#boarsday 2026

genya huffs as he stares at the other, lips twisted into a stubborn frown, thin brows furrowing. kamado had been practically chatting his ear off about inosuke's birthday and kept asking him for gift ideas ( though, tanjiro had his own ideas, so he wasn't sure why he was asking ). they might not be the closest, but genya knows that friends are friends - and he barely has any. but, tanjiro insists that they are his friends, too. so, here he stands with a small wooden box in his hands. with a grunt, he holds it out and looks away, nose scrunching slightly. they aren't the closest, but inosuke has been helpful in the past - especially with all the fights he keeps starting. he motions with the box, shoulders rising and falling with a heavy sigh of defeat.

"Tanjiro mentioned it was your birthday and I doubt you've had many celebrations or whatever, so...here."

he pushes the case forward into inosuke's grasp as best he can. within it is a hand crafted slingshot accompanied by a few pellets that also seem to have been made by hand. genya has seen the interested glances at his shotgun, but in no way is he interested in letting inosuke play around with a weapon that dangerous. so, he compromised - he made him a slingshot that could at least allow him some form of chaos.

"I can...show you how to use my shooting course, if you want. You've got a good bunch of friends with you so...try not to shoot any pellets at their heads. Anyway, happy birthday."

"WHAT? YOU WANNA GO, TAIL-HAIR?!" Inosuke's aggressive reply was a reflex at this point. It wasn't until he noticed something different about Genya's demeanor that he felt his anger levels fall drastically.

"I've had TONS of celebrations! My minions have been celebrating me aaaaall day! That's how birthdays are s'posed to be, right? Everyone has to praise me even more than usual! Because today is MY day!"

Today might be the day his inflated ego finally burst.

That being said, he hadn't expected everyone to come and celebrate with him. He was particularly, and pleasantly surprised to see Genya approach with a similar sort of softness that his dear friends had carried. Inosuke's skin didn't light up with the same urge for violence that it usually did, whenever Genya was in his line of perception.

He accepted the box without ripping it from Genya's hands, his curiosity growing out of control. The poor lid was cast aside, and Inosuke reached down to extract the contents of the box. He gave the odd artifact a few shakes, and brought it practically into his own snout to get a better look.

"Is this... a weapon?" Oh no. Inosuke was extremely interested. "Show me how it works! Does it shoot very far? Can I use it to chuck huge rocks?! Maybe I can finally hit my stupid bossy crow with that thing!! If someone pisses me off, I won't even have to stand next to them to hit them in the face!"

A small charm with a picture of Kotoha, Aizetsu and Inosuke. It has a simple, but carefully crafted braided cord, sturdy enough to endure anything, threaded through with a carved piece of wood shaped into something resembling a mountain crest. It wasn’t perfect as the lines were a little uneven, the edges softened by hand rather than precision tools, but it carried something else within it.

“I know you don’t stay in one place,” he said, his voice gaining a fragile steadiness. “Plus I know you don’t like things that weigh you down. So I made something you could carry. Something that wouldn’t break easily.” He swallowed, emotion catching slightly. “So even if you go somewhere far you won’t be alone. Happy birthday son.” @demcnsden

For someone who liked to boast about how awesome and important he was, Inosuke never expected a mountain of his birthday. His friends always managed to surprise him, this time taking him on a little trek to a local wildlife shelter, where they had all the hard time in the world trying to keep him out of the enclosure.

He returned with a bag full of goodies and a head full of good memories, eager to spend the night with his mother, who always took that evening off to prepare him the biggest feast they could afford. For the first time since Inosuke could remember, however, they wouldn't be alone.

Inosuke only looked forward to the evening even more.

He was almost done washing the day's grime off his hands and face, when he heard Aizetsu's call. The man's voice sounded a lot softer than usual, entirely devoid of the scolding tone that Inosuke was rather used to. He wiped the water off his skin with more caution that usual, head tilted to the sight in almost animal-like curiosity.

Inosuke held his hands out to receive the little gift. Bright green eyes fell onto the charm, detailing its shape for a quick second before his fingers moved to trace over its surface. Inosuke always relied on touch more than sight, the sensation of the finely carved wood against his skin bringing a sparkle of joy across his chest.

"It's a mountain...!" He realized, his voice dropping to a low, emotion-filled voice that matched Aizetsu's. He flipped it around, and felt his heart perform another cartwheel as he noticed the picture inside. Inosuke had to bring the charm closer to see the faces' outline - a picture taken on another gleeful day they'd shared. Their first outing together, Inosuke recalled.

Their first day as a family.

He instinctively slammed the trinket over his chest, above where his heart was, before throwing his arms around Aizetsu's shoulders. The sheer strength of his hug might have knocked someone else over, but Aizetsu should be able to handle it.

"I love it. I'll take you two everywhere I go!" He buried his face in the crook of Aizetsu's shoulder, partly to hide the tears that streamed down his face.

For another hour he spent here, dodging then being tagged by the boar and his friends. Waiting for his birthday cake to cool. Once that hour passed, he slid to a stop and grinned.

“I’ve got a surprise for you, it’s finally ready. Come on.”

Turning on his heel, steps in tandem with Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Tanjiro, he led the trio into the kitchen. Where a cake sat, decorated with acorns and walnuts. Made of acorns and maple syrup, crafted by Yuichiro’s hand. Large enough to cater to both Inosuke’s appetite, and to share with others.

He comes to a stop, grinning softly as he spoke up.

“Happy Birthday, Inosuke!”

Much like any impatient child, the only place Inosuke wanted to be was exactly where he wasn't allowed to be. He lurked around the kitchen and stomped his feet, peeking through the windows, trying to slip in through the door, only to invariably end up with a towel chucked at his snout. It wasn't until Zenitsu offered a distraction that Inosuke finally took the kitchen mystery out of his mind.

He was all the more delighted when Yuichiro joined the fray. The more dear minions, the merrier!

"I'm not losing to any of you! It's MY birthday, so I should win everything! But if you guys hold back, I'll break your legs!" The threat sounded a little less real than usual, thanks to Inosuke's cheery tone. He had entirely forgotten about the kitchen, and whatever delicious treats might await him there.

It wasn't until Yuichiro led them back to the kitchen that Inosuke remembered all about his earlier frustration. Fortunately, it was quickly replaced by the greatest joy he'd ever felt.

The decoration alone would have been enough to make him cry with glee. He felt a great warmth sprout from his chest, and spread to the rest of him within seconds, making his limbs feel like soft tofu. It looked too delicious to be real.

He almost lunged at the cake and started to devour it with bare hands... but there was another option that sounded a lot more fun.

"Let's eat it together! I bet cakes also taste better when you eat them with your dear minions!"

He had another thing to do first - lunge he did, but not at the cake. Strong arms wrapped around Yuichiro, and lifted him right off the ground.