The Awkwardness of AfterThoughts || Kamado Tanjiro x Reader

A Game of Tag

   (Y/N) flinched as she clenched her katana, quickly turning around before sighing as she was faced with the red-headed boy from earlier. His hair was freshly brushed, wearing the pajamas the corps provided, and he smelled sweet of soap. 'He smells so... okay now I am just creepy.'

Sliding her katana back into her leather sleeve, (Y/N) steadied her breathing.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" She asked though she doubted it since she was quite far from the mansion.

Tanjiro gave a reassuring smile, "oh, no! I was awake already." He said as he glanced at her protected katana, "Were you training?"

(Y/N) gave a nod, rubbing off the sweat on her forehead. "Yes, I want to be better prepared for tomorrow. I have a feeling that the Love Pillar won't go easy on us anymore."

Tanjiro chuckled, "I would think so, she is one tough teacher. Mind if I trained with you?"

The thought of training with Tanjiro made her slightly blush but she brushed it off quickly. It is just between peers, nothing more, nothing less. In response, (Y/N) gave a nod.

"How about we practice with speed and agility? The forest is a nice place to start for a game of tag." Tanjiro suggested.

"But your..." (Y/N) started as she glanced at the crutch in his hand.

Tanjiro raised an eyebrow before understanding what she meant, "Oh, don't worry! I've endured worse." With a chuckle, he dropped the crutch on the floor and stretched his leg.

(Y/N) gave a smile, folding her silk haori and placing it on the grass floor. She knew the game sounded childish but it was a real challenge when it came to these woods which are scattered with natural obstacles. So, this was a perfect suggestion.

"I'll be it!" Tanjiro's enthusiasm made (Y/N) a little nervous. She heard he was a fast runner from the lower-ranked demon slayers who trained with him. However, she was fast as well and didn't let this affect her confidence.

Readying herself, Tanjiro gave her a head start of ten seconds. She sprinted to the woods, bouncing off the trees while paying mind to her mild injuries.

"Eight, nine...ten! Here I come, (L/N)!" Tanjiro exclaimed as he quickly rushed into the depths of the woods, inhaling (Y/N)'s scent as he followed it like a path. He hummed at the warm scent, giving a smile. His heart pounded, feeling a slight flutter in his stomach when he saw (Y/N)'s hand from the corner of his eye, her speed fast but not fast enough to outrun him.

Tanjiro dove through nature's obstacles, hearing (Y/N)'s frantic breathing as he reached for a hand to grab onto her back.

'Damn it!' (Y/N) thought as the boy's large hands gently touched her shoulder. They stopped, one was calm and the other was panting heavily. It is easy to guess who was tired out.

"(L/N), you need to slow down on your breathing. You tire yourself out like that." Tanjiro explained as he let his hand rest on the small of her back, waiting for her to regain her usually calm composure. The extreme contrast between how she was minutes ago to now was sorta cute to him.

Finally after a deep inhale, (Y/N) was back to equilibrium. "Sorry, I lost track of my breathing back there. Something that my first mentor scolded me for." She grimaced at the memories of her old mentor, Sanji Hashi, and how he would slap her with a stick if she lost track of her breath.

Tanjiro smiled, "My old mentor would hit me if I did something incorrectly. Urokodaki, that was his name, would hit me so hard that I would have bruising for weeks!" Despite the grim tale, Tanjiro's eyes glazed over with nostalgia and he gave a soft chuckle.

(Y/N)'s lips grew into a shy grin, comfortable in the short silence before snapping back and focusing on the task at hand. "My turn."

"Four, five..." (Y/N) counted softly as she watched the red hair disappear from her vision immediately. It was weird, usually when she would think about Tanjiro, he would completely undo her with just his existence. But his presence? Especially alone, it felt natural and pure. Almost like it was meant to be.

'At least as friends, anyway.' Despite her clear desires, (Y/N) knew that a relationship in this world couldn't bloom properly. With the Demon King still on his rampage, (Y/N)'s future is hazy and might not even exist.

"Seven, eight..." Ignoring her pessimistic thoughts, she couldn't help but feel hope whenever she was near Tanjiro. Their first mission together was Mount Natagumo, though they weren't specifically missioned together as multiple demon slayers were sent to the location. She only worked with Tanjiro for about five minutes before they were separated by the main demon. And even then, she could feel the rare sight of hope in her heart as he encouraged her to continue fighting, side by side.

"Nine..." When (Y/N) learned of Nezuko, she trusted Tanjiro, which surprised her as she grew prejudiced against such creatures over the years. Especially since she watched her entire town get massacred by the bloodthirsty monsters, including her family. It felt like her whole belief system was being reworked by his simple explanation. She didn't know the boy, but something deep down told her to allow him to convince her.

But...does he feel the same? How conflicting.

"Ten." (Y/N) snapped herself out of her thoughts, realizing she was counting a little too slow. Lucky headstart.

Sprinting towards the woods and taking Tanjiro's advice, she deeply inhaled and exhaled with each thrust of a leg.

(Y/N) fell to the grass floor, still panting heavily (old habits stick hard.) as she yelled her surrender.

Ten entire minutes of chasing the boy and didn't even get close enough once to grab him by a hair. Tanjiro stopped, giving a worried smile, and jogged towards the defeated girl. With a soft hand, he wiped the sweat off her brow.

"(L/N), you okay...?" She could tell he wanted to laugh at her extreme exhaustion but was kind enough to worry about her physical state. With a gulp, she gave a nod.

"Yeah, I'm good Kamado, just need to rest for a bit until I catch my breath." Even talking softly required more air to gulp down.

Tanjiro smiled and simply laid down next to her, the starlight reflecting off the shine of his maroon iris.

(Y/N) couldn't help but stare at the sight. The curvature of his face, the swoop of his long nose, and the pale tint of his lips mesmerized her. She didn't even realize her staring until the boy stared back, eyes slightly widened at the boldness of the girl.

(Y/N) coughed, rolled over, and looked up at the stars with him, a little embarrassed of her crime.

Silence passed for a minute or so before he broke it.

"(L/N)?"

"Yes?"

"Could I... call you by your first name?" The boy said, looking over at the girl in question. "I-... you just have a pretty name and it'd be nice to call you that! Unless..."

(Y/N)'s eyes widened and her jaw even dropped a little. The face she unintentionally made explained his sudden insecurity with that last sentence but she was shocked and didn't know how to respond. No one had ever called her by her first name besides family so this was entirely new. She can't remember the last time someone called her that name. It was almost foreign to her.

Though, seconds later, she made up her mind. With a soft smile and a gladly not-visible burn of her ears, she nodded.

"Of course, Tanjiro."

-

A little short, sorry about that! Promise that longer chapters are on their way.