Chapter Text
"Raise your glasses, boys!"
The boar-headed Inosuke thrusts his cup in the air, almost sloshing his tea all over the table.
The other two boys laugh and raise their cups much more gently.
"Here's to another demon defeated!" you cheer, a happy flush creeping its way across your face. "And here's to another mission that we've survived!"
"Here here!" Zenitsu calls, lowering his cup and taking a sip.
You throw your head back and drink the rest of your tea with a single gulp.
It was only a couple of hours ago that you'd been in the heat of battle, fighting a many-eyed demon that warped the senses of its victims.
You and the three boys- Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Tanjiro- had been working together for a couple of months leading up to the event, but regardless of how well you fought together, this was a hard-won battle that left you all with your fair share of scrapes and bruises.
As you set your cup down with a gentle clink, you reexamine the boys' injuries.
Inosuke was the worst off, according to the doctor you'd seen a few short minutes ago. He had several broken ribs and a fractured ankle.
Zenitsu hadn't fared much better, also having multiple broken ribs and a cracked arm.
Tanjiro, much to your surprise, emerged from the battle relatively unscathed. He has only a couple of broken ribs, a concussion, and some deep tissue bruising. He would be back on his feet before any of the other guys for sure.
Your eyes stall on Tanjiro for a good couple of seconds before you turn your attention back to your empty cup with a smile.
Tanjiro... now, that boy is something special.
You've been enamored with Tanjiro from the moment you met him, and he's only continued to impress you the more you've gotten to know him.
Earlier that night, Tanjiro had thrown you out of the way as the demon raked it's claws towards you, taking the blow for you.
You're sure that he would've done the same for anyone else, but it still meant the world to you.
"That demon was no match for us!" Inosuke laughs, shoving some more sweet potato into his mouth. "I can't wait for the next bastard to show up!"
"I sure can," Zenitsu responds as he holds his hand up to his head. "That guy was tough! I wouldn't have made it out if it wasn't for y/n."
You smile as Zenitsu beams at you.
Zenitsu had been seized by the demon early on in the battle, and you'd retrieved him just before Inosuke sliced the demon's head off.
"It's no problem, Zenitsu," you laugh, leaning over and elbowing him with a wink. "I'd save you any day."
Zenitsu blushes and wiggles around, touching his two index fingers together.
Tanjiro gives him a dull look before munching on his sweet potatoes and rice passionately.
"If you're thanking anyone," you suddenly feel the need to tack on, "it should be Tanjiro. If he hadn't saved me, I'm sure Inosuke would've taken your head off along with the demon's."
"I would not have!" Inosuke protests, but the other boys understand that you're joking and laugh.
"It's my pleasure to have protected you, y/n," Tanjiro says with a heartwarming smile. "I would have done the same for anyone else."
You feel slightly dejected at his words, but at the same time, your heart soars.
Tanjiro is so kind to everyone he knows... It's extremely admirable.
"Sure you would have," Zenitsu coos, waggling his fingers at Tanjiro. "You don't have a crush on y/n at all!"
Tanjiro suddenly begins choking on his food, causing Inosuke to burst into hysterical cackling. As Zenitsu leaps over the table to help Tanjiro, you laugh along with Inosuke and your face flushes a deep red.
Thanks to your extremely advanced sense of hearing, you've long since deduced that Tanjiro has romantic feelings for you, but at the same time, the implication that he does makes you feel incredibly shy- which is difficult to do, given your outgoing personality.
"I'm fine, Zenitsu!" Tanjuro finally coughs as Zenitsu smacks his back. Tanjiro finally turns and whacks Zenitsu across the neck, causing the older boy to sink down to the floor, gurgling.
You lean over and poke at Zenitsu with a smile on your face.
"Now now, Zenitsu," you jest. "You mustn't tease Tanjiro! We don't need him dying on us!"
Inosuke continues to laugh until he begins to choke on his own food.
As Inosuke chugs water, you study Tanjiro's face out of the corner of your eye.
His face is flushed pink, but you can't tell if that's because of embarrassment or oxygen deprivation.
It's probably both.
The rest of dinner passes with boisterous laughter, joking, and even wrestling when it came to you and Inosuke.
The pandemonium continues until you hear a soft humming from the doorway.
"Nezuko-chan!" Zenitsu calls, flopping backwards and waving at her happily.
Nezuko gives a muffled giggle and bounds over to you, arms wide.
You gladly accept her hug, then give her a quick kiss on her bamboo gag, eliciting another laugh from her.
You've adored Nezuko since you first met her, and you always take extra care to spoil her. Truth be told, she reminded you of your own siblings, who you'd lost years prior to becoming a demon slayer.
Nezuko suddenly points to the far wall, where a cuckoo clock sits above a shelve of books and an record player.
"You're right, Nezuko!" Tanjiro laughs, stacking the bowls from the table. "It is getting pretty late. We'd all better be heading off to bed."
You smile fondly at Tanjiro as Nezuko climbs onto your lap.
Even though Nezuko can't speak properly with her gag, Tanjiro possesses the uncanny ability to understand what she means. It's almost like he's listening to a baby talk.
You blush at the thought of Tanjiro with a baby, then you turn your attention to Nezuko, who is now tugging at your hand.
You raise your hand to pet Nezuko's hair and she sighs, pleased with herself.
"Here, Tanjiro, I'll help you with those," Zenitsu says, collecting the rest of the empty dishes as Tanjiro takes a load to the kitchen.
You feel a pang of guilt for not helping, but when you see Inosuke laying flat on the ground picking at his nose, you feel less bad.
As long as you're not the only lazy one...
Nezuko suddenly slides off of your lap and rises to her feet, extending her hand for you to take. Slightly confused but also intensely curious, you grab ahold of her tiny hand and let her lead you down the hall to the room you'd selected to sleep in.
She then scrambles over to the vanity in the corner of the room, eyes bright, and starts to throw her hair up and down.
"Do you want me to style your hair, Nezuko?" you ask with a gentle smile.
Nezuko nods and sits down on her knees, expectantly.
You chuckle and move to light the lantern set in the corner of the room, then, you take a seat behind Nezuko.
Nezuko often asked you to play around her hair, so you already knew what she wanted- long, voluminous braids.
After a couple minutes of working, you hear gentle footsteps coming down the hall. A moment later, Tanjiro appears in the doorway, smiling kindly.
"You ladies enjoying yourselves?" he asks, crossing his arms over each other.
Nezuko makes a sound of approval and you nod.
"We're finally having a girls' night!" you declare, finishing Nezuko's hair and allowing her to admire herself in the mirror. "I'm hoping she'll take a whack at my mop next!"
Nezuko immediately perks up and tangles her hands in your hair, her tiny claws gently raking against your scalp.
Tanjiro laughs and runs his fingers through his own maroon-colored locks.
"Are you two going to have a sleepover?"
Nezuko hums happily and you smile at her.
"I'll take that as a yes," Tanjiro finishes. He stalls in the doorway for a moment, staring at the two of you, then he shakes his head and blushes lightly.
"I'll, uh- I'll get another futon," he finally stammers, tugging at his uniform collar. With that, he turns and disappears once more.
You can't help but smile to yourself as you think of his flushed face.
When you're around Tanjiro, you can often hear his heart beating faster or louder, just like it was a few moments ago. Frankly, you think it's adorable.
As Nezuko plays with your hair, trying to braid it in the same way you braided her's, Tanjiro rushes back into the room with a futon.
You watch him in the mirror as he quickly but carefully sets it up, a couple of feet away from your own.
As he lays out a blanket on top of the futon, Tanjro catches your eye in the mirror. He stares for a moment before blushing and turning his attention back to making the bed.
You smile and look down at your hands as Nezuko continues to braid your hair.
"All done!" Tanjiro calls, slapping his hands together. Nezuko hums in acknowledgement, then taps your shoulder to let you know your hair is done.
"Perfect job as always, Nezuko!" you chirp, fluffing your braids.
Tanjiro gives you a good natured grin before turning away.
"Good night, ladies!" he says with a wave.
You wave back weakly, your heart pitter-pattering in your chest.
"Good night, Tanjiro."
You turn to Nezuko and give her a tired smile.
"What do you say, Nezuko?" you ask. "Time to go to sleep?"
Nezuko hums and nods her head, then you crawl over to your futon.
To your surprise, she joins you, snuggling up next to your body as you hold up the blanket.
You laugh and smile, hugging her and pressing a light kiss to her head.
Your siblings used to do the same thing on cold nights such as this- their tiny, freezing fingers slipping under your clothing to keep warm.
As Nezuko cuddles closer to you, she places one of her cold little hands on your neck. You hum a quick tune so that she can feel the vibrations through your skin, and she claps happily.
You, as a breath of music user, have become quite the source of entertainment to Nezuko.
You grin and open your mouth, softly beginning the verses of a lullaby your mother once sang to you.
"I would hate babysitting beyond Bon festival," you sing, smiling down at Nezuko.
Nezuko closes her eyes and rests her head against your chest.
"The snow begins to fall and the baby cries..."
You begin to pet Nezuko's hair as you gaze off into the distance, thinking about the gentle sounds of Spring rain falling outside.
"How can I be happy even when Bon festival is here...
I don't have nice clothes or a sash to wear..."
Nezuko's breathing slowly grows deeper and longer, creating a steady beat for you to sing along with. You marvel at how easily she's able to fall asleep.
"This child continues to cry and is mean to me,
Every day I grow thinner..."
As your eyes flicker closed, your thoughts drift to snowy days spent with your own two siblings. Cold noses and cold toes, buried under the blankets as you huddled together for warmth.
"I would quickly quit here and go back,
To my parents' home over there..."
Taisho Era Secret:
The author cried when they first heard the Lullaby of Takeda (which was written long before the Taisho Era). Nezuko probably cries, too, when she thinks about y/n singing it.
