When a distinctive tap sounds by the window, Zenitsu assumes it's the wind. There's a storm out after all. It's only natural to think so. Or, more accurately, it's only natural to pretend that you do when you're given the choice between staying wrapped up under the Kotatsu and enjoying your dinner with friends or journeying to your next death trap.

"New mission…! New mission…!"

This works for all of a blissful forty seconds before the tapping gets more persistent and the Kasugai crow opens its yap. Sure enough, one very soaked talking blur swoops into the room. Before anyone had any time to react, its wings sprayed water in every which direction and on top of their food like a dog. Inosuke is evidently not very happy. "Hey, you dumb bird, are you trying to pick a fight?!"

"New mission…!"

Zenitsu felt like choking. "We have a new one already?! We just got back yesterday!"

"That's not my problem, caw!" Little know-it-all was just mad that he wasn't nearly as cute as Chuntaro. To his utter horror and almost like he read his mind, those beady eyes were aimed straight at Zenitsu next. The blond in question flinched back. What, what was he going to do? Did his ability to talk extend to executing the weak who offended him too? "Also, Zenitsu Agatsuma has a letter. Letter for Zenitsu Agatsuma…!"

Tanjirou, the only reasonable one of the group, lifts an arm for the creature to land on before looking to it in question. "When would you like for us to depart?"

"Tomorrow bright and early in the Southwest direction. Reports of a snake demon in the Southwest direction eating the young who wander after dark…!"

No. No way.

"T-TANJIROU!" Zenitsu screeches at the same time that Inosuke cheers in the background. "This is definitely, most certainly and one hundred percent a BAD IDEA! Did you know that snakes are carnivores that swallow their prey WHOLE AND SLOWLY KILL THEM WITH STOMACH ACID?! I don't want to become a snake, I'm too young! They're one of my seven greatest fears. IN FACT, IT'S THIRD BEHIND SPIDERS AND JELLYFISH! Are we really going to go?! I'm seriously going to die!"

"When you die, can I have all of your portions at dinner?"

Tanjirou, who was about to reply to idiot number one, switches priority to idiot number two. "Inosuke!"

"It's okay, Tanjirou." Oh, those must be tears running out of his eye sockets. Half of him is terrified while the other half so very proud. "Inosuke actually asked this time. He's trying so hard to be better!"

"Moron, caw!" The Kasugai crow was merciless, jumping off of the brunet's shoulder to peck menacingly at frayed gold locks. "At least read the letter someone spent time to write for you before dying, moron!" This was not how Zenitsu pictured spending his evening, news of death coming the next day and a crow's foot shoved in his face where a rolled-up piece of paper was tied. Gingerly unraveling it, the talking bird finally seemed satisfied enough with Zenitsu to retreat back out the window.

The words written on the page were the last thing he expected. In hindsight, maybe he shouldn't have read them out loud for everyone to hear.

You are invited to Jigoro Kuwajima's wedding.

Considering the circumstances, Zenitsu thinks his scream of horror is justified. "WHAAAAT?"

Inosuke is on his feet with his swords out in a second. "Huh?! What happened?!"

But alas, Zenitsu is too far gone in his despair: pretty much how he is for about sixty percent of his life. "At his age…? Even Gramps got married before I could?! THIS IS A CRUEL WORLD! This isn't fair. This is discrimination! Are girls into old men?! I have so many questions."

Completely missing the point, Tanjirou seems delighted. "Wow, congratulations!"

"The heck is a wedding? Can I beat it up?"

That statement is wisely ignored as Tanjirou goes to pick up the poor piece of paper that was dropped in the shock of the situation. Scanning the top of the page, he finds the target information almost immediately. "It says that the ceremony is next week."

Zenitsu pales. "N-No, I'm okay. I think I'll stay with you guys-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Zenitsu. From what I've heard from you about your master, you two are really close! It's not often that you can share such an amazing moment with a family member."

"Y-You know wh-what!" His voice raises an entire octave while his lungs felt crushed in memories of those months of training. "All of a sudden, I feel like going on a mission! Preferably one involving a snake demon with a mouth the size of my entire body that can swallow me whole so I can die a nice, peaceful death."

Inosuke chooses that moment to laugh boisterously. "HAHAHA, you're terrified! So this wedding thing is an opponent after all. Guess it's time for me to kill it!"

"No one's killing anyone or dying here!" Poor mother hen Tanjirou.

Zenitsu, unfortunately, does not die on the mission the very next day. On the contrary, compared to other adversaries they've faced, it was really anti-climatic. The boar-masked child of them charged ahead at the sight of glowing eyes behind a shed. Before Zenitsu could even really blink or comprehend being afraid, it was on the ground and dead within one shot.

"You bastard!" Yelling in the middle of the night next to a dumpster probably wasn't a good idea. "That was my chance to bite the dust!"

"Oh suck it up, Monitsu."

Unlike other journeys they've been on where their work remained unnoticed, this town in particular was adamant on making the three Demon Slayers (plus Nezuko) feel right at home. Families thanked them well into the night. They were given free residence at the best house on the block, and stalls lined the streets to celebrate not having to walk past dusk in fear anymore. In the main intersection was the event of the night: a ring where men and women everywhere could test their wooden swordsmanship skills in a haphazard tournament. With the many broken lanterns and torn toys on the ground, they could only assume that evening festivities were an important tradition around these parts.

Seeing as Inosuke did all of the work, he was the center of the party. Offers of flowers and food kept coming and the boy didn't hesitate to dig in like it was his last meal. Basically, it was how he ate all the time in any context.

"May she rest in peace."

Donning his own mask and plate of food, Tanjirou stood aside. Watching the families who weren't so lucky praying to the gravestones never got any easier. But past their grief, he saw that sliver of gratitude that no more deaths had to befall them.

It was sometime between Inosuke switching to the fighting ring and the last firefly departing from the grave that Tanjirou noticed a flash of yellow in his peripheral. Aside from a candy stick in his mouth, Zenitsu seemed completely oblivious to the festivities around him. Golden clothed shoulders were hunched and eyes aimed at the ground as he stalked away.

Was he really that upset?

Without a second of hesitation, Tanjirou followed after him.

It wasn't his place to interfere. He knew that. But all he wanted to be sure of was that everything would be okay. This level of fear was beginning to exceed how Zenitsu tended to act. There was the possibility that his master was truly someone he was afraid of. In that case, Tanjirou wouldn't stand for anyone forcing Zenitsu into going. He wasn't naïve enough to think that all families were like Nezuko and him.

He stopped exactly twenty feet away when he saw his friend browsing a shelf in a corner-store. Wood pieces of various lengths were shaped perfectly into poles that ended in the shape of a handle. The familiar silhouette of Chuntaro sat from atop a blond nest of hair, chirping its approval. After a minute of speaking with the owner, the boy pointed to the one on the highest shelf, a walking stick made out of peach wood and with the kanji for 'love' engraved on its side.

Tanjirou couldn't help but gasp.

Even from here, he could tell that it was beautiful. But more than that, the sight of the genuine smile adorning Zenitsu's face as he wrapped it up in furoshiki cloth very nearly took his breath away. Not just because of the action, or because the moon above seemed to hit him perfectly, but when his melodious scent was free of stress, smelling peaceful and sweet.

His first instinct was to come out of his hiding spot and (?) whisk the boy away in his arms until that happiness and scent of adoration were imprinted in his memory. His second more rational and thankfully dominant instinct convinced him to run off and pretend that he hadn't seen or more importantly smelt anything.

Breaking down past two alleyways, he finds himself smack in the middle of the celebration for Inosuke's fifteenth undefeated match. It didn't take long for the Demon Slayer to spot him in the crowd. "FINALLY…! There you are! Fight me before I fall asleep from how easy this competition is."

"A-Ah, sure th-thing…!" The boar mask lowers to regard him suspiciously.

"Did you get in a fight or something, Gonpachiro?! Your face is all red!"

Tanjirou felt like dying on the spot. "Sh-SHHHH! Not so loud, please, Inosuke!"

Thankfully, the other dropped the topic. In the face of receiving a challenge to battle, Inosuke had a tendency to forget everything else. Tanjirou felt horrible about taking advantage of that when he stepped into the ring, but that guilt was instantly crushed when he felt his stomach being tackled and sent nearly flying out of bounds. The figure of Nezuko carrying a goldfish cheered for them in the sidelines even as their bout inevitably ended in a tie.

"DAMMIT!" Inosuke still wasn't happy with that, rubbing his boar mask in the spot where he was head butted and barely avoided losing consciousness. "I want a rematch."

"No rematch."

The three end up retiring for the night when Nezuko begins yawning in place of taking in everything that she could set her eyes on. Crossing the threshold of the hot springs inn they're staying at, he settles her inside her box before anything else. Call Tanjirou a sap, but he would always be willing to hum a quiet lullaby to her. Just like their mother used to, his sister is out like a light within seconds.

That's around the time when they hear the sliding door open to the sight of their third party member. Most noticeably was that he was carrying a way higher number of packages than Tanjirou remembers last seeing him with.

He sets his face into a smile. The previous events that he had only recently managed to put to the back of his mind resurfaced once again. "W-Welcome back, Zenitsu…! Oh, wow. You sure were out late-! Where d-did you get those bags from?"

Zenitsu stares at him blankly. Then, he crosses the distance between them in a chilling silence. Before Tanjirou can really react, he feels his cheeks being pinched apart. "WHAT'S WITH THE WEIRD EXPRESSION, HUH…?! You're really bad at lying and even worse at sneaking around, you know!" As if he'd ever be able to ignore Tanjirou's sound if it was even within a mile radius. But Zenitsu has and always will keep that to himself. Stretched face is only relieved of the pain when his assailant switches attention to the objects between his arms. Zenitsu makes quick work of tossing one package to Inosuke and handing over two to Tanjirou. "Here, these are for you guys and Nezuko-chan."

The two recipients of the gifts make eye contact first in surprise before opening their gifts, one tearing it apart while the other is careful not to ruin the wrapping. Guess who is who? Zenitsu almost let out a snort at how different they are. Soon enough, both Inosuke and Tanjirou are left holding a male yukata in the air, its material of the finest silk and a shimmering pattern of cherry blossoms over blue and brown. Each of them came with a headpiece of crystals embroidered on fake petals dyed in a stunning gradient of blue and attached to a branch.

Wait… seriously?

Even Inosuke seemed speechless.

Tanjirou feels his vision blurring. "Ze-Zenitsu, this is way too expensive for me to accept-"

"Don't give me that! I had the money saved up so it's fine. They're Gramps' and his fiancée's favourite colours and what everyone is wearing to the wedding ceremony. Maybe I went a little overboard with the material and brand but who cares? What am I going to do if you two show up in rags or if heaven forbid, Inosuke comes shirtless?! Don't blame me if Gramps kills me after that!"

…Did Zenitsu not realize what a big deal this was? From his demeanor, he really didn't. In fact, from what Tanjirou could pick up, this wasn't the first time he had done something like this.

To both their shock, it's Inosuke who pips up next. Tanjirou was really glad that they managed to explain what a wedding was to him the night prior. "We're invited too?"

"Of course. You guys are my family- OH MY GOD! Inosuke, are you crying?!" Sure enough, they could pick up a stream of tears spilling out from beneath the boar mask. "NO! Stop it! Stop it right now, it's so freaky seeing that from you!"

"SHUT UP! It's not like I'm touched or anything, you cheese stick!"

Zenitsu might've shouted something back. They might've even gotten into an argument over who would look more ridiculous dolled up and walking Kuwajima down the aisle, but all Tanjirou could do was silently knock on Nezuko's box, everything else fading into white noise. The girl awakens with one drowsy eye. However, all signs of sleep disappear when she peers down at the clothing in curiosity.

"Nezuko, your nii-chan is sorry that he can't always buy nice clothes for you." He loves their family, knows that his father and mother had more than enough love to compensate, but they weren't always the most-well-off. Especially after their family shrunk to a size of two. "But we have friends now. We're not alone anymore. Let me braid you hair tonight, just like old times, okay?"

When she beams, Tanjirou feels ever more proud to call her his sister. "MMHM!"

-U-U-U-U-U-

Everyone has a different heartbeat.

Sometimes when around others they care about, the beat changes. It could quicken, it could get slower, or adopt a different rhythm entirely. Even when feelings and circumstances about that person changes, maybe they cheated on you or stabbed you in the back, the sound doesn't often completely alter its chords. They were like emotions in that kind of twisted way.

Inosuke, for instance, always had a heart that spoke of fight and excitement. He never stopped wanting to aim higher. His beat that bled out dominance around Zenitsu faded into more of a reluctant rivalry as soon as Tanjirou walked by. The most surprising was the faintest hint of guilt when it came to Nezuko, probably caused by the memory of nearly killing her when they first met. It was unfounded of course, as Zenitsu knew from Nezuko's heartbeat that she never really resented him for it at all.

Tanjirou's was more difficult to decipher. He was kind to everyone and it showed in his sound. Back then, the tempo only really changed when around Nezuko. It was shortly after meeting that he noticed a shift in how he sounded when around Inosuke and himself. That seemed obvious. But what was truly frustrating was when Tanjirou couldn't seem to settle for one sound when around Zenitsu.

It started as reluctance at first, reluctance and not outright disgust, he couldn't fathom why. However, it then morphed to gratitude. Zenitsu waited for the day that it would change again and sure enough, disappointment was the next sound assigned to him. Hearing such an awful tinge to such a wonderful sound given off by one person almost caused Zenitsu to want to leave, rather than wait for Tanjirou to abandon him on his own. But before he could act on it, the beat settled into a mixture of amazement, reluctance again, and something else that he'd never heard before. It got to the point where Zenitsu just simply couldn't read him at all.

With the days that the trio spent walking, it was a wonder that Zenitsu had so much time to dwell on such strange thoughts. The peach orchard that he used to live at was still a few hours away. They were just about to cross through a neighboring town when an absolutely awful stench stopped all of them in their tracks.

Racing out of the forest, they all stop at the sight in front of them. It was like a scene from his worst nightmare (among two-hundred and fifty-five of them but who's counting). His jaw drops at the houses, benches, toys, food, and even wagons left abandoned on the streets and growing a sickly amount of mold. The epidemic reached even the houses, rotting away half the structures and leaving families stranded in the cold.

A woman runs up to them, relief on her face. "Oh, thank goodness! Are you demon slayers? Our town has been terrorized by a mold demon for weeks now and I don't know if we can keep surviving."

"REALLY, MOLD…?!" True to his exclamation, Zenitsu hurries to clutch at Gramps' wedding gift in panic. "Sure, pick a day when I'm carrying half my life savings in an easily targetable form to show up, will you?! I've heard stories about this, Tanjirou! It's a bad omen! It's a sign that the great God doesn't want this! We're going to show up to the ceremony a day late, bloody, and in rotting-"

Tanjirou promptly smacks him. He doesn't bother to listen to Zenitsu's responding protest in exchange for turning to the lady with reassurance. "Don't worry. The two of us will take care of the demon!"

Zenitsu is just about to screech again but stops. "HUH…?! Two…?"

Inosuke laughs confidently, crossing his swords. "You heard the guy, Zensuki! Take all our stuff and go ahead without us. Kentaro and I are more than enough for this demon."

"By the smell, it does seem like the opponent is weak and doesn't know how to control their powers." Tanjirou ends the sentence by helping to gather the wedding clothes in a neat pile and handing them to Zenitsu. "Besides, you can get some quality time with your master before we show up."

Soft, too soft, Tanjirou's smile was way too soft and the way their fingers brush should not make Zenitsu want to tear up. He does anyway. In a bit of a daze, Zenitsu watches as his friends are ushered into a deeper part of town for the investigation. Nezuko's box sways in a familiar way on Tanjirou's back as the two become smaller on the horizon. It feels wrong. So often he had been left behind that it now felt like he was doing the exact same thing on the other end. Now it seemed like he was abandoning them.

It's okay to cry and run away, but don't ever give up.

Zenitsu breathes in then hollers. "Y-YOU GUYS BETTER NOT DIE, OKAY?! IF YOU DON'T SHOW UP WITHIN TWO DAYS, I'M COMING BACK FOR YOU!"

"GOT'CHA!" It was Tanjirou who yelled it back. Of course it was that idiot.

He wasn't completely alone, he realized as Chuntaro chirps from above and lands back in his favourite spot on Zenitsu's head. "…Just the two of us traveling by ourselves again, huh Chuntaro?"

"Chun!"

"I already miss them too."

Preparing for a much quieter last leg of his journey, it's unexpected how nostalgic he feels. The forest that he used to hide in all the time, the path that rich travelers and their really attractive daughters would pass on a daily basis, and the sounds of nature around him changed so much yet still remained exactly the same. A family of ducks nearby had a new generation of ducklings. A few new houses were built that he'd never seen before. Most notably, as he spotted a peach orchard in the distance, the trees thrived and stood even taller than they did before, almost as if growing alongside Zenitsu.

Which is why the first thing that happened as he entered the property shouldn't have been as much of a shock as it was.

"AAAAAAAHHHHEEEE, WHAT THE HECK?!"

A rope trap by his feet sends Zenitsu screaming through the air until he's hanging upside-down from a branch in the garden. Poor Chuntaro flies in circles around him in panic. A pit of dread opens in his gut as the telltale laugh that he's heard so many times sends him flinching and flailing in fear.

Damn Gramps…!

He's crying. He's seriously and honestly crying right now! "Gramps, how could you…?"

Not feeling cruel enough to leave him there, the old man gets to work on lowering him back down. "It's all part of your training!"

"TRAINING…?! I thought I passed when I got through the Final Selection?! I didn't come here for this!"

"Oh but the training never ends, Zenitsu! Don't think you can get very far as a Demon Slayer if you fall for something stupid like this!"

Zenitsu is about to respond with a very clever retort that would convince his dear and loving Gramps into stopping this nonsense when he lands face-first in the dirt. It doesn't take him long to scramble back to his feet. He spat whatever got lodged into his mouth out. Whipping around in frustration, he stops at the sight of him.

"Gramps…?"

The great and mighty Thunder Pillar Kuwajima never did come off as frail in any way. Despite his height and needing assistance to walk, he was about as spry as any other youngster on the street. Those years that he spent on Zenitsu were proof of that. But now…? A few measly months later…? Now the hunch in his back seemed more pronounced than ever, forcing his shoulders in a slouch that he never had before. Now the face was sunken on a man who Zenitsu always thought would scare off wrinkles with a single grin just as he fights off demons and naughty children. Now his eyes were tired like he hadn't gotten sleep in weeks, no longer sharp with the quick wits known to come from a Pillar.

For the first time in his life, Zenitsu realizes that his Gramps is dying of old age.

That that's a thing that can happen.

Noticing the silence, Kuwajima wastes no time in knocking the boy in the head with his stick. "Don't give me that look, boy! How many times do I have to tell you to call me 'master'? And why don't you ever write to me, huh?! I can't even get a letter from my own student."

The familiar tough love doesn't stop the tears from gathering in yellow eyes. "But Gramps…! Y-You're…!"

The shorter of the two finally softens. He leans in, encasing his adopted grandson in his arms. That seemed to be permission enough for the dam to break and Zenitsu to bawl his eyes out. But for once, Kuwajima doesn't lecture him for it. "Look at you, becoming a demon slayer. I still think you're a little shit who needs a lot of work, I'm going to kick as much into you until the inevitable day that I can't, but you're actually growing."

Suddenly, it made a lot more sense why the wedding invitation was so secretive. Gramps didn't want the other Pillars to know about the engagement party. Kagaya Ubuyashiki would've made a huge celebration out of it, but that wasn't what he wanted. Like someone who is about to die musters up the last of their strength to resist one more time before perishing, Gramps wanted a quiet rebellion against the fiends taking the last legs of his life.

When the sobbing finally ends, it's probably been a good five minutes. Zenitsu was always like a human fountain in that way. Kuwajima doesn't waste time in shooing his student inside for some tea. Unraveling Zenitsu's travel package on the table, he's a bit surprised at the extra pairs of yukata. "They're for my friends. They'll be here in the next day or two." That's the only explanation that he gets but it's all Kuwajima needs to breathe a sigh of relief.

He truly hopes that the pathetic little boy who only ever attracted a bad crowd finally made some genuine friends. He shakes his head, putting the cloth away for safe-keeping in a cupboard. "Speaking of your little friends, have you seen Kaigaku around?"

The blond pauses for a fraction of a second. "I-I haven't, sorry."

"I wonder why. You two were so close."

Oh, not this again. Kaigaku was always the favourite between the two of them. Gramps thought the world of him and thought the world of their little family which is why whenever the older one taunted, bullied, and harassed him, Zenitsu kept his mouth shut over and over. It's… best if Gramps stayed oblivious to Kaigaku's true nature. Of course it is, right? "We just drifted apart. Do you know if he's coming?"

"No."

And Kuwajima sounded so depressed at saying so that Zenitsu couldn't help but shove the wedding gift into his waiting hands. "Presents…! I bought a present for you. Only for the best master in the world…!"

It's easy for his Gramps to forget the conversation after that.

That night at dinner is when Zenitsu finally meets his old man's fiancée. Similar to Gramps, she's a short woman looking to be on the cusp of death but none could mistaken the glint of happiness and life within her whenever she look at Kuwajima. He feels a little guilty when the most prominent thing he can detect is that her sound is of similar base to Tanjirou's but not quite as harmonious.

The lady by the name of Ringo fawns over Kuwajima's shiny new walking stick as soon as she's done fawning over Zenitsu. She pinched his cheeks to oblivion and cooed about how cute he was like a grandmother would. Never experiencing that before, he couldn't help but tear up a little. By the time Zenitsu finally gets the chance to nurse his face, he's already learned that she's an apple farmer who met Gramps through trading with his peaches.

It- It was kind of amazing. They decided to marry in order to make the most of the time they had left.

Ever the sharp one when it came to his adopted student, Kuwajima snorts. "I know what you're thinking, Zenitsu. It probably would've been better if we met sooner, right? Huh, well let me tell you that I don't regret a thing. Imagine if we met sooner and had an entire lifetime together, but she was killed in the crossfire because I was the Thunder Pillar? Dwelling on the 'what if's and 'maybe's won't get me anywhere."

Zenitsu blinked. Wow. His Gramps really thought this one through, didn't he? Not only did he seem older in body but strangely he also seemed older in sound and soul as well.

"What is it?" Kuwajima narrows his eyes.

"N-Nothing…!"

Ringo chimes in with an amused laugh. "The boy is contemplating how much getting married to me is changing you for the better, the poor thing."

"I'd REALLY appreciate it if you two stopped reading my mind! I'm seriously going to cry!"

He's ignored. "For the better…?! Please, I'm the best thing that ever happened to you and you know it."

"Whatever you say, Kuwajima…"

"Listen here-" They're cut off from their argument by a burst of laugher. It's an embarrassing sound in Zenitsu's opinion. Nothing but a single genuine snort escaping his mouth only to be quickly covered by his sleeve, he could thank the heavens that Tanjirou and Inosuke weren't here to see it. He didn't even know what came over him, just the singular feeling that sitting here at the dinner table with Gramps and his fiancée felt right.

Ringo smiles. Reaching across the table, she piles more leaf greens onto the teenager's plate. "Enough about your stinky grandpa's love life. What about yours?"

If Zenitsu had ever done a one-eighty in emotion as quickly as he did then, he would give himself a trophy. What was once contentment and joy in his heart quickly morphed into blue horror near his eyes and red embarrassment by his cheeks.

Knowing his student's bad track record, Kuwajima intervenes. "Why do you want to know, dearie? Don't tell me that you're one of those gossiping types."

"Oh, that isn't it at all!" She chuckles from her spot at the table. "Listen here and listen well, Zenitsu-kun. This may be hard to believe but I used to be a shut-in, barely going out at all except to pick apples and visit the grave of my adopted granddaughter. She lost her life to a disease only after turning eighteen."

"Sorry."

"Don't be! But I can say that she was my one love in life for a long time before that. I never found a man that I wanted to be with. All of my friends had moved towns or gotten amazing jobs travelling the world. After she passed away, I thought that falling in love with life again was impossible. Well, look at me now! Rambling on… but meeting Kuwajima has changed everything." Here, his gramps coughed into his napkin, a blush rising to his face. "He knew how awful I could be sometimes, how I'd close myself off but he never gave up despite that. He stuck with me through everything. The world that's been graying for over forty years suddenly looks colourful again."

"I guess what I'm saying is that I'd love to see that fulfillment brought to as many people as possible, just as it did for me."

What was Zenitsu supposed to say to that?

He couldn't. Because he never really thought of it that way.

Despite proposing to every other girl and trying to get together with anyone who would give him the time of day, the actual implications of what falling in love meant left him baffled. Girls were pretty, they were a cute face, two chests, two thighs, and smelled nice. Who wouldn't want to marry and snuggle a really beautiful girl?

But here Gramps and Ringo were, marrying long past their primes where cute faces were wrinkled with age and bodies tiny and frail, looking at each other with much more love and support than all of the other girls Zenitsu tried to be with combined.

Of course he wanted to experience it.

Zenitsu always thought his life was worthless, that he'd die any second. He always thought that anyone would do. But that wasn't it. It couldn't just be anyone. It had to be someone who saw all of his worst sides and all of his best sides and stuck by him anyway. Someone who would reprimand him without abandoning him. Someone who doesn't mind that Zenitsu is weak and can't protect them, as long as he didn't give up, as long as he came back to try again. Someone who was equally flawed and just as frustrating but Zenitsu wouldn't change for the world. Someone who could maybe love him back.

But anyone who really did make Zenitsu feel that way would never think of him like that-

Zenitsu flinched.

…Why?

Why did Tanjirou pop up in his head just then…?

"I see!" Ringo gains a twinkle in her eye. "So there is someone…"

For the life of him, Kuwajima looks the most shocked out of all of them. "Wait, really…?"

He panics. "This is a m-misunderstanding, see-"

"ZENITSU!" When his Gramps stands up suddenly in a motion that reminded Zenitsu of when he was upset, he couldn't help but instinctively recoil back with a whimper. But unexpectedly, Kuwajima suddenly goes in to grab his shoulders. Zenitsu couldn't have ever predicted the teary and happy eyes aimed his way. "Really? Is it true? I get to watch my student and adopted grandson fall in love for real? None of that damned teenage hormone crap? Oh, heavens! I didn't think this would happen soon enough for me to witness it!"

Because he's useless and weak, Zenitsu can't find it in himself to deny at all. His mouth runs faster than his mind can catch up. "Ah, y-yeah! It's true. I am seeing someone."

"How long…?"

How long had he known Tanjirou? Wait, WAIT! Why was he thinking of him again- "A few months."

"A few months…?! I think I'm dreaming. You've been dating for that long and nothing has happened?"

"Wh-Wha- What do you mean nothing has happened?! Who do you take me for?!"

Kuwajima is relentless as he plows on with zero hesitation. "I take you for a dolt whose girlfriend could stab you in the back with a pitchfork and leave your guts spilled out in a well to die and you'd still bring flowers to the next day."

"SO GRAPHIC…?! WHAT THE HELL!" And why the hell was Gramps even thinking Tanjirou would ever do such a thing?! He knew it was illogical to be upset and Zenitsu was the one making the completely mismatched connection but he couldn't help it, dammit!

"Zenitsu, you're sure you haven't double-checked your wallet? Are you missing anything? Some lint, a rice snack…? Anything…?"

As if Tanjirou could ever steal anything from anyone! "Oi, what are you implying about my wallet?"

"What about another guy? Is she seeing another guy behind your back? Zenitsu, I told you that when a significant other does that to you, you can't just put up with it-"

And that was the final straw for him.

"GRAMPS, THAT'S ENOUGH!" The outburst has the rest of the room dead silent, but the adrenaline in Zenitsu's bones doesn't fade in the slightest. "Tanjirou would NEVER do that! He's not that type of person and I wouldn't have stuck by him for so long if he was so shut up!"

A single breath sounds at the table.

That's all it takes for Zenitsu to let out a pathetic 'eep' and slam his hands over his mouth. Oh my god. Oh my god, OH MY GOD! While his mind was racing, he forgot the topic of discussion and focused completely on defending Tanjirou. Of course only someone like him would make such a mistake. Useless, dumb, weak Zenitsu…!

He's cut off from his thoughts when Kuwajima coughs and excuses himself for a glass of water.

It's only Ringo's hand on his shoulder that reminds Zenitsu that she's still here. She looks at him apologetically. Not that she needed to for starting this conversation; it was entirely because of how Zenitsu and his Gramps played off of one another that the situation got so out of hand. At least, that's what he thought. "I suppose I should get going and let you two talk it out." And in a much softer voice, she whispers. "If that old geezer gives you a hard time, feel free to stay over at your auntie Ringo's place. Okay, dear?"

Huh, wait, what? Talk about what…?

It's long after she leaves and Zenitsu is left sitting there contemplating his life decisions that he realizes that his Gramps still hadn't returned from the kitchen. He wants to run away. He really does, but what good would that do? He could only come clean and tell him the truth.

Slowly, Zenitsu slides out from the table to go look for his teacher. It doesn't take long until he finds the old man hunched over the sink. "Gramps…?"

"Zenitsu… despite how much you screamed and cried, you were actually a pretty quiet child." A sniffle is all it takes for him to realize with a start that his grandpa is crying. "You weren't quiet in the traditional way, heaven knows that when it struck you with lightning. But when it came to what you actually thought of yourself? You were silent." Not being able to take much more of this, Zenitsu goes to grab a clean cloth from the counter so to wipe off Kuwajima's tears.

"That's the first time I've ever seen you defend yourself against me so passionately. I'm proud. This person has changed you for the better. I really do get to watch my grandson fall in love before passing this world."

Zenitsu freezes.

No, he definitely can't tell Gramps the truth now.

Not with the man who always wanted his own family to the point of taking a stray like Zenitsu in looking at him like his grandson, looking so much happier and more satisfied with his growth than he ever has before. After all, who knows how long Gramps actually had to wait until someone fell in love with Zenitsu? Probably forever. Maybe it was impossible. If Gramps had a normal grandson who properly trained and didn't cower or scare potential mates away, everything Zenitsu wasn't, he would've been able to experience the joy of doing a good job at raising one. He would've been able to experience being a grandfather one last time before passing away.

And who was Zenitsu to take that away from him?

Grabbing his walking stick from the dining table where it was haphazardly left, Kuwajima gives him one last affectionate whack on the head in thanks before addressing him again. "Don't worry about the dishes. I'll take care of them tomorrow." It's all he says before heading off to his room for sleep.

I'm sorry, Gramps…! I'm sorry, Tanjirou…! Zenitsu internally wails that all he can do to alleviate the guilt is wash the dishes anyway. A tap by the windowsill, those seemed to be the death of him recently, was what brought his attention away from his self-brooding.

"Chun." The sparrow looks at him in pity.

"D-Don't glare at me like that! It just happened, okay?!"

But the fact of the matter was, if this was going to work out, Tanjirou and him had to pretend to be a couple.

Zenitsu didn't know whether to be mortified or strangely embarrassed at the thought.