Seafoam and plum

Realization

Genya had to do something about the way he felt around Mui. His heart always beat really fast, and he would turn exceptionally red.

The strangest thing though was that Genya sort of recognized the feeling, he just forgot what it was exactly. It was on the tip of his tongue. He figured he would talk to Tanjiro about this.

Mui wouldn't be visiting him today, but they had been hanging out lately. He was a bit worried for him though, upon hearing he visited Kocho a week ago for concerning symptoms, which he insisted Genya shouldn't worry about. (To little effect).

It was hard finding Tanjiro, as he was constantly all over the place. Genya eventually found him at Himejima's training ground. They first chatted about Tanjiro's mark, then the boulder, and then finally how Genya was feeling. While he was telling him about it, Tanjiro just nodded along. Finally, he looked at Genya, and spoke.

"So um, have you ever had a crush?"

Genya thought that was kind of a weird question, considering it didn't really relate to the topic at hand.

"Yes. I have."

"Does the feeling you have now feel..... familiar?"

Genya went quiet for a moment. Tanjiro could practically see the gears turning in his head. Finally, "Oh. OH! Uh, wait, is that possible? If I tell him he'll think I'm weird! What should I do?" Genya was panicking, big-time.

"Well, tell him. If he doesn't like you back, you guys can still be friends. If he does think you're weird, or bothers you about it, just stop talking to him. Trust me, you only keep the people who accept you for who you are. It might be hard, but it'll help you in the long run."

" uh, ok. I guess I'll do that. I just don't know how I'll tell him. It was hard enough asking him to go on a picnic that one time. Wait, did you set us up? How long have you known about how I feel?"

"Well, um, your face turns red whenever you talk about him. And he was pretty much the only thing you talked about at first. 'Tanjiro, I really want to be Muichiro's friend.' 'He's so cool.' 'He's so strong for someone that age."

"Ok, ok I get it." Genya said, embarrassed.

"So, you're gonna tell him right?"

"....yeah.......maybe."

Tanjiro just sighed.

A couple days later, Muichiro invited Genya to a nearby wisteria grove. When Genya got there, the view was breathtaking. It was like the grove in final selection.

He soon spotted Mui on a bench nearby, with a basket of watermelon in his hands. Genya could feel a smile slip across his face, as watermelon was his favorite food. Mui remembered.

He sat down next to him, and they chatted about random things, like how Muichiro thought Tanjiro's crow might have a crush on his, and then Genya laughed about how his crow didn't like Tanjiro's.

While they were talking about the crows and their love life, Muichiro slid his hand next to Genya's, so they were touching.

Genya shifted around in his seat, and wasn't sure if Mui did that on purpose or not, but it definitely made Genya's heart beat faster. Muichiro's hand was hard, from years of straining himself, but it was also delicate, Genya noticed.

As they talked more, Muichiro brought up an unexpected question.