Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

In a garden, one may plant whatever they may wish depending on what they desire. Some may choose herbs, some decorative plants, or some flowers. Some of the flowers may be common or exotic, small or spacious, brightly colored or a simple white. And each flower may connote a different meaning, as flowers have a language all of their own. There are flowers that stand for innocence, others for passion. Some mean love, others mean rejection. There are even flowers with a heartbreakingly beautiful fragrance, and others where a simple brushing of one’s hands against the petals can kill.

Therefore, a person must be wise when choosing what to plant in their garden. They need to decide what they want to attract, if the plants are going to interact well, and tend to them in such a way that they may thrive.

And of course, the Jardin du Péché was no different.

Muzan Kibutsuji was a gardener of a much different sort, though he prided himself on being the best gardener in this part of France. His Garden of Sin was an experience for the senses for all of his customers, focusing on attracting the rich and powerful and tending to their every whim. During his younger days, he himself had been one of the prostitutes in this small but luxurious hole in the wall brothel, but when the previous owner had retired, and with no one else willing to manage it, he had seized his chance, and put his days of pleasing men with his own body behind him. Those years of abuse and degradation had taken a toll on him, and he vowed to never be anyone’s victim ever again. This was no small feat, considering he was technically a foreigner, though his parents had brought him to France when he was very small, and he had no memories of living in Japan at all. Either way, people had always looked upon him with disdain outside of the brothel. But inside, he was an object to be worshipped and played with, depending on who had him for the night, abused if they so felt like it. He attracted quite a few more customers than most, and the previous owner said it was because of his “exoticness.”

Well, Muzan remembered that. And when he became the owner of the brothel, he was set on doing what many other brothels seemed to be having difficulty with at this time, and that was bringing in prostitutes of an exotic sort. Every brothel had French girls down on their luck, or some that just wanted to escape their homes and build a career for themselves. Others genuinely wanted this career, though those were few and far between. And of course, the Jardin du Péché also had quite a few of those French girls, but also many other girls that came from other lands; India, Africa, and China, to name a few. But what separated Muzan’s brothel from others in France wasn’t just the exotic girls; one could say even those were more common than one thought. Immigrant girls needed to earn money just like French born girls.

What separated Muzan’s garden from others was that during certain hours of the night, one might also request the paid company of his male prostitutes.

Naturally, male prostitutes were also common enough sight depending on where one went in France. But what was different about the boys in the Jardin du Péché was that they were some of the most beautiful specimens that the world had to offer, all collected and planted meticulously by their gardener and raised in a way that would produce the most delectable experience for his clients. They all hailed from Muzan’s home country, some of them starting there when they were just fourteen years old and unable to find work anywhere else, as many immigrants were having trouble. He found some of them starving on the street, others came through his front door, willing to exploit their good looks so they could bring some more income to their families and support them. However, he called all of him his Flowers, his Fleurs, the highest honor he could bestow in this garden, since they were the prettiest creatures he had in his care, and the most exemplary prostitutes his establishment had to offer, broken in and experienced in every way.

And now, standing in his office, Muzan had yet another young little doll looking to be his sixth flower.

Well, that probably wasn’t specifically what he was looking for, but he was in here, speaking Japanese with him, a language he never heard outside of conversation with his own Fleurs, and looking, despite himself, just as pretty as they did. So there was a good chance he was going to become one of them whether he wanted to or not.

The boy looked positively stiff, his shoulders rigid and his eyes looking anywhere but at Muzan. The older man sat behind his desk while the boy stood in the middle of the room which served as the office. It was tiny, illuminated only by one window during the day and a few gas lamps at night when he needed to fill out paperwork. The whole thing was drab and dull, mostly brown, there were a couple of orchids on his desk, which he doted on more than he did his employees. He regarded this newcomer intently; seeing him in the flesh was a lot different than seeing a sketch of him.

“Kamado Tanjiro,” he stated, “if I’m not mistaking. That was your name, yes?”

The boy shot to attention, and then bowed almost just as quickly, practically shouting, “Yes! It’s a pleasure to meet you sir! Thank you for considering me for employment here!”

Muzan had to resist smirking, as he knew it wouldn’t come off as genuine and might frighten the boy a bit, though he had to admit, that might be a bit amusing. Still, Tanjiro reminded him of when he had first started out as a prostitute. His enthusiasm was almost cute. How fun it would be to put that jaded disillusionment in him that everyone else here had.

“Yes, of course. You can stand up now,” Muzan told him. “I got your letter and the self-portrait, both of which interested me enough to call you in here. Though I have to say, you’re much prettier than your sketch would imply. And of course, in here, that will work to your benefit.”

Well, Tanjiro lit right up at that, his cheeks turning red at the praise and spreading into a smile. “Thank you sir! I’m glad you found my appearance to your liking!”

“Well, it’s not me you should be concerned with, but our clients,” the other man explained. “And I don’t know anything about you other than what you told me in your letter. So I’m going to take the time to ask you some questions and then examine you to see if you’re fit enough to do this kind of work. I want you to answer as truthfully as you can, as lying will only be to your detriment. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir, of course sir. My mother says that I’m too honest for my own good anyway, so you’d be able to tell if I was lying.”

Oh this boy was going to be eaten alive here. It would be fun to watch, Muzan decided. So, without further ado, he read a bit off the list of questions he usually asked his new prospects, though he had most of the questions memorized by now. “First of all, how old are you?”

“Eighteen, sir. I just turned eighteen this summer.”

“Alright then. What languages do you know?”

“Erm, Japanese, my French isn’t too bad, and some English. I’m getting better at that every day.”

“Good, good. Are you a virgin?”

That seemed to catch the boy off guard for a moment. He paused, and then answered, “Yes.”

Muzan raised an eyebrow at him. “I told you not to lie to me.”

“I’m not!” Tanjiro insisted. “I promise I’m a virgin.”

The other man studied him for a second, deciding that his eyes were sincere enough that he was telling the truth. He did say he’d be able to tell if he was lying. “Well, that’s good. That’s something I’ll be able to sell.”

“Sell?” the boy wondered.

“I’ll explain later when we’re done.” Muzan continued to stare at him, hands folded and his chin resting on them. It was a bit disconcerting, the way he looked at him, like Tanjiro was a piece of meat rather than a person. It looked like he was trying to look through his clothes and see what was underneath.

Funny enough, right after that Muzan asked him, “Take off your clothes.”

Tanjiro blinked in surprise. “W-What?”

The other man sat back in his chair. “Oh come now. It won’t do for you to be shy about your body if you’re going to work in a place like this.” He waved a bit at him in a “get on with it” motion, and said, “Now come on…off.”

Tanjiro gazed at him for a moment, still hesitating, before he steeled himself. That was right. If he was going to make it here, he was going to have to get over being naked in front of strangers. He could do this. He had to. Which, he knew he was going to have to strip here of course, he just didn’t think he would have to so soon. He took a deep breath, and then began unbuttoning his suit jacket. He shrugged it off his shoulders, revealing a tired, hand me down white shirt underneath. Carefully, he unbuttoned that too and untucked it, before pulling that off too and letting it sit on top of his jacket, leaving his upper body bare. He knew there was nothing remarkable there; he was rather skinny, his ribs pushing against his skin with every breath. There was really only muscle on his arms from doing the harder labor around the house and outside for his mother. Muzan hummed with approval.

“Very nice,” he pointed out. “Very slender, but your collarbones are nicely defined. You have a nice neck too. Small nipples, good, my clients seem to like those, and they’re a nice color. But when I said strip, I meant all the way.”

 “Of course sir,” Tanjiro responded.

With Muzan watching, he quickly unbuckled his belt, which was wrapped tight around his tiny waist. His trousers caught over his sharp hipbones as he pulled them down and let them pool around his ankles before he stepped out of them. That left him in nothing but his underwear, and with one quick motion, he pulled them off as well.

Tanjiro tried not to look nervous, but he was. After all, he hadn’t appeared naked in front of anyone but his family before, so this was new. Muzan ordered in a deep, smooth voice, “Look me in the eye. Let that be your first lesson. My clients like my prostitutes to be submissive, but strongly submissive. They don’t want them to shy away from their gaze, but to take pride in their bodies. That’s what it takes to be one of my Fleurs.”

The boy had heard of this brothel’s Flowers, how they were the most special prostitutes this place had to offer. They were given the most attention and made the most money. Was Muzan saying he could become one of them? What a dream! His eyes sparkled hopefully, and he said while looking Muzan in the eye, “Yes of course sir, that’d be amazing! Whatever I have to do, I’ll do it for you! I promise to be the best employee you have! My mom says if you do anything, you have to put all you have into it, no half measures.”

“Your mom is a wise lady,” he commented.

He then turned his attention to the new skin that had been revealed. His hipbones looked very nice, and his waist was trim. It would be easy to hold and for his customers to wrap their arms around. It was clear from this boy’s body that he hadn’t had the luxury of too many large meals in his life, combined with hard labor. It produced a mostly slim, slightly muscular, masculine body that he knew his customers would like.

But more importantly, as his eyes travelled downwards, he noticed the firm, but slightly skinny thighs of the boy, and then finally on his flaccid cock framed by dark, coarse hair. He pursed his lips. So far, everything looked good. His thighs looked strong and there didn’t seemed to be any evidence of disease in his body. His cock looked average, uncircumcised.

“Alright, turn around for me please,” he ordered after a moment.

Tanjiro did as he was asked without hesitation. Muzan looked down his back, noting the firm lines, how his shoulder blades stood out and shifted as he moved. There was a defined line where his spine was while the first few bumps of his vertebrae stood out against the back of his neck. There were two small, thumb sized dimples right above his behind, and as for his behind itself, it was perfectly pert and round, though there wasn’t much fat in it. It looked very bony from where he sat, but only examining it up close would tell him for sure.

He stood up, the chair scraping against the wooden floor as he did so. At the sound, Tanjiro turned back around, curious as to what was going to happen next, just in time to see Muzan pulling what looked like surgical gloves out of the top drawer in his desk. The sound of them snapping against his skin was a bit ominous, and the nervousness sparked in him again.

“Um, sir?” he found himself asking. “What are you doing?”

“Didn’t you hear me before?” Muzan said evenly as he stepped out from behind his desk and walked up to him. “I said I was going to examine you. Part of that exam means I’m going to feel certain areas of your body to check and see how fit you are. It’s not just enough to look at you, you see.”

“Of course,” Tanjiro agreed. He understood. If he wasn’t fit and firm enough to do the job, then it wouldn’t benefit anyone. And it was a kind gesture, when he thought about it. If he was too sickly, then he might get hurt doing something like this. So, he stood still while Muzan felt all over his body, like he had seen some people do when they were examining a horse they were thinking of buying.

Muzan felt along his jaw, down his neck, and his sides. Tanjiro bit his lip, trying to ignore the spark of embarrassment he felt as the older man first cupped his groin, first palpitating his sack to check for any lumps or bumps. But it felt smooth and firm, so he moved onto his cock. He held it in his palm, methodically stroking it with his thumb and pulling the foreskin back so he could see the shiny pink head. It certainly looked healthy. Stroking it a bit more on purpose, he saw that he reacted nicely to that, becoming slightly hard from his touch. He smirked a bit at that, looking up to see that Tanjiro was looking at him like he asked before, but his cheeks were a bit pink, and his face was set with determination. He wanted to do a good job, to please the man in front of him.

How sweet.

He circled around Tanjiro like a bird of prey, moving around to his back to feel the back of his shoulders and down his spine. He squeezed the back of his thighs, seeing that luckily they were stronger than they looked, made up entirely of muscle. His rear, sadly was not, just as bony as it looked with not much to grab onto. He squeezed it and found that it had entirely too much give, but he supposed this was to be expected. Men didn’t have the same plump thighs and buttocks that women did, especially younger men. He would just have to hope that as Tanjjiro grew older, he would naturally fill out a bit more.

“Now, there’s one more thing I need to check,” Muzan said. “And for that, I need you to bend over.”

Well, this was getting far more invasive than Tanjiro had ever anticipated. But he supposed it was necessary. And Muzan did seem like he knew what he was doing; he probably did this for every single prospective prostitute that came in here. So, he did as he was asked, bending over in front of him, though he felt horribly lewd while he did so. The feeling only got worse when Muzan took hold of his cheeks and spread them to reveal his entrance.

Already, things looked good. It was small and pink, twitching a bit as the cooler air hit it. “No previous scarring and no current tears,” Muzan observed out loud. “I suppose you were telling the truth. Now hold on, brace yourself. I need to check your prostate.”

His what? Before he could ask what he was talking about, he heard the sound of a jar lid being unscrewed. Muzan had reached over and opened up a jar that was sitting on his desk, before he scooped out a generous amount. He coated his gloved fingers in the shiny, slick substance. He got a brief glimpse of the other man adjusting his gloves, before he was reaching down and sliding his first two fingers inside the boy’s anus. Tanjiro tried not to jolt, sucking in his breath. He tensed, trying to push the intrusion in his body. Muzan sighed, irritated, though of course he was used to this. His new virgin hires often reacted like this when they had something put up their ass for the first time.

“Don’t tense up, that’ll only make it worse,” he advised. “Keep the tension in your upper body. You’ll learn to do this automatically the longer you’re here.”

“Right…sorry,” Tanjiro replied in a small voice.

He tried very hard to do as he was told, but it was difficult at first, especially since something was going in where things had only ever come out before. Still, he gave it his best shot, clenching his fists and trying to keep his bottom half relaxed. He kept his eyes focused on the floor and let Muzan get on with his business. The stiller he stayed, the quicker he would finish. He felt his fingers probe around his insides, crooking occasionally.

“Nice, very good,” Muzan observed, half to himself, half to Tanjiro. “You’re stretching easily, but you’re also pretty tight. Yes, I can definitely sell that, my customers like a tight ass, especially a virgin’s tight ass.”

Well, he supposed that was a good thing. Did that mean he was going to pull his fingers out now? No, of course not. Quite the opposite, Muzan dug his fingers in a little further, brushing against something that made Tanjiro nearly leap away from him and gasp very loudly. Muzan just laughed low in his chest.

“That would be your prostate,” he explained. “Just as women have a sweet spot in her cloven inlet, men have one inside their bodies as well. And you seem to be very reactive to having yours touched. This is good, and it feels smooth. All you can hope for here is that when one of the customers is fucking you they’ll find it and it’ll make your experience a bit better.”

He pulled his fingers out, and then took his gloves off, tossing them out. He then headed towards the bathroom in his office, saying, “Get dressed. I’ll be right out.”

Tanjiro heard the sound of a sink turning on, and quickly pulled his clothes back on as he was asked. He tried to ignore the wet, squishy feeling of whatever it was Muzan had put on his fingers in order to make it easier for them to slide into his body. Then again, he supposed he better get used to that feeling too, if he was going to stay here.

When Muzan came out, the boy was fully clothed, standing upright and at attention, waiting for his next instruction. He offered him a bit of a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. Muzan didn’t know if it was possible for him to smile genuinely anymore.

“Congratulations,” he said. “Though I’m sure you already guessed, but I’m happy to welcome you here to the Garden, as well as make you one of my Flowers. This would make you the sixth one.”

Tanjiro brightened right up, a blinding, sweet smile spreading across his face. He bowed low and enthusiastically again, so fast he was surprised his spine didn’t snap. “Thank you so much!” he exclaimed. “You’re far too kind, sir!”

Muzan said nothing, but kept smiling. How nice, he thought he was kind. Just wait until he messed up, or got sick of this life and tried to rebel, or escape. He had gotten very good at dealing out creative punishments over the years, and he had a feeling it would be far too easy to break this boy should he need to be brought back in line. In fact, it might just break him.

How lovely.

“Well, I’ll show you where you’ll be living,” Muzan said, placing a hand on the boy’s upper back, helping to lead him out of the room. “I suspect you brought enough to stay for at least a couple days?”

“Yes,” Tanjiro answered. “Though I can have my family send me the rest of my things.”

“Of course. And whatever else you need, you can buy in town once you start earning money.”

The two of them walked down the hall, which even though it was the middle of the afternoon, was bustling with people, most of which he assumed were the staff. It was all young women, some of which looked no older than school age, which he had to admit, disturbed him a bit. Those girls should be at home with their families and having a childhood, not having sex with adult men for money. Though, he supposed many girls got married at that age, and they were expected to have sex with their husbands. He knew his mother was pushing his sister, who was a year younger than him, to look for a husband so that she could be taken care of for the rest of her life.

He sighed, trying to push his family out of his head for now. He figured when he had time, he could sit down and write them. For now, he had to observe his surroundings. This place was a lot bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, full of winding hallways that lead to many different large rooms. It was easy to get lost in here for sure, and he would have to either learn his way around fast or work on making friends so they could show him around. Then again, making friends was something Tanjiro was good at.

Though the inside of Muzan’s office was a bit drab, the rest of this place was dripping with luxury and debauchery. There were many paintings on the walls of naked women in suggestive, artsy poses. Some were draped in silks and eating fruit, others were being caressed by demons, and others were being fucked by many men. There were a couple portraits of cherubs, and young men and boys. Some of the boys were sitting in the laps older men, others laying their heads in their laps. There were also some painting of what he recognized as figures from Greek and Roman fables, and historical figures, famous homosexual couples looking at one another lovingly. There were more than a few marble statues standing in corners of naked men and women as well, as well as a couple of marble busts made up entirely of carved breasts, and one of cocks, In the end, he had to blush and look away. It was all so scandalous, so different from his prim but poor family and their values.

But he was here for a reason. No matter how different it was from what he had grown up with, he was going to succeed here. He didn’t have a choice.

He followed Muzan down the brightly lit hallways. There were windows everywhere, letting the sunlight in. The wallpaper was dark green and tan in some rooms, striped with what looked like lace. In other rooms, the wallpaper was bright blue with little white dots. These rooms were what he guessed were the prostitutes quarters, and the colors made the rooms look bright and cheery. Newly excited, an extra spring was put in Tanjiro’s steps as he gazed upon his surroundings with wonder.

They passed a few bedrooms where he could see a few girls lounging around; some were in bed, some were just getting up, and some were getting dressed. Others were heading down to lunch, which he assumed was being served at this time of day. Further on, they came to one medium sized bedroom, painted in cheery blue. There were a couple of white dressers with larger mirrors, but the most noticeable part of the room was the giant bed. Or rather, it was several, individual and double beds that had been pushed together with several large blankets covering them.  And at the moment, there happened to be a couple occupants in the bed. One of them was awake and was just lounging, the other was clearly still asleep, though Tanjiro couldn’t see anything of him except a snoring lump under the blankets and maybe a dark tuft of hair sticking out. The boy that was awake was talking to a slightly older boy that was sitting on the edge of the beds, not facing him but dressed and pulling back his hair. Both of the boys were blond, though the younger one had shorter hair while the older one had a luxurious mane of it, almost like a lion’s. In fact, he looked very much like the marble statues of the Greek men they had passed, back when a men’s virility was represented by how thick and full his head of hair was. If that was the case here, well…

Muzan knocked on the open door, causing the two blond boys to look up at them. And, was it just Tanjiro, or was there a flash of fear that passed through their eyes when they first saw Muzan? But it disappeared a moment later when they saw that he had a guest with him.

“My Flowers,” he announced, “this is our newest Fleur, Kamado Tanjiro. Over the next forty eight hours, before he can start his first night here, I want you all to teach him everything you know. Show him around the place, make sure he knows the rules, and teach him how to please a man. He’s a virgin, so he’s going to need all the help he can get. I’ll leave him in your capable hands while I work out a price to sell him at on his first night. We might hold an auction among our clients as a matter of fact. Now everyone try and get along.”

And with that, a thoughtful, meaningful look on his face directed at the two boys, he left the room. That left Tanjiro standing awkwardly in the doorway with his suitcase, not knowing what he should do now. The two boys were staring at him like they had no idea what to make of him.

However, before Tanjiro could say anything in greeting, the older boy was getting up and running over to him, saying in a loud, cheerful voice, “Hello there Kamado my boy! Well, don’t just stand there with your mouth open, you’ll catch flies like that. Come on in. I’m Rengoku Kyojuro, or Tournesol, as my customers call me. It’s wonderful to meet you!”

He threw an arm around his shoulders, giving one of them a hearty slap, before he pulled him into the room. Tanjiro’s ears were ringing with how loud his voice was and he could feel his bones rattling with the force of his pats. Well, that was a greeting and a half. When he could hear straight again, he replied, “It’s um, nice to meet you, Rengoku-san.”

It was certainly odd; Rengoku clearly was speaking Japanese, but Tanjiro could tell that he was of mixed race. For that matter, so was the other boy sitting up in bed. He looked quite young and nervous, clutching his blankets like they would protect him from all the evil in the world. He was kind of cute, Tanjiro decided.

“How old are?” Rengoku asked as he sat him down on the bed next to him.

“I, um, eighteen,” Tanjiro replied.

“Ah, wonderful! That’s how old Zenitsu and Inosuke are. I myself am twenty-two, not the oldest of us here. That would be Giyuu and Sabito, who are twenty-four. You’ll meet them later though. They’re having lunch right now, and they’ll probably be back when they’re done. We were about to head down in a minute if you’d like to join us.”

“S-Sure,” Tanjiro decided, brightening up. This Rengoku seemed very nice. He was rapidly putting him at ease in this strange place, and at the moment, he couldn’t ask for more. For once, his nerves began to settle, and he started to feel more at home.

He looked over his shoulder, twisting around halfway so he could somewhat face the other boy sitting there. He gave a slight wave, and Tanjiro wondered, “So I’m guessing you’re Zenitsu? Or are you Inosuke?”

“Nah, I’m Zenitsu, or Amaryllis, as they call me here,” he greeted, reaching out to shake Tanjiro’s hand. Happily, the red-haired boy took it, shaking it enthusiastically. Zenitsu looked down at the snoring lump beside him, sighing, “That’s Inosuke, or more appropriately, Chardon. Don’t mind him, he’s a lazy ass that doesn’t know when to get out of bed at a decent hour.”

“That’s what he gets for being the second most popular of the Fleurs,” Rengoku piped up, patting Tanjiro on the back. “Lots of people asking for his services means that he stays up all hours of the night.”

Zenitsu snorted with…was that that jealousy? Derision? Tanjiro couldn’t tell. Either way, the blond haired boy reached beside him and punched the lump, waking up Inosuke with a snort and a grunt, followed by some angry grumbling.

“Get up,” Zenitsu ordered. “We have a guest and he doesn’t need you snoring through his first meeting with us. Doesn’t exactly leave a good first impression.”

“You can take your first impressions and shove them up your cockhole,” Inosuke growled, slowly worming his way out from under the blankets. “I got exactly five hours of sleep last night because William doesn’t know enough to fuck off no matter how many times you tell him to. Apparently that and the sun coming up isn’t enough of a hint for him that it’s time for him to go home.”

Scrubbing at his face, a head finally appeared from under the blankets. The face was exhausted, his bedhead was crazy, but when he pulled his hand away from his eyes and revealed his face, only one thought went through Tanjiro’s head.

Oh no. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. 

And after that first step in the Garden, Tanjiro was pulled into a world he could have never imagined.

Chapter Text

Tanjiro’s heart was pounding a mile a minute, so hard he could barely hear himself think over the sound of it. He swore he could feel his face getting hotter and hotter as he kept staring at Inosuke. It should be illegal for someone to be that pretty, it really should be.

The boy had never really stopped and thought about what sorts of people he found attractive. Living with his large family in a tiny apartment in a not so nice area of town, Tanjiro usually had more important things to think about. Everything he knew about romance came from his parents and their neighbors, all of whom were married in heterosexual, monogamous relationships. His mother and his father before he passed away used to read he and his siblings fairytales from both Europe and Asia before bed. They would all cuddle up in the same bed and listen to them tell them stories about princes rescuing princesses from towers, men and women slowly romancing each other to break a curse placed on one of them, or a true love’s kiss breaking a spell. Tanjiro had eaten every one of them up with wide, sparkling eyes.

“When am I going to find someone and get married?” he had asked his mom one night as she blew out their candle beside their bed.

“You’ve got a while still,” she had said, pulling their blankets up around their shoulders. “Someday though, when you’re old enough, you’ll find your own princess, and you’ll want to treasure her for all your days.”

“And will we live happily ever after?”

She had smiled down at him. “As happily as you can. Life is hard, Tanjiro, but love, whether it’s from your wife or children or family, makes it a bit easier.”

Those words had stayed with Tanjiro, despite him being so young when he first heard them. Still, he hadn’t put much thought into who exactly he would fall in love with when he got older.

Until now.

But, this couldn’t be okay, could it? Inosuke was a boy, after all. Everyone around him said he’d fall in love with a girl and have children someday. There had to be something terribly wrong with him. Was this atmosphere of this place already getting to him, turning him into a sinful, wretched heathen? But he promised his mother he’d remain true to himself no matter what, would remain as pure in soul as he could. This was wrong, shameful. It was one thing to service men because he had to and get paid for it. It was another to have feelings for another man and start imagining how they were going to decorate their future apartment together and how many pets they were going to have after knowing him for five minutes.

But he couldn’t deny how warm and fuzzy he felt inside and excited he was just from Inosuke meeting his eyes. Even with his horrendous bedhead and drool dried on his chin, he made Tanjiro’s tummy do somersaults and his mouth dry. It still made him feel like how he always imagined those princes must have felt when they first laid eyes on their princess, like the world had fallen away and he forgot about everything else. Like he was privileged just to be in this pretty, half asleep gremlin’s presence.

Is this what it felt like to be struck with one of Cupid’s arrows? Because his chest hurt and he was having a hard time drawing in a breath.

Well, whether it was okay or not he supposed it didn’t really matter in a place like this, where he had been told all sorts of wild things were most likely going to be done to him. In the face of that, having feelings for another man would most likely fit right in. At the moment, he had to calm down and not let his thoughts show themselves on his expression.

“Nice to meet you Inosuke,” he tried to say as evenly as he could, though his voice cracked slightly. Great.

To make matters worse, Rengoku laughed heartily beside him, slapping him on the shoulder again while Zenitsu snorted a bit. Looks like he wasn’t as good at hiding his feelings as he thought. Well, he had told Muzan that he was terrible at lying.

“Looks like Inosuke’s got another one,” Rengoku said. “I swear, you and Giyuu can’t enter a room without men tearing off their pants at the sight of you.” He pulled Tanjiro into a one armed hug and shook him a bit, continuing, “Don’t worry about it my boy. You aren’t the first to be bewitched by this little devil’s face and you won’t be the last. He’s impossible to resist.”

Now that he was more awake, Inosuke seemed to more agreeable. He offered Tanjiro a flirtatious smile that would have only looked cute on him. He scrunched up his nose, bearing his top row of teeth while he stuck out his tongue. It made him look like a naughty kid, and it made the red haired boy’s stupid heart pound even harder.

“Of course he likes me. I am the great Inosuke, after all,” the boy declared.

“Greatest pain in the ass maybe,” Zenitsu grumbled.

The dark haired boy pulled him into a headlock, Zenitsu struggling and shrieking in his hold the whole time. Rengoku yelled over their tussle, “Well when you two are ready Tanjiro and I are going down to have lunch! You two are free to stay up here and starve.”

They ignored him, obviously used to being scolded. So, Rengoku winked down at him. “Come on. You can worry about putting your things away later. For now, you must be hungry.”

Tanjiro smiled at him in response. That expression the older boy was wearing was very warm and welcoming, and at that moment, he could see him easily putting a customer who had never entered the brothel before at ease. He probably had many admirers with how kind and charming he was. The boy’s previously racing heart calmed down, and putting down his suitcase, he followed him out of the room.

“It seems like it would be very easy to get lost in here,” Tanjiro remarked as they went down the hall.

“For the first week or so it’ll seem that way,” Rengoku answered. “But I promise once you figure out the basics of where you’re supposed to be going, things will fall into place easily after that.”

“And…what places am I supposed to be going in here?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll go over that once we get some food in you. In the meantime, we can introduce you to Sabito and Giyuu.”

“Great!” Tanjiro’s enthusiasm died a second later as his nervousness of meeting yet more new people took over. “And um, what are they like?”

“Well…” he paused and thought about it for a moment. “Sabito and I pretty similar I’d say, though he’s a bit sterner. But he’s very kind. If you need anything, you’ll be able to approach him as easily as you’d be able to approach me. Just, um, whatever you do, don’t stare too much at his veil and don’t say anything about it, or you’ll make Giyuu mad.”

“His veil?”

“Yeah. I mean, we don’t know exactly what happened, and what I do know I guess isn’t really my place to tell. What I will say though is that he was involved with a rough customer a couple years ago, and now he wears a veil to cover up the injuries the guy gave him on his face. They tend to freak people out, especially those who aren’t expecting them.”

“O-Okay.” Tanjiro could feel himself clamming up again. Rengoku sensed this, bless him, and turned to look at him over his shoulder, before offering him a gentle smile in response.

“Don’t worry, that was an isolated case,” he assured him. “Most of our customers aren’t like that. They want you to do some odd things that will most likely make you uncomfortable, but it won’t hurt.”

“…Alright then.”

He still sounded nervous. Of course he was; all of them were their first few weeks there as they settled into their routines and learned what would be expected of them. Well, nothing he could do about it now. He just continued with, “Giyuu is…not bad. He really is a nice guy, he just has no idea how to talk to people. He can be pretty grumpy, but if you get in his good graces, he’d take a bullet for you, believe me.”

“And he’s the most popular out of all of you here?” Tanjiro asked.

“Yes, he gets the most customers, which I find hilarious, considering how sour he is towards them anymore. I guess many men are into that. They like the challenge of a wild, untamable prospect, or one who treats them coldly and looks down on them. They feel like they’ve won something if they can win their favor. It’s like, the more they’re pushed away, the more they’re drawn to them. With people like Zenitsu, Sabito and I, it’s easy to win our favor, so there’s not as much of a challenge, and therefore I think people get bored with us easily.”

He laughed humorlessly. “Well, not matter. We each have our own way of attracting men and getting by. And soon you’ll have to find yours.”

That got him thinking. Well, Giyuu and Sabito didn’t seem too bad. He was thankful at least that Rengoku had told him about Sabito’s veil so he wouldn’t start when he saw it. But now he was going to have to start thinking about how he was going to have start thinking about what he could do to attract a man. He had no experience with seduction, so he had no idea what one had to do in order to get a man to come near him. That was right, it didn’t matter if he was one of the Fleurs if he had no idea what he was doing. In fact, he would probably bring shame on them at his current skill level, and that was something he definitely didn’t want to do. If he damaged their reputation, all of the Fleurs would suffer.

So, he better learn what he was supposed to do and fast.

Before he knew it, they were walking into the kitchen, Tanjiro hanging back a bit behind Rengoku as he waited to see how his presence would be received. The kitchen at least seemed like a cheery place with lots of light streaming in through the windows and light yellow wallpaper stretching around the room. All the furnishings were a bright white that he could tell were washed often. At the center of the room was one long table with a few several smaller tables circling around it. There weren’t too many people in there at the moment, a few girls and two young men that Tanjiro assumed were Sabito and Giyuu.

Rengoku stepped up to them first, interrupting the conversation they were having just by standing there until he got their attention. He then gestured to Tanjiro, saying, “Gentleman, meet our newest brother and Flower, Kamado Tanjiro. He’s going to be living and working here alongside us from now on. Kamado-kun, Sabito, or Ume, and Giyuu, also known as Belladonna.”

Tanjiro stepped forward and bowed, clasping his hands together in front of him. “It’s nice to meet you!”

“You too,” he heard above his head. “You don’t have to bow here if you don’t want, not to us anyway. The French don’t bow to each other, and so they find it odd when we do it. If you want, just reserve the bowing for Muzan.”

Tanjiro stood upright again, keeping his hands clasped. He kept his body rigid and tense, trying to make himself look as small as possible. He didn’t want to come across as threatening in any way; Tanjiro didn’t like it when people didn’t like him. It was a foreign thing that made him very uneasy. So he tried his best to be polite.

Rengoku had been right though. It was hard not to stare at Sabito’s veil. He was a lovely thing, he really was, with his open, kind expression, his light colored eyes that crinkled at the corners in a way that indicated he was smiling. However, he couldn’t tell for sure because the black, slightly sheer veil covered the bottom half of his face. That meant he couldn’t see his mouth or chin. But he looked unbelievably sweet, yet there was something in his gaze that also made him think that he could get very stern if he wanted to. Like Rengoku, he looked like someone that he just wanted to go up and hug, like a big brother.

Giyuu by contrast was the opposite. Tanjiro could see right off the bat why he was the most popular, as his beauty was unmatched. He looked like the image of what men imagined the perfect specimen would be: black hair, paper white skin, and blue eyes. He looked slender and so easily breakable, his face delicate, his hands graceful. He was so very thin though, almost to the point of being sickly. But objectively, he could see why he had many customers.

But of course, to Tanjiro’s silly, innocent heart, he had nothing on Inosuke.

Oh what was wrong with him? He barely knew the other boy! He had to cut this out. His infatuation would go away, it had to. The next time he saw him, he was sure he’d be over it, or realize he wasn’t as attracted to him as he first thought. That was how it always went for him.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Giyuu said, though his tone and expression were completely flat.

He seemed to be scrutinizing Tanjiro, looking him up and down. Whether he was judging his appearance or looking to see, as Rengoku said, whether or not he was staring too much at Sabito’s veil, he couldn’t tell. Tanjiro kept his eyes on the ground with a nervous smile on his lips.

After an awkward silence passed between them, Rengoku suggested, “Well, why don’t you go and grab yourself some lunch. You can grab a bowl or plate of whatever’s available. It looks like it’s chicken and vegetable soup today.”

Eagerly, Tanjiro did as he was told. He was indeed quite hungry, having not eaten since early that morning. There was a pot of soup and a ladle still warm on the stove. He picked up a bowl that was sitting on the counter as well as a spoon and filled up his bowl to the top. He even grabbed a couple rolls that were sitting out. However, when he got back to the table, sitting down next to Rengoku, he realized just how small the portion of soup was, much less than what he was used to getting, even in his poor family, where everyone worked hard to make sure that everyone got their fill.

The other boys must have noticed his confused expression, because Sabito piped up, “Yeah, the portions are kept small here, and we’re monitored on what we eat. Muzan wants to make sure we stay slender. We gain weight, and his customers won’t pay.”

Giyuu snorted with derision, “They’re chasing after a fantasy here. In reality, people can’t get as skinny as he wants us to be and still function.”

Sabito nudged him with his elbow, “Now don’t you start. Here.” He stuck a roll in his mouth. “Shut up and eat, it’ll make you less cranky.”

Giyuu took a bite out of the roll, pulling the rest out of his mouth and glaring at the other boy. But Tanjiro could see that there was no real heat behind the exchange. They were just bantering, and clearly did this all the time. They must have been close indeed if Sabito could tease Giyuu and get away with it.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” Rengoku reassured him. “Your stomach will start to shrink after a couple days and then you won’t want as much to eat. It’ll be uncomfortable for a bit though.”

Well that sounded…awful. Tanjiro felt even hungrier just thinking about it. Well, he supposed he didn’t have a choice. He was doing this for his family, and he would do anything for them. So, he didn’t complain, and instead began to sip at his soup. It was warm and tasted good, at least. He supposed if he was going to get less food, at least it was tasty.

In the time it took Rengoku to get his lunch and sit down with it, Zenitsu and Inosuke finally joined them. Inosuke was still yawning and stretching, practically being dragged forward by the blond boy. And oh heavens there was that stupid fuzzy feeling in Tanjiro’s tummy again, taking away his hunger as he laid eyes on the other boy again. It only got worse when he grabbed his food and sat down on Tanjiro’s other side, his eyes still heavy. Oh god, the boy could barely take it. He was so beautiful he could cry, especially now that he was dressed and all put together. He was wearing a loose white shirt with some loose dark trousers. His hair was longer than Tanjiro had initially noticed, probably going halfway down his back if it weren’t tied behind his head. It looked like black silk, and Tanjiro had the strong urge to run his fingers through it. Faced with his profile, he saw that he looked just as delicate as Giyuu did, but according to Tanjiro, as pretty as a maid, with large, green eyes and long eyelashes. He looked just like a doll, a precious doll that Tanjiro wanted to hold in his arms and lavish with praise, to hold him and hear him whisper sweet things to him. He smelled good too, like something sweet and musky at the same time. Was he wearing perfume?

Nope, Tanjiro’s attraction hadn’t gone away in the few minutes since he had seen him. Now he had just made it worse.

His lingering gaze on the boy beside him did not go unnoticed by Sabito and Giyuu, who shared a look and then a conspiratorial grin, before going back to their lunch, saying nothing. Rengoku seemed to notice as well, and could see the signs for what they were. They weren’t good ones either. Quickly, he distracted the boy by asking loudly, “So Kamado-kun, what brings you to the Jardin? Surely working as a prostitute was not the first choice in work for a strong young lad like yourself.”

“Actually, it kind of was,” Tanjiro responded. “I have five siblings, and now my mom is stuck taking care of them since my dad passed away. The only money she gets is from relatives back in Japan, and that isn’t much. So, ever since my dad died when I was thirteen, I’ve been doing odd jobs and whatever work I could pick up. We don’t live in a very nice neighborhood, so the jobs I got were often dangerous and really hard on my body. Then, when I got older and understood what it was the women were doing late at night when they kept bringing men into their rooms, I wondered if I could do that too. Then I heard about this brothel and how the highest paid prostitutes got lots of money, and I figured I would try and get a job here. If I can, I’d like to send half of what I make back to my family, at least until my mom gets married again and has a steady income. When that day comes, I figured I could leave.”

“Yeah, good luck,” Zenitsu said bitterly. “It’s easy to get into debt here with Muzan. Most of us aren’t here because we want to be you know. We just owe Muzan money, so we’re basically his slaves until we can pay him back.”

“Owe him money?” Tanjiro asked.

“Things around here cost money,” Giyuu explained. “Things you need. If you can’t afford them, you either go without, or Muzan pays for it, but then you have to pay him back. Sometimes with money, sometimes- sometimes in other ways.”

There was another silence after that they all seemed to understand the weight of but Tanjiro did not, though it weighed heavily on his chest. It was so strong that he couldn’t take it and felt the need to break it with, “So what brought you guys here?”

Rengoku shrugged and said briefly, “I have a Japanese mother and a French father. Ever since my mother died, my father has turned into a useless drunk that is too depressed to work, so I took this job to send money back to my little brother.”

Zenitsu explained, “Orphan. I got conned by a prostitute and Muzan took on my debt. He gave me a job here so I could pay him off.”

“I’m an orphan too,” Giyuu said. “It was either work here or starve to death.”

“Same here,” Sabito added. “I met Giyuu when we were just kids and we became the first male prostitutes here. Started working when we were thirteen.”

“My mother was killed by her abusive husband,” Inosuke said casually. “I was an infant at the time and since he didn’t want me, he dropped me off at a church. I hated the place though. Too many rules. So when I turned eleven, I ran away, and Muzan picked me up on the streets.”

Well, now Tanjiro felt a bit pampered in comparison. Not that being an orphan was a strange idea to him, as quite a few of his childhood friends ended up becoming orphans. But he certainly felt lucky to have at least his mother and so many surviving siblings. All of them came from different backgrounds, and yet…

“You guys all seem quite close now,” Tanjiro pointed out. “Like a family.”

They all glanced at each other for a moment, and something seemed to pass between them, something that once again, the red haired boy didn’t seem to understand. But still, they all nodded in response, and Sabito even added, “Welcome to the family then, Tanjiro-kun.”

For some reason, even though he hadn’t known these people that long, such a simple statement touched the boy’s heart. Here he was worried about being accepted when he first walked in, and now he was receiving verbal acknowledgement that he was, in fact, part of their little group. It was nice to hear. However, he wouldn’t feel like he deserved it until he actually proved himself worthy of being one of the Flowers.

After lunch was finished, Rengoku suggested that one of them take Tanjiro on a tour of the brothel and give him a general rundown of the rules there.

“I think Inosuke should take him,” Sabito suggested, and oh yes that was definitely a mischievous glint in his eyes. “He never does anything but sleep all day.”

Tanjiro stared at him helplessly, an embarrassing squeak escaping him. But before he could object, Rengoku agreed, “Yes, I think that’s a great idea. Inosuke has been here the longest besides Giyuu and Sabito, and I know you two are going out this afternoon with Monsieur Beaulieu.”

“Lucky,” Zenitsu grumbled. “I can’t remember the last time I went out. Probably not since I was hired.”

“Well you’ll never get a man to take you out with that sour attitude,” Inosuke  told him, passing by him and playfully shoving at his shoulder. He then fixed a somewhat predatory gaze on the red haired boy, saying, “Alright. Come on then Tantoko, let’s go.”

Tanjiro blinked in surprise, taking a moment to realize that he had in fact been called by the wrong name. His shook himself, irritation replacing the embarrassment he felt at being studied so closely by the pretty boy, and he found himself calling after him, “It’s Tanjiro!”

He caught up with the dark haired boy, though his irritation had faded by then. Now he was overtaken by nerves again, as the two of them were now alone. Inosuke was explaining some stuff, pointing out what rooms did what and where they were, but Tanjiro could barely pay attention. He was too busy staring at Inosuke’s profile, at the elegant slope of his nose, the way his long hair swung side to side as he walked, and the way that dainty mouth moved as he spoke. What lovely pink lips, he thought. What might it be like to touch them with his fingers, or kiss them-

No, he had to stop. He was supposed to be convincing himself that he didn’t really like Inosuke, not fall for him even more! This was wrong, he kept telling himself. Why did his heart have to betray him like this? To distract himself, he tried to focus on what Inosuke was saying instead.

“The hair stylist comes a couple times a month,” he was saying. “You won’t pay him, Muzan does. Now,” he pointed towards another room, and led Tanjiro into it. It turned out to be a bathroom with several sinks and tubs all lined up. “This is our bathroom. The girl’s is further down the hall. You need to bathe regularly. If you don’t and a client complains that you stink, you’ll be fined. Perfumes are optional, but you’ll probably find that you’ll have clients that prefer you to wear it. That will come out of your own pocket.”

“Alright,” Tanjiro found himself replying. “That um, that sounds good. I’m used to bathing regularly anyway.”

“I wasn’t,” Inosuke snorted. “That’s half my debt right there. Sometimes I still forget to bathe and just drown myself in perfume. There are scents available for men, but our clients prefer us to be more…pretty, less masculine. So that’s what we go with.”

They continued out of the bathroom and back down the hall, Inosuke still saying something about how they could sleep in as much as they wanted but they had to be ready by the evening to greet clients. That of course got Tanjiro thinking about the clients, and he asked, “So the clients…you think any of them will like me?”

What kind of question was that?  Inosuke turned to him and raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering the same thing. But at the same time, Tanjiro couldn’t help but be worried. What if he went through all this trouble of travelling here and no one requested his company? But then Inosuke just waved him off and said, “Don’t worry, someone will like you. After a while as a matter of fact, you’ll find the same clients requesting you over and over again. The men here find someone they like, and then you can expect them to want to see you. Obviously you can help yourself by dressing well and presenting yourself well. You begin to learn what each man likes and put on that façade for him. And after a while, you become quite good at it. If Giyuu can be an asshole to his clients and still get them to throw their wallets at him, you’ll have no trouble since you’re so nice.”

Nice…Inosuke thought he was nice…Tanjiro was so happy in that moment he thought he was going to explode. God he hated swinging back and forth like this. Why must he do this?

“Muzan doesn’t want us speaking Japanese in front of the customers though, unless they ask for it,” the dark haired boy continued. “Many of them request us because they get off on that sort of thing. Muzan’s motto is though that if you’re speaking Japanese in front of a customer, they might think you’re saying something bad about them.”

“Okay, no Japanese. Got it,” Tanjiro agreed. “And…get off on it? What do you mean by that?”

“I forget how innocent some people are,” Inosuke said with a slight shake of his head. He stopped in the hallway, choosing instead to sit down on a shiny wooden bench, patting the space next to him in invitation. The boy took it, sitting perhaps a little closer than he needed to, but Inosuke didn’t object. “This is part of the reason many of us hate working here. Our culture is taken and twisted into a fetish for these Frenchman to take advantage of. Many of them choose us because they’re attracted to Asian men and aspects of our culture, but not because they’re attracted to how the culture works. As I said before, they become aroused by aspects of it. I’ve had a client ask me to speak to him in Japanese while he was fletching mettle and he came from that alone. That isn’t even the weirdest client I’ve come across either, far from it. But it frustrates me because there’s so many great things about our culture, you know? And to see it turned into something like this pisses me off. There’s nothing we can do about it though. It brings in money, and in the end that’s all that matters.”

He shook his head, his mouth twisted into a harsh frown. Tanjiro chanced a gentle touch to his arm, saying, “Well, as long as we’re all here, we can give our culture the respect it deserves, right? All isn’t lost.”

“I…I suppose not.” Inosuke sighed.

They sat like that in companionable silence for a bit, Tanjiro very proud of himself that he managed to cheer up the other man. Attraction or not, he didn’t want to see him upset. And only now was it beginning to sink in just what he was going to have to sacrifice and what he was going to have to transform himself into in order to be successful here.

“Oh yeah,” Inosuke said, “The last rule. You’re not allowed to fall in love here. Not with the clients, and not with any of the employees. Muzan says love distracts you from your work, or might make you less likely to want to do it. So if you fall in love with someone, well…”

He cut himself off, obviously reluctant to talk about it. Tanjiro wondered what their boss could do that was so terrible that he could make so many of his employees afraid of him. He shuddered to think about it, and prayed he wouldn’t do anything that would warrant any such punishments.

Inosuke then turned to him, smirking deviously, and added, “That doesn’t mean we can’t flirt with each other though. When you’ve fucked just about every one of your friends, that tends to bring you pretty close to each other. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been looking at me since you got here. I see that expression on my customers, especially the ones that are meeting me for the first time. Have you already fallen for me, Taratoto?”

“W-What?” Tanjiro stuttered, suddenly finding the ceiling and the walls much more interesting than Inosuke’s face and the half-lidded expression he was fixing him with. And oh that stain on the carpet was far more captivating than the way he was unbuttoning one of his top buttons and revealing more of his pale chest and pretty collarbones, oh so much more interesting! The Lord was testing him, he was certain. What kind of person told him that he wasn’t allowed to fall in love and then proceeded to do everything he could to arouse him? This just wasn’t fair. He heard Inosuke snicker.

“Well, look at that stiff sinew,” he teased, glancing down at Tanjiro’s lap. “I’m right, aren’t I? You’ve fallen for me.”

“N-No!” Tanjiro burst out, face as red as the carpet. “I mean, well, your face is petite, fair-skinned and attractive, so- but I’m not”-

Inosuke cracked up, slapping his thigh, loving the reaction he was getting. He then leaned in very close, so close that their noses almost brushed. Tanjiro’s eyes could not possibly get any wider, and it was all the dark haired boy could do not to keep laughing. Instead, in a low voice, he said, “Well, if you want a place to hide that tackle, you can always put it in my mouth.”

Tanjiro groaned, and almost melted onto the floor into a steaming puddle. This boy was going to be the death of him.

Chapter Text

“So what kinds of clients come to this place?”

“Oh good Lord, give it a rest. It’s our first day off all week, can we not talk about work please?”

Tanjiro heard a slight smack and a grunt, indicating that Sabito had smacked Giyuua as a result of the rude answer he had given. At the moment, they were all getting ready for bed. Both the male and female prostitutes were given one night off a week, sometimes two, depending on slow or busy business was that week. It was good to give their bodies a rest and a chance to recover, once in a while, their boss often said. Tanjiro figured it was lucky that he had arrived on a night when he didn’t have to start working, as it would give him more time to settle in.

The atmosphere was pretty cozy, and Tanjiro decided he liked it. It was similar to him being home, how he and his siblings would all share one bed. To save on space, they all shared one bed here as well, and for that, Tanjiro was grateful. If he had to be in a bed by himself, he was afraid he’d probably be too lonely. And at the moment, everyone was settling down, putting on their nightclothes, most of them long white nightgowns that all looked the same. There was one for Tanjiro too, and he had to admit, it was pretty soft and comfortable. The light was low and yellow, the room illuminated by a couple gas lamps and candles, bathing everything in a soft glow. Though everything was cozy and warm in here, Tanjiro could hear plenty of activity downstairs, the sound of chatter, laughter, and even some music floating up through the floors. It sounded like a party going on, or what Tanjiro always imagined a party sounding like.

But of course, he knew was really happening. He was just thankful that none of the bedrooms that guests could use were anywhere near theirs.

“Giyuu, it’s his first day here, be nice,” Sabito admonished him. “Remember how nervous you were when you first started out? Wouldn’t you have liked to have someone tell you what you could expect on your first few days here?”

Giyuu grumbled a bit and plopped himself into bed, Sabito crawling in next to him, saying something like, “I know you’re tired, it’s alright. Just sleep, we won’t be up for much longer.”

Tanjiro watched as Sabito very gently pushed hair out of his face for a moment, and then had to look away. The action was so sweet and intimate, almost maternal in fashion, that he felt like he was intruding on something private. It was quite obvious that the two of them were much closer to each other than they were to the others, and in light of Inosuke telling him that falling in love was forbidden here, he began to worry for them and wonder just how close they were.

At that moment, Inosuke walked into the room, all fresh from a shower, his hair jet black and wet and a right mess over his shoulders. He didn’t miss how the other boy winked at him when he caught him staring, and was he just seeing things, or did Inosuke add a little sway to his hips? The little devil. He went over to sit in front of the mirror to brush his tangled hair, just listening to their conversations.

Rengoku finally answered him, drawing Tanjiro’s attention to him. “We get a lot of businessmen that have too much money, and other men that have recently come into a large inheritance. Lots of rich men though, of all ages. At first, you might be surprised at just how nice a lot of them look, how normal, but you get used to it after a while. The nicest, most normal looking guys can have the oddest kinks. We have other clients that are just exploring their sexuality, and that’s why they choose us. Most of them are married, and their wives don’t know they’re here. Some of them might talk to you like you’re one of the family, others might just speak to you like you’re an object or commodity. But again, you get used to it.”

“I see…” Tanjiro said thoughtfully. Then, he remembered something else, something they had mentioned earlier in the day, and a swell of nervousness rose in him. “So um, tomorrow you guys are going to teach me how to please a man, right?”

“That’s what Muzan wants us to do, yeah,” Zenitsu piped up as he eagerly laid down and pulled the blankets over himself. “No one’s allowed to penetrate you though, so don’t worry. They’re saving that privilege for the highest bidder of your virginity. So we’ll just teach you how to please a man with your mouth and fingers, and some tricks we’re learned for how to make a client comfortable and enjoy your company. And we’ll teach you how to relax and kind of divide your mind when a man is fucking you. It’s not as bad as you think, don’t worry.”

“O-Okay…”

The brush was put down on the vanity with a small clunk of wood against wood, making Tanjiro look up and towards Inosuke, who was getting up out of his seat and walking over to him. The red haired boy had to resist backing away, wondering what he was going to do. Though he somewhat suspected it, his heart still jumped into his throat when Inosuke gently gripped his chin and stroked it slightly, looking into his eyes and saying suggestively, “Don’t worry. We’ll be gentle with you.”

As he passed by him, Rengoku admonished, “Hey.” He smacked Inosuke on the rear. “Enough, you, you’re going to kill him.”

Inosuke let go of Tanjiro and instead pouted at Rengoku, rubbing his butt.

“Everyone get into bed,” the older boy said sternly. “I’m going to blow out the candles.”

Inosuke sighed in annoyance and dramatically threw himself into bed right next to Sabito, making the mattress bounce and jostling the current occupants. Sabito kicked him, which prompted Inosuke to kick back, and then the two of them started wrestling, giggling like a pair of naughty siblings who knew they were going to annoy their parents with their misbehaving. And sure enough, Rengoku and Giyuu both began admonishing them, telling them to quit their fooling around or they’d be sleeping on the floor.

They let go of each other, but Tanjiro could have sworn that he heard them mutter insults to each other, even as they turned their backs on each other. Rengoku made his way around the room, turning off the lights and gradually plunging the room into darkness. When that was finished, he slid into bed next to Zenitsu, leaving Tanjiro standing there awkwardly, not knowing what he should do. After all, they were all used to sleeping next to each other. Was he going to have to sleep on the floor? Would any of them be willing to let him sleep beside them? Upon noticing him standing there, Rengoku smiled at him and patted the space beside him.

“Here, you can sleep here,” he offered, and then looked at Inosuke. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” Inosuke said suggestively, “I promise I won’t even feel him up during the night.”

Tanjiro bit his lip against the sentence that wanted to escape him at those words. If you wanted to I’d probably let you.

Heavens, he was shameless already. And really, he hated how excited he was at the thought of sleeping next to Inosuke. So, he did as he was told, hopping into the giant bed and crawling between him and Rengoku. The mattress felt rather comfy, and when he sunk down underneath the blankets, he found that they also were very soft and warm. Combined with the fact that he was laying between two warm bodies made him feel even cozier.

Everyone’s eyes around him started to close, but Tanjiro kept his open for a bit to observe everyone’s behavior. Since he was facing Rengoku, he saw that Zenitsu, who was lying on the older boy’s other side, sidle up closer to him until their bodies were touching. From what Tanjiro gathered, Zenitsu was a rather nervous boy, jumping at many loud noises and looking afraid to even eat the meals they were served. So he probably appreciated the comfort that the confident Rengoku offered him. Lifting his head and looking on his other side, he noticed that Giyuu’s arm was draped over Sabito’s waist, lying close together, and the two of them were facing each other. Sabito’s head was even tucked under Giyuu’s chin. They looked so cute, and very comfortable with each other. If they weren’t at least a little bit in love then Tanjiro would eat his nightgown.

He just hoped that someday he would find someone he could become that close to.

Tanjiro heard a slight shifting behind him, and he tensed up, knowing it was Inosuke making the sound and wondering what he was going to do. If he really was going to feel him up, Tanjiro didn’t know what he would do. He had thought he wouldn’t mind, but truthfully he really wasn’t ready to accept such a thing yet. After all, he barely knew anything about the other boy. Wouldn’t that be reserved for when they became closer? But thankfully, Inosuke didn’t have any such intentions. Instead, he just scooted closer to Tanjiro and laid his forehead between his shoulder blades like it was the most natural thing in the world. And he supposed since all the others seemed to be pairing off and laying close to each other for comfort and warmth, it was. This was just something they did here, and Tanjiro found he didn’t mind it at all. The touch was nice, and as everyone began to drift off and their breathing became heavier with sleep, that too became a balm to his nerves. Even Inosuke and Sabito’s snoring didn’t really put him off. The sounds were just further proof that he wasn’t alone in this strange new place.

So, after laying awake for a half an hour, Tanjiro’s exhaustion eventually caught up with him, and before he knew it, he too was drifting off, leaning back into Inosuke’s warm body, feeling his moist breaths even through his nightgown.

000
The next morning, Tanjiro woke to the feeling of the mattress shifting as Rengoku got up, picking his way over the still sleeping body of Zenitsu, who grumbled and buried himself further under the blankets. It made the boy wonder if he should get up as well, but since no one else was moving, he figured it was okay to remain where he was. On the contrary, Rengoku was the only one up. Everyone else was snuggling further into their blankets. Sabito’s face was pressed against Giyuu’s stomach while the dark haired man held his head, and Inosuke’s legs were tangled with Sabito’s while his cheek rested in the curve of Tanjiro’s waist, his cheek squished adorably against him. The morning light was just peeking through the curtains, so it was still early. No wonder everyone was still asleep.

Tanjiro closed his eyes again, but he didn’t think he was going to go back to sleep. Still, he was comfortable and warm and didn’t really feel like moving. Besides, Inosuke’s weight on him was kind of nice. When Rengoku got up, Zenitsu moved closer to the nearest source of warmth, which happened to be Tanjiro. His eyes cracked open again while Zenitsu pressed his face against Tanjiro’s chest, and with a sigh, went still again, beginning to snore lightly. Well, if the red haired boy did want to get up, that definitely wasn’t happening now.

Rengoku must have seen the glimmer of Tanjiro’s eyes when he turned around, because the red haired boy heard him greet, “Good morning.”

Tanjiro quickly put a finger to his lips, grinning. Rengoku smiled and shook his head fondly as Tanjiro patted both Inosuke and Zenitsu’s heads. How cute. It was nice to see how quickly they had become comfortable with this new boy, and in turn how quickly he had become comfortable with them.

Rengoku told him quietly, “You can get up whenever you want. Breakfast will be in the kitchen for another couple of hours.”

Tanjiro nodded, and after he left, he closed his eyes again. He dozed off and on for another hour or so, only prying himself out of the warm bed when Sabito and Giyuu got up. He figured he should follow them because he didn’t couldn’t remember exactly where the kitchen or the bathroom were. So, slowly, he sat up, pushing Inosuke off him, the dark haired boy groaning in protest. Tanjiro had the urge to run his fingers through his hair like Sabito did to Giyuu last night, but figured he better not. He didn’t think he had the right to.

He would have to earn that right first.

Well, no matter. He wasn’t allowed to fall in love here anyway. So whatever thoughts he had about getting closer to Inosuke in that way, he had to stop. He could certainly become his friend, but anything more was out of the question.

That would just have to be good enough.

He sighed, and got up, deciding that he should get dressed, as he still didn’t feel comfortable just wandering around in his nightclothes. Of course, he didn’t have that many clothes for right now, but eventually that would change, hopefully in a couple days.
Later that afternoon, after lunch, they figured that was as good a time as any to give Tanjiro a rundown on what he would be doing when he took on his first customer. Rengoku volunteered to teach him first since their personalities were similar, and then Sabito for the same reason. To make things easier, they took him individually.

“We’ll be nicer than our customers will be to you anyway,” Rengoku pointed out as they left to borrow one of the smaller, private rooms.

Once they locked the door behind them, Tanjiro stood unsurely in the middle of the room, staring at the older boy. When Rengoku turned away from the door and saw his expression, he clucked sympathetically and cross the room to meet him.

“You look lost, my boy,” he said softly.

“I-I…” Tanjiro began, and then trailed off. Lost was exactly how he felt. He had literally no idea of what he was supposed to be doing next.

Rengoku placed a hand on his cheek, stroking it with his thumb and prompted him with a gentle, “Hey. Look at me?”

The red haired boy did so hesitantly, but he was relieved to see nothing but genuine kindness there. The other boy said, “Relax. That’s lesson number one. This is no different than a factory job or a desk job. You approach it with the same confidence. If you’re too nervous to move, you can’t work and you won’t earn your money, yeah?”

“Right,” Tanjiro agreed. He let out a sigh slowly. “Sorry.”

“Oh trust me, I get it. Just remember, it’s only me. And the more you get used to taking off your clothes in front of strangers, the easier it’ll get. Plus, soon you’ll just be getting undressed in front of the same people over and over again, so that helps. Now, lesson two, you don’t show a man your body until his money has been given to the establishment. Nothing is for free around here. Not the room, and not you. You are a commodity, merchandise, and no one gets merchandise for free. Understand?”

“Yes, I get it. So we’ll just pretend you’ve already paid.” Tanjiro smirked at him.

“Very good.” Rengoku ruffled his hair. “Okay. Now, after that, depending on the customer’s experience, you’ll proceed in a couple of different ways. If they’re new, you’ll kind of ease them into the experience. Tell them what they can expect, ask what they’d like to do. Some of them don’t know, so you’ll have to give suggestions and take the lead for most of the time. If they’re experienced, they’ll of course know what to do, and you just kind of make conversation with them like you would any other coworker. Now, another rule. If a man comes in with Venus’s curse or you think he’s got it, you don’t have to sleep with him. Tell one of us, or if you can find Muzan, let him know. It won’t due if you get sick, you know?”

“Venus’s curse?” Tanjiro asked, tilting his head.
“A disease on his genitals,” Rengoku clarified.

“Ohhh. Got it.”

“Okay. So when you have a man and you’ve determined his experience, he’s paid, and you’re sure he doesn’t have a disease, you can proceed with the job. Of course, what every man wants is different. But for the most part, many men will many men will just want you to suck on their cods. Quite a few actually don’t even want sex, they just want someone to talk to about their failing marriages or things going wrong in their work. Half of our jobs is just listening to these guys and giving our opinions. Most of the time they just want someone to sympathize with them.”

“Sounds intense.”

“It’s not, don’t worry. Just agree with whatever their saying and whatever advice you give, just make sure it sounds like you’re on their side. It’s not always easy. I’ve had many customers tell me about how their wives found out they were seeing prostitutes and were trying to justify to me how their wives had no reason to be angry. Obviously I think that’s a load, but in the end, it’s not our fault that the man is cheating on his wife. He chose to walk through the doors of our brothel. We’re just doing our jobs.”

“Okay….Okay, you’re right.” Truthfully, Tanjiro had worried about that scenario a bit. But he supposed Rengoku was right. They were just trying to get paid like everyone else. They couldn’t control how faithful a man stayed to his wife. If he chose to ruin his marriage and reputation, that was his fault, not theirs. Besides, if he didn’t walk into their brothel, there were hundreds of other brothels he could choose, so it wouldn’t personally be Tanjiro’s fault.

“So now that I’m ready to start, I can undress, right?” the boy asked.

“Of course,” Rengoku said, nodding. “Most of the time they put us in yukatas, so those are easy to pull off. Sometimes the customer will want to undress you, or they’ll ask you to undress yourself. This time I’ll ask you to undress yourself though.”

Tanjiro did was he was asked, remembering what Muzan said. He had to be strong. He lowered his head a bit and gazed up at Rengoku through his half lidded eyes. The other boy nodded in approval, saying, “Yes, that’s a good look. Wide eyed and innocent, but not too innocent.”

Carefully, the boy let the shirt he was wearing fall off his shoulders, before also pulling off his trousers, leaving him bare in front of the older boy. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he told himself over and over again that it was okay. It was just Rengoku, and he was here to help him.

“Lovely,” Rengoku praised, looking him up and down, but he wasn’t leering. It was odd, like he was commenting on what a good job he might have done on a presentation he had prepared for a business meeting. “I can see why Muzan chose you to be one of the Flowers. Your body is as slender as a willow and your skin is as white as cream. You’re definitely going to be a treat for whichever man wins the right to take your virginity.”

“Thank you,” Tanjiro said, trying not to let his voice waver. Stay strong, he told himself. Besides, hearing how pretty he was did make him feel good. After growing up in a house with so many siblings, it was rare that he got individual attention. But here, he was going to have many men fawning over him and telling him how gorgeous he was. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to that.

Going with what he thought might be expected of him, he walked over to the large bed pushed up against one of the walls and sat down on the edge of it. He crossed his legs and leaned back on his hands, pushing out his chest and teased, “Well come on handsome, don’t keep me waiting.”

“Aren’t you saucy,” Rengoku laughed, and Tanjiro cracked up as well. “That’s good though. Sound eager. Even if you’re nervous, cover it up.”

The older boy undressed quickly, and as he sauntered over to Tanjiro, the boy sitting on the bed could clearly see why so many men wanted him. He was as slender as the rest of them, but he somehow still exuded strength and warmth. Seeing his golden mane of hair against his shoulders, the way is framed his face was a wonderful sight, very beautiful. He embodied his other name, Tournesol. Sunflower. If the sun could somehow take a human form, he had no doubt that it would look like this. Commanding and gentle, able to warm anyone with a smile and comfort a person with just a couple words. Tanjiro was quite happy that his first lesson about pleasing a man was coming from Rengoku.

“Alright then,” the older boy said when he stopped in front of him. “Now, as you can guess, it’s pretty easy to get a man aroused and to ejaculate by sucking him off. So when your customer has no idea what he wants but knows he wants to get off, this is a good way to do it. Luckily, pretty much anything you do to a cock feels good. I’d say to start off, just do what would feel good to you, since all cocks have the same sweet spots. But you’ll find later that certain customers like it when you take them down your throat, some just like having the heads of their cocks sucked on, and some will want you to play with their balls. Go ahead with what feels right when you’re not sure what to do and your customer will tell you what they like and don’t like.”

“Sure.” Tanjiro glanced down at the other’s cock, figuring he should probably put his advice into practice. “So, do you want me to just go for it, or…?”

“Yes,” Rengoku breathed a laugh. “Go ahead, my boy. I’ll direct you as you go about it.”

The red haired boy let out a nervous sigh, his breath fanning over Rengoku’s crotch. The older boy placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair again in a comforting gesture that the younger of the two greatly appreciated. Deciding to just hurry up and start, he leaned forward and took his cock in hand, before he gave the tip a lick.

Huh, not bad, he decided. It was very warm, warmer than the rest of the other boy’s body, and the overwhelming smell of musk and whatever perfume Rengoku used settling heavily on Tanjiro’s tongue. It wasn’t unpleasant, but he would have to get used to it. Lowering his head more, he opened his jaw more and let his cock fill his mouth. Further and further he lowered his head, until he choked a bit and backed off. Rengoku stroked the side of his face.

“Easy now,” he said. “You don’t have to take too much right now. You know as well as I do that most of the sweet spots on a man’s root on the tip, so you can focus your attention there and it’ll feel good. You may never be able to take a man down your throat. Zenitsu can’t, and neither can I, and we still make enough money. Don’t push yourself. And watch your teeth, alright? Curl your lips over your teeth.”

Tanjiro pulled off, saying, “So I’ll just look like a grandma who’s lost my teeth? How attractive.”

“No one’s first blowjob is an attractive affair, dear,” Rengoku sniggered. “Sex as a whole is a ridiculous, unattractive business. If there’s anything I’ve learned from being in this business, that’s it.”

Tanjiro just shrugged and did what he was told, curling his lips over his teeth and taking his cock back in his mouth. He bobbed his head, following the blond boy’s instructions that he breathed over his head.

“There you go, use your free hand to stroke the bottom- perfect. If you have to, you can squeeze your thumb inside your fist to help with your gag reflex. Very good- hng, yes, oh Tanjiro, there you go, that’s it. You learn fast.”

If he could have, the younger boy would have grinned with pride. He supposed he could be doing worse for his first blowjob, that was for sure. He decided to try a few things to see if they would be received well, or if they would be considered odd. With his free hand, he stroked his balls, squeezing them gently, marveling at how they felt like his but different. A bit larger, firmer, but the skin still thin and warm. His partner responded favorably to the stimulation, releasing a warm, heavy breath above his head. He felt his thighs twitch, and heard more praise, less direction. That must have meant he was doing well.

He didn’t let up even when Rengoku’s breathing grew faster and faster and he could feel his fingers in his hair tightening their grip. He recognized the signals for what they were, and increased his pace, feeling saliva dripping down his chin. Rengoku almost fell forward, catching himself at the last moment, giving a hurt sounding moan. He pulled Tanjiro off him and the second he did, he came, some of it catching Tanjiro’s chin and chest, the rest of it ending up on the floor. He fell to his knees, panting, his chin touching his chest.

Tanjiro wiped at his chin and chest briefly, and then with his clean hand, he cupped the side of Rengoku’s face, asking, “Hey, are you okay?”

The older boy laughed a bit, before he lifted his heavy head and gaze back at him. His eyes were a bit hazy, but he was smiling hugely. “Better than okay. Not bad, not bad at all. You have a very…sympathetic way of giving pleasure. I can tell you really want to please your partner and are very receptive to direction. It wasn’t perfect, but for a first time, that was very good. We may mold you into the perfect flower yet.”

And for the first time since arriving there, Tanjiro felt most of his anxiety leave him. Maybe he could make it here after all.

000

Later, when he followed Sabito into yet another locked room, he went in with his head held high, eager to learn more, his confidence boosted by Rengoku’s praise. Sabito seemed to notice, because he said, “Kyojuro said you did well with him. So that’s good. It means my job will be easy.”

“And what are you going to show me?” Tanjiro asked, this time undressing without hesitation. Sabito had to laugh a a bit at his change in demeanor; shyness didn’t last long here.

“I’m just going to show you how to prep yourself for when men want to fuck you,” the other boy explained, also undressing. “Not all of them will know how to do it, so it’s up to you to make sure you’re properly prepped so you don’t get hurt. If you don’t do it properly, you can bleed, or prolapse, and it’ll not only be painful for you, but for your partner too. So, here, above all else, you have to be careful.”

Tanjiro once more sat on the bed, feeling like a boy waiting for his teacher to start class. He shouldn’t have been surprised honestly that Sabito was just as beautiful as Rengoku, but he was beautiful in a different way. If Rengoku was the sun, Sabito too was the embodiment of his other name, Ume. Plum blossom. Where Rengoku was radiant, Sabito glowed more softly. His gaze was as gentle and sweet as the small, white flowers of his namesake, and he smelled like something floral. Unable to resist, Tanjiro reached up and stroked his hair, and Sabito breathed a laugh of amusement. His hair was very soft, slightly wavy, and thick, not quite a mane like Rengoku’s, but getting there.

“Kyojuro was right, you are pretty,” Sabito observed. “Worthy of being one of the Flowers.”

Tanjiro’s face turned pink and he averted his eyes, though there was a pleased smile on his face.

Thankfully, he wasn’t nearly as embarrassed by Sabito’s demonstration of how to prep himself as he had been during Rengoku’s lesson. It seemed pretty straightforward, though Tanjiro wasn’t allowed to try on himself, lest he hurt himself and then the “merchandise would be damaged.” So, he just watched, asking questions when needed.

“And no matter what,” Sabito said when he finished, “no matter what the customer puts you through, no matter how much pain you’re in, or what they say to you, don’t forget to smile, okay? They won’t want to pay a sour prostitute, not when you’re sold as being kind and friendly, like I am and like I’m sure Muzan is marketing you as.”

For some reason, those words seemed a bit eerie to Tanjiro, especially when Sabito’s gaze dropped a moment later and a distant look crossed his light eyes, as if his mind was being transported something else.

Perhaps that was what possessed Tanjiro to blurt out without really thinking, “Sabito-san, why do you wear that veil?”

The other boy snapped back to himself and blinked at him in surprise. After realizing what he had said, Tanjiro turned beet red down to the roots of his hair, and nearly shouted while waving his hands in front of him, “I’m so sorry! Forget what I just said, I shouldn’t have asked! Here let’s just”-

“A customer…made me like this,” Sabito explained haltingly.

That silenced Tanjiro right away. He just stared at him, wondering if that was going to be it, or if he was going to say more. After all, Rengoku had already told him that it had been a customer that had hurt him. Sabito just shrugged. “He tied me down, and had brought a knife. I remember looking down while he ran the tip down my chest, around one of my nipples, and on the side of my neck. He said that dolls should always be smiling, even with a knife against their throats…”

With that, he reached up and untied his dark veil, letting it fall into his lap. Tanjiro’s shock was so great that no noise escaped him. His eyes simply widened, and his lips parted.

The corners of the other boy’s mouth had been sliced, leaving huge scars on his face. A permanent smile. Truthfully, the scars themselves were not that horrible, but the shame and fear that he had felt in that moment was probably far greater than any horror others might feel at seeing his face.

Eerily, Sabito offered a small, sad smile to Tanjiro, and said, “Now I’m called ‘the Boy Who Smiles’ by those that know. So like I said, don’t forget to smile, Tanjiro.”

Chapter Text

Muzan came to Tanjiro the next day saying that his virginity had been sold for one hundred francs, which nearly made the boy fall out of his chair. Considering that each sexual service was just a couple of francs, with the most expensive being four francs to actually penetrate the prostitutes either vaginally or anally, this was huge.

“Our customers must really want you,” Muzan pointed out. “Giyuu’s virginity sold for just a little more. Congratulations.”

“I..It’s an honor, sir,” Tanjiro said, bowing to the other man. “I promise I’ll make you all proud.”

“I’m sure you will, especially since Kyojuro and Sabito said you’ve been doing pretty well. Now all that’s left is for you to pick a name for yourself, and I’ll be able to finish entering your information in our registry.”

“Oh yes, a name. A name…”

That was right. Each one of the prostitutes was entered into a pamphlet that their customers could pick up when they came in. Or the pamphlets could be found in tourist centers for the men looking for a good time, or even those that requested to have them delivered in their mail. Many of their customers came here to get their sexual satisfaction when their wives wouldn’t give them sex. It surprised Tanjiro a little just how common this unfaithfulness was, but that was probably because his parents were so in love that his father would have never dreamed of coming to a place like this. The pamphlets themselves listed all the prostitutes that worked there, such as their names, personalities, a picture sometimes, and what they specialized in. The names they used were all fake so that they couldn’t be tracked, and since the theme of this brothel was more fairytale-like and invoked images of a garden, pretty much everyone’s false name was a flower. And each flower name matched the prostitute’s personality or looks.

But Tanjiro had no idea what name he was going to pick.

He wasn’t very good with flowers and their meanings to begin with. He knew roses meant lust and passion, but that was about it. Besides, one of the girls there already had that name. With a total of twenty people working at the Garden, many of the good options had been taken, so he was going to have to get more creative.

He found himself going to Inosuke for advice on this problem after Sabito and Rengoku told him to just go with whatever felt right and Zenitsu saying he had a hard enough time coming up with his own name. He didn’t dare approach Giyuu for help and he couldn’t find him that day anyway. So, in the few hours he had before they had to open, Tanjiro found himself laying in their giant bed, reading their brothel’s pamphlet and wracking his brain, growing more and more anxious by the minute.

“You know when you think really hard it smells like bacon,” Inosuke told him, plopping dramatically on the bed behind him.

“Does it?” Tanjiro replied distractedly, not breaking his gaze with the pamphlet. “I didn’t notice.”

Inosuke scooted across the bed until he was laying on top of Tanjiro, the latter of whom was laying on his belly. Tanjiro grunted as the other pressed his front flush against his back and laid his chin on his shoulder, looking at what he was reading.

“Did I ever tell you I can’t read very well?” Inosuke said.

Tanjiro had to resist shivering; his breath was right near his ear, and his warmth was making his stomach do flips. How could he just so casually be so intimate with him? Well, Tanjiro supposed it was because that was just how things were around here. All of them were platonically close, having no problem touching each other in the most intimate ways, probably because they were used to it and, this was just the boy’s guess, they really didn’t have any other idea how to communicate with each other. Sexual contact was as easy as breathing to them. Platonic friendship and romance was foreign.

Though Inosuke did tell Tanjiro that part of the reason he liked clinging to him was because the others had pretty much paired off into their own “cuddle pairs” when they needed comfort. Sabito and Giyuu were a given, pretty much attached at the hip. Rengoku was like Zenitsu’s protector as well, allowing the other boy to hide behind him when he felt scared. That left Inosuke by himself. So, he had adopted Tanjiro as his cuddle and comfort buddy, laying all over him at night when he got cold or subtly putting himself between Tanjiro and whatever person was making him uncomfortable when he noticed such a thing was happening. Though they were all close, they had developed a bit of a buddy system here, for their own sanity. It was smart, and Tanjiro liked it.

Besides, he would be the last to complain about Inosuke choosing him to cuddle up with. Anything that made the other boy touch him more was just fine in Tanjiro’s book.

“No, you never told me that,” he replied.

Inosuke shrugged. “The nuns at the church tried to teach me, but I would have rather been outside climbing trees and catching frogs and stuff. I even used to wade in the river behind the church and catch fish with my bare hands. I’d set up traps in the woods and catch rabbits too, but when I’d bring them back to the nuns they’d be horrified, saying I didn’t need to kill my food, that we could just buy it at the stores. But where’s the fun in that? Eating meat knowing you caught it and prepared it makes it taste a lot better.”

“Is that so?” Tanjiro grinned. “Look at you, what a strong mountain man you are.”

“I’d love to live in the mountains!” Inosuke crowed, right next to his ear, making it ring. “Someday I want my own log cabin. I want to get out of here, get some big muscles, and chop my own wood, hunt my own food, and just live off the land. As soon as I pay off my debt, I want to do that.”

“Alright,” the red haired boy laughed. “That sounds good to me. When you get your own cabin, let me visit you. It’d be nice to get out of town once in a while.”

“What are you talking about? You’re going to live with me!”

“I-I am?” His heart pounded hard in his chest. Was he saying what he thought he was saying?

“Yeah! You and Rengoku, Sabito, Zenitsu and Giyuu. We’re all going to get out of here and live in my cabin. I’ll take care of all of you.”

Oh. So he wasn’t that special to Inosuke. He tried not to let his disappointment show when he replied, “That sounds wonderful. Though you’ll have to let us do some things, or we’ll get bored.”

“Well, I suppose in my infinite kindness, the great Inosuke could let you do some things around our home.”

He hugged Tanjiro from behind, causing the red haired boy to lean into it and laugh lightly.

“What about you, Tanjiro?” Inosuke asked. “What do you want to do with your life? Surely you don’t want to stay a prostitute forever?”

Tanjiro was caught off guard. “Me?” Truthfully, he had never thought of such a thing. He just assumed he’d be taking care of his mother and family the rest of his life. But he supposed if he really thought about it, he couldn’t help but imagine a life like one of the fairytales that his mother read to him. “I guess I want to find my true love and live together with them happily ever after.  I want us to live an easy life where we wake up every day happy that we chose each other versus anyone else in the world. I want them to wake up with flowers next to their pillow every morning and me singing with the birds in the kitchen as I make breakfast. I want to dance in the woods with them to our music. I want our love to be a fairytale, to be sweet and passionate and love and first sight.”

“Sappy,” Inosuke laughed. “But I like it. You’re like a princess waiting to find her prince.”

Tanjiro’s cheeks turned pink and he turned his gaze back to the pamphlet. Of course, when he relayed all that information, he imagined doing all of that with Inosuke. After all, he already had fallen for him at first sight. He cleared his throat, and said, “Well, did you know that the pamphlet here says that you’re very flexible and can fit your knees up by your head?”

“Oh yes,” the dark haired boy declared proudly. “I’ve always been really flexible. I can bend over backwards and look at people between my feet too. Being able to contort myself into any position I want is one of the reason I’m so popular with customers.”

“It also says here that you’re not very humble,” Tanjiro read dryly. “But apparently that’s part of your charm. That and the fact that no man can tame you. You are ‘as pretty as a fairy glen and just as wild. Perhaps the one Charon will yield to will be you.’ Interesting.”

“Yeah right. No man is going to be able to tame me.”

Tanjiro just sighed. “Ugh, I still have to pick out my other name before tonight. What do you think would suit me, Inosuke?”

“Hmm…” the other boy thought hard, scooting up and setting his head on top of Tanjiro’s, making his resting spot’s head dip forward. “Well, you’re having your virginity sold off…maybe something that reflects that? Reflects your innocence? What’s the most innocent sounding flower out there?”

Tanjiro chewed on his bottom lip for a minute, and then, like a bolt of lightning, a memory returned to him. “My mother used to plant gypsophila. But the common name for it is baby’s breath. What’s more innocent than baby’s breath?”

“Gypsophila…” Inosuke mused. “I like it. It’s cute, but elegant. Makes you sound like a Roman goddess or fairy that seduces men and brings them back to her lair to eat.”

Tanjiro laughed, and couldn’t help but tease, “You want to be my first victim?”

Whoa, where had that come from? Was Inosuke’s constant teasing getting to him and he was finally retaliating back? Perhaps, or perhaps he was just going off of what Insouke had said to him before. They weren’t allowed to fall in love, but they could flirt. Hell, they could fuck each other if they wanted, but it all had to be platonic. So, he supposed if flirting was the only way he could show his attraction to Inosuke, then he would do it.

For now. Until he found, other subtle ways.

Well, what a change of heart already. He still felt that it wasn’t right for him to be in love with someone of the same sex, or rather, found that there was something wrong with him. But he supposed it wasn’t as bad as he initially thought. After all, homosexuality was encouraged and celebrated in this brothel, or at least, homosexual sex was. So what was wrong with feelings of love and desires to romance the object of his affection, to treat him sweetly and want to treasure him? It was certainly more pure and innocent. So, since he was already breaking so many societal conventions by being a prostitute, then there was nothing wrong with him falling in love with another man.

He would just have to be very careful about how he went about it.

“Of course, Princess,” Inosuke said lightly, nuzzling his nose behind his ear. In a low voice, he added, “If you want to drag me into your cave and eat me out you definitely won’t hear me complain.”

Tanjiro groaned at the mental image and his forehead hit the mattress. Inosuke cackled, hugging him again. It was far too fun to embarrass this cute little blossom of a boy.

000

That night was Tanjiro’s debut, and he found that he was so nervous he could barely think straight. Practicing with his friends was one thing, but performing services on actual customers was another.

It didn’t help that Muzan built him up in their pamphlet too. With his new name written over the top of a sketch of him, he read that he was described as being “as sweet and fresh as the morning, and as honest as a little girl child. If you prefer someone innocent, kind and agreeable, Gypsophila will fulfill all your needs.” But how could he fulfill those needs when he wasn’t experienced in any of them?

“Don’t worry so much, Tanjiro,” Rengoku assured him as they put on their outfits in their dressing room. “It’s not like you can’t talk to us when we’re down there. If you have questions, just ask.”

“Yeah, we’ll be right there with you,” Zenitsu assured him. “It’s kind of like going to a party. If you know how to interact and socialize at a party, you’ll be fine. And you’re pretty social, so you should have no problem. Remember, we’re just there to entertain these guys. Pretend to find everything they say interesting and you’ll be fine.”

“Yeah…” Tanjiro said distantly. He supposed the best thing to do would be to get his first night done and over with so every night after this wouldn’t be so daunting.

The boy looked around the room at his half-dressed friends, watching them all haul on their clothes for the night. They almost resembled what the girls wore, in a way, though they were clearly men’s clothes, they were brightly colored and ornate. With many of them, their shoulders and tops of their chests were left bare. Some of them, like in the case of what Zenitsu wore, the material of their shirts were sheer, leaving their nipples visible and poking teasingly against the cloth, as if begging to be touched.

Tanjiro’s first outfit was chosen by his friends after he sat there staring at their closet looking completely lost. Giggling and fussing over him like a sorority, they all picked something that made him stand out. He deserved to shine on his debut after all, they thought. In the end, they made him look a bit like a bride, putting him in an ornate, silk yukata that shimmered as he moved. The chest was slightly open on it, and they powdered his face so that it would look a bit paler than normal, as pale as Giyuu and Inosuke’s, though his skin naturally had a warmer tone. He was also given a circlet for his head made out of pearls as a finishing touch.

“Perfect,” Inosuke nodded with approval, offering him a blinding grin. He was the one who had placed the circlet on his head, and then he added, “Now you look like a real princess.”

“I just hope my appearance pleases the client,” he said meekly.

“If he doesn’t want you, I’ll fuck you in his stead,” Inosuke offered. “Asshole doesn’t deserve you anyway I don’t think.”

“Be nice,” Sabito admonished. “These assholes pay our salary.”

“But he’s right, they are assholes,” Giyuu remarked. “Besides, I don’t think any of those men out there deserve you either.”

A soft blush colored Sabito’s cheeks and he looked away, tucking hair behind his ear.

When all of them were finished, they looked at the clock and saw that it was just about time for their first customers to start walking in. Giyuu sighed heavily and said, “Alright, time to go greet these disgusting fuckers.”

“Giyuu,” Sabito hissed, while Tanjiro just snorted in amusement.

They walked out front, passing some of the girls, who said hello to them as they walked by. Zenitsu nudged Tanjiro and said, “You come with us into the main parlor for now. The girls are going to greet the men at the door tonight. Another night you’ll be a door greeter, but since it’s your first night, just concentrate on getting your bearings for now.”

The red haired boy nodded, sticking close to the group and looking around with wide eyed wonder. He had seen the main parlor before already of course. It was a small, intimate room, big enough to accommodate about half of the prostitutes working there at a time. But of course, not all of them would have to be in there at once, as many of them would already be waiting in rooms for their customers who had reserved their time. But Tanjiro had been told to meet his customer in here. And the room was a lot different now, already filling with giggling prostitutes and men in rich-looking suits. It smelled like cigar smoke and alcohol of all kinds. He wondered if he would be forced to drink some of that; he had never had alcohol before. There was a piano in the corner, and a gramophone where music currently flowed out from, some kind of opera singer lulling everyone into a state of relaxation. There were more paintings of nude women on the walls here, as well as several huge, lush sofas and chairs. Some of the chairs were pushed together, some had giant pillows with gold tassels hanging from them.

How lively everything already was, Tanjiro thought, and there were only five or six men here. Five or six men, and oddly enough a puma, of all things, wearing an ornate collar and lounging on one of the couches like it owned it. He was a bit frightened, but intrigued. So this was what rich men were like? They bought exotic pets just to show off their status?

His surprise didn’t end there. When they walked in, the chatter died down, and all eyes were drawn to them. Several of the men, even ones already chatting with other prostitutes, looked them all up and down, and a combination of lust and admiration entered their gazes. Tanjiro could practically feel their eyes burning him, and he had to resist shrinking from them. He heard them whisper la Fleurs amongst themselves reverently, and he was surprised at just how much their reputation preceded them. It was one thing hearing from the Flowers themselves how popular they were and how men threw themselves at them. It was another to see it in the flesh.

Be strong, he reminded himself. He glanced behind, where Inosuke was following him, and saw that his head was held high and he was bearing his teeth in that odd, flirtatious grin again. He looked proud, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to these men and capitalized on it, drawing them in. That’s right. The seduction started now. The friendlier he seemed, the more men might be apt to choose him. So, he followed Inosuke’s example and smiled brightly at the men, offering them a slight wave. Some of the men waved back, and yet more of them looked him up and down. Some of them whispered amongst themselves, and the girls they asked the question to answered back, “Yes he’s new.”

Tanjiro had no idea that new flesh was such a novelty around here, or so sought after.

They took their places, spreading out and artistically posing themselves in different chairs and couches. Some of them sat next to familiar clients, others sat alone, waiting to be approached by someone. That was Zenitsu and Tanjiro, the two of them sitting together on a couch.

“I tend not to get as many customers as the others,” he explained, a little sadly. “It’s not that I don’t try to make myself as appealing as possible, but I guess I just don’t have the look that most men are looking for. But Sabito tends not to get many people either, not anymore. I think that’s part of the reason Giyuu accepts so many customers, so that he can make his share as well as Sabito’s. If you don’t make enough money, Muzan lets you go and you go to one of the brothels in the poorer parts of town, and that’s pretty much a death sentence.”

“That’s…terrible,” Tanjiro gasped, remembering at the last second to switch to French instead of Japanese. “And hey, I think you’re plenty cute. You and Sabito both. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be one of la Fleurs now would you? If I get good at this and somehow find myself popular with men, I’ll help pay for your share. I won’t let Muzan send you to one of the poor brothels.”

Zenitsu shrugged, and seemed to sink down further into the couch. “The others already help pay for my share. I’d hate to put that burden on you too.” He then added softly, “I’m just burden on everyone, no good to anyone. Everyone leaves me eventually.”

Tanjiro heard him though, and clucked sympathetically, raising his hand to touch him on the shoulder. But before he could make contact, a man was walking over and saying, “Gypsophila, yes?”

Tanjiro looked up at him, and after doing a once over on the man, he recognized him from Muzan’s description of him as being the man that had paid to take Tanjiro’s virginity that night. He offered him a smile and reached out to shake his hand. “Monsieur Fabron. A pleasure to meet you in the flesh at last.”

“Please, the pleasure is mine,” the man said, taking his hand. But instead of shaking it, he kissed the top of it. Right, of course. There would most likely be no handshakes between prostitutes and clients, would there?

“Well Moniseur, did you want to stay here and talk for a bit, or get right on with it?” Tanjiro decided to ask. No sense in beating around the bush.

“Hmm, how about we go now?” Fabron suggested. “I plan on taking my time with you and enjoying this experience. I’ve never taken the virginity of a prostitute before. This way, we’ll have all night.”

“Okay then,” Tanjiro agreed, standing up. “Monsieur Kibutsuji has already prepared our room to your specifications. Just follow me.”

He patted Zenitsu’s head, causing the blond boy to look up at him. His nervousness must have been showing again, because his friend offered him a quiet, “Good luck.”

Tanjiro smiled back, thanking him without words, and set off, his first patron following close behind.

He was thankful his friends had shown him the way to this room before so that it would look like he actually knew where he was going. Behind him, he heard Fabron comment, “You look very lovely, like a princess bride waiting to be given away. How appropriate.”

“You think so?” Tanjiro said. “My friends helped me choose my outfit since this is my first time and all. They wanted to make sure I looked my best for you.”

That was when they reached the room. Like most of the rooms for customers to service their clients in, there were huge windows so that anyone could view, if they wished, or at least look in and determine whether or not a room was occupied. There were other rooms that afforded their patrons more privacy if they wished, but it appeared Fabron wanted everyone to see his prowess in deflowering this virgin beauty. Tanjiro locked the door behind them anyway out of habit. In the middle of the floor sat a bath that had been dragged in and connected to a pipe. He had been told that the man wanted to fuck him in the tub after bathing him, and truthfully that didn’t sound so bad. Almost relaxing, in fact. He supposed he could have lost his virginity in a much worse way.

Once they were safely inside, the boy asked, “Did you want the honor of undressing me sir? Or shall I undress myself?”

Instantly, the man took control, as if the closing of the door had flipped something in him. He maintained his smile, but said commandingly, “Strip. I’ll draw the bath.”

“Yes sir.”

“You don’t have to so polite.”

“Sorry s- I mean, sorry. I’ll just undress now.”

Tanjiro bit his lip and began pulling off the yukata in the same fashion as he had for Rengoku. Although he still felt uncomfortable, he felt that way for an entirely different reason now. He just felt embarrassed that he had messed up already when he was trying so hard to get this right. He knew every client would be different, but he supposed since he was listed as being kind and polite and that’s what this man had paid for, he should play up that aspect. Well, all he could do from here on out was learn from it and move forward.

Tanjiro was of course finished before the tub was full enough for Fabron, and he was about to remove the circlet as well before the man stopped him with, “No, leave it. It looks lovely against your hair. We can just wash your body tonight.”

The boy bit his tongue, in case he said something else that the man didn’t like. He wanted to make sure that he enjoyed the experience that he paid for. So, he sat silently on the bed, hands folded primly in his lap, and when Fabron noticed this, he laughed a bit saying, “You really do look like a bride waiting for your husband like that.”

“Well, tonight, if you’d like, we can pretend that I am,” Tanjiro replied. “And I’ll wait as long as I have to for you.”

“That’s right,” the man said, “because tonight, you are mine.”

When the tub was finally full, he beckoned Tanjiro over, and gestured for him to step inside. He did so, and gripped the sides of the tub while he knelt down. There wasn’t much water in the tub, only barely enough to reach his hips, but he supposed that was a good thing. This porcelain tub wasn’t that big, and once they started fucking, their thrusts would no doubt cause water to slosh over the sides if there was too much.

He chanced looking up at his client, only for the man to say, “Don’t look me in the eye. Tonight, you are my demure wife, and you will yield to whatever I say.”

Tanjiro nodded in response, biting his lip. He kept his eyes on his knees while the other man to undress and get in the tub with him, sitting on the other side. From what he could see, Tanjiro could tell that he was rather good looking undressed. There was just a dusting of pale blond hair on his chest and navel. From the wedding ring on his finger, it was clear that someone else thought he was attractive too. And he probably was just a bit older than Tanjiro was, clearly a man though and not a boy. Clearly, this was a man that liked being in control and was used to people doing what he said.

“Turn around,” he instructed, and Tanjiro did so, making it so his back was facing him. He heard Fabron suck in an appreciative breath and let it out slowly while water trickled behind him.

“Your back is as white as fresh cream, and so soft,” he said while running the backs of his fingers against his skin. Tanjiro’s skin twitched a bit as a ticklish reaction. “What a lovely scent you have. You smell like wildflowers.”

“I figured you might enjoy the smell,” Tanjiro replied. He didn’t relay the real reason he had chosen it of course, and that was because it was Inosuke’s favorite perfume.

“A shame I have to wash it off you. But you can always reapply it.”

A cloth that had been left on the side of the tub touched Tanjiro’s back, hot and soapy, and rubbed his skin in slow circles, leaving soapy trails behind. Well this certainly felt nice, he decided. He began to relax, closing his eyes as he accepted the treatment. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been bathed by someone else. And he couldn’t help but imagine the possibility of doing this with Inosuke someday. The Flowers often washed each other to save time sometimes, and maybe someday he would have the privilege of letting Inosuke wash his back, of vice versa. Inosuke did have a pretty back, and he would love to touch it and see if it felt as silky as it looked-

“On your knees, Gypsophila. Let me wash your bits. Can’t have those being dirty tonight, can we.”

Oh right. He came back to the present, rising up on his knees a bit. He didn’t flinch as the man began washing between his legs, but still let his mind wander a bit. However, he came harshly back when Fabron let a couple of his fingers travel up inside him and begin stretching out his insides, not at all slowly. Tanjiro flinched; he also wasn’t using the oil left in every one of these rooms for this very purpose, available for both the male and female prostitutes.

“Sir, perhaps we should use the oil, so neither of us is hurt?” Tanjiro tried to suggest gently.

“Soap will work just as well,” Fabron insisted. “I’ve done this with plenty of prostitutes, trust me.”

“A-Alright. If that’s what you’d prefer.”

“It is. I just can’t hold myself back anymore. I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to take your virginity for the past few days and it’s been driving me mad.”

Another sharp pain in his rear, and this time Tanjiro jerked forward a bit to get away from it. Fabron grabbed at his hip to keep him in place, saying, “No, hold still. It’ll hurt worse if you move.”

The boy did as he was told, freezing in place. Even when Fabron finally sheathed his cock inside him in one swift movement and the pain was so horrible he felt like a head of cattle being branded with a red hot iron. He shrieked, muffling the sound by biting his lip so hard that he tasted blood. Without waiting for him to adjust, and perhaps even being turned on by his sounds of pain, he began thrusting.

Oh God that pain was even worse! It was like scrubbing a laundry brush through his insides. Was his cock going to reach inside him and pull all his innards out along with it? He could feel the pain all the way to the tips of his toes and his tongue. The pain was so great he started to feel faint and nauseous.

“Wait, Monsieur, please”- Tanjiro began, but he felt a hand on the back of his head, pushing it down. He tugged on his hair when he tried to pull away and tightened his grip on his hip, holding him in place.

“Hold still, and quit crying,” the man ordered.

Crying? Oh, was that the wetness on his cheeks? Crap, no, that was bad! He didn’t want to upset him further, but oh it hurt! He felt like he was being ripped in two. Just bear through it, he told himself, bear it. But he couldn’t. He thought that breaking his little toe in three places after stubbing it when he was younger was the worst pain he had ever felt. But this was so much worse. His hands and the rim of the tub began to blur in front of him, and he was sure he was going to pass out.

The water swirling around their knees began to turn red.

And when he noticed this, Fabron paused in his thrusting and ran his fingers along Tanjiro’s entrance, before sticking them in the boy’s mouth. Tanjiro tasted copper and nearly gagged.

“Lick them,” Fabron ordered. “Taste your own virgin blood. Let it be seared into your memory that it was Fabron who transformed you into a proper whore.”

The tears flowed faster, and obediently, Tanjiro licked his fingers.

Chapter Text

It seemed to go on for hours and hours, the pain just one long horrible eternity. Tanjiro could do nothing but sit there and take it, fighting to lift his head so that it didn’t bump against the tub. But Fabron kept his hand on it, holding it down while he lifted the boy’s hips up. Every thrust seemed to carve hot trails through his insides. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop crying, the tears cutting trails through the pale makeup on his face. They dripped off the end of his nose while his lower lip trembled.

“Please stop,” he begged over and over, “Stop…”

But his cries went unheeded, and the water grew redder and redder.

The man behind him even tugged on his genitals, squeezing and pinching them, enjoying his shrieks and flinching. Tanjiro thought he heard the man whispering in his ear how much he was turning him on, how the blood was good because it made excellent lubricant.

How this was how a real man treated a whore properly.

Even when Fabron had come, he simply laid on the bed while smoking a cigarette, leaving Tanjiro in the tub. He didn’t speak to him, didn’t seem to care how he was faring. That left Tanjiro to cry quietly to himself, his tears hitting the rim of the tub with soft plip plips, wishing he was back at home with his family, or curled up in the giant bed in his room here. He wanted someone to hug him and remind him that people were good, that not all touch hurt.

 When Fabron’s cigarette burnt out, he got right back up, and without a word, got back in the tub to go for another round. “Best if we stay here,” he said. “We don’t want you getting blood all over the carpet.”

This went on and on, until Tanjiro couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted to scream in hopes someone would hear him and help him. But obediently, he kept his sounds of pain quiet enough so that no one outside of the room could hear him.

He didn’t want to displease his first customer, after all.

When Fabron was finally done with him, he cleaned himself up in the sink in the corner of the room, dressed, and patted him on the bottom, thanking him for the amazing experience, before exiting the room. That left Tanjiro alone in the tub, trapped in a long, ringing silence, afraid and in agony.

For several minutes, he didn’t move, worried if he did, his bleeding would get worse. He was certain something was damaged inside, and he was so scared he felt like he would faint. But in his current predicament, that would be very bad. Still, the smell of blood was getting to him. It was so strong, and in combination with the fact that his stomach was full of nerves, he found himself throwing up into the tub.

When it finally stopped, he felt as weak as a newborn, and slumped over the edge of the tub. His head hurt, and his stomach still felt queasy, as if he might throw up again. All he wanted to do was get out of the tub, away from the awful smell, and get into bed. There was no way he could service anyone else tonight; he just wanted to bury himself in blankets and sleep for days and days.

But first, he had to find the strength to haul himself out of the tub. When he thought about how far away his bedroom was, he groaned. Tanjiro was sure he would faint on the way there, not to mention leave blood on the floor behind him. This was going to be next to impossible. Would he be stuck spending the night here? No, that couldn’t happen. The water was getting cold, and he was beginning to shiver. He had to get out of here, he just had to. Even if it took all night, he would do it.

Just as he steeled himself to finally move, he heard the door open, and without thinking, he flinched and whimpered, shutting his eyes. He didn’t want to look at the door and see Fabron coming back to pick up where he left off, deciding that he wasn’t done with the boy yet. But the voice that gasped and went, “Oh my God, Tanjiro what the hell?” was not Fabron’s. The person that ran frantically over to him and knelt down next to the tub had dark hair, not blond, Tanjiro noticed out of the corner of his eye. And the hands that cupped his face and lifted it upwards were gentle not rough.

And the eyes that met his were wide and green as a spring day, not the blue of Fabron’s.

“Inosuke,” Tanjiro mumbled. “It’s…I tried to tell him to stop, I told him to use the oil so it wouldn’t hurt either of us, but he wouldn’t listen. He said the blood would be good lubricant, and I thought he might be right, so I didn’t stop him. I didn’t want him to be disappointed, or get angrier at me. I don’t know what I did to make him mad, I tried to be as polite as I could but he”-

“Hey, shh, it’s alright.” Inosuke stroked some of his sweaty hair out of his face. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Here, let me get you a towel. We’re getting you out of here right now.”

The boy got up and disappeared into the bathroom briefly, before he emerged with a huge, fluffy towel. He then knelt down next to Tanjiro again, wiping the blood off his face and removing the pearls from his head. He dried off as much of his friend’s body as he could reach without dipping the towel in the water, before he reached down and pulled the drain plug. The water drained quickly, thankfully, because there wasn’t much of it in the tub. While that took away some of the bad smell, most of it lingered in the air, and of course some of Tanjiro’s vomit remained on his chest and abdomen.

“Right, let’s get you up,” Inosuke prompted. “Come on. The faster you get up, the faster we can get you into the bathroom to wash you up.”

“I don’t think I can see any more clients tonight,” Tanjiro said dazedly.

“No, of course not. No one is going to fault you for taking the rest of the night off. Besides, no one wants to have sex with a prostitute that’s bleeding, that’s why the women are allowed to take days off when they bleed.”

That made Tanjiro feel a bit better, knowing he wasn’t going to be punished for this. But still, he could hear how worried Inosuke was becoming the longer he didn’t attempt to get up. So, he made the effort, finally pushing himself up on his feet. His legs wobbled like a new foal’s, and he could feel a fresh gush of blood leave his body and trickle down his thighs. It felt so gross and hurt so much that he wanted to die. Everything throbbed and burned badly, and he groaned.

“I know, it’s gonna be okay Princess, we’ve all been there,” Inosuke assured him. “Come on, one leg at a time, up and over.”

Taking a deep breath, Tanjiro did as he was prompted, stepping out of the tub with a whimper. The other boy praised him, holding his head against his shoulder. Tanjiro closed his eyes, and just let Inosuke lead him out of the room and down the hallway. Everything was spinning and making his nausea worse. So he figured if he couldn’t see anything, it might help reduce his pain. Besides, he trusted Inosuke to guide him to safety, too tired to do anything to do anything else.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you looking pretty again,” he heard Inosuke say.

For some reason, this made Tanjiro laugh faintly, and he replied, “Make me look like a princess again?”

“Absolutely. Between me and you, like I said before, you’re way too pretty for any of these fuckers here.”

Normally, Tanjiro would have chastised him, or been embarrassed by what he said. But at the moment, he found his friend’s flirting comforting. Hearing him speak in their native tongue again also lifted his spirits. It made him feel more like he was at home.

“No, you’re way prettier than I am,” Tanjiro corrected him. “Prettier than Giyuu even.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying for years!” the dark haired boy exclaimed. “He better watch out, because before he knows it, I’m going to take his place as the most popular of the Flowers. If the men here like being verbally abused I can do way better than him at that.”

Tanjiro laughed again. He didn’t care if their flirting was genuine or not. Perhaps for him it was, but for Inosuke it was just an effect of living in this place for so long, just a way to express his friendship and growing platonic like for Tanjiro. Either way, he was glad he had some kind of relationship with him. He would take what he could get.

“How did you know to come find me?” Tanjiro found himself asking.

The other boy hesitated for a minute, before he said in a low voice when they got away from any of the places the customers could go, “Sabito told me. He noticed the main you were with. Fabron is the man who gave him his scars.”

Those words sent an icy shock through him. The same man? Well, that explained the level of violence and lack of care for Tanjiro. The boy shuddered, and wondered in a faint voice, “How come Muzan let him come back then? How come Sabito didn’t say something before and tell me not to go with him?”

Inosuke sighed. Tanjiro looked like he wanted to stop, but he kept him moving along, knowing if they stopped, he probably wouldn’t be able to get him moving again. He answered, “For your second question, Sabito didn’t see the name of the person that won the auction, and he didn’t recognize him until you walked away with. And as for why Muzan let him in, well, he does the same to us if we don’t do what he says. So I guess he doesn’t see the difference between him hurting us and the clients doing it. As long as we’re not killed, he doesn’t necessarily care. I mean thankfully, Fabron’s kind is pretty rare in here, so he’s the exception, not the rule.”

Tanjiro couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was this for real? Was this even legal? When he thought about it, probably. The general public didn’t necessarily care about people like them, especially male prostitutes. The way they saw it, prostitutes deserved to die. One less body for their husbands to cheat on them with.

Then again, for desperate people like them, who either worked here or died a slow, painful death in one of the lower class brothels or died of starvation on the streets, he supposed he could understand how people like Muzan were able to get away with treating them the way they did. They could do anything they wanted to them and face no legal repercussions. After all, they were nothing more than merchandise.

“Sabito feels horrible about it, I’m sure he’ll be up to apologize his face right off when the night is over,” Inosuke told him.

“What about you?” Tanjiro said worriedly. “Aren’t you missing out on making money because you’re taking care of me?”

The other boy shrugged one shoulder. “I still have the whole night. Besides, with my skills and good looks, it’ll be easy to make it up. Don’t you worry about me. You’re way more important.”

At those words, all of Tanjiro’s worries left him. Or perhaps, his exhaustion was just finally overtaking him to the point that he no longer cared. Either way, he felt his body deflate and lean even more heavily against Inosuke’s. The dark haired boy staggered a bit, taken aback by the sudden extra weight. He pushed against Tanjiro a bit, trying to keep him on his feet.

“Come on, we’re almost there, Princess,” he encouraged him. “It’s just a meter away now. You’ll feel better after we get you washed up and your wound dressed. I’m sure we can get a doctor here to see you tomorrow.”

That definitely sounded good. Carefully, Inosuke led him into the bathroom, letting him drop the towel on the floor. To no one’s surprise, it was stained red. Inosuke had packed it a bit so that it would staunch the flow of blood. Thankfully, it seemed that the bleeding was slowing down, as the towel wasn’t as stained as Tanjiro thought it would be. He let Inosuke maneuver him under a shower, before he turned on the knobs. The water was cold, and only became lukewarm as time went on. But at the moment, he was so numbed with pain that he didn’t care. He didn’t show a reaction beyond shivering.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get through this quickly,” Inosuke reassured him. “All you have to concentrate on is staying upright. Let me take care of the rest.”

Truthfully, the dark haired boy didn’t really know what he was doing. He was just going off memories of what others had done for him. He grabbed a bar of soap and lathered up his hands, before he gently began washing Tanjiro’s body. “You know, one of my first nights here, I was actually choked by a guy’s cock so bad that it made me throw up and actually made my throat bleed a bit. It hurt to eat anything for a couple weeks after that. When that happened, Giyuu and Sabito found me in a similar position that I found you, and they took care of me like I’m taking care of you. So don’t worry. We all take care of each other here. No one else will look out for us, so we have to look out for each other, you know?”

Tanjiro nodded slowly, already half asleep, his terrible pain the only thing keeping him awake. “That’s right. Like a family.”

Inosuke smiled at the comparison. “Like a family. Right. Just call me your prince I guess, since you’re a princess. Or no, king. I’m the king of the mountain, after all.”

That made the red haired boy laugh a bit, and Inosuke took that as a win. He just couldn’t take Tanjiro not smiling, and wanted to cheer him up. Especially since he was about to wash the blood away from his rear and knew it was going to hurt. He sighed heavily, and said, “Just brace yourself, okay?”

Tanjiro grit his teeth and tightened his hands into fists, knowing what was about to happen. Still, it didn’t lessen the initial pain of the sting as the soap made contact with his wounds. He flinched and yipped, pulling away for a second, before he held still again. He shook with pain as Inosuke cleaned him from the inside out, especially when he reached his fingers inside as best he could and cleaned out the dried blood he could see.

“You know, I was hoping that he first time I got to spread your asshole would be because I was about to fuck you,” Inosuke joked.

“Me too.” Tanjiro was most definitely not joking.

“You do have a really lovely bottom, Princess. I mean it. I’d be much more careful with a bottom this pretty. It deserves it.”

“Well thank you. My bottom and the rest of me appreciates it.”

“Eh, maybe you and I could engage in a friendly fuck one of these days,” Inosuke suggested. “Obviously when you feel much better than this.”

Tanjiro didn’t answer that, mostly because the idea didn’t sound very appealing. Not that he didn’t want Inosuke to fuck him, far from it. It was just he wished that it could be far more than casual. Not that he was going to delude himself into thinking that Inosuke would ever really fall in love with him, but that was how he wanted their sex to be; the two of them, deeply in love, taking their time with each other, using it as an expression of just how much they cared for the other person. He wanted to be Inosuke’s one and only “princess,” to use his term.

But of course, that desire was impossible to realize in this place. Ironic that the most sinful sexual fantasies could be achieved in here, but something as pure as love was forbidden.

“Alright now, I think we have all the blood and puke off,” Inosuke observed. “You look much prettier now. So come on, let me see if we can find something to stop you from bleeding everywhere.”

He shut off the water with a squeak of the knob, and helped the boy step out of the tub. Tanjiro could barely move again, the act of washing out his insides making the pain flare to move heights. He could feel his stomach churning again, and he was worried he was going to throw up again. Seeing his face get paler, Inosuke hurried up in drying him off.

He then raced off, telling Tanjiro to hold tight while he found a cloth of some kind for him. Tanjiro stood there in the middle of the bathroom, swaying slightly. He would have loved to sit down; his legs trembled with the desired to. But he knew that would be a terrible idea at the moment. So he just prayed that Inosuke would be back soon.

Thankfully he returned within a minute holding gauze and cloth. He nearly skidded to a stop on the slippery bathroom floor, kneeling down next to him. He explained, “Gauze left over from the last time the doctor visited us. Sometimes he leaves us with some, just in case. Okay…could you spread your legs a bit please? I’m sorry, I know it has to hurt.”

Tanjiro did as he was asked, not saying a word. He just wanted this to be done and over with. He hissed weakly as Inosuke wiped the fresh blood off his thighs with the cloth, and then packed the gauze inside him. It was terribly uncomfortable, but he figured nothing could be worse than having that cock shoved inside him again. At least the gauze was much thinner.

“There, that should do it,” Inosuke said, half to himself. “Okay. Let’s get you in bed.”

He helped him along again, nudging him towards the bedroom, Tanjiro moving robotically. Every step was like someone was jamming needles between his legs, the pain being focused and unrelenting. It was also terribly awkward now that he had the gauze in his ass, forcing him to walk somewhat bowlegged. He was hardly able to stay upright long enough for Inosuke to turn on a gas lamp, throw a nightgown over him, and tell him now he could get into bed.

Well, Tanjiro certainly did need to be told twice. The problem was he didn’t have the strength to make it all the way up to his pillow. He stopped in the middle of the mattress, unable to move another inch. Inosuke sighed sadly, and decided not to push things. He took the pillow and set it under Tanjiro’s head, before pulling the blankets up over his shoulders.

“Thank you so much,” Tanjiro said weakly. “If it hadn’t been for you I’m sure I’d still be in that tub. I just feel bad that I’ve kept you away from your customers for so long.”

“Now don’t you even start,” Inosuke dismissed with a wave. “I care more about my family than I do money. You guys will be here long after the money goes away. Ugh, I just wish I could stay with you. I know how awful it is to sleep all by yourself when you’re in pain. Do you want me to leave the lamp on for you?”

“Yeah, sure.” The red haired boy nodded.

Inosuke really did look worried, and like he deeply regretted the fact that he would have to leave him. Tanjiro wanted to reassure him that he would be okay, but at the same time, he couldn’t deny that he too wanted him to stay. He would much prefer to fall asleep with his head in the other boy’s lap with his fingers in his hair, like what his mother used to do for him when he felt sick. But that was the more childish part of him. He was an adult, and as an adult he would have to deal with the pain by himself.

“Okay,” Inosuke said, leaning over and patting his shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I finish with my last client for the night. Try and sleep. If you’re still awake when I get back, I’ll bring you back some wine or something. That’ll help relax you enough to sleep.”

“Thank you,” Tanjiro whispered. “I’ll be okay. Go ahead, alright? Make lots of money, king of the mountain.”

Inosuke did that cute little gremlin smile, and with one last lingering look, he left the room.

After a few beats of silence, the boy sighed. The silence in the room was far too loud, and the bed felt too big and empty without all of his friends sharing it. Perhaps it was some sort of deep seated instinct, but something in Tanjiro felt very vulnerable at being left alone. He was too weak to move, so if someone decided to hurt him at that moment, there would be no way he could defend himself. Up until now, he had never really been alone, whether he was with his large family or with his new friends. So being by himself now was a huge change.

And he didn’t like it.

His heart was hammering from fear again. What if Fabron found his room and came back for more? A foolish thought, but since he was hurt by him once, the anxious side of him was terrified that he would do it again. There was a good chance he was still down there, after all.

No. He shook his head. His friends, as well as the other prostitutes were still down there as well. They wouldn’t let anyone go where they weren’t supposed to go, and he was sure Inosuke had spread the word by now as to what had happened to him. Therefore, if Fabron was still down there, they’d be keeping a close eye on him.

That definitely helped to reassure him, but he still felt quite alone. What was he going to do? He wanted to sleep and escape the pain so badly. If only his friends were here…

Tanjiro paused for a moment, and looked up. Their pillows were at the head of the bed. Reaching up, he grabbed the one closest to him, which happened to be Inosuke’s pillow. Well, at least that’s what he told himself. Whether he reached for that particular pillow on purpose he supposed didn’t matter. He took it and buried his face in it, inhaling Inosuke’s scent, and immediately, he felt a bit calmer. His pulse slowed down, and his panic lessened a bit. That’s right, he was safe behind this shut door and amongst all these blankets. The soft glow of the lamp shone on the vanity, the lamp Inosuke had lit for him, standing there like a silent promise that he would be back.

So, with a deep breath, Tanjiro eventually fell asleep holding onto the pillow. And when his friends all eventually returned many hours later, just before dawn was supposed to come, they all laid a little closer to him, protecting him with their bodies. Inosuke laid the closest of all, leaving his face in the curve of Tanjiro’s neck, making sure he was touching him all the through night.

Family, whether they were blood related or not, stuck together after all.

000

When the doctor visited him the next day examined him, Tanjiro’s heart hammered the whole time, terrified of what the verdict was going to be. He laid there with his head in Inosuke’s lap, behind on the very edge of the bed while the doctor pulled the globes of his behind apart. His nightgown was pulled up to his abdomen, leaving his lower half bare. Was it somehow going to be worse than what he initially thought? Was he going to die?

With every poke and prod, he flinched. His other friends were in the room with them too, Zenitsu holding his hand, the others standing near him. Even Giyuu looked oddly concerned to the point that Tanjiro was touched by it. In fact, when they had woken up that morning, the first thing Giyuu had mumbled was, “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch. It would be one thing if he hurt me, but he’s gone and hurt two of the kindest people in this shitty place.”

Well, if that wasn’t the nicest thing he’d ever heard from the older boy. And here he had been worried that Giyuu hated him.

When the doctor finally lifted his head from between Tanjiro’s legs, the diagnosis was, “Well, the only tearing I see is inside. The rest of you seems to be okay, and for now, it looks like it’s stopped. I’d say be very careful not to move around too much. Change your bandages often. Stay on a liquid diet for a while so that stool is easier to pass. And don’t engage in this type of behavior for several weeks so that you’re absolutely sure you’re healed.”

“But how am I going to make money?” Tanjiro wondered. “I’m going to have to pay Muzan back for the doctor visit, and all the medicines he’s giving me.”

“You’ll make it up,” Inosuke assured him. “Now you’re just like the rest of us with a tab a mile long.”

“Misery loves company,” Zenitsu added.

“If we have to, we can pay back your tab,” Rengoku added kindly.

Tanjiro blinked at him in surprise. As the doctor flipped his nightgown back down over his lower body, the boy insisted, “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly allow you to do that. You have your own debts you still need to pay.”

Sabito nodded sagely. “That’s right. Might I remind you Rengoku, part of your debt is because you’re far too kind.”

“I don’t regret any of it,” the boy replied quickly.

Tanjiro turned his head slightly, and saw that Zenitsu had lowered his gaze a bit, refusing to look at anyone in the room. Did he look…guilty? Was he the reason that Rengoku’s debt was higher than normal? Had he tried paying off some of it when he couldn’t afford to? Heavens, he really was too kind for his own good.

The doctor packed up and left with Muzan footing the bill and of course expecting Tanjiro to pay back every penny, as well as all the time he was going to lose by not being able to work. Like him getting hurt was Tanjiro’s fault.

“You know, you could always just offer blowjobs instead,” Inosuke offered. “And nothing says you can’t just sit and socialize in the parlor with guests. They’ll pay for just that too.”

“I suppose…” Tanjiro decided, rolling off his lap and settling on his side. “But I’ll still have to sit still for a couple days, so I’ll lose money that way…” He trailed off, sighing heavily, and then admitted, “No one ever told me that sex work was going to be this hard. I just assumed you would lay on your back and let the man have his way with you until he came and that would be it. But this…this sucks.”

Inosuke snorted, and a couple of the older boys snorted. Zenitsu smiled sadly too, and agreed, “Yeah, it does suck.”

Tanjiro just laid back and laughed with them, even though it hurt to do so. What more was there to say, really?

Chapter Text

It was another couple of days before Tanjiro could move around without feeling too much pain. However, he had still had to have all of his meals while laying down, and using the bathroom was a near impossible feat. He thought he knew pain, but trying to defecate when one’s insides were torn up was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and he decided quickly that if another man tried to insist on using soap as lube, he would jam that bar of soap down their throat.

Tanjiro couldn’t have asked for better friends though during the time he was injured. During the early morning, when everyone was asleep, they all stayed close to him like guard dogs. Inosuke’s sleep was patchy those nights, as he made sure he was touching Tanjiro somehow all through the night. So every twitch, every sound of pain or complaint roused him. Every creak outside the door had him lifting his head and staring at it. Normally he wouldn’t have cared, but with his friend so vulnerable, he didn’t want anyone he didn’t know coming near him. And secretly, Tanjiro very much enjoyed Inosuke fussing over him so much.

Inosuke himself had no idea why he was so gentle with Tanjiro when, if this had been anyone else, he would have just told them to harden up, that it was an occupational hazard and they had to walk it off. But with this boy all he wanted to do was baby him and take care of him. Maybe because he reminded him of one of the small, stray animals that sometimes came up to him begging for food. Like those animals, Tanjiro was so innocent, had no idea how the world worked, and something in him wanted to protect that innocence. Though of course that was impossible to do in a whorehouse.

It was such an odd impulse. There had been other prostitutes like Tanjiro that had come and gone, girls and other young boys that had been just as innocent, and their innocence had angered Inosuke. He wanted to break it, to show them that the world wasn’t as pure as they thought it was. And this was most likely because he was jealous. Truth be told, Tanjiro had made him jealous at first, but he just couldn’t stay mad at him for long. Instead of wanting to fight him like he usually did when they had new boys, he just flirted with him.

What was wrong with him?

Maybe it had something to do with Tanjiro’s face. It was different than other’s people’s faces in that, well Inosuke liked it. A lot. It was very kind, that was all. A cute face. One that was impossible to get mad at. It was a face that one just couldn’t say no to, and when it was contorted in pain, he died a little inside.

Likewise, when he whimpered at night, waking up because the pain was cutting through his sleep, something about it tugged at Inosuke’s heartstrings and it made him tuck Tanjiro’s face into the curve of his neck, hoping that the increased contact would make those awful noises stop. It had broken his heart when Tanjiro had told him that he tried to be polite and do what his friends had told him when dealing with his first client. Inosuke had no doubt that he did. Yet no matter how many times he tried to convince him otherwise, Tanjiro blamed himself for his failure. He thought that if he did as the man asked, he wouldn’t have hurt him.

“He was going to hurt you no matter what,” both Inosuke and Sabito had told him, over and over again. “He’s a sadist. They like seeing people in pain, that’s what gets them off. So you could have been as nice as you wanted, he was still going to find a way to hurt you.”

And Sabito added, “I’d been here for years by the time he cut my face. I knew what I was doing. And he still hurt me. So you can’t say he did what he did to you just because you supposedly did something wrong.”

When Tanjiro still lowered his eyes, still looked guilty, Inosuke finally said that he felt guilty one more second he was going to hang him out by his thumbs on the clothesline with the laundry. And that seemed to snap Tanjiro out of whatever sadness he was in, because a second later, he was cracking up.

The other boys thought Inosuke’s care for Tanjiro was cute as well. They had never seen him so invested in another person. Inosuke was so proud, so narcissistic, thinking he was the best thing in the world, that they didn’t think he was capable of showing so much care for someone else. Zenitsu joked that if it had been him that had been hurt, he would have told him the pain was good for him and built character. So therefore it was hilarious to see Tanjiro flinch whenever he shifted and Inosuke then freak out and offer him everything under the sun he could think of.

“Do you want more water?” he’d ask as he’d fly all over the room. “Another pillow? Wait, do you need more painkillers? What is it, what can I do so you stop making that face!?”

If anything, they were happy to that someone was hopefully changing Inosuke for the better. Despite his popularity with customers, he was quite lonely. Now he finally had someone he could attach himself to and take care of. And sometimes, it was easier to forget about one’s own worries when there was someone else that needed care.

So during those days when he felt too ill to leave the bed, Inosuke stayed by his side, keeping Tanjiro entertained while the other boys flitted in and out. Muzan even stopped in at least once a day to see how he was feeling, but whenever he did, Inosuke was always curt and short with him, and looked very uncomfortable in his presence. When their boss finally got the message and left, Tanjiro asked him why everyone hated Muzan so much.

“I mean, I remember hearing that he hurts you guys,” he said, “but what do you mean by that? Was has he done?”

“Well…” Inosuke answered hesitantly. “It’s not really me he likes to punish. But when he does, he takes you into his office and shuts the door. If he can’t find an excuse to hurt you, he’ll make one up. When I’ve gone in there, he’s beaten me up a bit. But I guess Giyuu and Rengoku get the worst of it. Heavens only knows what happens when they’re in there. They don’t talk about it.”

That answer had piqued his curiosity more than satisfied it. But if he supposed Inosuke didn’t know, then he just didn’t know. And Tanjiro guess that the only way to find out for sure would be either to asked Rengoku or Giyuu about it, or to get in trouble himself. And after spending days and days trying to get over this pain, he wasn’t in the mood to experience anymore for the moment. So, he let it go.

Tanjiro decided he was going to attempt to go to work that night, figuring that though he was still in pain, he would do as his friends suggested and simply spend his evenings just socializing with the men in the parlor or offering sexual favors that didn’t involve his rear end. According to their pamphlet, there were many other creative options that were available to their customers instead, so he should have no problems. In the meantime, he and Inosuke spent the afternoon together, swapping stories, Tanjiro leaning against the other boy, and mostly just them lounging around and being lazy. It was a nice change for sure.

Meanwhile, on almost the other side of the brothel, relaxing was the last thing on Sabito and Giyuu’s minds. Upon seeing that Tanjiro was going to be okay, they had casually walked out of his room and sought out some privacy. Usually the closets near the basement were rarely used, and people hardly ever walked down these hallways. Once they saw they were alone, they took one another’s hands, still looking all around, but Sabito, who for once had forgone his veil since they weren’t planning on running into anyone, laughing like a bratty child that was gleeful over the fact that they were doing something wrong. When they reached the door to one of the closets, they looked around one last time, before opening the door and both of them slipping inside, one after the other.

The second the lock on the door was clicked, Giyuu was pushing Sabito against the wall of the closet and stealing a kiss from his lips. Sabito’s back was pushed into a shelf and they heard something fall off, clanging on the floor. They froze for a minute, letting their eyes adjust to the dark. They were in some kind of cleaning closet with brooms, mops, and cans of paint in here. They had knocked over some half full cans, and were waiting for someone to hear the noise and come running. Luckily, it stayed silent, and they started at each other for a moment, before breaking into giggles.

“Almost gave me a heart attack,” Giyuu breathed.

“Well that’s you get for being so horny,” Sabito retorted.

“Can you blame me? How long has it been since we’ve been able to do this?”

“Mmm, a month? Has to be.”

With a hum of agreement, Giyuu leaned in again, more carefully this time, and pressed Sabito back against the wall. He leaned in again and captured his lips in yet another searing kiss. Sabito’s eyes fluttered shut and he wrapped his arms around him. Giyuu pushed his tongue in his mouth, and Sabito parted his lips willingly, knees going weak at the sensation.

It was such a small thing, just an intimate kiss. But that was the key. In this place, kisses were as rare as diamonds, and seen as far more intimate than sex. It was an unwritten rule that only couples who were in love kissed. Therefore, the prostitutes never kissed their clients. But that was why whenever they did kiss someone, it was so overwhelming, because it was such a sweet, pure expression of love. And Sabito and Giyuu had been in love for many, many years, since they were adolescents.

The problem was keeping that love hidden from everyone else. Because it someone found out, it would be safe to assume that either one or both of them would be thrown out of the brothel with Muzan not caring where they ended up. So, they were as secretive as possible, only meeting up for trysts when they were absolutely certain it was safe to do so, and only kissing each other when they were sure there was no one in that part of the brothel. It wasn’t unusual for them to go months without being intimate with each other, and it wasn’t the deprivation of sex between them that really got to them, but the simple, loving intimacy that they craved. If they went too long without it, they felt like they might go mad.

So here they were, gripping and clawing at the other like they might disappear at any moment. Truthfully, it was horrible trying to be intimate with each other and yet having to keep their ears sharp for any sounds that might indicate someone was nearby. They would have very much preferred to lose themselves in the other and to not have to focus on their surroundings. But alas, this was just how things were. And since Giyuu didn’t see any hope of being able to leave this place and Sabito was determined to stay by his side, then this was how they would remain.

Their kisses were sloppy and desperate, not at all coordinated, but they couldn’t get enough of it. It was being hungry for so long and finally coming across the feast of their dreams. Sabito was just still amazed that Giyuu wanted to kiss him despite the scars on his face. But here he was, devouring his mouth, cupping his face in his hands to hold it in place. Their breathing came loud and heavy, and they were reluctant to separate to take a breath. Sabito wrapped his arms around his partner’s neck, and Giyuu hiked one of his legs up and pulled it so that it was wrapped around his waist, holding it by his thigh. He squeezed it and rubbed it slightly, stroking the bare skin up near his rear. They were both wearing silky robes with nothing underneath, so it was easy to access each other’s bodies.

“Giyuu…” Sabito breathed when the other man lowered his face, kissing down his cheek, over his jaw, and then finally, his pulse point. When Giyuu began licking and sucking at the soft skin of his neck lightly, he leaned into it, letting his head fall back and exposing more of his neck, eyes shut and lips parted. He began grinding his hips desperately against Giyuu’s, moaning softly from this stimulation alone.

Yes, they had sex for a living, but having sex with someone that one loved was like reaching nirvana on a rollercoaster in comparison. It felt so good that he couldn’t even describe it. Sometimes he swore he reached the gates of heaven because of the orgasms Giyuu gave him.

“I missed you,” Giyuu whispered into his skin, “missed seeing you like this. My beautiful Sabito.”

Sabito had no reply except to moan more when he combined the kisses to his neck with a tantalizing squeeze through his silk robe to his cock that nearly brought him to his knees. He smothered the loud, low groan Sabito released with his lips, nibbling on his bottom lip and taking it between his teeth, pulling it before releasing it.

“I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you here to keep me sane,” Sabito admitted.

“I think you mean that the other way around,” the dark haired man insisted.

He reached between them, continuing to kiss him, and took both of their cocks in his fist, stroking them in unison. He stroked them hard and fast, knowing they were going to have to end this quickly. Not just because they were both greedy and couldn’t hold back for much longer, but because if they dragged this out, people would start missing them.

There were few things Giyuu took pleasure in anymore, but Sabito holding onto him in a death grip and moaning into his ear while he endured exquisite pleasure at his hands was one of them. His fingers dug into Giyuu’s shoulders and held onto him tightly with his leg. He couldn’t stop gasping his name, so pent up with lust for him that he could barely stand it. But through all that lust, an idea occurred to him enough to make him whisper, “Giyuu wait, wait. Let me- nnh! Giyuu let me suck you off. It’s been a while since I’ve felt your cock in my mouth. Let m- please Giyuu.”

“Okay,” the dark haired man agreed breathlessly. “Okay, yeah sure let me just- here, move to your left a bit, and I’ll back up. Be careful, there’s a paintbrush there, don’t knock it off the shelf.”

As he backed up, Sabito let go of him, face flushed, eyes dilated. He leaned forward and gave Giyuu a couple more deep kisses, and his partner indulged him, laughing. Funny, he only ever smiled and laughed when he and Sabito were alone, and Sabito considered himself lucky that he allowed himself to be so vulnerable around him.

Sabito got on his knees, stroking the other man’s legs as he did so. The feeling of his hands through the silk robe made him shiver, and so did the sight of Sabito down on his knees in front of him. He placed his hand on the side of his head, stroking his hair out of his face. Sabito leaned into his palm, light eyes sparkling up at him. If he could, he probably would have started purring. He leaned forward, pushing the robe a bit out of the way, nuzzling his face against Giyuu’s crotch, losing himself in his heady scent. It made him dizzy in the best way. He had had his face shoved in the crotches of hundreds of men, but none of them smelled as good as this man. None of them ever made him feel so safe, or made him feel like he was home. Giyuu was also kind enough not to make him choke on his cock, and instead let him set his own pace.

Sabito licked a couple of teasing stripes up his length from the root to the tip, and then gave the head a few kisses. He then palmed at his heavy sack, marveling at how soft and warm it was, massaging it lightly. He pressed them up towards his body and then rubbed them in slow circles, being as careful as he could.

“You know I had a guy not too long ago who actually wanted me to bite his cock,” Giyuu said. “I swear my erection went down so fast at the suggestion, like, I hurt in sympathy for him. I mean I did it, but ugh.” He shuddered.

“He sounds like the guy who wants me to dress like a slave and force me to call him master,” Sabito replied, stroking Giyuu’s cock idly. “He liked stepping on my dick and telling me I was a piece of shit who isn’t worth the air I breathe. He steps quite hard. I thought my dick was going to be flat by the time he took his foot off it.”

“Oh I’ve had him too. It’s no wonder he likes to pretend he’s in control. He looks like a pathetic weasel of a man who has never had control of anything in his life.”

“No, he’s not. Every wife he’s had has had an affair behind his back and then left him for other men.”

“Of course that- Oh God- that m-makes sense. Jesus Sabito.”

His partner laughed, and the vibrations he sent down his cock were quite delicious. Giyuu kept stroking his hair, not to control his head, but to show him how much he appreciated what he was doing. His head tipped back little by little, his breath coming out in whimpers and grunts as he bit his lip to try and prevent himself from becoming too loud.

So caught up in the lust, Sabito started moaning as well and then reached down to jerk himself off as well. He parted his knees as far as he could and still keep his balance. Giyuu looked down, panting and red-faced, sweat beading on his forehead. Good lord Sabito was beautiful, such a cute little minx, the way he was looking him dead in the eye and putting on this show for him. Giyuu was entranced by it all, from the motion of his upper arm to the quiver of his thighs, whether that was from the strain of holding himself up or the ecstasy, he wasn’t sure. It was hypnotic, the way his foreskin slid on and off the head of his cock. He was leaking freely, so aroused that his length as well as the inside of his thighs were a deep red.

“Look at you,” Giyuu grinned down at him. “You’re so wet.”

Sabito pulled his lips off of him, and smiled up at him. There was saliva dripping down his chin, but for the moment, he didn’t bother to wipe it off. “So are you. I’ll bet you never get this wet when you’re with customers, do you?”

“Hell no, how can I expect to get wet around a bunch of people I want to kill?”

“Hmm, well I could imagine that being a turn on for Inosuke. He’d get hard for sure at the thought of killing people that annoyed him.”

“Please don’t bring him up right now,” Giyuu groaned, causing the other boy to laugh.

“Poor baby.” He patted his thigh and then put his cock back in his mouth, bobbing his head slow and then more rapidly while he stroked the base.

Giyuu could feel his legs giving out from the stimulation. This was such a nice change; he couldn’t remember the last time when he had been the receiver of a blowjob. He would have to pay Sabito back for this later. The only upside to constantly practicing on various men all day meant that Giyuu and Sabito knew how to please their partners to the utmost. And soon enough, with a few more vulgar slurping sounds, some rapid stroking and one or two flicks of his tongue, Giyuu was coming in his mouth with a high pitched whisper of Sabito’s name. His vision whited out; he hadn’t had a decent orgasm since the last time they had done this. His whole body shook and shook, and he swore there were tears in his eyes. That was when his legs gave out, and he carefully lowered himself to the floor, his breaths harsh and loud, leaving his throat raw. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling those tears stream down his cheeks, and when he opened them again, his vision was blurry. Still, he was able to see Sabito’s fist squeezing at his own cock, jerking himself so fast that his hand was a blur over it. His head was tilted back again, eyes pinched shut and lips parted. It didn’t take long before he was coming, painting the wooden floor in white, thick streams.

Sabito also collapsed when he was done, leaning against the opposite wall, knees still parted, robe askew. Giyuu wasn’t much better off, his face still red, every one of his limbs tingling. God, he loved orgasms like this, when he felt them all the way from the tips of his fingers to the tips of his toes.

And only Sabito was able to give him those.

It took a minute for their heads to clear, but when they did, Giyuu cleared his throat and said, “Ah shit, I essentially came down your throat, I’m sorry.”

Sabito just waved him off. “Used to it. Besides, I don’t mind if it’s you. Because I can yell at you for it. And I don’t know, I kinda like that I have a part of you inside me.”

“You swallowed?”

“Well yeah? Less mess to clean up.”

Giyuu sighed, and let his head fall back against the wall with a thunk. “You say that and yet look at the mess you made.”

“Like you said, I was pent up. Men in this place don’t know anything about giving another man pleasure. They’re here for themselves and don’t care if we come or not.”

“That’s old news.” Giyuu cracked open an eye at him. “Let’s just clean up and then make sure we do our own laundry before the maids get to it.”

He wiped up the come with his robe to show him what he meant, and Sabito just nodded along, his brain still very fuzzy. This was both the best and worst part, the high that came after the sex was finished. It felt wonderful, but it also meant that now they had to go back out and face the real world again, and they had no idea when they would be able to sneak off again. Their only source of true happiness seemed to come from when they could enter their own little world, and those moments were so few and far in between.

With a heavy sigh, Sabito finally said, “Alright. Back to the land of the living. We probably still have time to go and have a nap before work, so we should be able to cuddle together a bit.”

Giyuu smiled the tiniest bit in agreement. His boy was far too good to him, always finding ways to make him feel better. When Giyuu felt hopeless, Sabito would think of things they could do that would come across as platonic to everyone else but would have a special meaning to them. Like looks they would exchange, or little pet names they would call each other.

The dark haired man stuck out his tongue at him, and reluctantly got to his feet. He reached out his hand to him, and Sabito took it, hefting himself up. Their legs were unsteady, so they gave themselves time to adjust. They fixed their hair and adjusted their robes, pulling them closed and making sure there was no evidence of their activities. They then pressed their ears to the door, making sure that no one was on the other side and would see them come out. To be safe, they exited one at a time. Giyuu stepped out first, trying to look as casual as possible, looking left and right down the hallway. However, there was not a soul in sight, so he knocked on the door. Sabito stepped out behind him. And before he could say anything in protest, he took Giyuu’s hand and led him down the hallway, kissing his cheek as they walked.

They didn’t have to let go of each other’s hands until they were close to their bedroom, and best of all, upon looking at the clock, it looked like they still had an hour and a half before they had to get ready for work.

The door was closed at the moment, but that wasn’t unusual, and there was really no such thing as privacy for them. They carried on conversations while pissed in front of each other, for heaven’s sakes, so who cared. So, they opened the door without even a knock, stepping inside and shutting it behind them.

Ah, now they could see why the door was shut. Tanjiro and Inosuke were already ahead of them, passed out in their bed, curled up together like stray cats in a patch of sunlight. The blankets were half on half off their bodies, and they were facing each other. Inosuke had his head laying on top of Tanjiro’s and his arms were wrapped around his body in a death grip. Tanjiro’s head was buried in the crook of the other boy’s neck, and their legs were tangled together as well. Tanjiro had a pillow under his hips, most likely to help ease the pain still in them. They both looked like they were pretty dead, Tanjiro twitching in his sleep, Inosuke a heavy weight, snoring on top of his head.

Sabito and Giyuu breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way the two of them were going to wake up any time soon. So, they were able to change their robes and toss them on the floor so they would remember to wash them later. For now, they too wanted a nap. Or, if they couldn’t accomplish that, then just an hour or so of dozing or laying there quietly with each other would be divine. They carefully laid down together on the bed, making sure they didn’t jostle the mattress. But they didn’t have to worry; Inosuke kept snoring and Tanjiro let out a tiny sleepy noise, but otherwise didn’t move.

The older boys also curled up together, facing one another and stroking each other’s faces. They lived for these moments of quiet intimacy, where they could just be themselves and express their deep affection for the other.

“I’d love to get out of here so we could do this whenever we wanted,” Giyuu whispered. “But with how deep in debt I am to Muzan, it looks like that’s never going to happen.”

Sabito shrugged. He then took one of his hands and kissed the tips of his fingers, staring at them as he said, “I’m not so sure about that. Inosuke over here has been saying for years how we’re going to get out of here and build a log cabin in the mountains.”

“Yes, I remember.” The other man watched him sadly. “And while part of me would rather just let Muzan kill me now than be stuck in a small log cabin with Inosuke, another part of me wouldn’t mind living with all of you far away from the rest of civilization. But at the same time, even if we escaped, Muzan would find me and drag me back. We will every time until my debt is paid off.”

“He can’t if he doesn’t know where you are.”

“…That’s true. But I’m sure he will. You know how he is.”

“I don’t think even Muzan would chance searching for us in the wilderness. Might get his suit dirty.”

Giyuu snorted. Really, it was a nice thought, hiding out and just living off the land with his friends. Sure, the hope of living on their own was almost impossible. But maybe with all six of them, if they all got work and combined their salaries, maybe it would be possible?

“I love you my little Kitsune,” Giyuu sighed.

Sabito smiled and shushed him, pulling his head closer so that his face was resting against his throat. That way, Giyuu felt the vibrations in his nose of the other boy speaking when he said, “Go to sleep, my Umi. Things will seem better in our dreams.”

“If Inosuke can stop snoring for two minutes so we can fall asleep.”

His partner laughed, and pecked him on the lips.

Chapter Text

“Has anyone seen my pearls?” Giyuu asked the room.

“I think I saw them in Sabito’s jewelry box? Heavens knows why you left them there,” Rengoku answered, tying his hair back.

Inosuke added, “Because he leaves everything of his in Sabito’s things. They’re like a married couple. Soon they’re not going to be able to tell their underwear apart.”

“Too late.” Sabito snickered.

All of the boys cracked up at the bantering, elbowing each other. They were in the process of getting ready for yet another night of work, most of them still half dressed. Slowly but surely Tanjiro was getting used to seeing his friends walking around either half-dressed or fully nude. At the moment for example, Sabito was searching for a pair of trousers to go with his silk shirt, but had nothing on the bottom half of his body. Inosuke looked reluctant to get dressed at all, slumped in a chair instead, legs crossed Indian style, dark hair spilling over his shoulders like black water. His nose was scrunched and his lower lip was pushed up in a pout.

“Ugh, must I get put on something?” he whined. “It’s just going to get taken off again in a few minutes.”

Tanjiro found that while the nudity of the others didn’t bother him, Inosuke’s still affected him greatly, and he often found that he had to look away when the other’s body was exposed. If he didn’t, he might catch himself staring, or worse, find himself getting hard, and that would be a dead giveaway of his attraction. His bare body was as beautiful as his face, his skin pale as milk, his nipples a light, pretty pink, and a dark trail of hair that led enticingly down his belly and then disappeared into the shadow between his thighs, the one place Tanjiro had never dared to look. Not to mention his bottom was so round and cute. He wanted to pinch it. Or smack it.

He was sure Inosuke would let him if he wanted to.

The boy turned his face towards Tanjiro and asked him in particular, “Hey Tanjiro, what do you think I should wear?”

He started, pausing in pulling his shirt down from where it had bunched up under his armpits. He stared at the other boy for a moment, the wires in his head sparking as he fought to come up with a coherent response. “Well um…uh, didn’t you tell me that there’s this guy named Jacques that likes it when you wear no shirt? And a bunch of long necklaces to go with it? How about you do that, so you only have to get half dressed?”

Tanjiro would of course not disclose that he liked seeing Inosuke walk around with no shirt on as well. And thankfully the boy didn’t seem to pick up on it, because he perked up and leapt to his feet. Tanjiro averted his eyes quickly, pink coloring his face.

“You’re right!” he exclaimed. “You’re a genius, thank you!”

“Ugh, I might go the same way,” Zenitsu groaned somewhere beside Tanjiro. “Or at least, I think there’s a top that super thin that’ll show my stomach and just cover up my tits.”

“Zenitsu men don’t have tits,” Rengoku insisted as he pulled on a large, gold and ruby necklace.

“Um, says you,” the younger boy argued back. “I’ve had men fuck me that have bigger tits than any woman I’ve ever seen. I thought they were going to suffocate me with them.” He seemed to struggle with his shirt for a moment, and then asked, “Ugh, Tanjiro, can you help me tie this please?”

The red haired boy went over to him with a smile. Zenitsu leaned his head forward while Tanjiro pulled on the ties lightly to make sure they were tight. Upon doing this, he noticed that the bumps of Zenistu’s spine were quite visible, more so than anyone else’s. His ribs also stuck out quite a bit.

“Um, Zenitsu, are you alright?” Tanjiro asked. “I feel like you’ve lost more weight since I got here.”

Zenistu turned around, pulling down his top and looking down at his stomach, sucking it in. “Have I? Good. You know what Muzan says. Can’t gain too much weight here or you’ll be kicked to the curb. I just skip a few meals here and there or throw up what I eat once in a while and it helps keep me slim. You should try it, if you find yourself in a fix.”

Tanjiro had no idea what to say to that. How horrifying. He remembered how awful the first few days here had been when he had to get used to smaller meals, how his grumbling stomach had kept him awake for hours that night because it wasn’t as full as it was used to being. How when he was at home he had fought to help keep dinner on the table for his family, especially to make sure his siblings got their fill. And here Zenitsu was talking about purposefully ignoring or expelling food he was given in order to keep himself thin. That couldn’t be healthy. What if he just kept getting thinner and thinner until he was too weak to get up anymore?

Zenitsu had often lamented to him how he was the least popular of the Flowers, only averaging three customers on a good night compared with Giyuu’s eight. Was this how he was making up for it? Did he think if he was the thinnest then he would be the prettiest? But there were plenty of girls here that had a bit of extra fat on their hips and thighs and they were still popular with their clients. Poor thing. He wanted to pull him into a hug, especially since he had also made the decision to Tanjiro about throwing up his meals like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“I’ll remember that,” Tanjiro said evenly. “You got the rest of your outfit from here?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

The red haired boy went over to the vanity where Giyuu was already sitting. The older boy nudged him with his hip when he leaned in so he could occupy the mirror space that he wasn’t using. Tanjiro was about to back up and wait for him to finish, thinking the nudge was to get him to wait, but a soft smile from Giyuu stopped him. Oh, so the movement had been in jest. Now that he thought about it, he had seen him do the same thing to Sabito and Rengoku plenty of times. Did this mean he was finally accepting him?

Giyuu confirmed his suspicions when, without looking at him while he applied a bit of mascara, he said, “I’m sorry if it looks like I don’t like you. I promise that’s not the case. Sabito just says I don’t know how to talk to people. And since I almost never smile it looks like I want to kill everyone I look at. He’s partially right though, to be fair. Rengoku is far too upbeat for me most days, and if Inosuke tries pulling me in a headlock for taking the last sweet roll during lunch one more time I’m going to gut him and leave him on the side of the road for the crows. But only I’m allowed to do that. If anyone else ever tried to hurt him, or any of you, I’d be gutting them instead. And now you’re part of our family too, so that extends to you. So don’t be afraid to approach me if you need something.”

“Okay…okay, that sounds good.” A giddy feeling rose in Tanjiro at his words. Finally, now he had proof that he didn’t hate him.

“Here, you want to borrow some of my pearls?” Giyuu even offered. “No, you should borrow some of my pearls. They’ll look great on you.”

Before Tanjiro could say no, he was reaching over and grabbing an extra necklace on the shelf next to him, and then turning around in his seat. He draped the pearls onto his chest and hooked the clasp behind his neck.

“Very nice,” Giyuu commented, looking at Tanjiro’s reflection in the mirror.

“Means a lot, coming from you.”

The other man snorted. “I can get all the customers I want, it still won’t erase my debt any time soon. Even if my debt could be erased, I don’t think Muzan would let me leave.”

“What do you mean?”

Just then, Muzan walked into the room, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. The boys all quieted down, most of them being dressed by this point, and looked towards him. He appeared to very cross, and for some reason that made Tanjiro very nervous. Hell, Muzan made him nervous even when he was happy.

“I was just in telling the girls this,” Muzan told them, “but I need all of you to be at your best from here on out. No mistakes, not from any of you. I’ve just been informed by our landlord that he’s raising our rent to the highest it’s ever been in the history of this house. I’ve written him a letter in hopes of negotiating a better price, but in case he doesn’t, we can’t afford any of you to slip up. We also can’t afford any of you to become ill. So wash yourselves, be especially vigilant about the health of your clients so that they don’t make you sick, and satisfy their every desire, no matter how odd it is or how uncomfortable it makes you. Every franc counts if we want this building to survive.”

“Why is he increasing the rent now?” Inosuke asked.

“Because many of the brothels in this part of France are being shut down,” Muzan told him, and surprisingly, he didn’t sound angry; just tired. “We’re one of the last that’s still running.”

“Trying to reduce the number of places that whores can congregate, huh?” Rengoku mused, half to himself.

“I don’t know. Either way, we’re going to have to work harder than we ever have. That means no more nights off for anyone anymore.”

A few of them groaned, already dreading the amount of sleep they were going to lose and how sore their bodies were going to be. What a hypocrite he was, telling them to take care of themselves, and yet now denying them days off, which were crucial for them to give their bodies some rest.

“Alright, now our first guests are arriving,” Muzan told them. “Tanjiro, how are you feeling?”

“Better than I was, but I still don’t dare attempt anything beyond a blowjob,” the boy replied honestly. “The doctor said I should wait a couple more weeks just to be sure.”

“Okay, but the minute those two weeks are up, I need you back and performing fully. Now let’s go, all of you.”

They all got to their feet, the last few stragglers buttoning their shirts and pants or putting the backs of their earrings on. They all made their way into the main parlor, seeing that there were already quite a few men seated being entertained by many of the girls. Tanjiro was surprised to see that among their guests there were some men there that were literally boys, the same age as some of his younger siblings. Had their fathers brought them here so that they could lose their virginity? Was this some kind of rite of passage for them? The poor things.

The six of them filtered out and sat down next to any clients that looked familiar, and if they couldn’t find someone, they sat down together on one of the four sided chairs that looked like four chairs that had all been connected by their backs in a circle. Of course, the extraverted Rengoku plopped himself down next to a man that Tanjiro couldn’t be sure if he knew or not, because he was bubbly and excited to talk to everyone he met. He dragged Zenitsu over with him, encouraging him to engage in the conversation with him.

Tanjiro, Sabito, Giyuu and Inosuke hung out on the chairs, all chatting like a bunch of belligerent school children.

“Don’t you think we should be chatting up our clients?” Tanjiro suggest. “I mean, Muzan just said”-

“Oh fuck him,” Inosuke growled. “I’m feeling lazy as hell tonight. He won’t fire me. I bring a ton of money to this place. So unless he wants to go bankrupt he’ll keep me.”

To emphasize his statement he leaned over and placed his head against Tanjiro’s shoulder, and added, “Besides, I’d rather sit here and hang out with my Princess.”

Tanjiro rolled his eyes but nonetheless laid his head over the top of the other boy’s.

Giyuu asked, “Princess? Where’d you come up with that?”

“Because he said he loves fairytales and says he wants a prince someday. I think it’s cute. Besides, you and Sabito have nicknames for each other.”

“Yeah, what’s the significance behind those?” Tanjiro wondered.

Sabito leaned his head on Tanjiro’s other shoulder, and said, “Well, I call Giyuu ‘Umi’ because he loves the ocean, and his eyes remind me of the color of the water near where I grew up. He calls me ‘Kitsune’ because when he first met me I was wearing a fox mask.”

“He wore it when we went out in the woods as kids to keep evil spirits at bay,” Giyuu added. “Besides, he kind of looks like a fox. His hair is a similar color to their fur, and he’s just as cute.”

Muzan suddenly entered the room, and caught them sitting in their chairs. He glared at them and said sharply, “Come on you, look lively. We still have guests coming in.”

“It’s Monday though, we hardly get anyone on Mondays,” Giyuu stated.

“I said get going,” he insisted.

They rolled their eyes but nonetheless got up and set their sights on customers that currently didn’t have anyone sitting next to them. However, Tanjiro froze a bit, not knowing which customers fancied boys and which ones didn’t. Seeing this, Inosuke stopped and grinned, before taking him by the hand and leading him over to the man sitting on the sofa, the same man that had brought the puma on Tanjiro’s first night. The puma was lounging on the couch next to its owner, the man with a white beard holding its leash. Though it was a wild animal, Tanjiro lit up a bit; an animal was a good mediator and ice breaker for him when it came to meeting new people.

“Back again to see me, Jacques?” Inosuke said with a blinding smile. He squeezed himself between the man and the arm of the sofa. The man matched his smile and wrapped an arm around his waist. Tanjiro sat next to them as well, closer to the puma.

“Of course,” Jacques said as he reached up with his free hand and began running his fingers through Inosuke’s long, black locks. “There’s no finer beauty I’ve ever come across in all my travels and all my business ventures. I can’t stay away from you for too long my prickly little Chardon.”

“You have any new tricks tonight to try and tame me tonight?”

“Well, as you can see, I’m quite good at taming wild creatures,” he pointed out, gesturing to his cougar. “I have a small zoo besides. If I can tame bears and wild cats, I should be able to tame one little whore.”

“I’d say a wild cat has less bite than he does,” Tanjiro pointed out.

They both looked over at him, Inosuke snorting to himself a bit. Jacques gazed at Tanjiro curiously, and then reached up, brushing the boy’s hair out of his face. “And who’s this?” he asked.

“Gypsophila,” Inosuke introduced. “He’s our newest one. Isn’t he cute? Just like a kitten.”

“Speaking of kittens, I like your big kitten here,” Tanjiro said.

Jacques said, “Oddly enough, that’s her name. Chaton. You can pet her, she won’t bite. She’s an import from a zoo in New York.”

“Oh wow, all the way from America, how interesting.” Tanjiro petted the cat from her head all the way down her back. He marveled at her giant paws, which were as big as his hand. She was huge, and thankfully right now she was purring. That purr vibrated through his body, far deeper and more intense than any cat’s purr he had ever heard, and she had very hypnotic amber eyes.

“They’re strong enough to take down an elk, and they’ll fight bears to protect their kittens,” Jacques told him.

“I don’t doubt it.” The boy scratched under the cat’s chin, causing her to lift her head, just like a house cat. “That’s amazing.”

Inosuke smirked a bit. He didn’t think Tanjiro was faking how impressed he was at these facts. He was a natural at pretending that he cared about what a man had to say because he was so kind natured and most likely, just enjoyed learning new things. It made something shift in his chest, but he wasn’t sure what it was. He just knew it made him want to hug Tanjiro to his chest and pet his hair while fussing over how cute he was. It made him want to slap away Jacques’ hand because it was still in Tanjiro’s hair and-

Wait. Where on Earth had that come from?

He shook his head. Something was definitely wrong with him tonight. He never got irritated when one of their customers paid attention to someone besides him. Well, he only did when he was short on cash and was trying to gain someone’s attention in hope of them paying to sleep with him that night. But it was different this time. How so, he couldn’t tell, but it was.

“Have you ever been to America before?” Jacques asked Tanjiro.

He shook his head. “No. What’s it like?”

Inosuke had to bite his lip again to stifle a smile. A total natural. He had heard about Jacque’s exploits in America before they didn’t interest him at all. But he knew the man loved nothing more than a new pair of ears to tell his stories to, so he was glad he had brought Tanjiro over. The boy was the perfect audience, all wide eyes and innocence while he absently stroked Chaton.

“Well, it’s pretty similar to here,” Jacques explained. He leaned over and grabbed a cigarette off the table in front of him, lighting it up. “The buildings just look a bit different and the people speak different languages. But the men over there are just as boring as the ones over here when it comes to dealing business, or just as incompetent. You know back when I first started out, the textile industry was a lot different than it is today…”

And off he went, puffing his cigarette and blathering on about the same old shit that Inosuke had heard a hundred times before. Bored, he switched places with Tanjiro, petting the puma while Tanjiro leaned on Jacques, the man wrapping an arm around his waist. Inosuke meanwhile placed his chin on the boy’s shoulder, pretending to listen, but only enraptured with Tanjiro’s expression.

At some point during the night, the crowd got bigger and the party in the parlor got louder and more randy. There were some men playing card games, or perhaps gambling, others were playing drinking games. One man was getting one of the girls to bed over while he held a cup under her chin, helping her drink upside down. Yet others were blowing marbles around a small table that was shaped like a bowl with what looked like a combination of giant droppers and bike horns. It looked like goal was to blow the marbles down towards the hole in the middle, and currently Zenitsu was playing with one of the girls and a customer. He had two of the blowers in his mouth, but didn’t seem to be having any luck.

“Agh, even with two of these I keep losing,” he lamented.

There was even a miniature band going on, a bunch of the girls and Giyuu wetting their fingers and running their fingers over the rims of their wine glasses, creating a high pitched, ringing symphony. At one point one of the girls complained, “I think my fingers are cursed, I can’t make any sounds with this thing!”

Tanjiro was having a blast, honestly. He liked making merry with these men, didn’t even mind all the attention they were giving him. He liked that he had the time now to chat with his friends, and his attention always seemed to be welcomed when he intruded in on their conversations. If there was one thing these men didn’t mind, it was attention from more cute boys. But for his first full night, he preferred to stay by Inosuke’s side.

Well, at least, until Jacques asked Inosuke if he wanted to go upstairs into one of the rooms.

“You can keep Chaton company for us until we get back,” Jacques told Tanjiro.

Well, he supposed he didn’t mind doing that, but he really needed to be making money that night too. He watched the two of them go, hand in hand, while he sat there dumbly, still petting the large cat. Chaton shifted so that she laid in his lap. Tanjiro smiled down at her, and, without thinking, began cooing at her in Japanese, just saying cute nonsense phrases that he would find himself saying to the stray cats he would find wandering around his apartment building at home.

“Big strong girl, look at your little bean feet,” he said, petting her shoulder. “Scary murder mitts. You ever think you’d be living a life like this? Instead of sleeping in a cave in America you’re lounging on a couch in a whorehouse in France. On the lap of a male prostitute. Life is a funny thing, isn’t it? You’re so cute, aren’t you? Yes you are…”

“Well isn’t this a pretty sight,” said a new voice above Tanjiro.

The boy looked up. A new man was coming over to sit next to him on the couch. Tanjiro moved over to make room for him. When the man sat down, he gave him a curious look, and said, “I’ve never seen you in here before.”

“I’m new,” Tanjiro explained. “I was here a couple of weeks ago, but a client injured me so, um, I had to take some time off. This is my first week back.”

“You must be Gypsophila then,” he observed. “I’m Marques. Usually I see Chardon, or Belladonna, but they both seem to be occupied at the moment. However, I was attracted to how you look with that cougar resting on your lap like it’s a tame house cat, and how you were speaking to it. That’s Jacques’ pet, is it not?”

“Um, yes. He asked me to look after her while he was away for a while.”

“So then, you like animals do you?”

Tanjiro shrugged. “I don’t mind them, certainly. They can be a lot easier to talk to than people. And what do you mean, how I was speaking to it?”

Marques said, “You sounded like a songbird, with how melodiously and quickly you speak.”

The boy went red, suddenly realizing something. “Muzan doesn’t like us speaking our native language out here, I apologize.”

“Do not apologize. It’s pleasant to listen to. What were you saying to her?”

His face grew even redder. “Just a bunch of nonsense, telling her how cute she is and how big her paws are, things like that.”

“Well, aren’t you cute.” The man cupped the side of Tanjiro’s face, running a hand down his neck. “You know, I’ve been with every one of the Fleurs, but not with you yet. Would you like to spend part of the evening with me?”

“S-Sure,” Tanjiro agreed, a fluttering feeling in his chest. Thank goodness, here was an opportunity to make some money at last. “I um, can only do things with my mouth and hands though. I’m sorry, I’m still recovering”-

“That’s alright. There’s plenty we can do that won’t involve me sticking my cock in you. Come on now.”

Tanjiro hesitated for only a moment more, before decided he could do this. For his family and the money they so desperately needed, he could do this. He stood up, giving Chaton a few more scratches behind her ears, before saying, “Alright. Meet me in the room with the black curtains.”

And just a few minutes later, Marques appeared in the room Tanjiro was waiting in. The boy sat on the edge of the bed, innocently swinging his legs back and forth. The man came up to him and told him to strip.

“You sure?” Tanjiro asked. “It costs more.”

“I’ve already paid. Go ahead, strip.”

Shrugging, he just did as he was asked, watching at the man also undid the first few buttons on his shirt. His gaze slid up and down Tanjiro’s body for a moment, before he told him, “Lean back on the pillows.”

The boy did as he was told, sinking into the huge, fluffy pillows. He had to admit, he picked this room because so far it was his favorite. It was rather dark, save for a couple of gas lamps. The room was a dark green with the pillows and blankets being satin. The posts on the bed almost reached the ceiling, with a mirror behind them in case the customer wanted to watch himself fucking the prostitute. Marques stayed dressed though, crawling onto the bed and sliding up between Tanjiro’s legs. He halted there, gazing between them, softly stroking the boy’s thighs.

“Spread your legs a bit more,” he asked.

He hesitated, remembering what happened the last time a man asked him to do so. “Um, I’m still”-

“I’m not going to penetrate you.” The man smiled sincerely at him. “I promise, I just want to look.”

Another pause. “A-Alright.”

He let his knees part and his legs fell open, telling himself to calm down. If this man tried anything like Fabron had, he would kick him in the face and take off, knowing he didn’t have to put up with such treatment. But Marques did as he promised, getting down on his elbows and just…stared between Tanjiro’s legs. His face grew a bit warm.

Before he could ask what he was doing, Marques said, “I feel like a lovely cock isn’t as appreciated as much a woman’s cunny. I’m an artist, you see, and I find whores to be a good muse. I’ve been with both the male and female whores here to get as vast an appreciation for beautiful bodies as I can. Many male artists like to portray the beauty of the female body and the power of the male body. But I think the male body can be just as beautiful.”

“You do, do you?” Tanjiro wanted to know, relaxing now that he knew what this man was on about.

“Oh absolutely. I suppose I understand though. The cock is a funny looking thing, isn’t it? You wonder how anyone could be attracted to it. But one on a pretty young man I think is just a bit prettier. Like God put it there with the intent to enhance how lovely you are. Like yours is such a pretty shade of pink, and looks great even though it’s flaccid. You have a cute little vein right here that I’ll bet looks great when you’re erect.” He ran his finger over the vein, tickling Tanjiro. “Even your balls here look firm, and nicely full. Getting to admire a nice, young gaying instrument is one of the best things in life. You make me want to paint you.”

Tanjiro shrugged. “You can, if you want.”

“I’ve painted Belladonna, and Chardon,” Marques added, stroking the inside of the boy’s thighs. “I remember the first time I saw them naked. They’re both breathtaking. I couldn’t fill my lungs for a bit. Their beauty is wasted here at a little place like this. They should be famous for it. But then again, if they weren’t here, people like me wouldn’t be able to touch them. They both look like maids with all their clothes on, honestly. You on the other hand I think will grow up more to look like Ume and Tournesol. Maybe even Amaryllis. More masculine, broader shoulders, but still beautiful. How old are you?”

“Eighteen, sir.”

“Ah yes, then you still have some growing to do.” He sighed. “You make me long for the days when I was eighteen. Though I was still figuring out whether or not I preferred men or women. Now twenty years later, I’ve discovered I don’t have to choose. I can have both.”

“The world isn’t very kind to inverts, though,” Tanjiro said. “I mean, I’m learning a lot about myself since I got here too. Like that I might be an invert too.”

“You can be whatever you want in here,” Marques said. “You can explore the darkest corners of yourself.”

“But I don’t want it to be something dark. I want it to be, I don’t know…normal. As normal as a man courting a woman.”

“Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that anything is normal inside the walls of a brothel. That’s part of why I feel so comfortable in them. I feel happier in a whorehouse than I do with my own wife and children at home. It’s easier to be myself in here. So if you think you prefer cock, you can explore that safely in here. But once you step outside, the minute anyone sees that, you’ll be tossed in jail. Hell, if anyone knew I was in here sticking my cock inside the assholes of men, I’d be carted off to jail too. So if I don’t show up one day, you’ll know why.”

Tanjiro sighed. So it seemed like there was no safe place to pursue his romantic interest in Inosuke. He knew that, but hearing it from someone that had more experience than he did hurt quite a bit.

Still, when he thought of the other boy’s pretty face and how happy he made him, it would make it hard to resist. Maybe…he was too weak to resist. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from doing all those cute romantic things he wanted to do. Perhaps his heart wouldn’t prevent him from leaving him flowers or writing him poems, or even buying him gifts.

Maybe he wasn’t weak. Maybe he was just too stubborn to admit defeat before he had even started.

Chapter Text

When Inosuke and Jacques entered one of the rooms, a lavish, dark room with a deep red comforter on the bed and a black canopy, the boy automatically plopped on the bed. He settled on the pillows on his back, folding his hands behind his head.

“Come on old man, hurry up,” he said with a toothy grin. “You gonna leave me on this bed by myself? Or am I going to have to tear your pants off with my teeth?”

“Vicious little beast,” Jacques commented fondly. “We just got in here. Give these old bones a chance to catch up with you.”

Stiffly, he moved around the room, finding something interesting in the corner. His eyes lit up, and he laughed. “So this is why you brought me in here, did you?”

Inosuke watched him bend over and pick up the riding crop that was leaning against the wall. He held it up for the boy to see, giving it a couple of experimental flicks. He smacked the tip of the crop against his palm, and it made a light popping sound.

“Well, I remember the last time you were here you seemed to enjoy it,” the boy said.

“In order to tame wild things, sometimes one needs to learn how to enforce their own will over something else,” Jacques replied with another snack of the crop against his palm. “There’s something called the dominance theory that says that. If an animal tries to dominate you, you need to show that animal you’re in charge. Perhaps that’s what you need.”

“Perhaps,” Inosuke suggested. “Why don’t we give it a try?”

In truth, the boy was not a fan of the crop. It hurt when it stung his skin, but he knew that the other man liked the illusion of being in charge of him, liked smacking him with the crop in hopes it would get Inosuke to behave. And he somewhat liked it even more when the boy refused to yield, because then it gave him something to do when he returned. This was why Inosuke kept getting Jacques as a customer. He liked the challenge, as most men did. And the boy could endure the pain.

He had dealt with worse, after all.

After that, Jacques came up on the side of the bed, looking down at the boy like he was a glittering object he was beholding for the first time, even though he had seen him like this many times. He ran the crop lightly from his chin, down his chest and over his stomach, which made Inosuke suck in his stomach from the ticklish stimulation. He then ran the crop back up to his chest, liking the goosebumps that arose on his skin. He lifted a couple of the necklaces that Inosuke wore with the crop, watching how they glittered in the low light.

“Are these actual gold?” he wondered.

“I think so,” Inosuke replied, keeping his hands behind his head, knowing that the other man liked it when he pretended to be helpless. “Muzan said that one of his old customers bought it for him, but since he’s not an active prostitute anymore, he gave it to us to use.”

“Well, it looks wonderful with your eyes,” Jacques pointed out. “Hmm…your eyes look like jewels as well.”

He let the crop circle around his nipples as well, admiring how they pebbled under the light touch of the leather. Even after all this time, his Chardon was so responsive.

“No matter how much money you have, you can’t buy them,” Inosuke said. “I need them.”

“Seems like no matter how much money I have, I can’t buy you either. Or at least, the part of you I want the most.”

He tapped on the boy’s breast bone, right over his heart. Yeah right. Even if the ban on falling in love weren’t in place, Inosuke certainly wouldn’t be falling in love with this man. Or any of the men here. And Jacques certainly wasn’t the first to try and win Inosuke’s heart, either for their own selfish needs or to try and “save” him from this life. As if they would have a future together on the outside of this brothel’s walls. Love proposals always made him deeply uncomfortable anyway, his stomach tightening with repulsion every time.

Still, it was his job to keep them interested, so he said, “My heart can’t be bought with money. You’ll need to try something else. For now though, you paid for everything on the outside. So, why don’t you see if you can tame me with that crop tonight?”

Thankfully his diversion worked, turning Jacques’ mind back to business. He smiled down at the boy, and said, “I suppose we can do that.”

He let the crop glide over the crotch of Inosuke’s loose trousers, pressing it against the fullest part, before circling it around his cock. He enjoyed watching the pants shift and the view of Inosuke’s cock pushing against them. When the boy made no reaction though, he gave his crotch a light slap. It stung enough that Inosuke jumped.

“Bad little beast,” Jacques said playfully. “I’m the one with the crop, so you need to pay attention.”

“If you want me to pay attention, you better stop boring me, old man,” Inosuke said daringly.

He knew he was just digging himself a deeper grave, but if it got the other man’s engine running than that was all that mattered. Besides, anymore, Inosuke was very good at dividing his mind, drifting off and jumping back in when necessary. He knew when to moan, when to flinch, or what to say, but his heart wasn’t in any of it. It was an automatic reaction, the same as one saying, “have a nice day” after a customer takes their change and leaves a store. When his customers couldn’t see his face, his expression would often go blank, and more often than not, if they were okay with it, he remained mostly silent during sex.

He hated that he had been reduced to this. Sex was supposed to be something enjoyable and special, at least, so he had heard in rumors. But that was something no one believed around here, and someone Inosuke had never experienced himself. Truthfully, even though he didn’t act like it, he was tired of these clients that hurt him and demeaned him, even if he was used to it. He was tired of feeling nothing when people shoved their cods inside him and fucked him for all they were worth. Just once in his life, he would like to have sex with someone who treated him gently, who treated him like he might break if they were too rough. Who just…made him feel.

For some odd reason, Tanjiro’s face inexplicably appeared in his mind. He was smiling, and he could feel his warmth. Was he thinking about him because Inosuke felt safe when he was with him? Did he long for that feeling of safety right now? But why, he wasn’t in any danger. He didn’t feel scared, or upset. He felt…he felt…

…numb.

Oh. So Tanjiro made him feel.

When he thought about that boy’s face, a spark lit in his chest. He wasn’t sure what kind of spark or what it meant, but it was there. When he was with his new friend, he felt things that he hadn’t in years. He felt protective, like the other boy was entirely his responsibility. And he felt a sense of affection that was stronger with him than it ever had been with anyone else. Tanjiro made him feel warm, made him feel lots of things. Maybe that was why he was becoming important to him.

And for some reason, he thought maybe if he and Tanjiro were to have sex one day, like he had suggested, he bet that Tanjiro would be able to take care of him the way he wanted. He’d probably be a careful partner, always making sure that Inosuke wasn’t hurting, and whatever Inosuke asked for, the other boy would give him. And he was sure he would be compelled by Tanjiro’s innocent face to give him whatever he asked for as well.

A nice idea, he supposed. But one that could never happen. Still, if it got him through the night, he wouldn’t let it go, that was for sure.

Just a couple rooms down, Giyuu was also in bed with his first client of the night. This man in particular liked it when he cross dressed, so he had actually gone back in his room to change into a silky kimono splashed with water color wisteria flowers. It folded down low in the back of the neck, showing the first few vertebrae of his spine. When he returned to the room, the man stroked the pale skin bared to him on the back of his neck.

“Remind me why prostitutes in your country bare their necks,” he asked.

Giyuu didn’t meet his eyes, keeping his head raised proudly even as the man fondled him. “The neck has been eroticized, so those women show it off.”

“Why not just show off their tits? That would attract a man quicker.”

“Perhaps they want to appear to be more of a challenge than Western women.”

“Ah, like you? You’re more of a challenge than Western women. As long as I’ve been seeing you, I’ve never gotten you to smile, not once.”

Giyuu curled his lip into a slight snarl, his blue eyes growing darker. It made his customer growl with lust. The only person who could get Giyuu to truly smile was Sabito. Scum like this would never even compare. He took the man by the chin and leaned in close to his face, lips parted.

“Then maybe you should try harder, you wretch,” he whispered.

The man laughed low in his chest. “Your words are always the sweetest poison.”

“That’s why they call me Belladonna.” He continued to keep his lip curled, and then breathed against the other man’s lips, “Now are you going to get down on your knees?”

“Of course.” He did as he was told, wrapping his large hands around Giyuu’s slim waist, holding him upright and kneeling down.

“Try not to bore me too much.”

He felt amused laughter puff against his bare skin as the other man pushed his way up and under Giyuu’s kimono. He stroked his thighs, his stomach, and then held a hand there while he started to suck him off. Giyuu’s head fell back a bit, but he saw nothing in front of him anymore. His gaze had gone dull, his eyes glassy. He was just the first customer of the night, the first of many, and he was already tired. He felt absolutely no pleasure from the actions of his clients, and he was glad that the man couldn’t see the disinterest on his face.

Glancing up at the ceiling, he noticed that there was a shiny beetle of some kind crawling around up there. It must have gotten in by slipping in through the cracks in the walls, or maybe it had flown in when someone had opened the door. It would certainly be nice to be that beetle, Giyuu thought. Just an observer without a care. Free to come and go as it pleased. No clients to worry about, and all the sky and gardens it could ever want to travel across.

He must have been trapped here for too long indeed if he was jealous of a beetle.

Once Giyuu had longed for freedom, back when he thought it was obtainable. It used to taste sweet in his mind’s eye, now it just tasted like dust. It would never find him, no matter how much he sought it. No matter how much Sabito tried to convince him that it was possible to escape, he didn’t believe him.

Hope was a silly, childish thing, and Giyuu was too tired to hope anymore.

Sabtio and his client also were very engaged, but in a much different way at the moment. Sabito was sitting on the bed while this other man knelt in front of him, gazing at him curiously. He reached forward and caressed the side of the young man’s face, but when Sabito felt him touch the ties that held his veil up, he shied away. The other man hummed in response.

“You said your name is Sabito?” the man said. “You sure you don’t have another one? My friend used to come here all the time. I might recognize you if you tell me that name.”

“Ume,” Sabito replied quietly. “But I don’t get as many customers as I used to, so I don’t use it much.”

“Does it have something to do with this?” the man nodded towards his veil.

Though he couldn’t see him frowning, he could see his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Have you come to see the monster up close then? Is that why you’re here?”

He shook his head. “How did it happen, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Sabito’s chest clenched. He often found himself drifting back to that moment enough on his own without others forcing him to dredge up the memories. Honestly, he wished he could banish the whole thing from his memory.

Fabron hovering over him, running the tip of the knife up his neck, letting the sharp edge glide lightly over his throat, ear to ear. The tip sliding over his full bottom lip as he laid there helplessly, hands tied to the bedposts.

  The clicking of the knife against his teeth as it was pushed into his mouth.

 “A customer asked if he could tie me up,” Sabito explained. “I said sure. But then he pulled out a knife…I pulled on the restraints and told him I didn’t like it anymore, but he ignored me.”

He went silent after that, his eyes drifting to the corner of the room, unwilling to say anymore. Because of that man, his life had been ruined. Muzan was on his case to earn more money, and though he tried his hardest, it just wasn’t happening like it used to. So Giyuu was picking up his slack, paying his bills and buying him the things he needed. So then in turn he got punished for it.

“So if you’re not seeing as many customers, what do you do in your spare time?” his patron asked.

Sabito shrugged. “I take care of the girls, and my fellow Flowers. I do their laundry, I help cook, I clean.”

“Why not just leave? Find a job somewhere else?”

He thought about Giyuu, how deep in debt he was to Muzan and how he’d most likely never be able to leave. He thought of the other boys, and how much they looked up to him and depended on him. And he said, “The boys here need me. If I’m going to leave, it’ll be because Muzan forces me to go. Besides, if I did leave, there’s no one on the outside I can depend on. Everyone who cares about me is in here.”

“Hmm…”

The man reached up and cupped his face, and this time when he reached for the ties, Sabito didn’t stop him. He let him loosen them, and then take off his veil. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the other man’s expression. He was tired of seeing disgust or pity on people’s faces when they saw his scars. His customer gasped a bit, and his fingers traveled over the scars, feeling the ridges there.

“Do they hurt?” the man asked.

“Only sometimes at night, or when I think too much about how I got them,” Sabito explained.

“You poor thing…”

His customer pushed him back onto the bed. Kneeling beside him on the bed, his customer managed to take off his pants, and removed Sabito’s as well. The younger boy just laid there as he lived out his fantasies on him, whispering soft words and occasionally crying. About what, Sabito wasn’t sure, but he might have picked up a couple of words pertaining to his wife and how much he missed her.

“You have the same color hair as she did,” the man told him, a couple of warm tears hitting the boy’s pale skin.

Ah, this was common. Sometimes the men that came here were unable to accept the death of their wives and had sex with either the boys or girls here because one of them resembled their dead love. It was rather sad, but Sabito had seen it enough times that he didn’t care about it anymore. He was just as numb to their sob stories as he was to the men with odd, gross fetishes that came in to the Garden. They all meant the same to him.

Even when the man began fucking him, his face remained passive. He stared off to the side, marveling at the wallpaper. He had always liked the wallpaper in that room. It was a farming scene, full of soft colors that he could lose himself in. Had he been born on a farm? Is that where his parents were from? Were they still there now? Why had they gotten rid of him in the first place? Maybe if they kept him, he wouldn’t be stuck here.

Then again, if he hadn’t been on the streets, he would have never met Giyuu.

On the ceiling, there was a scene of two children playing, hand in hand, racing over a field of grass. When he had first met Giyuu, sometimes they got moments of respite like that. Though of course, when one was trying to survive, it was easier to do so in the city. But when they were small children, they would sometimes sleep and play in the surrounding fields. It was quieter, more peaceful. He and his friend would curl up together and look at the sky on those warm summer nights. There had been so many stars…

“You think we could swim in them?” he remembered asking Giyuu. “They’re so thick and misty…it looks like we could drift into the sky and swim through them like we could the water.”

Giyuu had just rolled his eyes. As dark as they were, they reflected the stars, and even now, they still did. “Of course not. They’re all the way up in the sky. You can’t drift up, stupid.”

He missed their childhood selves so much, back when they were more innocent than they were. Of course, they knew about death, as it common to see dead bodies on the streets and in dumpsters. But sex had been a mystery to them. Back when his face had been smooth and unblemished and he only had a vague idea of how cruel people could be.

How he missed those days.

Sabito laid there obediently while the man cried over him and thrusted faster and faster, until he came. Then, still crying, he held him tenderly, kissing his cheek, saying what Sabito assumed was his wife’s name over and over. But he was so numb that he didn’t care. He just wanted the man to finish so he could get back out in the parlor and try to attract more customers.

Anything so that Giyuu didn’t get hurt again because of him.

Rengoku was also praying he didn’t get hurt, but not by his client. Those weren’t always the ones that liked to see him in pain. It was Muzan that he was terrified of.

At the moment, his customer was wrapping him up ornately in rope that he had brought. This man was an expert in shibari, and he loved using it on everyone that would let him.

“This rope is quite soft, specially made,” he explained. “And look how nice the red is against your pale skin, what a contrast is to your golden hair. Absolutely beautiful. You look like a prince from a fairytale, you know.”

“Perhaps if you kiss me, I’ll fall in love with you,” Rengoku teased.

The man had been tying him up for twenty minutes now, and the boy had to admit that watching him tie the knots was a bit mesmerizing. They did look pretty. This was the man who actually first told him that shibari was something that existed, which felt odd because he was usually educating other people about things from his home country. He had never been to Japan himself though, however his mother told him if she ever had enough money, they would go to visit. But she had died before they could, and he knew of course his father didn’t care enough about them enough to fulfill their mother’s wishes. So, if was going to go to Japan, it would have to be under his own power. And secretly he had been trying to save up so that he could afford to take him and his little brother there someday.

His family didn’t know that he was working in a brothel. As far as they knew, he was working in a factory in this town, and if he had his way, they would never find out. He knew if his brother figured out that he was selling his body, he would be so upset and saddened that Rengoku had put himself through such degradation for his sake, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to see Senjuro crying on his behalf. His father on the other hand would demean him and look down on him even more than he already did. He already demeaned himself enough in his own head. He didn’t need his father doing it in a letter to him.

“Hmm, perhaps,” his client replied just as teasingly. “Or has someone already kissed you and turned you into a prince?”

“How kind of you to say,” Rengoku replied with a grin.

The man laughed, and finished up by tying the last couple of knots around his wrists. The way they were tied, he still had quite a bit of mobility, but they were tied about a foot apart, and he wasn’t tied down. There were a few ropes crisscrossing down his back and his torso, and they were all held together by a rope that had wedged itself in the crack of his behind and wrapped around the base of his cock, before tying into the ropes on his torso. Every time he moved, the silky sensation they created against his skin made him shiver with how ticklish it was.

“You’ve outdone yourself this time,” the boy pointed out, but his customer just shook his head with amusement.

“Oh no, this is far from my best work,” he pointed out. “I’ve suspended some people from the ceiling with hooks with far more and far more ornate knots. Sometime perhaps I’ll have to show you.”

Rengoku snorted. “I don’t think I could handle being hung from the ceiling. It sounds uncomfortable.”

“Well, we can’t have you being uncomfortable. Here, lay back on the bed, darling.”

The boy did as he was told, leaning back on the pillows. The man worked to pose him, pulling Rengoku’s hair out from behind his back and placing it on his shoulders. He smiled down at him, pinching his hair between his thumb and forefinger.

“How silky and thick your hair is,” he praised. “What do you use to wash it?”

“Just standard shampoo,” Rengoku answered, tossing his head a bit. He held his arms over his head enticingly, the red ropes standing out nicely against the black comforter. “To be honest, most of it is genetic. My father has thick hair too, and I’ve been told I’m the spitting image of him.”

At least he wasn’t alone in that burden. His little brother looked like their father too. It only terrified him more that he was going to turn out to be just like him. But that was part of the reason he was so determined to work, even if it meant every man in this part of France knew what his naked body looked like just as well as he did. He wasn’t doing this for his father, after all. He would destroy himself a hundred times over if it meant keeping food on the table for Senjuro.

“Well in your next letter to him, send him my thanks,” the man said.

Rengoku watched as he took off his clothes, before he got on the bed with him. He sat back on his heels for a moment, admiring his work, and saying appreciatively, “I should bring an artist next time so he can paint your likeness like this. That way I could look at it whenever I wanted. You’re a beautiful sight.”

“Because of you.”

“Oh no. I only added to beauty that was already here. You are the embodiment of the flower you’ve been named after, Tournesol. Did you come up with that name?”

Rengoku huffed a small laugh. “It actually started off as a joke from Belladonna. He said I was far too cheery, and that was what he called me. So I decided to call myself that.”

“A sunny name for a sunny boy.”

The man began kissing down his neck and chest, licking around the ropes and spaces in between them. As he moved down his body, he began tugging on the rope that sat at the base of his cock, making it rub against it. Rengoku acted accordingly, smiling up at him and spreading his legs for him.

“That’s a nice trick,” he pointed out. “Creates a nice tugging sensation that you feel deep in your root.”

“Oh yes,” the man said. “I’ve had someone do this to me as well. It’s one of my favorite parts of shibari. It’ll actually feel better if you flip over onto your front though.”

Rengoku did as he was told, placing his head into the pillows. He didn’t even care that the other man held him down by his neck and fucked him from behind, hard and fast, chasing after his high as quickly as he could.

He just prayed he made enough so that Muzan wouldn’t beat him the next morning.

Zenitsu was also for something similar just a few rooms down. It was truly a miracle that he had managed to get a customer so early in the night. Usually if he was going to get anyone, it was when their customers were already well into their drink and no longer cared who they slept with as long as they found their pleasure. They probably would have been fine sticking their cocks in the asshole of a cow, Giyuu often said, and they were such perverts that he wouldn’t be surprised if that was what they did when they weren’t there at the brothel.

At the moment, his customer had him on his knees in front of him, the man stepping on his cock through his shiny trousers while he forced Zenitsu to lick his boots. He stepped harder every time he did something that the boy didn’t like. It was so painful that it had him tearing up. When he saw the glitter of the tears, the man placed the toe of his boot under his chin, lifting his face so he could see it easier.

“How lovely,” he commented. “I don’t think anyone is as pretty as you are when they cry, Amaryllis. Your tears are as bright as the finest diamonds, and I’ll bet they tasted as sweet as milk.”

Such an odd statement, Zenitsu thought. But it wasn’t the weirdest thing he had ever heard here. But this was the norm for him. Most of his customers like seeing him cry, saying his face was the cutest or most beautiful when it was soaked in tears. Sometimes men found crying arousing, though when Zenitsu thought about it, that would be a huge repulsion for him. If someone was crying, didn’t that usually mean that the person was in pain? Or didn’t like what was being done to them? He had heard that some people cried when the pleasure became too much, but that had never happened for him.

Zenitsu had never found any pleasure in any of his partners because he wasn’t interested in their gender. He was attracted solely to women, and secretly he wanted to get married and start his own family someday. But as of now, with how deep in debt he was with Muzan, and how slow he was at attracting customers, that seemed very unlikely.

He knew why he was so bad at attracting men. Besides preferring women, Muzan often told him that he wasn’t as pretty as the other Flowers, that he was only here because he was useful and because he wanted the money that Zenitsu owed him.

The man stepped on his cock harder, telling him gruffly to stop spacing out and get back to licking. Zenitsu flinched and let out a small cry, but then did as he was asked.

And later, when he was bent over the bed and the man shoved his cock in him, he let out another cry, curling in on himself. The amount of lube he used was minimal, of course.

“I’m punishing you,” the man said. “You did a subpar job of licking my boots. I’ve met girls who lick them like they were born to do it. So every time you fuck it up, this is what I’m going to do to you.”

“I’m sorry,” Zenitsu breathed, hoping that would appease him. “Fuck me to your heart’s content, sir. If punishing me satisfies you, I’ll take it gladly. I’m here to serve you.”

“That’s right. I paid, so you do what I say, like a good slut.”

The boy lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t have to look at anything but the darkness inside his mind.

Inosuke often spoke about running away to the mountains, that he would take care of all of them and show them how to survive out there. It seemed like Tanjiro and Rengoku bought into that dream while the others thought the idea was nice, but impractical. For Zenitsu, he clung to that dream as well, the only one who completely ignored his debt when faced with the hope of getting away from all the people that had constantly beaten him down his entire life. All the people that treated him like this man was doing, like he deserved to be punished just for taking up space. Like he was worthless, didn’t deserve the air he took in. That he was useless. He couldn’t even act as a series of satisfactory holes for men to stick their cocks into.

The only thing he seemed to be any good at was starving himself. Well, maybe if he did that long enough he would do everyone a favor and drop dead.

He had no idea why, but the idea just made him cry harder.

Chapter Text

Tanjiro scrubbed at his eyes and as he wandered down the hall and into the bathroom, walking with a slight limp. His customer hadn’t entered his body, of course, like he had told him, but staring at his cock had led to fondling it and then wanting to see what it tasted like, which led to a blowjob when Tanjiro had said he had never had one before. And while it had definitely felt nice, the boy had a feeling that it wasn’t as nice as it could have been.

Something about that blowjob had felt…wrong. Made him feel all squirmy and a bit nauseous inside. His stomach had tensed up, and so had his thighs as he resisted the urge to slam them closed. The sight of Marques’ head bobbing up and down and the loud slurping noises made him flinch, and he bit down on the back of his hand. While this looked like a way to stifle his sounds of pleasure, it was a way instead to keep himself still. Marques wasn’t hurting him, and this was what he had paid for, so why was something in Tanjiro’s head screaming at him that this was wrong? Why did his stomach roll with revulsion and all he wanted to do was kick this man in the face and run away?

Thankfully, Marques was too distracted with what he was doing to see the indecision flitting across the boy’s face. Too busy explaining what he was doing and why he was doing it, saying he couldn’t wait for Tanjiro to reciprocate. And oh, that suggestion didn’t help with his revulsion.

Then it hit him. Because this was not the man he wanted between his legs.

He had to hold back a groan of frustration. This was not a good time to be thinking about Inosuke. He couldn’t fantasize about him at a time like this, he just couldn’t. This man had paid to have sex with him; what if he said the wrong name when he came, or rather, pretended to come? And yet, his friends had said he would learn how to divide his mind during the sex. It was a common coping mechanism so that they didn’t go insane from the constant disgust they felt. So…was it really that wrong to be thinking about something else right now, something that made him happier? If those thoughts made him smile, made him look like he was enjoying what was happening, then he didn’t see a problem with that.

So with that, he let his eyes flutter shut, and allowed Inosuke’s face to enter his mind.

The instant he thought of the other boy being the one between his legs and giving him his first blowjob, he began to relax and melt into the blankets. A tiny moan escaped him that was mostly muffled by his hand. Inosuke looked so good down there, his pretty dark hair tickling his thighs. He wanted to reach down and sweep it out of the way so he could see that delicate face, see his jaw working, his entire body vibrating with the desire to please him. He glanced up at Tanjiro, his eyes gleaming mischievously, and also affectionately. It went straight to the boy’s heart, and then further south. He parted his legs a little further, the heat and tight pressure of his mouth suddenly feeling so much better than it did a minute ago.

He didn’t open his mouth, but in his mind, he thought towards Inosuke, “You look so gorgeous, my wild prince. You’re amazing, and you’re taking care of me so well.”

 And then Inosuke would pull his cock out of his mouth and grin in a way that shouldn’t be legal, a sultry, rebellious grin where one of his top canines was exposed, like he wanted to bite him. He was a wild creature, after all, a wild creature that only Tanjiro could tame. The boy leaned down and rubbed his face along his cock, covering himself in its scent. Tanjiro shuddered at both the sight and the sensation of the soft skin of his face rubbing against the sensitive skin of his bits.

“You’re mine,” Inosuke breathed headily, his eyes blown with lust as he took in his partner’s intimate scent. “And I’m yours because I want to be. I’ve been waiting for someone that I’d willingly submit myself too. You’re very lucky, do you know that?”

 “Yes! Yes, yes.” Tanjiro had no idea if he was replying to his question or the fact that he had closed his lips around his cock again and was sucking on it. “Don’t stop, God don’t stop.”

 Was he saying that out loud? He couldn’t be sure. He tried so hard to keep his hips still, but it was difficult. His thighs shook with the effort, and he found himself squirming and moaning tremulously, completely losing himself. He couldn’t believe the ecstasy that was racing through his body. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Was this what it was like to take drugs before one had sex? He felt like he was riding some kind of high, some intense sensation that was too strong for his small body to contain. He clenched his teeth together so hard that his jaw ached as he fought to hold the sounds inside.

“Don’t hold your voice in, I want to hear it,” Inosuke told him, pulling his cock out of his mouth again briefly. “Please? It’s just me.”

 That’s right…it was just Inosuke here. Just him. And how could he say no if he was asking him like that? If Inosuke asked him to lay down on the train tracks in that voice he would have done it for him. So, he did what his partner asked, unclenching his jaw and letting his moans and little whimpers out, clenching the pillows on either side of him.

Before he knew it, he was coming, and coming very hard, harder than he ever remembered doing. Then again, that was the first time he had ever come imagining someone else, someone he had strong feelings for. It was quite the experience, and for several moments, he saw white and couldn’t get his breathing under control.

When he could see the room around him again, he was sorely disappointed that it wasn’t the object of his fantasy looking up at him, dazed but satisfied, but instead his customer, who was looking far too pleased with himself.

Tanjiro had been almost too dizzy to reciprocate, but managed to do so. Now he was walking into the bathroom with a bad taste in his mouth. At the last minute he remembered he had to wash up between customers, that if he didn’t he would be fined. Well, he figured he would make this quick so that he could go back out into the parlor.

And of course the person already in the bathroom ahead of him was the object of the fantasy he was just having. And naturally he was completely naked and getting ready to wash up himself.

Tanjiro froze for a second in the doorway, having no idea what he should do. Should he leave and come back in a bit, wait for him to finish? Should he just stay there? Well, it would be silly to leave when there was plenty of space for them both to use in here. However, would he be able to make it through a shower without getting another erection, considering what he had just been imagining Inosuke doing to him?

Well, it didn’t matter what was going through his head, because Inosuke made his decision for him. He looked up when he saw the movement and heard the door open and shut, and when he realized who it was, he grinned hugely.

"There’s my Princess!” he greeted. “Just finish up with your first customer?”

“Uh, yeah…just coming to wash his germs off me,” Tanjiro explained uselessly.

Inosuke nodded in understanding, and said, “Come over here. You can wash my back while you wash your front, it’ll go faster that way. And time is money in this place.”

Oh God help him. Inosuke was trying to kill him wasn’t he? He was sure the statement was innocent enough, and in passing, he had seen the boys washing each other before, so he knew he didn’t mean anything strange by it. It was all in his head. Tanjiro smiled in agreement and then walked all the way in. He turned on the sink next to Inosuke, letting the water warm up, before grabbing one of the clean cloths next to him. He wet it, and then turned to Inosuke, who in then turned his back towards him.

Tanjiro’s breath caught. This just wasn’t fair. The boy had such a pretty back. It was smooth and pale like alabaster, skin that hadn’t seen the sun in quite a while. He decided it might look prettier with a faint flush, a sun-kissed glow. Still, washing him was an excuse to touch him, and he hoped that Inosuke didn’t feel his eyes burning into his back. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he began rubbing the cloth over his back. Soap lathered up on his skin, leaving foamy trails. He got his back and shoulders as best he could, trying to ignore how Inosuke’s warmth bled through the cloth. Even that was enough to get Tanjiro’s heart pounding.

His heart lodged itself into his throat when Inosuke reached between his legs and began scrubbing himself clean. Tanjiro’s face flushed hard, and he couldn’t help but follow the motion of his hand and how it methodically moved around his bits. Sure he was just washing himself, but he was touching himself right in front of Tanjiro this was insane.

However, that was when the boy noticed the small red welts around Insouke’s rear and what he could see of his thighs.

“What happened in there?” Tanjiro asked.

“A crop,” the other boy said nonchalantly. “The guy likes using one. Sometimes he gets a little too enthusiastic with it. Ugh, now it’s going to hurt for days.”

Tanjiro sighed. The sentence ‘If you don’t like it then why don’t you tell him so?’ was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it down. It was pointless, after all. Their comfort didn’t matter. As long as their customers weren’t causing them any serious bodily harm, then they couldn’t tell anyone that didn’t like something. And those marks probably looked worse than they were, no worse than getting spanked or slapped by one’s parents.

“What did your customer want you do to?” Inosuke wondered.

“Eh, he just stared between my legs for a bit and then when I told him I had never had a blowjob before, he volunteered to give me my first one,” Tanjiro explained.

“Ah, you got Marques then. Yeah, he’s a bit of an odd duck, but he’s harmless.” He stood up, and made a twirling motion with his finger, indicating that he wanted the other boy to turn around now.

Tanjiro did as he was asked, and he swore the entire time he heard the water running behind him his body went unbearably hot and numb. He could hear colors and taste sounds, his senses were on such high alert. When Inosuke finally touched his back with the cloth, Tanjiro nearly jumped out of his skin, and it had the other boy snorting in amusement.

“Easy, you silly goose,” Inosuke teased. “You’re as jumpy as a green colt.”

“Sorry!” Tanjiro yipped. “I’ll wash myself now.” He looked frantically around for one of the little green bars of soap the other boy had been using, but alas, he hadn’t bought any yet. Of course he hadn’t. He hung his head, and asked, “Inosuke, you wouldn’t happen to have one of those bars of soap that kills sperm, would you?”

Inosuke sighed. “Yeah, of course. But you’re going to have buy your own bar next time you go out.”

“Yes, yes I know.”

He laughed, and his breath tickled the back of his wet neck, making the red haired boy shiver. Inosuke patted his bare shoulder, and he had to stop himself from shrieking in surprise. The boy behind him said, “The soap stings a bit, but it’s supposed to, especially when you put it inside. But you don’t have to do that right now, so you should be okay.”

Methodically, Tanjiro began soaping himself up, trying very hard not to pay attention to the fact that the object of his affection was right there behind him and would most likely be able to see every motion he made as he touched himself. This was so stupid, why couldn’t he have bathed with literally anyone else? Then again, what a nice view he had, and part of him wondered deep down if Inosuke was enjoying his view as well.

Did he find Tanjiro’s body attractive at all?

Well, if anything, getting this type of focused attention from the other boy was more than just a little nice. Despite being so nervous, he wished this would never end, and he couldn’t help but arch into Inosuke’s ministrations the tiniest bit. He just hoped that he wouldn’t notice.

But of course he did, considering what they did for a living. After a while, one became very adept at picking up signs of interest, sexual or otherwise.

“Yeah? You like when I wash you?” Inosuke teased.

Tanjiro bit his lip, but said nothing, too scared to respond. He just kept washing himself vigorously, not even noticing the sting of the soap that he was warned about. He quickly placed it aside when he was done with it, back on the sink where Inosuke had gotten it from. But the other boy didn’t appear to be done washing him yet. He gave him a teasing scrub between his legs with the cloth, Inosuke leaning in close with his chin on his shoulder. He also gave him a light smack on the butt that echoed loudly in the bathroom, which made Tanjiro yip in surprise. His cheeks flamed red.

“You have a very cute butt,” Inosuke told him.

Completely taken aback, the red haired boy stammered, “Y-You think so? I’m glad you like it.”

Inosuke laughed and dropped the rag, before he held him tightly around the waist. Tanjiro stiffened up; the other boy’s cock was pressing right in the cleft of his behind. It wasn’t erect of course, but it was still hot and still felt so good there. He was so embarrassed at his reaction; he had to hold back a shiver and a moan. Even just that small touch, it was such a vast improvement over his customers touching him. He bit his lip so hard that it bled, and of course Inosuke did not miss his reaction.

“Your ass is nice and warm inside,” he pointed out, as if he was talking about the weather. He leaned in a bit closer, sighing right next to his ear. “Mmm…”

“In-Inosuke,” Tanjiro pleaded, though he wasn’t sure if it was a plea for him to stop or to keep going. Oh who was he kidding? If he could have he would have let the other boy bend him over and plow him within an inch of his life. But of course, beyond the fact that he was hurt, if they were caught in this compromising position, both of them would get in a lot of trouble. However, he just couldn’t muster up the willpower to make him stop.

Because he didn’t want him to.

Luckily, Inosuke halted his actions right there, but not before nuzzling Tanjiro on the cheek briefly like an overzealous cat, and saying, “Alright, we should get going. Don’t forget to rinse out with mouthwash. That stings too, but that’s also normal.”

And just like that, he disengaged from Tanjiro and grabbed for his mouthwash, acting completely normal. As if he didn’t just have his dick partway in Tanjiro’s ass. Good lord what was this kid? But the red haired boy sighed, feeling completely disoriented and bewildered.

When they were finished cleaning up and were dressed again, Inosuke followed him like a puppy back into the parlor. Tanjiro smiled at him, pleased that he was sticking so close to him. In fact, when they entered the room again, he wrapped his arms around the other boy and let Tanjiro lead them in, staying glued together like that even when they sat down on one of the plush couches. This led to Tanjiro sitting in Inosuke’s lap next to another customer, who looked at them and began laughing with amusement.

“Well what do we have here?” he asked.

“Just a prince and his princess,” Inosuke answered, pressed his cheek against Tanjiro’s back while he spoke to him. “Maybe you want to spend an hour with either one of us and we can make your fantasy come true.”

And just like that, they were off again, bouncing back and forth between customers, until the sun came up. By the end of the night, they were tallying up their final count, and no surprise, Giyuu was the winner with nine clients.

“But Tanjiro got five on his first night,” Inosuke pointed out.

“Not bad at all,” the other Flowers nodded in approval.

Poor Zenitsu looked like he was ready to drop by the time eight in the morning rolled around, the time when the brothel closed to customers. When everyone washed for the last time that night, he was the first to collapse into bed, half exhausted from crying and half from the fact that in between customers, he had gone to throw up no less than six times that night, almost once every hour, even when it he had nothing in his stomach. He just couldn’t move another inch.

Tanjiro laid down beside him, and before he could fully settle, the blond haired boy was curling up against him, wanting the warmth of his body. Not to be outdone, Inosuke laid down on his other side, the two of them essentially sandwiching him between them. Tanjiro held still while they settled, Zenitsu placing the top of his head under his chin and Inosuke burying his face between his shoulder blades. When he saw them, Giyuu rolled his eyes.

“Pathetic,” he sighed, even as he pulled the blanket up over the top of them. “You’re like the Pied Piper for tired whores. They congregate around you.”

“He’s warm,” Zenitsu offered.

“He smells good,” Inosuke explained.

Giyuu didn’t reply verbally. Instead, he just patted them all on the head, and then went and collapsed in his own spot on the bed, where he was followed by Sabito a moment later. Unable to help himself, perhaps feeling a little more vulnerable than usual, he scooted backwards until he and Inosuke were touching, and then wrapped his arms around Sabito once he got into bed. He thrust his head underneath his partner’s, wanting to hide from the world and vanish in the security of his scent. To his relief, Inosuke didn’t kick him away, and remained completely still. With the curtains all drawn, within a couple of minutes they all began snoring or breathing heavily as sleep took them one at a time.

None of them noticed that Rengoku hadn’t gotten into bed with them.

He stood at the doorway for a moment, making sure that no patrons followed them up. It happened occasionally, the men trying to sneak in bed with them. He made sure that all of the boys settled into bed okay, pleased with how peaceful they looked. Even Zenitsu, who normally stayed awake until Rengoku got into bed, not feeling safe enough to fall asleep unless he was there, was out cold. He could barely see the boy’s face as he hid it in Tanjiro’s chest. Not that he felt like he was being replaced or anything, but Zenitsu was so nervous as a person and hardly ever relaxed, so it was nice that he found someone else that calmed him down enough so that he could get rest that he very much needed.

Rengoku was about to join them in bed, until he saw Muzan’s intimidating figure walking down the hallway. His eyes practically glowed in the low light thanks to the morning sun peeking through some of the windows. It was very eerie, especially when it was combined with the serious expression on his face. It made Rengoku freeze in place in the doorway, like a deer staring down the barrel of a hunter’s gun. He knew that look all too well.

It was almost the same look his father gave him right before he went off on in a drunken rage and started beating him.

“Kyojuro,” he said evenly, pausing to touch his shoulder as he passed. “Before you go to bed, I want you to stop by my office briefly.”

He kept going, not staying long enough to explain what he wanted to speak to him about, and Rengoku knew better than to ask.

He had a good enough idea anyway.

With one last lingering look inside the room, wishing dearly that he could join his friends, he sighed and shut the door, hoping that no one woke up and tried to follow him into the office. Obediently, he followed Muzan in, keeping his eyes on the ground.

“Stand in front of my desk,” Muzan ordered.

Rengoku did so, keeping his hands clasped in front of him. The door to the office was shut, and he closed his eyes when he heard the sound of the lock click. His heart was pounding, and yet he felt numb and indifferent. What an odd combination, but he was used to it. He had had to learn to build up this defense mechanism starting at home. With the constant abuse to his body and mind, he had become very good at it.

He had also learned not to speak unless prompted by the other man. Rengoku remembered how he had begged and pleaded with Muzan the first time he punished him in here, and how it had made no difference. So now he just kept quiet.

“You really should know better by now, Kyojuro,” Muzan said slowly, circling around him before coming to stand behind him. “How many times have I told you not to try making payments on the behalf of others?”

“Several times, sir,” Rengoku replied automatically.

“Then why do you keep trying to pay parts of Zenitsu’s bill for him, or Giyuu’s? Part of the reason they’re in so much debt is because of all the poor choices they’ve made over the years. This is their punishment. How are they going to learn their lesson if you keep trying to help them? And furthermore, you don’t have the money to give. You’re just putting yourself even more into debt. We’ve been through this over and over, and every time I’ve reminded you of why it’s not a good idea to do this. Is it really worth it, do you think?”

The boy, his eyes still closed, said just loud enough for Muzan to hear, “To me it is.”

“But why? Do you like the pain?”

“No sir. But I love my friends as much as I do my own family. So if I can help them somehow, even if it’s at the cost of putting myself in harm’s way, I’ll do it.”

“Noble. But you can make your own choices, I suppose. Alright. You know the routine. Strip then.”

Rengoku swallowed hard, feeling nausea rising up in his throat. Every piece of clothing he removed made more chills appear on his skin, and not all of them were due to the coolness of the room. There was even a fire going in the room, but it just made him even more nervous. He was sure he’d never be able to hear or smell a fire again without remembering these moments.

He didn’t have to be told what the other man wanted. He got down on the floor on his hands and knees, and sat there, waiting for whatever Muzan wanted to do.

That’s right. Rengoku deserved this, Muzan decided. All of them did, all of his Flowers. Part of him hated that he was like this, that he felt the need to hurt them, but he couldn’t stop himself. It was too satisfying to hear them scream and see them squirm by his hand. It satisfied something deep inside him, something born in him back when he had been younger than them, back when he was first starting out in a brothel.

Back then, he had called himself Spider Lilly, and it was very much on purpose. People already said that he gave off an air of death because everyone he had ever loved had been killed or died, and he himself looked as pale as a corpse. But he was as beautiful as a porcelain doll, and some said he still was, so he was very popular. In fact, he often thought he was the most popular one at his brothel.

He had practically been pushed into prostitution by his abusive parents, thinking that he was so pretty, he might as well put his good looks to use. That had been when he was eight years old. And ever since then, he had been beaten down by person after person, whether it had been his parents, or the big men they passed him around to, and then after that the men and women that hurt him in whatever disgusting way they saw fit for their amusement. Many of the times they burned him, or whipped him, or inserted foreign objects into his tiny body. Sometimes they sat on his little face, nearly suffocating him, and enjoying feeling his struggling against their genitals.

Either way, that was when Muzan began associating sex with pain. So now, in order to get off, he liked hurting his vulnerable Flowers, who were all tied to him through money, and couldn’t leave him. It was partially that, and partially the fact that there was so much anger inside of him from what people had done to him that he now had a burning desire to take it out on…someone. And it just so happened that his Fleurs were very convenient. In reality, he didn’t care about Rengoku trying to pay off Zenitsu’s debt. What he did with his money was his business. But he didn’t want any of Zenitsu’s debt to be eased because that meant he would be free of him at some point. He didn’t want any of the Flowers to leave him for that reason. If they got out of debt, he would lose his punching bags, and that would be intolerable.

So in truth, he liked using any excuse he could think of to hurt them, even if the grounds he found that excuse on were unfounded.

That was why Rengoku was someone he picked on quite a bit, because he hated him the most. He was very kind and loving, wanting to protect everyone that he considered dear. Where was someone like that for Muzan when he had been young? Where had been his protector? His boys didn’t deserve one, that was for sure, if he didn’t get to have one. So, he would punish Rengoku just for existing, and for his kind heart.

Muzan searched around his office for a moment, knowing he had left it around there somewhere…ah, there it was, leftover from the doctor’s last visit when he had been examining his girls. He had snuck this out of his bag, figuring it wouldn’t be missed. Taking the speculum out of his drawer, he also soaked a cloth in alcohol and wiped it off. Then, walking over to Rengoku, he inserted into the other boy’s anus and began to crank it until it was wide enough. Rengoku gasped and flinched as his skin was stretched, clenching his fists.

“Oh shut up,” Muzan said, narrowing his eyes slightly. He gave the speculum an extra crank, and the boy flinched again. “You’ve had two cocks in you at once before, and you can manage three on a good day. You can’t tell me this hurts that bad. If you think it does hurt, how about I stick my cock in here as well? I’m sure you’d like that better.”

No, he wouldn’t. Muzan almost never used lube when he forced himself on his Flowers. So Rengoku gritted his teeth and tried to close up his throat to stop anymore sounds from escaping. He never knew what Muzan was going to put inside him; it changed every time. Sometimes it was ice, sometimes it was boiling water. Sometimes it really was just his cock with no lube. It really depended on how cruel he felt like being that day.

He didn’t dare to look over his shoulder at what his boss was doing. Instead, Rengoku listened very hard, trying to figure it out. The tension in the room was so thick he could taste it, and he couldn’t stop himself from trembling no matter how hard he tried. Whatever he was going to do to him, it was going to hurt horribly, and he just wanted to get it over with.

There was the sound of metal clinking on metal, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flame glowing. Oh heavens, had he held the poker for the fire over it? Rengoku lowered his head so that his forehead touched the carpet, shifting slightly and feeling the speculum pinch harshly when he did so. Even if he stood up and tried to get away, he would be forced back on his knees again most likely because of the device.

Muzan walked over slowly to him, enjoying the tension and the position his victim was in. He was so vulnerable. He could do anything to him and he wouldn’t be able to stop him. He was bound to him, and the fact that he and the others couldn’t escape was intoxicating for him. If Muzan had his way, they would stay with him forever.

“Don’t move,” he instructed Rengoku, holding the glowing poker up. “You can scream if you want, but make sure the others don’t hear you. Bite your hand.”

The blond boy did as he was asked, bracing himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears of fear forming in his eyes.

“Enough.” Muzan lifted the poker, lining it up to insert into the other boy. “You know crying isn’t going to help you. It never does.”

He shoved the poker inside, and the echo of screams as well as the smell of burnt flesh rose into the air.

Chapter Text

Trembling, barely able to stay on his feet, Rengoku made his way slowly back to his room, leaning on wall after wall, swallowing down tears and nausea as he did so. He limped heavily, struggling to put one foot in front of the other, and the pain was so horrible that his vision pulsed black around the edges.

Truthfully, Muzan hadn’t left the poker in for more than a second, but that second was enough, especially on his sensitive insides. Muzan loved punishing his Flowers, but he didn’t want to damage them too much. But even those little bits of pain he inflicted were always severe and it lasted for weeks. He certainly wasn’t going to be able to be fucked by any customers for quite a while.

At the moment, all he wanted was to go to bed and attempt to sleep so he could escape. Though he figured that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

Rengoku was also struck by a primal need that nearly bowled him over with its intensity. It was something he hadn’t experienced in quite a while; the need for touch and comfort. Normally, he was the one that comforted the others when they were hurt, and when Muzan hurt him, he usually just gritted his teeth and bore it silently. But perhaps this had happened once too often and he just couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted to be with someone, to just touch someone and know that he wasn’t alone. Because he was in so much pain, it triggered some kind of deep seated instinct that he needed to find another person, someone who was healthy and could protect his injured self. And right now, he knew all of his friends would do so.

So, his goal was to get back into bed. He couldn’t stop, he couldn’t rest, or he would never get there. Rengoku pushed and pushed himself, the agony in his lower belly radiating up into his chest and down to his thighs. He had to pause outside the doorway to his room before he could make his way in so he could double over and dry heave, thankful that it had been hours since he had last eaten, so nothing came up. Still, the spasms of his stomach were painful enough that his vision did black out for a moment, and he lost a couple seconds of time.

It was horrible straightening up. It took several minutes to convince himself that he could do it, had to. Sweat prickled on his brow, tickled along his lower back and appeared on his chest. God it was awful, but he was so close. Still unable to stand up all the way, he pushed the door open as quietly as he could, walked in, and then shut it behind him.

Rengoku had to stop himself from crying from sheer relief when he saw all of his friends peacefully asleep in bed, and what’s more, there was an empty space next to Zenitsu left for him. Of course there was. His friends cared for him so much.

He was breathing hard, and sweating so much he knew he was going to have to wash up again. But at the moment, he couldn’t care less; all he wanted to do was collapse and sleep. So, with the exhaustion of one who has run a hundred miles without rest, he pulled back his blankets and with a groan he slipped in next to Zenitsu.

Rengoku shivered for several minutes as his sweat cooled, even under his blankets, and his insides throbbed in time with his heartbeat. So, when he gathered his strength, he pulled himself closer to the other blond boy until his nose was buried in the nape of his neck. With every inhale, he took in more of Zenitsu’s scent, which was immensely familiar and comforting after spending years sleeping next to him.

Within five minutes of laying there, he felt his pulse begin to slow down and the panic began to leave his body. But the pain didn’t leave, and it stayed enough that he knew he wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep any time soon. Every position he tried to lay in was uncomfortable, and after a while he started to feel frustrated. All he wanted to do was get away from the pain for a while. If only he had something to ease the pain…

But there was no way he was going to be able to get back up again to look for something that might help, and everyone was dead asleep, so he couldn’t ask anyone. Not that he would anyway; it had been a long night, and wouldn’t be able to bring himself to wake anyone up.

Time wore on, the sunlight growing brighter as it peeked through the curtains. Rengoku must have dozed off and on, because he swore he heard himself snoring a couple times, or it might have been one of the others. He almost might have entered brief dreams before he was knocked awake by a burst of pain. At some point, he heard someone stir near the other end of the bed, and opening his aching eyes, he saw that it was Giyuu. Ah, of course. Giyuu was often up either right before or right after Rengoku. Was it that late already?

A shiver of agony ran through his body. Of course the pain hadn’t lessened at all, since he had gotten almost no sleep. Just seeing someone else triggered that desire for comfort, and Rengoku was too exhausted and sick to fight it. Besides, he knew out of all the others, Giyuu would understand the most and wouldn’t tell anyone else if he didn’t ask. So, hoarsely, he called the other man’s name softly.

Giyuu’s head turned sharply in his direction, startled. When he processed who was speaking, as well as the pained look on his friend’s face, he padded over to Rengoku’s side and crouched down next to the bed.

“What happened?” he whispered, trying to stay as quiet as possible so they didn’t wake anyone else up.

“Muzan,” Rengoku replied. His voice was hoarse from his screaming before, so even if he wanted to, he couldn’t raise it much above a whisper. “A hot poker…inside. He was in one of his moods. I haven’t been able to sleep all day. It hurts...”

Giyuu sighed heavily. He knew the feeling, and hearing his normally very strong, self-sacrificing friend admitting that something hurt in that weak voice made his chest ache. So, he suggested, “I think we have some bourbon left over downstairs. It should be strong, and it’ll make you sleepy.”

But Rengoku shook his head quickly. “No…I threw up outside the door before. I feel like if I drink it’ll just make me sick.”

The other boy chewed on his bottom lip in thought, looking like he was debating with himself over something. It looked like out of a ten, Rengoku’s pain was at a thousand, and Giyuu knew exactly what that was like. There was sweat on his forehead and looked like he was on the verge of throwing up again. The only thing worse than pain this severe was being unable to escape from it.

Eventually, Giyuu brushed Rengoku’s hair out of his face, using his sleeve to dab at his temples, and said, “Wait here. I’ve got something that should help.”

With one last stroke of his hair, Rengoku watched as he got up and left his side. He listened to his quiet footfalls leave the room, and he took several deep breaths to try and stave off the pain. It was a couple minutes before Giyuu came back, this time carrying a long, odd pipe that Rengoku had never seen before. There was smoke curling out of the end of it, and the smell of it was peculiar. It wasn’t tobacco; that smell Rengoku knew well.

“What is that?” he asked as Giyuu knelt down next to him again.

“Something that’ll help the pain go away,” the dark haired man said vaguely. “Trust me, I use it quite a bit. It’ll do the job. Just take two or three puffs.”

Rengoku eyed him with suspicion. But at the same time, he supposed that if Giyuu was telling him it would help, then he would trust him. Besides, he was in enough pain and desperate enough for sleep that he no longer cared what he was given, as long as it would help. So, he did as Giyuu said, and when the other man held the pipe to his lips, he took a drag. He coughed as the smoke tickled his lungs, but went back, determined to help himself. He took another couple of drags, confused when nothing happened.

“Hold the smoke in your lungs for a beat or so,” Giyuu suggested.

Rengoku nodded and did what he was told. This time, a peculiar but wonderful feeling began to wash over him like rain. Slowly, relief from the pain began to trickle in, and he started to feel weak and sleepy from it. Once whatever it was that was in that pipe kicked in, that was it. He was a little uneasy at just how fast it worked, and how dizzy he felt, he found that the sense of euphoria outweighed all the negative sensations, including his own worry.

Watching him exhale the lungful of smoke, Giyuu observed as Rengoku relaxed gradually. It didn’t take long before he finally fell asleep before he even got the chance to thank him. Poor thing, though at least he seemed a lot more at ease. That was all that mattered. He would tell the others when they got up not to wake Rengoku if he was still asleep when it was time for them to start work. If Muzan didn’t like it, then he could get mad at him.

He was the reason one of his Flowers was in so much pain that he had to give him some of his secret stash of opium in order to ease him enough so that he could sleep.

Dabbing at his forehead one last time, Giyuu got up from his place on the floor and decided to head to one of the unused bathrooms, figuring there was nothing else he could do for his friend at the moment.

Besides, he already had the opium out. He might as well take advantage of that fact.

But of course, he couldn’t hide for long. Not from Sabito anyway.

It was still only late afternoon when he woke up; normally he and the others woke up just a couple of hours before it was time for them to start getting ready for work. But it was as if he noticed his partner’s absence in the bed and it roused him enough to make him open his eyes. When he realized that he was in fact missing from the bed, he got a sinking feeling in his stomach. Normally when they would go down to breakfast, or in their case dinner, Giyuu waited for him to get up too. If he didn’t well…

He knew exactly where he could find him.

Sure enough, upon slowly getting up and making his way down to the seldom used bathroom near the end of the hallway, he smelled that odd smoke, and he shook his head sadly. Looking to make sure no one was coming, he let himself in the bathroom.

“Come on, Giyuu, I thought you were done with this shit,” he said with disappointment.

Giyuu was holding his opium pipe to his lips, in the process of taking another drag. He was lying on the cool bathroom floor, a couple of towels between himself and the tile. There was a tray on the floor next to him that held both an ashtray and the actual opium powder that he was filling his pipe with. It was evident he had been at this for quite a while already today, not only because the level of the powder was pretty low, but also Giyuu had that distant, glazed look in his eyes that he usually got when he smoked. He described it as a euphoric high that made it so he barely registered any of the bad things in the world around him anymore and no longer cared about them. It was a big part of the reason why he was so apathetic; he often smoked before he worked, or whenever he found himself getting stressed.

Sabito found that he was getting stressed a lot lately.

His partner shrugged and put his pipe down. “Well…it makes the sex better.”

“Oh horseshit, more like it makes it so you’re barely there up here during the sex.” Sabito pointed at his own head.

“How’s that a problem?”

“Because it means you’re hardly here during the rest of your life too! You hardly eat, you always look like you want to sleep. You’ve fainted sometimes in random places in the brothel and then no one can find you. Your depression and these crazy mood swings you get when you don’t smoke…it looks like it’s eating you from the inside out.” Sabito shook his head, clenching his hands into fists. “Do you not remember all the opium addicts we’d see on the streets when we were kids? How they would just waste away, and the street cleaners would throw their bodies out with the garbage on the garbage barge? Do you want to end up like that too? I know it’s hard to quit, but I’m not going to let you destroy yourself like this, do you hear me?”

Giyuu shook his head, tapping the pipe over the ashtray, before putting more of the powder in the main bowl of the pipe. It made Sabito’s stomach turn to see it, and he very much wanted to knock it out of his hands.

“You’d probably be better off without me,” he sighed. “You’ll find someone else. You need someone happier, someone with fewer problems. I mean…I just don’t see the point…I’m never getting out of debt, so I might as well. We hardly get to keep any of the fucking money we put ourselves in danger for, you put yourself in danger for. It all goes to that asshole who beats and rapes us just because he’s a pathetic sack of shit. I can’t stand any of it, it’s just not fair.”

“Giyuu, stop!” Sabito stopped himself from shouting at the last minute. He felt himself choking up and shaking with anger at the same time. “Please…don’t start this again. I can’t”-

He fell to his knees, not even registering the pain that jolted up from his knees. He sat there beside Giyuu, trying to get ahold of himself. After several deep, heavy inhales, Sabito finally looked up at him, his eyes bloodshot and his waterline wet with tears. He leaned forward and took Giyuu’s face in his hands, causing the other man to lower his pipe.

“You know what my greatest fear is?” Sabito said thickly, looking directly into his glassy eyes. “It’s not dying. It’s losing you. Throughout all my earliest memories, you’ve been there with me. When everything has changed around me, you’ve been the only constant thing in my life. There have been so many times where we’ve been cold and hungry and it’s been the dead of winter. I thought we’d die out there forgotten on the moors and in the streets, and it was only because you held me and kept me warm or assured me we’d get through it that I didn’t give up. Then we got hired here, and the only reason I’m able to make it through the days here is because you’re helping me like when we were kids. Even after that fucker split my face apart, you kept loving me, kept taking care of me. Even on days when I feel like a monster, you make me feel human. So don’t ever say you don’t deserve to live. I want you to live.”

He leaned in and kissed Giyuu hard. Giyuu remained frozen in his grip, not knowing how he should react. Sabito’s words had hit him hard, stunning him completely, as if he had been struck by a physical blow.

When he pulled back, Sabito didn’t let go of his face, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs. His tears finally spilled over as he said, “Please Giyuu…you have to stop taking this shit. I hate pulling this card, but just look at what it’s doing to me. So if you need inspiration to stop, just think of me. Think how much I need you here with me, and how no one else in the world can replace you for me.”

Still stunned, Giyuu just sat there, letting the other boy hold him. He had no idea what to say about that. Of course, they had had this conversation before, though this was the first time Sabito had become frustrated and upset enough to burst into tears. And through the numbness and euphoria of the opium, he felt terrible guilt. But of course, he was powerless against the pull of the drug. It didn’t matter how impassioned Sabito was, how much he wanted him to stop, he would always go back to the opium to help him through his pain. His body craved it as much as it craved air or water. And yes, he had tried to stop before, but it had been so painful that he had gone right back to it, and he knew there was no way he would have the courage to try and stop again.

So, knowing that he couldn’t promise anything, he put down his pipe and hugged him, letting him cry quietly into his shoulder.

They sat there like that in the bathroom for quite a while, trying to pull themselves together. Sabito was trying to stop crying and Giyuu was doing his best to sober up. But when they did, Giyuu put away his pipe and bag of opium, and they finally headed down to eat. They would both feel better once they ate something warm, they supposed.

When they both got to the dining room, the other Flowers were already there, all sitting at their table, a space left for the two of them. The sight was enough to make Giyuu feel warm. He was cared about, he was wanted. Sabito told him that all the time, but to see the proof from other people meant the world to him.

And when they got their food and sat down, they were greeted with hellos and a few nudges. Zenitsu was hardly touching his food while Inosuke was hunched over his and gulping it down like a starved animal. When Giyuu sat a little too close to his bowl, Inosuke pulled it away from him and closer to himself, as if he were worried he might steal it. Tanjiro patted his shoulder, assuring him that no one was going to take his food, it was all his.

But Rengoku was absent from the table.

Of course he was, Giyuu thought. He was glad no one tried to wake him. However, just a moment later, Tanjiro asked, “Giyuu-san? Is Rengoku-san okay? It’s unusual for him to still be asleep…”

Great. Naturally Tanjiro would be the one to notice something was up. He was going to have to be careful about how he worded this. So, he answered, “He will be. He’s um, a little under the weather at the moment, but he’ll be alright.”

“Under the weather? What do you mean?”

“You’ll have to ask him when he wakes up. He doesn’t want me to tell anyone. You know how proud he is.”

Tanjiro looked like there was more he wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut, instead going back to his food.

After that, they settled into more easy conversation, deciding to let the subject go for now. And of course it was always easier to talk when they had food in them versus when they were just sitting down to eat. Zenitsu was going off on a rant and the others were laughing with him at the moment, even Tanjiro was snorting at what he was saying.

“If I ever get out of debt I’m never setting foot in a brothel again,” he was ranting. “Knowing what the girls have to go through, hell no. I’m so sick of guys asking me if I like their cock and ‘do you like how I fill you up? You like my cock in your tight ass?”

“Aw, but you’d be great at making the girls feel beautiful even when they’re old,” Tanjiro reassured him. “Seriously, any girl would be lucky to have you.”

Zenitsu just sighed sadly, looking despondent as he sat there over his untouched plate. He looked so upset that it prompted Tanjiro to say something he never thought would come out of his mouth. “You know, I have a couple of sisters. One of them is just a year younger than us, her name is Nezuko.  Maybe, um, if I gave you my address, you could start writing her letters. Mom is pressuring her to get married, but she’s like me, you know? Waiting for her prince charming, won’t get married unless she’s in love with the person, so”-

“Really?” Zenitsu perked up immediately, something in his eyes sparking that made Tanjiro’s heart lighter. “You mean it? You’d let me write letters to your sister?”

“Y-Yeah,” Tanjiro stammered, taken aback by his enthusiasm. “I don’t see anything wrong with it. She’s stuck in that house with all of our younger siblings, so she doesn’t get out much. I know she’d love to make a friend.”

“Oh thank you Tanjiro!” he exclaimed, taking his hands in his. “I’d love to do that! You’re a blessing, truly you are! I’ll write her a letter as soon as we get done eating.”

“We have to get ready for work right after this, Romeo,” Inosuke teased.

“There’s some time before we have to do that!” Zenitsu insisted. “I’ll just hurry up here!”

And, to Tanjiro’s delight and surprise, the other boy began wolfing down his food, barely stopping to take a breath. It was cute, it really was, just how excited he was. He was happy he had made the suggestion now, because Zenitsu had gone from barely saying a word to being a bundle of energy. But truly, he had made the suggestion because the arrangement should benefit both of them. Nezuko in her letters to Tanjiro lately had seemed sadder and sadder, like she missed him so much and was getting lonelier in spite of how much company they had in their place. She really sounded like she needed a distraction, and hopefully a friendship with Zenitsu would do the trick.

But his friend was right. They had some time to kill before they got ready for work. So, after they finished eating, he had some time to think. And of course, whenever he had time to think, he always seemed to think about Inosuke.

They returned to their room after they ate together. Once they were in the room, his eyes drifted over to him, kneeling down by their bed, asking a now awake Rengoku how he was doing. Rengoku still looked groggy, but he was smiling up at the other boy, talking with him quietly. For a bit, Tanjiro just watched them, his heart full at how kind Inosuke was being. Normally he was so loud and brash, so to see him acting so soft and quiet, and caring besides. Of course he cared about his other friends, but it was nice to actually see it.

“Giyuu said you weren’t feeling well?” Tanjiro asked.

Rengoku’s eyes drifted up to him, and he could see that they were a bit glazed. “I’m only telling you this because I want you to be aware and I want you to be as careful as you can. It was Muzan. I won’t say exactly what happened, but…when he gets angry at you, or you slip up, he doesn’t let that go. He sees how close we Flowers all are, and I know that upsets him, so he tries to break us up. So whatever you do, just please be careful, you two. We all need to stick together through this, okay? No matter what.”

Muzan happened…the wheels in Tanjiro’s head started turning. Rengoku shifted a bit, and he could see him wince. Had it been when he shifted his hips? Oh it had been. Tanjiro knew that feeling and that look all too well. He had to resist covering his mouth with his hand in shock.

So it wasn’t just their clients that could be monsters.

He suddenly felt antsy, wanting to do something to help Rengoku, anything. He just looked so miserable, and it was awful to see, unnatural, since he was always normally so bright and energetic. But what…

Tanjiro was struck by an idea, remembering the small patch of color he had seen growing in the cracks of the cobblestone road outside of the brothel. Surely it would be alright if he left for just a moment? He ran to the window and saw that there was no one there.

So, he told them, “Wait right here,” before racing out of the room.

Inosuke and Rengoku looked at each other for a moment, wondering what he was on about. The listened as his footsteps disappeared down the hallway. Just a couple minutes later though, he was back, holding a few colorful blossoms in a vase full of water. He didn’t know what kinds of flowers they were, but they were bright red and yellow, nice cheery colors that made him smile.

He hoped they would make Rengoku smile too.

“These have been growing in the street for a few weeks…” he explained, kneeling down beside the bed and holding up the vase for his injured friend to see. “Whenever I felt really down as I was laying up here in pain, I’d look out my window and there they were. I figured now you need them. They smell really good…maybe we can get a couple of window boxes going here! It would go with our theme. But for now, um, here we go.”

Rengoku’s smile after his explanation was blinding, and despite the pain he was in, he lit right up. He leaned forward and smelled the blossoms, saying, “Thank you, Kamado-kun, you are too kind. This is a wonderful gift.” He leaned back a bit, and pointed to the window, saying, “Why don’t you open the window and put it on the sill so they can get some sun? And that way I’ll be able to look at them.”

“Sure!” Tanjiro said eagerly, getting up and doing as he was asked. It was such a nice day today too, so that when he opened the window, a soft breeze blew in, ruffling the white, sheer curtains. They billowed into the room, tickling Tanjiro’s skin as they brushed by him. The sills themselves were painted a light blue, slightly chipped, and the sun shone brightly through the green vase when she put it down. It created a long, shiny reflection on the floor that was quite pretty.

When he finished, he went back to the bed, sitting next to Inosuke, and asked Rengoku, “We’ll tell Muzan that you won’t be coming down to work tonight. You stay here and rest, okay? We’ll travel up here off and on all night to check on you. Anything you need?”

“Yeah, have Muzan call a doctor,” he said. “Maybe he can get me some painkillers and antiseptic or something. You know as well as I do how much these injuries hurt, and how easily they can get infected.”

“If he doesn’t do it, I will,” Inosuke promised, eyes narrowed. “And I won’t take no for an answer.”

“I know you won’t. Now why don’t you two get ready? I’m going to get some more rest.”

They both cast him a look, but his tone booked no room for argument. Automatically, Tanjiro yielded to his superior’s wishes, and bowed a bit before he left the room. Inosuke followed him out, making sure to shut the door behind them.

When they got in the hallway, Tanjiro stopped in the middle of it, causing Inosuke to almost bump into him. Before he could ask what the big idea was, he saw the other boy look up and down the hallway, and when he saw that they were alone, he began reaching inside of his robe. His face was illuminated by the window at the end of the hall, highlighting the blush that was forming on his face. Inosuke watched as he pulled a few small blue flowers from his inside robe pocket and held them up towards him.

“I found these outside too,” Tanjiro explained, unable to meet his eye. “They were also growing in the cobblestone. It’s amazing, you know? A pretty wild thing flourishing in the city like this. I don’t know, I guess they reminded me of you and I wanted you to have them. There’s another vase downstairs to put them in.”

Inosuke stood there for a moment or two, blinking. He was so stunned that at first he just stared at the flowers, not really processing what they were or what their significance was. Plus, he had never received flowers from well, anyone. Ever. He knew sometimes men gave flowers to women as a token of affection, but he had never heard of a man giving flowers to another man.

But the fact that the flowers were coming from Tanjiro made him feel that spark he remembered experiencing when he was with Jacques the other day. It was small and warm and foreign, but it put a sweet taste in his mouth. Like the scent of those flowers was sitting on his tongue. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but he liked it. He liked that Tanjiro had thought of him while looking at those flowers and was now giving him them to him.

“I um, I don’t understand,” Inosuke said, “Did you want to fuck, or something?”

“What!?” Tanjiro all but shrieked. “N-No! I mean…I-I just saw them and thought of you! I thought um, they might make you smile. Since you’ve done so much to make me smile since I’ve gotten here, and you’ve taught me so much. I just, I appreciate it, you know?”

Inosuke stared at him for another long beat, confused. So he was giving him something, but didn’t expect them to fuck afterwards? He didn’t understand the logic. But the concept made his insides flutter and he smiled, saying, “Thanks Princess. This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

Tanjiro snorted. “I’m sure your rich admirers have given you much better things than a few small flowers.”

Inosuke shrugged. “Eh, I’ve had customers give me diamond rings and necklaces and shit. But their reasons were always ‘I want you to wear this next time I come so I can fuck you while you wear it.’ No one has ever given me anything just because they thought of me and then wanted nothing in return. I’d call that a great gift.”

His smile nearly made the red haired boy seize up; it was so pretty and struck him with the force of a bullet. But what really made his knees weak was the fact that as he passed him, Inosuke kissed his cheek, before saying something about finding that vase for these flowers.

Once he was out of sight, it took everything in Tanjiro not to leap into the air and start shouting for joy. Maybe, in spite of everything against them, there was hope for them yet.

Chapter Text

When Tanjiro gave Inosuke his flowers, he realized something very important. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Tanjiro, it was just that he didn’t understand what a crush looked like. After years of living in a brothel and having been exposed to nothing else, he knew what sexual interest looked like, but as for genuine, innocent interest in another person, he was completely oblivious. He was as lost in that area as Tanjiro had been about sex when he first arrived. So in this case, the red haired boy would have to be the teacher and spell out for him what his intentions were.

However, it wouldn’t be without great danger.

Tanjiro, though he was a romantic that had been raised on fairytales on what love was supposed to look like and very much wanted to fall in love, was no fool. He knew the consequences that had been set in place in the Garden, and of course, they were very similar to the consequences of the real world. He was as forbidden to fall in love with another man here as he would be on the outside of the brothel’s walls, he knew that. And yet, as much as he tried to repress it, he found that he couldn’t ignore it.

Besides, how could falling in love with Inosuke be wrong when it made him feel so happy, and got him through his days at the Jardin du Péché? And as long as they were very careful and no one found out, he couldn’t see anything wrong with at least courting him to see if maybe, possibly, he felt some form of affection towards him as well?

During one morning, when everyone else was still asleep and they were all still in bed, surprisingly Tanjiro found himself lying awake and staring at the ceiling, too restless to fall back asleep and yet too comfy to get out of bed. It was very warm, after all, and comforting to hear everyone’s heavy breathing as they slept. It had become familiar to him. Home.

He glanced over to his right, seeing that for once Rengoku was in a dead sleep, knocked out on the painkillers the doctor had given him. He couldn’t see his face, but he could see his side rising and falling, his breathing easy. He was so relieved for him; it had been a day and a half before the doctor could work in time to see him, and he knew he had been suffering the entire time, unable to sleep or get comfortable. But after an exam, some ointment for burns and some medicine that would take off the edge of his pain, he was already doing worlds better.

Zenitsu was turned towards Rengoku, and was it just Tanjiro, or was the other boy putting some meat on his bones? Ever since he had written his first letter to Nezuko, he had been very different, happier, more apt to eat and more optimistic. Tanjiro couldn’t wait for him to get his first reply, almost as much as the blond haired boy couldn’t. Secretly, he hoped this would keep up, and inspire Zenitsu to put on more weight that he very much needed. If he had someone else who cared about him deeply and didn’t want to see him so sick, maybe he would be more willing to put in the effort.

Only time would tell.

Looking to his right, he could see that Giyuu was on his back, lips parted, his already messy hair splayed across his pillow in an unruly nest. Sabito was laying with his head on his chest, snoring loud enough that he was surprised he didn’t wake up his partner. Though he supposed Giyuu was very used to it, and Tanjiro was grateful for that; Giyuu was a horrible grump when he first woke up, especially if someone else was responsible for his awakening. Even so, Tanjiro thought to himself with amusement, Sabito’s snoring had nothing on Inosuke’s. That boy could make the shutters rattle. And yet he found it comforting for some odd reason, perhaps because he was used to it by now.

Tanjiro sighed longingly; they looked comfortable. Yes, Inosuke did cuddle up to him quite a bit, but it never felt as intimate as those two looked at the moment. How amazing would that be, to snuggle like that knowing that the person you were holding cared for you as much as you cared for them?

He glanced down at Inosuke, and to his surprise found that his eyes were no longer closed, but open and regarding him steadily. When their gazes met, Inosuke smiled teasingly, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Morning beautiful,” he said in a voice thick with sleep that hit Tanjiro like a punch in the stomach. It shouldn’t have been attractive to him, but it was.

Of course, the boy’s face turned as red as his hair, and it made Inosuke snort with amusement. He propped himself up on one elbow, settling his head against his palm. He looked down at Tanjiro, and the mid-afternoon light leaked through the window, lighting up the edges of his dark hair, fly-aways going all over the place. He looked like a hot mess, and yet to Tanjiro, he was the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen, all sleep rough and pretty pink lips that he wanted to lean up and kiss. He had to clench his fist against the urge.

Unaware of his dilemma, Inosuke scooted closer to him so that their bodies touched down their entire lengths. Tanjiro grew a bit pinker, and Inosuke smiled wider, saying, “I like doing things that make you blush like that. You’re so cute when you do, you know?”

“I am?” Tanjiro replied.

“Oh yeah. Definitely.” He looked a little unsure for a moment, before adding, “Hey, you don’t mind when I flirt with you, do you? Kyojuro says I can come on pretty strong. I know the customers don’t mind, but I’m getting paid to flirt with them. I don’t know…”

He trailed off, chewing on his bottom lip. Tanjiro tilted his head, wanting to know what he was going to say, but also almost afraid to hear it. Still, he couldn’t help but prompt, “You don’t know what?”

“Why I like seeing you blush so much. Or why I like telling you that you’re cute.”

Tanjiro pressed his lips together, trying to keep his screaming on the inside. It was a good thing Inosuke was cute because he was unbelievably dense. But he had to remind himself that it wasn’t his fault. Besides, it was for the best that Inosuke never figured it out. So, he kept his response vague, saying, “Well, it doesn’t bother me.”

That must have been the right thing to say, because Inosuke lit up like fireworks on Bastille Day. “Good! You deserve all the compliments.”

Tanjiro didn’t believe him, of course, but it was still nice to hear. He shifted a bit, trying to get more comfortable, and in doing so accidentally brushed his shin against Inosuke’s crotch. He gasped and quickly retreated, going stock still. Of course he not only had to brush against such a private area, but it figured he had to have morning wood too.

When he touched him, a lovely jolt when through Inosuke’s body. It was as if warm honey had begun oozing slowly through his veins, and his heart started pounding. He shivered, that tiny taste sparking a hunger in him he hadn’t known before, not since he had felt Tanjiro up in the shower, or given him those flowers, or…

…what was this boy doing to him?

“Sorry!” Tanjiro whispered, mortified. “I didn’t mean”-

“No it’s alright,” Inosuke assured him quickly. He then leaned in close and whispered in the boy’s ear, “I told you before, in the shower, that I liked how your ass felt around my dick. You know…you can touch me whenever and however you want. I don’t mind. I like- I like how it feels when you do it.”

Tanjiro’s pulse began pounding in his ears, and he wondered if the other boy could hear it. He didn’t back away from his face. Instead, he got a little closer, nuzzling his cheek and his neck. A second later, he felt lips on his neck, wet and warm, an opened mouthed kiss. Tanjiro convulsed in a full body shiver, and his eyes slipped closed. What was wrong with him, he shouldn’t be giving in like this, there were other people around, and granted they were asleep, but they were in close quarters, this had to stop-!

But Tanjiro was very weak to the pretty boy’s advances, and instead he found himself looping an arm around him, holding him in place. Inosuke very carefully, trying not to jostle the mattress, swung a leg over Tanjiro’s so that he was straddling one of his thighs. Gingerly, he started grinding his crotch against his thigh, searching for relief, and oh, that thigh was so warm and firm. And of course Tanjiro wasn’t about to stop him, for as hot as his body started to feel, Inosuke’s swelling groin was far hotter. His breathing grew heavier and he felt dizzy, unable to believe that this beautiful, sweet boy was choosing him to find release in, willingly doing so, saying that he liked how Tanjiro made him feel, he couldn’t believe this-

However, of course it couldn’t last. As he had observed before, there were others in the bed with them, and eventually their jostling was going to wake someone up. He was just happy it wasn’t Giyuu.

Instead, Sabito kicked Inosuke quite hard, grumbling, “Sit still, dammit. Go be horny somewhere else.”

The dark haired boy nearly fell on top of Tanjiro from the force, but stopped himself just in time. He was about to turn around and tell the other boy exactly where he could shove his suggestion, but Tanjiro cut him off with, “No, he’s right. That’s enough. We don’t want to wake anyone else up.”

Inosuke pouted, pushing out his bottom lip, and whining, “But Tanjirooo…”

“Another time,” he promised, and he couldn’t believe he was saying such a thing. They couldn’t do this…but for some reason, his heart just wasn’t listening to his head. But did it ever? This was dangerous, so dangerous.

Muzan had put certain rules in place that if any of them were caught engaging in an affair, sexual or emotional, not only would the person who reported it be granted a reward in the form of extra food or a day off, but the person who was in trouble would be subjected to severe punishment. What that was, he wasn’t sure, but he thought of Rengoku and the terrible pain he had been in for the past few days, and it frightened him.

He never thought he’d be stupid enough to risk his own safety for something like infatuation or attraction. And yet here he was, ready to do exactly that. That beaming smile Inosuke gave him in reply and the prospect of more pleasure from his hands was too much of a draw. Plus, his deepening affection for the other boy demanded they at least give this a shot. And they didn’t have anywhere else to explore their newfound interest in each other, so it would just have to be in the brothel.

Tanjiro sealed the deal with a kiss to the other boy’s cheek, and then pulled him down against his body. Inosuke allowed himself to be guided down next to him with a few grumbles, but settled against his side, putting his head in the crook of his shoulder.

“You’re the boss, Princess,” he said quietly, and then added teasingly, “for now.”

That sent a hot pulse down Tanjiro’s belly to settle in between his legs. This boy was going to kill him in the best way possible.

000

For Giyuu, there were some days that were worse than others, especially since he was trying so hard to do as Sabito asked and give up his opium. Though, as he suspected, it was nearly impossible. He felt nauseous and weak almost all the time, and something deep inside him cried out for that fix to make the pain go away. He tried a smaller dose of the opium, but that didn’t seem to be working like he thought it would.

But he hated the disappointed look on Sabito’s face when he entered a room and could tell he had been smoking.

He was so stressed, trembling and anxious almost constantly, so much so that it was affecting his work. It made him more irritable than usual, and not in a way that his customers found charming. The prospect of losing money just made him more worried. And when he felt that he just couldn’t take it anymore, he turned to one constant comfort in his life that never failed him: Sabito.

When things seemed to culminate, he found himself clinging to his lover even harder than usual, seeking out his embrace, asking for constant reassurance and apologizing, for what he didn’t know.

“I’m sorry I’m like this,” he’d tell him. “You’re far too good to me. I love you so much, I’m so sorry, please don’t leave me.”

And then Sabito would alleviate his fears by stroking his hair, kissing his forehead, and saying, “Course not. I told you, didn’t I? You’re stuck with me, Umi. Even if we get kicked out on the streets again, we’ll do that hand in hand, like always.”

He would feel reassured in that moment, and be so overcome with affection that many times, in spite of the risk they were taking, he would drag his boy off to the nearest closet and show him just how much he meant to him.

Like right now.

Perhaps he had been frustrated by his lack of sexual pleasure despite an average of seven clients a night. Perhaps he just wanted to lose himself in the love of his life and forget about how harsh the world was towards them. Either way, he couldn’t take it anymore, and the moment they had some time alone he was pulling Sabito into a broom closet, stripping off their clothes and begging the boy to ravage him, and since Sabito was so weak for his Umi’s pretty begging, he indulged him in whatever way he wanted.

And at the moment, Giyuu wanted to be fucked without restraint.

He had forgotten what it was liked to be full of another man and actually enjoy it, actually appreciate how his insides molded around every vein, every ridge of his partner’s cock. He just loved Sabito so much, felt so connected to him that even the act of slipping inside him made Giyuu moan. His boy was leaning against the wall of the tiny closet, sitting up with Giyuu in his lap, while Giyuu flexed around it, squeezing his cock as hard as he could. Sabito’s breath was driven out of him in a rush. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be inside of someone, and he almost came right there at just feeling Giyuu’s heart pounding against the thin skin of his length. It fluttered and pulsed so gently, like the tickle of a flower petal against his skin, but the fact he could feel it at all pushed a tiny groan out of him, and he could feel his stomach trembling with the urge to make his heart pound even harder.

Barely waiting for himself to adjust, Giyuu raised himself up and then sat back down again. He did it again, and again, adjusting his position, trying to find that special place inside him that make him see those stars he and Sabito had looked at when they were young and drift up to swim among them.

“Sabito,” he whined, “Sabito, Sabito,”-

 “Easy, sweetheart,” his lover soothed, running his fingers through his hair. “I know. I know you just want and don’t know what exactly. I’m the same way.”

“You,” Giyuu breathed easily. “I want you. Always you.”

Sabito cracked a smile, and repeated. “I’m the same way.”

All it took was another desperate whine and Sabito was thrusting up into him, holding his hips. He ran his thumbs over his hipbones, feeling them push against his thin skin and wishing that he had some more meat on his bones. He was becoming thinner and thinner the longer he stayed in this terrible place, and he was afraid he was going to wither away.

He ran his hands up his partner’s silky back, feeling his muscles work as he balanced himself on Sabito’s lap. His thighs were spread so prettily, showing him everything. It was so rare that they took off all their clothes anymore when they made love, so this was such a special treat, seeing all this pretty pale skin on display for him. Giyuu felt the same way about his partner; Sabito was so warm, all peaches and cream in his complexion, so warm, the spring to Giyuu’s winter. The dark haired man ran his hands up his chest, running his thumbs around his nipples, loving how pink and cute they were. Sabito arched into his touch, and Giyuu could feel him tightening underneath him; his back, his thighs, and even his expression. When he pinched them, Sabito squeezed his eyes shut, letting loose an odd, breathy moan through his nose.

“You’re so cute,” Giyuu laughed, reaching up to cup his face in his hands, “with how sensitive your nipples are. And when you moan like that…you mew like a kitten. It just makes me want to kiss you all over.”

“Nuh uh, you’re way cuter,” Sabito said petulantly. He pinched the other boy’s nose. “You’re the one who mewls like a kitten, especially when I hit your sweet spots.”

He shifted a bit, and thrusted up harder a couple times, pointedly hitting Giyuu’s prostate, by now an expert at finding it. And, as expected, Giyuu’s head fell back and he mewled as expected, pursing his lips in a way that made Sabito want to kiss them. So, he didn’t hold back, leaning up and capturing his lips. Giyuu leaned forward, taking Sabito’s face in his hands and kissing him deeply, messily, more tongue and teeth than anything. His partner’s hands drifted downward to grip at his perky rear. His fingers moved a little further so that he could feel where they were connected, could feel himself disappearing in and out of Giyuu’s body. Both of them moved strongly, desperately, chasing that relief, that sense of closeness and affection they only achieved when they were together.

Giyuu leaned back, unable to keep kissing him, and cried out. He was leaking so much, dripping onto Sabito’s waist, and drool was tracking down his chin. He was chanting his name, almost sobbing it. He just loved this boy so much he didn’t know what to do with himself. Sabito was in a similar state, gasping how much he loved Giyuu, feeling as if he was about to burst out of his skin. They were both climbing higher and higher towards those stars they saw on the moors, so close to bathing in them. The closet was full of their scents; the scent of sweat, musk, heat, and sex, scents normally so familiar to them during work, but so much sweeter because it was just the two of them. It was Sabito’s cute voice crying out in pleasure beneath him, not someone who just wanted him for his body. And it was Giyuu who the other boy was allowing him to pound into, his insides so very hot, pulsing and squeezing, flexing around his cock, gripping him on every stroke.

As they practically clawed at each other, holding on for dear life as they approached that precipice, they almost didn’t hear that tiny click and creak of the closet door being opened. Almost. But it was just sharp enough to cut through their pleasure and make them gasp.

Giyuu hopped off Sabito’s lap quickly, adrenaline flooding his body. Fear made him blind for a second so that he didn’t see who was in the doorway. He found their robes on the floor and pulled them up to cover themselves, though of course it was far too late. They huddled together against the back wall, finally looking up to see the shadow outlined in doorway.

They only got a brief glimpse of Tanjiro’s wide, shocked eyes before he screamed an apology and slammed the door shut.

Giyuu and Sabito stared after the door, hearing his footsteps racing away, their hearts pounding. It was very quiet for a moment, broken up only by the sounds of their heavy breathing.

It was Sabito who spoke first, finally saying, “Well, I suppose we should go find him and sort this out.”

“What’s there to sort out?” Giyuu snorted pessimistically. “He caught us with your cock in my ass.”

“Well then maybe we can convince him not to tell Muzan.”

“I don’t know…if I were given the option of a night off, or a couple of extra meals, well, that’s tempting stuff. Ugh, this is all my fault, I made us so careless. We’ve been getting away with this for so long that I just thought”-

“It’s not,” Sabito cut him off. “It takes two to have an affair, and I was right there with you, being careless. Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out.”

He hoped he sounded more confident than he was. He was suddenly so scared of being kicked out of the brothel he was dizzy. Muzan was loathe to get rid of any of his workers, but since Sabito wasn’t getting as many customers, there was a high chance he might be let go with little monetary loss to the brothel itself. He was okay with not working there anymore, but being separated from his friends, especially his lover, would be more than he could bear. He knew that pain would be far worse than the pain he had suffered when he got his scars. He had heard of stories of people dying of loneliness in the past and thought they were just nonsense, but in that moment, he felt there might be some weight to them. If he was separated from Giyuu, there was a good chance he wouldn’t survive for long on his own. He would most likely give up hope and stop trying to carry on at that point and…well, he just had to hope they could convince Tanjiro to keep his mouth shut. He hated to admit it, but if it came to it, he would threaten the boy to keep him quiet. He cared for Tanjiro quite a bit, but he cared for Giyuu even more, and that was all there was to it.

So, now dressed in their robes, hand in hand, they went to face the music.

They found Tanjiro in their room, thankfully alone, sitting on their bed. He looked like he was deep in thought as he sat on the mattress, staring out the window. Rengoku’s flowers were still sitting there, soaking up the late afternoon sunlight, still very beautiful. They were happy he had decided to put them in a vase and leave them in their room so they could all enjoy them.

When Tanjiro heard them come in, he jumped, eyes wide as he met theirs. He stood up, looking like he was ready to flee. Sabito supposed he couldn’t blame him; he probably thought they were indeed coming in here to threaten him into silence, which knocked that thought of doing so out the window. He was clearly far more afraid of them and what they might say than he was willing to rat them out.

Upon seeing that, some older brother desires that only seemed to rise up in him whenever Zenitsu, Inosuke and now Tanjiro were concerned, Sabito raised his hands and said, “It’s alright, Tanjiro. Just sit on the bed, okay? We want to talk.”

Still wide-eyed, Tanjiro sat down obediently without a word, keeping his eyes on them like he thought they might strike out at him at any moment. The expression broke both Giyuu and Sabito’s heart. Without thinking, Giyuu actually reached out and took Tanjiro’s hand. The boy flinched, but allowed him to do so, his hand being cradled in both of his. Once he did that, Tanjiro actually relaxed a bit. Looking from one to the other, they certainly didn’t look angry with him.

“So, we’re guessing you saw everything,” Giyuu stated bluntly.

“I’m sorry,” Tanjiro replied, bowing deeply to them. “I didn’t mean- I was just looking for a broom, I had no idea you guys were in there.”

They looked between them. He was apologizing? This was definitely something they didn’t expect. Even more surprising to them, he admitted, sounding ashamed of himself, “I um, I kind of figured you guys were in some kind of relationship anyway. Since the first day I got here.”

They paused. Then Sabito simply said, “Oh. Well…I guess we’re not as good at hiding it as we thought.”

“No, that’s not it! I’m just too nosy for my own good, I’m sorry.”

“Tanjiro, it’s okay,” Giyuu reassured him. Then, confused, he added, “Wait, so you knew this whole time and you never said anything to Muzan?”

The red haired boy looked horrified at the suggestion. “No! I would never- I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you guys! Really, I’m okay with our current food regiment, and I’m doing fine with the amount of days off we have. If you guys got hurt because I said something when you’ve been so kind to me, I could never live with myself. You’re both too important to me.”

“Impor”- Giyuu started, and then stopped, actually letting go of his hand. Important? To Tanjiro? To someone besides Sabito? He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Also, he wasn’t going to say anything? That was- well, he hadn’t expected that.

“You mean, it doesn’t bother you that we’re inverts?” Sabito asked.

The boy laughed a bit at that. “That would be a silly thing to bother me in a place like this. With the number of odd fetishes the men who come in here have, the last thing that seems strange to me is two men in a loving relationship that treat each other with respect. Besides…” His cheeks turned pink, and he looked down at the rumpled sheets underneath them, before he finally admitted, “It would be hypocritical of me to say, since it appears I have feelings for Inosuke.”

To his surprise, Giyuu just rolled his eyes and Sabito snickered, before saying, “Well I suppose it’s about time someone did. Though I’m not surprised, he’s such a crazy ass flirt.”

“The thing is though, it looks like he just wants sex with me,” Tanjiro added morosely. “I mean, I’m okay with that, I’ll take what I can get, but I want to be with him in the same way you guys are together.”

The older boys hummed and nodded sagely, before Giyuu said, “Sometimes it’s like that.”

“If there’s anything working here has taught us, it’s that guys think with their cocks,” Sabito added. “But that doesn’t mean Inosuke is the same. I can’t tell you how he’ll react, but if you feel that deeply for him, tell him how you feel about him.”

“Oh please, that kid is a complete invert,” Giyuu grumbled. “He only ever flirts with boys he finds cute. I’ve never seen him flirt with a woman before, not even ones that make a pass at him first. I promise Tanjiro, if you tell him you have feelings for him he won’t be offended. His reaction will probably be something like ‘Of course you do, I’m the great Inosuke’ or some shit.”

“Most likely. The point is, Tanjiro, if you do decide to pursue something with him, we won’t say anything. Even if it’s just for sex, as long as it feels good…we know the feeling. The only time we feel alive is when we’re with each other in that way.  So, we all have our own methods of escape and survival in this place. Any little piece of happiness you can find, you have to grab it with two hands.”

Tanjiro sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. It was a lot to process, and he was still figuring out what he should believe. Seeing his turmoil, Sabito put a warm hand on the top of his head and ruffled his hair. Tanjiro looked up at him, his heart squeezing at the terribly kind expression on his face. It was just so understanding that it made him choke up. Giyuu was offering him a similar expression, nodding his encouragement, his deep blue eyes uncharacteristically warm, a tropical sea versus an icy lake like they tended to be. The comfort was nice; it was like they were the older siblings he never got to have. He was so used to guiding his siblings at home, but now that he was here, it was like he suddenly had three big brothers to help him now with his problems, and it took a huge burden off his shoulders.

The smile grew a bit more on Sabito’s face, and he removed his hand, saying, “Well, if you’re serious about your feelings for Inosuke and you want to court him…he likes sweets.”

“Sweets?” Tanjiro asked, tilting his head.

“Oh yeah. If it has glaze or powdered sugar or frosting on it, he’ll snap it right up. The way to that man’s heart is through his sweet tooth. Praise too, he has a thing for being told how amazing he is.”

Giyuu said flatly, “Evidently he also likes prostate massages and the burn of over stimulation.”

Tanjiro’s eyes nearly popped out of his head at hearing that, his face going up in flames. “What!?”

Giyuu just shrugged. “Before you leave here you’re going to learn about everyone’s sexual fetishes whether you want to or not. Comes with the territory. Sabito has sensitive nipples, for example.”

His partner pointed back at him and said back, “Giyuu likes being called pet names and me telling him how much I love him. I’ve made him come from that alone actually.”

“Okay, okay!” Tanjiro waved, hiding his face in one hand. “I think that’s enough for today.”

They laughed at him, pulling him for a hug. He hid his face in their chests, trying to cover up just how red his face had become. Sabito was snickering and telling him how cute he was and how he couldn’t help but tease him.

“You’re lucky,” Sabito told him, still hugging his head against his chest. “Not a lot of people find the love of their lives, especially not in a brothel. No matter what happens, we have to stick together, yeah? We’re here for you.”

And Tanjiro believed them wholeheartedly.

Chapter Text

Tanjiro must have slept in late that morning, because the next thing he knew after he had fallen asleep, he was being awoken by a sing-song bugle call of his name, followed quickly by someone leaping on top of him where he lay in the bed. He snapped awake with an, “Oof!” only to look and see that it had been Zenitsu who had made the flying leap on top of him. And now he was hopping around the bed like one of his siblings who knew it was their birthday and was trying to wake him up so they could start celebrating already.

“Tanjiro!” the excited boy kept repeating, “Tanjiro, Tanjiro guess what? Guess what?”

“Mmm, what?” Tanjiro groaned, rubbing at one of his eyes. “What hap”-

“The mail came and Nezuko wrote me back!” Zenitsu exclaimed, not even waiting for him to finish speaking. He practically shoved his letter in the other boy’s face.

Tanjiro blinked a few times, clearing the last of the sleep from his eyes, and when he focused he saw that yes, that was his sister’s writing on the letter in front of him. But before he could see what she wrote, Zenitsu pulled it away, grinning gleefully and all but squealing like a happy teenage girl, wiggling all over. The red haired boy snorted with amusement.

“Well, what did she say?” he asked, sitting up.

Zenitsu, still on top of him and weighing him down, handed the letter to him again, saying, “Read it, read it. If I read it again I might combust.”

Tanjiro smiled hugely, taking the letter from him, and read aloud, “Dear Zenitsu, thank you for writing me! It was nice of Tanjiro to suggest that you do so. I know he gets worried about me, and I wish he wouldn’t. I’m a big girl now, I can take care of myself,’ Yeah yeah Nezuko, well your brother still worries about you, especially since I’m not there anymore. ‘But I definitely won’t turn down the opportunity to make a new friend, and my siblings are great but it’s nice to talk to someone my own age. I’m doing as well as can be expected and I’m glad to hear that Tanjiro is settling in well to work there too. It’s not dangerous in the factory there, is it? I hope you both be careful, please keep a watch over each other.’ Oh Nezuko…”

That was the running lie that most of the male prostitutes gave their families who didn’t want to disclose the nature of their actual work, which was pretty much all of them. Well, the ones that had families to write back to, which truthfully were just him and Rengoku, but in hanging around them, Zenitsu knew about the lie. And since Tanjiro was telling her that they were working in a factory, he figured it would be wise to keep up the lie.

Tanjiro continued, “I suppose for fun, I do like sewing clothes. For me, it’s not just menial work, I enjoy making clothes so much that someday I might want to open my own shop so that I can give people all over town pretty clothes to wear. I wonder if I’d be able to sell Eastern fashions to people too? I’ve had many French women say they love my clothes and they’d pay me to sew a kimono for them.

  ‘How lovely though, that you love flowers so much! You certainly sound like you know your plants. Maybe someday you could open your own flower shop. You’d be very popular here, I see so many women and girls that like wearing flower bonnets. And of course, there’s always men who need to apologize to their wives. If you ever decide to open that shop, I’d be happy to visit! I love flowers of all kinds, and maybe you could teach me how to garden a bit. I’m not as good at it as I’d like to be.

 ‘I like to read books too, from all over the world! Fairytales are some of my favorites because no matter what country they come from, they resonate and they teach you so much about the culture of the land they were written in. What kind of books do you like to read, that is, if you liked to read?”

 “Ah, so it’s genetic,” Zenitsu snickered. Tanjiro nudged him with his knee.

“Shush, you,” he replied, not unkindly. “Oh wow, I’ve heard Paris is very romantic, I also would like to go there someday. Maybe to Italy too, it’s so beautiful too. Either way, I’d like to travel, it sounds fun. Maybe we could go together? It would definitely be better if we didn’t go alone.

  ‘Tell me more about yourself, Zenitsu. My family and I like to play twenty questions, to find out more about people, so I’ll start. Do you prefer art or science? If money weren’t an issue, where would you like to live and why? And since you like flowers, what is your favorite flower?

  ‘I can’t wait to hear from you! Nezuko.”

 Tanjiro looked up at him, putting the letter down, the smile on his face still huge. “That was so cute. I can tell you made her day.”

“You think?” Zenitsu asked, taking the letter back from him.

“I know. It’s easy to see you made her happy. I can practically see her smiling as she wrote this.”

Pink dusted Zenitsu’s cheeks, and he hugged the letter to his chest, barely resisting squealing his joy. Tanjiro snorted and reached up to ruffle his hair, telling him, “Well, go ahead and write her back! Don’t keep her waiting!”

His feet barely touching the ground, the blond boy hopped off the bed and zoomed over to their desk in the room, rooting around for some paper like a man possessed. Tanjiro watched him fondly. It was so nice to see him so excited about something, to not be focused on whether or not people liked him.

Zenitsu worried him very much because he often talked about how useless he was to him after they were done working or eating. He spoke about how he had never done anyone any good during his life and he was just a burden. He sounded so hopeless that it broke the boy’s heart. So he hoped that a friendship with Nezuko, one of the sweetest people he knew, would lift his spirits. Not only that, and even though his older brother instincts screamed in protest, perhaps if a girl gave Zenitsu attention and maybe even developed more than friendly feelings for him, it would prove that he wasn’t worthless, that he had a reason to wake up and keep going every morning. Because no matter how many times Tanjiro or the other boys told Zenitsu that they cared about him and were worried about him, he didn’t seem to believe them and kept on starving himself. Poor thing…he had to be suffering the worst out of all of them. Every day of work had to be Hell for him because he was being assaulted constantly by people he wasn’t attracted to. And yet, he changed everything about himself in order to attract them; he made himself skinnier, dyed his hair in hopes that the men would prefer him if he was blond instead of dark-haired, and made himself as submissive as possible. So, if he could form a relationship with a girl…

Well, he was already doing much better, and Tanjiro was happy he had suggested it. If anyone could convince him that he was worth more than what men could do to him once they got him out of his clothes, it would be his sweet, empathetic sister. He didn’t think she could cure him, not by a long shot, but when one was in pain, it was easier to go through that pain with someone who cared deeply about you. And if day came, which he was sure it would, where Zenitsu wanted to meet Nezuko, he would be more than happy to take him home with him during his next trip.

And then that got him thinking…what would his family think of Inosuke if he brought him home?

Tanjiro sighed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Of course, he could never tell his family how he really felt about Inosuke. He didn’t think his mother would reject him, but she wouldn’t understand. He wouldn’t want to bring that sort of shame on his family either. But at least she could bring him home and introduce him as his friend if he wanted. He was sure if those were the circumstances, they would like him. His siblings would probably consider him an extra older sibling, and his mother would love to have someone else to help around the house. Oh and heavens, his mother would take one look at how thin he was and immediately set about making the biggest meal she had ever made in her life in an effort to fatten him up all at once. They would have to roll him out the door in order to get him out of there. And with how much he guarded food and tried to hoard it whenever meals were served, Tanjiro felt like that was exactly what he needed, to eat and eat until he couldn’t anymore.

Someday, he told himself. Someday they would get out of there and Tanjiro would take Inosuke home so he could get the love and attention he so clearly never got before. Inosuke would finally have a family, and Tanjiro certainly have more than enough siblings for him to share.

The minute the red haired boy stood up to change out of his pajamas though, he was bowled over back into bed by said boy he had just been thinking about. The air was pushed out of him as Inosuke wrapped all of his limbs around him, nuzzling his nose into his neck. Butterflies erupted in Tanjiro’s stomach, and he wrapped his arms around him as well.

“Heavens Inosuke, what’s the occasion?” he wondered. “It hasn’t been that long since we saw each other. I heard you snoring in my ear all night, so it’s not like you weren’t attached to me throughout the night either.”

“Oh Princess,” he lamented, “it was horrible eating breakfast without you. I was making fun of Giyuu the whole time and no one was there to laugh at my jokes. You’re not allowed to miss meals or eat without me anymore, got it? I’ll sit there and wait for you to get up. I had to eat with those old men and gossiping girls and it was so dull.”

“Oh yes, so traumatic and horrible,” came the voice of Rengoku behind him as he entered the room as well.

“It was!” Inosuke insisted. He turned his head towards him and stuck out his tongue. “Tanjiro is the only reason I can make it through after day. He laughs at my jokes when none of you will, and he thinks my ugly gremlin face I make is cute.”

“Someone needs to,” Rengoku said as he passed by the bed. He flicked Inosuke on the ear, causing the boy to nip at his fingers.

Tanjiro pulled his head down back to his chest and kissed his forehead. “Be nice you little monster.”

Inosuke leaned forward and kissed his neck, adding a saucy little kitten lick as he did so and a subtle grind of his hips against Tanjiro’s. “What, are you going to spank me if I’m not? I wouldn’t mind you know.”

He took his hands and placed them on his behind. Tanjiro squeaked in response, freezing in place, all of his blood rushing down south. Inosuke laughed deep in his throat, a teasing chuckle, and he said in a low voice, “Do you think I have a cute butt too, Tanjiro? You know, I find yours so cute that I could probably spend hours eating you out. I’m sure you taste lovely.”

If it were possible, steam would have been coming out of Tanjiro’s ears like a tea kettle, and his mouth dried up in an instant. Inosuke cackled at his reaction, and then apologized, “I’m sorry, you know I love saying things like that to you. But you know…I’m not kidding.”

“I know you’re not, you beast,” Tanjiro huffed. He pursed his lips, looking Inosuke directly in the eye as he gave him a soft smack on the butt. The dark haired boy jumped in surprise, and then a satisfied expression slowly made its way onto his face. His cheeks were turning red, and Tanjiro had to admit, he liked that he was the cause of it. “But perhaps...I’ll be the one doing the eating, hmm?” He leaned in a little more, whispering in Inosuke’s ear, “I heard you like prostate massages…I bet I could give you one so nice you wouldn’t be able to do anything but shake and beg for more. I could eat you out while I gave you one of those massages.”

It was Inosuke’s turn to squeak now, and it was one of the cutest things Tanjiro had ever heard. Inosuke whined pitifully, his eyes huge and begging in that moment, dilated, clearly wanting Tanjiro to take the initiative and make good on his words, to drag him to a secluded spot and pin him down. But Tanjiro just patted his head and said, “Another time, it’s late now.”

With an overly dramatic groan, Inosuke rolled off him, declaring, “So cruel! This is worse than a Shakespearean tragedy! My Princess has wounded me beyond repair!”

“Sounds like someone has been spending too much time with Zenitsu,” Tanjiro said with a pat to the other boy’s thigh.

“I’ll say,” Rengoku commented. He was sitting in front of their vanity, brushing his wild mane, though he was never able to tame it fully. It did what it wanted. He sighed in frustration. “Inosuke, I envy you. Your hair is even longer than mine and yet you’re able to control it so easily. It’s so smooth and silky…mine is a permanent puffball.”

“If it helps, I think both of you have gorgeous hair,” Tanjiro told them, though he winked at Inosuke as he finally left the room to go and get some food.

Rengoku rolled his eyes. “You two are so gross.”

“You’re just jealous,” Inosuke sang from the bed.

Zenitsu ignored them both. He was totally lost in his own world in which he was already planning his and Nezuko’s wedding and what they would name their children, and yet at the same time trying to sound as normal as he could while writing his letter. It was not an easy task.

For a while, the room was quiet, Inosuke being preoccupied with staring at the ceiling and thinking about what he could do with Tanjiro to bring him the utmost pleasure and when. Did he want to fuck him, or did he want to be fucked by him? Both options were deliciously tempting. The only sounds were the scratching of Zenitsu’s pencil on paper and the sound of the brush running through Rengoku’s hair. Soon though, deciding it was too quiet, Rengoku began humming to himself, and then singing quietly.

“My harvest will come,

a tiny valorous straw

among the millions facing to the sun.

  I will pause before a man,

whose path has just begun,

Something unsung our way comes.”

The sound of Zenitsu’s pencil scratching stopped, and his ears pricked. He looked over in the older boy’s direction, listening, making sure he was hearing correctly, and said, “I don’t think I’ve heard you sing that song before. I can’t believe you know it…my friends and I used to sing it when we were out working in the fields.”

“My brother and I too,” Rengoku remarked. “My father would work in the fields occasionally and take us with him. That’s what Senjuro and I would sing to help pass the time.”

“You know, both of you have nice voices,” Inosuke said as he rolled over to lay on his stomach. “Maybe our customers would like to hear them too? Giyuu’s voice is pretty good too, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard Sabito sing. Or Tanjiro.”

“You can’t sing for shit,” Zenitsu said to him. “You’d have to keep your mouth shut.”

“Make me.”

Before the blond boy could make any moves to do so, Rengoku was there to calm them down, even if he had to threaten sitting on one while he tossed the other out and locked the door. He sighed heavily, grumbling half to himself, “I don’t need to have kids as long as I have you two around. You both are going to drive me to drink.”

000

That night, their dressing room was full of merriment that they couldn’t quite explain. They said it was because Rengoku was coming back to work after several days off, and though he still couldn’t perform fully, the point was he was coming back. Maybe it was because things seemed so much more depressing when their sunny friend wasn’t there with them in the parlor, encouraging them to do their best and lifting their spirits even after they came back from appointments with clients that did some of the most horrible things to them. After all, no one was as optimistic as their sunflower.

So now, he was getting them all going as they got dressed, singing that song about harvest, a pretty, jaunty tune. He went around hugging every single one of them as they sang, even encouraging them all to keep singing all the way into the parlor as a way to distract themselves from how unwilling they were to work yet another night in their gilded cage.

When they sat down, they sat down together in one of the largest couches of the parlor, managing to squeeze in thanks to Tanjiro setting Inosuke on his lap and Giyuu sitting on the arm of the couch. They swayed to the beat they clapped out, tapping their feet to it as well, singing like a band of merry drunks, their cheeks rosy with joy. Tanjiro and Inosuke indeed were horribly out of tune, but neither of them seemed to care; they were clearly having far too much fun, smiling from ear to ear while Tanjiro patted out the beat on his friend’s thighs. Zenitsu’s voice was clear and lovely as he leaned up against his protector, Sabito’s smooth and steady, even Giyuu was smiling the smallest bit as he sang quietly, his voice a pretty, sharp tenor. But of course the loudest and most passionate of all was Rengoku, his grin the largest and most joyous, singing along like he didn’t have a care, or that he wasn’t still in a fair amount of pain. All that mattered was cheering up his morose friends.

And judging by how enthusiastically they were belting out the song, it looked like he had been successful.

“Join the harvest of hundred fields

Hearty and tame

All going back to one single grain!”

  “Offer light to the coming day, inspire a child,

Water the fields, surrender to the earth…”

Even some of the girls who knew the song joined in, livening things up even more. But of course no matter how many voices joined the chorus, Rengoku remained the loudest and most enthusiastic. Unexpectedly to Tanjiro, who was listening to him for the first time, his voice was quite nice, very natural and full, like the opera singers the boy had heard singing on one of the gramophones one night in here. And even under the dim lights of the gas lamps, Rengoku seemed to glow like the sun, taking up more space somehow, a presence just like those Greek gods in the paintings surrounding them.

Evidently, Tanjiro wasn’t the only one who noticed this either.

When their song came to an end, they and everyone else in the parlor clapped for them, with a few calling out encore, or saying they should perform on the streets, no on stage, at Carnegie hall, in America. A few of their regular customers approached them, taking their hands and complimenting them, and pulling them away for further conversation, either into other parts of the parlor or in one of the back rooms.

Soon, Rengoku was left all alone, though he supposed he wasn’t surprised. Muzan had made a note next to his name on their registry that he wasn’t able to be penetrated tonight, so he was being offered at a reduced price. Well, if there was anything Tanjiro’s injury and his own experience in being Muzan’s toy had taught him, it was men didn’t like a whore they couldn’t dominate fully, not usually. Knowing this, he guessed he would just have to wait for men to come to him.

Sighing, he reached for the nearest glass of champagne and took a sip, figuring if he couldn’t attract that many customers tonight, at least he could get buzzed enough to take away the pain he felt in his lower body just from sitting there.

But, to his utter surprise he wasn’t by himself for long. Someone did in fact approach him that night, someone who plopped themselves heavily on the couch next to him, someone who spread themselves out so that they occupied most of the empty space next to him. Someone whom he expected to turn to and have them say, “Well what’s a pretty thing like you doing all by yourself?”

Yet that was not what he got at all.

When Rengoku turned to the man sitting next to him and plastered on Tournesol’s smile, his new couch-mate instead uttered, “I’ve been listening to these rotting old shit-bags blather on and on and on about either the state of the oil industry or how they’d like to put ‘that Indian girl’s legs on my shoulders and send her to heaven’ for the past hour and a half…and now all I want to do is see their blood paint the walls in the most flamboyant display imaginable because each and every one of them is positively revolting.”

Well…he sure said that didn’t he? Rengoku blinked at him, wondering if he was more buzzed than he thought, because had a patron just condoned their own in front of him? And spoken to him like they were just two men who had known each other for years at a bar rather than a client and a prostitute? Had he just spoken to him like they were…equals? Rengoku shook his head. There was no way. He had to have misheard him. So, getting his bearings, he said, “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met before. I feel like I would remember someone as handsome as you.”

And he wasn’t just saying that. This man, whoever he was, had a different air about him than the other patrons. He had to be close to Rengoku’s age, which wasn’t unusual; there were many young men as well as older men in here. What was unusual was the man’s silver hair, despite his young age, as well as the over the top, extravagant jewels that adorned an eyepatch that he wore. Most men would try to cover up their weaknesses, such as prematurely graying hair or a missing eye. But not this man. He wore his hair down and long, just past his shoulders, and it was like he was drawing attention to the fact he was missing an eye. Even if someone were to say something negative about his appearance, this man was not only extremely tall, even though he was sitting down, but he had muscles so huge that he wondered if he bench pressed tanks in his spare time. His biceps strained against the sleeves of his suit, which was the brightest shade of mauve Rengoku had ever seen. He didn’t even know such a color on a suit was possible, and not only that, but he was wearing four giant golden hoops on his ears, two on each ear in total. This was a man who was most definitely not trying to blend in, but was screaming to the world that he was there, he was odd, and if people didn’t like it, they could talk to his muscles.

The man reached over and gave him a hearty slap on the back that damn near slapped Rengoku’s soul out of his body, saying, “Tengen Uzui, art dealer and artist, appreciator of things that blow up. That’s the best kind of art, not that my critics seem to agree, the crusty old fucks. If their reviews didn’t help sell my paintings I’d coat them in guts and leave them in the pen with my Ren and Rin and let them all get acquainted.”

“Ren and Rin?”

“Spotted hyenas, imports from Africa.”

“…I see.”

Everything this man said felt like a punch to the face. Rengoku simply had no idea how to react or what to say. He cleared his throat, and said, “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Monsieur Uzui.”

The man waved his hands rapidly, face screwing up like he smelled something bad, “Oh please no, that mixture of Japanese and French is so odd. Besides, you have a bit of an accent, I can tell you aren’t purely French, yes? You speak Japanese too? Call me Tengen, or Uzui-san if you absolutely must, but I hear enough of the niceties and formality shit all day long. Feel free to talk to me like an old friend you’ve known for years and years.”

He flashed Rengoku a huge, blinding smile in which he even squeezed his eye shut and scrunched up his nose a bit like a child trying to be cute and…what the, was he having a heart attack? Was that why his heart suddenly hurt and felt like it was trying to bust through his ribcage? He took a deep swig of his champagne, trying to settle his nerves, and replied, “Well then it’s nice to meet you, Tengen-san.” He figured combining the two would be a good compromise. “You’re right though, I’m only half French. My mother was Japanese, so I know both. I was born here though, so my French is a bit better.”

“What a coincidence! It’s the same story here, though I was born in Japan, and my father is Japanese while my mother is French. Both of them are from wealthy families though, and both are in the art business. I only got into it after I got bored of being in a gang back at home.”

Bored of being in a gang? He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How did one just become bored of being in something like a gang? But it certainly explained his missing eye and huge muscles. He must have been a force to be reckoned with on the streets for sure.

“Well, anyway,” he said, “here I’ve been prattling on and I didn’t even have the decency to ask for your name.”

“Tournesol,” Rengoku answered.

The grin crossed Uzui’s face again, and once more, Rengoku’s heart fluttered. “How sweet, it suits you. But I have a feeling that’s not your real name, is it?”

“Hmm,” Rengoku hummed, grinning teasingly. He leaned in a little bit, bringing their faces close together. “Perhaps if you want to spend time with me in one of the back rooms I’ll tell you?”

Uzui snorted, giving him another slap on the back. “Well then, lead the way. I’ll bring some champagne.”

The blond young man got up first, limping a bit as he walked in front of Uzui as they walked out of the parlor and down the hall. Uzui narrowed his eyes as he noticed his odd walk, but said nothing. Once they walked through the door of the room Rengoku chose, he shut the door behind them and gingerly sat on the bed, seemingly thankful for the softer seat. Uzui followed him over, putting the glasses on the table next to them while he sat down next to him.

“Do you want me to get undressed, Tengen-san, or do you want to undress me?” Rengoku asked.

“Mmm, neither,” Uzui answered. “I’d really to get to know you first, if that’s alright with you.”

Taken aback, at first, the blond boy didn’t answer. He certainly kept getting stranger and stranger. Though, he supposed this wasn’t that odd, as many men sometimes just wanted to talk to him, though they wanted to get their money’s worth by him at least removing a little bit of clothing. But alright, if that’s what this man wanted, then he was okay with that. So, he just settled back against the pillows, making himself comfortable. Uzui handed him his champagne, and he took a sip, asking, “What did you want to know?”

“Your name, silly,” he repeated. “Your real one.”

“Oh, yes of course. Rengoku Kyojuro.”

“How strong sounding. I like it. So then tell me, Rengoku-kun, how did you come to be in a place like this?”

“How did you?”

“Ooh, saucy. Eh, I’ve always enjoyed dabbling in the brothel scene. You meet lots of interesting people in them, beautiful people from all over. I’m still exploring the brothels here in France. I’ve never been to this one though. I’m already thinking though that I’d like to come back. The patrons are awful, but the employees are positively charming, and that’s what I’m here for above all else.”

“Ah, so you’re enjoying your time here?”

“I definitely am now,” he replied, nodding towards him before taking a sip of his champagne.

Rengoku felt heat flooding his face. What was wrong with him tonight? Many clients had said the same exact thing to him before, so why was he reacting this way? Why couldn’t he offer him a suave reply and instead clammed up? He began playing with his hair with his free hand, trying to position it in such a way that he thought would flatter his face the most. He always thought he looked better with at least a little bit of hair sitting on his shoulders. Why was he stressing so much?

More champagne. He needed more goddamn champagne.

He almost downed the rest of the glass when Uzui once again asked how he had come to work at this brothel, and Rengoku told him of course that he needed to do so in order to provide for his little brother.

“But your price is reduced tonight, yes?” Uzui asked. “Does that have to do anything to do with why you’re limping?”

Well, Rengoku supposed his limp was rather obvious. He gave his standard excuse of, “Occupational hazard. Some patrons get a little too enthusiastic.”

“Hmph. You can be enthusiastic and still be gentle with your partners. What a selfish sack of shit.”

Rengoku couldn’t help himself; he snorted, and said, “That he was.”

They settled into easy conversation after that, the easiest Rengoku had experienced in years. He truly felt like he was just chatting with a friend he had known for years. Uzui just made him feel so comfortable, was able to get him to drop his defenses very willingly. They had a lot in common, so it was easy to do so. Beyond the fact that their family dynamics and experiences were similar, they had similar interests in the arts and music.

“That was part of what made me want to come over to you and say hello,” Uzui told him. “You have a very nice singing voice. I couldn’t help but watch you sing either…you just seemed so happy with your friends that it captured me. Your singing voice is as pretty as your smile, you know."

Oh no, that fluttering feeling was back, and Rengoku was out of champagne to drink. This was so stupid. So many men called him pretty before, so why was he so affected by this man’s compliments? No, he knew the reason, of course he did. Because he found this man attractive in return. Really attractive. Butterflies in his stomach, dizzy feeling in his head, dry mouth, hot and stupid attractive. “I’m privileged to be in your eccentric presence” attractive. His palms were so sweaty that he was happy his glass was empty by now, otherwise he might have dropped it.

Now, Rengoku had found patrons attractive before, plenty of times. But it was usually more of a shallow infatuation that went away either the next day or the minute the patron did or said something that he found particularly repulsive. And while he kept waiting for Uzui to do the same thing, it never happened. He was so respectful, not making any comments about Rengoku’s body at all and instead complimenting things about him that were far more benign, like his smile or his voice just now. He never even mentioned sex, and the only time he touched him was in what he would consider more appropriate places, like his shoulder or his knee. When he joked with him, he would grab his bicep or forearm firmly and shook it slightly, like Rengoku would do to his friends here. It was quite obvious that Uzui was flirting with him, but it never went beyond that, and for once, Rengoku found that he was genuinely enjoying it. It made him feel giddy rather than degraded, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like this.

Had he ever felt like this before actually?

“So Rengoku-san, if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?” the other man asked him.

“Twenty-two.” On his own, Rengoku scooted a bit closer to him. He could smell the cologne he had put on, and it made his insides melt and something stir in him hotly. “How about you, good sir?”

“Twenty-six. I’m a horribly old crone, as you can tell. The hair gives it away, I know.”

“Oh stop it,” Rengoku said, giving him a teasing slap to his forearm. “You’re gorgeous. It’s very striking on you.”

“You think so? You can touch it if you want.”

Well, how could he say no to that? Heart rising into his throat and pounding a mile a minute, he did as he was prompted, running his fingers through that silvery hair. It was so soft, like silk, and he wanted to keep touching it for hours. But, trying to act normal for one goddamn second, he pull his fingers back, repressing a giddy shiver. He laughed nervously and tucked his own hair behind his ears. Uzui watched him do so, and smiled very softly, asking, “Do you mind if I touch yours as well?”

“N-Not at all! You’re paying for me, you can do whatever you want”-

“I’m not paying for you, not in that way. I’m simply paying for our date.”

“D-Date?”

“Yes,” Uzui explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He leaned forward and gently carded his fingers through Rengoku’s hair. “Is that not what you do when you meet someone you’re attracted to and want to get to know them better? You take them out on a date, don’t you?”

“A whorehouse is not usually a place for those kinds of dates.” It was amazing that Rengoku was able to form that number of words in succession with this very handsome man’s fingers brushing through his hair. He couldn’t help but lean into his touch and sigh, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment or two as he lost himself. Oh this was stupid and so very dangerous. This man’s touch, especially in so innocent of a place, should not feel this good. Had he gone completely mad? He had had men with their cocks in his ass with his knees practically touching his shoulders while they rammed into him without mercy and not felt a thing except disgust, and yet Uzui was only touching his hair and it took everything in him not to melt into a puddle.

“I suppose I don’t care about what society considers appropriate or not,” Uzui said. “You don’t often come across someone that appeals to you more than anyone else so far in your life. So when you meet that person, you ask them on a date. The location doesn’t matter, as long as you both have a good time. And I know I’ve had a good time. Have…Have you?”

The way he asked that, as if he was genuinely nervous about what Rengoku was going to say nearly made the younger man melt all over again. So he had no problem replying with every ounce of sincerity, “I did. You’re very kind, and you’ve been a pleasure to talk to. You’re a very fascinating person, Tengen-san.”

Uzui sighed with relief, and he asked tentatively, “Fascinating enough to maybe make you want to see me again? For another date like this? Or whatever you want. I don’t mind. As long as I get to see you again.”

This was bad, very bad. He already got into enough trouble with Muzan on a regular basis. If his boss ever caught wind of an affair like this, he didn’t even want to think of what he’d do to him. And yet, his traitorous heart just wouldn’t listen to his head, and made him say, “I’d like that very much. I’m here every night. Just ask for me if you don’t see me in the parlor, I’ll come down to see you.”

Uzui took his fingers out of his hair and instead lifted one of his hands so that he could kiss the back of it, making Rengoku snort at how clichéd it was. But still oh so appreciated.

“Alright then,” he said. “I should probably get going-heavens we’ve been in here for almost four hours…”

“I mean…you can stay if you’d like,” Rengoku prompted. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Uzui paused, but when he saw how warm the other man’s expression was, he knew he meant it, that this wasn’t just a ploy to get him to spend more money on him. He really did want him to stay so he could keep talking to him. His heart pounded painfully in response, and the smile Rengoku was giving him made him feel completely hot and dumb all over. This was ridiculous. He had killed men before over territorial spats back home, lost an eye in one of them, without even flinching. Yet he couldn’t handle looking an attractive man in the eye for more than a few minutes at a time without fumbling over himself.

Then again, since he had seen those men torn apart in such gruesome ways before and gotten through those nights in one piece (mostly), he figured he could handle a night alone with the most beautiful man he had ever met.

“Alright, Rengoku-san,” Uzui gave in, ruffling his hair again. “I’m all yours for the night, until the sun comes up, if you wish.”

For once, it wasn’t Rengoku saying those words, and instead of bringing him great sorrow, they brought him so much joy he thought he might burst from it.

Chapter Text

To his utter delight, Uzui did stay until the sun came up, spending the entire night with Rengoku. He only left when eight o’ clock rolled around and Rengoku told him that unfortunately they were closing and that he’d have to go. Shockingly, the other man paid an entire night’s amount to Muzan right before he left even though they hadn’t done anything sexual. When he tried to object, Uzui just waved his hand and repeated, “I’m just paying for my date, like any other man would do for anyone else he took on a date.”

He was the last person to walk out the door that morning, Rengoku walking to it with him, stopping in the doorway like there was an invisible barrier there. He wished he could follow him out though; the sun felt nice on his face. He didn’t want him to go just yet, even now. But Uzui offered him another blinding smile, and promised, “You just sit tight. We’ll have even more fun the next time I come. Hopefully it’ll be in a couple of days. If you want, maybe we could go out to dinner?”

“That should be alright,” Rengoku agreed. “I haven’t been outside in a long time. But Muzan lets us go as long as we’re accompanied by either him or a man.”

A strange look crossed Uzui’s face, but only for a moment; was it pity? Disbelief? Then the smile returned, and Uzui leaned down to kiss his cheek, and say as he looked into his eyes, “Dinner it is then. You think about where you want to go, and I’ll take you there. Until then, I’ll be counting the minutes until I see you again.”

Rengoku snorted and rolled his eyes. He smacked him playfully on the arm, and said, “You’re so full of it. But alright, I’ll do that. Don’t blow anything up between here and home.”

“No promises. Explosions are so very beautiful! Not as beautiful as you though.”

“Oh my- get out of here you.”

Rengoku teasingly shoved him out the door, Uzui laughing and waving as he left. That was the last thing he saw as he finally shut the door, locking it up for the day.

The whole way back towards the bathrooms, during his shower and on his way to bed, he sang his song about harvest, a little swing in his step, the butterflies still in his stomach and his heart still fluttering. This was incredible. Even with Uzui not there anymore, he remained in his thoughts and he was more excited than he had ever been to see a client again.

But was he really just a client? Yes, of course he was. And yet, Rengoku had never had a client that paid him even though they hadn’t had sex in any matter, much less one that paid him for an entire night of that. He literally paid him just so that he could get to know him, and made him feel so at ease…

Oh who was he kidding? He would probably see him a couple more times and Uzui would lose interest. After all, he didn’t have much to offer beyond his looks or his body, and even then, he wasn’t the most attractive of the Flowers. Even if he dared to hope, where would their infatuation really go? It was too much to hope that it would lead to an actual relationship.

Ah, but he was thinking too much. Really, he should just allow himself to enjoy the wonderful evening he had had, the best night he could remember having with the most dazzling man he had ever seen.

So, he went right back to singing, even as he practically floated into the bedroom. He went to the window to pour a little more water into his vase. The flowers were looking a bit poorly by now, but he figured they still had a few more days left in them, and this water would help them last longer. His hips swayed slightly as he hummed to himself, a smile still on his face. This of course did not go unnoticed by Tanjiro, who was laying in his place in the bed, Zenitsu next to him. Inosuke was by now also dragging his feet into the room, hair wet and yawning. He laid down next to his friends, stretching across Tanjiro and Zenitsu’s laps.

“That’s quite the gigglemug,” Tanjiro pointed out. “Did something good happen to you tonight?”

“Mmm, maybe,” Rengoku said vaguely, though his smile didn’t disappear at all.

“Did it have anything to do with that guy with the eyepatch?” Inosuke smirked.

The older man froze. Did they suspect something? Something like he had a better time with his client than was appropriate? He put his now empty cup down on the windowsill next to the vase and shut the curtains, cutting off the early morning sunlight. He chose not to say anything, but his reddening cheeks gave him away.

“That’s a yes,” Inosuke commented, and he glanced up at Tanjiro, who snorted in response.

It was clear they were just teasing him, but it still made Rengoku’s heart thump dangerously. If they suspected something, there would be absolutely nothing stopping them from going to Muzan with their accusations. He knew he wouldn’t blame them if they did; a few extra meals and extra sleep, especially for the younger boys, who were still growing, might be well worth it for them.

“It’s…nothing,” Rengoku tried to tell them evasively.

Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu looked at each other, suddenly feeling tension thicken the air. Inosuke plopped into bed next to them, grasping the situation almost the moment they did. He knew why Rengoku was being evasive. They all had an idea, actually. And he hated it.

That was when Giyuu and Sabito walked into the room. They tried to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible, pretending that they hadn’t just been listening to the exchange outside the door. After all, they couldn’t add to the conversation without potentially giving themselves away.

The room was painfully quiet, and worst of all, Rengoku’s bright smile had disappeared. Tanjiro and Inosuke felt so guilty for wiping it away, but they were also too nervous to apologize since it was clear the older man didn’t want to talk to them.

However, the moment the tension became so thick they thought it would choke them all, Zenitsu broke it, groaning dramatically and, declaring, “Oh for fuck’s sake, can we all stop pretending that we all don’t have some kind of affair going on? It’s annoying as hell.”

Everyone visibly jumped, at both what he said and the fact that he was so loud. But no one replied, instead just staring at him incredulously. Rolling his eyes, the blond haired boy spelled it out for them. “ I like Tanjiro’s sister, Tanjiro and Inosuke have who knows what going on, Sabito is stupidly in love with Giyuu and now Rengoku is mooning over this client. It’s pretty obvious to anyone who looks at us, so why should we bother to hide it from each other?”

Giyuu blinked at him in surprise. “So you could”-

“Of course I could tell,” Zenitsu grumbled. “Your relationship is the best well known secret among the Flowers. We’ve just never admitted it out loud to each other. So we all know. And since we all know, how about we just agree right here and now that we won’t say anything to Muzan about it? I mean…I don’t want to see any one of you get hurt.”

There were a couple more beats of silence in the room, before Tanjiro sighed in relief, and laid his head on the other boy’s shoulder. “I promise. It would be nice to be more open with all of you. You guys are all as important to me as my family. You guys are part of my family now. So, I’m fine with no more secrets.”

Sabito puffed out his cheeks as he blew out a breath and sidled up to the two of them, placing his chin on top of Tanjiro’s head. “I like that idea too. No more secrets.”

It took a moment, but Rengoku gave in too, his shoulders slumping a bit as he relaxed and joined them on the bed, pulling them all into his arms as best he could and hugging them. They all did their best to hug him back, Zenitsu and Tanjiro getting smushed, wriggling a bit in the process. But Tanjiro hadn’t felt this comforted in a long time; all of them were so warm. Something he hadn’t even realized was so tight in his chest loosened and released, and he felt like he could breathe easier.

“I love you guys,” he found himself saying, voice thick with emotion. “I mean it.”

“Aw Princess,” Inosuke cooed, nuzzling his head under Tanjiro’s chin.

Rengoku squeezed them all a little harder. “Same here.”

The others remained silent; they didn’t need to say anything, after all. They understood, and everyone felt heavy with relief.

But of course, Zenitsu broke the silence, unable to help himself as he asked, “So now are you going to tell us about your man with the eyepatch and how you want to do some face-making with him?”

Rengoku let go of them all immediately and slapped the boy lightly on the chest, causing him to start laughing.

“Well do you or don’t you?” Sabito said, smirking knowingly.

“He’s only been here once,” Rengoku tried to defend.

“So? Tanjiro started getting all moony over Inosuke within a minute of seeing him, remember?” Giyuu pointed out.

Tanjiro blushed and he drew his shoulders up to his ears. Inosuke began cackling like a fiend and pulled him close by wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The red haired boy turned his face into his neck so that he could hide it, and Inosuke laid his head on top of the other boy’s.

After a bit more peer pressuring from his friends, Rengoku finally admitted with a reddened face, “Well, I suppose I wouldn’t mind him coming back and seeing me again.”

“Ohhh, I think there’s more to it than that.” Inosuke wiggled his eyebrows. “I heard him asking you out to dinner.”

“No,” Zenitsu gasped.

Sabito’s jaw dropped in an opened mouthed smile and he patted at Rengoku with both hands excitedly, squealing.

“And you agreed to go out with him,” Inosuke added.

Tanjiro gave a happy little shriek, and Giyuu nodded proudly at him. Zenitsu wanted to know, “Well!? When are you going?”

Rengoku tucked his hair behind his ears and looked anywhere but in their direction, mumbling, “He said in a couple of days.”

“Oh my God!” Zenitsu practically leapt into his lap, hugging him around the middle. “I’m so proud of you! Kyo has a date!”

“What’s his name?” Tanjiro clamored.

“Uzui Tengen.”

“Ahhhh, I thought he looked Japanese!” Inosuke exclaimed.

Rengoku said, “He’s more like me, half and half, you know? Half French, half Japanese.”

“And a hundred percent gorgeous,” Giyuu observed.

Laying on his back, head in Rengoku’s lap, Zenitsu asked, “Is he rich?”

“I mean, yes, but that’s not important to me. He’s really sweet, if a bit strange. And he respects me, and we have a lot in common…he was just so wonderful to talk to.”

He sighed a bit dreamily, and both Sabito and Tanjiro cooed, “Awww,” before dissolving into another little fit of shrieks, throwing their arms around him.

“We’re all so proud of you,” Tanjiro said, nuzzling his cheek. “He sounds wonderful.”

“Yeah, and you deserve someone nice,” Sabito added.

Rengoku just waved them off. “It’s probably just a mild infatuation. I mean, I like him…a lot, but who’s to say he won’t lose interest? He might not even show up for a second date. I don’t know, he’s so handsome, he could get anyone he wants, so why would he bother with a whore, you know?”

Surprisingly, the one who responded to that worry was Zenitsu. He groaned in annoyance, causing Rengoku to look down at him. The older man raised an eyebrow, so Zenitsu explained, “Are you kidding me, I worry about that too. Okay, I just started writing to Nezuko, but she’s so amazing and so sweet, that I can’t help but like her a lot so then my stupid brain starts wondering ‘what if we courted and got married?”

Tanjiro shook his head and blinked at him. “What if you courted and what?”

“If we ever got that close,” he continued, ignoring him, “I’d probably have to tell her about working here. What girl is going to want a man that’s been fucked by hundreds of men already? No woman is going to find that person respectable. There’s no way Tanjiro’s mom would let me marry her. She’d probably never trust me, and would never want to talk to me again. So trust me, I get it.”

Rengoku sighed heavily, and then reached down to brush Zenitsu’s bangs off his forehead. He looked up, scanning the faces of his friends, realizing that they were all in the same boat. It was easy to fantasize about being with the person they cared about inside the walls of the Garden of Sin. But the sad reality was that, outside, all of them had about the same chance of being with that person. As much as they liked to pretend that life outside would be better, when they sat and thought about it, that probably wouldn’t be the case. After all, hadn’t they all taken these jobs because the thought of hard labor, which was almost always a death sentence, was abhorrent and in here they were able to make more money? More money that they had to make immediately because they had families that they needed to help support?

Tanjiro hugged Rengoku tightly again, while Sabito leaned his temple against his. Inosuke moved forward a bit so that he could rub Tanjiro’s back, and Giyuu bowed his head. No one said anything, because they all understood. After all, they had spoken about these worries before back when they hinted at the fact that they might have feelings for someone.

Just another part of the reality that made up their sad existence.

Tanjiro shook the older man a bit, trying to snap them all out of the gloomy daze they had fallen into, saying brightly, “Hey, we don’t know what the future holds! We just have to take things one day at a time. Now,” he stared down at Zenitsu, smile still in place but expression still somehow quite threatening, “what’s this about you marrying my little sister after only sending her one letter?”

Zenitsu sat up so sharply he almost head-butted Inosuke, who was kneeling right in front of him. He sputtered, his face practically going up in flames as he fought to think of what to say. Why had he let that slip out? Eventually, he settled on twisting around and pointing at him, nearly poking Tanjiro in the nose as he half-screeched, “Well what about you and Inosuke? What’s this about you wanting to sit on the weird mountain man’s face and riding his tongue like it’s going to win the Kentucky Derby for you!?”

Tanjiro’s mouth hung open and he made a sound like a dying elephant while Insouke snorted and slapped the blond boy on the back, crowing, “Because he knows how amazing my tongue is! You wish you were so lucky!”

“Ew! Fuck off!”

Inosuke took that opportunity to grab him in a chokehold and give him a wet willy, Zenitsu shrieking and kicking the whole time, screaming for help. Almost in tandem, like a pair of parents that were just tired and sick of their kids fighting constantly, Giyuu grabbed the collar of Zenitsu’s night shirt while Rengoku grabbed Inosuke’s, pulling the two of them apart with flat expressions and holding them while they flailed and tried to get their hands on the other person again.

“That’s enough for tonight, you little shits,” Giyuu deadpanned. “It’s lights out time. We’ve stayed up long enough.”

“But”- Inosuke tried, but Rengoku cut him off.

“Don’t make me sleep between you two tonight. I know Tanjiro usually does, but he’s too nice to stop you guys from fighting. I’m not.”

The dark haired boy threw up his hands, grumbling, “Alright, Jesus, fine. Move it.”

He pushed him out of the way so he could practically throw himself onto his spot on the mattress. Tanjiro snorted and shook his head, scooting forward so that he could lay down behind him, patting his shoulder. They heard him say something like, “There, there,” sounding very much like a mother comforting her child who was throwing an unnecessary tantrum.

Seeing that the other boy was giving up, Zenitsu decided to follow suit and plop down beside Tanjiro.

The older boys quietly let out sighs of relief. Finally the kids were quiet, and now the adults could sleep.

000

During breakfast that day, Tanjiro had been practically squirming in his seat the entire time, looking between Inosuke and his food. That afternoon, once more he had woken up with the other boy’s thigh between his legs, and this time it had been very purposeful. Inosuke was awake and looking at him, a devilish grin on his face. Tanjiro glanced down at their compromising position, and then back up at him, too afraid to move, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist if Inosuke started pushing that thigh upwards. But once again, there were other people around, and they had already been told off once…

Inosuke had just smiled devilishly at him. “When I woke up we were like this already, but I figured you wouldn’t mind if I didn’t move.”

“You’re a monster,” Tanjiro pouted.

“You love it.”

“…I suppose it’s kind of hot.”

With a snort, Inosuke’s hands came up from under the blankets and he ruffled Tanjiro’s hair.

He had stirred something in Tanjiro’s blood that morning, something that kept the slight erection that the boy had woken up with that morning going strong with no signs of it going away. Tanjiro was blown away that even after a full night of sex he still woke up with morning wood, but he supposed he understood; none of the sex was very satisfying. On the contrary, it was frustrating and boring, and many nights if he had the energy he’d find himself pacing and full of pent up hormones, so he’d have to finish himself off with a quick hand job so that he could relax enough to go to sleep.

But as he gazed at Inosuke’s pretty face at the table, his eyes sparkling with the light streaming in from the window as he told some joke that he only half heard, maybe he wouldn’t have to do that tonight.

He kept telling him whenever things got too hot and heavy between them that they would continue, “Another time.” That was partially because they in fact didn’t have time to have sex right then, but also because he just wasn’t ready. Did he want have to sex with Inosuke? Definitely. But he always imagined that he’d have told him he had feelings for him first so that the sex would have meaning. After all, his mother always told him that only two people in love had sex. Tanjiro definitely was, but he wasn’t sure if Inosuke felt the same. He probably felt something since he was willing to be with him in that way, but what exactly?

Tanjiro was almost too afraid to ask.

He sighed heavily over his stew. Why was he such a coward? Why couldn’t he just tell Inosuke how deep his feelings for him ran and see if he felt the same?

Maybe he really was becoming a whore as much as anyone else in this place. It was easier to give someone his body than his heart, and perhaps Inosuke felt the same way. Or rather, when he thought about it, from what the other boy had told him, he had never really had anyone that loved him in that manner. He never had parents that cared about him, the church he had been dropped in front of had so many other charges to take care of that he never got any individualized attention, and now being in this brothel, he never entertained the thought of maintaining a relationship with someone. He knew the Flowers loved him, but it wasn’t the same as romantic love, love that was for him and only for him, deep and profound. So he probably had no idea not only what that was like, but also how to receive it.

It just made Tanjiro want to show him what it was like all the more.

Yet, at the same time, he couldn’t risk scaring Inosuke off. Since physical intimacy was what he was comfortable with, Tanjiro would give him that. Perhaps after that, emotional intimacy would follow, and he’d be able to win over his heart.

When breakfast was finished and they left the table, Tanjiro grabbed Inosuke’s hand without warning, pulled him down the hallway and around a corner he knew would be unoccupied. Thankfully, at the moment, it was, but he looked up and down the hall as well as around the opposite corner just in case. Seeing that they were alone, he turned to Inosuke, who was regarding him with a thoroughly confused expression.

“I don’t know what you did to me but…” Tanjiro tried to explain, and then trailed off, staring at his feet. How was he going to phrase this without sounding completely stupid? He was getting very good as Gypsophila at getting men into bed, but here in front of someone as pretty as Inosuke, as plain Tanjiro, he had no idea what to say. “Ever since we woke up I’ve been- I mean…ugh, why is this so hard to say?”

“Are you trying to tell me you want to fuck?” Inosuke asked.

Tanjiro raised his head so fast that his neck cricked. The other boy was smirking at him, upper lip curled back haughtily in a way that made Tanjiro’s heart race.

“Your tackle has been standing at attention ever since we got up and hasn’t gone down in the slightest. Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” he teased. He placed a finger under Tanjiro’s chin and stroked it with his thumb. “Are you ready for ‘another time’ to happen now then? Because I’ve been ready for ages, you little tease.”

Tanjiro’s face flushed and he stuck his tongue out at him. “Then why are we wasting time standing here?”

Inosuke laughed deep in his chest, and even that sent blood rushing from Tanjiro’s head down south. The dark haired boy pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly. Tanjiro’s breath was pushed out of him, and he swore his face only grew hotter when Inosuke turned his head and kissed his cheek.

“I like the way you think. How about we go in the basement? With the furnace and the pipes always making noise, it’ll do a good job of covering up any noise we make.”

Tanjiro backed out of the hug, bottom lip still pushed out in a pout, before he leaned forward and kissed Inosuke’s cheek as well. The pink blush that colored the dark haired boy’s face was well worth it, so pretty on his pale face.

With that, he allowed Inosuke to take him by the hand and lead the way.

Tanjiro hadn’t been in the basement too many times since he had been there. Truthfully, it scared him a little, looking like a place a murderer might stash his victims with its grey, dripping walls and tiny windows that barely let in any light. But, as he was led down the stairs after a quick stop to their room to pick up some oil, and into the creepy room, he had to admit, Inosuke was right; the furnace was humming and the water was rushing through the pipes above their heads quite noisily. He wondered if anyone else had ever come down here to fool around before since it seemed like such an ideal place.

Leading him in further to an area behind the furnace, Tanjiro noticed a worn down, dirty mattress that was clearly meant to be disposed of soon. It was gross with its stains and holes in it, but it was better than laying on the cement floor.

“It’s hot back here,” Tanjiro commented, wiping his brow.

“I figured we wouldn’t get cold back here, and plus it’s the loudest here,” Inosuke explained.

“…Right.”

Inosuke let go of his hand and methodically started removing his clothes. Taking that as his cue, Tanjiro did the same. It was amazing; no matter how many times he had seen the other boy naked, he was still blown away at just how lovely he was, all porcelain skin, lovely curves and such a pretty face to go with it. He wanted to lay him down in a proper bed and just worship his body for hours, but he figured at the moment Inosuke might not like that. It would probably make him too uncomfortable.

I have to go at his pace, Tanjiro reminded himself.

He also removed his clothes, trying to place them in one of the cleaner areas of the floor, before going to kneel on the mattress. Inosuke joined him as well, half jumping on and sending the mattress sliding an inch or two. Tanjiro snorted at his enthusiasm. The both sat on their feet, unwilling to put their bare behinds on the dirty cloth underneath them. Inosuke approached him behind, nuzzling under Tanjiro’s chin, placing little kisses on his neck. The red haired boy went stiff, his back going ramrod straight. Inosuke chuckled against his skin, nosing at it.

“Relax,” he said. “It’s just me. I won’t bite…unless you ask.”

“Well it’s just- I’ve wanted to do this with you for quite a while and I guess I can’t believe that it’s actually happening,” Tanjiro admitted.

“Yeah?” Inosuke ran his hands up and down his sides, his sensitive fingers taking in every angle curve of his partner’s body. His skin was so smooth, so soft and warm. It was already beginning to perspire a bit because of the heat from the furnace. “Glad I wasn’t the only one then. You’re one handsome cocktease, Princess.”

“You fantasized about me?” Tanjiro said, bewildered.

“Of course. How could I not?”

Heat settled low in Tanjiro’s stomach, and he tilted his head to the side, giving his partner more access, access that Inosuke took full advantage of. His kisses turned wetter and he began to rut against his back.

“T-Tell me,” the boy begged, leaning forward as he started to grow dizzy, placing his hands on some shelves that were in front of them. The wood was very warm under his palms, almost uncomfortably so. “Tell me what you imagined.”

He almost purred into Tanjiro’s ear, “I’ve thought about what your skin must feel like in…certain places. How your pulse might feel racing under my lips, and how hot your insides would be around my cock. What kinds of faces or sounds you might make as I fucked you. The kind of pleasure I could bring you that our clients can’t.”

Tanjiro bit his lip and pressed back against him. He could feel his chest rising and falling, his nipples brushing against his skin, and his heated breath against his ear lobe. It was interesting, because he had heard similar words before from his customers. But coming from Inosuke, it meant so much more, made his blood run so much hotter. It was embarrassing, but even just a few dirty words from the other boy made him react this strongly. He wanted more, more words from Inosuke.

The dark haired boy laughed softly, glancing down, and saying, “Well look at you. You’re already at half-mast and I haven’t even touched you there yet. You randy little thing.”

Tanjiro turned his head slightly and stuck out his tongue, and with his reddened cheeks, Inosuke thought it was adorable. “Just randy for you, you ridiculous gremlin. Evidently little shits who chew with their mouths open, are unrelenting flirts and who have doll faces do it for me.”

Inosuke snorted, and blew a raspberry against his neck, causing Tanjiro to start laughing. That laugh of course turned into a moan a second later when his partner reached between Tanjiro’s legs and began stroking him.

“In-Inosuke,” Tanjiro whined. His back arched, and Inosuke leaned forward slightly, running his tongue along the shell of his ear. The red haired boy shuddered and leaned into it, relishing the feeling.

“You like that then?” his partner asked between licks. “I take it you’ve never had someone pay attention to your ears then?”

Tanjiro shook his head, eyes squeezed shut. Inosuke smiled at the reaction, and said, “I think people forget how sensitive their ears are and how it feels to have them kissed. I mean look at you…I’m touching your cock but having your ears licked is what’s turning you into a mess.”

“I told you…” Tanjiro reiterated. “It’s because you’re doing it.”

That certainly sent a wave of heat washing down Inosuke’s back. That’s right, he was able to make this boy feel things that no one else could. Only him. It made him feel so…special, needed, appreciated. Cared about. Someone wanted him and just him. Overtaken by a rush of unexpected affection, he kissed Tanjiro’s cheek, and then moved his lips down to his shoulders, licking and sucking gently at all the soft skin he could reach. He jerked him off faster, growing lust-drunk off the gasps and sweet whimpers that the other boy was emitting, the utterances of his name in that voice that was growing higher pitched the more his pleasure grew.

“You said-mmm, ah!- Y-You  said you wanted to fuck me?” Tanjiro asked. He turned his head to look at Inosuke, one eye open, glistening with intensity. “You could go ahead and”-

He was cut off by an especially loud moan as Inosuke rubbed that sweet spot right beneath the head of his cock, paying special attention to it, massaging it, smirking with pride when he observed his partner’s reaction.

“You want me to fuck you?” he asked, just in case. Just because they were used to their clients shoving it in without asking didn’t mean that he was going to be a selfish prick as well.

“Please,” Tanjiro wheezed. “Please, please.”

He rutted back against Inosuke’s stiff length, tipping his head back a bit, exposing his pale, creamy throat. It looked so vulnerable, so soft. Inosuke sat up and began kissing what he could reach of his neck, pausing in his stroking. Tanjiro groaned in annoyance, but allowed him to kiss him.

“Anything for you Princess, your knight is here to serve you,” Inosuke grinned against the damp skin.

“Just get the oil,” Tanjiro huffed.

He did as he was told, getting up and going over towards his robe, rooting around in the pocket and pulling out the jar. He then resumed his position behind Tanjiro and got to work. Though of course, he couldn’t help but tease him a bit, running his oiled up fingers softly around his entrance. It flexed against his fingertips, and he couldn’t help but laugh at Tanjiro’s groan of frustration.

“Are you kidding me right now?” the red haired boy said.

Inosuke snorted. “I couldn’t help it, I’m sorry. I’ll give you what you want, don’t worry.”

“You better, or I’ll turn around, pin you to this mattress and ride you until my spine aches.”

“…I certainly wouldn’t mind”-

“Inosuke.”

 “Alright, easy.” The warning growl in Tanjiro’s voice sent a punch of arousal to his stomach, and as he slipped his fingers inside him, he added, “My Princess has demon claws. I like it.”

Tanjiro squeaked as Inosuke began working him open, lifting his rear slightly so that he had better access. It was amazing; he had trained himself not to flinch when his partners did this sort of thing when they did. Mostly he prepped himself because quite a few of the men didn’t know how or just didn’t care to do so. So to have someone else do it, especially someone who knew what they were doing and mixed pleasure along with it, was heavenly. Inosuke curled his fingers and scissored them as he kept kissing his back, growing more enthusiastic the more excited Tanjiro became.

All he had to do was brush against the boy’s prostate and he was crying out sharply, the sound just barely drowned out by the hissing of the furnace.

“Inosuke!” Tanjiro said breathlessly. “Inosuke…you- you’re...amazing.”

“That’s right, and don’t you forget it,” the boy replied, taking his fingers out. “Now…if you wouldn’t mind, could you turn around? I’d love to see your face while we do this.”

He quickly put oil on his cock, and Tanjiro wasted no time in flipping around. Inosuke barely took his hand off himself before the red haired boy was lining himself and feeling around for him. He wrapped one arm around the other boy’s neck to balance himself as he did so, and hearing the little desperate sounds Tanjiro was making, as well as seeing his forearm shake in its search for Inosuke’s cock. He had never seen someone that wanted him so badly, and it made his heart throb. He just couldn’t get over it.

Focus, he told himself. Tanjiro wants you…needs you. You can’t disappoint him. Otherwise- well, he might leave, might cast you aside. Like the others…

 He wouldn’t let that happen. He finally had the attention and affection of one of the most amazing people he had ever met. Inosuke would do everything he could to please him now, everything he could to keep him.

He helped Tanjiro by grabbing himself and holding still while the boy sat down, impaling himself in one smooth glide. The breath was driven out of Inosuke, who placed his hands on his hips, watching the other boy’s ribs expand and contract as he panted. He swore he could also see his pulse fluttering in his neck, and Inosuke’s heart pounded quicker in response at the sight.

Tanjiro slowly started grinding on top of him, his eyes shut tight and his throat bared to him. Sweat was shining on it, dripping down his chest and settling in his collarbone. He gasped, “Move. Please, you…”

“I’m moving, I’m moving,” Inosuke said. “You’re so impatient when you have a dick in you, aren’t you?”

“I told you. Just your dick. I’ve been dying to h-have it inside me almost since I first saw you.”

Inosuke didn’t miss that cute little crack in Tanjiro’s voice as he said that, and it spurred him on. He gave him what he wanted of course, unable to deny him anything. Eagerly, he thrusted into him, gently at first, then growing more eager. They slowly built up a good rhythm, and once they did that, Inosuke knew that sadly this was not going to last long; Tanjiro’s insides were so warm, so tight, molding around him so perfectly. The sounds he was pushing out of his partner-him, not one of their clients-filled him with excitement and endeared him to the other boy more strongly than he ever expected. Tanjiro said he had wanted him for the entire time he had been at the brothel. Well, now the boy had him, utterly and truly.

They clung to each other as tightly as they could, their grips slipping slightly because of how much they were sweating, though it wasn’t just because of the furnace anymore. There were strands of their hair sticking to their necks, perspiration rolling down their backs, their ribs, and their thighs. It helped Tanjiro’s cock glide against Inosuke’s stomach, adding to their stimulation. No matter how hard they breathed, it seemed like they just couldn’t get enough air, their chests heaving as they fought for it. Tanjiro’s thighs quivered as he lifted himself up over and over again, and he slid his hands up until they were gripping Inosuke’s, long, lovely hair gently. The red haired boy’s normally pushed back hair was falling forward, strands clinging to his forehead. His waterline was wet with tears that were on the verge of being shed. All he needed was that last little push.

And all too soon, it came. Inosuke adjusted his angle and found his prostate, hitting it hard and fast. He nearly came on the spot from the resulting yell that his partner let out once he located it. He knew he had done a good job when Tanjiro couldn’t even compliment him on it. His throat was raw from how hard he was breathing, and he was beginning to see stars. Inosuke was in a similar state, working harder than he ever remembered to bring him over the edge. He was so close, so close…

Tanjiro looked down at him, taking his face in his hands. Tears were flowing down his cheeks, but he was smiling, and he just looked so happy that oddly enough, that was what did it for Insouke. He came with a cry, but still pushed himself, continuing to thrust until he felt the heated wetness of Tanjiro’s release against his abdomen.

He swore he lost a minute or two of time, his vision darkening and his ears ringing. The two of them were terribly dizzy, panting so loud that it could be heard over the furnace. Tanjiro collapsed against him, Insouke only just managing to hold him up, though his muscles trembled with the effort. Tanjiro’s shoulders shook with breathy cries as tears continued to slip down his cheeks, and after a moment, Inosuke realized he was in a similar state, tears dripping off his chin.

When he felt like he could sit up for a moment, he backed up a bit, pushing Tanjiro’s hair out of his sweaty face, murmuring, “Gorgeous.”

“Nuh-uh,” Tanjiro slurred a bit. He shivered as orgasmic bliss still fizzled in his veins. “Yoooouuu are.”

Inosuke laughed breathlessly, and let his head fall forward into his chest. He could feel his heart beating furiously against his forehead, and finally knew that it beat for him.

He smiled, sniffling, and nuzzled a little closer.

Chapter Text

Tanjiro and Inosuke practically skipped back to the showers, hand in hand, giggling like two, naughty truant children. They noticed after looking at the clocks in the hallway on their way back that they were a bit late, but they were far too giddy to care. It was like sharing a wonderful secret, and though they were a bit nervous someone might find out, the excitement far outweighed that trepidation for now.

Shushing each other, they hopped into a tub together and turned on the shower head, washing each other like they had done by this time quite a few times before. They were very careful to scrub out Tanjiro’s insides, and Inosuke, though he understood why it had to be done, was a little sad to see it go. There was something satisfying in almost a possessive way to see his semen inside of the other boy and dripping down his thigh.

Once he finished washing it out, he kissed his way up Tanjiro’s body, giving his dick a couple of teasing sucks and licks on the way. It of course made the boy double over, placing his hands on Inosuke’s shoulders to steady himself. The dark haired boy laughed to himself, absolutely loving how easily he could turn him into putty. But of course Tanjiro got him back, giving his cock a few, hard pumps and whispering in his ear, “You’re a pretty little tease. The most beautiful I’ve ever seen, you know that? And no one makes me feel as good as you do.”

Praise. Inosuke liked praise. True to expectations, much to Tanjiro’s delight, his partner’s breathing grew a bit heavier and his eyes fluttered shut. He even let out a tiny mewl, nuzzling the side of Tanjiro’s head with his own. It was so rare that someone indulged in this particular kink of his, and truthfully he had fantasized for quite a bit about hearing Tanjiro speaking soft words like this to him. He had even used the idea as masturbation fuel more than once, but to hear the real thing…it was so much better than he had imagined.

“Keep talking,” Inosuke begged. “I want more…more words.”

Tanjiro couldn’t believe that he was getting aroused again so soon, but with Inosuke, it was so easy. The other boy was so lovely, and smelled so good. In fact, he smelled quite a bit like Tanjiro, and it made his blood race harder. Besides, the other boy was a lot more in control down in the basement. So now, it was time to turn the tables.

He jerked Inosuke off faster.

“Then hold onto me and keep your voice down,” he promised. “I’ll take care of you.”

Inosuke did as he was asked, clinging to him gently and leaning his head against his.

Tanjiro breathed in his ear, “What a good boy. I’m proud of you, you did exactly as I asked. And I’m so glad you’re letting me do this. I love your trust in me. I love how your arms feel around me, whether we’re like this, or in bed. This is my favorite place, you know, being in your arms.”

Inosuke shivered and arched against him, giving another cute mew, a sound that Tanjiro thought someone with his deep, gruff voice would incapable of producing. It sounded so sweet, so genuine…he began to wonder if he produced such a vulnerable sound in front of his clients.

He had a feeling that he certainly didn’t hug them like this, or dared to ask for them to talk to him in this way.

“T-Tanjiro,” Inosuke whined. “Tanjiro, more.”

The boy was already trembling in his hold, squirming against him, just barely resisting digging his nails into Tanjiro’s skin. His eyes were squeezed so tightly shut that he was seeing stars. He couldn’t believe how quickly Tanjiro had turned him on. But why? Because he knew what worked on the other boy? Because he was saying things that Inosuke wanted to hear? Things about himself rather than just his body?

Or was it because it was Tanjiro that was saying them?

When he thought of any other person whispering to him like this, it just didn’t sound right. Maybe in the past it wouldn’t have bothered him, but now…yes, he knew now. Tanjiro made him feel, and what’s more, he made him feel affection, a desire to please him, a want to be near him. These things felt so intimate, something he only wanted to share with the boy and no other man.

He wanted Tanjiro to be his, and he wanted to be Tanjiro’s. He wanted to stay by his side for as long as he would have him.

He…He didn’t want to give his body to other people anymore.

What? No, that was crazy! He couldn’t think like that. His livelihood depended on him giving his body to other people. It was unrealistic to want things like an exclusive relationship with someone. Besides, how would he even carry something out like that with Muzan constantly watching them? And even if he wasn’t there, he had no idea how to have a normal, loving relationship with another person. But he did know how to give his body as passionately as he possibly could to someone.

So, until he could figure out how to love Tanjiro in a way he deserved, this was what they would do. What he knew how to do.

He moaned louder, closer to the other boy’s ear, his panting more desperate. Tanjiro indulged him, his cries fueling his actions. His heart pounded as he took his own cock and lined it up next to Inosuke’s, stroking them both as he gasped, “I-I care about you so much. Whatever I can give you, it’s yours. You’re so special, the most special person I’ve ever met. You make me want to stay with you at your side for as long as I can.”

“B-But why?” Inosuke half cried.

“Because…” Tanjiro fought to come up with an answer, his brain fuzzy as the heat of the water made the air humid and his orgasm loomed. “Because you’re you.”

 That did it for Inosuke. Hearing his own inner thoughts spoken aloud like that, knowing that Tanjiro felt the same way, was a dizzying concept. He came swiftly, his orgasm slightly painful, burning deliciously. His knees shook, and after Tanjiro came as well, he lowered them both into the tub.

They held each other under the spray, Tanjiro stroking the dark haired boy’s long, wet locks out of his face. Inosuke nuzzled under his chin, catching his breath.

After a few moments of them panting, Tanjiro suddenly realized, “Oh God we are so late now. They’re probably already almost done in the dressing room, wondering where we are.”

“Fuck em,” the other boy sniffed, snuggling more against him. “This is much nicer. I never get to cuddle after sex.”

One corner of Tanjiro’s mouth quirked upward. “You silly sausage. But come on, we have to go. We’ll cuddle more when the night is over, yeah?”

Inosuke stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry but did as he was told, peeling himself away from his partner’s wet skin and getting up on wobbly legs so that he could finish washing himself. Tanjiro watched him fondly, getting a kick out of the fact that he seemed so irritated. He was grumbling complaints under his breath, mostly about how he didn’t want to go to work, how he’d rather stay under the shower all night, how his customers could go fuck themselves.

God he was cute.

And when they waltzed into the changing room, still naked, hand in hand after washing up, just in time to see their friends finishing getting ready, everyone’s head swiveled over towards them. When they got a look at their joined hands, their lack of clothes and the huge grins on their faces, almost everyone’s eyes rolled in unison.

“Did we have fun playing St. George you randy dogs?” Sabito asked. They didn’t have to see his mouth to know he was smirking; it was in his voice.

Tanjiro jumped and had to hold in a squeak when he addressed them. “H-How did you know?”

“I didn’t, not for sure. You told me just now.”

Inosuke shrugged, pulling his partner along to one of the dressers so they could start choosing what they were going to wear. He didn’t help their case any by practically strutting and looking far too proud of himself. He stated, “You’re just jealous. Apparently Tanjiro thinks I’m a good lay, don’t you doll?”

Tanjiro’s face went extremely red, but he couldn’t help the tiny smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. He pushed his wet hair off his forehead, and the action was so cute in combination with his blushing cheeks that Inosuke couldn’t help but coo at him and kiss his newly exposed forehead. Zenitsu pretended to gag.

“At least pretend to have some shame, otherwise all the sugary sweetness is going to rot my teeth,” Giyuu commented flatly. He didn’t even look at them as he brushed out his hair one last time, letting it hang freely down his back. Rengoku passed behind him and ruffled it up, laughing.

“Oh let them be, it’s cute,” he told him.

“Says the other one caught up in a fairytale infatutation,” Giyuu huffed. He swatted at his hand and tried to flatten his hair back down.

Rengoku’s cheeks turned pink and he looked away from him quickly. He instead focused on tying his gold necklace back, one that was a bit thick and gaudy he thought, but it had been a gift from a patron that was coming to see him that night.

Besides, the gold reminded him of Uzui’s earrings.

Sabito came up behind Giyuu and draped his arms around his shoulders, his hands resting on the other man’s collarbone. He kissed him on the cheek and reminded him, “Remember when we were like that?”

“What, a couple of besotted idiots? No, it was too long ago.”

From across the room, Zenitsu griped, “Oh please. You made him feed you soup this afternoon, after he blew on it for you of course.”

“I was too tired to feed myself,” Giyuu sighed.

“Then why did you feed him soup back when he asked for it?”

Sabito snickered, causing his lover to frown at him in the mirror.

“Just face it, you two are still stupid for each other,” Inosuke commented from across the room.

“There’s nothing wrong with that either,” Tanjiro added. “It’s cute. I’d like what you have someday.”

He looked over at his partner, but at the moment, Inosuke wasn’t looking at him, focusing on pulling up some trousers. The red haired boy sighed.

If there was even a hope of Inosuke sharing his feelings, that is.

000

Normally, Rengoku would have been exhausted only getting half the amount of sleep he normally received. But today, he could barely fall asleep, he was so excited. Today was finally the day Uzui was going to take him out.

He hopped out of bed almost a full hour before he was due to get up and get ready. In contrast, his friends were all still passed out, snoring away or breathing heavily. Zenitsu briefly felt around the empty warm space next to him and opened his eyes, eyelids extremely heavy when he looked up at him.

“Mmm…Kyo?” he mumbled. “Where’re you…”

Rengoku turned around and leaned back over the bed, brushing his bangs out of his face. Zenitsu leaned into it and hummed, closing his eyes again.

“I have a date, remember?” the older boy explained softly. “I’ll be back in time for work tonight.”

Zenitsu was asleep again before he finished speaking, and he couldn’t help but snort. He flicked his gaze up, and saw that everyone else was still. Tanjiro’s head was on Zenitsu’s pillow behind him, and Inosuke was spread across most of the mattress, the blankets kicked off him, his head touching Tanjiro’s back while his legs were draped over Sabito’s hips. Rengoku had no idea how someone could sleep so comfortably with their neck at such an angle, but judging from how loud he was snoring, he seemed to be sleeping just fine. And as usual, Sabito and Giyuu were laying in their own slice on the bed, Sabito not paying any attention to the fact that Inosuke was flopped on top of him. He was probably very used to it by now. He was facing the boy, so Giyuu’s face was buried in the back of his neck, having nosed Sabito’s long hair out of the way. They were snoring as well, and though he couldn’t see Giyuu’s face, he could see his side rising and falling.

His expression softened into fondness. It was always so nice to see them like this, all relaxed, comfortable, and together. Getting a moment of peace away from their terrible lives. Giyuu was able to escape his addiction, Zenitsu was able to get away from his body dysphoria, and Sabito was able to forget about his disfigurement.

Rengoku knew that sometimes patrons liked to climb in bed with the prostitutes, were allowed to at the prostitutes discretion, as long as they just literally slept with them. But none of the Flowers had ever felt the need to allow such a thing, not even when patrons asked. Their room and their bed was a sacred space for just the six of them. During their down time, they wanted it to be just them, in their own little world.

Even though they interacted with the female prostitutes for example to be polite, they mostly kept to themselves. In a place where Muzan seemed bent on turning them on each other, they were set on defying him and drawing even closer together.

Rengoku was so proud of all of them. People with weaker constitutions might succumb to fear and draw apart. But they were all so desperate for love, trust, and reassurance, that they overcame that fear and formed their own unique bonds with each other.

If he dared to say it, they formed their own family, their own home away from home.

They were all so fortunate. Things could have been so much worse for them all if they had ended up in a lower class brothel where the prostitutes weren’t as close to each other because they were so focused on their own survival. And they were already enough of a mess even though they were in fact so close.

He sighed, and again brushed Zenitsu’s bangs back from his forehead. They were so precious to him. No matter what happened from here on out, he would take care of them as surely as he was taking care of his little brother.

After standing up, he set about getting ready as quietly as he possibly could. He washed up and dressed in clothes that for once weren’t meant to show off his best assets. Granted they weren’t anything fancy, but at least they covered him completely. All of them owned at least a couple outfits for going out on the town for both shopping trips that needed to take to buy supplies for themselves or for going out with any man who wished to accompany them. Sometimes they even shared outfits to save on costs. After all, he and Giyuu and Sabito were all around the same size. And the outfits they had in here were nice, all pressed trousers, mostly white dress shirts and waistcoats of different colors.

Rengoku buttoned up the dark buttons on the waistcoat, and then smoothed the wrinkles out. He looked at himself in the mirror on the vanity, and was surprised by what he saw, but not for the reason one might think. He was actually dressed like a man rather than a delicate doll. He looked…normal. Like someone that a person passing him on the street wouldn’t look twice at. It was strange, but he liked how he looked. It instilled an odd sense of calm in him and allowed him to indulge in a silly fantasy that this was how he dressed from day to day like everyone else. It also brought about a sense of nostalgia. Back before he had started working in the brothel, when he was young, he used to dress like this all the time.

He wondered if Senjuro had grown into his old clothes yet.

Rengoku shook himself. It wouldn’t do to get so sad all of a sudden and greet Uzui with a frown at the door. He had to focus. Regarding himself harder in the mirror, he started wondering what he could do with his hair to tame it somewhat.

After a moment, he figured he could tie it back into a ponytail; many of his clients with longer hair did that. He just hoped Uzui would like it. He seemed to fall in love with how wild and long his hair had been and how he could run his fingers through it. Well, if he didn’t like it, he supposed he could always untie it again.

Once that was done, he barely recognized himself. Lord, he really did look like a normal man now, not a prostitute at all. If he didn’t know better, he would dare say that he appeared to be respectable.

After stepping away from the mirror and stuffing some money in his pocket, he took one last look at his friends, still all curled up together in bed. Part of him wished he could hop back into bed with them. But another part, thankfully the larger part, was excited to go outside for the first time in a long time with this intriguing man to see if what they had a couple of nights ago had been a product of the heady atmosphere and alcohol, or if it was something real. So, he left the room, shutting the door very quietly behind him.

Part of him wanted to wait outside on the front steps for Uzui, but he figured he might look a little pathetic doing that. Besides, not maybe people on the outside got to see the prostitutes in here, and that was on purpose, of course. It added an air of mystery, not knowing what the merchandise in here looked like, so they were discouraged from going outside much. So instead, Rengoku loitered around the front doors, sitting on one of the benches like a virgin waiting for marriage, leg bouncing.

Would Uzui forget about him? Decide that some pitiful prostitute wasn’t worth spending his time and money on? It had happened to him before; he had been stood up by patrons who said they were going to take him out but then changed their minds because they didn’t want to be seen in public with another man in that manner. He supposed he wouldn’t blame Uzui for that. He didn’t want him arrested.

But still…the thought of him not showing up made his chest clench in a way he didn’t think he had ever experienced before. He…

…he really liked, Uzui, didn’t he?

Luckily, he wasn’t left sitting there for long before the taller man’s familiar face appeared in the open doorway. He looked around for a moment before his gaze landed on Rengoku, and when the blond man registered who it was, he practically leapt out of his seat. Uzui could practically see an imaginary tail wagging behind him as he leaned up and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He was so enthusiastic that Uzui had to catch himself so that he didn’t fall, but the feeling of his arms around him was worth it. Rengoku settled against him and held him tight, soaking in just how wonderfully small the other man made him feel. He was the tallest of the Flowers, so being made to feel like this was…nice. Really nice.

And- oh no, he was wearing cologne again, something warm and mellow that made Rengoku’s head feel stupidly light and his stomach all tingly. He couldn’t help but nuzzle in a little bit, part of him wishing they could stay like this, to just spend their date holding each other. Uzui hugged him back just as tightly, laughing a bit.

“Glad to see you’re as excited as I am,” he said.

Rengoku couldn’t help but reply, “Is it odd to say that I missed you and that I’ve been looking forward to this ever since you proposed it?”

“Not at all, since I also have been chomping at the bit.”

Uzui backed out of the embrace, and when he got a good look at the other man, he brightened up even more, saying cheerfully, “Well aren’t you handsome. You hair is just as pretty pulled back as it is flowing freely.”

The younger man fidgeted, eyes fixed to his shoes now as he mumbled back, “Same for you.”

Indeed, Uzui’s hair had been tied back as well, and though he was slightly sad that he wouldn’t be able to run his fingers through it, it still looked very nice. That made sense. He came to the brothel to relax, while on the street, he had to look professional. His suit today was again not black, but a dark blue with large, sparkling diamonds on his buttons. His silvery hair already reminded Rengoku of starlight, so now he just looked like a gorgeous painting of the night sky to the infatuated boy.

To his surprise, Uzui’s cheeks turned pink and he scratched the back of his neck. That little compliment really affected him that much? But why? Rengoku was just stating the facts. Once he recovered, his date said, “Well…how about I pay your boss and we can get on with it?”

Rengoku nodded eagerly. “I’ll wait here.”

He did so, and thankfully Uzui wasn’t gone long, returning within a few minutes. Though as he opened the front doors, he couldn’t help but tell Rengoku, “Are you aware that your boss is a very unsettling man? I’m so much taller than him and yet he made me feel like a child with how he glared at me.”

The younger man nodded as he stepped into the sunlight. Uzui had no idea how right he was. “Oh yes. He does have something very off-putting about him, doesn’t he? Something rather demonic.”

Rengoku’s heart immediately began to beat faster the minute the door shut behind him and his feet hit the cobblestone, because finally, for the first time in a long time, he was free. He was out here with someone other than Muzan, and he could walk along the streets and truly be himself. The door was shut, the monster was sealed away and could no longer get to him.

He paused for a moment, just standing under the sun, letting it wash over his face. Sometimes he would open the windows on warmer days and lean out to soak up the rays, but it wasn’t the same as being completely outside.

Uzui happened to notice the reverent expression on his face, and for some reason, his heart clenched. Rengoku had told him he and the other prostitutes were allowed to go outside as long as they were escorted, and he usually went out regularly to buy supplies he needed. So why did he look like he was seeing the sun for the first time in months?

Why did he look like he was tasting freedom for the first time in his life?

The older man came up behind him and touched his elbow, hating to interrupt him, but knowing they only had so much time before he had to bring him back. Muzan was very firm about bringing Rengoku back on time, and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize possibly being able to take him about again. “Well darling, have you thought about what you want to do today? I’m ready for anything.”

Rengoku seemed to snap out of his trance and cleared his throat. He had probably looked ridiculous to the other man. Trying to move on, he quickly said, “W-Well, we said something about dinner, yes?”

“Yes, but I figured we had some time to kill before we go to dinner. If you’d like to do something else first that is?”

The younger man stopped and thought about it, before he decided, “Yeah, I mean…well, if you wouldn’t mind, there’s some shops I want to go to so I can pick up some things. I know that’s pretty boring probably…”

Uzui shook his head, and brushed a stray piece of hair that had fallen out of his ponytail back behind Rengoku’s ear. “Not at all. When you’re with someone interesting, doing anything with them can be fun. I’d be delighted if you suggested we spent hours getting groceries, as long as I’m doing it with you.”

Rengoku had to stop himself from squirming in delight. It was ridiculous how easily he was able to reduce him to a pile of mush by saying such simple things. With a bright smile, he patted Uzui on the back and declared, “Alright you. Before you turn me into a steaming puddle, let’s get going.” He got up on his toes and whispered near his ear, “And maybe when no one is looking, we can chance holding hands.”

“Oh, naughty naughty,” Uzui said. “But are you sure we can’t just stay here for a moment more? I’d like to see if I can turn you into that steaming puddle. I’ve never been able to do that to anyone before.”

The younger man rolled his eyes to the heavens and, making sure no one was looking in their direction, this time saucily gave him a smack on the rear. “Get a move on, you.”

His partner jumped in surprise, but then gave him a look that Rengoku had seen some married couples share, a look that told him he was going to get retribution later, retribution that he knew he was going to enjoy.

The date they shared was everything he had hoped it would be, and even more ridiculously wholesome and sweet than he ever expected. Uzui followed him into every store that he wanted to go into, excitedly chattering away about this that or the other thing, talking about things they hadn’t had time to discuss in the brothel. Besides, now that they were outside, they had a lot more to talk about, like teasing each other about the odd products sitting on the shelves, or even some of the odd people that walked in. For example there was one woman who clearly loved furs far too much and one gentleman that might have bathed in a bottle of cologne before he walked out that day. They snickered together about these things like a couple of delinquents, and Uzui suddenly wondered what it might have been like if they had gone to school together.

“I was a bit of a hell-raiser myself,” the older man explained. “Liked to play pranks on my teachers. The year I graduated I filled the classroom of a teacher I hated with horse manure on my last day and then ran out of there before they could find me.”

“Oh God,” Rengoku wheezed. “I probably would have been there helping you. Sounds like a good time. I didn’t spend that long in school, unfortunately. My brother is the scholar, not me.”

“Well, I could still give you the experience. I still like to give other nobles shit, especially the ones that annoy me. I’d love to have a partner in crime for that.”

It sounded like a wonderfully horrible idea. Rengoku was so on board.

Uzui watched his date closely after he noticed a certain trend he seemed to be following. He was buying things that were strictly practical for himself; soap, perfume, mouthwash, things of that nature. Everything else was for other people. He found a new vest for Zenitsu because the boy had been complaining his was too small as of late, perfume for Giyuu and Sabito that he knew the two of them liked but could never seem to find, and large bags of candy for Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Senjuro, his brother of course getting the largest bag.

“You know what, I’m going to give this bag to Tanjiro to give to Inosuke,” he said to Uzui. The older man was gallantly helping him carry his things as they walked down the street, but of course with his large muscles, he probably could have carried all of his things plus Rengoku himself with no problem. “The two of them just started seeing each other, you know. I think they’re a cute couple, Inosuke deserves someone as sweet as Tanjiro. I know he’s been meaning to get out and pick up some for him, but he’s been too tired to go shopping, so he’ll appreciate this.”

“You’re a kind friend,” Uzui said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Seriously, was there nothing about this man that wasn’t endearing to him? “They’re lucky to have you.”

The tender smile of admiration he was giving him made Rengoku feel hot all the way down to his toes. He explained hastily, “Well, I just like taking care of them, whether it’s getting them things or helping them with their debts…I don’t know, I just don’t like seeing other people suffer. If I can help someone, I will.”

Rengoku had told Uzui about how many of them owed their boss money and why this was the case. He also knew that if their debts were paid off they’d be allowed to leave, but how in their current circumstances with low pay and Muzan keeping most of their wages to help pay their increasing rent, that was difficult to do. It made the older man’s heart swell with affection for him, and if his arms weren’t full of bags, he would have pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly. So instead, he came up beside and gently nudged him with his hip.

“Rengoku-kun,” he said, “you’re doing a good job of making me want to kiss you.”

That made the blond man’s heart pound so hard he could feel it in his nose and he swore steam was coming out of his ears. Uzui laughed right after he said that though, so did that mean he was joking?

He really hoped he wasn’t.

They ended up going to dinner at a place Rengoku had passed by often but had never gone into. Though he had always fantasized about what kinds of things they might serve in there because it always made the surrounding street smell so good. It turned out to be an Italian place that definitely wasn’t as fancy on the inside as it was on the inside, Rengoku was still enchanted by every aspect of it; now nice the waiters were, the warm bread served before the meal, the fact that there was an old trolley car inside of the restaurant that people could go into and eat inside, and the portions they were given were huge.

Uzui had to admit this was nowhere near as lavish as the places he was used to eating in, but he could care less, because the pink in Rengoku’s cheeks as he took everything in and babbled animatedly with him over how wonderful everything here was and how he almost never got to go out and eat and how he was having the best time sharing it with Uzui…it was more than worth it.

Rengoku tried to help pay for their meal, but Uzui refused to let him, claiming, “You paid for everything else today. This is the least I can do.”

“But Tengen-san”-

“No buts. You’ve been more than generous, so let me spoil you a bit, yeah? You deserve to be spoiled.”

For some reason, the younger man couldn’t seem to comprehend the idea that he was worth spoiling, judging by his expression. Well, Uzui would just have to prove to him that he would, wouldn’t he?

After dinner, the two of them walked back to the brothel, full and happy, just as the sun was going down. It felt like the afternoon had gone by far too quickly, just like the evening when they met, and just like then, Rengoku didn’t want it to end. So when they got close to the building, he found himself asking, “Were you planning on spending the evening with us tonight?”

“Ah, no, not tonight, I’m sorry,” Uzui found himself apologizing. “I have a previous engagement with some art dealers. But trust me, I’d rather come inside and spend the evening with you.”

“Don’t apologize, I get it, trust me.” The two of them stopped by the doors and Rengoku glanced up at him, amber eyes shining in the moonlight. “I had a really great time today though. Maybe we could do it again sometime?”

“Absolutely.” Uzui nodded emphatically. “You’ll see me back in the Garden on the first night I have off. Shouldn’t be long now. I don’t think I could wait too long to see you again. I’ve um, I’m afraid I’ve become quite taken with you, Rengoku-kun.”

There was a pause in which Rengoku soaked in his words, that fluttering feeling returning to his stomach, unaware that he wasn’t the only one experiencing such a thing. Uzui clutched at his chest, trying to settle the painful pounding of his heart. He had spent time in quite a few brothels before, but those words had never left his lips before in regards to any of the employees in any of them. None of them had endeared him in the special way that this little brand of sunshine had, and he just couldn’t seem to get enough of him. He wanted to keep seeing him, day after day, for as long as he would let him.

Maybe he’d even let him pay off his debt for him someday so that he could be free of this place.

No, Uzui thought, he was moving too fast. For now, he had to settle for the amazing time they had, and he wait eagerly for the next time they could meet again.

“I quite like you as well, Tengen-san,” Rengoku replied. Then, his face grew even hotter when he said, “and…you can call me Kyojuro. I’d, um, I’d really like that.”

The significance of this was not lost on the older man. As far as he knew, only the people closest to Rengoku called him by his first name with no honorific. So the fact that he wanted to invite him to become one of those people…his heart clenched again, and, as the streets were still pretty quiet and they were mostly out of sight from other people, he dropped the bags and wrapped his arms around him.

Rengoku automatically returned the hug, burying his face into that broad chest. He still smelled so good, and was so warm- he felt safe too all wrapped up in his embrace.

He really wished he didn’t have to go inside.

“You can drop the honorific too, you know, if you want,” Uzui said. “Up to y”-

“Tengen-san- um, did you still want to kiss me? Like you suggested before?”

Uzui’s thoughts screeched to a halt, and it took a few moments for the wheels in his head to start turning again. Kiss him? That’s right, he had said something about kissing before, hadn’t he? What a cliché way to end the date, but at the same time, how perfect. He backed out of the embrace, and smiled gently down at the other man, once carefully brushing loose, wavy strands of hair out of his face. “Yes. But, do you want me to kiss you?”

“I-I wouldn’t mind at all, but- I’ve…I’ve never kissed anyone before,” Rengoku admitted, casting his gaze shyly towards the ground. “So I’m sorry if I’m no good at it.”

Oh heaven help him, could this boy get any more endearing? He knew he had been a prostitute for quite a few years, but he had no idea that none of his clients had ever bothered to pay to kiss him. So, the significance on being his first kiss was not lost on him. It was a concept that made his chest all warm and a feeling of tenderness towards swelled up inside him. He wanted to keep Rengoku safe from all the evils the world threw at him and make sure he never went another day without smiling.

Cupping the other man’s cheek, his single eye awash with moonlight, gaze heartbreakingly gentle, he said, “I’m honored to receive your first kiss then, Kyojuro Rengoku.”

He then leaned down, but didn’t meet the other man’s lips, and it took Rengoku a moment to realize that he was still unsure that he really wanted to be kissed, so he was waiting for him to close the distance between them. The fool. But he had no idea what he was doing, hadn’t he just said that? He hesitated, knowing that if he put this off much longer Uzui was going to think there was something wrong. So, bravely, he finally leaned forward and carefully pressed their lips together, trying to keep his own as loose and pliable as possible.

Thankfully, the other man must have sensed just how unsure he really was, because he took over from there, slowly encouraging Rengoku to relax and just feel instead of think. He moved his lips against his, coaxing them to become looser still, lulling Rengoku into a dreamlike state where his eyes fluttered shut. Slowly, he reached up and wound his arms around his partner’s neck, their lips making soft sounds as Uzui and Rengoku separated from each other and connected in unison. Soon enough, the younger man’s jaw began moving against Uzui’s fingers, and he pressed harder into the kisses, something inside of him growing hotter and hotter as time went on.

They backed away from each other for a moment, giving the other a chance to breathe more easily. Uzui got a glimpse of the other man’s dazed expression, his normally expressive eyes half-lidded and his lips parted, slightly damp with saliva as he stared pensively at him. Assuming that the kiss was over, Uzui started to stand up, but Rengoku didn’t let him, pulling him in for another kiss with a breathy inhale. Uzui didn’t resist, meeting his enthusiasm with his own, gripping him tighter around the waist and pulling him closer.

Rengoku seemed to grow more frenzied, and indeed the desperation was welling up inside the younger man, more harshly than he ever imagined it would. It was as if a hunger he hadn’t known before had taken over him, a hunger that only Uzui, no other man on Earth, could satisfy. He wanted more, more of this man who had been so generous and sweet to him, who complimented things besides his body and said of all things he would be honored to be Rengoku’s first kiss rather than mocking him for the fact he hadn’t been kissed yet. Who took him to dinner and was thoroughly enthralled by how happy his date was and didn’t want anything in return. The first man he had smiled at and flirted with in a long time that didn’t expect him to give him his body or even a kiss without his express permission. Who respected him and thought his care for his friends was so amazing that he envied him for it.

Rengoku kissed him harder, with his whole body, making desperate little sounds as he tried to get closer, as if he could meld their bodies together so that Uzui wouldn’t have to leave. He understood he would have to at some point, but he just felt so happy when he was here with him, like all those horrible days of being beaten or threatened by his sadistic boss had never happened. For the first time in his life, Uzui was someone who he dearly wanted to bring pleasure to, and he would be fine doing it for free. He dug his fingers into his hair and freed it of its tie, allowing the other man’s silvery tresses to caress them. It was like touching the finest silk, and he couldn’t stop touching it, stroking it and feeling its softness.

Uzui matched his fire, pressing him against the wall of the brothel. Without hesitation, Rengoku raised one of his legs and his partner caught him by the thigh, wrapping it around his waist. Breaking the kiss, Rengoku gave a small mewl as he pressed closer, feeling his groin oh so subtly rub against the other man’s.

“Kyojuro…” he heard Uzui groan and then laugh slightly into his ear. “Behave, you saucy thing.”

“Mmm, no,” Rengoku retorted, though he could hear the smile in his voice.

He then leaned up and began kissing down the other man’s neck. He started under his jaw and trailed his way down his clavicle, nibbling gently and running his tongue down the heated skin, swearing the he could feel Uzui’s pulse fluttering like a trapped bird. The older man leaned into the touch and groaned, but what made him curse under his breath was the way Rengoku boldly began undulating his hips against his own. It felt good, too good. Maddeningly so. To the point where if he didn’t put the kibosh on this, he was going to end up fucking him against the wall and he was sure the surrounding neighbors were not going to appreciate that. All the debauchery occurred inside the walls of the Garden and they would like to keep it that way.

“Kyojuro-kun,” he insisted, pushing at his shoulders slightly. “Come on. Enough now. We can do more another night.”

Rengoku paused, body tense as he fought with his own lust, before he pulled back with a petulant whine, lower lip pushed out in a pout. The sight was so cute that Uzui could help but give him a peck.

“You promise?” the younger man asked.

“Of course,” Uzui said, stroking his cheek. “I’d love to make beautiful art with our bodies, just not in an alley. Somewhere more beautiful. Only the softest sheets deserve your skin, I think. Besides, I don’t usually fuck on the first or even the second date. I like to save those sorts of things. It makes them more special, don’t you agree? After all, I want you for far more than your body.”

Those words made Rengoku shiver, and the promise of more made him let go, though very reluctantly. With a heavy sigh, he agreed, “Well, alright then. But only because the promise is coming from the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”

Uzui’s face darkened in a blush that was visible even in the dark. “Surely you’re joking.”

“I’ve seen a lot of men in my life. I don’t make that judgement lightly. You say I remind you of sunlight, well, you remind me of starlight. Bright, but gentle and steadfast. To me, that’s the peak of beauty.”

To his delight, Uzui smiled, and then helped him picked up his bags. With one last kiss, he watched him wave and disappear inside the building with a quiet, “Don’t miss me too much, my Star. I’ll see you soon.”

And oh, his heart thudded so hard, and it seemed to hurt worse because it was so full. He hadn’t felt like this since he was a teenager with his first crush, so excited or so infatuated.

So alive.

 With his heart still pounding and his lips still tingling, Uzui turned around and walked down the moonlit cobblestone street, an extra spring in his step. He didn’t bother to tie his hair back either, because the breeze blowing through it reminded him of Rengoku’s fingers.

Chapter Text

The high of his kiss with Uzui followed Rengoku as he trotted up to his shared room with the other Flowers. He even sang his song about harvest quietly to himself as he put his bags down, planning on presenting each of his friends with their presents when they were done for the night as a surprise. He couldn’t wait to see their faces when they saw what he got for all of them. They didn’t often buy things for themselves, as they couldn’t really afford it, so he made it a point to buy them nice things when he could. Their smiles were always worth it.

Every time Rengoku thought of having another date with Uzui, he had to stop himself from squealing like a teenage girl; it just made him too excited, and he could barely stand it. He really was like one of the maids in Tanjiro’s fairytales, all besotted with his handsome prince that looked like he had been sent down from the heavens just for him. And since he was of a higher class, that meant that the two of them might have a chance of having a real relationship, as real as it could get for inverts. After all, the rich could get away with more things than the lower class people couldn’t. And Uzui was already such an eccentric person. Maybe being interested in men wouldn’t make people look twice at him, and then someday…they could have a real life together, far away from here.

His head was in the clouds, so high up there he swore he could see the gates of heaven. And that was never a good place to be. Because of course there was always something that would bring him crashing back down to Earth.

Just as he left his room to head down to the dressing room, where he was sure all of his friends were at the moment since their room had been empty, he was completely blindsided by a hand shooting out of the darkness and grabbing him by the throat. It pinned him up against the wall and began squeezing, hard enough that he struggled to breathe. Rengoku grabbed at the hand, but didn’t really think about fighting it, instead staring ahead and freezing helplessly as he choked

After all, before the other man stepped out of the shadows, he knew who it was that was doing this to him.

“How stupid do you think I am, Rengoku?” Muzan growled. “Did you think that just because he paid for you that I wouldn’t still be keeping an eye on you?”

“I-I…” he stuttered, “What do you-?”

“I saw you two just now. The way you were kissing him…that’s not the usual way you behave with your clients. You let him have your first kiss, he must special indeed, isn’t he? The question is, how special? You better not tell me you fancy him.”

Oh God, he looked absolutely muderous. His dark eyes were burning almost a ghastly red, and he was snarling at him, looking ready to replace his hand on his throat with his teeth, as if he wanted to tear it out. Rengoku had never seen him look this angry before; he hardly ever looked angry when punishing him. The whole time, he usually just treated it as a leisurely activity, a way to pass the time or a chore that had to be done. But now there was bloodlust in his eyes, and it made the breath in the boy’s lungs feel ice cold.

“Sir,” Rengoku begged, voice strained as the other man squeezed harder. He swore he could feel him crushing his Adam’s apple as he pushed it further and further back into his throat, and he began panicking. “Please, let go.”

But he didn’t. Muzan instead pulled him away from the wall, he then dragged him along by the front of his shirt, Rengoku following helplessly, too afraid to go with him but even more afraid not to. He figured he knew where he was taking him anyway.

When they reached the door of Muzan’s office he was tossed onto the floor without ceremony, Rengoku landing so hard that it knocked the breath out of him. He knew better than to get up, but he couldn’t even if he wanted to; his body hurt too much to move. Besides, his chance for freedom disappeared in an instant as his boss locked the door with an ominous click. Rengoku’s heart began to pound in horrified anticipation.

Muzan was back on top of him in an instant, pinning his wrists by his head and straddling his waist. Rengoku made one halfhearted attempt to struggle, and the sad part was, if Muzan didn’t keep them so underfed, he was sure he could throw him off. He was quite a bit taller than the other man, after all. But no, being as weak as he was, he didn’t have a hope of doing so. Instead, all he could do was squeeze his eyes shut and block him out that way, hoping that whatever he would do to him, he could disappear inside his head while it was going on.

Of course there was no hope of that. Muzan grabbed him by the throat again, squeezing even harder than he had before, to the point that Rengoku tipped his head backwards and arched his back, gasping for breath. He clawed at Muzan’s hands, his own shaking with panic. Was this it? Had he finally had enough of him and this was how he was going to dispose of him? In the large scheme of things, no one would care about his death. After all, it didn’t exactly make the papers if a prostitute left their brothel in a coffin.

But just when his vision began to pulse black around the edges, the other man’s grip loosened enough so that he could breathe. However, he kept one hand around his throat possessively while the other gripped his wrists and held them together above his head.

“The day I hired you, you sold your soul to me,” Muzan snarled, leaning down close to his face. “I control what you do with your body, who you give your heart to, and when you’ll take your last breath. All of you Flowers belong to me, you understand? Your place is at my side, all of you. And no matter what you do, you can’t protect them from me, Rengoku.”

Muzan felt him gulp nervously against his palm, and tightened his grip on his wrists, practically grinding the delicate bones together. Rengoku gritted his teeth, holding in a cry, though the pain was horrible.

Surprisingly, his boss got off him, kneeling in front of him, commanding, “Sit up.”

Rengoku was too stunned to move, his entire body on fire. He was too scared to push himself up because he wasn’t sure if Muzan had managed to break his wrists; it certainly felt like he had. His head was pounding because there just wasn’t enough oxygen getting to it, and he was shaking all over as adrenaline coursed through him. Still, he made a valiant effort, slowly trying to roll onto his side so that he didn’t raise his head too rapidly. Obviously, it wasn’t fast enough for Muzan, because he reached forward, grabbed him by his hair and yanked him the rest of the way.

This time, Rengoku couldn’t help the yip of pain he released, and the sound made Muzan smile to himself. He then stood up, still holding onto his hair, forcing Rengoku to look up at him. The other man’s eyes were wide with fear. Good. That meant he was taking him seriously, that he was focused on him and on the pain he would bring. He wasn’t thinking about the other man.

“Undo my trousers and suck me off,” Muzan ordered coldly.

Rengoku hesitated for a moment, saying softly, “But sir, don’t you want me to go out and work for you? I’m going to be late.”

“That can wait. I won’t ask again.”

Trembling, breath wheezing in his lungs, Rengoku slowly raised his arms, wrists tender and pinging with every movement. His head was positively aching, so much so that his vision was spinning. Muzan tightened his fist in his hair again in warning for him to hurry up, so Rengoku complied as best he could, fingers fumbling over the buttons at first but eventually managing to get them open. Adrenaline was the only thing that was keeping him upright and focused, though just barely.

As quickly as he could, he pulled the other man’s cock out from his undergarments and got to work, running on autopilot. But of course, Muzan didn’t want just a simple blowjob, as soon as he got going, the hand in his hair pulled him further onto his cock until his nose was brushing against his lower abdomen. He gagged and choked, and several times he thought he might vomit. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes and threatened to spill down his cheeks.

“You’re nothing, do you hear me?” Muzan hissed down at him. “You’re not worth the air you breathe, or the food you eat, or even the shit that comes out of you. If you have any worth at all, it’s the price I assign to you. You’re mine, and we’ll do this as many times as we have to so that you don’t forget it.”

He held his head down on his cock for several moments while Rengoku struggled to pull back, unable to breathe. Finally, he released him, letting him pull back just far enough so that he could get a breath in. But he forced him to keep sucking him off until he came, and when he did, he threatened, “You better swallow every drop. I don’t want to see any sperm leaking out, or I’ll get the poker again.”

Rengoku did as he was told, holding himself still as the man came down his throat, forcing himself to swallow and stifling his urge to cough for as long as he could. Finally, Muzan let go of his hair, and the younger man nearly leapt away from him, gasping and nearly choking from the speed at which he tried to draw air back into his lungs. He held his throat, trying to massage it as the air stabbed his windpipe like needles. He collapsed onto the floor, coughing and shaking, curling up into the fetal position. Muzan just glared down at him. Part of him felt the slightest bit guilty, just a tiny part, but then again, he had no idea how else to keep the Flowers close to him other than to use fear. Fear was all that worked for him, after all.

“You know, I’ve noticed that all of you seem awfully close to each other,” Muzan observed while he buttoned his trousers. “In more ways than one. You’re like family. Maybe even a little more than that, for some of you, but at the moment I have no proof. But I figure if I wanted, I could starve all of them until they decide to confess their sins to me. What do you think?”

Rengoku gaped at him in horror, and unable to speak, he shook his head emphatically. Muzan’s eyebrows quirked upward the slightest bit, as if he found his response amusing. “No?”

The other man shook his head again. When he was finally able to find his voice, it sounded strained and weak. “Punish me instead. I broke the rules. I’ll take their punishment.”

Muzan’s eyebrows raised a bit. He both had and hadn’t expected things to take this turn. He knew Rengoku was annoyingly valiant and noble and would do anything he could to protect those he loved. He had suffered at Muzan’s hands over and over again, but those sessions were usually as quick as they were vicious. But starvation? That was a long, drawn out, agonizing thing for which there was no ointment or doctor’s visit that would fix. Only Muzan’s generous hand would do that. It was as intoxicating of a prospect as strangling the boy had been. He controlled his life and death, how strong or how weak he would become.

As he had said before, he was his.

“Of course you will,” Muzan said with derision. “But alright. I’ll cut your rations from three meals to one a day. You amuse me with your pain for long enough and you do a good enough job and I’ll leave your friends alone. Just remember, I get bored easily though.”

Rengoku squeezed his eyes shut, going limp on the floor again. Muzan curled his lip back in a snarl at how pitiful he looked. It was no longer enjoyable, and it was beginning to annoy him. “I better see you in that parlor in ten minutes, or I’m coming back and we’ll do this all over again,” he said. “And we’ll do it all night if we have to, for as long as you stay in here.”

With that, he turned his back on him, unlocked the door, and left the room, leaving the door open a crack. Rengoku huddled on the floor, too frightened and in too much pain to move for quite some time. His head kept pounding, his throat felt sore, and his lungs ached. He thought he would be used to this sort of thing by now, after having experienced it for years, but for some reason, Muzan was still able to reduce him to this pitiful mess on his office floor.

Staring at the dark, opposite wall, though he tried to stop it, Rengoku’s thoughts drifted to Uzui. What would the other man do if he was here with him right now? He liked to think, based on how kind he had been to him, that he would pick him up off the floor and hold him against his broad chest. He’d get to take in his warm scent again, and feel those gentle fingers in his hair, rubbing the soreness from his scalp and the agony from his head. He’d hold him as tightly as he wanted, would help him take a warm bath to relax him before putting him in bed and staying next to him all night Maybe he’d hold Rengoku in his arms the entire night too. He’d love to fall asleep to the sound of his heart beating, with hands in his hair. He just wanted to feel comforted again, and not so alone, after Muzan ripped that feeling of security away.

He sighed, snapping out of his fantasy and sitting up, fighting back tears. Uzui wasn’t here in the room with him, wasn’t here to soothe him or joke with him or cheer him up. He wouldn’t see him again until his next date. And truthfully, he didn’t want the other man to know that he had things like this done to him. If Uzui began seeing him as a piece of property with a price tag attached to him instead of an equal that just wanted his love, it would crush him.

Shivering, Rengoku hauled himself to his feet, his legs trembling, and forced his weary body out of the room as fast as he was able. He was only able to change his clothes and rinse out his mouth, running his fingers through his hair to brush it. That whole evening, he found it hard to look any of his friends in the eye, scared of what he might see there once they noticed the red marks on his neck. Granted, a couple of his customers commented on them, but he was able to blow them off easily enough.

By the time the night was over, he could hardly stay upright, and yet he forced himself to. After all, he still had to give his friends their gifts, and he was excited to do so, but perhaps not as much as he was when he first got home. He didn’t sing on his way to bed, didn’t raise his head, and overall looked very defeated. But he plastered on his smile when everyone sauntered in he began going through his bag.

However, before he could pull anything out of them, he felt a tap on his shoulder, and when he stood up and turned around, he was face to face with Giyuu’s suspicious blue eyes. He didn’t need to say anything; the glance to his neck and then back up to his own eyes combined with his frown was enough.

“Where does he live?” Giyuu asked furiously. “I’ll kill him. That eyepatch wearing son of a bitch…”

Rengoku blinked. Wait, he actually thought…his eyes widened, and he shook his head rapidly. “No! No, no, it wasn’t Tengen. He was nothing but lovely and respectful all evening. This was Muzan. He…He saw us kiss before I came inside. He wasn’t happy about it.”

Giyuu’s face contorted into an expression of pain and frustration, his eyebrows pinching together and gritting his teeth. He wished he could go and beat Muzan senseless at that very moment; Rengoku’s neck was a deep red where it had been squeezed, and he knew in a couple days it was going to turn black and blue. He may have been a sick, half-starved, opium addicted waif, but if it didn’t mean possibly getting Rengoku hurt again, he would have beaten their boss into the ground.

“I’m so sorry,” Giyuu said softly, rubbing at his friend’s neck in a poor attempt to soothe the pain. “It’s not fair that he gets to do whatever he wants to us and we’re not allowed to fight back, otherwise we’ll be tossed out on the streets. Though I’m almost beginning to think that that might be preferable to staying here. At least if someone hits us out there, we can hit back.”

“Now you know that’s not true. Please don’t say things like that. I shudder to think if someone as sweet as Tanjiro or as nervous as Zenitsu were exposed to the kind of shit that happens out in the streets.”

Giyuu sighed heavily, bowing his head. Rengoku shook himself, hating seeing him look so sad over something that he had no control over. Cheerfully, he told him, “Anyway, I got a bunch of stuff while I was out in town. Here.”

He bent over and pulled a tiny bottle of perfume out of his bag, placing it in Giyuu’s hands, who lit up when he saw what it was.

“They had some in stock, oh my God!” he gasped. “You’re the best, this stuff smells like heaven. How much do I owe you?”

Rengoku waved his hand. “Oh don’t worry about it. It’s for work, technically anyway. Just think of it as an early Christmas present.”

“It’s summer, Kyojuro.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Just shut up and take it.”

Giyuu hesitated for a moment more, before finally letting his shoulders droop and declaring, “Fine. I’ll let it go…for now. But you’re going to kill me with how generous you are.”

Rengoku pursed his lips. He remembered what he had promised Muzan, and thought that in fact it was more likely he was going to be the one killed for being too generous.

000

Just a couple days later, oddly enough, Muzan took them all out for a day of relaxation by a creek in the woods, telling them all that he thought the fresh air might be good for them. Once in a while, on especially nice days, he did like to take them outside, and while it seemed like a kind, grand gesture, many of them knew better. It was all a ploy to show his employees how generous he could be if he wanted to, if only they just behaved themselves. It was horribly manipulative, and for those that were closest to him, the Fleurs, they could see the gesture for what it was.

Even while they sat under the trees in the dappled sunshine, the boys stuck close together. The female prostitutes also tended to keep to themselves, glancing at the Flowers once in a while but mostly pretending they weren’t there. For once, to everyone’s surprise, Zenitsu was ignoring them instead of flirting incessantly. Confused, Tanjiro happened to glance up him, and saw that he was laying on his stomach, legs kicking idly, and fully concentrated on the paper in front of him as he wrote. Ah, yes, of course. Another girl had his full attention instead now. In his own letters to Nezuko, his sister informed him that she really liked talking to Zenitsu and just how sweet and respectful he was, if at times very awkward. But she was growing very fond of him, and expressing interest in seeing Zenitsu face to face. And naturally, Zenitsu wanted the same thing.

But of course, in the boy’s current occupation, unless Muzan agreed to go with him, that wouldn’t be happening any time soon.

Tanjiro sighed deeply, taking in the fresh air and turning his face towards the sun, letting it warm his skin. They were in a grassy, wooded glen that they had walked to that morning soon after finishing work to have a picnic lunch on several different blankets spread over the ground. The sound of the creek trickling next to them and the wind blowing through their hair added to the peaceful atmosphere. There was also a lake with a dock that the creek emptied into where many of the girls were currently swimming in. Muzan told them to wait here while the girls finished their swim and they could go in when they were done. To protect their modesty, he added, which Tanjiro thought was a huge joke, considering.

Yet he certainly wasn’t going to complain. He never thought he’d live to see the day where he’d consider it a luxury to be outside. While Zenitsu wrote his heart out on the blanket next to him, the corners of his letter being played with by the breeze, Tanjiro leaned back on his hands with his legs out in front of him. Inosuke was curled up on his lap, feeding himself the candy that Rengoku had given Tanjiro to give to him. Tanjiro hadn’t given up as easily as Giyuu had though when Rengoku told him that he didn’t need to pay him back though, almost violently slapping the money into his palm and demanding he buy himself something nice with it.

Inosuke of course had been delighted beyond belief by the gift, squealing in excitement and thoroughly startling Tanjiro; he hadn’t known he could make such a sound. But the kisses all over his face in thanks had been more than worth it.

“If you’re not careful, those are going to be gone in just a couple of days,” Tanjiro warned him.

“So then go out and get me more when they are.” Inosuke popped another one in his mouth, and then nuzzled his face against his thigh, shifting around and making himself more comfortable.

The red haired boy blew in his face, ruffling his bangs and causing him to squeeze his eyes shut. He reached up and wrapped his arms around Tanjiro’s neck, attempting to pull him down into a headlock. Tanjiro struggled against him, laughing. When they began to get too close to Zenitsu and his pencil, threatening to mess up his writing, the blond boy yelled at them to be more careful, swatting at his friends, and threatening to toss away his things and pounce on the both of them if they didn’t calm down.

The three older Flowers were seated together on a different blanket next to them. Sabito was snorting in amusement, forgoing his veil, knowing that if any of the girls had something to say about his scars, Giyuu would give them a piece of his mind. He was torn between letting them fight, joining the fight, and breaking them up, before deciding it was too much work to do anything but just letting them rip each other apart. He was lying on his blanket, using Rengoku’s stomach as a pillow while Giyuu curled into his side, one hand and his head on his chest. For the past ten minutes, Giyuu’s eyelids had been growing heavier and heavier, before finally closing not too long ago. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders, stroking his side, feeling his ribs rise and fall slowly as he breathed. Rengoku’s breathing had grown slower under his head, and an occasional snore let him know that he too had succumbed to the heat of the sun and the quiet. Sabito felt his pain though. He had stuffed himself full of food and was fading fast, vision growing blurry as he observed his other three friends fooling around.

He might have fallen asleep sooner if not for Muzan’s uncomfortable presence near them on the blanket.

Sabito could feel his eyes on them, not exactly glaring at them, but he was definitely watching them like a hawk. He was clearly pretending to look at the scenery, but every once in a while he would glance over at Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke, and the happier they looked, the more they laughed and roughhoused, the angrier he seemed to become. When they eventually calmed down and Inosuke pulled Tanjiro into a hug, pressing their cheeks together while Tanjiro blushed, he was silently fuming.

He then glanced at Sabito and his friends, pursing his lips, but otherwise keeping completely silent. When their eyes met, Sabito couldn’t help but ask, “What?”

“Nothing. Just you three seem comfortable,” Muzan observed.

“You don’t seem pleased about that.”

“I just don’t believe it’s natural for men to be as close as you all seem to be.”

It took everything in Sabito not to start spitting vitriol about what a giant hypocrite he was, considering what he did for a living. And considering he hired them all and then told them all that they had to share one room and one bed. Did he not expect such an environment to produce a close bond between the six of them? He had a strong desire to retort, “Well we are, die mad about it,” but held back.

Instead, he replied levelly, “I think it’s the most natural thing to occur in a place that regularly allows its customers to indulge in piss, shit and pedophilic fetishes.”

Muzan didn’t say anything to that, though he dearly wanted to tell him to buck up and get over such things. He had to do all the same sorts of activities when he was in their positions, but of course there was no one there for him to rant to at the end of the day, no one to help him wash off the piss that had been poured on his body, no one to hold him close and tell him that all of their customers deserved to go to Hell, or anyone for him to sleep next to after a hard shift. He had been alone all of his life, so his Flowers should be too.

They should depend on no one but him. Their only happiness in life should come from him.

And he certainly didn’t like the peaceful expression on Giyuu’s face as he nuzzled into Sabito’s side in his sleep. He certainly never looked like that in Muzan’s presence.

It made him want to strike the both of them.

The urge only grew worse when the girls decided to take a break from swimming and the boys finally got their turn. A couple of them chose to keep some of their clothes on, like Zenitsu and Giyuu, who were terribly insecure about their bodies, but the rest didn’t hesitate to strip before leaping off the dock. Inosuke practically picked up Tanjiro before cannonballing into the lake with him, Tanjiro screaming while Inosuke cackled. Giyuu at first just opted to sit at the edge of the dock and stick his feet in the water, but of course Sabito wasn’t going to stand for that. He grabbed him by his ankles and dragged him in, wherein Giyuu popped up from underwater looking like a drowned dog, black banks plastered against his forehead and eyes.

Zenitsu was hesitant to jump for a moment, until Tanjiro prompted, “Come on, Zenitsu! Don’t you want to tell Nezuko how brave you were by jumping into water you couldn’t see the bottom of?”

That was all it took before their friend leapt in with a war cry, screaming Nezuko’s name as he went flying through the air.

Rengoku hesitated for a moment before he slipped into the water, noticing that Muzan had chosen to follow them. But why?

Whatever the reason, it made him reach up and touch the marks on this throat and goosebumps appeared on his skin in response. He glanced at him briefly, letting him know that he was aware of his presence, before getting in the water as well.

Giyuu and Sabito stayed oblivious to Muzan’s presence however, both of them diving under the water before sharing a kiss, holding each other’s faces. It was an experience unlike any other, so silent under the waves, almost like another world where no one cared if they were in love.

When they surfaced again, sputtering and laughing, Sabito was dragged into whatever game the younger boys were playing, which at the moment seemed to be trying to throw each other as far as they possibly could while screaming like a bunch of idiots.

The louder their laughter, the more the fury rose in Muzan, until something shifted and clicked in his mind.

It wasn’t just Rengoku anymore. All of his Flowers needed to be punished.

Chapter Text

“I want to try something a little different,” Fabron said lightly.

  Kneeling on the bed, yukata falling down so that it left one shoulder teasingly bare, Sabito nodded. “I’m feeling adventurous. What did you have in mind?”

  "I wanted to tie you up. None of my past partners have let me tie them up before.”

Sabito was very used to hearing that from his customers. “None of my partners have let me do this to them, so I was hoping you would.” It was as common as hearing, “Have you ever had something that big in you before?” He had complied with many of these requests before, as bizarre as some of them were, so he had no problem nodding his head in agreement.

Without a word, he laid back on the bed, and Fabron tied his wrists securely to the bedposts with extra silk ties he had brought. That made Sabito wonder if he had been planning this ever since he arrived. Surely this couldn’t have been something spontaneous he thought up? What was more, he also tied his ankles to the bed posts at the bottom. But the ties were still soft, and Fabron had only paid for thirty minutes, so he didn’t plan on being like this for long. Besides, he had been tied up by partners before. He could deal with whatever he threw at him.

But of course that changed the minute the other man hovered over him and pulled out his pocket knife.

Sabito’s gaze tunneled until all he could see was the blade, wickedly glinting in the low light of the gas lamps. He had dealt with whips, floggers, ropes, even bars that had forcibly spread his legs apart, but no one had ever brought out a knife in the bedroom with him before. Fabron had been with him a few times before tonight as well and hadn’t brought the knife then either. His heart began to pound hard in his chest and he flinched away from it when the point was dragged lightly across his stomach.

What’s more, the expression on Fabron’s face had changed. Gone was the easy, reassuring smile and in its place was a dark, focused stare on both the knife and where it was touching Sabito’s skin. His mouth went dry and he found himself flinching away.

“Hold still,” Fabron warned him.

Sabito did as he was told, freezing in place, watching as the point travelled up his chest, before the icy cold tip circled around his nipples. First one, then the other, Fabron pressing a little further into the thin flesh, making it sting slightly. Sabito bit his lip, but not from pleasure. His apprehension just kept growing.

“You feel that strongly, I’m sure,” Fabron observed in a low, level voice. “I’ve always loved how sensitive your nipples are.”

Sabito said nothing in return. He just watched the knife until it brushed against his neck, the sharp edge trailing from ear to ear. He became so tense he felt like he might snap at any second. To the best of his ability, the boy pushed himself away from the knife again, raising his chin and rolling slightly to the side.

“I don’t like this,” he finally told the man. “I- can we do something else, maybe? You can keep me tied up if you want but”-

Fabron grabbed his face and turned it towards him, making sure his wide, frightened eyes were looking directly into his as he growled, “I paid for you. So I decide what we do.”

Sabito gasped. He had heard that line before, but not usually when he was tied up and definitely not when there was a dangerous weapon against his throat. Against reason, he tried again, “Please sir”-

The grip on his face tightened painfully, and the knife was raised so that it was in front of his face. That was all it took to silence him, and he closed his mouth with a whimper. Again, Fabron warned him, “Don’t move.”

The boy didn’t, so scared that he was almost blind from the intensity of it. He watched the knife as the other man parted Sabito’s lips with his fingers and slipped the blade inside his mouth. Sabito felt the cold steel caressing the warm flesh of his tongue and the insides of his cheeks, heard it clanking against his teeth. Even when Fabron let go of his face, he stayed stone still, too scared he would cut himself if he tried to move his face away from the knife now.

Something inside him told him to call out for help, something small and scared. He wanted Giyuu to burst through the door and to pull this man off him. But of course, things never worked out that way for him, did it? Not on the streets when people would beat them for stealing food, not during the winter when they would curl up together in a hole they had dug on the moors to get under the wind, and not in the Garden when large men would fuck their prepubescent bodies and make them bleed.

Fabron’s gaze shifted a bit, and curiously, he said, “What, no smile? I thought whores were always supposed to smile for their clients.”

Still, Sabito couldn’t move, ready to cry in fear and frustration because he couldn’t do as he was asked.

Before he could blink again, Fabron had sliced through one side of his face, and then the other

The pain was piercing, horrific, and made him arch his back so hard it was as if he had been shot. He couldn’t do anything but scream and scream as blood drenched the sides of his face, his neck, his chest, and the blankets beside him. Through red vision he saw Fabron get up and leave, a pleased smirk on his face. He swore he was dying, and in a wretched, wet voice he cried for help.

“GIYUU!”

It had to have been around three in the afternoon that Sabito’s whimpering grew loud enough to wake Giyuu. His eyelids fluttered open to see his lover’s face pinched with pain, his eyebrows drawn upwards and his and the corners of his mouth drawn downward in a deep frown. He looked like he was trying very hard not to cry, or scream. Eventually, he failed on both counts, tears beading up on his eyelashes and his voice leaking past his parted lips.

Giyuu sat up abruptly, the sleep clearing away from his brain the minute he saw those tears. He grew more and more alarmed with ever second that ticked by and Sabito’s whimpers turned into muffled cries. Once the thrashing started, Giyuu began shaking his shoulders and calling his name. The other boys started rousing slowly as well, Inosuke having been kicked awake with a startled snort.

Just then, Sabito’s back arched sharply, so much though that for a moment they thought he had been possessed by something, and the fact that he screamed Giyuu’s name at the top of his lungs in a way that made everyone’s hair stand up on the backs of their necks, didn’t help matters any. They scrambled upright, but before they could help Giyuu in waking him up, Sabito’s eyelids snapped open.

At first, the boy didn’t see any of them; in his mind, he was still in that room with Fabron, pain burning up his face, blood soaking his skin and staining the blankets around him. He clapped his hands against his cheeks the way he had that night in an effort to stop the bleeding once he had been untied. He started looking for Giyuu, who had torn out of the parlor and burst into the room the minute he heard him screaming. He should have the bed sheets he had already bled on in his hands, telling him to press them against his face. And while Giyuu was there beside him, he didn’t have bloody bedsheets in his hands. His blue eyes were wide with concern, but he didn’t look panicked like he had that night. And there was…daylight behind his head? It wasn’t night? He wasn’t in the room with Fabron?

At first, all Sabito could hear was the sound of his own wheezing gasps, but slowly, he heard the tired murmurs of his friends. His eyes darted around blindly for a moment, before the darkness of the room in his dream melted away, and the blood that he thought was covering his chest wasn’t there either. It wasn’t covering his skin; that was just cold sweat soaking his chest and back that made his nightshirt stick to him. His gaze slowly travelled over to four pairs of sleepy and worried eyes that were regarding him from the other side of the bed. Inosuke was rubbing his eyes, Tanjiro looked thoroughly shocked, and Zenitsu was plastered against Rengoku’s side, more surprised by the loud noise than anything. And Giyuu’s hands were moving from his shoulders to his face, brushing his sweaty hair away from his temples and the back of his neck.

“Kitsune?” Giyuu was still staring into his eyes, his eyebrows turned upward with apprehension. “Are you here with me?”

Sabito patted at his own cheeks, and felt the ridges of his scars instead of the loose, wet flaps of a fresh wound. It was okay. It had just been a dream. Seeing this, Giyuu, as well as the others could guess well enough what he had been dreaming about.

The light haired boy gave a series of small, jerky nods. However, he was shaking so badly that he couldn’t remain sitting up, and so found himself leaning against Giyuu, placing his chin on his shoulder. Automatically, the other boy’s arms wrapped around him, one hand holding the back of his head and the other around Sabito’s shoulders.

They sat there in silence for a couple minutes, the others watching helplessly as Sabito continued to tremble. His stomach felt like it was full of nerves, and his chest was awfully tight. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep for the rest of the day, and now he was going to go to work exhausted and jittery, and then-

Suddenly, he felt the smallest, most hesitant touch on his thigh, causing both Giyuu and Sabito to look up and see that it was just Tanjiro. He looked unsure, crouching low, like he might frighten Sabito with any sudden movements. When his friend didn’t react, Tanjiro slid onto his lap and rolled over onto his back, tilting his head a bit. Sabito smiled at the sight.

“You look like a puppy,” he said to him.

Tanjiro snorted. This was good though. He had a good idea of how Sabito was feeling at the moment; sometimes he started shaking from horrible nightmares and just couldn’t calm down. And he knew that, as odd as it was, a good cure for such a thing was levity and laughter. If he could get Sabito to laugh, it might cheer him up enough to chase away the panic.

“Sabito-san,” Tanjiro said as he settled in, “Did you know Inosuke farts in his sleep? He actually woke me up like an hour ago with one because it was so loud.”

To his delight, the other boy burst out laughing, burying his face in Giyuu’s chest. Perhaps it was slight hysteria that was making him laugh so hard, but Tanjiro was okay with that as long as he wasn’t as scared anymore. Behind him, Inosuke squawked indignantly, while Zenitsu doubled over as well.

“I do not!” he insisted, smacking at Tanjiro’s legs.

“Yeah you do, dumbass,” Zenitsu said. “God forbid one of us is stuck under the blankets when you do because you Dutch oven the whole bed.”

“It’s true,” Sabito added, his voice slightly muffled by Giyuu’s chest.

Tanjiro snickered. “Has he always done that?”

“For as long as I can remember,” Zenitsu answered. “I’m glad you came along Tanjiro because before you were here I was stuck sleeping next to him.”

With a playful growl, Inosuke set his sights on both of them, “That’s it, come here, both of you!”  

He grabbed Tanjiro in one arm and Zenitsu in the other, managing to wrestle Tanjiro to the bed underneath him. Zenitsu wriggled free and pounced on top of him, laughing as he tried to drag Inosuke off him. But of course, the dark haired boy refused to move. He started tickling Tanjiro within an inch of his life, making him laugh so hard that it didn’t take long for him to start wheezing. Between Tanjiro struggling to get free, Inosuke tickling him and trying to throw Zenitsu off, Rengoku had to get off the bed or he risked being smacked by an errant fist or foot. He went over to sit next to Giyuu and Sabito, settling against the both of them.

As stupid as he thought the whole business was, he was laughing as well, and it made Sabito smile as well, feeling his shoulders shake against him. Even Giyuu was snorting in amusement. Of course normally they would have been trying to break up the tomfoolery, but at the moment, the levity was appreciated. Even if they did end up breaking a few bones this time, well, they supposed that was their problem.

Eventually, Tanjiro was able to stop the whole thing in its track by raising his head and kissing Inosuke’s cheek. The stupidly besotted boy froze, which made Tanjiro crack up, especially when Zenitsu was then able to yank him off him and they flopped onto the mattress next to them.

When that happened, Rengoku stood up and moved back over to his side of the bed, saying, “Alright you morons, come on, back to sleep. The evening is going to come way too fast.”

“Yeah like Inosuke did just now when Tanjiro kissed him,” Zenitsu said.

Inosuke reached back and smacked him anywhere he could reach, which made the blond boy yelp. Rengoku rolled his eyes and in turn slapped them both on the ass hard enough to make them get up and move, grumbling in protest.

However, upon looking up, Tanjiro saw that Sabito was smiling, though there was still a small tremor to his legs and arms. So at least he had accomplished is goal in cheering him up, even if it was just a little bit.

And when they laid down to sleep again, the fact that he, Inosuke and Zenitsu all got the hiccups from laughing so hard only made Sabito crack up more.

000

Rengoku was torn about Uzui visiting that night. On one hand, seeing him of course cheered him up like nothing else and made him feel very safe. As long as he was with him, he knew other customers wouldn’t be able to get near him. On the other, he was worried about what he would say when he saw the bruises on his throat. They were fading, yes, but he knew Uzui would still take notice of them.

Plus, now that Muzan knew how close they were, he would be keeping a closer eye on them, and he had told him that he had to keep him amused with his suffering. He had no idea how his sanity was going to endure this.

But when Uzui appeared in the doorway of the parlor, decked out in yet another colorful suit and a diamond studded eyepatch, all of Rengoku’s trepidation momentarily melted away, and he didn’t bother to stop himself from running up to him and throwing his arms around his neck.

If only he could have kissed him too. But Muzan was watching him from one of the couches where he was sipping bourbon with one of their guests.

“My little ray of sunshine, how I missed you,” Uzui gushed as he squeezed him tight, rocking their bodies from side to side.

“It’s only been a couple days,” Rengoku said, amused.

When the taller man backed out of the embrace, he met his eyes at first, but then of course his gaze was drawn to his neck. His smile dropped and his lips parted, concern clouding his face. He reached up and touched the bruises, asking softly, “What are these?”

Rengoku just shook his head. “Nothing. I just ran into something the other evening, it’s no big deal.”

He knew how weak the excuse was, but he couldn’t come up with anything else. Most other people wouldn’t have really cared enough to press further, but not Uzui of course. In a low voice, he said, “Looks like you ran into someone’s hand. Come on, Kyojuro, I saw these sorts of bruises enough back when I was a gang leader, on either myself or others. I know what it looks like when someone has been strangled, and what’s more, what it sounds like. Your voice sounds strained too.” Uzui then very gently began rubbing at the bruises, as if he could make them go away with his touch alone, and asked, “Now who did this?”

Rengoku said nothing to that, his head bowing in shame, shame over the fact that he couldn’t just tell him outright. He didn’t dare look behind him to see if Muzan was still watching. He didn’t have to anyway; he could practically feel his eyes burning into his back.

Tenderly, so much so that it practically made him want to cry, Uzui took Rengoku’s chin and lifted it so that it met his eyes. There was so much worry, and yet so much fire in them, worry for him that was barely concealing his fury towards whoever had put their hands on him. No one had ever been so worried about him in his life except his friends, his mother and his little brother, and it made his heart feel so full he could barely stand it.

Just then, he really did start crying. He wanted to tell Uzui what had happened so badly, but just barely stopped himself. Even if he did say something, what good would it do? It wouldn’t change the fact that it happened. He had already burdened his friends with his woes about the torture Muzan put him through; he didn’t need to burden the man he fancied either. If he did, he might leave him, deciding that he couldn’t handle or didn’t want to be a part of it. Besides, there was no guarantee that even if he told Uzui what had happened to him out of earshot that his boss wouldn’t find out somehow. He had found out about his and Uzui’s feelings for each other so easily…

Oh God, what if Muzan did something to Uzui in retaliation?

He sighed heavily. His boss had to be loving this. He was suffering just like he wanted him to.

So, Rengoku said, “Just someone who I made a little angry one night. I probably said something to set him off…I don’t know, it’s all a blur. But I’m okay now so let’s just enjoy each other’s company, yeah?”

He saw Uzui’s face fall slightly, and he felt a little ping in his chest. However, before he could say something else to try and make up for it, he heard footsteps behind him. Rengoku turned his head to see Muzan approaching. He flinched, cowering towards Uzui without thinking. Upon seeing this, Uzui placed a protective hand on Rengoku’s shoulder, regarding the other man with a steely, suspicious glint in his eyes.

Muzan leaned in towards Rengoku and said, “I need you in the front foyer. Now. We have a new guest coming with a lot of money, so much in fact that he’s paid enough for two of you to entertain him tonight, and we want to impress him.”

After a beat, the younger man answered with his eyes lowered to the ground, “Yes sir. I’ll be right there.”

He watched as Muzan then brushed past him, followed by a couple of his friends who were also in the parlor. As soon as he vanished around the corner, Rengoku leaned up and kissed Uzui firmly, trying to pour as much affection as he could into it. He felt him kiss him back, and hope swelled inside of him. Maybe he would get to keep him in his life for a while longer.

“I’m sorry,” he said when they separated, and he prayed that the other man would hear the sincerity in his voice. “If the guest doesn’t want to spend time with me tonight, I’ll come back.”

With another caring stroke over the bruises on his neck, Uzui nodded. Heavens he had the patience of a saint. Rengoku didn’t deserve him.

“I’ll wait for you,” he promised.

Light with relief, Rengoku gave him another peck on the lips, before leaving the room to head to the front foyer as he was bid without a backwards glance. Because he knew if he looked back, he might be too tempted to stay in Uzui’s arms and not leave.

Rengoku was the last to arrive in the foyer of course, the other boys already lined up against the wall like horses that were standing there for an auction. Their guest this time was a boy probably no older than Tanjiro. Often times, it wasn’t young people that visited their brothel, but older men going through some sort of midlife crisis that wanted to prove something to themselves. Mostly that they could either still get it up or that they were still attractive to younger people, even if those people were prostitutes. But when it was a younger person, it was mostly because their parents were pushing them to get their first sexual experience over with so that they would be more skilled to please their future wives.

However, a younger person seeking out the company of male prostitutes was another matter entirely. That usually meant that someone had just discovered that they were an invert and didn’t want anyone else to find out.

Muzan stepped back and stood next to the customer, saying, “My Flowers, this is Monsieur Segal. Monsieur Segal, these are the finest blooms in my garden, and indeed, I’d say the finest, most beautiful young men you’ll find in any house of pleasure in this part of France.”

Each one of the Flowers did their best to attract his attention. Inosuke pulled all of his hair so that it draped over one shoulder, tilting his head so that his pale neck was exposed. Tanjiro flashed him a pretty, charming smile, giggling sweetly when their eyes met. Zenitsu moved slowly from side to the other, showing every angle while pulling his yukata a bit more tightly over his rear so that their customer could see it. Giyuu gazed aloofly down his nose at him, moving one leg forward so that it was exposed up to his thigh. Sabito fluttered his eyelashes, his light, lovely eyes gilded in the low light, and Rengoku allowed the shoulders of his yukata to fall open slightly so that his skin was exposed. Their guest took it all in as he looked each one of them up and down, his face as red as his tie.

“They’re all gorgeous,” Segal observed shyly. “I wish I could take them all at once. I suppose I’ll just have to visit again.”

“We’d be very grateful if you did so,” Muzan said.

It turned the stomach of each of the Flowers to hear him speak so politely, so manipulatively. Rengoku especially had heard that voice far too many times directed towards him when he was trying to convince him to do something, and in exchange Muzan wouldn’t hurt his friends.

Finally, Segal pointed first towards Giyuu, and then Inosuke. Muzan nodded in approval.

“You have a good eye,” he said, “Belladonna and Chardon are our two most popular boys here. They have a lot of experience, so you’ll be in good hands.”

Giyuu and Inosuke stepped away from the wall and Inosuke took his arm, leading him down the hall while the others stepped back into the parlor.

“So what made you choose our little place to visit?” Inosuke asked as they walked.

“W-Well, I heard it was one of the best in town, and then I heard that some of the workers here were foreigners,” Segal admitted. “I became curious. I’ve always found people from the East to be exceptionally pretty, so I thought I’d take a look.”

Giyuu and Inosuke shared a look. Ah, one of those then. He would be easy to entertain then.

“We have women from the orient here as well,” Giyuu said bluntly.

“I know, but…ever since I was thirteen, well, I haven’t really…

“Haven’t felt like giving a girl a green gown, have you?” Inosuke laughed, poking him in the ribs, like two old friends teasing each other. “I haven’t felt the need myself either. The fairer sex is all well and good, but I say a nice cod is just as pretty, and nothing is better than a gorgeous man moaning in pleasure by your hand.”

In no time, they reached their destination, one of the larger rooms reserved for instances such as these. Threesomes were not terribly uncommon here, especially among the very wealthy patrons, but it had been quite some time since Giyuu or Inosuke had taken part in one. Yet, the two of them often seemed to be paired together during these events. Their guess was that the client had a type, and both of them did look similar; same dark hair, same pale as milk faces, and same large doe-eyes. Likewise, Rengoku and Zenitsu would be paired together, and lately Tanjiro and Sabito would be as well. But as the most popular and prettiest of the Flowers, Giyuu and Inosuke were not cheap, so only the wealthiest patrons could afford the two of them at once.

After the door was shut, they instructed Segal to get on the bed, Giyuu sat in front of him, asking bluntly, “So what did you pay for?”

Their young patron answered, “I guess I’m too nervous to try anything beyond foreplay and heavy petting, since I’ve never done anything with anyone before. So, just that. With clothes on, I guess.”

Giyuu and Inosuke glanced at each other, before Inosuke smirked and Giyuu raised an eyebrow at him. The younger Flower said, “I have just the thing.”

He sauntered over to a potted plant growing in the center of the room, and Giyuu did not miss the way Segal’s eyes watched his hips swaying. It was a young Japanese maple that Muzan planned on planting outside once it grew big enough. Once he reached it, he plucked off one of the red leaves and then made his way back over to the bed before sitting down next to Giyuu.

“Ah, so we’re going to do ‘this?” Giyuu observed, his voice still quite flat.

“Yeah why not?” Inosuke looked towards their guest, a playful gleam in his green eyes. “We’re going to play a game called ‘find the leaf.”

Segal’s eyes flicked from one of them to the other, clearly waiting for them to explain what they were talking about. He loosened his tie and sat up straighter, clearly growing more excited with every word.

Giyuu took the leaf from Inosuke, sighing and saying, “Don’t leave him in suspense, just show him.”

Holding onto the stem, he twirled the leaf around between his thumb and forefinger, as if he was holding a tiny flame. Then, very carefully, he placed the leaf inside his yukata, moving it around a few times, before he removed his now empty hand and looked up at the young man, stating, “Alright. Go ahead.”

Segal blinked at him, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just said. Both Flowers knew that look of confusion, that inability to process the okay to go ahead, well. Especially among their new, very young patrons, and especially the ones who had just discovered they were inverts. Giyuu had experienced something similar the first time he and Sabito made love, and Inosuke was currently going through the same thing. Their whole lives they had been told that who they were attracted to was wrong, and even in here, they would be put down and called horrible names related to the fact that they were mollies. So to be told for the first time that it was okay to act on their homosexual impulses was a relief that couldn’t be described.

Still, their guest was nervous. So, Giyuu scooted closer until he was sitting directly in front of him, took one of his hands, and placed it inside his robes upon his ribs. He shivered, but not from pleasure; Segal’s hands were clammy.

“Go ahead, he won’t bite,” Inosuke said, leaning forward and setting his chin on Giyuu’s shoulder. “I might though.”

He grinned so that his teeth were bared, looking like a predator in that moment. The patron swallowed hard, and then did as he was asked, feeling around Giyuu’s back, his shoulders, and hesitating before dipping to his waist. Neither he nor Giyuu met each other’s eyes the entire time, Segal because he was too nervous, face cherry red, and Giyuu because he was indifferent to the whole business. Inosuke could smell the opium on his robes.

Though Giyuu had been a mostly emotionless person for as long as he’d known him, he still broke the façade when he was with his friends. So to see his eyes so dull as he disappeared to wherever the drug took him was heartbreaking. As he saw it, the only escape he would be capable of would be in his mind.

When Segal found the leaf, he held it up proudly, but once more, Giyuu barely had a reaction. He just tipped his head slightly acknowledgement, and sighed almost as an afterthought, “How boring. You looked like you’d be more adventurous than that. I thought all young men were a little wild, at least in my experience they are.”

Segal’s cheeks reddened further and his eyes darkened with lust. Inosuke hummed to himself. So he liked the admonishment, did he? Of course he did. He had chosen him and Giyuu to entertain him. Most who chose them knew that they specialized in demeaning their customers.

“I can do better,” Segal insisted.

Inosuke took the leaf from him and placed it inside his own robe, once again baring his teeth in a haughty smile. He raised his head and looked down his nose at him slightly, saying, “Well doll, you better. Since we get so many customers, we get bored easily.”

And when he said that, it left a bad taste in his mouth. It was then that he understood exactly what Giyuu went through every single time he slept with a customer. Yes this was work but…he had to stop himself from flinching away from Segal’s hands as he touched his skin. Never had he wanted to run out of a room so badly before. He wanted…he wanted Tanjiro. He wanted him to be the one looking for the leaf, the one he was teasing and playing with. And of course, he knew Giyuu wanted Sabito’s touch instead of this stranger’s.

He had to bite his lip to hold in a sound of disgust. This wasn’t good, Inosuke thought as he glanced over at Giyuu and saw a similar sentiment reflected in his eyes. No wonder Muzan didn’t want them to fall in love; it was making their work so much harder than it used to be.

And the harder they fell for their partners, the more they longed for the impossible.

For freedom.

Chapter Text

It was one of those days where guilt took over Giyuu and Sabito. Guilt over the fact that they were whores and had to sleep with other people when they wanted very much to stay loyal to each other. Giyuu found himself reaching for the opium more often than not lately, and he hated how disappointed his lover looked in him every time he came into bed smelling like the slightly sweet smoke. And when Giyuu felt guilty, he became more affectionate, always afraid that the other boy would get tired of him and leave him. And Sabito would always reassure him that there was no other person for him, and that Giyuu could kill a man and he’d stay by his side.

The scary thing was it was probably true.

But no matter how in love they were and how pure it seemed to them and the people who knew about it, it could never be realized, and it frustrated them to no end. It had led to more than one night of tears when everyone else had gone to sleep. But in an odd way, it brought them closer together, knowing that the world was against them, so they drew further into their own world.

One afternoon, before everyone else woke up, the boys got up early, hand in hand. It was a day where it felt like all four walls were closing in on them, and since they couldn’t run out the door to freedom, their only solace was in each other.

Carefully, they made their way to one of the closets in the empty back of the building, checking all over to make sure that no one was around to see them. During the day, the Garden was usually a ghost town anyway since most of the workers were asleep and the only people that were floating around were the staff as they tidied up for that night. When it grew dark, Sabito would take over for them in the event that he didn’t have any customers, which was almost all the time now. It seemed that the only real bits of happiness in their lives anymore was spending time with their friends and finding intimate time with each other.

Giyuu pulled Sabito into the closet, their light source disappearing the minute the door shut behind them. But after they twisted the lock on the knob, he didn’t pull him into a kiss like he usually did. Instead, he wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his chest. Sabito’s eyes widened when he heard little breathy sobs escaping him, his shoulders shuddering. He set his hands on his back, rubbing it. Giyuu started falling to his knees, pulling the boy down with him. Sabito helped to lower him, and the two of them sat on their feet in the middle of that dark closet, the only light available leaking in from the crack in the bottom of the door.

“I can’t take this anymore,” he breathed around his sobs. “I feel so trapped. We’ve been stuck here for eleven years. When we were running wild on the moors or scavenging for food in the streets, yes we were always hungry but at least we were free. At least when I wanted to kiss you I didn’t have to worry about who saw us. At least we had the sky over our heads instead of a ceiling. We could make our own decisions about where we went and where we wanted to die if the time came.”

“I know,” Sabito said, nosing into his hair. He blew a warm breath against his scalp as he sighed. “And now our bodies aren’t even our own. We can’t decide who we give them to and who we save ourselves for. Back when Muzan picked us up out of that dirty alley and said that if we came to work for him we’d never have to worry about being hungry and cold again, I never thought this was where we would have ended up. And I was the one who took him up on the offer. I was the one who decided for us. I’m so sorry”-

“Now don’t start that again,” Giyuu huffed, and though he couldn’t see his face, Sabito knew he was scrunching up his nose in disapproval. “I don’t blame you for this and I never have. I came with you willingly. Not even the devil could keep me from following you.”

“We got hired by him.”

“And yet he still hasn’t been able to keep us from loving one another.”

Sabito held him a little tighter, sniffling as he felt tears stinging his eyes. He had no idea what to say to that, so he kept silent for a minute, before asking, “Umi? Please- Please fuck me.”

Giyuu looked up from his chest, his blue eyes wide with a silent question: Are you sure?

 Again, Sabito insisted, “Please.” He held him tighter.

His partner hesitated for a moment more…and then began kissing up Sabito’s neck, softly at first, and then with more vigor. He sat up on his knees more, holding one side of his neck while he worked on the other. Sabito released a faint moan, eyelids falling shut. He kept rubbing his back, encouraging him to keep going.

“I wish I could make love to you on a bed,” Giyuu said lowly against his skin. “Instead of in these dirty, cramped closets.”

Sabito smiled and leaned forward to kiss the side of his head, asking, “What would you do to me if we were on a bed?”

“What, you want me to paint you a picture?”

The other boy just snickered, causing Giyuu to pull his face out of his neck and regard him. When he saw those light eyes staring back at him expectantly, he knew he couldn’t say no, even if he found the idea to be silly. So, he replied, “Well, first of all, I’d take my time with you. Assuming we weren’t here, and in our own private place, we wouldn’t have to worry about anyone walking in on us.”

“Like if we were up in the mountains, living with our friends away from everyone else?”

Giyuu nodded. “Exactly.” His eyes narrowed as he then added, “And if any of them dared to interrupt us I’d kick them out through the door and let them roll down the mountainside.”

Sabito laughed at that, but the laugh turned into a sigh when Giyuu opened his robe and began running his palms over his chest. He leaned down and licked at first one nipple, then the other, pleased when his partner started whimpering and thrusting his hips, obviously searching for friction. Giyuu gave him what he wanted, moving so that one of his thighs was between his legs, and a moment later he felt that humid warmth connecting with his bare skin as Sabito got himself off, grinding his swelling groin against that firm muscle.

He could practically see what his partner was describing. However, his mind wandered even further. If they ever got out of here, he never wanted to live among people ever again. Rather, it might be very nice to live in the mountains in a home that the six of them built with their own two hands. To wake up every morning to the sound of the birds chirping in the spring or the wind whistling by the window in the winter. To live off the land and only venturing into town when they had to. To be among people they could trust and wouldn’t have to put up a front around. And yes, a place where they could make love and take their time while doing so.

To be free.

Sabito found himself panting Giyuu’s name over and over, before finally saying, “We need to- hold on. I’m gonna come, we have to”-

“Yeah,” Giyuu agreed hoarsely. “You…prep yourself, and I’ll do the same.”

Sabito did as he was told, reaching into Giyuu’s pocket and pulling out the vial of oil that he almost always seemed to keep in there anymore. He could hardly stand to wait as he opened himself up; it had been quite a while since he had bottomed, as Giyuu almost always seemed to want to. He told him it was because he always felt so dirty inside and out every night. He claimed that even after he washed, he swore he could feel the semen of his customers still deep inside him no matter how hard he scrubbed and how deep he reached inside his body. When Sabito came inside him, it erased the feeling for a while and made him feel clean.

Sometimes he wondered if he was just as addicted to his lover as he was the opium.

And when Sabito leaned back against the walls and spread his legs, when Giyuu slowly sank between his thighs and then began thrusting into him, he realized there might be some truth to that. In the same manner that the thought of being separated from his drug made him so anxious that it sent him into fits, the same thing happened when he thought of going one day without Sabito being by his side. He touched their foreheads together, and they closed their eyes, breathing in each other’s humid, rapid breaths. Giyuu’s thrusts were slow and deep, the boy adding an extra little push at the end of each thrust. Sabito jumped and he wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Giyuu was hitting his prostate, each jolt sending fire from the base of his spine all the way up the back of his neck.

Normally, Sabito was very good at waxing poetry about how much he loved his partner, saying things that made him moan as if he was the one being touched. But for some reason, this time, the pleasure that was washing over him was so intense that he found he couldn’t formulate any words in any of the three languages he knew. So, he told Giyuu how well he was doing and how much he loved him with his body. Every time he felt that wonderful burn deep in his lower body, he gasped. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders to keep him in place, and tangled his fingers in his long, black hair. Feeling the little tug, Giyuu pressed in closer until their lips met. And for some reason, that made Sabito moan even louder. His partner slowed down a bit so that he could lick into his mouth, shuddering when his tongue met his own. Their kisses were only for each other, not for their customers.

And maybe that was why Sabito found more pleasure than the average person might in a kiss; because kisses were so rare. Genuine, heartfelt, loving kisses were as precious as diamonds, as delicious as ambrosia, and so they savored each one. They were like gasps for air from someone starving of it, trying to find a tiny piece of heartfelt affection that didn’t come because someone had paid for it. Giyuu was his boat in a stormy sea, and without him…

Sabito kissed him harder.

But he couldn’t maintain the kiss for long. Too soon, he was forced to tear his lips away and suck in a wheezing breath when Giyuu picked up his pace again. When his cock began rubbing back and forth over his prostate, a loud groan was pushed from deep within his lower stomach. His head fell back and he squeezed his eyes shut, a blush spreading across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Giyuu adjusted his hold so that he was gripping Sabito’s hips, using his hands to help pull the other boy onto his cock over and over again.

When Giyuu reached under his robe and took Sabito’s length in his hand before he started jerking him off was when his lover truly lost it. That was when the ecstasy started becoming too much, and he could feel the screams building up in his throat. Quickly he took one of his hands off Giyuu’s shoulders and stuffed the sleeve of his robe in his mouth, clamping down on the cloth to stifle the sounds. Giyuu could similarly feel the pleasure getting worse, feel it burning all the way to the ends of his fingers and toes and to the end of each strand of hair. He buried his face in the crook of his neck, biting down on his robe in hopes that his shuddering moans wouldn’t be heard.

There were no words between them as they came, just whines and muffled shouts. Sabito could hardly breathe at all as he felt gush after gush of come painted both his insides and his own stomach and chest. It was filthy, but or once in his life it didn’t feel that way. For once, the pleasure was intense enough that he did in fact come, that he didn’t have to fake it just to make some man that didn’t matter to him happy. Giyuu made him happy, excruciatingly so, and it was that combined with the deep bond they shared that was able to push such intense orgasms out of him. All he could do was hold on to him for dear life when Giyuu slumped forward and laid on top of him.

They sat there for several minutes, catching their breath, limbs quivering and coming down from their high. Their hearts were pounding so hard that Giyuu could feel the walls of Sabito’s insides undulating gently with his pulse around his length. He kissed the boy’s neck lazily while Sabito petted his hair.

“We should run away,” Sabito stated over his head as he stared at the opposite wall.

“I’d slow us down too much,” Giyuu sighed. “I’m sure I weight half of what I’m supposed to by now. I have a hard enough time having sex for too long or walking too far. There’s no way I could run away if Muzan came after us. If you’re going to escape, then you’ll have to”-

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” his lover said sharply. “It doesn’t matter if you can walk out of here under your own power or not. I’ll carry you. Besides, if we take the others with us, when I get tired, one of them would carry you.”

Giyuu huffed, blowing the warm puff of air against his neck. He knew there was no arguing with him, even if the idiot was saying things that made no sense to him. There was no way the others would be able to carry him either, nor would Sabito have the ability to do so for long. They were all severely underweight, all terribly weak, no matter how much they didn’t want to admit it.

So, all he found he could say was, “Whatever you say. If you want to haul my ass out of here I won’t stop you.”

The other boy smiled down at him. “I do miss our stars.”

Giyuu opened his mouth to say something in return, but before he could, to their collective horror, they heard a deep, cold voice on the other side of the door demand, “Belladonna, Ume, open the door. Now.”

Their blood turned into ice in their veins. That was Muzan. They shared a panicked glanced, unsure if they should remain silent and pretend they weren’t there or do as they were asked. But Muzan made the decision for them when he said, “I know you’re in there. You’re not as good at holding your voices back as you think. You don’t want to make me wait any longer for you.”

Shaking, feeling sick, they both made the silent decision to get up and straighten up their robes as quickly as possible, trying to make themselves presentable. They then opened up the door, Muzan a dark, intimidating shadow in the doorway, his eyes the only part of him that was clearly defined. They almost seemed to glow a disconcerting red.

Once they shut the door behind them, Sabito tried to explain, “It’s not what it”-

“Shut it,” he commanded.

His jaw snapped shut, and Sabito lowered his head, Giyuu doing the same. They resisted the urge to pull their shoulders up to their ears as Muzan reached forward. He pushed the bottom half of Giyuu’s robe aside and began groping at his genitals. His eyes narrowed when he registered the dampness and the lingering intense heat there. They watched as he removed his hand and did the same to Sabito, feeling between his legs, reaching up his stomach where he felt his still damp come, before moving to his rear. Giyuu watched Sabito flinch as he dug his fingers into the crack of his behind and then pulled them out. His fingers were coated in semen that glistened like spider webs when he held them up in front of Sabito’s face and spread them out.

Muzan’s face hardened with fury, and without warning he slapped Sabito across the face, leaving a streak of moisture on his cheek.

Giyuu bristled, and just as quickly lunged for the other man, shoving him away from his lover, growling, “You son of a bitch, keep your hands off him!”

Weak as he was however, he couldn’t push Muzan too hard, and in retaliation their boss grabbed Giyuu by the hair and pushed him to the ground. Giyuu landed very hard, grunting from the impact. Sabito immediately fell to his knees and crawled over to him with his name on his lips. He pulled Giyuu upright into a sitting position, rubbing at his right hand and up his arm, which had taken the brunt of the fall as he tried to catch himself. Upon seeing this display of concern and care, Muzan’s hands balled into fists by his sides.

“Ume,” he said coldly, “go clean yourself up and come to my office. If you’re not there in ten minutes I’ll come get you myself and I don’t think you want that.”

He left without another word, cleaning his sullied hand off with a handkerchief he had pulled out of his pocket, his shoes clacking down the hardwood hallway.

Sabito and Giyuu could hardly breathe, their hearts were pounding so hard, and Giyuu swore that a ringing had begun in his ears. They shared a look, their wide eyed shock mirrored in the other’s expression.

After a moment, Giyuu stated, “I’m going with you.”

Immediately, the other boy insisted, “Oh no you’re not. We’re already in deep enough trouble. Let’s not push it.”

“Things can’t get any worse. If he’s going to throw one of us out, he’s throwing both of us out, okay?”

“Giyuu, no.”

The tone he used made the dark haired boy go silent, and the steely look in his eyes prevented him from arguing any further. Sabito sighed, lowering his head.

“Just…I’ll handle it. I can’t stop you from standing outside the door or whatever you want, but please.” He raised his head again, light eyes pleading with him. “For me. I don’t want to see you get hurt again, because if he lays his hands on you a second time I’ll be forced to kill him and I don’t want to face the hangman’s noose, okay?”

He said it so matter of factly that it threw Giyuu off for a moment. But eventually he nodded, offering no further resistance.

Sabito held out his hand for him to take, and Giyuu did so, allowing the other boy to pull him up off the floor. They walked to their bathroom, took off their robes, and began washing. Giyuu winced when he saw how red his lover’s cheek was turning, a sign of how hard he had been slapped. Would he need ice for it?

After washing and putting their robes back on, Sabito made them stop in the hallway, put his hands on Giyuu’s shoulders, and told him as he looked him in the eye, “Please go wait in our room. Rest and get warm, okay? I don’t want you to strain yourself anymore.”

Giyuu wanted to argue, didn’t want to leave him alone for a second, but deep down he knew he was right. If anything was ever wrong with him, trust Sabito to notice it before Giyuu noticed himself. And at the moment, his limbs were quivering, he felt dizzy, and his heart was still pounding too hard. The urge to lay down was becoming overwhelming, so Sabito took his face in his hands and kissed him on the forehead.

Leaning into the gesture, Giyuu declared, “I will for now but…if you’re not out of there soon, I’m coming after you. I don’t care what Muzan says about it or does to me afterwards, but I’m not letting him hurt you anymore either. Just please be careful.”

Sabito nodded firmly, hugging him tightly one last time, before letting him go. He watched as he disappeared behind the door, and then, gathering his courage, made his way down to his boss’ office.

The second he heard his footsteps disappearing, Giyuu’s head popped right back around the doorframe. He loved Sabito, but this time he wasn’t going to do as he was told. He meant it when he wasn’t going to let Muzan hurt him again. So, he crept down the hall after him, thankful that his feet were bare so that he made almost no noise as he walked. He knew which floorboards creaked, so he was careful to avoid those as he moved. Finally, he sat down in front of the closed office door when he reached it, pressing his ear against the wood. If he heard the slightest sound of distress from Sabito in there, he was going to break it down.

Even though he pushed his ear as hard as he could against the door, all Giyuu could really make out were a few mumbles and occasional phrases. He tried to stay as quiet as possible, hardly daring to breathe. Even his heartbeat was too loud.

“What do you propose we do?” he heard Muzan say evenly.

Sabito’s response was too low for him to hear, but whatever it was, it made their boss laugh a bit with…amusement? Whatever the sentiment, it was creepy, and whatever he said next Giyuu also couldn’t make out, though he thought he heard the word “choice.” He was giving Sabito a choice? What kind of choice? A choice of what kind of punishment he would receive? Giyuu shivered. He knew the other boy would endure any kind of physical torture as long as it meant he wouldn’t have to leave. But if he was going to be beaten or worse, then both of them should share in it since they were both equally guilty.

Muzan said something else, something that sounded like “tolerate you.” The words were hard, edged with steel, but they didn’t make Giyuu’s hair stand on edge as much as the other man’s next words.

“He’s mine.”

Those words were furious, almost guttural, like if a tiger over its kill could speak to the other tiger that was trying to steal it. Giyuu gritted his teeth as he struggled to keep himself from opening the door. Not that he could anyway; it was probably locked.

Sabito said something that was low and soft, and to Giyuu’s ears was horribly submissive, so much different than his normally assertive friend. Muzan’s words must have disturbed him as much as they had Giyuu.

Soon after that, he heard footsteps padding towards the door, and that was enough to send Giyuu scampering back to his room. He managed to disappear inside and sit himself on the bed just in time for Sabito to come in and regard him with surprised eyes.

“You didn’t go to sleep?” he asked.

Giyuu scoffed, “How could I? Knowing you were inside that monster’s office all by yourself.” He shook his head. “So what did he say?”

Sabito’s mouth opened and closed a few times, before the corners of it curled upwards into a smile. Giyuu hated to admit it, but the smile was made eerier by his scars. He just shook his head and replied, “That he suspected we were closer than just friends for a while now but he never had any proof until now. And he gave me a choice as to which one of us would receive the punishment, so I chose myself.”

Giyuu wanted to cry, to scream, to punch Sabito and then kiss him. Of course he chose himself. He gripped at the lower part of his robe in a white knuckled grasp, getting ahold himself before he said tiredly, “You fucking idiot. I should kill you myself. You…”

Sabito leaned over him and kissed him on the top of his head. He had to stop himself from laughing when Giyuu continued to grumble, “You little shit…what did he say he was going to do to you?”

To his frustration though, his lover answered vaguely, “Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Giyuu stiffened, and said growled warningly, “Sabito”-

“I mean it. Please.” He kneeled down in front of him, his expression tight and pleading. He took Giyuu’s hands in his own. “You- You suffer enough for me. Muzan told me how you pay my bills, and don’t think I haven’t noticed the bruises you try to hide from me. I know he beats you because you don’t have enough to pay for your own bills after. He beats you because of how close we are…he tried to tell me in there that you were his, that he owns every part of you.”

“He doesn’t own my heart,” Giyuu told him firmly. “No matter how much he hurts me, no matter how much he tries to scare me into staying by his side, that’s one thing he’ll never be able to claim.”

Sabito heaved a shuddering sigh, and once more pulled the other boy into his arms. Since he was still kneeling on the floor, he was able to bury his face in his chest and breathe in his scent. Giyuu held his head, not saying a word.

Eventually, Sabito stood up again and whispered, “It’s getting late.”

Giyuu regarded him steadily, but moved backwards to allow Sabito to climb into his spot in the bed. He said, “Alright. But I’m still not done asking you what you agreed to let Muzan do to you. I still think it’s not fair that we don’t share in it since he didn’t exactly catch you fucking yourself, you know?”

Sabito rolled his eyes, placed his hand on the side of Giyuu’s neck, and pushed him down into his pillow in unison with him. Giyuu snorted, and in retaliation pulled the other boy to his chest. Sabito flailed for a moment, grunting, but then settled and wrapped his arms around him.

000

For the next week, the two of them settled into an almost new kind of normal, a normal where they were constantly anxious, both of them waiting for…something. It turned out they were both waiting for Muzan to deal the punishment that he had promised, a punishment that Sabito seemed to know more about than Giyuu did. But asking him about it got him nowhere, so after a while he stopped pushing so hard. Still, he stayed alert for any signs that Sabito might be in trouble, and didn’t let him out of his sight for even a moment. Whenever he woke up and Sabito wasn’t laying next to him, he’d get up and start looking for him in the bathroom, or the kitchen, and if necessary, drag him back to bed and just hold him so he could be reassured that he was there.

Just when things began to calm down inside Giyuu however and he started to think that maybe, just maybe, Muzan would let this go because of how valuable he was to the Garden and perhaps he might make some discrepancies for them, he was plunged back into reality.

Or rather, into a horrible never-ending nightmare.

It began with waking up just a couple hours after they had gone to bed. Giyuu had stretched, only half asleep, and realized that there was no resistance against his arms or legs when he did so, no body for him to drape his arm over as he usually did. The bed was still warm next to him though, so was someone there? It took him a minute to open his eyes and then register what it was he was seeing.

Sabito’s side of the mattress was empty.

That wiped the sleep from Giyuu’s mind in a second, making him jolt upright. Without thinking, he slid out of bed, thankful that the others were still asleep, and staggered out of the room. He traveled to the places he usually found Sabito, his heart pounding harder and harder every single time he poked his head in a room and found it empty.

He wasn’t in the bathroom, or the kitchen, or even in any of the places they’d hide in when they slept together. And the longer he went without finding him, the more uneasy he became, his breathing growing louder in his ears and his chest becoming tighter and tighter.

Eventually, when he felt he had searched everywhere, he ventured down onto the first floor, moving through the parlor, which still smelled of cigar smoke, alcohol, and thick perfume. When he observed that Sabito wasn’t there, he moved on to the front foyer. Each step he took just made the panic build, because what if he couldn’t find him? What if Muzan had done something to him? Of course he would have waited until Giyuu was asleep, when he couldn’t protect him, of course he would-

Before his thoughts could spiral anymore, he stepped into the entryway of the brothel. And there, standing in the hallway with his back to him, was Sabito, head lowered like he was on his way to the gallows. However, finding him in the front foyer when he was supposed to be upstairs asleep wasn’t what made Giyuu’s heart drop from its place in his chest down to his feet and into the basement.

It was the fact that he was carrying a suitcase and being escorted towards the door by a large man with a hand around his upper arm.

Analyzing the situation in an instant, Giyuu didn’t let himself debate on what he should do; he just ran forward with a gasp of Sabito’s name. Upon hearing this, Sabito stopped in his tracks, stiffening, before he slowly turned around to face him. His eyes were wide, his lips parted, as if he just couldn’t comprehend that the blur running towards him was in fact Giyuu. He was nearly bowled over as the other boy crashed into him, wrapping his arms around him violently and very nearly ripping him out of his escort’s grasp, before hiding his nose in his neck.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” he cried. “You- You”-

Without hesitation, Sabito let go of his suitcase, letting it fall on the floor with a loud thud, and hugged him back, burying his face in his hair. “You weren’t supposed to know.”

“Sabito…Sabito, how could you”-

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, love. Muzan said that he wasn’t going to let our relationship continue, so I had to choose which one of us was going to be sent away to the lower East end brothels.”

“You idiot. Those brothels are for prostitutes who are too sick to work or aren’t getting as many customers.”

“I know. I’m not getting as much work anyway, so it won’t really hurt the finances of this place anyway.”

“Shut up! What about how much it’ll hurt me? The people that work in those places hardly last more than a couple of years. You’ll die there.”

“Hey, hey, shh, hold on.” Sabito backed up a bit and, as if he was handling glass, took his face in his hands, lifting it so he could look him in the eyes. Tears had welled up in them and were trembling on his eyelashes, threatening to fall at any moment. “I can make it, alright? I can hang on long enough for us to develop a plan to escape. This is just a little setback. Don’t lose hope, and I won’t either.”

“But Sabito…I’m not- I won’t- won’t make it without you. I need you, you’re all that matters to me…”

Tears welled in Sabito’s eyes and his lower lip quivered. With a sob, he hid his face in Giyuu’s shoulder, unable to look at him anymore. The pleading tone he was using was breaking him, stripping him of all the resolve he had built up over the past week. He had told himself over and over that he was doing the right thing, that this was what he had to do to protect the man he loved. But seeing Giyuu’s tears, feeling his arms around him in his vice grip, hearing him tell him these things…he wasn’t strong enough.

Sabito’s escort looked helplessly at Muzan, who had appeared in the doorway when he heard the commotion. To their horror, they heard Muzan say, “Get him out of here. They’re expecting him in an hour, and if they don’t get him in that time, I’ll cut your payment in half.”

The escort grunted in acknowledgement, took hold of Sabito’s arm again and starting pulling, but Giyuu, even though he weighed less than half of what that man did, held onto Sabito with limbs powered by adrenaline. When the man tried to push him off, Giyuu shouted, “No! No!” over and over again, loud enough to make him jump backwards for a minute, like he had been hit.

The escort didn’t give up though, once more reaching for Sabito, and Giyuu grew desperate enough that he lunged forward and bit his hand as it came down towards them in a fit of animalistic terror. The man yanked his hand back with a curse, holding it against his chest. He glared over at Muzan, growling, “You didn’t tell me you kept rabid dogs in this place.”

Muzan sighed in frustration. “You can hit him if you need to, anywhere but his face.”

Yet, before anyone else could make a move towards them, more footsteps came padding into the front foyer, and when he dared to look up, Sabito saw that it was their friends, all of them having been awoken by Giyuu’s shouts. They all looked at each individual face, realization dawning in their eyes as they figured out what was going on, one by one. Zenitsu covered his mouth with a gasp, Tanjiro shook his head as if to deny what was right in front of him. Inosuke swore softly to himself, and Rengoku whispered, “No…”

Seeing them there, Muzan fixed his gaze on them, staring at Rengoku in particular. His eyes narrowed, and he glanced between the boy and Giyuu meaningfully. Rengoku met his eyes, swallowed hard in comprehension, and he took a fearful step backwards. He wasn’t asking…no, he couldn’t do that. There was no way he could betray his friend like that. How heartless could one get? He tore his eyes away, staring at the floor, trying to pretend he wasn’t there.

But he couldn’t keep his gaze there for long. He glanced up again at him from the corner of his eye. Muzan’s eyes burned into him more intensely, causing Rengoku’s stomach to practically dissolve in his abdomen from nerves. He had seen that look far too many times to not know what would follow if he didn’t do what he was told. So, with a heavy heart, he stepped away from the doorway. He moved forward until he was standing behind Giyuu, took a deep breath, wrapped his arms under his armpits, and started to pry them apart.

Feeling this, Giyuu began panicking again, screeching, “NO! Kyojuro let go, let go of me! Let go damn you! You traitor!”

Rengoku flinched. The words stung worse than needles. “I’m so sorry, please forgive me, you know I don’t want to do this,” he tried to say, but his words fell on deaf ears. Giyuu still struggled for all he was worth, and at the moment, Rengoku wasn’t succeeding in pulling him back; he was just as weak as Giyuu was, maybe even weaker, considering how little he was getting to eat now. And Giyuu was fighting like a man possessed, rapidly losing all sense of reason.

Seeing that his friend was having difficulty, Zenitsu was surprisingly the one that stepped forward, though he shook from the loud noises and there were tears in his eyes from how heartbreaking Giyuu’s pleas were. He helped to separate Giyuu’s arms from Sabito and push him back while Rengoku pulled, flinching when Giyuu struck him as he flailed wildly but not backing down or letting go. He scratched at their arms, tried knocking his head back into theirs, but between the two of them, they managed to hold onto him, trying to soothe him with soft words, but it had no effect. When Giyuu realized that he wasn’t going to be able to break free, he refocused his attention on Sabito, who had been grabbed by his escort again and was being almost dragged out the door. His lover craned his neck over his shoulder, watching Giyuu the entire time, face streaked with tears.

“Sabito no!” Giyuu cried. “Don’t go! Don’t leave me!”

“I’ll write you, Umi,” Sabito promised, voice choked up. The door was opened, and as he was shoved through it, he said, “It’s not over! Don’t lose hope, as long as we love each other, don’t lose”-

The door slammed shut.

Giyuu screamed.

And all at once, his world fell apart.

Chapter Text

The minute the doors closed behind Sabito, Muzan locked them, and as that lock clicked, it was if all the will within Giyuu’s boy drained out. If he tried going after him, he’d be dragged back in and most likely beaten to a bloody pulp. So even if the doors hadn’t been locked, Giyuu was too afraid to try and go outside, even if it meant going after his love.

Besides, after fighting so hard to get loose, at the moment, he had no strength left in him.

He went limp in Rengoku and Zenitsu’s hold, slumping slowly, as if he were a marionette having his strings cut one by one. Rengoku was about to ask if he was alright, but the question died on his lips the moment he heard soft, wretched sobs escaping his trembling lips. His eyebrows drew together in concern as he glanced down at him, then up at Zenitsu, who looked close to tears himself in sympathy for their friend.

Both of them let go of Giyuu carefully, afraid he might crumple to the floor when they did so and prepared to catch him again if that became the case. The dark haired man’s legs trembled, but held his weight as he stood there by himself, his friends’ hands hovering near him.

They watched as he stood there, breathing heavily for a moment, before he stumbled over to the front doors that Sabito had disappeared through. Everyone watched him, confused and wondering if he was going to try and escape. But he just leaned against the door, before he slowly slid down until he was kneeling on the floor, holding himself and rubbing at his arms. His face was turned towards the door, as if he could see Sabito crawling into carriage outside. When he heard the carriage leave, he flinched and put a hand to his mouth. His friends watched as he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing several times, as if he was trying to keep something down.

Then, a moment later, he doubled over and threw up right there in the foyer. All of his friends flinched at the tortured, pained sounds he made, his back heaving with the action. Tanjiro covered his own mouth with his hand, partially in shock, and partially because he felt sympathetic nausea. God, the poor thing. Giyuu had become so stressed by the whole situation that it had prompted this violent reaction from him, had made him physically sick, for heaven’s sake. That was how traumatic being separated from Sabito was for him.

Inosuke wrapped an arm around Tanjiro’s shoulders and pulled him close, leaning his head against his to comfort him. Seeing this, knowing Muzan was watching and not wanting anyone else to get in trouble, Zenitsu was quick to react, walking fast over them, acting like he was scared and huddling against them. They both put a hand on his shoulder; the action wasn’t entirely forced. He really did want their comfort. More tears were welling up in his eyes and he couldn’t get them to stop rolling down his cheeks.

Muzan shook his head at the whole business; Giyuu being sick, Inosuke, Tanjiro and Zenitsu gathering together to console each other…once more, his jealousy spiked. Why weren’t they coming to him for that? Why hadn’t he had someone like that to press against when he had been small and vulnerable as a child? Why didn’t he have someone to scream and beg for him not to be taken away, someone to shed tears for him because they loved him so much?

Why wouldn’t his Flowers flock to his side if he were ever suffering?

Shaking himself out of it, he instead ordered shortly, “Clean this mess up.”

He left without another word, quickly, before any of them saw the yearning on his face.

They were all left there in a heavy, awkward silence, not knowing what they should do next, despite having clear orders. Rengoku looked lost, still standing in the same place he had been when he was holding Giyuu back. His friend had finished throwing up, and was shivering from how weak he felt, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his nightgown. Not much had come up, mostly just some bile. Even so, he still looked terribly ill, face covered in sweat, as if he might vomit again.

Carefully, Rengoku approached him, his hands hovering by his shoulders. He started to kneel down next to him, and placed his hands on him. However, the moment he felt the touch, Giyuu repelled him, shaking him off and pressing himself more against the door. Rengoku flinched backwards as if he’d been burned. Tanjiro felt sadness well up in him; Rengoku looked positively heartbroken as he held his hand against his chest. Lowering his gaze, Rengoku got off the floor and backed away without a word. What could he say really? All three of them watched him walk quickly back to their room, wiping at his eyes as he passed them.

Tanjiro sighed heavily. What a mess this all was. Shaking himself, he stood up straighter, deciding things weren’t going to get better if they just stood around and did nothing. Looking at Inosuke, he murmured, “Why don’t you get a cloth and some floor cleaner?”

The other boy regarded him for a moment, before he realized that this was no time for him to be arguing over being told what to do, so he just nodded and silently left the room. After that, Tanjiro patted Zenitsu on the top of the head and told him, “How about you go back to bed? Check on Rengoku.”

Zenitsu let out a breath and smiled a bit at the suggestion. He must have been worried about getting near Giyuu again based on his rejection of their friend. So, he hugged Tanjiro briefly, before also leaving the room.

That left Tanjiro and Giyuu alone.

The boy steeled himself, knowing he couldn’t just leave him there. His hands shook slightly because he had no idea the magic thing to say in this very delicate situation, but he had to try something. So, quietly, he padded over to Giyuu and kneeled down next to him. However, instead of trying to comfort him right away, he took his nightgown sleeve and let it slide over the top of his hand, before using it to dab at the sweat on his forehead. He pushed his damp bangs out of the way, then moved his hand down his cheek, then his chin, noticing that he had some bile shining there. The whole time Giyuu stayed still, not making any moves to push him away. Either this meant that he was too exhausted to do so or because now he actually wanted the touch. Either way, Tanjiro was thankful that he allowed him to touch him.

“Do you think you’re going to be sick again?” he found himself asking.

There was nothing he could really say to make the situation better, was there? So Tanjiro thought it would be best to ask about his physical state, since there was actually something they could do about that.

At the moment, there was nothing they could do about his broken heart.

Giyuu didn’t show any sign that he had heard him, and for a moment Tanjiro thought that he wasn’t going to answer. But after a few beats the other man shrugged. A tremor ran through his body, and he still refused to meet Tanjiro’s eyes. The boy shook his head in sympathy, watching as he kept swallowing over and over again. His stomach was still going into spasms, and his lips were practically white as he fought against his own body. His hair wasn’t tied back, instead hanging over his shoulder and splayed over his back in a heavy curtain. Tanjiro placed his hand on his back very carefully, as if he was a wild animal that might spook if he touched him too quickly. But again, Giyuu allowed his hand to settle there, and didn’t shake him off even when he began rubbing it.

Inosuke returned to find them like that, but only spared them a brief glance before he started cleaning up the small puddle of vomit on the floor. Giyuu’s empty eyes flicked up to him for a moment before they went back to staring blankly at the floor in front of him.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Inosuke just idly shrugged one shoulder. “I’d rather it be your vomit than random vomit on the sidewalk that Muzan sometimes makes me clean up. At least I know where you’ve been so I’m not worried that I’m going to get a disease or something.”

Giyuu shuddered a bit. He could relate. “Gross.”

They both offered him small smiles in response, happy that he was talking at least a little bit.

Once the floor was clean, Inosuke went to the kitchen to make chamomile tea, returning with a cup and sitting down in front of Giyuu with it. He held it up to him, and after staring at it emptily for several beats, Giyuu finally took it from him and sipped it slowly.

When he finished, he handed it back to the other boy, and then finally, to Tanjiro’s surprise, peeled himself away from the door and leaned against him. It might have just been because he was cold and still couldn’t stop shivering, but Tanjiro hoped it was because he was finally ready to accept comfort from him instead of shutting him out. Tanjiro wrapped his arms around Giyuu and held him close to his chest, tucking that dark head under his chin. The older man reached for the tea again and Inosuke handed it to him.

“Is that helping?” he asked as he watched him drink it.

“Little bit,” Giyuu said. “I don’t think I’ll be sick again. I just…can’t move too fast.”

Tanjiro hummed in acknowledgement, and shifted so he could get more comfortable, figuring they were going to be there for a while. Looking up at Inosuke, he suggested, “Did you want to go back to bed?”

Inosuke shook his head.  “Someone’s gotta help you haul this guy’s lard ass back to bed.”

Tanjiro was about to scold him, until Giyuu replied, “I’ll kick your lard ass out into the street to get run over.”

There was no heat behind the comment, and Inosuke looked pleased by it. Ah, so he was just teasing and trying to get a rise out of him. Tanjiro understood. Giyuu was normally so quiet, but this was pushing it, and he didn’t think Inosuke could handle the glassy look in his eyes any more than the red haired boy could. By talking to him and baiting him into responding like that, it was a way to draw him out of his own head for a bit and to get him to focus on them. Also, when he thought about it, Tanjiro was able to read between the lines of the statement.

I’m worried about both of you and want to make sure nothing else happens between now and getting into bed.

They sat there in a calm silence for a couple moments where Giyuu took in Tanjiro’s scent and used it to help ground him as well. Slowly but surely, his nausea began to dissipate, and Inosuke took the tea back to the kitchen. When he returned, it was to Tanjiro rubbing the older man’s shoulder and telling him confidently, “This isn’t the end, alright? We’re going to find where Sabito is and get him out. You two are going to be back together soon.”

Giyuu hefted a shuddering sigh, but said nothing in reply, instead staring at Inosuke’s feet, which were right in front of them.

“But you can’t do anything for Sabito if you’re tired and feel like shit,” Inosuke added.

At that, Giyuu’s eyes flicked up to his green ones, which were glaring sternly down at him, like a parent who was disappointed in their child for what they were doing to their health.

“Is that your way of saying it’s time to get up and go to bed?” the older man wanted to know.

Inosuke didn’t respond verbally; he raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, continuing to stare down at him meaningfully. Giyuu rolled his eyes, but relented, saying, “Alright. Help me up. I’m still dizzy, but I think I’ll make it.”

Gingerly, Tanjiro and Inosuke both told of him, grabbing one arm each and slinging it over their shoulders. They led him slowly away from the door and back towards their room, one small step at a time, watching their friend for any signs of discomfort or anything that suggested he might get sick again. But Giyuu plodded on like a trooper, staring straight ahead, and not allowing them to stop, otherwise he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to start moving again.

Eventually, they made it back to their room, Inosuke propping open the door with his hip and leading all of them through. When they crossed the threshold, they were met with the sight of Rengoku and Zenitsu sitting on the bed, Zenitsu saying something quietly to their friend that was clearly meant to be comforting based on the tone he was using. Rengoku wasn’t facing them, but his shoulders were shaking, and if that weren’t enough of a sign that he was upset, him suddenly turning to face them with reddened eyes shining with tears was.

Without hesitation, Giyuu slowly pushed away from Tanjiro and Inosuke, limping his way over to the bed, his legs still stiff and weak. Upon seeing that he was heading for him, Rengoku stood up, furiously wiping at his eyes and stuttering, “Giyuu, it’s- you’re- I’m sorry…”

But Giyuu wasn’t going to hear it. Eyes narrowing, he pulled the other boy into a tight embrace. Rengoku’s eyes widened over his shoulder, and his hands hung in midair. He only decided that it was okay to hug Giyuu back when he assured him, “Please don’t. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were just doing as you were told. I’m the one who’s sorry for saying the things I did to you. We’re all each other has…we can’t afford to be divided.”

There were many things Rengoku wanted to say, mostly denials about how he wasn’t at fault and that if he had just stood up to Muzan, then it might have been possible that Sabito would still be here. Finally, he admitted, “I almost offered to take his place. If I thought Muzan would have let me, I would have taken his place.”

Giyuu’s eyes widened. “Rengoku, you have a family. Your brother is depending on you, isn’t he? If you died in that gutter because I sacrificed you to save Sabito, not only would Sabito be furious with me, but I’d never be able to look Senjuro in the eye if I ever saw him. Sabito knew what he was doing. Let’s face it there’s…there’s no one who would care about our deaths besides each other.”

“We’d care,” Zenitsu insisted from his place on the bed.

“Of course we would,” Tanjiro added firmly. “I know I haven’t been here for that long, but even in that short amount of time, you and Sabito-san have come to mean a lot to me. I consider you guys family as much as I do my actual family. I think we can all agree at this point that we’re willing to do whatever it takes to help each other.”

“That’s right,” Inosuke said. “If Muzan tries coming near any of you again, I’m beating the shit out of him. We’re all looking for an excuse to leave anyway.”

Hearing all of their words, Giyuu’s chest warmed, and it warmed so much that the heat travelled to his face, and then his eyes. At first he couldn’t tell that there were in fact tears as hot as his cheeks rolling down his nose, but when they dripped onto Rengoku’s shoulder, he quickly hid his face in it so that the only evidence of his crying was an occasional shudder of his shoulders.

000

Later that week, Muzan received the daily mail. It always reached his hands before anyone else’s. Most of the time the mail was just for him anyway, and as of late he had started to fear opening it, wondering if this would finally be the day that the city would increase the rent of his brothel beyond a point he could pay for it. They were already making enough sacrifices as it was; raising the prices of the employees as much as he dared, making them work with no nights off, rationing meals more than he was sure many prisons did…what more could he possibly do?

As he rifled through his letters, he couldn’t help but mull over his own fury. It hadn’t gone down, even when Sabito was sent away. In a sense, he had never really liked the boy that had always shadowed Belladonna’s side. He was too defiant, too combative, and didn’t seem to be afraid of Muzan no matter what punishments he inflicted. He certainly hadn’t been sad to see his face ruined the way it had been.

Muzan considered all of the Flowers his to do with as he wished; to hate if he wanted, to abuse if the mood struck him, or to show mercy to if he so chose. They were his possessions, some more than others. He couldn’t stand Sabito or Rengoku for how kind they were, had been excited to hire Tanjiro because he looked like he would be fun to break, didn’t care for Zenitsu any more than he would care for a hideous stray dog in an alleyway…but he considered Inosuke and Giyuu his more than anything. They were to serve him and stay by his side for as long as he deemed fit. Before all of this, he was sure that the two of them, as popular as they were with customers, would never find someone to give their hearts to.

Giyuu’s actions felt like a betrayal of the worst kind.

But if he had found someone, what did that mean for Inosuke? Had he found a person that he cared about? Had all of them fallen in love with someone?

Muzan clenched the letters in his hand hard, very nearly tearing a few of them. That was unacceptable. He had been left behind too many times in the past, spent too many days alone wondering whether or not it would be easier to just end his own life and be done with it, because who was there to care if he was here or not? Finally, he felt like he had those he could bend to his will, and even if he felt like he couldn’t make them stay genuinely, he could do so by using fear.

That was why he banned his Flowers from falling in love. Love ruined everything. It was the one thing that could destroy all of the hard work Muzan had put in. Love made his possessions stray, and after spending a lifetime having nothing, no one was allowed to touch his things.

He sorted through the mail, and came across a somewhat strange letter. It was for Giyuu, but that in and of itself wasn’t strange; his Belladonna received quite a bit of mail from his besotted customers asking for all sorts of strange and sometimes gross favors. One man had even asked for and received a snippet of pubic hair from him, but that wasn’t so unusual this place. The other Flowers had been asked for similar things too. Whatever kept their customers coming back, Muzan was fine with. He didn’t care how demeaned the six boys felt. However, the return address on this letter was from the lower East end, and it didn’t take him long to figure out who Giyuu now knew that lived in those slums.

So even now, his lover wasn’t going to leave well enough alone, was he? He couldn’t accept that he was never going to see Giyuu again?

On one hand, it was amusing to see their desperation, to watch their relationship writhe around in its death throes. To know that he was the reason that the two of them couldn’t be happy together was a wonderful drug, and to have that kind of power over them was intoxicating. On the other, the fact that Sabito couldn’t accept that things were over between them was pathetic and annoying and once again ignited Muzan’s ire.

And it wasn’t just him.

There was mail addressed to Zenitsu, something that the boy had never received until recently. But the handwriting was feminine, which immediately made him suspicious. Whether he played with them or not, anyone trying to claims his possessions as his own would not be tolerated, not while he had control over their lives.

Muzan picked up both letters, put them in a bowl, before lighting a match and dropping it in with them, the firelight flickering in his narrowed eyes.

000

The air was now constantly charged with tension inside the brothel, and no matter how much the windows were left open to let the fresh air in, nothing could get rid of it. If Muzan wasn’t appearing from around every corner during every waking moment that his Flowers had, then they felt his gaze on them even when he wasn’t looking. His presence was in everything they did, from what customers they were allowed to see to what they were allowed to eat.

Or rather, weren’t allowed to eat.

He didn’t say anything of course, but the others knew something was wrong with Rengoku. He only ate during breakfast with them, but at no other point during the night like he used to. He was listless almost constantly, and every action he took seemed forced, from his smiles, his laughter, to any time he spoke with them. Whenever they happened to glance over at him, he would be staring dully at his empty bowl. But whenever they asked him what was going on, naturally he pretended that everything was fine and that they should worry about themselves rather than himself. For good measure, he would insist they should finish their own breakfast and not waste a single bite. As Giyuu was just as listless lately, he would spend extra time encouraging him to eat, all but spoon feeding him to make sure that he would have something in his stomach for the evening. If the other boy got any thinner, he would waste away.

However, Rengoku couldn’t hide that something was going on when he fainted on the way back to their room to get ready for the evening.

All of them happened to be walking back to their rooms together, and Rengoku was in the back of the group. They had no idea anything was wrong until they heard the muffled thump of him crumpling to the ground in a heap. But when they saw him laying limply on the floor behind them, they all rushed over to his side, Giyuu and Inosuke working together to heft him up into their laps while Zenitsu tried to get ahold of himself, on the verge of a panic attack. He practically fell to his knees, taking his friend’s hand in his and calling his name over and over.

Tanjiro stood there, stunned for a few moments. Time seemed to be moving in slow motion, one syrupy second flowing into the next. He felt like he was outside of his body, even when he knelt down beside Zenitsu. He had no idea what compelled him to reach forward and push aside the top part of his robe to reveal his abdomen, but he was horrified by what he found there. His gasp and the hand he put to his mouth alerted his friends, who all looked over first at him, and then where his eyes were locked onto.

Rengoku’s ribs were sickeningly visible, not just on his sides, but up by his chest now as well. He had always been thin like the rest of them, but it was apparent that he had lost a significant amount of weight. But why? How had this even happened?

Slowly, Rengoku woke, his ears ringing, his vision edged in black. It took him a moment to register that he was now laying down, but he had no idea how he had gotten there. He blinked several times, squeezing his eyes shut and groaning, his head pounding. His vision was spinning as well, so he kept his eyes shut as he said, “So I guess fainted...?”

“You think?” Zenitsu said thickly, wiping tears away with his sleeves. “What’s wrong with you? You don’t have any reason to worry about your weight, not like me! So why did you…”

He broke off into a sob. Inosuke placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. Rengoku shook his head carefully, opening his eyes into slits, saying to Zenitsu, “Don’t cry. I’m sorry I made you worried. You weren’t supposed to find out, I thought I could handle it…”

“Handle what?” Inosuke asked in such a way that he expected an answer, and if the other boy tried to deflect the question there would be hell to pay.

Rengoku opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to tell them. They were already suffering so much that he couldn’t bear to make it worse. So, instead of telling them the full truth, all he said was the name of the man who had done this to him, “Muzan…”

Surprisingly, that seemed to be all they needed to know. They all glanced at each other, a thick silence settling over them.

Tanjiro broke the quiet by saying, “Then at breakfast you can have half of mine.”

The others joined in as well, saying, “Mine too,” or “You can have all of mine,” but Rengoku cut them off, placing a hand on top of Tanjiro and Zenitsu’s heads.

“Thank you, but I shudder to think what Muzan might do to all of you if he caught you helping me,” he said softly.

“But we can’t just let you starve,” Inosuke told him. “I’ll serve you my own arm before I let that happen.”

Rengoku sighed, having no idea what to even say to that. His weak body wanted to take them up on the offer of their shares of their breakfasts, but he knew that wouldn’t be possible. And though his body was weak, his heart was as strong and burning as hot as ever. He was prepared to tear himself apart to protect what he saw as his more vulnerable friends. It was his duty. The strong protected the weak, his mother always said. How could he ever face her in the afterlife if he didn’t uphold what she had always told him?

“I’m not going to starve,” Rengoku assured Inosuke, reached up to pat him on the side of the face. “I promise…it’s going to be okay.”

He sounded sincere, and his tired gaze looked genuine as well. However, a collective premonition seemed to pass through his other four friends where they all saw him being sent away to the lower East end brothels with Sabito when he too became too sick and weak to work. And yet, they were powerless to stop it.

But instead of giving up, it just added more steel to their resolve. This wasn’t just about their happiness anymore; this was about their survival. There was no question anymore. If they didn’t get out of this place soon, one by one, whether it was now or later, they were all going to die.

Chapter Text

Things only went downhill from there, fast.

Like leaves in the autumn, each one of the Flowers’ beauty flared as they exploded into vibrant colors, enticing everyone who passed by to look at them, to touch them, before they began to wither and drop.

Giyuu was the first.

His beauty was slowly disappearing along with his sanity. His use of opium had all but replaced all of his meals; he went and smoked whenever he had a break, trying to numb the pain of separation from his beloved. He waited and waited for a letter from him, but one never came. He knew that Muzan had to be doing something to intercept their letters; of course he was. He knew he looked through the mail before his employees received them. So naturally, with how paranoid and possessive he was becoming, he wouldn’t let the Flowers read anything that was addressed to them. It had progressed to the point where Tanjiro’s family’s letters were being burnt as well for fear that there might be some kind of conspiracy going on between them to get them out.

So, he cut them off, whether it was for his own amusement in watching them clamor for some kind of relief in hearing from their relatives and loved ones while receiving none, or if it was for that feeling of control. It was most likely a combination of the two.

Giyuu’s mental state seemed to rely entirely on hearing from Sabito, and since he wasn’t, he spiraled down further and further. He became a wisp, a porcelain doll that did nothing other than what he was told, moving when others moved him. It was rare for him to venture outside of his own head, most of the time staring straight ahead, at what, the others didn’t know. His clients no longer tried to engage in conversation with him, not that that was every Giyuu’s specialty in the first place. He simply allowed the men to take him to their desired locations and move his body in whatever position they desired while they took him. And no matter what they did, whether it was painful or pleasurable, he felt none of it. 

He didn’t even react when the other Flowers tried to engage him in conversation, or to get him to respond. However, though he said nothing, he would at least try and move on his own with them, curling up close to his friends in the night. Since he was so thin, he was always cold, shivering against his will, even though it was still warm.

Giyuu had also become a virtual invalid, needing constant care. Tanjiro had to help him get up in the morning and guide him to the breakfast table. He was so light he most likely weighed no more than a child, and once in a while, Tanjiro had to carry him. He then had to feed Giyuu one spoonful at a time in order to ensure he had at least one meal a day. It reminded the boy of when he and his family had to take care of his grandmother when she became too old to take care of herself when she lived with them. But that was different; she was in her eighties when they had to take care of her. Giyuu was in his twenties. It felt so wrong, so sickening. But this was just the world they lived in, a world where they lived under a person who could break minds, bodies, and reduce them all to barely breathing ghosts.

Rengoku wasn’t fairing much better. He was becoming just as thin as Giyuu, a flame that had always burned so brightly and was finally beginning to go out. At this point, both he and Giyuu slept in the middle of the bed, laying between the other three because they couldn’t keep warm anymore. Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu had to either press themselves close to them or lay on top of them so that they would stop shivering. Rengoku could still walk on his own, but just barely, mostly needing help moving back and forth between rooms, his arm slung over someone’s shoulders. He also needed to keep a heavy blanket around his own shoulders in addition to his robe, and between him and Giyuu, who also needed a blanket on his lap, the two of them looked more like hospital patients rather than two of the most beautiful men in France.

However, almost just as heartbreaking as the fact that Giyuu’s mind had fled the real world and chose to live in the realm of dreams and happy memories even when he was awake, Rengoku was trying to stay as optimistic as possible. Whenever he would stumble as they walked, he would hurriedly reassure whoever was helping him along that he was okay.

“This is good for me,” he’d tell them with his usual blinding smile. “As long as I keep walking, I can keep up my muscle strength. And as long as I keep my heart burning, I can keep walking forever, no matter how weak my body gets. I’ve dealt with so much worse at home with my father and how he’d hurt my brother and me…this is nothing.”

He’d push himself as much as a person in his condition could, trying to remain enthusiastic even when he was with his customers. He would ignore how much his back would scream at him from sitting up so long when he had no strength to do so.

The only person who truly brought light into his life however, was Uzui of course.

The other man still visited him regularly at the brothel, spending the evenings with him, laughing and talking and bringing him gifts that Rengoku of course didn’t believe he deserve. However, the closer the two of them became, the harder it was becoming to hide his condition from the other man. Thankfully he never asked him to sleep with him, so he could keep his clothes on and hide his thin body. But he couldn’t hide his lack of energy, nor how thin and pale his face was becoming, or how his hair was thinning as well.

Uzui could barely believe how small the other man looked compared to himself. Of course, he had always been smaller, but now he was almost afraid of even hugging Rengoku because he might break in half. He even noticed him shivering halfway through their conversation and pulled him close to his large, warm body, feeling his heart sink when Rengoku snuggled close to him, almost desperately, as if he had been searching for heat for ages now and was going to cling to this scrap of warmth for all he was worth.

“What is going on, Kyojuro?” Uzui asked him, and not in a rhetorical manner. “I mean it. You, Tomioka-san, and Agatsuma-kun…you’re all wasting away here. Every time I return I’m afraid I’m going to be told that one of you has passed on.”

Rengoku scooted a little closer, snorting. “Oh come on, we’re a little tougher than that. You have to be in order to last as long as we have here.”

“I mean it,” Uzui said firmly. “I know you care deeply for your friends, and so I worry what losing one of them would do to you. And if I came here one night and asked for you and someone told me that you had died…”

He paused, and Rengoku watched as his eyes shut and he breathed through the wave of pain that hit him at the very thought. His arm tightened around his ray of sunshine, and he said softly, “I’ve lost people I’ve loved before without any warning. The pain can’t compare to any other pain in the world. I refuse to lose you too, not if I can help it. You’re…You’re very important to me, Kyojuro. It’s been so long since I’ve felt so deeply for someone. And if I can, I’d like to spend as much as much of my life as I can with you.”

Rengoku froze. He knew that Uzui fancied him, and he in turn of course fancied him a great deal, but he had no idea that he felt so strongly for him. A lump formed in his throat and his eyes started burning, his heart thumping in a way that was almost painful. This was too good to be true, so much so that he swore he heard Uzui incorrectly. People didn’t just say those sorts of things, especially not to whores and not to whores like him. Rengoku knew he wasn’t the most attractive of the Flowers, and he was fine with that, as long as he earned enough to send home to take care of his family. He knew it was possible to escape this place if someone agreed to pay off his debt, but the individuals that wanted to take on a whore’s debt where usually men that had fallen in love with them. Rengoku never thought that anyone would ever fall for him, and he never thought he’d fall in love with someone else either.

And of course, he had to fall in love with someone in a place where it was impossible to be together. After all, there was no way he could in good conscience ask Uzui to pay back all the money that he owed, especially since he owed so much. That would simply be a debt he wouldn’t be able to repay.

And yet…

“I’d like that too,” Rengoku whispered, his voice tight. He leaned his head against Uzui’s chest. He felt so safe in his arms that he almost couldn’t stand it. “I- Uzui, I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and if I had to be away from you, like he wants me to be, I wouldn’t be able to stand that. You mean so much to me that it makes me want to cry.”

As if to emphasize his statement, a couple tears escaped the corners of his eyes, and he wiped them away with a slight laugh at how ridiculous the whole scenario was. Why was he getting so emotional? He was just speaking the truth. He just prayed Uzui wouldn’t think he was lying, considering he was sure many prostitutes had spoken similar sentiments to johns before in order to manipulate them into paying off their debts. And while Rengoku had learned how to manipulate men to a certain degree into spending more money on him, he knew he wasn’t capable of manipulation to this extent. The tears in his eyes and the quivering of his lower lip were genuine, and so was the tug of his heart that pulled him irrevocably in Uzui’s direction. That tug told him that his place was by his side, in his arms, free forever, with him. He had spent so much of his life giving to others that it was a foreign concept to be selfish. And yet he couldn’t help but want this piece of paradise all to himself, as impossible as it was.

The tears kept falling, even as Rengoku sniffed and kept trying to wipe them away. Uzui reached up and helped him, tenderly stroking his cheeks and holding his head against his chest. He placed his cheek against the top of his warm head, saying softly, “Don’t worry. I’ll get you out of here. I just have to pay off your debt, right?”

That was exactly what Rengoku did and didn’t want to hear. He shook his head, and very much wanted to pull away and look Uzui incredulously in the eye, but he was too cold and weak to move. “Oh please, I could never ask that of you. I’d never be able to repay you Tengen”-

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Uzui cut him off, squeezing him a little more firmly. “And you’re not asking me to, I’m offering. Setting aside how sick you are, you’re not happy here are you?”

That was an easy answer of course. Besides his friends, this place had nothing to offer him. Even the money was becoming more trouble than it was worth. “No. But my family”-

“-will be well taken care of,” Uzui assured him. “I won’t let them go hungry. In exchange though, I’d like to meet them. Your little brother sounds like a very brave, wonderful person. If he’s anything like you, I’m sure we’ll get along well.”

Rengoku kept shaking his head, feeling dizzy from his words, “But”-

“Kyojuro. Even if I wasn’t arse over tea-kettle in love with you, I would want to help. No one deserves to suffer as much as you have. Besides, it’s my money, and you can’t tell me what I do with it.”

With a teasing grin, he reached up and poked Rengoku on the nose, causing the other man to wrinkle it in response. Despite his tears, he couldn’t help but laugh wetly.

“I still don’t know what I did to deserve such a wonderful gift,” the younger man said. “Or what I did to get so lucky.”

“All you did was smile and say hello and I was gone,” Uzui answered. “Sometimes that’s all it takes. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that when you find a little bit of sunshine in this drab, dark world, you need to grasp as tightly as you can. You need to take care of it, because the bravest thing that sunshine can do is exist in an environment that wants to see it darken. And the fact that you’ve managed to shine for so long in spite of how much pain you’re in…how could I not fall in love with that and want to help you?”

They stayed silent for a moment, all of Rengoku’s words of thanks caught in his throat. What could he possibly say anyway that would accurately articulate how much Uzui’s generosity meant to him? Suddenly, another thought pinged in the back of his mind, putting a cold blanket on his happiness. He said, “As much as I want to go with you, I can’t leave my friends behind. They’re as important as family to me, you know that. How could I live with myself knowing I was someplace safe and warm while they were still here being subjected to the monstrous things our clients do to them? Giyuu probably won’t last another month here…oh Uzui, I just can’t leave them. It would be a betrayal of the worst kind.”

“You won’t have to worry about your friends,” Uzui replied immediately. “We’ll figure out a plan to get all of you out. And don’t say I don’t have to.” He held up his hand when he saw Rengoku open his mouth in protest. “I have more money than I know what to do with, and if I don’t spend it then my greedy relatives will demand I send them more, saying I don’t love them or some nonsense because I refuse to make rich people a little bit richer. I’d rather spend my money on people who actually need it.”

God, just what was this man? Rengoku couldn’t take this. He wanted to cry, he wanted to keep spouting denials, but he knew that there was no stopping him. He was set and determined, and if Rengoku kept pushing, Uzui would just push back even harder. So, the younger man went silent, giving up.

Besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t want to get out of here at all.

Still, there was one more thing that he had to tell him, one thing that was absolutely vital.

“Our friend, Sabito,” Rengoku told him. “Or Ume, the one with the scars on his face? He was sent away to the lower East end brothels. We don’t know where though…we think Muzan is keeping his letters from us.”

Uzui’s eyes widened over the top of his head. He had visited those brothels before during his travels, and saw just how poorly the prostitutes looked and were treated. Many of them lasted maybe a couple of years, sometimes less. If he was sent there, he was in dire straits indeed.

“I’ll find him for you,” he promised. “Tell Tomioka-san that too. Before anything else, I’ll find him. Don’t you worry. I won’t give up until I have him safe in my home.”

That did it. That time Rengoku really did break down, unable to hold back not only the tears, but the sobs as well. He hid his face in Uzui’s chest while the older man clucked at him sympathetically and patted the back of his head.

“All will be well,” he said. “You’ve brought such happiness into my life. It’s only fair that I return the favor by bringing as much happiness into yours as I can.”

000

The younger boys were not faring any better than the older ones either.

Zenitsu was neglecting his own health as he panicked over Rengoku’s. The other man was essentially his protector, the one who made him feel the safest out of any of the boys there. If something happened to him, he had no idea what he’d do. As a result, they all noticed him running to the bathroom more and more and more often to purge what he did eat. He hated that he was like this, considering that Rengoku was being starved and Giyuu was on his last legs as well. He knew how much he was disappointing Rengoku as well whenever he’d return from the bathroom. Rengoku would always gaze at him so sadly that it would make him feel guilty the moment they laid eyes on each other again. He wanted to stop, he really did, but the problem was, the worse he felt, the more he felt the need to purge, and the more he purged, the worse he felt. It was a vicious cycle.

And of course, when Nezuko’s letters stopped, no matter much his friends tried to reassure him that it was Muzan that was holding them back, some small, paranoid part of him didn’t believe them and thought that she had lost interest in him.

“I haven’t been getting letters from Nezuko either though,” Tanjiro insisted. “There’s something wrong. She’s told me she likes you, a lot. There’s no way she would just stop writing to you.”

Zenitsu knew he was right. He knew it. And yet his nerves made him a total wreck.

“I just can’t take much more of this, Tanjiro,” he admitted one afternoon, throwing his arms around the other boy and burying his face in his shoulder. “I hope Uzui finds Sabito soon so we can all get out of here. After this, I swear I moving so far away from here. I never want to see this brothel or this town again.”

Of course, Tanjiro agreed with him wholeheartedly.

As for him and Inosuke, they knew it was stupid. They knew they shouldn’t be doing this, but they couldn’t help it. The stress was overwhelming, and they were frightened and confused. The other boy seemed to be the only person that Tanjiro felt like he could be vulnerable in front of, could depend on to comfort him and take away the constant uncertainty he felt. It went against all logic, but he needed to escape for a little while, and he could think of no one better to do that with than Inosuke.

So, off they went to the basement, and their dirty mattress hiding behind the boiler.

However this time, they wizened up and brought some sheets down with them to put between their bodies and the mattress. It was a good thing too, because for once, to Tanjiro’s utter surprise, Inosuke told him that he wanted to be the one to take it from the other boy.

“Make me see stars, Princess,” he breathed in his ear. “Please…I don’t want to think anymore. I’m sure you don’t either. Make me pretend that we’re someplace far away from here where we can make love whenever we please without worrying about being starved or beaten for it.”

Make love…Tanjiro’s breath left him in a rush at hearing that phrase, as if he had been kicked in the abdomen. It installed a sense of arousal in him that nearly bowled him over, that made him gently push Inosuke down against the mattress and cover his body in wet, meaningful kisses. Even those soft kisses made Inosuke arch his back. Perhaps it was all the harsh words and the fear of physical harm that made him so responsive to the tender touch. It was like a balm on a burn, very much needed. He had no idea just how badly he needed it until that moment.

When Tanjiro leaned up, he took both of Inosuke’s hands in one of his and held his wrists above his head while he nipped and sucked at his neck. Inosuke leaned into his lips, squeezing his eyes shut, breathing, “I missed this…I missed you.”

Tanjiro wheezed, kissing him harder. He licked at his ear lobe, saying, “I missed you too. It’s stupid how much it’s getting me excited to hear you say that. Inosuke you…you’re so important to me. So important…”

Inosuke grinned over his shoulder, wriggling underneath him, very pleased to hear him say that. He just loved how much he could affect the other boy. It meant so much more to hear how much Tanjiro wanted him versus anyone else. Besides, he had already come to the conclusion in his mind that he belonged to Tanjiro. He didn’t want anyone but the other boy.

So why couldn’t he tell him that? Why could he only use his body to do so?

He knew the answer to that. Because it was all he knew. All his life, he had been treated like a whore. No one listened when he spoke, only when he took his clothes off and expressed himself with his body. When he spread his legs or got down on his knees, that was when people took notice of him. But Tanjiro took notice when he smiled, when he laughed, when he said something interesting, and even more shocking, wanted to know more. He wanted to know everything about Inosuke, and in turn did such sweet little things for him. And for once, Inosuke found someone that he found equally interesting and wanted to know everything about.

He couldn’t let him go. No matter what Muzan threatened or did to him, he wouldn’t let him go. The thought of losing him made his chest ache so much that he couldn’t breathe.

Overcome by the thought, he pulled his wrists out from Tanjiro’s grip, the other boy letting him go easily, and wrapped them around his shoulders, kissing him wherever he could reach warm skin, his ears, his hair, his temple, and his shoulder. As if he could feel the unspoken desperation, Tanjiro reassured him, “I’m here. I’m right here. Hold onto me if you need to, it’s okay.”

Inosuke writhed underneath him restlessly, knowing that he wanted something but he had no idea what. He just wanted Tanjiro, all of him, by his side for as long as he could. He thrusted his hips, lifting them slightly so that he could brush their cocks together. Both boys whined at the stimulation. Perhaps it was also because it had been so long since they had been together in this manner, but everything felt so much more intense. Even the simple manner of them prepping themselves, Inosuke wanted to keep some part of him touching Tanjiro the entire time, and he made an effort to kiss some part of him while he spread himself open.

When Tanjiro slid inside his body, Inosuke moaned like he had never had a cock inside him and was experiencing the pleasure for the first time. His neck arched and his mouth fell open, fixing Tanjiro with a half lidded stare so intense that the boy felt a wave of heat wash down his back. It was so intimate, such a relief and a comfort, that perhaps that was what pushed Tanjiro’s confession out of him before he could stop it.

“Inosuke, I’m so sorry, but I love you so much,” he said, half sobbing, “I didn’t mean for it to happen but it…ever since I first saw you…”

To his utter shock, Inosuke replied, “I know, you moron. Me too. I love you too. I have for quite a while. Don’t apologize, oh my God, only you would apologize to someone for loving them, like it’s your fault. You can’t help how you feel, and neither can I. I’m just sorry I didn’t figure it out sooner and tell you, I just- I’m still figuring out how to actually love someone instead of”-

Tanjiro thrusted into him sharply, cutting him off. Inosuke grunted, gritting his teeth. The boy above him grinned cheekily down at him, and said, “Don’t worry about that right now. You can do that when my cod isn’t inside you. We’ll figure those sorts of things out together. For now…”

“For now?” Inosuke repeated, baring his teeth in a feral smile. Tanjiro growled down at him with a smile to match, and started to move.

His thrusts were slow and then fast, deep and then shallow, working hard to take Inosuke fall apart piece by piece. He kept adjusting his angle, looking for that place where the other boy would feel it the most intensely. He held Inosuke close, cupping the back of his head in one hand while he held himself up with the other. His arm shook with the effort, but he ignored the burn, Inosuke’s moans helping him to push through it and encouraging him.

He kept crying out over and over again, his back arching hard when Tanjiro finally found his prostate and his cock started brushing against it over and over again. He cried Tanjiro’s name, interspersed with some cursing and praises to the heavens. Their bodies were dripping with sweat, but whether it was from their own exertions or from the heat of the boiler. The steam emitting from it enveloped them in a fog, shielding them from the outside world.

Inosuke couldn’t believe how beautiful his partner was. His hair was damp with sweat as it clung to his temples, his back was heaving and his muscles in his back were clenching as his body worked hard to please him. Inosuke wrapped his arms around his ribs, feeling those muscles work, feeling Tanjiro’s hand pressing his face against his shoulder. He wrapped his legs around his waist as well, pressing his heels into his lower back. He didn’t even try to hold his voice back, and neither did Tanjiro, the other boy practically screaming in his ear. It was fast, it was desperate, messy and not at all graceful, and it was just what they needed. Inosuke clawed at his back, leaving red scratches on his skin, unable to help himself.

When they came, their noses were buried in each other’s necks, eyes squeezed shut, their breaths ragged and obscenely loud. They laid there for several minutes, shaking and shaking, unable to get ahold of themselves and move. They knew the longer they lingered there, the more chance they had of being discovered, but perhaps because their orgasms were so intense, and it had been so long since they had been so intimately entwined, they just couldn’t bring themselves to move.

Finally, with a great effort, they managed to sit up, leaning against one another. Tanjiro kissed his forehead, before his gaze landed upon the other boy’s lips. His eyes flickered between them and his eyes, trying to gauge whether or not it was okay for him to dip down and capture them for himself. Inosuke’s eyes glimmered with a tired light, and he invited him in with a sweet smile. If that wasn’t enough, he tilted his head up and licked Tanjiro’s lips teasingly, before leaning back and daring him to get him back with a bold grin. Tanjiro snorted, and began leaning forward.

They really should have gone back to their room when they had the chance.

Through the steam, a hand reached for them, and grasped at the first thing it came in contact with. That thing happened to be Inosuke’s upper arm, and before Tanjiro could even react or try and hold onto him, he was pulled off the mattress. It all happened so fast, that his body reacted before his mind even fully registered what was going on.

In a flash, he threw his robe on, crying out Inosuke’s name in a high pitched, panicked voice. Leaping off the mattress, he chased after where he saw him vanish, and when he made his way through the steam, he saw to his horror that Muzan was dragging the boy out of the basement and up the stairs.

“No, Inosuke!” Tanjiro screamed, his body filling with adrenaline so fast it made his vision narrow down to just the two of them. Any sense of self-preservation was thrown out the window as he chased after them.

However, as fast as he ran, Muzan was faster. Though Inosuke fought, scratching and screeching like an alley cat in his hold, he was too weak to break out of his boss’s hold. Tanjiro even watched as Inosuke bit him, and though that made him let go for a brief second, Muzan didn’t miss a beat before he was slapping him hard across the cheek with a loud crack, so hard in fact that Inosuke’s head whipped to the side. Stunned, he curled in on himself, holding his face, and allowed Muzan to keep pulling him away.

Right into his office.

Tanjiro was too slow to stop them. He watched as the door to the office was slammed shut in front of his face just as he reached it. He heard the click of the lock, and in spite of that, he banged on the door with his fists, screaming Inosuke’s name.

And though he heard his lover screaming back, terror filling his voice, he was helpless to do anything to help him.

Chapter Text

Inosuke wasn’t released from Muzan’s office for three days.

And when he came out, he wasn’t the same.

Tanjiro must have sat outside the door for hours upon hours, screaming, begging, even clawing at the door as he pleaded for Muzan to let him go, to punish him instead, that he would do anything as long as he didn’t hurt the other boy. That was when he heard his boss’ voice from the other side of the door declare sinisterly, “But Gypsophila, I am punishing you.”

Of course. That awful bastard…he knew the best way to hurt Tanjiro wasn’t to physically harm him, but those he loved. Tanjiro was strong and far too kind for his own good. He would willingly withstand any amount of pain if it meant protecting someone else and come out of it with his mind unscathed. But if he hurt Inosuke, well…

Later, Tanjiro found out that Inosuke had been locked in the man’s closet for that entire time with no food or water, that he was to stay in there “until he stopped screaming and went quiet,” as Muzan put it. However, when their boss first kicked the boy outside of his door and then shut it behind him, Tanjiro was horribly frightened and concerned, having no idea what had been done to him. All he knew was that Inosuke was as limp as a wet rag, crumpled in a heap on the floor. His dark hair was stiff with dry sweat, and his cheeks were streaked with long dried tears. His eyes were wide but unseeing, and he shook with tremor after tremor, seemingly unable to stop.

Tanjiro, who had barely left Muzan’s doorstep for the entire time he was in there, crying out to his friend until both of their throats were raw. He had no idea if Inosuke ever heard him, but still he called for him and talked to him, hoping that he could. He even neglected his own work, unable to tear himself from Inosuke’s side, working himself up into a frenzy of tears and panic.

He did however hear Inosuke’s wails of despair and utter terror go on and on with no end, and those more than anything sickened Tanjiro, especially knowing that he couldn’t do anything to stop them or comfort his friend. His poor Inosuke, normally so brave and bold, being reduced to sniveling like a child. Muzan was pure evil, seeming to know what all of their weaknesses were and exploiting them until even the most courageous among them was reduced to a pathetic shell of their former selves.

There truly was no exception for any of them, was there?

Tanjiro knew that the moment he looked into Inosuke’s wide, terrified eyes the minute he was released. Even the bravest one of them wasn’t immune to Muzan’s horrible treatment. It didn’t matter how kind, or submissive, or uncaring they were either. All of them had a weak point that Muzan could exploit, and oh did he. He didn’t care if his toys broke a bit, as long as he still got to possess them.

This was the proof right here that they weren’t people, they were just objects to him, and Tanjiro knew he couldn’t take any more of this. He hefted Inosuke up, wrapping an arm around both of his shoulders, and the other boy barely even reacted. He didn’t look at Tanjiro, didn’t say anything; he just stared at the tiled floor, body quivering, having seen things in the madness of his own head that he couldn’t un-see and couldn’t seem to break free from.

At least, not yet. If Tanjiro had anything to say about it, he would undo every evil that monster had set upon Inosuke, even if it killed him.

Slowly, carefully, he guided the other boy back to their room, speaking soft words to him and trying to be so gentle in how he helped him walk. Inosuke wasn’t making it easy though. His legs were moving robotically, his feet catching on the floor with every other step, making him stumble. Tanjiro flinched on his behalf when the other boy didn’t.

“Inosuke,” he kept trying, “We’re going to go in the kitchen and get you some breakfast. Does that sound good? I’ll make you tempura if you want. It’s the least I can do after…”

He shuddered, unable to say it out loud.

Instead of reacting with brash delight, practically prancing around the kitchen at the very mention of his favorite food as Inosuke usually did, he had absolutely no reaction at all. Tanjiro wanted to be sick all over again. However, as he took him back to their bed and laid them down on their bed, tucking them in next to their friends, he nonetheless raced off to the kitchen.

His hands shook the entire time he put the tempura together, and he couldn’t keep the tears back, several of them dripping down his nose, and no matter how hard he wiped at them, they kept flowing. Eventually, he had to stop for a minute, the food blurring too much in front of his eyes for him to see it.

How could he have ever thought working in this place was a good idea? If he hadn’t been so desperate for the easy money, maybe none of this would have happened and he would been able to avoid a huge amount of heartache. Then again, the rational part of him knew that whether he was here or not, Muzan would still be torturing his Flowers. And besides, if he had never seen that ad for work here in the Garden of Sin and sent in his letter of application, he would have never met Inosuke, would have never known his gremlin smile or his bold flirting. He would never know his pretty green eyes or how warm his body was next to Tanjiro’s when they slept beside each other. And he knew that he’d rather be suffering with Inosuke having captured his heart than living in ignorant bliss never having met him.

He would pick Inosuke every time.

When he was done making his breakfast, he took a deep breath, steeling himself, before picking up the small tray and slowly taking it back to their room. When Tanjiro walked back through the door, there was a soft smile plastered on his face, and he hoped beyond hope that the light would have returned to Inosuke’s eyes, especially when he got a look at what he had on the tray for him. However, he was still in the same position, laying listlessly on the bed. However, by now their friends had woken up and were flocking around him, trying to get his attention or to get him to respond to them in any way. But of course they weren’t having much luck either, and they appeared to be growing more worried with every second that passed where he was ignoring them. Even Giyuu, as exhausted as he was, was shocked to his core, his blue eyes wide. He was gritting his teeth as well, unable to believe that Muzan’s evil was able to spread even to their most infallible friend.

They all watched with bated breath as Tanjiro sat down on the bed next to his lover and helped him to sit up with one arm while balancing the tray on his lap. As he held him up, he picked up the cup of water he had brought with him, and, with a trembling hand, lifted it to his lips. The brim touched Inosuke’s mouth, and as it was tipped in between his lips, Inosuke swallowed automatically, but otherwise made no other movements.

No, this had to work. This had to snap Insouke out of his trance, it just had to.

Just as carefully as he had the cup, he brought the tempura to Inosuke’s mouth, but once more, the other boy showed no real interest in it beyond taking it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing without really thinking about what he was doing. The awareness didn’t flare back up into his eyes; he was looking at Tanjiro, but didn’t really see him.

Tanjiro’s throat tightened up and his lower lip quivered as once again, tears threatened to spill. However, this time, he stubbornly kept them back, not wanting to break down in front of his friends. Nevertheless, upon seeing this, they respectfully averted their eyes and laid back down, giving them their privacy.

Tanjiro kept feeding Inosuke, his hope dying with every bite the other boy took, still refusing to cry. His heart wanted to break, it really did, and yet…he couldn’t find it within himself to give Muzan that satisfaction. No, Inosuke needed him to be strong now more than ever. No matter what came their way, no matter if Muzan tried to hurt them again or worse, he would not let himself break.

He would find a way to bring Inosuke back into the light if it was the last thing he ever did.

000

Bastille Day was normally a day of high excitement and even celebration in the Garden of Sin. Muzan would often break out the expensive champagne and offer even the more expensive services at reduced prices for his customers. When the fireworks would go off during the night, his customers and even the employees were invited to watch them, either through the window or outside, if they chose to. It was one of the few days a year that actually felt like a break from the mundane lives the Flowers led, a day they looked forward to.

However, it figured that even today, they couldn’t catch a break.

Not only were most of the Flowers sick or incapacitated, but they caught wind of the fact that Fabron was planning on coming to the brothel that night, and of course none of them wanted to be the unlucky one that he chose to spend the night with. They had heard that he had asked for The Boy Who Smiles specifically, and wasn’t pleased to find out that he no longer worked there. So, he was already going to be in a sour mood when coming in. What would that mean for them when he got his hands on one of them?

Ironically, in his pursuit to possess all six boys, Muzan had compromised most of them so that they couldn’t work and help keep his business afloat. That night, it was only Tanjiro and Zenitsu out in the parlor, both of them sticking close together, on the edge as they eyed Fabron on the other side of the room, currently chatting with a couple of the girls, one on each arm as he sat with them on one of the couches. Zenitsu was wringing his hands, his side pressed against Tanjiro’s, and he was shaking so badly that the other boy could practically hear his teeth chattering. Tanjiro was rubbing his back, focusing partially on comforting him, but mostly thinking about what he could do to keep Fabron away from his nervous friend. He was afraid that if he got his hands on Zenitsu, the boy would never recover from the encounter, and Tanjiro wasn’t going to let one more of his friends be broken, not if he could help it.

He scanned the room, trying desperately to come up with a plan. He wanted revenge on this man, once and for all, not just for their safety tonight, but for how he had hurt Tanjiro, and especially Sabito. But what to do…?

At that moment, a familiar face appeared in the doorway of the parlor, with a puma on a leather leash and diamond studded collar that was even more familiar. It was Inosuke’s old customer, Jacques, with Chaton padding by his side. Tanjiro watched as Jacques led his pet over to one of the plush chairs, and all on her own, Chaton hopped into the chair and sat down in it. However, a moment later, after Jacques left her to go and speak to one of the girls standing in the corner, Chaton stood up and hopped out of the chair, and began pacing, panting while her tail lashed.

Tanjiro tilted his head, wondering what could be upsetting her, until he heard the whistle and explosion of the fireworks outside. His head whipped around to see the bright colors fizzling in the sky. Most of the people in the parlor flocked over to the window to watch, their champagne in hand. Chaton continued to pace, looking more and more agitated, her lips curling over her teeth. Then, to his surprise, she left the parlor and stalked down the hall, obviously trying to get away from the noise. That was the hall where all of the rooms where they serviced their customers was…

Tanjiro gasped, suddenly getting an idea. Turning his head towards Zenitsu, he said, “Do you think you can follow Chaton? Go see which room she went into and let me know.”

Zenitsu raised an eyebrow at him, thoroughly confused. But before he could ask what he was on about, his friend explained, “I’m going to fix Fabron for good. He’s never going to hurt anyone else after tonight.”

That certainly got the blond boy’s attention. All at once, he stopped shaking, sobering up. His face hardened with determination, and he nodded firmly. “Alright. I’ll be right back.”

Tanjiro watched him get up and disappear around the corner of the doorway, all the while keeping an eye on Fabron, making sure the man wasn’t paying attention to them. Thankfully, he wasn’t, still chatting with the two girls while they all watched the fireworks going off outside the window.

Soon, Zenitsu returned, leaning in and relaying to Tanjiro that Chaton was in the room closest to the parlor, still pacing around the room, clearly looking for a place to hide.

“Thank you, Zenitsu,” he said with a smile.

He wanted to say more, but he couldn’t think of anything meaningful enough. He instead sighed, and reached up to hug him with one arm. Surprised, it took a moment for Zenitsu to hug him back. His eyes widened over Tanjiro’s shoulder, but he trusted him. Whatever his friend was planning, he would support him.

Anything that taught Fabron a lesson, he was more than willing to go along with.

So, after they separated, Tanjiro offered him one last look, before he made his way over to Fabron. Zenitsu couldn’t exactly hear what he said over the loud booms of the fireworks, but his suggestive body language in which he swayed his hips from side to side as he walked and him opening the top of his yukata slightly to reveal his shoulders, as well as Fabron’s resulting interested stare, told Zenitsu all he needed to know. It was funny; Tanjiro used to be so bad at seduction when he first started working here, and look at him now.

With that, Fabron stood up, bidding the two disappointed girls a good evening, before getting up from the couch, placing his hand on Tanjiro’s waist, and following him out of the parlor.

Confidently, Tanjiro led the man into the room Zenitsu had mentioned Chaton was in. He had to be confident, had to act like nothing was wrong. He couldn’t let this man know that anything was amiss.

Even here, the fireworks were loud.

“I’ve been dying to have you again, ever since I took you your first night here,” Fabron told him, trying to pull down Tanjiro’s yukata further and reveal his shoulders. “I have so many things that I want to do with you…”

More like to me, Tanjiro thought. But it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to get the chance.

“Well, before we do those things, how about I grab us more champagne?” Tanjiro suggested. “I’ve found I like being a little tipsy during sex.”

“Ah, look how much you’ve changed since I last saw you,” Fabron commented. “How you’ve grown.”

Tanjiro smiled coyly at him, before exiting the room. However, when he left, he shut and locked the door behind him with a nearly indiscernible click with Fabron being none the wiser.

He remained outside the door, watching, waiting. Zenitsu joined him not too long after, the two of them standing solemnly side by side, watching through the large window that allowed voyeurs to see whatever went on inside the rooms while the prostitutes serviced their clients. But now, it gave them front row seats to Chaton coming out from under the bed, snarling, not liking the intruder in her room. Fabron only made things worse for himself by throwing a lamp at the big cat, which caused her to growl at him.

She pounced. And even though he wasn’t there with them, Tanjiro knew Sabito would be rejoicing in the spray of blood that followed.

However, that wasn’t the end of the bloodshed for the evening.

Because someone had seen what Tanjiro and Zenitsu had done.

And mentioned it to Muzan.

Zenitsu was helpless to stop their boss from dragging Tanjiro into the empty front foyer by the front of his yukata and slamming him up against the wall. He followed them, of course, tears streaming down his face, wailing and begging for Muzan not to hurt the boy.

“Let him go, please!” he cried. “He did it for me, I forced him to do it, punish me instead! He was just trying to help!”

“You shut up!” Muzan growled over at him. “You’ll get yours in a minute. Maybe we should make it an eye for an eye with you, do you think? A life for a life? Fabron was one of my best customers, and now thanks to both of you, I’ll be bankrupt for sure. And you were never much of an asset, were you Amaryllis? No one would miss you if you dropped dead in my foyer? How does that sound?”

Zenitsu flinched, freezing in place, his eyes wide. Now that he was dealt with for the time being, Muzan looked back at Tanjiro, moving his hand from the front of his yukata to his throat, his eyes glowing red in the low light of the gas lamps. There was no mistaking his intent as he snarled, “But first we’ll start with you.”

He began to squeeze.

Tanjiro fought, clawing at his hand, trying to throw his head back as he attempted to suck in as much air as he could. He started choking, and once he began doing that, Zenitsu seemed to snap out of his frightened trance. He was shaking, fear welling up in him so harshly he almost couldn’t breathe under the force of it. And yet, his determination and hatred of Muzan in that moment far overwhelmed his terror.

It was that determination that made him grit his teeth and race forward, making his heart burn, just like Rengoku often told him to do. He grabbed at Muzan’s arm, trying to pull it away from Tanjiro’s throat. Muzan glared at him, but Zenitsu didn’t back down, mirroring his glare instead. Now this was indeed surprising; Zenitsu had never had the courage to stand up to Muzan before.

It made him furious.

However, no matter how angry Zenitsu was, it wasn’t enough to make him strong enough to pull Muzan off his friend. With hot tears in his eyes, the longer the ordeal went on, Zenitsu realized that he was going to watch Tanjiro die right in front of him.

And then it would be his turn.

Things seemed to move in slow motion. Tanjiro began to go limp as he started to give up. Zenitsu started sobbing and loosening his grip as he too started to grasp the futility of the situation. His legs shook, and the edges of Tanjiro's vision started to go dark. Things were going speeding downhill, and yet were syrupy slow

And then, it all stopped.

Muzan was ripped away from Tanjiro in one smooth, rapid motion. In the time that Zenitsu blinked, their boss was now on the floor on the opposite side of the room at the feet of a man more than twice his height. When Tanjiro was dropped, wheezing and gasping for air, Zenitsu dropped to his knees and pulled him against him, shielding him with his body, not knowing what was going on but knowing he wasn’t going to let anyone else hurt him. It was only when Tanjiro kept breathing regularly that he was able to calm down a bit and chance a look at their savior. He was not only tall, but had silvery hair, and even from here, he could see the eye patch wrapped around the back of his head

Zenitsu nearly wept with relief, recognizing the man in an instant.

Uzui’s back was to them, but he didn’t have to see his face to know that he was just as furious as Muzan had been a moment ago. His fists were trembling at his sides as he fought to contain himself. Though, if he wanted to let go and unleash that rage on their boss, Zenitsu certainly wasn’t going to stop him. Things were silent for a long moment, filled only with Uzui’s trembling, heavy breaths.

“You know, Kyojuro never told me the full extent of what went on here,” he said in a steely voice, “but he didn’t need to. I’m a lot more perceptive than he thinks. I know violence and abuse when I see it. I know what it looks like physically, with the bruises and red marks I’ve seen on his body, and I know what it looks like in terms of behavior. Kyojuro was always so evasive, never wanting to tell me how much he was hurt because he was scared of what you’d do to him or his friends in retaliation. Now I see what he was talking about.”

Slowly, letting his height and presence intimidate Muzan to the fullest extent, he kneeled down, and even then, he still towered over him. He got as close to him as he dared, purposefully getting into his space, trying to crowd him. Uzui’s upper lip curled back as he sneered, “You’re the lowest of the low. Only a coward hurts others that can’t fight back. No wonder Kyojuro wants to leave here so badly, and no wonder he begged me to help him get his friends out of here as well.”

However, even now, Muzan refused to be intimidated. He looked Uzui right in the eye as he spoke to him. After all, he was used to this kind of behavior in his past life as a prostitute. A tiny, vulnerable part of him was afraid, the small child in him remembering how horrible all of those older men had been to him. And in that moment, Uzui represented all of those men, trying to frighten him into submission.

“You will not make me feel shame for my actions,” he snarled. “You have no idea what I’ve been through, what decisions I’ve had to make in order to get to this point, no idea what I have to do just to survive. I never had anyone to protect me, so why should those boys be allowed the same luxury? What makes them better than me?”

Uzui just shook his head at him. On one hand, his words resonated with him, but on the other hand…

“We’ve all been through our own personal Hell, some more than others,” he replied, and Muzan’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn towards his eyepatch. “We all have experiences that scar us for life and alter how we see the world. But those experiences don’t give you license to be cruel to others. If anything, it should inspire you to take that cruelty you remembered experiencing to heart and let it help to remind you to make sure no one else goes through what you did. That’s the only way we can truly banish that kind of evil from the world, is to defeat it with kindness. And it may be too late for you to learn that, yet it may not be.”

Uzui regarded him sympathetically. Truly, on some level, he felt for him. However…”I can’t condone what you’ve done here. I can’t leave this place either knowing that when I do, you’ll go back to abusing those whom you owe the most amount of gratitude for helping to give you your livelihood. So, tonight, I’ve come to buy their freedom.”

Muzan raised an eyebrow at him as the man took several bundles of cash out of his pockets, almost more money than the other man had ever seen in his life. “Kyojuro’s?”

“No, all of them. All of your Flowers are leaving with me tonight. I simply won’t allow them to spend a second longer here. Now, this should be more than enough, shouldn’t it?”

Clearly just by looking at it, it was. However, Muzan couldn’t help but grind out, “You can’t do this”-

“I can,” Uzui declared. He stood up from the floor, once more towering over him. “And I just did.  You will take this,” he laid the money at Muzan’s feet, “and you will let us leave without hindering us. And once we’re gone, you won’t try and contact these boys again, or I’ll involve the authorities. You have no cause to keep them here any longer. You never had any cause in the first place. All you had was fear, and fear is never strong enough to hold onto those you care about. If all you use is fear, then you will always be alone.”

With that, he turned away from the other man, instead going over to check on Zenitsu and Tanjiro. Even when he eventually gathered the other boys, telling them that they were leaving and to pack anything they wanted to bring with them, even when he helped them out the door and into the carriage he had waiting for them out front, they and Uzui ignored Muzan, who still remained on the floor, his head hanging low.

Tanjiro lingered in the front foyer while everyone filed in front of him, watching the other man for a moment. And he could have sworn he saw in the light of the fireworks still going off, the shine of tears dripping off his chin. Though, that could have been a trick of the light. And even if there were tears, he weren’t sure if those were from Muzan feeling sorry for himself, or from a genuine sense of loss and dare he think it, regret.

But alas, he would never know. The other man had made his bed, and now he had to lie in it. Alone. Tanjiro sighed sadly, dipped his head towards Muzan, and then exited the brothel, the doors slamming shut with finality behind him.

000

The next few hours passed by far too quickly and far too slowly all at once. Everything was a blur, giving Tanjiro a sort of out of body experience. He was watching what was going on, but it didn’t feel like it was happening to him.

He had a vague sensation and memory of being driven to Uzui’s lavish, large home, of seeing it raised white roof standing starkly against the backdrop of the night sky that blanketed the countryside they had disappeared into, Inosuke leaning against his side with his eyes shut. He had fallen asleep somewhere along the way, and Tanjiro held him up against him so that he wouldn’t fall forward. The others were sitting on the benches around him, as well as the floor, anywhere they could squeeze in, clinging to each other, the more fit ones supporting the weaker ones.

When they passed through the front doors, he was barely awake, his head light and throat sore. He supported Inosuke the whole way, glancing all over the place, noting how the ceiling of just the front foyer of the room was so tall it seemed to blend into the sky. Someone had to nudge him forward, encouraging him to keep going, as he was prepared to collapse right there. The events of the night were finally beginning to catch up with him, and from then on, things began to fade in and out.

Like a broken movie projector, Tanjiro caught flashes and snatches of events around him, so exhausted and overwhelmed that he just couldn’t process things anymore. He knew that he was safe, so that he no longer had to be on high alert. People were in a flurry all around him and voices were whispering and shouting, but he couldn’t understand any of what they were saying. He noticed Uzui that was carrying Rengoku, cradling him so gently against his chest, as if he were a broken doll. He might have looked over at Tanjiro and said something to him, or he might not have. Tanjiro’s eyes were fluttering shut, but he forced himself to stay conscious. Had Uzui said that there was a doctor on the way to see them? Or was that just his wishful thinking?

Someone removed Inosuke from his side upon seeing his eyes shutting, and he heard himself protesting weakly, trying to hold onto his boy. But in the same instance, someone reassured him, “It’s alright young master Kamado. You’ll be back together shortly, after the doctor checks him over. We won’t keep you apart for long.”

“Inosuke,” Tanjiro still called softly, reaching for him. And…was he going crazy, or did Inosuke’s eyes open slightly? What’s more, did some recognition just enter the other boy’s eyes? Did he know what was going on?

Tanjiro didn’t get to find out, because someone, perhaps one of Uzui’s help staff, was pushing him along down a hallway. The boy blinked hard, trying to keep himself awake. Behind him, Giyuu and Uzui were following, Rengoku still in the latter’s arms. They happened to pass by a room where the light was still on, a bedroom that may have been converted into a sort of sick room that could only hold a couple of people at a time. Inside, there was a man in a suit hovering over someone in a bed that was barely awake, but he looked very pale and weak. And…Tanjiro squinted, peering a little closer at the person. Was that…?

His question was answered a moment later when Giyuu gasped and cried out, “Sabito!”

Tanjiro jumped, as it appeared as if Giyuu’s energy came back to him all at once. He went from limping like a pale wraith that could barely put one foot in front of the other to a livewire that was running and stumbling with everything he had towards the other boy in the bed.

Sabito turned his head to look at him, and when he saw who it was, his scarred, white face broke into a tired but overjoyed grin, saying lowly, “There’s my Umi. What took you so long?”

Giyuu wasted no time in crawling onto the bed, thoroughly surprising the doctor looking Sabito over and wrapping his arms around his love. Sabito buried his face in his chest, and both of their shoulders started to shake as they cried in relief.

“How did you…how did…” Giyuu tried, but he just couldn’t seem to get the words out, too overcome with emotion to speak properly.

“Uzui-san found me,” Sabito murmured. “Just in time. It was…I was bad for a while, and they thought I wasn’t going to make it, I was so thin and sick. But it looks like I’m going to be okay, as long as I’m careful about resting and eating well. And now you’re here- oh Giyuu, I missed you so much.”

“Don’t let go of me,” Giyuu begged. “Don’t let go of me ever again.”

“I’m right here…” Sabito reassured him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Tanjiro sighed heavily in relief. What a miracle this night was turning into. He glanced up at Uzui briefly, unable to believe how amazing and kind this person was. He really went and searched and searched for this person he had only met in passing just to make his love happy. Rengoku had certainly found a good one. And now he was certain Giyuu was going to be okay.

However, that was his last thought before blackness finally, finally covered his vision. He thought he heard someone call out his name, and maybe a sharp pain in the side of his head as he hit the ground, but then he knew no more, and sank into blissful unconsciousness.

000

Tanjiro had no idea how long he was asleep for before he was peeling open his sticky eyes and coming face to face with a blurry, dark ceiling. It took him a few seconds before he remembered where he was and how he had come to be there, but when he did, he breathed a sigh of relief.

They were out. They were free. They never had to go back to that brothel ever again, or get naked for someone they didn’t want to. It was…

Tanjiro wanted to cry, his throat itching with the urge. But instead he began coughing, and when he reached up to clutch his neck, he found that it was wrapped in bandages, the wraps tight enough that they were clearly meant to keep him from moving too much.

Oh, that’s right. Muzan had tried to strangle him.

Tanjiro’s body felt awfully stiff. Clearly he had been in bed for quite a while. As he reached up to stretch, he found that his hand bumped into something on the way up. Looking off to the side to see what it had been, he found with some surprise that it was Inosuke, who was laying next to him in bed. He had clearly been asleep a moment ago, but his coughing must have woken him up, because his eyes were blinking sleepily at him. When he saw that Tanjiro’s eyes were open, his own widened and he was scooting over close to him, placing his hands on his shoulders, patting them.

“Tanjiro?” he said. “Are you really awake this time? Are you okay? Don’t try to talk too much, the doctor said your throat was crushed, so you shouldn’t strain it”-

“Ino- Inosuke,” Tanjiro stopped him, and whoa he was right, he sounded like he was gargling nails. He coughed a bit, but still pushed on, uncaring. “You’re…okay? You’re here now? When did you…?”

“When you passed out, I think,” Inosuke replied. “It scared me so much that I just…came back. Ever since then- I haven’t wanted to leave you. You’ve been asleep for almost a full day.”

Holy crap…Tanjiro had been more exhausted and strained than he thought. He regarded the other boy for a long moment, not sure what to say to that. Instead of saying anything, he reached up and placed a hand on the side of his face, rubbing his thumb under his eye. Inosuke leaned into it, smiling gently down at him.

“We’re really free?” the dark haired boy asked in a vulnerable voice, as if he was nervous of being told that it wasn’t true.

Tanjiro nodded, his expression sincere despite the fact that he looked so pale and exhausted. Inosuke released a shaky sigh of profound relief before reaching up and wiping his eyes. He started laughing a bit, somewhat hysterically, unable to believe what he was saying.

“We’re free,” Inosuke repeated, savoring the words as they crossed his tongue.

“That’s right,” Tanjiro confirmed.

“I don’t have to share my body with anyone I don’t want to anymore.”

“No you don’t.”

“And now I can eat as much as I want and not have to worry about getting yelled at.”

Tanjiro laughed at that. “Nope.”

Inosuke giggled in return, and laid himself on top of the other boy, hiding his face in his chest, back shaking. Tanjiro placed a hand there, patting it as he worked through his fit.

When he got ahold of himself, he lifted his face with a soft, teasing grin, green eyes sparkling in the dark. “Well, since we’re free now and can be together…if you want, I certainly wouldn’t mind if you picked up where you left off before Muzan interrupted us.”

Tanjiro’s heart skipped a beat at those words. Where they left off…oh heavens. And also…

“Of course I want that,” he huffed, face turning steadily red. “I’ve wanted that since your gremlin head poked out from the blankets when I first saw you.”

Inosuke snorted and propped himself up on his hands over the other boy, staring down at him. Baring his teeth in that hideous gremlin smile that Tanjiro loved, he said suggestively, “Then kiss your Prince Charming, Princess. He’s been kept waiting long enough.”

Tanjiro stuck his tongue out at him, and the combination of that and his reddened face was so adorable that Inosuke couldn’t help but crack up all over again. The red haired boy huffed softly again, before putting a hand on the back of Inosuke’s neck, pulling him down and pressing their lips together.

What started as a way to get him stop laughing however quickly turned into something much slower and sweeter. He wrapped his arms around Inosuke’s neck all the way, their lips working and making soft sounds as they kissed. Inosuke grew more and more enthusiastic the longer they went at it, moving their faces left and right, noses brushing against each other. It was so deep, so gentle, that it made them both dizzy.

When they finally pulled apart, Inosuke offered a little cat lick to his lips, causing Tanjiro to startle. Inosuke snorted and hugged him close.

And despite the pain he was in, Tanjiro was in heaven.

Chapter Text

Five Years Later

The Jardin du Péché was shut down only a few months after they left.

Evidently, after their star attractions were freed from their gilded cage they had spent so many decades in, the establishment found it harder and harder to make rent. They also couldn’t afford to run the place, or afford any of the luxuries that both the customers and employees were used to partaking in. The brothel was also shut down in accordance with France’s attempt to crack down on the number of pleasure houses in the country. Thus, the building began to fall apart, the remaining girls were let go, some being sold to other houses, others scattering to the wind.

Or so the Garden’s former Flowers had read in the papers.

However, there was no information on Muzan. He had neither given any interviews with the journalists, nor shown his face to any of the six boys since they had left. They could only hope that he would never darken their doorways again or make anyone else’s life a living Hell as he had done theirs. Maybe they could even dare to hope he had learned his lesson about abusing others for his own personal amusement and gain.

But they knew better than to hope too much.

It had taken a lot of work to recover and move on with their lives, each of the six boys taking very different paths and needing various treatments to help them put their past behind them.

Like Rengoku Kyojuro, who had certainly stepped up in life, more than he ever could have ever dreamed.

The young man formerly known as Tournesol rolled over lazily in bed as the morning light streamed through the curtains of his room. Or rather, his and Uzui’s room. And oh, the room was huge, easily twice the size of Rengoku’s entire house when he lived with his father and brother. It was the master bedroom with a large canopy on the bed and lace curtains that billowed in the breeze, which at the moment, carried the light scent of spring flowers through the open window. The sheets on the bed were the softest he had ever encountered, and certainly felt the most pleasant on his bare skin.

As he turned over, his eyes remained shut, but he didn’t need to open them to know that Uzui was still next to him, also completely bare. He scooted closer to the larger man until they touched, nuzzling his nose into the hollow of his throat and throwing a leg over his hips. He heard Uzui suck in a breath, his ribs expanding with it, indicating that he was beginning to rouse.

“Sorry,” Rengoku murmured groggily, “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“I’m sure it’s late as hell, it’s about time I woke up anyway,” Uzui replied in a voice that was just as rough. The sound of it made the younger man shiver. He felt his partner reach up and rub at his eye. “Fuck I’m tired. What the hell did you do to me last night?”

Rengoku snorted. The first time they had made love, many months after he recovered, and Uzui had said he had made him tired, he had apologized profusely. Now he just felt proud of himself. Yes, Uzui had all the money and prestige and was very good at making his art clients and coworkers tremble from just how loud and brash he could be with them, but Rengoku could still reduce him to a babbling mess of sweat, drool, shaking thighs and clawing fingers.

Even Rengoku had to admit that some of the skills he learned in his previous line of work had some use. However, now he only ever had to use them to make one person happy: the man he loved more than anything in the world.

Uzui wrapped an around Rengoku’s upper body, pulling him even closer. With his free hand, he took a section of his partner’s hair, kissing it gently, while Rengoku reached up and stroked Uzui’s own silvery locks. Even now, their fascination with each other’s hair hadn’t waned, and ever since Rengoku had put on weight and started up his more healthy diet, his hair had only grown longer, wilder, and more beautiful.

“You make it so hard to get out of bed,” Uzui lamented into the top of the other man’s head. “I used to be so good at just springing out of bed in the morning. Now look at me. You make me want to just lay here and cuddle with you all day long.”

“Alas, the world is cruel, and it demands we work and be productive members of society,” Rengoku lamented, kissing Uzui’s neck.

In the past few years, Rengoku had begun to explore areas of interest he had always held as he pursued, for once, an honest career path. It definitely helped that he had Uzui’s support, but he didn’t want to rely on the other man for everything, and his lover was more than happy to help him become more independent. So, he paid for Rengoku to return to school so that he could become a teacher specializing in history and oh, he had never seen the younger man so happy. Rengoku was over the moon about watching kids learn, and even though he came home tired every day, Uzui knew he was more excited about life than he had ever been.

What’s more, now that he was working again, he could send more money to help out his brother, who was finally old enough to attend college himself. And if Uzui helped to send extra money so that Senjuro could go to one of the city’s most elite colleges so that he could get the best education possible, well, Rengoku knew there was nothing he could do to stop him. Besides, he knew not only did it make Senjuro extremely happy, but Rengoku was secretly pleased as well.

The other staff in Uzui’s home of course knew about the nature of their employer and Rengoku’s relationship, even though they weren’t told directly. It was obvious, after all, with how close they were and, oh yes, how often they found Rengoku walking out of Uzui’s room wearing nothing but a robe, or if he was really lazy, just one of their bed sheets wrapped around him. However, they chose to keep their silence. Partially because they knew if they reported what was going on, not only would they be out of work, but mostly, because they feared Uzui’s temper. Not that he would ever hurt them directly, but he was great at giving the scolding of a life time that could blow the hair right off your head. Besides, the young master Rengoku was very kind to all of them, in his own cheerily eccentric way, so they chose to just look the other way, and if anyone asked or became suspicious, they just pretended they didn’t know what the others were talking about.

Speaking of, at that moment, there was a knock on the door, making Uzui groan and shove his head in his pillow. Rengoku snorted and reassured him, “I’ll get it.”

“Thank you, I bow at your feet, Rengoku-sama,” Uzui mumbled into his pillow.

Sliding out of bed, his partner replied, “You better. Admit it, I’ve made your life so much easier.”

“Well, you’ve certainly given me the best sex I’ve ever had.”

Rengoku could hear the smile in his voice as he said that, and as he walked around to his side of the bed to grab a robe, he smacked him hard on the rear, making Uzui’s shoulders shake with a laugh.

After he finished slipping on his robe, he went to the giant doors of the room and opened them, revealing one of the maids, who if Rengoku remembered correctly always used to blush when she came to their doors and saw one or both of the young masters half naked and what the implied. Now, in the five years Rengoku had been living here, she looked like she couldn’t have cared less and really would rather get this over with so she could get on with the hundreds of other things she had to do.

“Mail, young master,” she said with a polite smile. “Looks like for once most of it isn’t junk.”

“A cause for celebration,” Rengoku grinned. “Thank you dear, you’re too kind.”

With that, she shut the door and took her leave. Rengoku headed back over to the bed and sat down next to Uzui, who by this point had sat up, the sheets covering up his lap, much to the younger man’s dismay. He leaned up against his partner, sorting through the mail to see what portion of it was for him and what portion of it was for the master of the house. Not surprisingly, most of it was for Uzui, but there was in fact one letter for him.

He lit up when he recognized Tanjiro’s handwriting.

Tearing open the letter with glee, he said, “Well finally, it’s about time I heard from you, Tanjiro. I thought maybe he had forgotten all about us.”

“He’s been busy,” Uzui reminded him. “They just finished construction on their home and moving all their stuff in. That sort of thing takes time.”

Rengoku ignored him for the moment in favor of scanning the letter excitedly, wondering what his friend had to say. His smile only became larger and larger the further he read, before he was exclaiming, “Oh my God, they want us to visit! They said they finally have their home all presentable and Tanjiro wants us to swing around for tea sometime. This will be so fun, I can’t wait to see how it looks now that it’s finished.”

“Wonderful!” Uzui said brightly. “We’ll have to find a day we’re both free and head on up. I could always go for a day in the country.”

“You just want to eat Tanjiro and Sabito’s food,” Rengoku said.

“And you don’t? Didn’t you say the way they prepare sweet potatoes is better than any blowjob you’ve ever received?”

“Oh, it absolutely is. I want to die just thinking about it.”

Uzui snorted and smacked Rengoku’s thigh playfully. Rengoku paid it no mind though, and continued, “It looks like he’s inviting Zenitsu too! I wonder if Nezuko and the kids will come.”

His partner shuddered. “I hope not. Nasty little shrieking vermin, those kids.”

“Oh shut up, you. It’s not their fault that you’re so tall and climb-able.”

“There are hundreds of perfectly good trees surrounding that cabin! Why me?”

They both broke out into a fit of giggles, Rengoku flopping against the other man’s lap, stretching across it like a lazy cat, still holding the letter above his face. He stared at it for a moment more, before letting out a little squeal, and saying, “I’m going to write him back this afternoon telling him that we’ll be up as soon as we get a day off. I’ve missed all of them so much.”

Uzui nodded in understanding, pushing the letter aside slightly so he could see Rengoku’s face. He leaned over him slightly, saying, “You’re very lucky to have met such wonderful people, and I’m also very lucky that you introduced me to them. I may have a lot of regrets in my life, but two things I’ll never regret are meeting you and freeing all of you from that shithole. You’ve all made my lives so much better. You especially.”

Rengoku’s cheeks turned pink, and he averted his gaze slightly. Uzui brushed his bangs out of his face, cooing, “You’re so cute, you kill me, you know that?”

Rengoku had time to give him a little smile in reply before the other man leaned down and kissed him. Uzui’s silvery hair fell in a gentle wave off his shoulders, tickling the other man’s nose, causing Rengoku to breathe a laugh. He reached up and looped his arms around the older man’s neck, holding him in place.

When they broke apart, Uzui warned, “You better be careful. You kiss me like that and you’re going to make me want to push you into my sheets and continue where we left off last night.”

“I won’t stop you,” Rengoku told him with a coy smile.

Uzui glanced at the tall grandfather clock ticking away in his room, shrugged, and pushed the letter Rengoku was looking at aside, before saying, “I suppose the dealers can wait an extra ten minutes for me. Alright my little ray of sunshine, you win. Not that I ever had a chance of winning against you anyway.”

His younger partner laughed, keeping his arms around his neck as he was manhandled so that he was underneath Uzui while the other man leaned over him, before he bent down to start kissing down Rengoku’s neck.

And if they made those art dealers wait a little longer than ten minutes for them, well, Rengoku’s besotted heart decided it was of little consequence.

000

Up in the mountains, just a couple hours outside of town, something similar was going on in the aforementioned cabin that now belonged to Tanjiro, Inosuke, Giyuu and Sabito.

No, all six of them weren’t living in it as Tanjiro often imagined, but with how small it was, the boy decided that that was probably for the best. The four of them took up enough room, and with Inosuke and Sabito’s boisterous personalities, they took up enough room for three people all by themselves. Besides, even though Zenitsu and Rengoku were living several hours away from them, they still kept in close contact with their friends, so it didn’t feel like they were too far away.

Instead of one large bed like there was in the Garden, they had managed to build two smaller beds, one for each couple, of which both were eternally grateful for, because Giyuu often said he might snap one of these days and go feral if he had to deal with Inosuke’s sprawling anymore. His snoring was bad enough, and though there were two rooms in the cabin and one couple occupied each room, they still had to listen to him.

As the sun rose, so did Inosuke and Tanjiro, the former sitting up and stretching with his arms over his head. The latter watched him do so fondly, unable to believe how much Inosuke had blossomed since they had made the decision to build this place and then finally live up here. He took to mountain life like a duck to water, loving the quiet, able to hunt and fish like no one Tanjiro had ever seen before. He was much like a wild animal himself, loud and excitable, becoming part of the forest seamlessly. It was as if he had lived out here for decades instead of just a few weeks.

Tanjiro couldn’t believe how beautiful Inosuke had become in the five years since they had left the brothel. He had gone from looking like a fragile china doll to an actual young man. Of course he had kept his pretty, delicate face, but his body had packed on the muscle until he was as buff as a lumberjack. With said muscles rippling under the skin of his back as he stretched, he looked like he could strangle a wolf if he so chose, or rip a tree stump right out of the ground. Tanjiro knew for a fact that Inosuke could bench press him, as he often did it for fun, which Giyuu and Sabito thought he was insane for.

Inosuke happened to turn around in bed and see that Tanjiro’s eyes were open. When their gazes met, Inosuke’s expression melted into one of fondness, and he leaned down, brushed the other boy’s messy hair off his forehead, and kissed it.

“Hang tight Princess, I’ll get some breakfast started in a second,” he told him.

“Mmm,” Tanjiro groaned sleepily, and kissed his cheek as thanks.

He watched as his partner headed over into the kitchen area of their cabin, blinking and smiling lazily. The sun was streaming in through their window, illuminating the outline of Inosuke’s body. His torso was still bare, the white light caressing the highlights there and illuminating the shadows. He was so gorgeous that Tanjiro could barely stand it. How had he gotten so lucky? And who would have thought that he would never ended up so happy? He certainly could have never imagined it.

Their new life was so quiet and peaceful, such a far cry from how things had been. They had finally, with hard work and a little bit of help from Uzui, been able to fund the building of their own home out here miles away from any other people. At first, all four of them had taken odd jobs around town, finally scraping together enough to obtain the materials they needed. Now, they were able to keep themselves afloat by growing most of the food they needed. To earn money, they sold the surplus of the food they grew and hunted, including the furs of the animals that Inosuke caught and skinned. They did pretty well, different stores who bought their merchandise saying it was some of the best they got, even from large companies who did nothing but produce these goods. And the people in the town nearby seemed to appreciate that the merchandise was locally produced, so they were more willing to buy it.

For people who had mostly lost their trust in other human beings after being exposed to their seedier natures for years and years, this mostly solitary life was a blessing.

Tanjiro watched as Inosuke hefted large helpings of their breakfast on their two separate plates. This wasn’t unusual for him, and Tanjiro frowned. He knew the reason behind it, after all. It came from a lifetime of always having his food restricted for one reason or another. Sometimes, Inosuke couldn’t help but wolf down large quantities as fast as he could, especially when he was really hungry, as if he was afraid that someone would appear and steal his food at any moment. Like a food aggressive dog, he’d lean over what he ate without even thinking, subtly guarding it. It broke Tanjiro’s heart, especially when he knew that Inosuke knew deep down no one in the house was going to take it from him.

Another side effect from being trapped in the Garden of Sin for so many years was that Inosuke now feared being trapped inside for too long. Winter was an especially bad time for him. When the snow piled up and they were trapped in the house, he would start pacing like a caged beast, itching to get outside. It was as like if he went too long without seeing the sky, he was afraid it would disappear.

And forget about him entering dark, cramped places.

He had been traumatized so badly by Muzan locking him in his closet, that he had developed severe claustrophobia. Any crevice where both sides touched his body or the ceiling looked too low, he refused to go in. He had been so afraid he was going to die in that closet, the days he spent in there melting into one long, never-ending panic attack.

He also couldn’t stand being in the dark alone. It certainly made the winter, when it got dark early, trickier. As soon as the sun began to set, Inosuke would seek out the company of someone. Most of the time it was Tanjiro, who always made sure he was home by the time it got dark for that exact reason, but sometimes it was Sabito or Giyuu if Tanjiro wasn’t home.

Thankfully, he wasn’t the only one that had been permanently scarred by his experience at the Garden. This cabin was essentially an asylum for four broken former prostitutes.

“Oh, I never told you yesterday, but Zenitsu’s reply came in the mail,” Tanjiro told him from the bed. “He said he and Nezuko are coming and they’ll tell us when they’re free. Still haven’t heard from Rengoku-san and Uzui-san but I know it takes a little longer for our letters to reach them.”

“I’m sure they’ll be here the second they get the chance,” Inosuke said. He walked over with their plates and sat down on the edge of the bed with them, handing Tanjiro his. His partner took it with a grateful smile.

They both ate in silence, watching out of one of the large windows as a few songbirds flitted from pine tree to pine tree, singing and twittering, heralding the coming of spring. It was in fact around this time about a year after they were freed from the brothel that Nezuko and Zenitsu got married. They were fortunate enough to meet as soon as Zenitsu recovered, and just as Tanjiro always reassured Zenitsu would happen, Nezuko only liked him more when they met face to face. It wasn’t long after that that Zenitsu, blushing and nervous, asked Kie if he could marry her daughter.

Now here his sister and good friend were, still living in town near Tanjiro’s parents, a couple of little kids out in the world with Nezuko pregnant again. He worked together with Nezuko in her seamstress shop, Zenitsu apprenticing with the manager of the store so that one day he could take it over. It was exactly the soft, quiet kind of work that he enjoyed and deserved. What’s more, he got to work side by side with his wife all day, whom he doted on and treated like a princess. Of course he did; Tanjiro always figured he’d be a hardcore romantic. He just wished he could see the looks on male customer’s faces when they came into the shop and started trying to flirt with Nezuko, causing Zenitsu to appear from somewhere in the back supply room and tell them to quit putting the moves on his wife. The men would often be very shocked because as far as they knew, the local beauty was still unattached, and Zenitsu loved shattering their hopes and dreams.

With the smell of breakfast lingering in the air, they heard the other residents of the cabin stirring, groaning as they forced themselves awake, murmuring to each other and bumping around on the other side of their closed door. They knew from past experience that they had better get up quick the minute breakfast was finished, otherwise Inosuke would be more than willing to eat all of it. So, a moment later, out came Sabito and Giyuu, hair askew, blinking sleepily in the sunlight, following their noses rather than their eyes to locate where the food was. Inosuke smiled teasingly at them as they padded in.

“Good morning you randy fuckers,” he greeted. “Someone had a good evening last night, didn’t you?”

Sabito flipped him off as he passed by while Giyuu ignored him.

“Not our problem that you didn’t fall asleep fast enough,” Sabito grunted, reaching for a plate. “I’ll get you some earplugs sometime.”

Giyuu smiled at his response. “Maybe he’s just jealous. My legs still feel wobbly from how hard you made me come.”

“Christ,” Inosuke spat, shuddering. Tanjiro patted the top of his head sympathetically.

As of yet, they still didn’t have a table to eat at, so they joined the two boys on the bed, Inosuke bristling furiously. Tanjiro rolled his eyes, saying, “Oh relax, they can sit here. We hardly see them anymore because we’re all so busy.”

Inosuke growled, long and low, as if he were an animal defending his den and his mate from intruders. But eventually, he said, “Fine. But if they get anything on the bed they’re going to be washing it.”

“I’m sure this bed is already covered in crumbs and other gross stuff,” Giyuu said suggestively.

Inosuke smacked at his calf.

“Both of you cut it out and eat,” Tanjiro scolded.

“Yes mom,” Giyuu said flatly.

Thankfully, after that, they did in fact settle down, grumbling into their food, but eating it nonetheless. Tanjiro’s gaze rested on the other two boys. They too looked much better now, Giyuu and Sabito also at a healthy weight with color high in their cheeks and muscle on their bodies from all the help they had given in building this house. It had been a long road to recovery for both of them, perhaps the longest out of all six of them. Sabito had caught a venereal disease while down in the lower East end brothels that had left him bedridden for weeks and weeks. But it left his legs permanently weak so that he couldn’t stand for long periods of time. This frustrated him greatly, as he wanted to be just as active as his hardworking friends.

However, Tanjiro gave him hope, assuring him that there was still plenty he could do for them, things that were vital for them to live out here. For example, thanks to a lot of help from Nezuko, he had become very good at sewing, and whenever they went into town, he was always buying material from her shop so that he could make everyone in the house new clothes. He was also becoming very good at preparing amazing meals, and the cabin was kept wonderfully clean thanks to him. He settled into his new niche pretty well, and even though sometimes he became frustrated, he knew that the pros far outweighed the cons, and he was still just as useful to the household as the others.

For Giyuu, the struggle had been twice as hard.

He too was left permanently disabled, his heart weak ever since he had weaned himself off opium. The weaning process had coincided with him trying to put on weight, and it had been immensely difficult. Almost impossible. His supply of opium had been left at the brothel, so in a sense, he had had no choice but to go cold turkey. The withdrawal that resulted very nearly killed him, his already weakened body unable to keep fluids down for weeks as his body purged itself constantly. Sabito tried to stay by his side, comforting the other boy through the fever, the chills, the vomiting, and the horrendous nightmares as his brain tried to right itself again now that it wasn’t receiving the boost it got from the drug.

Sabito was very frightened by the whole thing, worrying himself sick, too scared to fall asleep just in case he woke up and found Giyuu dead. When the other finally turned that corner, waking up with his eyes clear for the first time since he had starting taking the opium and wished Sabito a “good morning” even though it was the middle of the night, his partner had cried from relief, knowing that finally everything was going to be okay.

However, he also was left scarred, besides being left with a weak heart. He and Sabito were too scared to be separated for more than a couple of hours at a time. They knew the fear was unfounded and ridiculous, but after almost losing each other twice, they just couldn’t bear to be away from each for too long, and Tanjiro and Inosuke certainly weren’t going to come between them.

What an odd little cabin this had turned into; a haven for mentally and physically sick inverts that most of the world wouldn’t accept, so they chose to hide here. But at the same time, it was perfect for their tattered minds. They didn’t need the world to accept them. They accepted each other just fine and were happy where they were.

After they finished their breakfast and put away their dishes, they set about getting ready for the day, Inosuke cursing when he saw he had a hole in a pair of his trousers.

“Gonna have to get Sabito to fix this,” he pointed out.

From across the house, Sabito yelled, “I wouldn’t have to fix so many goddamn pairs of your trousers if you didn’t ram like a wild man through the woods constantly!”

“If I didn’t go ramming through the woods you wouldn’t have dinner on the table or clean water every day!” Inosuke shouted back.

The minute he was finished getting dressed, he grabbed Inosuke’s hand, hastily saying, “Come on. Get your rifle so we can go catch dinner. I’ll get some fresh rope so we can set up some new traps.”

The mention of hunting turned Inosuke’s focus around completely, and he immediately let go of his irritation towards the other boys, choosing instead to follow Tanjiro out the door. The red haired boy called behind them, saying they would be back for lunch.

Sabito and Giyuu poked their heads around the doorway to the room, watching them go, and waving.

“We’ll be good while you’re gone!” Sabito said.

“No we won’t,” Giyuu refuted.

Tanjiro shut the door before Inosuke could start foaming again, dragging him along into the woods that surrounded their home.

Once the smell of the pine, moss and spring flowers filled their lungs, Inosuke became all giddy, just barely holding himself back from bouncing around. He certainly would have been, if not for the gun in his hand. For once, the morning wasn’t freezing cold, and the birds were singing. Game was going to be a lot easier to come by, and soon they were going to feast, every day if Inosuke could help it.

He turned his gaze towards Tanjiro, about to say something mentioning this fact, but he stopped. Tanjiro was standing still, staring at something off to the side. Curious, Inosuke came back to stand next to him, following his gaze. However, as far as he could tell, it was just a patch of flowers growing in between the tree trunks. Nothing too special.

“Look at that,” Tanjiro breathed. “Gypsophila, Amaryllis, Chardon…even a little sunflower coming up. And those flowers are the same color as Sabito’s hair.”

Oh.

Inosuke went silent, the weight of his words settling in on him. Tanjiro continued, “All of those flowers, like us….”

Inosuke furrowed his brows. The expression on Tanjiro’s face was slightly unsettled, and he could tell that this reminder of their past was more bitter than sweet. The dark haired boy grasped his hand, holding it tight, forcing Tanjiro to look at him.

“We’re not his Flowers anymore,” Inosuke reassured him. “I’d say now we’re more like…I don’t know, pearls.”

“Pearls?” Tanjiro wondered, tilting his head.

“Yeah. We’re still beautiful, but after everything we went through…I think if you put enough pressure on a flower, it won’t break. It’ll harden and become a pearl. That’s what happened to us. Muzan tried to break us so many times, and it didn’t work out so well for him. We’re tougher than he could have ever imagined. Not bad for a group of prostitutes, huh?”

Tanjiro paused, looking thoughtful. “Pearls, huh…”

Inosuke nodded. “We were never Flowers. We were always pearls. Pearls in the Garden.”

His partner smiled softly to himself. Then he looked up at Inosuke and said meaningfully, “And now we’re free, and the whole world is our garden.”

Inosuke grinned, blindingly bright, and leaned over carefully, kissing the other boy on the lips briefly but deeply. When he pulled back, he declared, “Well, as long as I get to roam around this big garden with my Princess, I’m all for it.”

Tanjiro sighed contentedly, and leaned his against the crook of Inosuke’s shoulder, feeling the other boy lay his head on top of his in response.

“Always.”