! That's Ma's job, if anyone's."
"Tell me who it is," Sanemi insisted.
"Fine." Genya tilted his head back. He let out a sharp breath, then said the first name that came to mind. "Tanjiro."
Shoot. No. Wait. Not Tanjiro. Anyone but Tanjiro.
Genya closed his eyes. Why did he say that? He hated Tanjiro, and Sanemi knew that. It was too late to go back, though. Genya just had to stick to what he'd said and pray his brother didn't see through it.
When he opened his eyes, Sanemi looked shocked. "Kamado?" he clarified.
Genya kept his own glare plastered firmly on his face. "Do you know another Tanjiro?"
"The snot head who broke your arm," Sanemi laughed incredulously.
"Don't remind me," Genya grumbled.
"You hate him," Sanemi argued. "No way in hell are you dating him."
"I am," Genya snapped. "And if you don't believe that... you haven't been watching me as closely as you think you have."
Sanemi looked genuinely scared by that thought, as if Genya would evaporate the moment he was out of sight. It was one of those rare moments Genya was reminded that all of this was out of concern. Even if Sanemi hated him, and was disappointed in him, he was intensely dedicated to his self-appointed duties as older brother.
"You don't know me as well as you think you do," Genya mumbled, just to seal his victory. It was true, though. If Sanemi knew his brother half as well as he liked to think he did, he would be much more surprised that Genya claimed to have a boyfriend.
Sanemi sighed, then scratched the back of his head. "Tanjiro, huh?" he muttered. Then he backed out the door, and turned down the hallway. "Do your damn math homework!" he shouted as he went, just to have the last word.
Genya reached out with his foot and kicked the door shut. He let out a breath of relief, glad his job was safe another day, until the realization of his lie struck him in full force.
Tanjiro. It was entirely likely that Sanemi would confront him at school. Tanjiro had no idea what Genya had said, or what was at stake, and would ruin everything instantly. Realistically, it was an easy fix. Genya should just talk to him and ask him to lie too. But damn was that going to be a blow to his ego.
He groaned. If he wanted to keep his job, he would just have to suck it up and work with his mortal enemy.