Forbidden Love | 炭治郎

09| apology

I gently petted Nezuko's head as she laid on my lap. She was smiling at me through her eyes and had her eyes closed, feeling comfortable in my warmth as I smiled. Then, someone sat next to me, making me advert my attention towards them.

"H-Hey..." said Zenitsu as he gave me a small wave with an awkward smile.

I stayed silent for a while before speaking in a quiet voice, " Aren't you scared of me...?"

"S-Scared?" His eyes widened as he shook his head. "N-No, no! I-It's that we were surprised and we're just trying to organize our thoughts."

"Then, why can I smell fear from you...?"

"It's probably just because I'm worried about you, but are you still human?"

"Human? Not anymore at least." I smiled as I stared at the flooring. "But the way I have been with you guys is still the same as I haven't killed anyone other than demons."

"Th-That's true..." I see him clench the pants that they gave us, his hands shaking slightly.

I hear the door slide open, following with the voices of Tanjirou and Inosuke. I felt myself tremble, but Tanjirou noticed and petted my head softly, a gentle smile on his face as he sat down next to me. I smiled back at me and let out a small sigh as Nezuko fell asleep and Zenitsu moved over to sit across from me and next to Inosuke. Then, I explained everything from the very beginning. The atmosphere grew tense as I started feeling nervous, but Tanjirou, even though he had a hard time processing everything, helped comfort me in my time of need. Tears started forming in my eyes and I wiped them away, but they kept coming back.

"I-I'm sorry for being so emotional..." My voice cracked.

Tanjirou wrapped his arms around me as I cried into his shoulder as he stroked my head gently.

"It's okay, (Y/n). I know it must've been hard to keep it in for so long..." He said in a soft voice, which helped me calm down a bit. "Could you two leave us alone for a while please?"

I hear Zenitsu and Inosuke leave without saying a word. I calmed down after a few minutes and thanked him, apologizing for everything, but he petted my head, still smiling.

"It's alright, (Y/n). You've helped us, even though you had to kill me just to be with your family..." His voice grew softer.

I looked at him and could see he was trying to hold back tears. I gave him a small smile and gently caressed his cheek with my bandaged hand as a tear rolled down my cheek.

"But now I want to protect everyone I love, especially you, Tanjirou..." I let out a small giggle as both our faces grew warm.

He smiled as his tears finally fell from his face as he held my bandaged hand in his, staring at me as his eyes softened. He gently moved my hand from his cheek and brought his face closer to mines. My face burned up as I could feel his hot breath tickle against my bare skin as our noses almost touched and his eyes were already closed.

"Can we come back in now-??" Inosuke's voice made Tanjirou jump and he backed up away from me, looking somewhat annoyed and upset.