✻|| 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮 ||✶ - 鬼滅の刃

【𝓖𝓮𝓷𝔂𝓪】

↠Fluff
↠Fem Reader

Word Count - 1076
Tatemae (建前) - Published 12/13/20

Tatemae (建前): What a person pretends to believe; the behavior and opinions one must display to satisfy society's demands.
»»———————————————————««

"Stop being grumpy, it's lame."

Sitting upon the shaded engawa, your legs crossed lazily along one another, leaning your body back to fall against the wooden surface. Your cheeks puffed out in slight anger, or was it annoyance? Anyways, you refused to glance at the stiff boy beside you.

You had just finished sparring with Genya, for you'd agreed to help him practice with not only his swordsmanship, but other abilities as he proved unable to use any breathing techniques. So during one of your matches, the boy had gained the upper hand quite a few times throughout your attacks, and right as he was about to deal the final blow, you had caught him by surprise, easily flipping his towering figure to the ground.

So losing to you—a girl—out of all things really damaged his ego. He refused to lose to someone who wasn't a Hashira, for he knew then he'd never be able to impress and live up to the standards of his brother. Turning from the sweet boy into a salty prick at the snap of your fingers, Genya had refused to continue with you for the rest of the day.

He begrudgingly placed himself along the engawa, finding a sudden interest in cleaning his already pristine sword, as he ignored your tempting calls and forms of persuasion to get him back at it once again. Calling his name for the umpteenth time, you then collapsed beside him where he still refused to notice your presence.

The Shinazugawa was a stubborn boy, and you swore that even with your best efforts to rile him up to battle you, the overwhelming sour nature he possessed got the best of him. You could clearly see the determination that swirled in his eyes, which you were sure was what made him so powerful now despite not handling a sword properly, and you could only wonder why a minor setback would snuff out that fire.

After training with the boy for quite some time now, you knew that teasing him about it wouldn't be very helpful, so you decided to try another approach. Silently shuffling closer to Genya's occupied figure, you grabbed ahold of his chin to turn his gaze to your own, now completely face-to-face.

You didn't say anything when his cheeks erupted into a deep crimson, harboring the same serious look as his own dark eyes eventually flickered up to meet yours. Genya had just gotten used to being around you after spending so much time, and now you finally had to touch him in such a intimately-pure way without really any intention. It made him nervous as hell, floundering about what to say.

"Don't you want to get stronger, Genya? If you give up so quickly it'll be harder to reach the Hashira position... And... Sanemi..."

A careful sigh passed your lips, your brows frowning as a small pout painted upon your lips. Genya's hands tightly grasped the fabric of his hakama pants, biting his bottom lip as his eyes drifted away from your innocent expression. He really couldn't think when you were looking at him like that, sending his heart thundering away due to the simple image of your unintendedly cute face.

Your hand slipped from him, and he was oh so grateful, afraid that feeling your soft skin against his chin for a single moment more would cause him to black out. Taking a moment to mull over your words, a slight scowl awaited your disappointed figure, his lips mumbling out a quiet phrase of surrender.

"It doesn't matter anymore... It's not like I'd ever become that strong anyways..."

Your heart dropped, seeing his hopeless gaze as it settled on anything but you. Wilting at his quiet chose of words, you couldn't stand to see the boy like this for even a moment longer. Hastily reaching for his hands, you held them with a tight squeeze, pulling his body closer to face you—determined to rekindle that burning passion in his eyes. Such pure determination sparkled in your own bright eyes, an unnoticeable light blush dusting your own cheeks.

"I believe in you, Genya! You certainly can become as strong as your brother as long as you try!"

Pushing up from the engawa, your warm hands never left his own as you shifted along your feet. Squeezing his fingers tight in your grip, a curled smile drew along your lips, and that previous dark haze clouding his better judgement had vanished.

You... Believed in him?

He gazed, completely dumbfounded up at your vivacious form, the light sensations of your gentle touch sending his nerves in a frenzy. Searching for any false signs along your face, it hadn't really helped when your own nervous smile grew.

Oh how badly did he want to burst into tears that moment, his face burning a deep crimson as the fiery heat crept to the tips of his ears. Your soft voice made his heart thunder painfully within his chest, and the mere confirmation of your own faith in him made Genya forget about the consuming demands his mind made.

To finally gain the respect—the faith of someone after so long, it felt so good to finally trust in himself, and his efforts. Perhaps all of this wasn't a waste at all, because you quickly chimed in your own words of compassion. If someone could believe in him—his poor and withered soul—then he'd be willing to go the extra mile.

Noticing the way his dark eyes became glossy in a growing instant, your hand tugged his towering figure to stand alongside you, never loosening your grip. The previous tension that filled the estate had now vanished, and it now felt right to offer what little hope you could.

"C'mon," you beckoned, your feet shuffling along to urge the taller boy behind you. "I know you can beat me this time!"

And the instant your small hand slipped from his very own, an auspicious smile tugged the corners of his lips, and he frantically reached to wipe away at his budding tears. A faint laugh escaped him at that moment, and he could only play along—rushing after you to retake your hand in his.

"Wait up!"

»»———————————————————««