Archive of Our Own

It was late, too late to be making good decisions. That time was usually past midnight, after drunkenly walking back to the dorm alone as Zenitsu typically did every friday night. He promised to himself that he’d always leave his phone alone after getting to his dorm, a rule he developed after waking up too many times to angry phone calls from girls who rejected him months ago. Apparently he had a habit of spilling his feelings that he still had for their beauty and the way they gave him their number out of pity that was never followed up with an actual date. They’d wake up to his hundreds of texts or calls and threaten to get their new boyfriend to kick his ass or something along those lines. He’d say it was a crumby way to start a morning, but he already knew it would be a shit day with his hangover.

Just like every friday, he stumbled into his dorm room after striking out at the bar. His friends, not as keen on being a whipped, lovesick idiot, just drank and had fun while he got rejected left and right.

Zentisu glared at his mirror as he struggled out of his shoes. He hated the way he actually tried to make his two-toned hair look less choppy with gel. He despised his ironed shirt that he spent so long getting perfect after begging the sewing club to let him use their iron. His mind, though a foggy haze, could recall all the pick-up-lines we used all night long.

His fingers pinched the fabric of his shirt, nose wrinkling as he recalled one that nearly got himself slapped. He scuffed, “Boyfriend material. How rich.”

He changed and washed his face. His fingers skid over his phone's screen as he plugged it into the charger and rested it on his bed. Plunging underneath the covers, he sought the warmth he’d never met. A singled out blanket was pushed into a long mound, like usual, and he cuddled up to it like it could replace true companionship.

Pathetic.

Cheek pressed to his pillow, he glared at his phone. He never seemed to remember the night’s before too well, only remembering tear stained cheeks and dialling numbers. He had just enough sense in him to not try that tonight.

Instead, his fingers danced across the screen to the app store. He bit his lip as he searched up something he never thought he’d be tempted to try. Dating apps weren’t romantic in the slightest, but neither was hitting on girls at bars with lame lines. He didn’t care if he met a cute girl in a perfect way, he just needed it to continue like a fairytale. Zenitsu longed to hold someone and pepper them with kisses and affection, and to be returned the same kindness. He would pamper his partner and make them his queen. He’d love them, he knew he would. It didn’t matter who at this point.

He scrolled past a few apps. He’d sign up for Christian Mingle or Farmers Only, but he was neither of those things and didn’t want to pretend to be something he wasn’t. He wasn’t so desparate as to read the whole bible or buy a tractor before a first date to keep up a stupid charade.

One app caught his eye. He stopped scrolling to stare at it, trying to remember why it struck him as important when it suddenly flooded into his dazed mind. Grindr was that app almost all college students had, right? Zenitsu heard it was good for nothing except quick hook ups. Glancing lazily around his room, he noted how empty and boyish it was and clicked download. Hook ups could be the first start to something, right?

It took three minutes to load. He was surprised he didn’t fall asleep waiting for it, nor when he made his account. Trying to cling on as sleep beckoned him, he filled out a boring profile about how: 1) He was a college student. 2) He was looking for a relationship. 3) His hair was natural.

When it came to selecting a profile picture, he was groaning into his blankets. Most of the photos he had were taken by others and he looked like a complete idiot. His hair was always wild or his expression was caught at the worst possible times. His overbite sometimes made his smile look weird and crooked.

He finally settled on a photo he used for a social media app, then added two pictures to his gallery, one where he was at the park, getting photos done for highschool graduation, and another one of him getting ice cream with a friend after an aikido tournament. They weren’t the best photos, but he was eager to get on so he could possibly get matches before he woke up.

Once his account finished, the app asked if he wanted to see any people nearby. He selected the closest range to him, hoping there were some lonely girls nearby, then clicked to see who he could match.

One popped up immediately. Zenitsu clicked on the profile to come to an account with one picture. In the photo was a boy and a girl, likely brother and sister based on their similarities, standing by a peer, lake water in the back. The boy was wearing blue and white board shorts and a black tanktop and the girl was in a beautiful pink sundress with the cutest bows in her hair Zenitsu had ever seen. Her lips were quirked upward a little, hands making a little piece sign. It was the complete opposite of her brother, whose smile was wide and his peace sign was prominent and unmoving, even if it was only a photo.

Zenitsu cooed as he looked at the photo, admiring her long hair and pale skin. Was she shy? Did she like to stay inside, unlike what the photo would assume? Would she like movie nights where they can cuddle and watch romcoms?

He kicked his feet and let out a small squeal at the thought. His eyes traced over her bio, humming as he read her name. “Tanjiro Kamado…”

It was a pretty name. He had met a Tanjiro before. She was smart and witty, the president of the drama club by third year. Perhaps that name was becoming more popular. Shrugging, he looked over the rest of the profile. The bio was pretty clear on what this Tanjiro wanted: A relationship. In fact, that’s the only thing stated on her bio.

Zenitsu tried to swipe right, but the app wouldn’t allow it. Panicked, he sat up a little and tried to swipe once more, but then noticed a message box at the bottom of the screen. He knew he wasn’t too savvy with technology, but he could have sworn that Grindr was known for how you swipe for matches. Maybe they got rid of that in favor of straightforwardness.

He entered the messages and sighed at his keyboard. Hello was too boring. A pick up line would likely lead to a block. He could really talk about her profile either, since it was empty besides a picture of her brother, and he was hardly a starter to a conversation. Zenitsu could imagine how that’d go, “Wow, you have a brother? Well, I have someone I refer to as my brother that actually hates my guts so much he’d probably push me into oncoming traffic if he could!”

… That’s too strong. He’d ease into his trauma later when he was in the right mind. Hopefully after at least two dates. Was that a reasonable amount of time to wait?

He cuddled up against his blankets and yawned. It was getting harder to stay awake, but he needed to at least send her a message. Just one so he might have some good dreams before waking up to see this was all a delusion, or worse, it was all real but he got blocked while asleep.

Giving up, he wrote the only thing he could think of. “Hi, you are really cute.”

He closed the app and drifted off to sleep, knowing there wasn’t more that he could do.

Upon waking from a dreamless rest, he grunted at his headache. He rolled on his bed to snag his half filled water bottle and guzzle it down as fast as he did his last drink the night previous. It did little to cure the dull spiking from his brain, but he knew better than to go without hydrating. Zenitsu lazily grabbed his phone and turned it on, groaning at the clock that read 1:13 PM in white letters.

Alongside it was two notifications, one from Inosuke, someone he reluctantly called a friend, and two things from Grindr saying a few words he was too dazed to comprehend. Luckily, Inosuke rarely used words over five letters that needed thought to remember the meaning of.

Inosuke: I borrowed your laptop.

Zenitsu’s eyes widened as he turned to face his desk, noting that Inosuke wasn’t lying. It wasn’t that Inosuke lied ever, because he didn’t really think the boy knew why people would lie to begin with, but this is now the third time in two months Inosuke has broken into his dorm room when he’s been sleeping. Each time he didn’t wake up, and each time he is aware of what happened, he sits baffled as to how Inosuke actually broke in. He tried to ask before, worry and fear dripping in his tone, but Inosuke only laughed and took off, screaming about how he was the greatest.

Zenitsu wondered how many locks it would take to keep him away.

Zenitsu: Can you stop doing that..?

He didn’t expect a response. Inosuke only really ever texted to tell people what he was doing, which took a long time to teach him, or if he ever needed anything. Zenitsu didn’t mind, or at least he thought. He didn’t really know what to think when it came to Inosuke. He was weird, but Zenitsu swore he heard somewhere that he was raised by boars or something. If that was true, he pitied him a little. If not, he wasn’t taking back any negative thing he said. The boy stole his thousand dollar or so laptop! He had a right to angrily talk about him behind his back. Hell, he could say it to Inosuke’s face and the other would probably not even care!

Rubbing a hand on his face, he opened the Grindr app and went to messages, where the two notifications were from. To his genuine surprise, neither was a block or a ‘not interested, sorry’, like he received in real life from girls at the bars.

Tanjiro: 1 AM? Long night?

Tanjiro: You are really cute too :)

He blushed at the message before glancing to the time of his text. God, he probably seemed like a weirdo using the app so late. Then again, Tanjiro messaged him at 6AM, and only psychopaths were up at that time. Zenitsu guessed he could deal with psychopathy if it meant he could have a cute date.

Zenitsu: Yeah. 6AM? Early morning?

He went about his day, washing up and getting a snack to munch on. It took only twenty minutes until Tanjiro replied.

Tanjiro: I work part time, early mornings are required. Having a good day so far?

He really didn’t want to let her know he hadn’t actually been awake for more than thirty minutes. He also wasn’t in the mood for dry conversation, where he saw this heading. She could be tired, but he had to seem even more appealing as an option.

Zenitsu: Relaxing so far. Do you go to college too?

Bubbles appeared within the next two minutes and Zenitsu smiled.

Tanjiro: Yeah! I’m a third year now, going for social work. What about you?

Zenitsu: Teaching music, minoring in english. I noticed you didn’t really have anything on your profile, do you have any hobbies? Or things you like to do?

He didn’t have any plans for the day, and as Inosuke hadn’t brought back his laptop yet, he couldn’t work on his assignments. He hardly minded once he began talking with Tanjiro. She used adorable emojis of smiley faces or pouts when she was teasing him which made his heart flutter. Every so often she would say something flirty alongside a winky face and it would sink in once again that she was interested in him. A blush crossed his cheeks as he laid back in bed, hugging his phone to his chest as he kicked his feet in the air, the perfect image of a teenage lovestruck girl trapped inside a 21 year old male’s body.

She was interesting too! She supposedly had many siblings, and her parents ran a bake shop that she worked at. She loved kids and dogs, and has always dreamed of one day having a cat because they seemed lazy in a charming way. Zenitsu could envision resting his head on Tanjiro’s lap as she carded her fingers through his messy hair. He could be like a cat for her. He’d love that affection.

She liked fishing, exercising (but claimed to not be a gym rat by any means), and hiking, but also enjoyed relaxing back a lot. Zenitsu felt relieved that he wouldn’t be overworked trying to accompany her on hobbies, especially when she said she enjoyed watching movies. He’d have to compile a list of good ones for them to watch together.

“Tanjiro…” Zenitsu swooned to himself as he stared at the bubbles on her next text. His stomach grumbled in protest, urging him to eat, but he wanted to have his undivided attention on her.

Tanjiro: That’d be fun! I really like romcoms and action movies, but I wouldn’t mind a few horror movies. Are you scared of those?

Zenitsu: I think the last horror movie I saw was Monster House and I didn’t get a peaceful night sleep for weeks…

Tanjiro: Monster House?

Tanjiro: That isn’t even a horror movie.

Zenitsu: It should have been!

Tanjiro: XD Now I really want to watch a horror movie with you. I can distract you during the scary parts, no worries.

Zenitsu blushed. Distract how? Was she going to clarify? The bubbles appeared again and he watched. It took three minutes for the text to come in.

Tanjiro: We can make that as a second or third date though, okay?

He was dying. Was he dead already? Was this what it felt like to die, all floaty and bliss and giddiness in his heart? She wants a date? She actually wants a date? His fingers shook as he tossed his phone down and wandered to his desk. He downed the rest of an old soda can, hoping it would help him focus.

He wasn’t busy tomorrow. Could he just… ask her on a date? And get a yes possibly? Would she be free, or would she be repulsed that he was so eager to meet her and would block him. He raised a hand to bite his fingernails, only to find them already stubbed out to the nail beds. Tapping his hand on his arm, he grabbed his phone and took a deep breath.

Zenitsu: Do you

Zenitsu: Sorry, didn’t mean to hit send ;-;

Zenitsu: Sorry this might seem sudden, but are you free anytime soon? It doesn’t have to be soon-soon, but like would you want to go on a date? We don’t have to, I know it might be freaky meeting someone on the internet and you don’t know me and stuff and I’m losing my train of thought. I am me. I hope I’m not someone freaky off the internet. Erm.

He stared at his message, but he still couldn’t think of an easier way to say what needed to be said. He pressed send and sat on his desk, putting his head in his hands with a long sigh. Hopefully they hit it off and he wouldn’t need to continue practicing his horrible pitch for dating. His phone buzzed with its cheery text tone.

Tanjiro: Good, if you were someone else I’d be very disappointed, ha ha!

Tanjiro: I’m free tomorrow, if that’s not too soon? Otherwise, I’ll have to check, but I’m sure I’d be free Wednesday at noon and Thursday after 5. :D

“Oh fuck, oh fuck,” Zenitsu screeched as he stared at the phone in disbelief, “f-for real? I’m dying. I’m really dying this time.”

Zenitsu: Tomorrow works!

Tanjiro: That’s great! There’s actually something I have in mind for our date, but it’s a secret >< ! We can meet up somewhere on campus. How about the outside by the library at… 8:30PM?

Zenitsu: I’ll meet you there! Is it alright that I’m nervous for what you have planned?

Tanjiro: No need to fear :D

Tanjiro: I promise you are in no real danger :))))

Zentisu: That makes me more worried!

Setting his phone down, Zenitsu pumped his fist in the air. Brimming with joy, he danced a small victory dance as he made his way to the bathroom. Deciding to get a headstart on getting himself looking his best, he took a shower and brushed his teeth twice.

It took forever for tomorrow to come around, and even longer for 8PM. It was a little late for Zenitsu’s tastes, preferring to walk around in the sunlight and get a full view of Tanjiro, but he supposed he could deal with it if she wanted it. He wore black jeans and a white shirt. On top he wore an open old jacket that he referred to as his lucky jacket despite the fact he had yet to have any good luck when wearing it. It was yellow and had a cute triangle pattern. It was different, and maybe Tanjiro would appreciate him not going with the color red. He had read somewhere that red was a good color to wear on first dates because it makes people feel more attracted to their date.

Thinking about it, Zenitsu wondered if he really should have worn red. Does he own any red?

He climbed the stairs up from the sidewalk to get to the library. His phone beeped once, but his hands immediately went searching for it with tense nervousness. His foot nudged the stair he was climbing harshly as he misjudged the space in his moment of distractedness.

“Shoot!” He screeched in pain, hopping once to ease the tingles before he realised he was falling backward. His eyes widened, hands frantically flailing to grab at the railing as his phone toppled to the ground. Before he could feel his back crackling against concrete, two sturdy logs broke his fall.

“That would have been a nasty fall” A voice muttered, the logs flexing as he felt two hands on him ease him to his feet, “Are you okay? Hey, I can’t have you falling for me yet.”

Zenitsu’s eyes snapped open to meet reddish brown ones just an inch or two higher than his. The person before him looked familiar as they raised their arms to their side, breaking the sudden contact. He still stared helplessly until he saw the large smile forming on the boy’s face. Reaching down, he picked up his phone and opened Grindr. He selected Tanjiro’s page once more, then stared at the only picture on the profile.

Tanjiro’s brother was here? He paled, lowering the phone a little as he saw the still unopened notification. Her brother seemed to notice his strange behavior, his own smile beginning to fade. Slowly, Tanjiro’s brother brought a hand to his neck and scratched behind his head, eyes trailing to the side. “I’m sorry.”

Sorry for what? Why was he here? Was Tanjiro sick? Why wouldn’t she just message him that?

“Uh…” How intelligent of you, Zenitsu. Luckily Tanjiro seemed to understand his confusion.

“My friends did warn me about this,” Tanjiro mumbled.

“About…?”

“They said it was like catfishing.” Oh god. Zenitsu’s eyes widened. Catfishing…? As in… using pictures that aren’t yours in order to trick unsuspecting lovey dovey morons like himself? Zenitsu felt something sinking in his chest as Tanjiro bowed his head, eyes shut tight. “But I couldn’t find any pictures that looked nice to put on my profile with my new haircut! I’m sorry if that changes anything, I didn’t mean to deceive you!”

New haircut? Zenitsu looked down at the photo and stared at the boy. The more he looked, the more he realized that the boy in the picture did have longer hair, most of it pulled back in a messy bun. He glanced up at the boy in front of him who had short, pushed back hair. He hadn’t even noticed. Just like he hadn’t noticed Tanjiro’s brother still mumbling about his hair.

“My friends told me to not get the haircut, but I always had longer hair and thought, ‘Hey, why not?’, right? It’s just one haircut! But no, it’s going to take years to grow back and my younger sister, Hanako, absolutely hates it, but I actually think it looks nice?” Tanjiro’s brother’s face was a little red at this point. “I-I mean, I completely understand if this changes anything. I’d be a bit shocked too, I guess, but please uh… T-Try this out with me? I’ll make it up to you, I promise!”

Zenitsu wasn’t sure how long he was staring at him before he shifted, holding the photo up once more. “It’s… just the haircut?”

Tanjiro’s brother winced at the tone of his voice, but nodded. “I don’t look that much different otherwise, right? I mean, I might be a bit paler…”

He concentrated hard between the two before his brain relented to all the new information coming at him. “Tanjiro…?”

“Zenitsu,” He returned, confirming Zenitsu’s fears. He took a step back to get a breath, uncertain of what to do. He… he set his settings to him being straight, right? He didn’t even know Grindr had a sexuality option, but he could have accidentally forgotten it and the app decided for him. If that was the case… what made the app assume he was gay? What made Tanjiro think he was gay and hadn’t made a mistake? He looked straight! He didn’t have good fashion, unlike Tanjiro who seemed to be dressed to the 10’s even though it was normal attire. Still, he didn’t talk in a stereotypical gay voice! Then again, Tanjiro didn’t either. He seemed like a concerned mother mixed with a campus ‘dude bro’ without the skateboarding skills or weed.

“I… need a moment.” Just a moment in order to figure out what to say. He eyed Tanjiro’s arms and remembered how sturdy they were when he caught him. He’d have to let him down easy, lest he be knocked out cold for angering Tanjiro within anything possibly, accidentally, homophobic. Gay people are okay! They could do what they wanted, live how they wish, but he wasn’t one!

Tanjiro’s eyebrows furrowed. “How about this. I saved you from maybe… let’s say ten, ten stitches from falling down these stairs.”

Zenitsu glanced down at the concrete steps and how far along he was and gulped. Tanjiro continued, stepping one step closer, but in no way threatening. “In return, humor me with allowing me to take you on this date. If it doesn’t change your mind… then we can be friends if you want.”

He bit his lip. Was… Tanjiro really thinking it was just his haircut? Not that Zenitsu clearly wasn’t ecstatic at all about the date anymore from the moment he laid eyes on all of him? All he wanted to do was curl up with some Ben and Jerry’s and cry watching a movie. However, he didn’t want to do so with a black eye, and as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he could see where Tanjiro was coming from. He did kind of owe him. Then he could politely ask to be friends and maybe one day tell him about the mistake over drinks and they could both have a lot of laughs about it.

Besides, Zenitsu didn’t think Tanjiro would hold hard feelings. He seemed like the type that was unable to keep grudges longer than twenty minutes, though his muscles made Zenitsu a bit wary to test that… It didn’t matter! He bet Tanjiro would be able to get another date in minutes! Despite his claim that his haircut was unsightly to most, it worked well for him. Zenitsu wasn’t certain he preferred one hair style over the other one because they both looked really nice and gave a good view of his kind brown eyes.

Then there was his height and build, something that would make an girl’s heart race! He wondered briefly how solid his biceps were, how often he really worked out. In the messages they sent, Tanjiro did claim he exercised every so often. How often? How intense? What did someone even wear to the gym to exercise? Did people still need gym cards? When they become friends, will he show Zenitsu around the gym and show off how much he can bench?

And even if it wasn’t for his height, which was pretty perfect already, his skin looked nearly flawless aside from a red area on his forehead, likely a scar from an accident. The difference almost made Zenitsu glad upon seeing some imperfection, but the more he stared, the more the color seemed to accent his brown eyes with seemingly red shards of color. It was, in a way, breathtaking. And the texture of the scar looked intriguing and urged Zenitsu to reach forward and brush his fingertips against it, then slide further because god damn it! His hair also looked flawlessly shining and soft as cotton!

Zenitsu finished his assessment with a small inkling of a negative feeling he couldn’t pin down. In short, there was no way Tanjiro didn’t have a list of admirer’s lined up the back door. Girls go crazy for guys like this, and he is certain of it because if Tanjiro was actually a girl version of himself, Zenitsu would likely be fawning over him at the bar and trying to buy her drinks.

Oh. But Tanjiro is gay. Zenitsu pressed his lips together in thought. Did guys look for the same thing…?

“Earth to Zenitsu…?” Zenitsu jumped as he saw an arm wave in front of him. Tanjiro’s face of near annoyance was now replaced with a small smile. “You ready to go?”

How long had he been sitting there staring? “Go?”

“On our date.” Zenitsu could have sworn the wide grin Tanjiro flashed him could stop heart’s from miles away. He could easily get another date. Maybe he could give Zenitsu some pointers later, when they are friends and have gotten past this misunderstanding.

Before he spoke, Tanjiro offered one of his hands. Zenitsu stared at his exposed wrist and hand, and at the black beaded bracelet and small scars littering his palm and fingers. He sucked it up and took Tanjiro’s hand, not at all curious of how his hands felt as an athlete and a baker.

He blushed to himself as Tanjiro guided him up the stairs. Warm. The hands of a baker were warm like the bottom of a baking tray under a cooling cake. They were rough too, like grazing your hand along a sleek concrete wall without the pores and toughness. If he was a girl, he’d remark about how much bigger Tanjiro’s hand was in comparison to his own, but he isn’t one so he won’t.

“So what do you have planned anyways?” Zenitsu asked, glancing away from him to look out at the lit up campus around him and the very few other students walking around. “Late night movie?”

“Uhh,” Tanjiro began, “I’m not sure I’m a big fan of movies as a first date. You don’t get to really know the person. I would like to be able to talk and learn more about you.”

“That’s… fair,” Zenitsu hummed, “so I’m guessing that we aren’t doing anything crazy like skydiving?”

Tanjiro glanced at him and laughed. “Do you like skydiving?”

“I’d have to take a raincheck on this date if that was the plan,” Zenitsu stated seriously, but it only encouraged more laughter from his date.

“I’ll make sure never to take you skydiving.” He sounds confident in his statement, but Zenitsu couldn’t help but muse to himself ‘This is the last time you are taking me anywhere in this context’. “I don’t think you can skydive at night anyways, so you can rest easy knowing I’m not making you do anything crazy.”

Tanjiro led him to the lot near the library, right up to an old green car. He politely opened and closed the passenger side door before walking around to his side. Inside was surprisingly very clean. Zenitsu expected to see cigarettes, weed, or some sign of deviance that he could state disapproval of and make it easier on Tanjiro to let him go at the end of the date. The only ‘incriminating’ thing he found was a hand stitched pink and brown dog on the dashboard.

When Tanjiro got into the car, he noticed Zenitsu’s attention directed on the plush. “Oh! That’s one of the toys my sister made. Turn around.”

Zenitsu’s eyebrows furrowed as he turned his head to look behind his seat only to be met with the whole back dash of the car covered almost completely in more hand stitched plushies. Well. Tanjiro was certainly proud of his sister or really liked stuffed animals.

“You can have one if you want! She gives them to everyone, so it won’t be too long until they are filling your life too. Actually, wait a second-” Tanjiro leaned between the middle column and reached back. He dug around a bit, awkwardly trying to keep his balance as he pulled out a small bird made with yellow and grey fabric. It had rosy cheeks and small button eyes. “Take this one. It suits you.”

Zenitsu took the plush, admiring briefly how soft it felt in his hands. Was this how dates were typically supposed to go?

“Thank you?” Tanjiro nodded and gave him another smile before turning his keys. The car started up without delay and lurched forward as he began to pull out of the lot. “Do I get to know where we are going?”

“Well, before we actually go on our planned date, I was thinking we could find some place to eat?” Tanjiro asked as Zenitsu poked at the eyes of his new stuffed animal. He played with the wings, pinching the fabric and rubbing it between his fingers. “Do you want to pick a place, or should I?”

“I don’t really know any places that would be opened. I’ve only been to the breakfast nooks and coffee shops around here” Zenitsu admitted honestly.

Tanjiro accepted his answer, turning down a street to head into downtown. It wasn’t a city-like scene, but it was a lot more lively than camus and several students were walking around as well as adults. Tanjiro chose a Matsuya chain fast food place, claiming that they could bring it outside and eat it on a bench since the weather was so good. Zenitsu waited outside as Tanjiro ordered and eventually came out balanced two take out containers. He guided Zenitsu to a bench by the street before handing him a bowl.

Well, Zenitsu thought as he popped open the lid, at least he wouldn’t feel guilty about being taken anywhere fancy. He wouldn’t choose this for a first date meal with a girl, so Tanjiro would probably understand his behavior after this date.

“Did you travel to go to school here?” Tanjiro asked, taking a bite of his food.

“I live about an hour away. It’s a hop and a skip away from a bustling downtown like this though,” Zenitsu replied, gesturing vaguely to the tall buildings. He could hear in the distance some teenagers howling down the street about something stupid just over the cars rolling down the street.

“That must be nice,” Tanjiro cooed, “I think being near these kinds of areas is a perfect place to live. I’m from the countryside, so the nearest place like this is… maybe an hour away?”

Zenitsu snorted. “Country bumpkin.”

“City slicker.”

Zenitsu laughed at the lame insult, hiding his smile with his hand. Tanjiro stuck his tongue out playfully before turning back to his dish. “It’s nice here. They have so many little shops- I think there’s at least three dessert shops I’ve seen and dozens of gift shops. There was even a joke shop I saw when driving. I didn’t know those actually existed. They have almost everything here.”

“Almost?”

Tanjiro smiled slyly, playing with his food. “You’ll have to wait for part two of our date.”

“Are you taking me into the middle of nowhere?” Zenitsu asked as he raised an eyebrow. “How do I know that you won’t kill me and leave me to decay in some forest no one’s heard the name of?”

“Guess you just have to trust me,” Tanjiro replied, giving Zenitsu a toothy grin as he finished up his food. Zenitsu frowned, digging out his phone. Tanjiro made no attempt to hide him looking over to see his date bring up a text conversation with a friend, scoffing when Zenitsu typed out a detailed message of his situation like a drama on TV. He included he was on a date, his current location, that he was going to a secondary location, the make and model of Tanjiro’s car, and then had the audacity to ask for Tanjiro’s license plate, already well aware that Tanjiro was reading his message.

Tanjiro happily chirped the numbers and letters, correcting a mistake Zenitsu skipped over in his text before leaning back to let Zenitsu finish. “You really like covering your bases, huh? Guess I’ll have to find a new victim. Tragic.”

“It’s not bad to be overly cautious since I did meet you online.” Zenitsu huffed, tucking his phone away.

“No, it’s fine,” Tanjiro said, “I get it. I don’t think I’d be comfortable having any of my siblings go out for a date with someone they met on Grindr or Tinder.”

Tinder. That sounded familiar. Zenitsu frowned at the word, but decided to shove it aside to figure out later. “And you feel comfortable doing it?”

Tanjiro shook his head as he set his bowl down. The city lights around them shone off his eyes as he glanced toward the street, a hand coming up to scratch his neck. “To be honest, not really. I rather meet someone in person, but I think you are the first person in this area who is my age that joined the app. Can you believe that? Out of everyone on campus, there’s… no one.”

Zenitsu saw a car roll past them and through a green light, but he didn’t actually hear it. Tanjiro didn’t flinch at the movement, staring ahead at the boring, unlit up building in front of them instead of down the strip like Zenitsu, who got an eyeful of his date with a back splash of city life.

“So why’d you decide to go on this date with me?” Zenitsu asked as he tilted the bowl. He poured the rest of the bowl’s contents in his mouth as Tanjiro turned to him with another one of his signature grins that was just as charming as always.

“I couldn't pass up the chance to go on a date with a cute boy.” Zenitsu choked at his forwardness. He wiped the broth dripping down his chin, definitely not as adorable looking as the other claimed even though that stupid smile never left his lips as Zenitsu turned away, cheeks pink.

“You said there was more to this date, right?” He muttered. “Then let’s head out.”

Tanjiro took his empty bowl and tossed everything away in the trash can inside the fast food place. Zenitsu waited as his date took a moment to talk to a girl who stopped him inside, He stared at her as she played with a long strand of her hair, shifting on her feet as Tanjiro answered whatever she said with a laugh and a shake of his head. Tapping his foot on the ground with impatients, Zenitsu waited for him to hurry up, glancing between the car and interaction with a deep frown. He really didn’t have any more plans for the night after the date, but this was taking more time than it should. The girl nodded and gave him a smile before heading to sit down with her friends, all a bunch of other cute girls.

When Tanjiro joined him once more, guiding Zenitsu back to the car, he couldn’t help but blurt. “Did you know that girl?”

“What girl?” Tanjiro asked as he opened the door for his date. He closed it once Zenitsu was snug in his seat, then wasted no time jogging to his side of the car. “The one inside the restaurant? It’s someone I know from class. She was asking if I wanted to sit with them, but I said no.”

From class, Zenitsu idly thought as he turned to look out the window. He huffed to himself, reaching to grab the dial on the heater to blast some warm air in his face. It was taking longer than he expected for it to warm up, probably because the car had three more miles before it likely would be doomed to become scrap metal.

“Are you cold?” Tanjiro asked as he pulled out of the parking space. “I think there’s a blanket behind the seat.”

“I’m fine,” Zenitsu mumbled dismissively, wrapping his arms around himself as he leaned into his seat. The longer they travelled, the more the light up signs of the city disappeared until Zenitsu saw the last one disappear from the side mirrors. After ten minutes of sparsely spread out shops and homes, they approached another little town. He expected them to stop, but Tanjiro drove through it and kept going for another ten minutes before the soft music from the radio and Tanjiro’s humming became too much for him.

“We are going a little far from campus.” He hoped his voice didn’t waver.

“Worried?” Tanjiro hummed to the tune of the radio song. “I’m the one that has to worry about criminal charges if anything happens to you.”

“I’d still rather not die,” He retorted.

Instead of continuing to entertain that train of thought, Tanjiro turned the volume button down with a chuckle. “You know, you really aren’t too adventurous.”

“Adventures equal accidents.” He was certain he once read a story about a man who got his leg stuck under a log and had to eat it off in order to crawl to help seven miles away. He also heard of a man who got attacked by a bear and struggled to civilization with his organs pooling out of his stomach. Zenitsu wasn’t like that. If anything, he was certain if he got bit by a mosquito he’d beg to be put out of his misery.

Tanjiro didn’t answer, instead pulling to the side of the road. Zenitsu squeaked as he looked around, noticing they were in the middle of nowhere. No lights of houses were on for miles, and on his side of the car was a forest. Tanjiro took the keys out of the ignition. He yelped when Tanjiro suddenly moved closer to him, but it was only to grab the blanket from the backseat. He sent Zenitsu an uneasy smile at his outburst.

Tanjiro stepped out of the car, then waited at Zenitsu’s door for him to stop holding it closed. Eventually, Zenitsu got out, trembling in fear and regret as Tanjiro beckoned him with one hand and began to walk into the woods.

“Y-You aren’t serious, right?”

“I bet there’s a lot scarier people that could come by if you don’t come with,” Tanjiro casually yelled as he stopped at the forest’s edge, “but be my guest. I’ll be back in an hour.”

Zenitsu’s hair stood on end as he glanced down the road both ways. Anyone who came down this way had to be up to no good. There was no way in hell he would wait for an hour in the darkness alone. Racing over, he nearly collided into Tanjiro. He stared up at him with tears building in his eyes as he punched him as hard as he could in the arm. “For the record, this is the worst first date I’ve been on.”

Tanjiro headed into the woods. Zenitsu followed right behind him, one hand clutching the end of Tanjiro’s jacket to make sure he didn’t lose him. It wasn’t impossibly dark, but he couldn’t see in the shadows in the trees and that made him uneasy. The moon was bright, and that at least provided him a little comfort when he could poke around to see Tanjiro without a hint of malice on his face.

With a sigh, he drew back, hand still clutched on Tanjiro’s jacket as they walked. He tried to not think about how they seemed to be on a path that has been well traveled, not a hint of brush or large rock in their way as they climbed a small slope. However, he was back on edge when he saw an old sign hanging on a tree along with a wired fence ahead.

“Tanji.” Zenitsu tugged the fabric insistently. “The sign says no trespassing.”

“What sign?” Tanjiro replied dumbly as he ducked between two of the long barbed wires, waiting for Zenitsu to do the same. He gave the boy a glare, but suddenly he felt something poking at the corners of his lips, bringing them up. Amusement?

“It’s a three by two giant sign. Sound familiar? It’s also posted right there on the fence.”
Regardless, Zenitsu wasn’t ready to stand alone in the woods, so he slipped through the fence with Tanjiro’s hands to guide him from touching the barbs.

“That wasn’t too hard.”

“Shut up.”

They continued their journey in silence. Zenitsu dwelled over if trespassing was considered a felony where they lived before they finally came out of the other side of the trees. He glanced up to see where they ended up only for his jaw to drop in surprise. Tanjiro slinked up to his side with a pleased look on his face before taking Zenitsu’s hand in his and guiding him into the field.

Upon inspection of the field, it was at the back of an orchid of what looked like apple trees, but Zenitsu wasn’t certain. It reminded him of his grandpa’s orchid in a way, but it didn’t carry the same smell. In the smaller field surrounded by the woods was a mostly open plain except for a scatter of solar lights along the ground in a large circle. Inside the circle was a large wisteria tree with blue globes hanging from the branches that were lit up as well.

It was beautiful to say the least. It was a bit shocking to think this was all done with him in mind, done even before Tanjiro met Zenitsu because he thought he’d like it. His heart pounded oddly under his free hand as his cheeks flushed, finally trailing back to see Tanjiro’s earrings fluttering back the light from the globes as he unravelled the blanket.

Tanjiro led him over to an area nearby where he laid the blanket out. “I scouted this area out before tonight and this is a good place to set up to see the stars without the branches in the way.”

“We aren’t going to be chased off by some scary old guy, right..?” Zenitsu whispered when Tanjiro pulled his hand away. Tanjiro smiled.

“I know the man who owns the orchid. I help out sometimes, so when I asked if I could bring my cute date here, he said it was alright so long as I cleaned up the next day.”

He blushed at the comment, hiding his face before he snapped out of his awe for a moment. “So we weren’t trespassing this whole time?”

“I’d have taken you back to the car and brought you home if you really wanted to.” Tanjiro assured him, a flash of something passing by his eyes as he glanced up at the sky. He wrung his hands as he glanced back to Zenitsu. “I… was actually thinking of ending the date after getting food because, I mean, it didn’t really look like you wanted to be there.”

Zenitsu found his skin pricking at the comment, something ugly trying to settle in his skin as he thought about their date. Sure, Tanjiro was weird and a guy, but he hadn’t… Hated the date? He could see Tanjiro and him hanging out again so long as he wasn’t in the dark about what they’d be doing even though this surprise was pleasant. He liked talking to him when they got food. His compliments were nice too, stated so innocently as though it were obvious that Zenitsu was cute, which was hardly the case.

Tanjiro let out a small breath as he then sat down on the blanket, his little smile going flat on his face. “But while you ate, you seemed to relax and… you looked happy? I wanted to bring you here still, and I’m happy I did.”

Zenitsu took a seat beside him, shoulders almost brushing as he settled, cheeks still burning. “Happy?”

“Well,” Tanjiro chirped suddenly with a silly grin, “I read that first dates that involve excitement or scare factor make your partner more likely to want a second date.”

“You read about how to have a date?” Zenitsu snorted, giggling to himself as Tanjiro nodded with a blush.

“I didn’t intend for it to be as scary as it seemed for you! Sorry!” Tanjiro nudged him with his shoulder teasingly. “But it worked, right?”

“Yeah, sure,” Zenitsu laughed with a roll of his eyes as he turned to see Tanjiro, far more beaming with joy than he usually was. He tilted his head in confusion before a question passed through his head. Did he… unintentionally say he’d go on another date with Tanjiro? His eyes darted around the field for any eyes on them, but he was met with none. If he just… was he gay? No, going on two dates with a guy wasn’t gay. Tanjiro didn’t seem like the type to go walking about campus to scream about how Zenitsu was probably gay for accepting a second date either. Hell, was going on one date with a guy gay? Was accepting compliments from a guy gay? His head was spinning.

Did… it matter? Of course it mattered, it did, but here…? In the back of an orchid, far from any of the public's prying eyes and judgemental looks? Was it okay to be shaking his head as he slowly leaned his head to rest against Tanjiro’s shoulder? Did he really need to leave Tanjiro’s side when the other wrapped an arm around him, still as strong as when he was caught by Tanjiro earlier? His head was hurting. With a sigh, Zenitsu cuddled his head against Tanjiro, hoping to block out the nonsense in his head.

It was comfortable here. Tanjiro was, if he was able to say, pretty for a guy. He was warm and sturdy in a way that wouldn’t be possible for a woman to be, but that thought didn’t bring him the same anxiety it would have at the campus library. He felt like he could finally breathe and accept the situation as it was as he took in Tanjiro’s cologne. He was actually on a date with a guy, and maybe he was tired from his racing heart navigating the woods, but he didn’t think it really mattered out here.

The stars twinkled, and something shined in the sky, but disappeared soon after. He hummed lazily in question, but did nothing else to settle his curiosity as he found one of his hands had found Tanjiro’s to play with, never quite holding. They were rough and big, not soft and dainty. They were comforting, in a way. Strong enough to carry the weight of lots more than he ever could.

He mused the idea of him being the female in a relationship. Zenitsu almost laughed at the thought of him in a dress and apron, kissing Tanjiro’s cheek as he came into their picket fence house. He’d have dinner on the table for his partner to gorge on. His nose crinkled, knowing he could at best make peanut butter sandwiches without getting a cut.

“Tanji? Can you cook?”

“I’d say I’m a pretty good cook, but I’m a better baker. Maybe for our next date I can make us a picnic and we can have another adventure.” Tanjiro’s hand snuck up to run his fingers through Zenitsu’s hair briefly, experimentally before dropping back down to rest on his waist. Zenitsu mourned the loss of the sweet touch, but settled back easily enough.

Well, that solves the cooking problem. So Tanjiro would be the girl in the relationship? What else did girls do in relationships that boys didn’t? Zenitsu closed his eyes tight. He couldn’t hazard a guess, but all he knew was that one relationship was frowned upon. Unless… was it hard to find a boy that knew how to cook? Were people actually looking out for people that called themselves gay because they’d starve to death if neither knew how to cook? So did it matter for them if Tanjiro did know how to cook?

This was all just thoughts though. It’s only a thought process that is occurring because Zenitsu has another date with Tanjiro. It’s all hypothetical. Still… he had to be sure.

“Please cook next time.” Tanjiro nodded, making a mental note to remember. Score. Now he could see if Tanjiro and him could live as a couple. There weren’t any other differences, right?

As he thought to himself, another light streaked across the sky. His eyebrows furrowed as he sat up, looking at the sky as more streaks came down. A meteor shower? Tanjiro followed his gaze, watching as the streaks came in pairs or small clusters suddenly.

“Are meteors like shooting stars?” Tanjiro asked. “Can you make wishes on these?”

“They are the same thing.” He laughed, pulling away from Tanjiro a little. More came streaming down like silver fireworks from the little sticks you could buy at festivals. He breathed in the air, the faint sweetness from the wisteria filling his lungs as he remembered the summer festivals and fireworks-

He tensed.

He turned to look at Tanjiro, who still looked up at the shower with wide, content eyes. Did… boys bring the same fireworks girls did? Was that the real difference? Could boys not make other boys swoon and become a nervous mess over a romantic gesture like… He bit his lip as Tanjiro looked at him with a smile.

“Well, there’s a lot of falling stars. What do you wish for?”

Instead of answering, Zenitsu gathered the reins and leaned forward. He spotted Tanjiro’s wide eyes before he closed his own and pressed a quick kiss to Tanjiro’s soft, pale lips. When he pulled away, a large blush rushed to his cheeks and a squeak almost fell past his lips as he leaned back. Tanjiro looked just as flushed, floundering a moment before Zenitsu turned to look at the woods to avoid eye contact. So. Boys and girls did bring the same butterfly feeling. Zenitsu was beginning to feel stupid.

“You just took my first kiss.”

Zenitsu turned, face going white for a moment as he stared at Tanjiro. He… hadn’t expected that. “I’m sorry! I should have said something-”

“Want to steal my second too?”