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There were a lot of things that Inosuke didn’t know. He could pretend all day long that he understood the ways of the strange world, but at the end, he simply didn’t. He relied on Tanjiro to help him understand. And to be honest, having to rely on anyone for anything pissed him off. He couldn’t even count on two hands and two feet how often he’d shake Tanjiro’s shoulder and point to some far-off object to ask what the hell it was.
Tanjiro was always nice about it, that stupid smile he always did lit up his red eyes and he’d answer so cheerfully. He never treated Inosuke like it was wrong of him not to know or to ask at all. Maybe that’s what Inosuke hated most about not knowing anything. It made Tanjiro treat him special. It got to a point where if they were having a conversation and Tanjiro was using words Inosuke didn’t know, he’d sneak definitions in just for him.
It made him feel weird. It was somehow the same as when he was running wild in the mountains, just him, the dirt and the trees breathing freely and together. But he didn’t really understand feelings either. So mostly he just ignored it or challenged Tanjiro to a match hoping that the feelings would go away if he could pummel him into the ground. Sometimes he’d agree but seeing Tanjiro so determined to beat him, his face all serious and tough, the feeling only heightened, leaving Inosuke more confused than he ever was before.
He didn’t like not knowing things in general, but this was too much for Inosuke to deal with. After he’d witnessed Tanjiro defeat two demons back to back all the while protecting three small children, the feeling swelled in his chest, knocking him out of his beast breathing technique. His demon got a hit in, a small cut to his chest but Inosuke found it a mild inconvenience to the raging wave of something in his ribcage. Zenitsu finished off the demon for him as Inosuke angrily stalked over to Tanjiro and pushed him.
Tanjiro whirled on him as if he was a demon, sword drawn but immediately dropped it when he saw it was Inosuke. “Uh, Inosuke, is something wrong? We still have a bit of work to do…” His face contorted in confusion as he stared into the eyes of the boar mask.
“Why the hell do I get this weird feeling in my chest whenever I look at you or you do something nice for me!” His voice rang out through the courtyard they were in, Zenitsu and the town people looking on in shock.
Tanjiro shifted his weight, his hand rising to scratch the back of his neck while his eyes scrunched, “I think we should discuss this later, Inosuke. Like I said, we still have work to do and well that's sort of compl-”
Inosuke cut him off when he threw his mask to the ground and proceeded to shake him violently as if he could get the answers out of him like that. “You don’t understand, I can’t focus around you! Especially when the stupid sun is setting and it’s lighting up like you’re some kind of fire and I can’t look away. Then when I see you fighting, you’re not just a damn underling! I watch you more than I watch the demon I’m supposed to be killing! Tell me why!”
The redhead’s face went a pink that Inosuke had only ever seen on very rare occasions like when they went to an onsen. He’d never been before but it reminded him of the pools in the mountains and he spent the whole time rushing around laughing and splashing Tanjiro and Zenitsu. Tanjiro had stared at him the whole time. Or the one time when Inosuke had just woken up next to Tanjiro on his futon and grunted out a good morning with demands for food. The pink cheek thing was another thing he didn’t understand but chalked it up to gas.
Tanjiro grabbed him by his arm and dragged him inside a house, grip unrelenting as Inosuke complained and clawed at his hand. Tanjiro turned on him then, eyes set in the same determined way as when he was fighting the demon.
“Inosuke, I don’t really understand how to explain what you’re feeling but let me try something and you tell me if you get it again, okay?” His voice was soft and plushy like Inosuke had never heard before, eyes twinkling like there was a challenge laid out before him. Inosuke simply nodded.
The redhead leaned in, breath ghosting out across Inosuke’s face like a gentle sea breeze before he sealed his lips to Inosuke’s. His first instinct was to push the other away, not really understanding what he was doing. But a thought dawned on him. Kissing. He’s kissing me like Lord Tengen kisses his wives. He’s kissing me. That’s supposed to be important. Then Inosuke’s lips were melting against Tanjiro’s, his chest roaring with that freeing feeling as he grabbed the man around the shoulders to pull him closer.
The sudden movement elicited a gasp from Tanjiro, his tongue pressing against Inosuke’s lips. The boar allowed it into his mouth, not knowing what to do with it besides roll his own tongue against it. Tanjiro let out a noise that sounded like he was injured but lit a fire inside Inosuke’s belly, heat shooting to an area he never really paid that much attention to.
Inosuke wanted to hear that noise again so he plastered their bodies together, holding the smaller man in his strong grip like he was the only thing holding him in place. Their groins brushed and suddenly they were both groaning in each other's mouths. What is this feeling? He rolled his hips, chasing the new feeling and finding something hard pressed against him. This, Inosuke understood. His morning inconvenience always got in the way of him doing things when he first woke up. But he never knew what caused it. Was it always because of Tanjiro? It’s all his fault I can’t get up as soon as I wake!
Tanjiro broke their kiss, Inosuke following his lips to peck him one more time before he opened his eyes. Tanjiro was staring directly at him, eyes wild with pupils blown so wide you couldn’t even see their color.
“Inosuke!” Tanjiro whined, hiding his face in Insouke’s chest (thankfully no longer bleeding). He had the sudden urge to pat the man’s head, so he did. He ran his calloused fingers through the man’s ruby locks as he whined into his skin.
“What’s the big idea, Tanjiro? Why are you whining like a weakling!” Inosuke’s boisterous voice rang out through the room, Tanjiro still whining.
“It’s so embarrassing!” Inosuke grabbed the man’s face to look at him, green eyes searching red like he’d be able to understand him better just by looking.
Finding nothing, he leaned in to kiss him again, feelings rushing through his chest once again. After a second he pulled back, “What’s embarrassing? Did you not want to do that?”
Tanjiro squirmed against his chest, hands waving energetically in front of Inosuke’s face. “No! That’s not it. I just didn’t think you’d want to do it! Or that you’d, you know…” His eyes flashed down to Inosuke’s pants, the hardness there still apparent.
“I don’t really understand. But it feels good. And the feeling I was telling you about gets stronger. I don’t hate it, I just don’t get it. Can you tell me what it is?” His usual loudly obnoxious voice was softer and for the first time, he felt shy (something that Tanjiro explained in reference to Nezuko).
The redhead shifted from foot to foot, cheeks growing impossibly pinker. “Well. Um. Basically, those feelings are either like or love. It’s sort of confusing to everyone I think. But it’s when you look at someone and know you’d do anything for them.”
Inosuke’s brows knitted together, “But I’d do anything for you, Monichi, and Nezuko. But I don’t want to kiss either of them.” In fact, the idea of kissing either of them made his stomach turn like he’d eaten bad tempura.
Tanjiro smiled, “Yeah, it’s different, Inosuke. The feelings you have for Zenitsu and Nezuko are friendly. This,” he quickly gestured to the way they were still plastered together, “is not. It’s more. Like to me when I see you it feels like I can’t breathe but in a good way. All I wanna do is be near you and touch you. Does that makes sense?”
He thought to himself for a moment. I want to be near Tanjiro too. I’m always brushing up against him or protecting him more than other people even though I know he can handle himself. And I sometimes dream about him. Love. Maybe he loved Tanjiro. Even if he didn’t know what the feeling meant exactly, the way Tanjiro was describing it, it seemed like the only explanation.
“Tanjiro, I think I love you!” He said it like he said anything else, aggressively and like a simple statement of facts. But Tanjiro’s eyes began to fill with tears and then his arms were around his neck, his face buried in his throat and he was muttering something Inosuke couldn’t make out.
“I can’t understand you when you’re blubbering like that! What’s wrong with you!” He shoved Tanjiro back, rough hands furiously wiping at the tears on the other’s cheeks.
The man smiled through the tears, face leaning into Inosuke’s grasp. “It’s nothing. I just love you too and I didn’t know what to say or how to say it or even if you’d understand!”
Much to Tanjiro’s evident shock, Inosuke chopped him in the neck. “You should’ve said something! I’ve been feeling like this for weeks! It’s damn distracting getting all weird when I see you doing something awesome!”
Tanjiro let out a shaky laugh and leaned up to kiss Inosuke again. It divulged into them rolling their hips against each other while they explored each other’s mouths. But then a loud “mmf!” sounded through the house and they sprang apart. Nezuko stood in the doorway, eyebrows almost in her hairline as she mumbled against her bamboo.
Tanjiro looked like he was about to pass out, “Nezuko! Go! It’s not what it looks like! Inosuke uh, he had a cut and I was just looking at it. Go help Zenitsu with the town folk!” Everything from the tips of the man’s fingers to the tips of his ears was a bright red.
“What are you talking about Tanjiro! We were kissing! The only cut I have is on my chest from where that damn demon got me while I was staring at you!” Tanjiro whirled on him, shoving his hands over Inosuke’s lips as he yelled at Nezuko to leave.
Once she finally scurried out of the house, he released his grip on Inosuke’s face.
“Tanjiro, is that what embarrassed is?”
“Yes! My little sister can’t see us kiss, it’s weird!” Inosuke nodded his head. He didn’t get it because he’d never felt embarrassed before but if Tanjiro said it was embarrassing then it must be.
“A-Anyway. We should go see what’s going on out there.” Tanjiro moved away from Inosuke but not before the boar caught him by the wrist.
“Tanjiro, let’s do more of that later!” He loudly proclaimed.
A smile graced the redhead’s lips, “Of course, Inosuke, we’ll do whatever you want later.”
Something about the way the man’s voice dropped had the now-familiar heat pooling in Inosuke’s gut once again. He wanted nothing more than to hold the man there and ask him to explain everything about the feeling but Tanjiro had already broken his grip and walked outside.
Later. We’ll do more later. Tanjiro always keeps his promises!