Work Text:
Things were looking up for Muichiro, ever since he met Tanjiro his life seemed brighter, happier. The despair that had been clouding over his life suddenly dissipated with meeting him. They'd become fast friends, and they were similar in so many ways, some more depressing than others. One of them being the fact that neither of them had any family left except for one of their siblings. Nezuko, Tanjiro's younger sister, was kind like her brother, and they had such a good relationship with each other, they got along well and they stuck together through everything life had thrown at them. Muichiro couldn't help but envy their close bond when Yuichiro was the opposite. Oftentimes he didn't know if his twin cared or wanted him dead. While the death of Tanjiro's family brought him and his sister ever closer together, it seemed the death of the twin's parents only drove a wedge between them, driving them further apart. Muichiro found himself talking to Tanjiro more than he did his own brother since, most of the time it would end in an argument. Muichiro had tried many times to talk things out with him, but Yuichiro’s most common coping mechanisms were sarcasm and anger. After arguments he usually found refuge in his close circle of friends. Other than Tanjiro, or more like because of Tanjiro, he’d made more friends than he’d had in quite a while. While they were kind in their own respects and stood out from each other creating a lively bunch, there was something about Tanjiro that stood out to him. His mind easily flowed into thinking about him, his hair that was a deep red, his eyes that were much the same shade, reminiscent of the rising sun on his earrings, his bright smile that seemed to make him forget everything that was troubling him, his laugh—A ding noise from near him brought Muichiro blinking out of his lovestruck reverie and he sat up on the bed, excited to see that the object of his affections had messaged him.
Tanjiro: Hey, Inosuke's throwing a party at his house to kick off spring break, do you want to come?
Tanjiro: its at 6
Muichiro's heart skipped a beat wanting to just type YES! a thousand times thinking of how he’d get to spend time with Tanjiro, but his thoughts came to a skidding halt as he thought of what Yuichiro would say. He slowly typed back a reply.
Muichiro: I wish I could but I don't have a ride there and Yuichiro probably wouldn’t be happy if I went out anyways.
He flopped back down on the bed and sighed disappointedly. He lifted his phone again when he heard another ding.
Tanjiro: I could pick you up if you want :)
Muichiro nearly threw the device across the room and texted back with excitedly shaky fingers.
Muichiro: Yeah! That would work
Tanjiro: Alr see you at 5:30 then?
Muichiro: sure
He tried to school his emotions, he was acting like a teenager with his first crush, but just the thought of Tanjiro arriving on his doorstep was enough to send jitters of happiness coursing through him. He went to get ready after he confirmed and just threw on some jeans, a t- shirt and a jacket. He was excited to spend time with Tanjiro—and his other friends of course. Inosuke was kind of a party animal so the party was bound to be fun, if he didn’t want to socialize too much, Tanjiro would probably hang out with him, he loved to listen when Tanjiro talked. He noticed he was smiling like an idiot and shook his head.
Pull yourself together, this is embarrassing.
A small smile stayed on his lips ,despite his thoughts, those were rare as of late but It was only Tanjiro that could make him. He checked his phone again, it was 5:20, and he wished time would go faster. He had a bit of time before Tanjiro came and he creeped into the kitchen to find some sort of snack, he was sure there would be things to eat at the party but the memory of going to Mitsuri’s birthday party and Rengoku, Inosuke, and Zenitsu making disgusting food combinations was enough to make him search a little harder through the cabinets. There wasn't much to pick from unfortunately as he and Yuichiro had yet to go grocery shopping, so he only found a half-eaten bag of crackers, he bit into one, testing the waters before deciding they were good enough.
"Where do you think you're going?" a sharp cold tone came from behind Muichiro and he startled dropping the crackers on the counter. He turned his head and Yuichiro was standing a few feet away with his arms crossed, scrutinizing his half tied shoes and the keys poking out of his pocket.
"I'm going out," he said vaguely. He already knew Yuichiro most likely wouldn’t let him go out so late, especially if it was a party, he had some strange protectiveness, like he was the one in charge of his life.
"Out where?" his gaze narrowed, and his tone was more than a little demanding.
"Out with friends." He took another one of the crackers out of the bag and nibbled on it. "We need to go grocery shopping at some point." He tried to divert the conversation when a ping resounded from his phone; Tanjiro was here; perfect timing.
"I have to go now, OK?" He stepped toward the front door and Yuichiro grabbed him by the arm.
"Where are you going?" His tone was sharper this time. and Muichiro yanked his arm away.
"Why do you care so much? If I told you, you’d stop me."
"You're right I probably will, now answer me."
"I'm your brother, not your child. I'm old enough to go out if I want to, and you can't stop me even if you really tried"
"You're not answering me, where are you going?" he grabbed Muichiro's arm once more.
Muichiro relented just because he needed to meet Tanjiro outside. "I'm going to a party with my friends-"
"What? No!" he tightened his grip on his twin's arm and pulled him away from the door.
"Why? I'm actually going out for the first time in ages instead of just sulking about how awful my life is.” He tried to pry his arm away from Yuichiro's grip. “For the first time in a long time I actually have friends who really care about me,” Bright crimson eyes and an equally bright smile flickered through his thoughts for a brief moment “—and you're just trying to drag me down into your pit of despair! Please just leave me be, let me be happy for once."
Muichiro’s words struck the wrong chord within him. "I'm not dragging you down! I'm protecting my little brother!" he said angrily, he was pulling so hard on Muichiro's arm it was stretching the sleeve of his jacket.
"Yuichiro! you always do this, we're the same age and you act like you’re much older! You don't need to protect me from anything! I'm old enough to protect myself and you can't just keep dragging me into your own misery! I loved them too but I’m finally moving on and you need to make peace with whatever’s going on with you too!" With a final pull he yanked his arm free and rushed out the door slamming it behind him and leaving his brother standing in the doorway.
Yuichiro buried his face in his hands, sighing. The tension in his face was still present but with Muichiro’s departure it melted into a melancholy expression, as he looked at the door.
"Muichiro I'm sorry. You're just all I have left." he whispered. “Why do I do this, why do I argue with him over the littlest of things?” He sniffled.
“you need to make peace with whatever’s going on with you too!”
His last words rang in his ears, he knew them to be true but he could never say it out loud. He wanted to apologize to Muichiro when he got back, he would try to be better for him. He was tired of always arguing for stupid reasons and he didn't want to do something that he would really regret. He pushed his hands into the sockets of his eyes before heaving a long, sad sigh.
Muichiro found Tanjiro waiting in his car and he opened the door and sank into the seat. He dragged his hands down his face.
"Muichiro? Are you ok?" Tanjiro placed a tentative hand on Muichiro's shoulder, immediately noticing his distress.
"Yeah, I just…fought with my brother again." He sighed, taking his hands from his face and turning his gaze sideways toward Tanjiro.
"I'm sorry." Tanjiro squeezed his shoulder reassuringly; he looked like he wanted to say something or do something more but refrained.
"It's fine, thanks Tanjiro, let's just have fun at the party." he smiled softly at the redhead and a light rose dusted the older boy’s face.
"Yeah, of course." he smiled back, though he hadn’t failed to notice how one of Muichiro’s sleeves were stretched longer than the other.
The argument with Yuichiro was nearly forgotten the whole ride to Inosuke's house. They shared stories and laughed together, just enjoying each other’s company. Muichiro wished that he could be with Tanjiro everywhere, spending time like this together. As he looked at the other boy, he could see that he was still chuckling at something Muichiro didn't care to remember in the moment, he only admired the boy's bright smile and the way his cheeks were dusted a light rose color, and how his laugh was full of pure joy. He admired the way Tanjiro had persisted through the deaths of his own family, and despite how much hurt he’d been through, he managed to live a happy life, surrounded by friends. It was one of the many things Muichiro admired about him, he hoped that one day he could be just as happy as Tanjiro without the thought of death looming over him, he hoped the same for his brother. They reached an intersection and Tanjiro tuned on the radio, he tapped the steering wheel to the rhythm and hummed softly to the tune. He caught Muichiro looking at him and flushed red when he realized he was doing it subconsciously.
"Sorry I hope I wasn't annoying you; I just like this song." he looked down at the steering wheel. Muichiro shook his head, he liked how adorable Tanjiro looked when he was flustered.
"No, it's nice to hear you, I’ve heard this song somewhere before; it sounds nice."
Tanjiro brightened quickly and nodded at the younger boy before turning back to the road, starting to move again. "Yeah, it is a bit old, but the tune is catchy." he continued to hum and Muichiro joined him. "You know I was listening to it the other day when Nezuko walked in asking why I was listening to such a depressing song. I didn't even realize how gruesome the lyrics were until I really started paying attention." Muichiro stopped for a moment and listened closely to the lyrics.
"-And if a double-decker bus crashes into us. To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die"
Muichiro looked back to Tanjiro with a morbidly surprised expression. "You're right the lyrics are...concerning.” His expression softened as he became lost in a fond, rediscovered memory. “My mother really liked to listen to this song, that's probably where I heard it, though I never realized how...sad it was."
Tanjiro chuckled lightly "My dad liked this song too, he was the kind of person to listen to things without really caring about the message of the song itself, he just liked the background noise as he did things. I’m not even sure he paid attention to the lyrics either."
They sat there for a moment just humming softly, lost in their own memories, until the song ended. Muichiro was looking out the window thinking about what Yuichiro was up to, perhaps he was sitting angrily in his room waiting for him to get back, or maybe he felt sorry for yelling at him. He brushed the thought aside when Tanjiro broke the silence.
"Your voice is really pretty." Tanjiro said suddenly and Muichiro turned around. Tanjiro was looking ahead at the road, and it was a little hard to see in the darkness slowly overtaking the sky, but he thought he could see how Tanjiro’s face had darkened to nearly the shade of his eyes.
"Thank you, yours is nice too." He smiled softly. His chest felt warm hearing the compliment. Once again they fell into an easy silence, with Tanjiro occasionally stealing careful glances at Muichiro when he wasn't looking.
They soon arrived at Inosuke's house, and they could already see different colored lights flashing through the windows and loud music.
"The neighbors must be pissed." Muichiro observed as they rang the doorbell.
"Probably, but I'm sure Ms. Hashibira doesn't let it go too late into the night." Muichiro hummed in agreement although he could picture the blue haired woman just as easily partaking in the fun for a bit.
The door suddenly swung open after a few minutes and Inosuke as usual had his shirt unbuttoned but was drenched from his head to his shoulders.
"Gonpachiro! Oh and Mukiro? What's he doing here? He never comes to parties."
"Hi Inosuke, I invited him, and he was able to come today." Tanjiro smiled as brightly as ever.
"Well glad to see ya, come on we have tempura." he said running into the house with his hands raised above his head, dashing straight toward the kitchen.
"He certainly is a character." Muichiro commented, removing his jacket and tying it around his waist.
Most of their friends were already there, they could see Inosuke of course, with tempura stuffed in his mouth and now raiding the snack table, as well as Zenitsu, Genya, Nezuko, Kanao, Aoi, Shinobu, Mitsuri, and Rengoku. Sanemi was nowhere in sight, and he had gotten a text from Giyu earlier that he and his boyfriend would be there later, and he was surprised when he didn't see Obanai anywhere near Mitsuri.
"Tanjiro! Muichiro!"Nezuko called to them. She had driven there with Kanao and Aoi beforehand.
"Nezuko!" Tanjiro came up and hugged her with Muichiro behind him, they said hi to Kanao and Zenitsu as well. Muichiro noticed Nezuko cupping her hands around Tanjiro’s ear as he leaned closer, she whispered something inaudible to him and glanced ever so briefly at Muichiro. Tanjiro’s eyes widened, his face was completely flushed and he pulled away from her. A cheeky grin spread across Nezuko’s face.
"Muichiro! so glad you decided to come! how did you convince Yuichiro?" she asked, turning the conversation to him while Tanjiro recovered from whatever she had told him.
"Well...I didn't really convince him; we kind of got into an argument beforehand because he didn't want me to come so I ended up just leaving." he explained, biting his lip
"Oh, I'm sorry for bringing it up." Nezuko apologized "I'm sure it's coming from a place of love, and he just can't get through his own feelings and he's taking it out on you."
Muichiro nodded his head. "No, it's fine, it's just annoying how it feels like I'm walking on eggshells around him.” He teased a hand through his hair. “I’m sure you’re right though, I just hope he can figure it out. Anyways, anything new that's happened?"
"Hm, well I heard Inosuke's got a crush on someone, and he invited them to the party." Zenitsu whispered and their eyes widened.
"As in, Inosuke Hashibira? the guy who just tried to drink a whole large soda by himself and spilled it all over?" Kanao asked, showing a rare display of incredulousness.
"Is that why he was soaked?" Tanjiro asked, rejoining the conversation, and Zenitsu nodded.
"There's no way, where did you even hear this?" Muichiro asked, he was completely caught off guard. Just moments before Inosuke had run off simply at the mention of tempura and didn't even bother to say any of their names correctly.
"I heard from Mitsuri, she said she overheard his mom talking about it. I have no idea who it could be." He had a certain upturn to his lips that made him seem determined to figure it out by all means.
"I have a feeling he likes my cousin." Kanao spoke up
"AOI?" they all said in unison before shushing one another.
"Well, she's the only one whose name he manages to say correctly, that has to count for something right?" Kanao asked and they all nodded their heads.
Muichiro noticed something behind them, “Alright don’t look now, but Inosuke and Aoi—“ he didn't have to finish his sentence before they all not-so-discreetly swiveled their heads in the direction Muichiro was pointing. Aoi was laughing as Insouke had a wide smile on his face.
A knock was barely heard over the music playing and Inosuke immediately rushed over to the door hearing the impatient knocks. He opened the door to reveal Sabito, hand poised to continue knocking, and Giyu.
"Hey!" Tanjiro called, greeting them. Sabito’s lavender eyes sparkled as he smiled brightly compared to Giyu’s nonchalant wave, he was clearly the energetic one in the relationship without a doubt.
They continued to talk with each other and occasionally grab the snacks that hadn't been already turned into strange concoctions as Muichiro had feared. Despite his dissapointment at the food he found himslef smiling a lot more than he had in, well, what seemed like forever. Maybe this is what feeling alive feels like. They watched as Inosuke had tried to chug a whole other large soda by himself presumably to impress Aoi but ended up spilling it again after Zenitsu "accidentally" bumped into him. Inosuke started to chase Zenitsu around the house, and he had taken to waving the empty bottle above his head like some sort of weapon as he yelled threats to Zenitsu. Mitsuri grabbed the bottle as Inosuke was running and caused him to flop onto the ground to which everyone chuckled at.
"Hey, how about instead of chasing our friends around the house we play a game instead?" She asked nervously, Inosuke quickly stood up.
"Yeah! We should play dodj or daar!"
"It's truth or dare you boar." Obanai snapped, though quickly became quiet when Mitsuri glanced at him.
Everyone agreed to play except for Sanemi who insisted on not taking part in “a stupid game”. Genya tried to convince him that it would be fun, but he still refused and just sat on the couch with his arms crossed, observing the rest of the game. Mitsuri placed the empty bottle in the middle, announcing she would be the first when no one else volunteered. She spun the bottle, and it landed on Sabito.
"Truth or dare?" She asked, barely containing her excitement.
He thought for a moment before replying "Truth."
"Who confessed first, you or Giyu?"
"Giyu did, actually." Said dark haired man looked away hiding his flushing face and Mitsuri squealed, Sabito chuckled at the interaction and wrapped an arm around Giyu’s shoulders.
When Sabito spun it landed on Obanai "Truth or dare?" he asked and there was some sort of mischievous glint in his eyes.
"...truth." Obanai replied after some hesitation. Something flickered in Sabito's expression as he thought for a moment.
"What would you do for Mitsuri?" he asked it innocently enough, but his gaze flickered over to the pink and green haired woman across from Obanai.
"What? I-I mean she's my friend; I would do a lot of things for my friends." he stammered and Sabito raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, if she asked you to jump off a cliff or kiss he-"
"You only get one question! My turn." It was hard to tell under his face mask but from his demeanor he was clearly flustered. Mitsuri was giggling and Sabito seemed pleased with Obanai's reaction.
When the snake man spun, it landed on Nezuko which prompted the obligatory "Truth or dare?"
"Dare." She crossed her arms, nodding her head at him.
"I dare you not to speak for the rest of the game."
Nezuko made a frowny face but shrugged and spun, it landed on Inosuke and her grin turned devilish.
"Truth!" Inosuke shouted "I have no secrets, Pyonko do your worst!" Inosuke cackled and Nezuko glanced at Tanjiro, Kanao, Zenitsu and Muichiro.
"You can speak only to ask your question." Obanai clarified.
"Inosuke, tell us who is it that you have a crush on?"
Without missing a beat Inosuke pointed to the girl with the blue butterfly pins, everyone in the room's jaws dropped. Maybe from the shock of Inosuke Hashibira having a crush or his bluntness. He didn’t seem to care either way and Some heads swiveled to Aoi who stood up and excused herself.
"Like I said, I have no secrets. MY TURN TO SPIN NOW!" coincidentally enough the bottle had landed on the space Aoi had been.
"Well since Aoi isn't back yet We'll just go to the next person closest, which is Tanjiro!" Rengoku shouted enthusiastically.
"Oh, alright then, I pick dare."
"I dare you to kiss the person the bottle lands on!" Inosuke said with a big grin. Tanjiro sighed and spun, his heart pounded in his chest, and he hoped it would land on the boy sitting next to him. To his disappointment it landed on Kanao instead. He hesitated and he glanced over at her with his brows knitted together, she had a similar expression on her face.
"Just do it, it doesn't have to be on the lips or anything." Sanemi muttered from the couch, everyone else seemed to be waiting for something to happen
Kanao shrugged, "just get it over with."
Tanjiro looked at Kanao with an apologetic expression and Muichiro watched as his crush kissed her, his chest ached with a pain similar to when he and Yuichiro argued, except it was deeper, closer to his heart.
It's just a dare, it's fine, don't focus on it, he's not yours anyways. He shook his head at his own thoughts.
Tanjiro immediately wiped his mouth with his sleeve and Kanao wiped her cheek off before Tanjiro spun again, this time landing on Shinobu.
"Truth or dare?" his voice seemed to lack a little bit of its usual enthusiasm.
"Dare." she said.
"Uh...I dare you to trade hair clips with Kanao."
The two girls obliged and Shinobu's purple dyed hair fell down to her shoulders as they traded butterfly pins.
To be completely honest (not that Tanjiro could be anything but) most of the dares were pretty funny from then on. Rengoku had been dared to eat a whole box of those pink frosted cookies, and his mouth had been too full to say his dare for Genya. Giyu had had to knock an orange off Mitsuri’s head from far off and Obanai was visibly fuming when Giyu had missed and the small ball had hit Mitsuri’s head. She’d waved it off since it hadn’t hurt at all, and Giyu of course had apologized but that didn’t stop Obanai from sending not so subtle glares at Giyu. Sabito, of course, had been sending some back in Giyu’s place.
They went around a few more times until everyone had a turn, and they decided to end the game after Zenitsu had a turn. Muichiro was just standing against the wall watching people dance and laugh. Surprisingly, after the game Aoi had agreed to dance with Inosuke despite how clumsy he was, Ms. Hashibira was snapping photos and giggling with Mitsuri. Giyu and Sabito looked like they were having the time of their lives dancing together and a rare smile was present on Giyu’s face. Muichiro didn't realize it when a small smile came across his own face, looking at all his friends, it felt nice. Tanjiro came up to him offering him a cup of juice and standing beside him. Muichiro squinted at the drink.
“You’re sure Rengoku didn’t put chips or something else in here?” Tanjiro laughed nodding his head.
“Yes I’m quite sure.” Muichiro conceded and took a few sips.
"You seem to be having fun," Tanjiro commented.
Muichiro turned to him "Yeah, I guess I am, everyone seems so...alive." he responded
"What do you mean by that?" He asked, curious.
Muichiro shook his head, pondering for a moment "I guess what I mean is that everyone's so lively, well It is a party, but they’re just so happy, living their best lives." He continued to gaze out at the scene before him, filled with laughter, and dancing and silly antics. He glanced up at Tanjiro. “Are you having fun?”
"Yeah, I'd say I'm having fun.” Tanjiro replied with a smile, sonething else seemed to be on the tip of his tongue. “I’ll be honest, I kind of regret playing truth or dare, that kiss was so awkward." he shuddered a little. "N-no offense to Kanao!” He said, waving his hands around while trying not to spill his drink. “She's great, I just didn't want to kiss her." Muichiro hummed and they sipped their drinks in silence for a bit. It felt as though something had struck Muichiro as he realized the way Tanjiro had said that he didn't want to kiss her. There was someone else he wanted to kiss, he clenched the cup till it creased, the thought filled him with a little hope. A small chance with Tanjiro was better than none.
"Muichiro? Are you ok?" Tanjiro asked, placing a hand on his shoulder similar to how he did earlier.
"Yes, I'm fine. Did you ask something?"
"Oh, I just wanted to know if you wanted to…to dance?" he reached a hand toward Muichiro and smiled warmly, and the aquamarine eyed boy took it without hesitation. They set their cups down on a nearby table, Tanjiro leading Muichiro by their connected hands.
"Sure, why not?" he shrugged as Tanjiro led him over taking both of his hands. They didn't really know what they were doing as they just moved around smiling awkwardly, eventually their fingers became intertwined with each other, and they found some sort of rhythm, without stepping on each other’s shoes. It was debatable whether or not they were dancing, more just pushing and pulling each other's arms, back and forth in time to the music. Muichiros hair was swishing in all directions as they moved about and the colored lights reflected in Tanjiro’s red eyes, casting a rainbow of hues all for Muichiro to see. All they were really doing was just taking random steps and holding each other's arms but for some inexplicable reason, it felt like nothing else mattered in the moment. Tanjiro had tried and failed to spin Muichiro around but it it was awkward and clumsy and had to grab his arm before he fell. Muichiro broke into giggles at the attempt even as he stumbled. Tanjiro took him in as he did so, trying to commit this moment and all the little details to memory. He’d never noticed it before, that Muichiro had slight dimples when he laughed, he looked so happy Tanjiro couldn't help but start to laugh too. A warm feeling spread across his face, knowing that he was a part of the reason for that rare joy. They moved back to their wall as they laughed and Tanjiro felt arms around him as he recovered.
"T-Tanjiro, Thank you for tonight." Muichiro was a little breathless from laughing, but the words meant all the same.
He paused for a mere second before returning the embrace "Of course, I had a lot of fun with you tonight." He said, squeezing him lightly.
The party had started to die down after a while and some had already left. There were only a handful of people after Mitsuri, Obanai, Giyu, Sabito and Rengoku had left.
Muichiro was half asleep sitting up on the couch, He didn't really know what he was doing except for trying not to let his eyes slit shut. He hadn't expected to be so exhausted afterwards but admittedly it was much more excitement than he'd had in months, maybe years. Seeing Tanjiro’s attempt at dancing with him kept playing on a loop in his sleepy mind, and he felt so fuzzy and warm whenever he pictured Tanjiro’s awkward smile.
Tanjiro had been talking with Genya, noticing Muichiro fighting to keep his eyes open. He walked over to him and sat down beside him, he was a bit tired too and he shook Muichiro’s shoulder gently. He perked up a little and smiled sleepily seeing Tanjiro. Tanjiro resisted the urge to take his face in his hands and just look at him.
"Muichiro do you want me to take you home now? You look exhausted."
Muichiro's smile faltered and he shook his head. "No please don't...drop me-" he was interrupted by a yawn "home." he finished.
"Come on you're exhausted and people are leaving now anyways." he gently prodded.
"I don't want to… go home, Yuichiro’s going to be so angry and I don’t want to deal with him." he mumbled rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand. Tanjiro's ruby gaze softened, a reassuring smile spreading across his face.
"I'm sure he's just worried, I know how much you care about him, and I’m sure he only cares for you too. If you’d like I can come with you to help work things out just in case."
Muichiro hesitated, "I appreciate it, thank you.” He took Tanjiro's hand in his and a small grin returned to his face.“You’re probably right, you always are." He didn't seem to think too hard about holding Tanjiro's hand, but Tanjiro noticed and tried not to let it show. The redhead hummed and his earrings clicked as he stood up, he pulled Muichiro up with him by their linked hands.
He suddenly remembered his sister. "Nezuko! we're heading home!” He called out to her and she turned from talking to Aoi and Genya.
“Oh, I'm going to stay at Kanao’s house, sorry I forgot to mention earlier.” She replied apologetically, though there seemed to be some other thought process behind the decision.
“Oh alright, that's fine! See you later then. Bye everyone! Thanks for the party Inosuke!” He led Muichiro out and they got in and began to drive back to Muichiro’s house. He leaned back in his seat and looked out the window, he could see the redhead in the reflection. He let out a small yawn but he couldn't fall asleep. He kept thinking of Tanjiro saying he didn’t want to kiss Kanao, just the way he’d said it, made it seem like he wanted to kiss someone else.
They drove underneath an overpass and were heading towards a stoplight. Muichiro wanted to ask Tanjiro about it but when he opened his mouth he couldn’t to form the words, knowing he could get an answer he didn’t want. Tanjiro was the best thing that had happened to him since his relationship with his brother worsened, a cold fear gripped his heart at the thought of becoming distant or losing him altogether.
“Muichiro? Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He asked, as they’d stopped at the red light, and there were a surprising number of cars even though it was so late.
Muichiro shook his head. “It's nothing, just…thinking about something.” Tanjiro frowned and took Muichiro’s hand.
“It's not nothing, and I'll listen to whatever it is.” His smile could instantly put Muichiro in a better mood, he squeezed Tanjiro’s hand back and he blushed softly at the contact.
“I was just wondering about something, at the party…” Tanjiro nodded and Muichiro chose his next words carefully and he cast his gaze down slightly, the car moved forward slowly but Tanjiro never took his hand away.
“You said after you kissed Kanao, you said you didn't want to kiss her.” Tanjiro’s grip tightened a fraction and he nodded slowly. He seemed to have an inkling of where the conversation was going.
“So, does that mean you wanted to kiss someone else?” he lifted his gaze to the other boy’s face, this time Tanjiro’s gaze was downcast, his face had a light flush to it and he hummed in confirmation. Tanjiro opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again, he squeezed Muichiro’s hand again instead as the light finally turned green and they drove even closer to Muichiro’s house. It was silent for a few moments before Tanjiro spoke for the first time in a while.
“Muichiro…I…I wanted it to be you…” his voice became quieter as he spoke and Muichiro stared at him eyes wide, the drowsiness he’d felt before had completely dissipated and it felt like his heart was beating overtime, he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.
“Tanjiro…”
“I think I’ve loved you since I met you, you just made my life better and happier. Before it was just me and Nezuko and she’s my sister and I love her, but you filled something in my heart that I didn’t even know was empty. I know it’s a little cheesy but…It’s true.” He took his eyes off the road for a second just to glance over at Muichiro, the boy was starry eyed and his mouth formed an “O” his cheeks were a rosy color and he took Tanjiro’s hand in both his hands, surprising the older boy.
“Tanjiro, It was the same for me, you made my life better and happier than it had been in years. You make me so happy and thank you for taking me out tonight.” Muichiro smiled wide and Tanjiro only caught it from the corner of his eye and He smiled back. It was a beautifully happy smile and a rose color dusted his face. He squeezed Muichiro’s hands tightly and Muichiro returned the gesture. He couldn’t stop smiling and he glanced over at the older boy who looked just the same. The moment was perfect and Muichiro had to resist the urge to just lean over and kiss him. The only thing that ruined it was the blinding light in his eyes, he had to squint his eyes from how bright it was and Tanjiro was doing the same.
“I can’t see-“ the realization hit them both at the same time and Muichiro only had time to think "Why is it on the wrong side of the road!?” Before Tanjiro grabbed Muichiro and held him close before the impact. Muichiro shut his eyes as the sound of metal scraping, glass breaking and a snapping noise were the only sounds filling his ears.
Muichiro felt dazed and numb, his vision came into focus and he finally felt the burning pain throughout his body. He still couldn't see very well with the bright lights in his face. That's when he realized he was on the ground next to the car which was almost unrecognizable. He tried to move his head to see if he could find Tanjiro but discovered that when he tried to raise his head pain flared up everywhere. He got a glimpse at his leg and the sight alone was enough to make him retch but even that was painful. He could feel hot sticky blood running down the side of his face and neck.
“M..ui..chiro..” he heard a weak calling of his name from somewhere to the left of him and he turned despite the pain to see Tanjiro a few feet away. Tears filled his eyes when he saw the state he was in, he was covered in blood and one of his arms seemed to be at the wrong angle not to mention the large tear in the side of his shirt where blood was quickly staining the fabric. There were also glass shards littered throughout his hair and It took Muichiro a moment to realize there was blood amidst the red locks. He reached for Tanjiro as best he could and he struggled to move towards him. Somehow they ended up in each other’s arms, blood trickled down into one of Muichiro’s eyes and he didn't realize until Tanjiro’s good arm brushed against the side of his face that there were glass shards lodged in his cheek, when he moved his tongue inside his mouth he could feel the sharp ends and the metallic taste of blood. Tanjiro frowned deeply, looking at him.
“Sorry I…tried…-“
“No…you’re perfect…” Muichiro interrupted any chance he had to blame himself. He tried to wrap his arms further around him despite the pain it caused.
“You know…I…I think…I get the song now…” Tanjiro’s words were interspersed with shaky gasps and tears were welling in his wine red eyes.
“Wha…t do you…mean?”
“I wouldn’t…want…to die any other…way…than by your side.”
“T-Tanjiro…You’re not…going to die…” Muichiro tried to keep the tears from springing into his eyes but coupled with the physical and emotional pain it was near impossible.
“Tanjiro…if…if you die…then I…I dont want to live either.” He sniffled.
“It’s going…to be ok…I love you…Muichiro…” he smiled, despite the tears leaking down his face.
Muichiro shakily touched the side of Tanjiro’s face before leaning forward enough to press his bloodied lips against Tanjiro’s tearstained ones. The timing was far from ideal or perfect but nothing else truly mattered in those few seconds.
“I…love you too…Tanjiro…” Muichiro gave a watery smile back and Tanjiro held him as tightly as he could with one arm while trying not to hurt him further. They could both feel their last threads of consciousness slipping as red and blue lights reflected in each other's eyes. Muichiro was reminded of when they’d been dancing together, and the colorful lights reflected in Tanjiro’s eyes, there was a slight upturn to his lips. It felt like they were sinking deeper and deeper underwater. Muichiro didn’t realize he’d started humming though it was interspersed with breathy gasps either from the pain or his tears. Tanjiro’s words were running through his mind as he thought of the song before his eyelids grew too heavy to keep open any longer.
“And if a ten ton truck kills the both of us. To die by your side, the pleasure, the privilege is mine.”
The last thing Tanjiro heard before his eyes closed was Muichiro’s soft humming mixed with the sounds of sirens.
Nezuko gazed around her with silent tears streaking down her face. All their friends had shown up, most of them crying or consoling one another. It was hard to think that just two days ago they’d been having fun at Inosuke’s party laughing and smiling. Tanjiro and Muichiro looked so happy and alive dancing with each other and talking. She’d planned to go to Kanao’s house to leave them alone, and earlier in the night she’d pushed Tanjiro to confess. she only hoped he had the chance before…
She tried not to think too hard about it, just looking at the two caskets in front of her only reminded her of the call. She’d been with Kanao and Aoi watching a movie when she’d gotten it. There was a crack running down the screen from when she’d dropped to the floor sobbing. The news that her brother had been killed just barely an hour after she’d last seen him left her emotions in tatters, just when she thought things were getting better, the last person she had had been taken from her. She wanted to be angry, resent the truck driver that had killed them, resent the fire that had taken her mother and her siblings, and resent the illness that had taken her father. As much as she wantes to, she just felt empty and miserable, all she could do now was grieve.
Next to her stood Yuichiro gazing numbly at his twin’s casket. His face was identical to Muichiro’s, everything about him appearance-wise was the same, it was like she was staring at the dead boy risen from the grave. Their lives had been almost parallel to each other. Their families had died except for one sibling and now the only people they’d had left died together. There were still fresh tear tracks running down his face which was an improvement to how hysterical he’d been earlier upon seeing the casket. He looked a mess, there were bags under his eyes and his hair was tangled. Nezuko didn’t look much different. He’d probably gotten a similar call around the same time she had, and how he reacted–one could only imagine. She remembered all the times Muichiro had confided in them about the numerous arguments they’d had as of late. He always seemed saddened at their worsening relationship, and now she could see the regret, the guilt, and the sadness flashing through Yuichiro’s pained expression. Nezuko bit her lip, she took Yuichiro’s hand and squeezed it. He seemed to barely register the touch but he started saying something
“I wish I’d been better to him, I can’t believe the last time I saw him we had another argument-” he murmured before choking out a sob and the tears started running down his face again “I just kept trying to control him…because–because he was the only thing I had left and now…now he’s gone. He died thinking I h-hated him” he broke down again and his fringe obstructed his face, he tried to desperately stop his tears with the hand that wasn't holding onto Nezuko. She pulled him into a hug, she was trying to console him and not break down herself. Mitsuri and Giyu came over to the two, wrapping their arms around them.
Nezuko swallowed down the lump growing in her throat “Yuichiro, you should know that Muichiro never blamed you for anything, He wanted to mend your relationship more than anything. I know none of this will help you move on, but we’re all here if you need us.” Nezuko said, she knew he needed to hear that more than anything at the moment.
“I wish I’d lived long enough to tell him that myself.” Muichiro lamented.Tanjiro wrapped an arm around his shoulders, bringing him close and Muichiro held his hand. It was strange watching one’s own funeral, watching people cry over your death and seeing a casket with your body laying motionless inside, eyes forever shut, although currently they couldn't see their bodies.
“At least our friends are there to help them. I'm so glad Nezuko stayed with Aoi and Kanao.” Tanjiro said “If she’d come with us she would’ve been…” He shivered and closed his eyes at the thought, Muichiro squeezed his hand and nodded solemnly before speaking
“One day we’ll be able to be with all of them again.”
“One day in the far future I hope.” Muichiro hummed in agreement.
“Your voice is so pretty.” Tanjiro commented suddenly
“You’ve already said that.” A small smile curled at Muichiro’s lips.
“I know, but I didn’t get to say it again before.” No words were exchanged for a bit, they just watched their funeral unfold before them. Tanjiro kissed the top of Muichiro’s head, He squeezed him a bit tighter watching as even bright and energetic Rengoku was shaking with sobs as Shinobu comforted him, eyes red.
Nezuko thought she heard the familiar click of earrings in the wind amongst the sobs and sniffles of her friends, but when she looked up only the casket with her brother's body and his lover’s were in sight.