Timeless |Tanjiro x Muichiro|

a wrinkle in time

Dr. Kanao had come back shortly after with a sandwich, which Muichiro had managed to stomach a few bites of before the anxiety took over his body again, and eating slipped his mind once more. Kanao was still happy that the blue-eyed boy had eaten even a little bit.

Tanjiro still hadn't woken up, but his heartbeat remained steady, and his blood pressure hadn't changed much either. Muichiro was starting to wonder if he would ever wake up though...

A few hours after the sandwich visit, Dr. Kanao came in once more, did her usual checks and scribbled down the same numbers into her chart. Then, she pulled out a book. Muichiro's eyes widened, as he saw it was a book close to his childhood. He'd grown up escaping into books to distract himself from his neglectful home life.

A Wrinkle In Time.

Kanao handed the book to Muichiro. "I saw you reading him a book from the waiting room...I thought you might like to try this one. I meant to start reading it during one of my short breaks, so I put it in my office a few weeks ago, but life is pretty hectic here, so I thought I would let you borrow it for a bit if you'd like," she explained. Muichiro simply nodded.

Kanao left the room, feeling fulfilled. Muichiro ruffled through the pages, admiring the smell of the crisp paper, and the way it fluttered between his fingers. 

He opened up to the first page and started to read: "It was a dark and stormy night. In her attic bedroom Margaret Murry, wrapped in an old patch quilt, sat on the foot of her bed and watched the trees tossing in the frenzied lashing of the wind. Behind the trees clouds scudded frantically across the sky. Every few moments the moon ripped through them, creating wraithlike shadows that raced along the ground..."

Muichiro paused, looking up at Tanjiro, checking to see if maybe, just maybe, the boy would wake up. No movement. Muichiro continued reading.

An hour or so later, Muichiro was still softly storytelling: "The houses in the outskirts were all exactly alike, small square boxes painted gray. Each had a small, rectangular plot of lawn in front, with a straight line of dull looking flowers edging the path to the door..." Muichiro put the book down in his lap, as it had gradually gotten closer and closer to his face. He had started to become more and more interested in the story, rather than using the book to pass the time.

Something...something was off. Muichiro studied Tanjiro. His face was still, his chest rising up and down slowly, but something...something had changed perhaps. Then, Tanjiro's heart monitor seemed to start beeping a little faster, and the boy's eyes slowly opened. He winced, the bright lights in the room blurring his vision.

Muichiro let out a small laugh, in relief perhaps. "Your awake" he said, excited. 

Tanjiro smiled. "That's a good book whatever it was..." the red haired male said quietly, as if talking louder would create unwanted strain on his body.

Muichiro's eyes widened slightly. "So you could hear me?" he asked. Tanjiro gave a slight nod.

"It was almost blurry. Your voice. But I still understood almost everything you said."

"I'm glad you liked it. Kanao gave it to me to read to you" Muichiro said, perking up, just the slightest. Tanjiro smiled, and a flutter of hope returned to Muichiro's broken heart.

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This particular chapter was inspired by a book I love, A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L'engle. Wanted to give credit since I did not make up those snit bits, they are from the real book, and I would defn recommend y'all to read it if you haven't, it's so good.