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

Part 14: Something Easy

"You're not going to sleep, Zenitsu?" Tanjirou questioned, leaving an empty space on the left part of the futon for the blonde. His eyes were heavy and the subtle lull of the futon made it hard for him to stay awake.

"I'm going to take a stroll outside for a bit," Zenitsu replied quietly, his arms already opening the shoji screen.

"You want me to come with?"

Zenitsu shook his head. "No. I won't be gone long."

"Really?" Tanjirou shifted on the sheets anxiously.

"Really. Besides, you need rest."

Tanjirou's silence was filled by Nezuko's light snores. "Alright. Be safe."

Zenitsu shot Tanjirou a brief smile before exiting the room.

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Zenitsu walked around the garden, seemingly in circles. His footsteps were light as to not disturb the mansion's tenants. Occasionally, he stopped and picked a few flowers, holding them together like a bouquet.

He hummed a song as he picked the sweet-scented flowers. Zenitsu's sense of smell wasn't as strong as his hearing, but he could tell when a flower smells particularly good.

"Is killing flowers a hobby of yours?" A voice suddenly appeared from behind the blonde, making him jump and spill the flowers out of his grasp.

"Hey! Don't just jump on people like that!!"  Zenitsu complained. He turned his body around to reveal a disapproved Yushiro folding his arms.

"What?" Yushiro snarled after seeing Zenitsu's irritated glare.

"At least say when you're behind me! What if I die of a heart attack?!"

"One less demon in the world, I guess." Yushiro's words stabbed like a knife on Zenitsu's heart.

That hurt.

Yushiro noticed the sudden mood drop from the blonde and cleared his throat. "So, what's with those?" He gestured to the puddle of flowers surrounding Zenitsu.

As if he forgot, Zenitsu stared at the flowers absentmindedly before he squatted down and hurriedly gathered them together. "None of your business!" He pouted.

"Seeing as you got them from my garden, it is my business!"

"Right!" Zenitsu said. "Thanks for the flowers, by the way."

"You're very welcome," Yushiro spat, unfolding his arms to reveal a thin, red book. "What?"

Zenitsu stared at the book curiously, his head drew closer to Yushiro. "What's that book?"

"It's a book about demons," Yushiro put the book in front of Zenitsu's eyes. "Read the title."

"Hmm... 'Unexpected Cures By The Magic of Demons'..." Zenitsu read the title aloud. He raised his eyebrow then looked at Yushiro, then at the book, then at Yushiro again. "Is this for real?"

Yushiro shrugged. "Dunno. That's why I'm reading it," He pulled the book to himself and began flipping through the pages. "It's pretty interesting." He slammed the book closed. "Though some of the things written here are pretty sketchy."

Curiously, Zenitsu spotted a half-truth from the white-haired boy. He decided to tread this conversation carefully. "For example?"

"Like hell am I gonna read it to you like a bedtime story!" Yushiro growled. The sudden aggression in his voice caused the blonde to whimper. "Anyway, you haven't answered my first question."

"Hm?" Zenitsu tilted his head in confusion. Yushiro stared at the flowers in his hand and Zenitsu followed his gaze. "Oh, these!"

"Yeah, those."

"It's... for Tanjirou." Zenitsu awkwardly admitted. His answer left Yushiro in laughter.

"I knew it!"

"E-excuse me?"

"You two are a thing!"

The blonde raised his arms in protest. "You've got it all wrong!" Zenitsu said, raising his voice. He buried his flushed face on the bouquet. "It's just! Tanjirou has always been there for me!! I wanted to give him something at least..."

"Might I suggest..." Yushiro put his hand in front of his mouth and moved it back and forth.

"Wha-?!" Zenitsu's face got redder by the second. "I-I told you we're not like that!"

"Jeez, what's with the discrimination against friends with benefits?" Yushiro said in a condescending tone, yet Zenitsu could tell he was having fun picking on the blonde. And that fact annoyed Zenitsu even more.

"Hush! I don't wanna hear another word coming out of your mouth!!"

"Y'know, the first time I saw Tanjirou, I thought he had the hots for his sister."

"Oh my god." Zenitsu couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"But only now do I realize. He isn't a sis-con, merely, he's a demon-con!"

"What?!" Zenitsu was utterly appalled at Yushiro's words. He sighed audibly. "C'mon, don't do my friend dirty like that."

Yushiro laughed hysterically. "I can't help it! You two are just too funny!"

"Huh?!"

"Ever since I first met you, you always look so lovey-dovey with Tanjirou. It's hilarious!" He cackled. "I love seeing that smitten expression of your face. Makes you look so dumb!"

Zenitsu gasped in realization. "So that's why you were always looking at us with that weird look!"

"Aw, was my face that obvious? It's your fault for being so stupid! Haha!" His laughing fit ended when Zenitsu threw a flower bundle at his face. "Ow- Hey!"

"And you're so annoying! Such a pest!!" Zenitsu scowled. Yushiro glared as he wiped away the pollen off of his face. He thought about beating the demon in front of him up but a bright idea popped in his head.

Yushiro chuckled under his breath. Zenitsu could detect a hint of malice from the boy. This was bad.

Suddenly, the white-haired boy hurled his book directly at Zenitsu's head, knocking him to the ground. "Oops," He innocently said.

"Oops, my ass!" Zenitsu hissed, chucking the piece of literature away from his face.

"Hey, it was an accident!" Zenitsu knew Yushiro was lying and clicked his tongue. Yushiro whistled. "What I wanted to do was give it to you. I guess I did it too... violently."

"You wanted to give this the book to me?" Zenitsu asked suspiciously. "Why?"

"Like I said, it's interesting." Zenitsu couldn't sense any lies in that statement. "You should give it a read. Since you're new in the whole demon business."

"I've been a demon for a couple of months now!"

"Whatever, I bet you haven't even used your blood demon art."

Zenitsu's eyes widened. How did he know?

"Bulls-eye," Yushiro smirked proudly. "Just read the goddamn book. I did some of the practices there and it worked." He turned his back and walked away.

Zenitsu merely stared at his detaching back. He picked up the book and brushed away some of the dirt on the cover. "...Might as well give it a read."

After Yushiro was quite far from Zenitsu, he muttered under his breath, "Some of the instructions are fake, though. Not that he should know, heh."

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author's note :
thanks for reading!! the next chapter should be out a day after this one. im so sorry i didnt stick to my schedule the last update! 😭😭😭