Our Halcyon Days || Reader x Tanjiro | RESUME 2022!

* f o r t y - e i g h t *

A/N: Here's a bit of fluff mixed in with the normal angst as your well-deserved break~

Edited A/N midway through writing: jk <3

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"Beautiful..."

The pads of your fingers felt every nook and cranny of the old wisteria tree bark. The scent of the wisteria flowers was oddly nostalgic—though it was 'new' to you, it surely was not the first time you had breathed in the scent.

You were alone in the moonlit courtyard. After calming down, Tanjiro had thanked you for holding him, and for forgiving his selfish mistakes. Even as he left to fetch the 'others,' his eyes looked red.

Those 'others' were trusted allies of yours, supposedly. Good friends who stuck with you through thick and thin.

You exhaled deeply. The fragrant petals could not ease all of your tension... but they did help some. There was simply so much to process. You felt like you could spend days out in the courtyard, just thinking and thinking, without ever being able to come to a solid conclusion to it all.

Tricked, attacked, manipulated...

It seems I've never been able to catch a break. Haha...

Distant noises from afar, echoing from the halls of the house, roused you from your thoughts.

Your heart dropped.

They're approaching... abnormally fast—!

A swath of blended colors darted out of the corridor and into the opening to the yard. Before you knew it, two boys had dashed across and tackled you to the ground.

Ah—heavy!

The three of you fell with a resounding thud. But at least it wasn't Shinazugawa, right?

The boy with golden eyes and hair had tears streaking down his poor face. The other boy—with a strikingly beautiful visage—was clearly trying to hold them back. His strange looking boar mask had fallen to the ground, but he didn't seem to care much.

Holding onto you tighter, the first boy spoke, his body wracked in between with sobs.

"Wahhh! (Y/n), we missed you-!"

The pretty boy gruffly grumbled some incomprehensible lines of agreement.

In your surprise, your arms hovered stiffly above their backs. You glanced over at Tanjiro, who was walking towards you with little Nezuko's hand in his. A sheepish smile played on his lips.

Tanjiro's eyes are still red... but these friends seem to cheer him up.

Nezuko stopped walking and peered at you curiously with a tilted head. You gave her a smile of your own before relenting and patting the boys' backs. Nezuko blinked twice and mirrored this, giving your head gentle pats and caresses. Peeking at her long claws, you held yourself from shying away from them. There was no reason for you to, anyway.

"I'm sorry," you whispered to the three. Though things weren't your fault, you still felt obligated to take the blame. "We must've been close, but... I..."

The beautiful boy immediately retreated from the hug and took your shoulders in his rough hands. At your words, he glared at you. He was no longer meek with embarrassment.

"SHUT. Up. (Y/n)."

The others stared blankly.

You blinked.