When They Realized (GenMui)

4

Just to clarify, in this AU Muichiro and Yuichiro are 14, Genya is 16, and Sanemi is 17. I just wanted to make Sanemi closer in age so he could resonate a little more. He's really unc in the show, and I didn't know how to implement that into the plot.

After breakfast, the entire house, excluding Mr. Tokito sat in the living room. Even Sanemi, who often wanted nothing to do with anyone, found himself involved in the century's toughest dispute. It all started when Yuichiro began talking about his recent fixation with soccer. Soon after, all hell broke loose, and the entire living room was filled with the opinions about what could possibly be the hardest sport.

"Please, are you Canadian or something?" Yuichiro asked in response to Sanemi's logical argument regarding hockey. "What you're saying doesn't even make any sense."

"How the fuck does it not make any sense!? It's really fucking simple dumbass. It's like two sports in one. Ice skating and tennis!"

"How do you even get tennis out of ice hockey?" Muichiro asked, crossing his arms in concern. "You could've said soccer or something."

"Hah! Like you'd even remember how to play any of these sports!"

Taken aback, Muichiro clutched onto his chest, deeply offended by the very true statement. After all, soccer was only a mere guess to butt in out of amusement. Noticing Muichiro's alarm, Genya, who tried his best not to get involved, began to feel for the smaller one. The argument would grow to get a little more personal with every insult. Genya was first to notice and knew he had to stop it before the situation could get any worse.

"Hey, guys, you know what... I think it's different for everyone," he said with a slight shrug. "All sports are equally hard. It kinda just depends."

It went silent in the room as everyone suddenly faced Genya. The eye contact was overwhelming, intimidating even as they all began to think to themselves. Well, everyone but Muichiro, who had no problem agreeing with Genya. His input only made sense after all.

"Booooo," Yuichiro suddenly sibilated, shaking his head in disappointment as he crossed his arms.

Embarrassed, Genya immediately tensed up, anticipating the sudden urge to yell. The one time he spoke up in such a calm manner, the crowd had responded back to him in such a disrespectful way. That was certainly the last straw.

"Fine! If you really think that's such an awful take then—"

Muichiro gently clasped a hand over Genya's mouth, immediately realizing that his input would only spark another unnecessary debate. He wasn't a stranger to what Genya would've potentially said next—not very nice retorts. There were many things Muichiro couldn't remember, but Genya's anger issues certainly wasn't one of them. Although Genya's childlike symptoms had simmered with age, his temper still somewhat lingered. Even if Muichiro was never a personal victim to Genya's minor episodes, he enjoyed being the one to tame them as he always had, nonetheless.

Removing his hand from Genya's lips, Muichiro clasped his hands together with a gentle smile. "What Yuichiro actually meant to say is that he didn't start the debate with the intent to change his mind, so he's actually going to stop talking now."

"Hey, who said that you could just make me—"

"All this talk about sports, and yet, you guys aren't playing a single one," Mr. Tokito said, exposing everyone in the living room as he walked in through the front door. He wiped the lingering sweat off his forehead, although that didn't stop the plethora of oncoming oceans. Life of a logger, it seems. "You guys need to get off your asses and go outside while the sky is still hailless. Stop wasting the summer being lazy."

The twins groaned in unison—you know, twin things—as everyone listened to Mr. Tokito and got off their asses. Just as Yuichiro reached for his shoes at the front door, Mr. Tokito stopped him with intent.

"Yui, it's your turn to help me out at the shed," he said, motioning for Yuichiro to follow him to the backyard. "And Sanemi, I want you to grab my keys on the coffee table and head to the gas station right around the corner. Just stock up on milk and eggs."

The two individuals requested immediately set off to work, leaving Muichiro and Genya alone to go out. Left to their own ideas, it didn't take long for Muichiro and Genya to coordinate and prepare themselves for whatever awaited them on the other side of the door. However, as they stepped outside, the harsh sunlight struck them like a wall, draining away their motivation and sapping their willingness. Now, they just felt forced.

"Ugh, it's too hot for this," Muichiro drawled, walking off the porch steps.

"I know... this sucks."

Just before they could approach the sidewalk—because yes, the manor wasn't as isolated as they thought it was—something suddenly collided with Muichiro's foot. With an instinctive jolt, he looked down to face the culprit. To his surprise, it was a soccer ball, sitting innocuously at his feet.

"I think it belongs to them," Genya said, pointing across the street to the three peculiar guys waving.

"Hmm, probably," Muichiro agreed, picking the ball up from the ground with a sigh. "I'm going to go give it back to them. Can you come with me?"

He looked back at Genya, a pleading glimmer in his eyes that the taller one couldn't bring himself to ignore. It's not like he was ever going to say no to Muichiro, but the puppy doll eyes definitely meant extra brownie points somewhere.

"Yeah, that's no biggie," he said, the warmth on his cheeks subsiding as Muichiro eventually looked away.

The boy was a simp.

As the two began to cross the street, blatantly jaywalking as petty as it was, they approached the three on the other side. Muichiro, with his usual nonchalance, tossed the ball to one of the boys, who caught it with a swift, practiced ease.

"Thanks!" the boy said, smiling brightly. His auburn hair gleamed in the afternoon sun, and a pair of hanafuda earrings dangled from his ears, swaying slightly with each movement. A red birthmark marked his left temple, adding a unique charm to his cheerful demeanor. He stood tall, the tallest among the trio, with an air of approachable confidence.

"Hey, I'm Tanjiro," he introduced himself, his smile broadening.

Beside him, a boy with a wild mane of yellow hair streaked with orange tips nodded enthusiastically. His bushy eyebrows seemed almost too big for his face, and a flat mole sat above his paper-thin lips. Despite his somewhat quirky appearance, there was a certain warmth in his eyes. "I'm Zenitsu," he said, offering a nervous but friendly grin.

The third boy, who was shorter than the others, stood with a defiant posture. His black hair, tinged with blue highlights, framed his face and stopped just at his shoulders. He wore a set of blue braces that stood out when he flashed a challenging smile. Black studs pierced his ears, giving him an edgy look. "The names Inosuke!" he introduced himself, his tone confident and loud.

Muichiro nodded in acknowledgment. "I'm Muichiro, and this is Genya," he said, gesturing towards his companion.

Genya gave a polite nod, his calm and relaxed demeanor contrasting sharply with Inosuke's energetic presence. "Nice to meet you all," he said, his voice steady and composed.

As they stood there, the boys seemed to size each other up, their introductions serving as the first step towards what could be an interesting and dynamic interaction. The apartments on that side of the road bustled with activity, but in that moment, the five of them were focused on each other, a new chapter of acquaintance just beginning.