#tanjirō x reader x murata

[todoroki-waifu]

Tanjiro x GN!Reader x Murata (one sided) 

Final: Tanjiro x Reader

Scenario: Murata asks Tanjiro to help him get to know the reader better. He specifically wants Tanjiro to find out if they’re single and their likes/dislikes. Of course, being the nice friend he is, Tanjiro agrees; however, he didn’t expect to fall in love with the reader as well.  

Word Count: 6518

Genre: Slight angst, drama, and fluff. 

Warnings: Gender neutral reader, cursing, love triangle, and some mentions of blood. 

“I can’t believe I’m tired already and we still have the rest of the afternoon. I hope I can make it.” You pout slightly, settling down on the outside porch of the Butterfly Estate. All the lower ranks were to train with the higher ranks and Pillars in order to prepare for the battle against Muzan. You and Tanjiro just finished training with Uzui, now waiting for the rest of your group to meet for lunch.

“I’m sure you can make it! You’re strong and I believe in you!” You slightly blushed at his words of encouragement, now feeling that you would regain your strength after your short break.

“Thanks, Tanjiro-kun.” You reply back as you look up at the sky, watching the clouds as you both sat there in silence. Tanjiro eyes you from the side, remembering his promise to Murata. He knew the boy wanted to know if you had a significant other, but it was hard for Tanjiro to bring it up. So he decided to start with smaller questions.

“Hey, __(y/n), I don’t think I ever asked you this but what’s your favorite color?” He asks and you turn your attention to him.

“You and your random questions. I hope you’re not collecting any data to use against me.” You laugh jokingly as he stutters slightly.

“O-of course not. I’d never do that to you. I-I’m genuinely curious.” Tanjiro hopes his cover isn’t blown.

“I’m just kidding. I know you won’t. Anyway, my favorite color is __(color).” And that simple question opened up a discussion of different topics. You noticed Tanjiro asking you random questions for the past two weeks, but figured he was just a curious guy. You actually enjoyed it since you loved his company. You met at Mount Natagumo and ended up seeing each other more often. The trio plus Nezuko basically added you to their group, seeing how frequently you were paired with them for missions. You didn’t mind. You got along well with them. 

“___(y/n)-chaaaan!” You hear a familiar thunder user’s voice. “Save meeee! I’m gonna diiiiie!”

You and Tanjiro turn your heads towards the entrance of the Butterfly mansion, the dark red head’s eyes widening slightly at how fast Zenitsu was running. Zenitsu was sprinting to you with wide arms, whining about how mean Sanemi was and how his tough training was killing him. Tanjiro reacts quickly, grabbing the front of your uniform and pulling you towards him. You froze at the sudden pull, your hands unconsciously latching onto Tanjiro’s chest. 

“Z-z-zenitsu!” He grabbed you just in time, watching the yellow orange haired male hug the air and fall beside you. “You have to be careful! You were running way too fast and could’ve hurt __(y/n)!" 

"But I’m going to diiiiie.” Zenitsu pouts as you hear Tanjiro scold him some more. Your heart was racing not only from being potentially tackled, but at how closely pressed you were to Tanjiro. He ignores Zenitsu’s complaints as he glances down at you, both his arms now encased around you. 

“Are you okay?” He asks.

“Y-yes, I’m fine. Thank you, T-tanjiro.” Your nerves were twisting and shaking, causing your voice to break during your sentence. Tanjiro couldn’t respond right away, his own heart racing at the proximity. He suddenly becomes aware of how __(color) and alluring your eyes were. 

The way you stared up at him, the way your lips were slightly parted, and how your hair frames your face; Tanjiro is only now appreciating your beauty. He felt a few degrees warmer as his breath was trapped in his lungs. He didn’t understand why his heart was pacing so quickly almost as if it was chasing something… or someone? 

“I-I-I’m so sorry!” He immediately releases you from his hold as he scoots back a bit as if to return your space. “I didn’t mean to just grab you like that. That was so rude of me, I truly apologize!”

Before he could bow, you held onto his shoulders, reassuring him that you were just fine.

“Don’t be silly! I’m glad you did that. Otherwise, I might’ve bumped heads with Zenitsu-kun or he might have squished me." 

Tanjiro laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he hears Inosuke and Murata at the entrance. Ah, and that was another thing you noticed lately. Murata has been hanging out with your group a bit more often than usual. You assumed he probably felt like he wanted to connect more with all of you or that maybe his circle of friends were split up during training sessions. 

"Hi Inosuke-kun, Murata-kun.” You greet the boys with a smile and wave.

“The great Inosuke-sama has completed his training! Now I’m hungry… let’s get food!" 

"H-h-hi, __(y/n)-chan! How was your morning?” Murata instantly blushes at your smile, butterflies swarming in his stomach. 

“We should go see if Aoi-san needs any help! C'mon, guys.” Tanjiro gets behind Zenitsu and Insouke, pushing them to the kitchen area.

“We should go, too.” You tell Murata, but Tanjiro stops the both of you.

“It’s okay! We’ll be quick. We’ll come back if we’re not needed. You guys just…just stay there!” He immediately rushes his two friends as you tilt your head to the side slightly.

————————————

“Why are we hiding? I thought we were going to the kitchen?” Inosuke grumbles with his arms crossed.

“Oh, good! They’re talking.” Tanjiro lets out a small sigh, peeking out the window, careful to not be seen. He stopped pushing the boys once he was at a safe distance from you, checking if Murata was taking the opportunity he had given him. 

“He still hasn’t confessed?” Zenitsu knew about Murata’s dilemma, surprised that the black haired boy still made no move. “If it was me, I would’ve just asked ___(y/n) to be mine." 

"You already do.” The flame and water user rolls his eyes. “Murata-san is just really nervous. He wants to make sure he confesses to them properly." 

Zenitsu eyes his friend in the green and black checkered haori, blinking curiously when he notices Tanjiro’s gaze focused on you. When your laughter echoed in the courtyard, his sensitive ears picked up the quickening rate of Tanjiro’s heartbeat. Before he could question, Aoi found them lounging in the middle of the hallway, scolding them to hurry into the lunch room. 

That night, the three boys were getting ready for bed, laying out their futons on the floor. 

"You stupid boar, move your futon! That is MY spot!” Zenitsu yells, glaring at the mountain boy who laid right in the middle of the room. 

“No it’s not! It’s mine!” Inosuke grabs his pillow, ready to defend his territory.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping closest to the door! And you’re not even lined up properly!” Zenitsu was starting to get cranky, tried from today’s training and the dreadful feeling of knowing he had to do it all over again. 

Tanjiro ignores the bickering, concerned about his missing sister. He hasn’t seen her since dinner and she was usually with them around this time. She wasn’t one to wander either. He gets up from the floor, neglecting his half folded bed to search for his younger sibling. 

“Nezuko!” He calls out to her, careful with how loud his voice was so he wouldn’t disturb the other Butterfly residents. Tanjiro stops momentarily, picking up a sweet and joyful scent. It made his entire being warm with happiness, a smile slowly stretching his lips. He even felt like laughing, but held back the idea when his eyes caught two familiar beings. 

There you were, in the middle of the courtyard with his sister, jumping and spinning wildly. The two of you were dancing in the rain, giggling at each other’s movements. Nezuko noted a huge puddle forming to her left and immediately bounced both her feet into the water, creating a small series of waves around her legs. 

She made a noise to catch your attention, grabbing your hand as she pointed to another puddle. She stops in front of it, never letting go of your hand while she looks at you then to the water then back at you. The hand holding yours begins to slightly swing as if readying the both of you to dive into the miniature pond. You nodded, agreeing with her proposal and counted to three so that you both leaped at the same time. 

Nezuko cheers happily against her bamboo muzzle, raising her arms in excitement as you laugh, also holding your arms up. Your arms were stretched out horizontally, spinning around a few times and stopping just before you felt dizzy. Nezuko continues to hop into every puddle she sees as you stand for a moment in the rain, tilting your head up and allowing the water to wash over you. 

————————————

“Where is everyone?” Zenitsu realized that he was left alone with Inosuke, wondering where their third member went. As he passed by a few rooms in search of Tanjiro, he didn’t see you or Nezuko either. The yellow and orange haired male can hear a sequence of loud thumps, his feet following the sound until he finally reaches its source. 

“Tanjiro?” He says quietly, catching his friend standing on the engawa and looking out to the open space. Zenitsu’s eyes quickly traced to what had him so entranced. He finds you standing there, head slightly tilted back as you continue to be doused with water. You gave off a relaxed aura as you breathed in and out deeply. And there was Nezuko in the back, busying herself with the multiple puddles littering the courtyard. Even Zenitsu’s heart did a small jump at the sight of the warm scene before him. 

“What are they doing? Are they training?” Inosuke’s rough voice makes Zenitsu jump in surprise.

“What? No! They’re just play-”

“I’m gonna fight them! Let’s fight!!” He roars loudly as he zips towards you and Nezuko, causing the both of you to yelp in surprise.

“I-inosuke! Stop! Be careful!” Tanjiro is finally released from his daze, stepping down from the porch to stop Inosuke from chasing after you and his sister.

“You dumbass! Why are you bothering my sweet Nezuko and __(y/n)?” Zenitsu joins the spinning circle. 

————————————

“Gah!” Tanjiro accidentally slips on the wet ground during the chase and you quickly rush to his aid. Tanjiro’s fall momentarily stops everyone from running while Zenitsu immediately appears next to Nezuko, checking to see if she was okay and of course, complimenting how cute she was. 

“Are you okay?” You hold out a hand for Tanjiro to use as a leverage off the floor. 

“Yeah, I am. Thanks. I managed to break my fall a bit so I didn’t land too hard on the ground.” He takes your hand, accepting your help as he is finally on his feet. 

“I’m sorry about us playing in the rain. I didn’t mean for us to be out too late. And I also didn’t mean for Nezuko to get so soaked.” You hoped he wasn’t too upset with you for allowing Nezuko to be out in this type of weather. You were outside first and all of sudden, Nezuko appeared and begged you to let her join you. How could you say no? 

“I-it’s okay! No worries at all! I’m just glad you guys are okay. It was really nice of you for letting my sister play with you. I could tell she was having a great time, so, thank you for making her happy." 

"It’s no problem at all. I love your little sister. She’s wonderful to be around with.” You look to where the others were, smiling as you see Nezuko returning to her original task with Inosuke competing with her on who can make the biggest splash and Zenitsu telling him to let Nezuko be. 

Tanjiro stays silent as his gaze is focused on you again. You note his lack of words and you turn your head to the burgundy haired slayer, tilting your head at his staring. His eyes take in your cute and confused form, your drenched hair adhering to your face closely.  Before you could question his silence, the rain came down harder. 

“Oh wow, I thought it would stop soon.” You say as you find Tanjiro’s hair now falling to the front, almost blocking his beautiful, deep magenta eyes. You raise your hand up to his face, using your fingers to comb his hair back and securing them behind his ears. You smile once you get a clear view of his eyes, the boy’s cheeks burning a bright red. 

“There, now I can see your pretty eyes better.” You tease as Tanjiro’s face glows brighter. 

————————————

Ba-dum. 

‘There it is again.’ Zenitsu turns his attention to the two of you. 

Ba-dum.

The rhythm starts to get faster again.

Boom. 

’Now he’s making a different sound.’

Boom.

'Why does it sound like it’s getting closer?' Zenitsu frowns at the change of tone, trying to decipher the sound.

Crraakk! 

“Kyyaahh!” Zenitsu screeches at the new sound, recognizing it as thunder. A flash follows the rumbling, Zenitsu immediately recalling the time he had a very close encounter with lightning. He clings onto Nezuko, big tears dripping down his face as he now begs for everyone to go inside. Nezuko blinks at her frightened friend, patting his head gently as she is reminded of when Ryouta used to cry during thunderstorms. 

“I’m not afraid of any storm! Come fight me, thunder!” Inosuke shouts to the sky. The loud clap forced you and Tanjiro to gather the rest of the group inside, finally getting yourselves settled for the night. As Tanjiro lays on his futon, staring up at the ceiling, he thinks back to where you were dancing in the rain. 

You looked so beautiful spinning around so carefree and happy. He remembers your fingers adjusting his hair to its usual style and how you light and gentle your touch was when he felt it graze against his cheek and ear. Your touch and gaze sent a chill up his spine while his heart began beating against his chest. He quickly changes his position, laying on his side as he tries to focus on sleeping.

————————————

A few weeks pass and it has been the same between you and Tanjiro. Him asking questions or simply sitting beside you either on the engawa or in the middle of the forest during breaktime from training. It was something he looked forward to everyday. When you went out on a mission, he became slightly distracted and a bit more mellow for those three days you were gone. However, when he learns of your return, his demeanor is suddenly lifted.

That is until he hears you’re admitted to the Butterfly Estate for a head injury.

“Tanjiro!” He turns around to the source of the voice, recognizing Murata as the one calling him. 

“Hey man! Good thing I caught you. I need you to give this to __(y/n), please. I’d give it myself, but I feel a bit guilty since I was on the mission with them. I got too distracted by the enemy and I wasn’t there when they needed me. But anyway, please tell __(y/n) that I’ll see them later. I have to give the report to Oyakata-sama.” Murata hands him a small bouquet of flowers, turning towards their master’s home. 

“Wait! But…is __(y/n) okay?” Tanjiro was worried about your current state.

“Yeah, they’re fine. When the medics came, they said it was a minor concussion, but they still needed to be admitted and monitored. Anyway, I really gotta go. Thanks again, Tanjiro!”

“Y-yeah. You’re welcome! Good luck!” He tells Murata as he stares down at the flowers. Tanjiro also starts to feel guilty for not presenting a gift and feels slightly inferior to Murata. He immediately shakes that thought out of his head, almost forgetting his secret mission. He wasn’t supposed to feel competitive towards his friend. He promised Murata to help his feelings reach you. 

————————————

“Tanjiro-kun!” You beamed at him, your heart happily leaping that he is your first guest and the sight of flowers in his hands. You tried to calm yourself, not wanting to look too gleeful at the assumption that the bouquet was for you. 

“__(y/n)! I’m glad you’re okay. I’m sorry to hear about your concussion. Is it painful?” Tanjiro continues to eye your bandage. 

“I had a massive headache earlier, but I got some medicine from Aoi-chan, so, it’s much better now." 

"That’s good.” He almost forgets that he is still holding the flowers. “These are for you." 

"Aw, Tanjiro, thank you! These are so nice.” You gladly accept them, inspecting and admiring the flowers’ beauty. 

“They’re actually from Murata-san. He was really worried about you and wanted you to have these. He wanted to give them to you right away, but he said he has to meet with Oyakata-sama." 

"O-oh! I see. I have to thank him later.” You were both surprised and disappointed that it didn’t come from Tanjiro, but you were still grateful for the small gesture. You just wished it was from the boy who you had a crush on. “Well, thank you for delivering them." 

Did Tanjiro only visit to give you the flowers as instructed? You thought he was here on his own and that he was truly concerned. Maybe he was, but it did seem as if he was here only for Murata.

"You’re welcome. So, what exactly happened on your mission?” He starts the conversation, but suddenly, you’re not in the mood for visitors at the moment. Yet part of you doesn’t want him to go away. 

Before you answer, it was as if someone else decided for you and a knock was heard following the sound of the door opening. It was Aoi with a small tray of tea, medication, and bandages. 

“Sorry, Tanjiro, but __(y/n) needs their treatment and rest. You can visit them later." 

"Oh, right. Sorry about that.” Tanjiro stands up, putting his chair aside as he smiles at you. “I’ll see you later? I hope you feel better soon." 

"Thanks, Tanjiro. See you later.” You wave a hand to him before he exits the room. 

That evening, Murata had visited you as promised, updating you on what had happened before you lost consciousness during the mission. He apologizes repeatedly, even getting on the floor to show how guilty he felt for not protecting you. You reassure him it was okay and that you were not mad at all.

Then the conversation turns into a very different subject. Murata begins to confess his feelings to you and how he had asked Tanjiro to help him scout information on you. Murata tells you everything, again feeling guilty for using Tanjiro as a middle person instead of him going directly to you. He was too shy and afraid of your reaction and thought that the plan in his mind would work out. 

However, cupid’s arrow decided to go a different route and Murata knew to not stand in its way. Another reason why he decided to bring this up now was due to his curiosity. Though he knew his chances of being with you was low, he knew he’d regret it if he never asked. 

Unfortunately for him, his assumptions were right. You couldn’t return his feelings, but he was happy you weren’t too upset at him for what he did. He also begged you to not be angry at Tanjiro, solely taking the blame on himself. You again reassured him that all was well and that you were not upset at anyone. Instead you apologized that you couldn’t reciprocate his feelings.

Once the awkward tension disappears, you’re glad that you still have a friend. You have a quick and light conversation with him and before he leaves for the night, you make sure to thank him for the flowers. Once you’re alone, you sigh loudly to yourself, slightly shocked at what you learned.

Tanjiro was only talking to you for Murata and not because he wanted to get to know you. You knew you couldn’t be angry at anyone, but you definitely felt different with Tanjiro. You’re so upset that your crush didn’t want to get close to you willingly. You sigh again, mentally yelling at yourself to not think so much about it and that it was to be expected that Tanjiro might not feel the same as you. But that thought definitely made small cracks in your heart. 

————————————

“What? You told __(y/n) everything?!” Tanjiro exclaims, surprised at Murata’s bold move. He was so frightened to even talk to you yet here he was telling Tanjiro that he finally confessed to you.

“Yeah, I did. I felt too guilty and it was definitely wrong of me to make you be the middleman. I should’ve had more courage in the beginning instead of involving you. So, I’m really sorry for the trouble." 

"It’s no trouble at all. I’m not upset. I’m just shocked you told them the truth. Were they mad?" 

"No, not one bit. __(y/n) actually apologized that they didn’t like me back, but I told them it was okay. We’re still friends, but I’m not gonna lie and say it doesn’t suck.”

“I’m really sorry about that, Murata-san.” Tanjiro places a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s fine. I mean, I had a feeling it wouldn’t work out, but hey, I think you have a good chance with them!" 

"Me? What makes you say that?” Tanjiro blushes at the mention of you and him potentially being lovers.

“Well, I’m gonna be honest with you, another reason why I decided to tell __(y/n) the truth was I started to notice something. The way you look at them and when you talk about them, your facial expression and tone become different. And different in a good way. You get super excited and happy, which isn’t a bad thing! But that means you totally have a thing for __(y/n), right? And I’m not gonna be mad or jealous at all. If anything, you guys have my blessing! I can see how much you really care for ___(y/n) and I don’t think I’m the right match for them.”

“Hold on, now I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to take them away from you. I hope I didn’t seem that way.” Tanjiro frowns, confused at Murata’s sudden disinterest in pursuing you. He really had every intention of helping his friend!

“God no! I know you’re not that type. I’m just saying, the way you look at __(y/n) and the way they look at you…there’s definitely something there and I’m not gonna get in between that." 

"Y-you really think so?" 

"It is so obvious, even the other three know it.” Murata was referring to Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Nezuko. They bid each other good night after a while, the Kamado boy smiling to himself as he felt relieved that he didn’t have to play matchmaker anymore. It also felt good to finally admit his feelings for you to himself. 

————————————

You were off of bedrest for a while, but decided to avoid the Kamaboko group for a bit. You were confused and conflicted after Murata’s confession and decided you wanted to either be by yourself or with a different group of friends such as Genya and Kanao. You were glad that this week you were paired with Genya for training, but trying to start conversations with him wasn’t the same. He either didn’t say much or he froze up.  

While you were on break from training, you decided to sit out on the engawa where you and Tanjiro usually sat at the Butterfly Mansion. You shook your head to clear your mind of the memory, focusing on meditating and total concentration breathing. You and Tanjiro were in different groups so you had assumed your breaks wouldn’t overlap. 

“___(y/n)!” Ah, what timing. Normally, you’d love to spend time with Tanjiro, but you were so disappointed that it hurt to think about him.

“Hey, Tanjiro.” You smile slightly as you stand to greet him.

“It’s been a while. How is your head?” 

“Much better. I’m all healed up and was cleared to practice my sword and techniques.” You tried to be polite, but deep down, you just wanted to leave.

“That’s good. I heard you’re in a different group this week. How has it been? Are they treating you well? We all miss you, you know. Me, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Nezuko.” 

“Tanjiro…you know, you don’t have to keep hanging out with me.” You felt like you were going to explode if you didn’t get the burden off your chest.

“What do you mean?” Tanjiro frowned, shocked at your response. 

“Murata-kun told me everything. From how he likes me to how you tried to help him. I’m not mad, I’m just a bit surprised.“ You avoided looking at him, your eyes moving from the clouds, trees, and the ground. "So, you don’t have to force yourself to spend time with me anymore. I know you have a busy schedule so I wouldn’t want to take that away from you. We can still hang out, like all four of us when we have a bit of extra time, but you know. . .you don’t have to go out of your way to get to know me anymore either. I wouldn’t want you to do anything you didn’t want to." 

Why did it hurt so much telling him that? If he was only being around you for the sake of his friend, that wouldn’t be fair to him. You didn’t want to be selfish, but not seeing him as often as usual was going to be a bit. . .lonely. 

"But __(y/n), it’s reall-" 

"Tanjiro, really, it’s fine. Like I said, I’m not mad or upset. But anyway, I actually have to go. . .so. . .see you around.” You bowed your head slightly at the male before walking towards the exit, telling your heart to be strong and to not let your emotions on display. You didn’t want Tanjiro to feel like he had to comfort you. You were done getting your hopes up. 

“Wait!” Tanjiro was too slow to respond, too stunned and panicked to get his thoughts organized. You were already gone, but Tanjiro caught a scent of sadness from you before you left. He could feel his heart unhappily thump against his ribcage, causing a small pain as his eyes watered more than usual. 

————————————

The rest of the day and the next week was difficult for both of you. You were used to the routine of spending a few minutes of alone time, but now, your alone time was spent, well, alone. You tried to nap during down time, but it was hard without thinking about Tanjiro. 

The checkered haori slayer was the same, thinking about you and wondering how you were and if the both of you were going to have normal conversations again. He sighed, trying to speak with you, but was always interrupted either by you saying you had something to attend to or busy with missions and training. While Tanjiro thinks of a way to communicate with you, his thoughts are now directed towards his crow flying above him. 

“Caw! Caw! Kamado, Tanjiro! Here are your orders. Head to the Takayama village and hunt the two demons terrorizing the village. The two demons have raided the neighboring towns and continue to spread their chaos. You will be with a team of four, who you are to meet at the front gate now. Prepare yourself well! Caw!” The black bird flies away and Tanjiro gathers his belongings and Nezuko before heading to the meeting place. 

He sees you standing by the gate, bidding your ___(bird) farewell as it flies away. Once his footsteps catch your attention, you turn to greet the person. You freeze slightly, recognizing Tanjiro and you couldn’t believe your luck. Your heart was pounding and you were slightly nervous, remembering how awkward it was between the two of you.

“Hey, Tanjiro.” You politely greet him, giving him a small wave.

“Hey, __(y/n).” He replies back, stopping a good distance from you. His heart was also racing, feeling the tension swirling around you and him. But this was his chance! The rest of the group wasn’t here yet.

“__(y/n), I really need to talk to you. I know that we haven-" 

"Alright!! Let’s go kill some demons!" 

"Why do you look so happy?! Don’t you know we’re gonna die?” Zenitsu begrudgingly walks to the front gate with Inosuke in front of him. 

“Hah! As if! I’m gonna kill them first!” Inosuke replies back. 

“Oh, Inosuke-kun, Zenitsu-kun! It’s been a while since we’ve been on a mission together.” You mentally let out a sigh of relief, happy that you didn’t have to engage in an awkward conversation. Tanjiro frowns at the interruption, his heart growing a bit heavier as he can feel any hope of you two patching things up slowly disappearing.

The five of you head towards your destination, reaching near the village by nightfall. Most of the people in the town were hiding in their homes, not a single soul was out in the streets. They have heard rumors about their surrounding towns being attacked by demons and became frightened of becoming victims. 

“We should split up. If there are two demons, we can find them faster if we’re separated.” Tanjiro suggests.

“I can look for them by myself!” Inosuke unsheathes his swords. 

“No, you won’t. Don’t underestimate them, Inosuke. Your safety comes first, not competing on who can kill who faster.” Tanjiro advises as the boar man stares at him with a giddy expression. “Anyway, I’ll go with Inosuke. Zenitsu, you go with __(y/n)." 

You were a bit surprised he didn’t try to pair himself with you, but you figured now wasn’t the time to ponder too deeply into it. The four of you head into the woods, splitting into different directions with your partners. 

————————————

Zenitsu screams loudly as a figure shoots out from above, attempting to pounce on you both. 

"Perfect! I’ll be ahead of the game once I eat you two.” He shouts, opening his mouth wide to dip his fangs into your flesh. Zenitsu runs behind a tree, trembling in fear while you go to swipe at the demon’s face. He immediately dodges your swing, but quickly attacks again. 

You learn that the demon was competing with the second one and they were playing a sick game on who could consume the most by the end of the night. Because of how much he’s been eating consistently almost every night, his strength was difficult to handle. 

Zenitsu watches in horror as the demon slashes at your back and arm, soaking your uniform with blood. After exchanging a few blows, you and the enemy are pushed back onto the ground, just a few feet apart. Your partner whimpers loudly when the monster crawls to you and grabs your ankle tightly, his sharp nails puncturing through your skin and muscle. He roughly lifts you up, spinning you a few times before throwing you against the tree the thunder user was hiding behind. 

“You’re next.” He laughs, slowly walking towards Zenitsu and you as you momentarily lose consciousness. 

“__(y/n)!” Zenitsu is by your side, panicking at the damage you received. He scolds himself for not participating in the fight and thinks how lucky he was to have a friend like you to tolerate his cowardly behavior. He also thinks of Tanjiro, knowing he would be so disappointed and angry to allow you to get hurt. 

“Run, Zenitsu. . .” You knew how hard this was for him. “I got thi. . .I’ll catch up, I promise.” You struggled to get up, but your injured ankle sends a sharp pain up your leg and through your spine, causing you to momentarily be paralyzed. You calmed yourself, readjusting to the pain. You look at Zenitsu, telling him again to hurry and leave.

“I. . .I won’t!” He refuses as he unsheathes his sword, blocking the demon’s attack. You argue back that you could handle the demon by yourself and you’ll find him once you are finished. 

“Zenitsu, listen to me! I told you I got-”

“No, __(y/n)! I can’t just leave you! I won’t let the person who Tanjiro loves die! He’ll be heartbroken if you’re gone. I don’t want him or any of us to go through that!”

“T-t-tanjiro. . .loves me?” You stare at him with wide eyes, shocked and in disbelief at the indirect confession. "Wait. . .what? Why? And how? How do you know he loves me? Did he tell you?“ 

"He didn’t have to tell me! I could tell by his sound. . .there’s this noise his heart makes and it’s been there for a while and it gets stronger everyday!" Zenitsu explains quickly as he runs away from the demon’s attacks. 

"Are you sure? Like are you really sure?” Your heart was pounding quickly but it wasn’t from the battle. 

“Yes! Of course! He’s been falling for you since the beginning but he was holding himself back to give you away to Murata because Tanjiro knew that Murata had feelings for you!" 

"Really? Does Tanjiro still have the noise? Do I have the noise? Does Inosuke and Nezuko know about this, too?”

“Should we really be talking about this right now!?” He screeches, becoming distracted by your torrent of questions as he almost misses blocking a set of sharp claws. You apologize quickly, forcing yourself to stand up and refocus on your mission. 

However, as soon as you stood up, Zenitsu was thrown to you, knocking you to the floor once again. The demon charges to your direction, licking his lips in anticipation. Before you could switch spots with your partner to take the blow for him, a third person emerges from the trees. 

“Found you!” Inosuke yells, but his twin swords miss your assailant. “Huh? You’re not the demon we were just fighting.”

“__(y/n)! Zenitsu!” You turn your head to Tanjiro’s voice and frown at the injuries on his person. Taking a deep breath, you concentrated your energy and mentality on the battle. You thought of multiple moves and plans to secure victory, sharing your ideas with the others. The second demon that Inosuke and Tanjiro were targeting found them, but instead of teaming up with his competition, their greed cost them. 

They argued constantly on who was going to eat who, which you and the others took advantage of whenever their attention was elsewhere. It definitely was not easy defeating the two, but it made things easier with your team. It took hours to defeat them which left you all panting on the floor from exhaustion, but you were grateful for another successful mission. 

————————————

You were the first to recover during your three day stay at the Butterfly Estate. Thankfully, your injuries were only mild, but the other three were recovering a bit slower than you. You were okay to return for training and missions tomorrow so you were planning on making the best out of the rest of your day.

“May I sit here?” You look to your left to see Tanjiro standing a few feet away from you.

“Oh! Hey Tanjiro, did Shinobu-san medically clear you also?” You gently pat the empty seat beside you, indicating for him to take the spot beside you.

“Yeah, just a few minutes ago.” He answers as he situates himself on the engawa. 

“That’s good. Now we wait for Inosuke and Zenitsu." 

"Yeah.” Tanjiro says softly, looking at the ground in front of him. He doesn’t wait too long to give you the opportunity to leave like before, needing to release the heaviness on his chest.

“I-I’m sorry! Please forgive me!” The burgundy haired slayer shouts suddenly, almost scaring you from the sudden burst of noise. “I know you’re upset with me because of what happened with Murata. I’m sure you must have felt angry and sad and you kept that to yourself all this time just to spare my and Murata’s feelings. You went through a lot because of my carelessness. I shouldn’t have agreed to help Murata-san had I known I was going to fall for you, too. But __(y/n), you’re wonderful. You’re kind, sweet, selfless, strong, funny, beautiful, and you make me feel so. . .so happy. So please, please know that I don’t regret or feel that the time I spent with you was a waste. I loved every second of it. It was the best part of my day and I always looked forward to it. I’m really sorry, __(y/n). I know I don’t expect you to forgive me right away or not be upset, but I miss you so much. I miss your company. I miss laughing with you. I miss sharing memories and secrets with each other. I just miss us being okay." 

You gently lift his shoulders from the ground after watching him bow lowly to you. 

"Tanjiro, of course I forgive you. I was never going to stop talking to you. I just wanted some time for myself. I know I might have seemed upset at you, but I was more upset about the situation." Your chest has a tiny knot from hearing him express how he felt. "I can’t be mad at you if you didn’t have feelings for me and wanted to help Murata. I was just confused and felt extremely dumb because I liked you, but when he told me everything, well I definitely felt embarrassed and disappointed.”

“I’m really, really sorry, __(y/n).” His heart would have done a happy leap when you mentioned your feelings for him. Instead, he was thinking of all the 'what ifs’ scenarios. Would things be different if he admitted his feelings earlier?

“Do you regret. . .falling for me?” You ask quietly, afraid of his answer, but curiosity would not let you hold back. 

“No, not at all! Never! I’m glad that my heart chose you. I just wish the situation could have been different. But like I said, I truly enjoyed getting to know you.”

“I enjoyed your company and your 21 questions.” You chuckle slightly. “Do you still have feelings for me?" 

"Y-yes, I do. They haven’t gone away.” Tanjiro looks down shyly, but his head shoots up quickly when he feels a pair of soft lips make quick contact with his own. 

“Me, too.” You send a small smile, scooting a bit closer to him. Although the kiss was short, he was left speechless, almost as if he was questioning if it truly happened. You start to get a bit nervous at his silence, looking at Tanjiro meekly. He responds back with a swift peck on your lips as well, both of your faces now painted with red. 

When you both finally have the courage to face each other, you share a laugh as you feel confident enough to snuggle into his side. You rest your head on his shoulder, snaking your arms around his. He, too, is feeling bold as the arm that was being held takes your hand and holds it firmly. You and Tanjiro say nothing, letting your hearts do the talking with the sound of their beating.