When Snow Falls | Tanjiro x Kanao | {Completed}

Chapter 11 - Mitsuri's Diner

Tanjiro realised his mistake too late when he took hold of Kanao's hands. For a moment, his breath caught. She was holding his hand.

She was holding his hand.

She was going to notice how steel-like it was - she was going to ask questions.

What Tanjiro didn't know in all his overthinking of the situation, was that Kanao was too busy looking into his eyes to notice the feeling of his hand.

Scared now, he extracted his hand more quickly than he meant to. Kanao's face fell, and Tanjiro's stomach immediately sunk.

Oh no. Now she thought he didn't want to hold her hand.

"Um, Kanao-" he started, but she stepped away.

"It's alright, Tanjiro. I understand, I'm just sorry for overstepping your boundaries," she replied.

Overstepping his boundaries?

"Ummm," Tanjiro stumbled, blushing too hard. Kanao looked at him, her long lashes blinking as she waited for his response. "Kanao, I'm sorry. I'm the one who...who initiated it. I didn't mean to offend you."

Kanao's mouth opened slightly, as though she was going to say something. Tanjiro awaited it, but instead, Kanao looked at the ground. Her face was red as she kicked a pebble.

"You didn't offend me. I...like it when you hold my hands," she said, so softly he almost didn't hear it.

She...liked holding his hands? She...wanted to hold his hands? Tanjiro didn't know how to take this. Just two weeks earlier, she was sending him glares across the bakery counter.

Maybe...she'd missed him. He had certainly missed her, but he hadn't felt entitled to trying again. Not after their break-up. Not after what he'd done.

And here she was practically asking to hold his hand. But she couldn't. Not if she felt his mechanical hand.

But the eager look on her face softened his heart. Perhaps if he was very careful to let her hold only his good hand.

Giving her a soft smile, Tanjiro held out his hand to her, picking up a helmet with the other hand. Return smile bright, Kanao took first the hand, then the helmet.

"I just hope this fits over my hair," she said, unstrapping it.

She'd done something different to it tonight. Usually it was done up in a ponytail. But it looked really good now. Tanjiro didn't know a lot about women's hair and fashion, even though he head sisters, so all he could really think was that the braids done in a bun looked good.

Tanjiro impulsively reached out and took a strand of her hair, his hand resting against her face. Just like he used to.

"We wouldn't want to ruin such lovely hair," he agreed.

Kanao was frozen. She was watching him, glancing at his hand in curious wonder.

Oh sh-

He hadn't meant to use that hand. Tanjiro snatched his hand back and crammed his own helmet on his head to avoid eyecontact. Kanao didn't move, her eyes were wide as she stared at him, so innocent and surprised. 

He couldn't meet her gaze. Couldn't face the judgement or suspicion he might find there. Tanjiro pointedly looked at the motorcycle.

"Um, are you having trouble getting your helmet on?" He asked, flicking the shield of his own up.

Kanao started and pulled herself from her stunned state before smiling at him, a little sadly, and shaking her head.

"No, I've done it before. You've always been fond of motorcycles," she said, putting it on and trying to be careful of her hair.