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Everything feels wrong. Bad in a way Inosuke can’t explain. Overwhelming is the best word he can think of. He feels like he’s outside of his body, walking through a haze, just- wrong.
Strange because this same feeling has been described to him before, it just never happened to him.
It was always Zenitsu complaining about the sounds of electricity humming in the walls, or the clashing of swords or even of their own heartbeats bothering him.
It’s Tanjiro suffering from migraines when they try to bring in new scents into the house, gagging at the smell of food or when they come in for training covered in sweat and dirt and forcing them all to bathe.
It’s Genya refusing to eat and starving himself because of it, picky over textures and taste and gravitating to the same comfort foods time and time again.
It’s Kanao struggling going outside when the sun is rising or setting, light hitting something just right and reflecting into her eyes, complaining about the lights being too bright and causing her pain, huddled in her room with Nezuko because the sun is evil.
It’s always everyone else, not Inosuke. He’s better than this.
But his skin is itchy. It sets Inoskue on edge almost immediately once he’s registered the feeling, because that only happens when there is a demon nearby. He grabs his swords from beside his bed ready for a fight the second when he leaves his room. But running out into the living room, swords drawn, proves that he’s the only one who can sense it.
His friends- his pack, are all in the living room, together as though nothing was wrong.
Tanjiro is braiding the Kanao’s hair while the butterfly girl braids Nezuko’s. Tanjiro’s humming to himself as he works the sound soft and comforting within the space. Zenitsu is lying on his stomach, spread across Genya’s lap, letting the other play with hair, eyes closed like a cat sunning itself.
“Oh, good morning Inosuke!” Tanjiro calls, bright and smiling, “We didn’t want to wake you-“
“Tanjiro we’re in danger,“ Inosuke tries to warn but he’s cut off before he can finish the word ‘danger’.
“Whoa I think he actually got your name right.” Genya says with amusement lit in his voice.
“That would be a first.” Zenitsu comments.
When it seems like even Kanao is going to say something Inosuke looses it.
“We are under attack underlings! Prepare yourselves. There’s a demon nearby by I can feel it.”
Tanjiro sits up straighter, sniffs, scrunching his nose.
“Zenitsu?”
“Negative. I hear nothing.” Zenitsu says not even bothering to lift himself up from where he’s laid across Genya’s lap, reaching out to place Genya’s hand back on his head since he removed it, clearly more bothered in getting more affection than a demon attack.
“There’s something here!” Inosuke shouts, foot stomping on the ground.
“You say that all the time. If this is just because you want one of us to fight you, you better try better than that.”
They don’t get it. Inosuke’s heart is beating funny, like when he’s running or chasing something, but the run out to the living room from his den wasn’t far enough to cause it. He can hear it drumming in his ears, causing his breathing to get faster. Choppier. No one else seems the sense the danger, so why is it just him?
“Inosuke? You good?” Tanjiro asks.
“I… I’m fine! You’re the idiots who won’t listen-“ he gives a frustrated growl, storming out of the living room and out the front door, slamming it behind him.
Fine if no one believes him, he’ll just go patrol by himself. Find whatever damned thing was making him feel disgusting- kill it, and then join his pack and be able to settle.
.
.
.
Inosuke doesn’t understand it. He’s circled the house so many times he’s lost track. He still finds nothing.
No signs of danger. Of a demon. Of a break in, or a disturbance, or anything.
And yet he only feels worse.
He’s been at this so long. Anxiety is making him feel sick. Spiking his fear, his heart rate, his racing thoughts, swirling over and over again on the idea that he’s letting everyone he cares about down. He can’t let them down. He digs his fingers into his skin, pressing down hard enough that crescent shaped indents form and the pain brings him to a focus. He wants to go inside, wants Gonpachiro to braid his hair too, listen as everyone talks, wants to be comforted- wants someone to actually listen to him when he swears that-
“Inosuke?”
Inosuke flinches. He hadn’t felt his pack coming outside.
“You’ve been out here for a while, what are you doing? Are you alright?”
It’s Tanjiro speaking, stepping towards him. Kind, safe, sweet, in danger- they shouldn’t be outside they shouldn’t, shouldn’t-
“There’s something here.” he says again, voice hissing because he can still feel the buzzing under his skin, the feeling of being off centered. His breathing is coming far to fast he knows this. He can’t stop it.
He hears Zenitsu swear under his breath.
Tanjiro’s rubbing his back slowly, mumbling softly. His voice sounds like it’s underwater. “Panic attacks… you’re alright… everything’s alright.”
Again. They aren’t listening to him!
Inosuke whines, tries clawing at his skin again, to force his voice to work.
“Okay Inosuke, okay, we’re going to check for danger.” Finally Tanjiro agrees, finally someone listens, “Genya, Kanao?” They both in question nod, Kanao flips a coin, both slayers watching as it lands on heads. “I’ll take East.” She says, before she and Genya split up to circle the house.
Inosuke stands there still twitching. He feels antsy, his mind too loud and buzzing with energy he doesn’t know how to expend.
“Let’s go inside?” Tanjiro takes his hand as he talks. His palm is warm, Tanjiro is always warm. Warm smiles, warm touch, warmth that radiates off of him. It reminds him of Rengoku… and suddenly he’s inexplicably sad again, that tight feeling twisting in his chest growing and hurting him.
He hadn’t realized the danger back then, that they had been sitting in the stomach of a beast the whole time. He can’t let that happen again, he can’t, can’t, can’t, can’t- Zenitsu grabs his other hand, tugging him along without a word.
He focuses on the feeling of scars on both of their hands. He supposes his own are rough as well. They’ve been through a lot, grown stronger, the scars prove it. Knuckles bruised and bleeding, he doesn’t have to worry about them. Even if there is a threat, his friends, his family, his pack, can handle themselves.
Something shatters there, or maybe it clicks into place.
“Everything feels awful.” He whines, “Everything is bad and I don’t know what’s causing it, make it stop.”
“We will.” Inosuke’s promised from both boys.
When he gets seated on the couch Inosuke curls up on himself, small and tightly pressed away. Back to feeling far too overwhelmed without someone’s touch to guide him.
It’s only for a moment before Tanjiro’s kneeling on the couch beside him, taking off his own haori and draping it over the other boy’s shoulders. It’s soft from use, well worn and well loved.
“There, you’re safe now. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” Tanjiro’s smiling as he tucks the fabric around Inosuke’s shoulders with care.
Inosuke lets his arms be maneuvered into the sleeves of the haori, his hands poking out from beneath the folds of cloth, just enough to hold onto the edges of the checkered fabric, pulling it in tightly around him, blocking out the rest of the world.
Zenitsu flops down besides him, laying half against Inosuke’s shoulder and back with a little huff. A weighted pressure against his skin as he snuggles closer.
He’s doing that nuzzling thing that Inosuke can’t quite place why that’s important, until Nezuko comes into the room. She scampers up to him the size of a small child, handing Inosuke his stuffed boar, and Zenitsu a headband with little floppy rabbit ears on it.
Oh, that’s why.
“Baby bunny.” He says, and though he means it as a question it doesn’t come out that way.
Zenitsu shrugs, though he doesn’t refuse the regression gear, settling it on his head before returning to nuzzle back into Inosuke’s side. Tanjiro lifts up his sister, settling them both on Inosuke’s other side just as the front door reopens.
“We checked around the house twice. There’s nothing out there. We’re safe.” Genya reports as he and Kanao come back inside.
Kanao’s fingers twitch when her gaze lands on the three cuddling on the couch.
“What’s on your mind Kanao?” Genya questions.
She looks like she wants to grab her coin, hesitates, before ultimately leaving it. “I’m going to grab blankets.” Is all she says before turning to leave.
Genya and Tanjiro share a look of success, Genya nodding before joining the girl.
“I help too?” Inosuke wants to jump up and be useful, but he’s unable to move, barely holding himself together. He still offers, feeling weird to be the one being taken care of and not the other way around.
“You can help in a moment bubs, but I think you might be too little.” Tanjiro says, and Nezuko reaches out to pat his cheek, humming softly. Inosuke huffs, pouting. It doesn’t help his case at all.
When Kanao returns she is nearly collapsed under the weight of the blankets, making a small ‘help’ before she flops onto the floor with a dull thunk. Inosuke thinks she must be carrying most if not all of the weighted blankets in the house.
Genya follows shaking his head, “I told you to let me help.” He’s carrying a single blanket in his arms and two pacifiers, which he hands to Zenitsu and Inosuke respectively. The bunny regressor takes his, before going back to dozing on Inosuke’s side.
“I help now?” Inosuke asks again, voice muffled from behind the soother.
Tanjiro nods and that’s all Inosuke needs to join Kanao on the floor, sorting through blankets.
Zenitsu whines at the loss of his personal pillow, but is quickly soothed by Tanjiro taking him instead. “You want to help too bunny?”
Zenitsu scrunches up his face. “No, jus’ nap in.”
Tanjiro chuckles, “Alright.”
…
It doesn’t take long before the whole group ends up in a blanket nest on the floor. Inosuke’s laying on his back in the middle of all the blankets and pillows and stuffed animal mess his pack has deemed good enough to rest in. Zenitsu’s sleeping with his head lying on Inosuke’s left shoulder, soft little chitters and bunny noises being mumbled even in his sleep. Genya had fallen asleep with almost half his body draped across his friends, Nezuko cradled in between him and Zenitsu. Kanao and Tanjiro are on his right, curled around each other and Genya.
Their legs were all tangled together, covered in blankets and stray pillows , hand woven and fingers interlocked as they dozed.
It’s quiet, but not a bad kind. The kind filled with warmth and soft even breaths. He thinks his leg might be falling sleep- his left arm certainly was with two people lying on it, but Inosuke can’t exactly mind. He can’t explain it, but he feels better.
Solid and whole and grounded with his friends around him, even if he’s squished, even if months ago this much touch would have made him want to crawl out of his skin and lash out at anyone who dared to come close.
He presses his face into Zenitu’s hair, curls around the mentally younger regressor and huffs.
Whatever it was that scared him, whatever monster there was, he felt safe here with his family, and that would always be enough.