Let Me Down Slowly (Kamado Tanjirou x Agatsuma Zenitsu from Demon Slayer)

Part 5: Half Of What You Think Of Me

The birds chirped as they greeted the sun's rising. Tanjirou trod upon the wet grass, his back carrying nothing. Nezuko was left in the Butterfly Estate to accompany Zenitsu, since they got along well before. Though at first Tanjirou seemed conflicted in leaving Nezuko, he decided that it would be fine for her to be alone since she was under the supervision of the tsuguko and Kanao.

It has been a month since Zenitsu turned into a demon. It has been a month since he last went outside of a building.

Tanjirou stopped in front of the estate's wooden door. He reached out to knock on it but then something caught his eye. On the short distance, he could see Inosuke carrying... a box? The design was similar to that of Nezuko's crate. But that wasn't the only thing that reeked of familiarity to Tanjirou. No, the box contained what smelled to be a demon.

"Uh, Inosuke?"

Inosuke halted on his path, right beside Tanjirou. "Yeah?"

"What's, uh, what's with that box?"

"Oh, this one?" He reached behind and patted the box, shaking it slightly. "Zenitsu's in it."

"Huh? Really?" Astonished, Tanjirou took a closer look at it, feeling the wooden surface. "Zenitsu? Can you hear me?"

The only response Tanjirou got was a thick groan. Yeah, it was definitely Zenitsu. His voice made Tanjirou smile. That whining and annoyed tone meant that Zenitsu went back to normal. At least, the most normal he's ever gotten.

Inosuke and Tanjirou stood there for a while before Inosuke cleared his throat. "Yeah, sooo..." He said, catching Tanjirou's attention. "I wasn't like, doing anything with him... or anything," Inosuke stumbled on his own words, trying to explain the situation to Tanjirou (and himself). "Yeah it's just, we went for a walk and that's that. Nothing worth talking about." Hearing that, Tanjirou merely raised an eyebrow.

"Oookay?" Zenitsu's voice came out of the box, shuffling himself a bit inside. "Like, what are you implying here?"

Irritated, Inosuke smacked Zenitsu's box, causing the boy inside to grunt. "I'm not implying anything, that's the opposite of what I'm trying to do!" Before he continued, he shot a suspecting glance at Tanjirou, making the latter flinch. "I'm just saying that we're only out for a walk, s'all."

"Oh!" Tanjirou beamed. "That's great! You two are really getting along, huh?"

"Not even close," The two boys facing Tanjirou exclaimed in sync. After realizing that, Inosuke snarled loudly.

"Unbelievable," He scoffed, then proceeded to take off the bands strapping the box to his back and threw Zenitsu to Tanjirou. Luckily, Tanjirou's fast reflexes allowed him to catch the box before it crashed to the ground.

When he caught the crate, he could hear an "Oof!" coming inside it.

"H-hey, Inosuke?!" The door opened and Inosuke stormed inside in a fit of rage, leaving Tanjirou confused.

"And here I am being considerate," The boar-masked boy's voice could be heard from a fairly far distance. "I just didn't want you to think we're on a date or anything, jeez!"

As he was walking on the stone pathway, his shoulder bumped into Aoi's. The only thing he left her was a nasty glare and a bad atmosphere.

"What's that guy's problem?" She asked, turning to face Tanjirou. He shrugged and proceeded to enter the Estate. Before he could step inside, Aoi called out, "Oh, wait!"

"Yes?" He turned back to face the girl.

"Tomorrow night, the estate is going to arrange a party," She elaborated. "I'd like it if you two came too."

"That sounds great!"

"So you'll come?"

Tanjirou had the urge to instantly nod, but there was something in the back of his mind. "Uh. Well, I don't know. With all these missions I'm getting, I'm not sure if I can."

She giggled, "Oh, call me extra but I kinda asked Shinobu to delay your missions a bit," Tanjirou raised an eyebrow hearing her words. Parties are fun but duties should come first. Aoi noticed his unease and before continuing, she pondered a bit. "Alright, It sounds bad but it's just for one night! Please?"

Tanjirou curled his lips to a gentle smile, not wanting to disappoint the girl, "Well there's no helping it then. What's the occasion?"

Aoi returned the gesture, "It's kinda my birthday tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Zenitsu could hear everything from inside the box. And he could already predict how the party will go.

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"Listen, Tanjirou, I can't."

"Zenitsu, you're being inconsiderate."

"How many times do I have to tell you this?"

"It's Aoi's birthday! Just for a while, I'm sure it'll make her happy just seeing you there."

"I-"

A blonde and a raven-haired boy's voice could be heard from outside the tightly closed room dimly lit by a candle. Zenitsu's face painted the whole atmosphere gloomy, as he planted a worried expression on his face. Besides the two of them, a girl with a pink kimono could be seen frolicking about in the futon.

"I don't think she'd notice if I wasn't there," The blonde boy said irritatedly.

"Of course she would!" The tone in Tanjirou's voice was rasp, and Zenitsu could tell he wasn't enjoying this dialogue. "Why are you so against going to the party, anyway?"

Zenitsu bit his lip. "Don't make me say it."

Tanjirou's response was only a confused look and a 'Hm?'.

With a sunken look, Zenitsu asked Tanjirou, "Do you really think her guests would like a demon to come to her party?"

Hearing that statement, Tanjirou's face twitched. The sudden realization of how much being a demon weighs heavily on Zenitsu's mind made Tanjirou's heart sink. How could he be so ignorant towards his friend? Tanjirou admitted that he had been a bit busier the past week. Fighting demons, running errands, tending Nezuko, but the one thing he hasn't done was helping Zenitsu. And here he was, forcing Zenitsu to go to a party he knows he won't enjoy.

"Zenitsu, I-"

"Sorry, Tanjirou. If I went there, I'd bring everyone nothing but bad luck," Zenitsu intervened.

"I know," Tanjirou's tone was soft. He flashed an apologetic smile to Zenitsu. "But just for a moment. Just until you meet Aoi and congratulate her, I bet it'll make her ecstatic."

"Tanjirou..."

"Please?"

Before Zenitsu could refuse, he thought for a bit. As if against his own will, he nodded. "Okay," He muttered, more to himself than anything.

"Thank you, Zenitsu."
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author's note :
this slow burn fic is making me lose my hair bc i just,,  i wanna make something cutesy but at this point of time they still haven't realized their true feelings for each other?? help?????