Everchanging

Life Goes On

!!TW!! Vague discussions on: SA, Suicide topics, self-harm, therapy, blindness/disabilities, ableism

Inosuke drooled on his desk, the sun rising just enough to inhibit his nap but at least he could doze. The room was buzzing with talking students, all of them talking about their weekends but Inosuke didn't really care. In fact, not one of his friends cared.

They could only focus on the empty desk in the back, beside Tanjiro.

Now, it has been a few weeks since everything happened with Genya. Inosuke, Tanjiro, and Nezuko had been excused from school for all of that time to focus on their own health. They wondered how the others fared, coming to school with half of their friend group gone. Inosuke could imagine that it would be lonely.

Hell, he was lonely too. All he could think about was his friend and that woman. How she hurt him. How he let her. Inosuke couldn't forget the feeling of tape on his mouth and rope around his wrists. Inosuke couldn't forget the feeling of weakness as he could do nothing but beg Genya to just fight.

And, sure. They had seen Genya since then, at the hospital and over facetime a few times, but it was nothing like having him there in person. Something about his presence made Inosuke's insides tingle with adrenaline, making the boy giddy and happy in a way that he didn't want to lose. It was like the feeling he would get from a fight, but around a boy instead. It was better.

He just wanted to see him again. To hear his voice, to hear his laugh. He wanted to see his crooked smile and feel the skin on his hands as they roughhoused. Inosuke wanted to see those dewy violet eyes turn into crescents when he was happy. Inosuke wanted to see his friend again.

The boy sighed loudly, giving up on sleeping to turn around towards Tanjiro. The redheaded boy smiled at him, though the smile was distracted and a little sad. Nezuko was still talking to Kanao and Zenitsu, but their eyes kept shifting back to the empty desk. Muichirou hadn't bothered with sneakiness, outright glaring at the empty spot in the room.

"Do you think he's even coming back?" Inosuke couldn't help the bit of fear that came with those words, but they had been on his mind since that night with Miyano. What if Genya never came back to them? What if he was gone forever?

"Of course, he will. Don't worry too much about it, Inosuke." Tanjiro smiled sadly at his friend, running his fingers through the long dark hair. And Inosuke knew that he was lying, that he wasn't saying what he truly felt, but it wasn't like he could force Tanjiro to talk. The kid was more hardheaded than an ox. "Just give him some time."

The bell rang and everyone started shuffling to their seats. All except for one was taken and the whole group shrunk in disappointment. Though, they were surprised to see Sanemi come into the room with a few binders in his arms. The man was grumbling something, not looking at his students as he dropped his things on his desk unceremoniously. Tanjiro was the first to speak, the student with the most courage.

"We're glad that you're back, Mr. Shinazugawa. We were getting worried." The group of friends more so than the others since they knew the truth behind their teacher's absence. But the man sighed, turning around and straightening his stance with a bit of pride. Inosuke snorted at the act, their teacher looked exhausted.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm back now, so you know that means." It seemed like a challenge, his words semi playful but Inosuke didn't care. He wasn't that happy about his teacher's arrival, he was only looking forward to the man's little brother. And it seemed that the younger Shinazugawa wasn't coming, so Inosuke laid his head back down. "Exam prep season, you brats–"

"Nemi, you forgot this in the lounge. Giyuu asked me to bring it to you..." The door slid back open, a familiar voice making multiple people whip their heads around to look. And there he was, tall but somehow still shy. Genya shrunk under the surprised looks on his classmates' faces, handing his brother another binder before taking a sneaky step behind the man.