#inosuke x reader

────────────────── hashibara inosuke

"Shut up, mom!"

Inosuke whips around to face the source of the voice, his expression a mix of confusion and anger. His daughter is staring straight at him, a challenging look in her eyes - a reflection of her father's.

"Hah? What did you say?"

Glancing at your husband, you feign dejection and sigh heavily. "This is what I get for trying, I guess," you mumble, inhaling through your nose to snuff out the laugh in your throat.

Inosuke shakes his head. "Nah, you listen to me," he grunts, pointing a finger at his own daughter. "That crap isn't allowed here. You get me? What, you think your mom asks you to do things just to be a pain in the ass?"

Pursing her lips, your daughter nods.

Inosuke laughs at that, incredulously. "Have you lost it, kid?"

When she doesn't respond, he grabs her shoulders and pushes her (gently, mind you) upstairs, towards her bedroom. You take care to follow after them discreetly, softening your steps even as you walk on the plush carpets. If your life was more novel, your ears would have already perked up like a bunny's at Inosuke's disciplinary tone.

"I'm talking to you here because I can't be angry at you without your mother hitting me," he says plainly, standing before his daughter who is sat on the edge of her bed.

She snorts out a laugh, failing to catch herself. Inosuke grunts and bends down so that he is eye-level with her.

"If I hear you speak that way again - especially to my wife - you're not getting food for a month."

She gapes at that. "Wha—c'mon! It's not that serious!"

"What?" he practically shouts.

"Nevermind, you're completely right," she mumbles, quick to avert her gaze and be completely conformist. "Sorry, dad. I won't do it again."

He eyes her carefully, raising a brow when she stares at him. It goes like that for about thirty seconds before he nods his head and awkwardly points towards her bedroom door. "Uh, that's all. Apologise to your mother."

The door swings open. She looks over her shoulder and yells, "it's a prank!" before darting out the room and rushing downstairs, giggling like a child.

You sigh, laughing under your breath. Inosuke stands frozen, as if slapped. He has that dumbfounded look on his face that makes your breathy laugh turn loud.

"Were you eavesdropping, woman?"

"Obviously."

"Damn you."

────────────────── agatsuma zenitsu

After asking him to clean his room, your son yells, "shut up, mom!" It is after he yells that does Zenitsu finally sit up straight on the couch, his ears twitching in sync with his right eye.

"Did he just...?" he mutters, turning to you as if to confirm whether or not you heard the same. You nod, resting your chin on your palm.

"Unfortunately. Seems he needs to be dealt with, hm?"

Zenitsu locks in. His wife just got disrespected and she's clearly upset. He must step up and defend her honour, even against his own son.

He stomps over to the teenager and crowds his space, raising a brow. When he says nothing, his son glances at you. "Did you... need something, dad?" he asks quietly, awkwardly.

Zenitsu grabs him by the ear and brings him closer, his breath hot against the side of his face. "If you ever talk to her like that again, I'm going to cut your balls off."

"W-what?"

He gets all up in his face then, grip still tight on the boy's ear. "Did I stutter, boy?"

Said boy shakes his head. "No, sir. You've made yourself very c-clear."

You move forward and nod, satisfied with Zenitsu's reaction. But just when you're about to tell him it's a prank, he grabs your son by his head and turns him to you. The younger man yelps in surprise, startled by the subtle pain in his neck at the forceful movement.

"Apologise."

"I was going to—"

"Ah!" he cuts him off. "Nothing but an apology."

Your son smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, mom."

With a devilish grin, you pull your son out of his father's tight grip and pet his hair. "How many times do you think he's going to fall for these?" you ask the teen, seeing his eyes sparkle with mischief reflecting yours.

"Fall for what?" Zenitsu looks between the two of you, now rather unsettled by your sudden companionship.

You ignore him and walk back into the kitchen with your son in tow. "Hot chocolate?" you suggest, to which he nods eagerly.

"Wha—honey! What did you mean by that? Am I missing something?"

Ignored - again. He only finds out about it all the next morning.

────────────────── douma

Douma's smile was always plastered on, sometimes toothy, other times flat and unamused. Whatever its condition, it was deceptive. To you, not so much anymore. You'd had trouble decoding him initially, wondering if the man you were in love with was to remain an enigma, but you gradually found bits and pieces of him to memorise.

That comforted you - knowing your husband a little better than anyone else did. You had a right to!

'Anyone else' was unfortunately inclusive of your son. He was your pride and joy, and while he had an amazing relationship with his father, he tended to confide in you when needing a straight answer that wasn't glossed over with subtle threats and almost menacing humour.

The best way about this was to not leave your son's side, even when he yelled, "shut up, mom!" He falls silent then and waits for something - anything - to happen.

A few silent seconds pass and you're almost encouraged to ease the tension in your body. Only when you exhale on the sixth second does Douma suddenly flicker into existence before you. That freaky teleportation of his was enough to knock your son's heart back into his throat.

"Is that a protective stance?" he asks you, laughing softly at the way you and your son stand side-by-side, arms pressed together. Douma strokes a hand down your hair. "Silly girl. Why are you protecting him? Do you know what I'm going to do to him?"

You deadpan. "Nothing, even if I weren't right here."

Your husband exhales through his nose, then his eyes dart towards his son. His sweet son, the boy who looked too much like him and too little like you; the boy who was too much like him in nature and so unlike you with your warmth and harmless sarcasm.

"If that is what you dream, my sweet," Douma coos at you, "then I shall tell you, here, what I am going to do."

You stare at him, unflinching, so ready to laugh at how seriously your husband is taking this. Your son, on the other hand, is about to wet his pants.

"Those eyes that he so graciously took from me will be popped out, but as I do not look to upset you, I shall only take one. I will allow him to have an eyeball to shed his tears, and so that you may watch as he does,” he says calmly. “That is the extent of my mercy today.”

“Douma,” you say lowly, warningly.

“Oh, do not fret,” he sighs, reaching a hand up to pat his son’s head tenderly, claws scratching against the boy’s scalp ever so slightly. The younger man has to resist the urge to flinch. “I know this is another one of your little jokes.”

“Wha—” you sputter. “How?”

He practically giggles and kisses the back of your hand almost reverently, looking up at you with unrestrained adoration. He doesn’t answer you, but he doesn’t need to. You know how he is, what he’s like. He’s aware of threats before they’re made, whether serious or lighthearted. You’re just glad he managed to pick up on this one and not be blinded by the rage simmering in his chest.

“Do not attempt such foolishness again,” he growls, lips still brushing against your skin but curled as he addresses his son. “Not at the expense of my wife.”

────────────────── kokushibo

So you were scared, to say the least. To execute this meant you had to be on edge the entire time, ready to call it off if things got overwhelming or, quite frankly, fatal. You were more terrified to do this than your son was - he was giddy on the idea that he could enrage his father. Why, you had no real understanding of. You had never suffered the consequences of angering or frustrating him that left the bedroom.

“Sweetie, can you—”

“Shut up, mom!”

You deadpan, turning to your son and lowering your voice into a whisper. “I didn’t even get to finish my line,” you mutter, smacking his arm lightly.

He grins. “He just needs to hear mine for this to work, mom,” he whispers back.

The two of you are out in the garden, tending to the flowers and taking pictures to send to friends and family, when you see a shadow cast over the flowerbed your son is observing. Before he can turn around, a familiar hand grabs the back of his neck and squeezes tightly, using the leverage to pull him up from his knees and to his feet. The teenager coughs and sputters at the sudden pressure.

“Michikatsu!” you gasp, brows furrowed. You launch to your feet and grab your husband’s arm, tugging him away from your son. “Unhand him!”

“It is a shame this boy has not truly taken to being humourous,” Kokushibo says, voice a low timbre in his throat. “This disrespect will not be tolerated.”

When you open your mouth to intervene, your son shakes his head and smiles at you - a wordless “it’s alright. I can handle this.”

“I didn’t—ow—mean it disrespectfully, dad,” he rasps, lightly slapping his father’s hands.

“So you lack sense, too,” the man growls, tightening his grip but turning the boy to face him fully. The teenager swallows thickly at the murderous glint in his father’s eyes. “You are my blood, but I have shed that of my own,” he warns. “You are not exempt from my wrath, boy.”

“I know, dad.”

“You know? I highly doubt that.”

“Michikatsu,” you repeat, now digging your nails into his thick arm. “Release him at once!”

This time, he heeds your command - albeit reluctantly. His mouth twitches when you smack his chest rather roughly. “You will not threaten our son!”

His canines flash when his lip curls up further, making your heart race. “He will not be allowed to speak to you with such insolence. I shall deal with him—”

“It’s a prank,” your son announces, holding his hands up. “Mom can attest to that.”

You huff, frustrated at his eagerness, but nod nonetheless. “We were just trying to test your reaction, dear.”

Kokushibo turns to you then, his thumb urging your chin up so that you may look up at him. “Truly?”

When you nod, he pulls you into his arms carefully, as if handling a porcelain doll. You instinctively relax in his embrace, your head resting on his chest and your arms wrapping around his torso. He doesn’t utter a word, content to hold you and ignore his son’s presence entirely. He is not a heartless man, but in this instance, he will pay no mind to the boy. He wants his wife and only her, preferably in his arms and away from the childish antics of the little devil he calls his son.

────────────────── gyutaro

It doesn’t last long, pranking Gyutaro. It never does. You don’t anticipate that this attempt will be any different.

The moment your daughter yells out the words “shut up,” directed at you, you know to focus and rapidly become aware of your husband walking into the bedroom, his eyes twitching and his nails digging into the skin on his neck.

“Haaah?” he snarls, approaching the two of you with a curious glint in his eye. “Did you finally cough out your last brain cell?”

Your daughter’s jaw drops at that, offended but not truly hurt - only startled by her father’s audacity.

He stalks closer, approaching you first. You smile weakly and grip his arm carefully, rubbing your thumb along the protruding veins. He’s not amused, but there’s a softer sparkle in his gaze as opposed to the initial vengeful glint. You fail to stop your heart from fluttering when he leans over, bony figure hunched over, and kisses your forehead.

More than that, he doesn’t indulge in.

One of his hands whip up and grabs his daughter’s jaw, a movement quicker than you can keep up with. By the time you register what he’s doing, Gyutaro has already placed his thumb on her top front teeth and began applying pressure. She tenses at the threat.

“Shall I use your own teeth to cut your tongue out?” he offers, as if proposing an alternative alongside it.

“Gyutaro!” you startle, landing a death-grip on his wrist and pulling his hand away. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Is she high?” he rasps, pointing in the general direction of your daughter.

“She’s pranking you. And even if you weren’t, you don’t threaten to cut out her tongue!”

He grunts and turns his head, averting his gaze. “Whatever.”

You sigh and kiss your daughter’s cheek apologetically, ushering her out the room before he decides to give her a stern talking-to instead. Only when the two of you are alone does he move closer and rest his chin on the top of your head, his lips pursed into something that resembles a pout.

“You’re annoying.”

“You’re too protective.”

“One is better than the other,” he mumbles.

You poke him in his ribs and he flinches like an unsettled cat.

────────────────── akaza

“Shut up, mom!” your daughter groans. There was no need to yell, Akaza was in the same room as the two of you. Even if he weren’t, he didn’t need to strain his senses to hear this particular retort.

You hear the beads of his accessories rattle before his breathing, all before you even manage to see him. He appears behind you, trailing a hand down to caress the base of your neck, his thumb stroking the sensitive skin there. His blood heats for a reason aside from anger when your breath hitches, even more so when your lips part as he kisses you.

Your daughter knows to avert her gaze - not because you forbid her from seeing her parents be affectionate. She does it for herself. She doesn’t want to see her parents devouring each other’s faces a few inches away from her.

Except the kiss doesn’t last long and Akaza moves on. He stands behind his daughter now, his eyes darkened but not unkind. When the tension in her shoulders alerts him that she has acknowledged his presence behind her, he rounds the couch and stands in front of her instead.

“D/n. Apologise.”

This is the reaction you expected from him. If there was one thing Akaza wouldn’t do, it was raise his voice or hand at the women in his life. That, you were grateful for, but it didn’t mean you weren’t curious to know if there was raw rage rising in his chest.

“Sorry, mom,” she mumbles.

He nods, satisfied, and that’s all it takes for him to calm down.

You grin at him, so infatuated with the tenderness reserved for those he deemed worthy.

He catches sight of your expression and raises a brow, amused by your unprompted grin. “What is it?”

"You're so protective. It's cute."

He blushes deeply and squeezes his eyes shut in an attempt to control his flustered expression. "It's my job."

"You're cute while doing it."

Instead of leaving the room entirely to cool his face down and calm his racing pulse, he lays his head in your lap and twists his lips oddly to stop his smile.

Iguro Obanai

„That was way too close,“ you mumble, allowing your body to finally rest against a nearby wisteria tree.

What a hell of a night. Countless killed humans, even more beheaded demons. It wasn’t until the sun finally rose that you finally made it out of here. Or rather the arrival of a certain someone who happens to be a hashira.

“I told you over and over to never leave me side. And you? You sneak out while I sleep to go on a mission like that without a backup.”

“My crow ordered me to do so,” you insist half-heartedly.

 Because deep down, you know that the story didn’t exactly lay out like this. To be exact, you were the one begging on your knees for a challenging mission without Iguro Obanai involved in it. And maybe it was in fact his crow that wanted to entrust this mission to him alone.

Why all this madness? Because your precious boyfriend can’t accept the fact that you’re capable on your own as well. Not as a hashira, not even remotely close to being as good as him, but still skilled enough to fight on your own.

At least that’s what you thought until today.

“You could have died, (y/n)!” he blurts out so suddenly that you flinch.

Your heart drops to the floor. After all those years of loving appreciating the man in front of you, you’ve never seen him like this. Handy shaky, forehead covered in sweat, eyes wildly furrowed. Yet…There is no man living on this planet who is allowed to raise his voice at you like that. Not for doing your job, not for giving it your all.

You squeeze your fists, frustration bubbling despite how drained you are.

“I know I could’ve died, Obanai. I’m not stupid. But you never trust me to handle anything alone. You’re always breathing down my neck like I’m some helpless trainee. I know I’m not a hashira like you and I think I’ll never be one, but stop treating me like a beginner. Why this urge to follow each and every damn step I take?”

His mismatched eyes snap to yours, sharp as blades.

“Because I can’t lose you!”

His voice cracks at the end, louder than you’ve ever heard it. Kaburamaru stirs nervously around his shoulders, leaving your heart pounding roughly against your ribcage.

You open your mouth, but nothing comes out. What is all of this about? This isn’t the first time he pulls you out of danger, not even the first mission you head in on your own. No, this has to be about something else…but what? He looks away first, teeth grinding under his bandages. The silence between you feels like glass ready to shatter.

Then, in the quietest, roughest whisper, Obanai mutters, “...Damn it. You ruined everything.”

Your brows knit, mind unable to follow a single word.

“Ruined what?”

He drags a shaky hand through his hair, muttering curses under his breath.

“I was supposed to propose to you tonight. After a calm mission, when you weren’t covered in blood and I wasn’t screaming at you. I had it all planned and-” he cuts himself off, shoulders trembling.

“But instead, I spent the night asking myself where the hell you are, imagining what I’d do if you never came back.”

Your lips part, eyes stinging. The way he looks at you with nothing but agony filling his eyes, how his hands tremble more and more with each word that leaves his mouth. You hate that you made him feel this way, but what caught you even more off guard…

Did…Did Obanai just say that he wanted to propose to you? Propose in the sense of asking you to marry him?

“Obanai...”

He finally faces you again, eyes fierce but wet around the edges. He rips the small box from his uniform pocket - scuffed now from the battle and him saving your ass, but still intact. He opens it with shaky fingers, revealing the ring inside.

“I don’t care if this is the wrong time or the wrong place. Marry me, (y/n). Please. I need you with me. Always.”

The world around you blurs, every ache and wound forgotten in that instant. Your hand flies to your mouth, a broken laugh slipping past your lips.

“You idiot,” you whisper, tears spilling freely now.

“You could’ve just said that instead of scaring me half to death.”

When you nod, his whole body sags in relief. You don’t even give him a chance to slide the ring on. Instead, you throw yourself into his chest, arms tight around him, feeling Kaburamaru nuzzle your cheek in approval.

“Yes,” you breathe against his neck.

“Yes, Obanai. A thousand times, yes.”

For the first time in what feels like forever, his arms wrap around you without hesitation, holding you as though letting go would mean losing you all over again.

“And don’t you dare to ever scare me like this again,” he mumbles into your hair.

“We both know I can promise you something like that…”

Akaza

The night air is cool against your skin as you haul the last bucket of water from the well. Your shoulders ache from a day’s work - market stalls in the morning, scrubbing clothes in the afternoon, cooking for your siblings in the evening. There is no room in your life for rest, no space for softness. Still, you force a small smile, knowing that at least your family is safe and warm inside.

The rope creaks as you set the bucket down. And that’s when you feel it, the shift in the air. Heavy, suffocating. Your skin prickles, eyes widen, every nerve screaming danger.

You don’t see him right away. He doesn’t make a sound. He’s simply there when you turn, standing just beyond the lantern light. His hair is bright against the darkness, his eyes glowing like twin suns trapped in a curse.

Your breath catches. A demon. Just like the ones your mother told you about in all those countless myths.

The bucket slips from your hands, water spilling into the dirt. He doesn’t move, but you can feel the violence twisted inside him like a storm about to break. His fists tighten, jaw clenching, and you know he means to end you, that this might be your last seconds alive on this planet.

Your knees almost buckle while your family’s faces flash in your mind. You think of your siblings crying when you don’t come back, the distorted face of your mother when she finds out. Who will take care of them, earn money for the next loaf of bread, who will take care of your younger siblings when you’re gone? Your mind races back and forth, tears now taking your sight almost completely. Is this is, the last few moments before you die?

 But then, nothing happens. The demon doesn’t lunge, doesn’t strike. He just stares at you, expression unreadable, chest rising and falling with slow, deliberate breaths.

The silence stretches. Then, as suddenly as he appears, he’s gone, a blur swallowed by the night. Your legs give out, and you fall beside the well, gasping for air. Who was that creature? Why did he hesitate? You never once heard a story of a demon who didn’t kill his prey, let alone didn’t even harm it.

And you see him again. He’s at the edge of the forest this time, half-hidden behind the trees, golden eyes fixed on you as you carry wood back to the house. Your heart races, but he doesn’t move closer. Doesn’t speak. Just… watches.

It becomes a pattern. Night after night, he’s there. Sometimes in the shadows of the road, sometimes crouched on a rooftop as if guarding something. Always silent. Always staring.

At first, fear coils in your stomach, but as the nights stretch on, something stranger takes its place: curiosity. Why hasn’t he killed you? Why keep returning?

One night, when your exhaustion strips away your caution.

“Why do you keep coming back?” you breathe into the silence of the night.

The demon’s lips twitch, as though he isn’t used to speaking. His voice is low, rough.

“I don’t know.”

It’s not an answer, but it’s the first thing he gives you before you start to notice more. The way he tilts his head when you laugh softly at your own clumsiness. The way his fists clench when you wince from lifting something too heavy. He looks at you not like prey, but like something fragile, something he’s afraid to touch.

You should be terrified. You should scream. You shouldn’t come here at night to begin with. Instead, you find yourself leaving the door unlatched, stepping outside when the rest of the house is asleep, just to see if he’s waiting. He always is.

You don’t even realize when you start to think of him less as a demon and more as him.

Akaza.

Tonight, though, he isn’t there. The space where he usually waits is empty and an unease settles in your chest. You shake it off, telling yourself not to be foolish and walk toward the well. The moon is high, silver light spilling across the clearing.

That’s when you hear it - the growl.

Your eyes widen in the humbling way. This doesn’t sound like Akaza, doesn’t feel like Akaza. No, this has to be something else. Or rather someone…

Before you can react, another demon drops from the treeline, its claws slicing across your arm. Pain explodes through you, hot and sharp, and you stumble back with a cry. The bucket clatters to the ground as the creature lunges again, teeth bared.

Terror seizes you. This is it. This is how it ends. This is what you get for walking around at night carelessly. Even though Akaza turned out to be the most charming and charismatic man you ever met, this certainly doesn’t apply to every demon. Akaza…What will he say when he finds out? Will he be sad, will he cry? You didn’t have the chance to tell him how you feel, though. Your life really ends without this one person you adore most knowing that you love him.

A roar splits the night, forces you out of your melancholy.

Akaza slams into the other demon with a force that shakes the earth. His fists move in blurs of violence, each strike shattering bone, splitting flesh. He is merciless, terrifying in his wrath, until the other demon lies broken and silent, nothing more than a stain on the dirt.

You sit against a nearby tree, trembling, blood dripping down your sleeve. When Akaza turns, his chest heaving, his eyes widen at the sight of you. For the first time since you’ve known him, he looks shaken.

“I was supposed to kill you,” he mutters hoarsely, kneeling in front of you.

His hands hover near your shoulders, shaking, but he doesn’t touch – not with his hands.

“That night I found you… I was going to tear you apart.”

Your breath shudders, the sting of your wound sharp with every movement.

“Then why didn’t you?”

His gaze drops, fists digging into the dirt.

“Because you looked at me like I wasn’t a monster. And I… I couldn’t take that away.”

Something inside you breaks at the rawness in his voice. You should push him away, you should fear him, but instead, your heart aches with every fiber for this man.

He swallows hard, lowering himself fully to his knees, as though in surrender.

“I can’t give you sunlight. I can’t give you a peaceful life. All I have is me, my fists, my strength, my cursed existence. But if you’ll let me, I will use all of it to protect you. To keep you breathing, no matter what stands in our way.”

His voice cracks, desperation bleeding through. His eyes meet yours, burning with something that terrifies and moves you all at once.

“Be mine. Even if it’s only in the dark. Even if the world tears us apart. Choose me.”

Your vision blurs - from tears, from blood loss, you can’t tell. Every instinct says you should refuse. That nothing good can come from binding yourself to a demon. But when you look at him, kneeling with his forehead nearly to the ground, trembling like he’s afraid you’ll vanish, you can’t say no. You don’t want to say no.

Your hand rises before you realize it, trembling as it brushes against his cheek. His skin is cool, but he leans into your touch as if it’s the first warmth he’s felt in centuries.

“Yes,” you whisper.

“I’ll be yours.”

Akaza freezes. Then, slowly, his expression softens; fragile, disbelieving. A smile ghosts across his lips, faint and trembling. He bows his head against your forehead, his body shaking.

“I won’t let anything touch you,” he breathes.

“Not the night. No demon. Nothing.”

You close your eyes, letting yourself believe it, even if the world never will.

Because somehow, against all reason, you’ve chosen him. And in the shadows, he has chosen you as well.

Shinazugawa Sanemi

The ground drops from under your feet. One moment you’re shoulder to shoulder with the others, charging into Muzan’s domain, and the next, the floor twists, walls shift, and the infinity castle swallows you whole.

You land hard, rolling across polished wood, breath tearing from your chest. The lanterns hanging in the endless halls burn with a sickly glow, and the silence presses in like a weight. You’re alone.

“Shit,” you mutter, pushing to your feet.

Your blade is steady in your grip, though your pulse races in your throat. Alone or not, you won’t sit here like prey. You pick a direction and start moving, wary but determined.

The walls creak, sliding apart - and a demon lunges. You don’t think. You never do. You dash forward instead of back, reckless as hell, ducking under its claws to slash across its chest. It shrieks, staggering, but another swing catches your sleeve, ripping fabric and grazing your skin. Fuck, that definitely didn’t go as planned.

“Dumbass!” a familiar voice roars.

Sanemi crashes in from the side, his blade slicing through the demon before it can reach you again. Blood sprays, burning against the wood. He doesn’t even watch it crumble, he’s already whirling on you, eyes blazing, making you forget that you were worried about him a few seconds ago.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he snarls, grabbing your wrist and yanking you out of the collapsing wall.

“Charging straight into its gut? Are you trying to die?”

You wrench your arm free, glaring right back.

“What the fuck do you think I was supposed to do? Sit there and let it eat me?”

“Use your damn head for once! You could’ve dodged!”

 His voice is sharp enough to cut glass, his chest heaving with fury.

“Oh, forgive me for not performing like the great wind hashira!” you snap.

“You know, I was a little busy keeping my throat intact.”

His nostrils flare. For a second you think he might actually explode, but instead he drags a hand over his face, muttering a curse.

“Unbelievable. I get dumped in this hellhole, and instead of finding Muzan, the first thing I see is you, throwing yourself into death’s mouth.”

“And yet, here I am,” you shoot back, crossing your arms even as your heart still pounds from the fight.

“Still alive. Thanks for the vote of confidence, though.”

He steps closer, eyes narrowing, and you refuse to back away. The castle groans around you, walls shifting again, but you and Sanemi are locked in your own battlefield.

“You drive me insane,” he bites out, voice rough.

“Always so damn reckless. Always running your mouth.”

“Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you.”

The silence that follows is electric. His jaw works, his fists clenched at his sides. Then, suddenly, his expression twists - fury, frustration, something rawer bleeding through.

“Marry me, damn it.”

The words slam into the air between you, catch you off guard so roughly that you almost trip over your own feet.

You blink. Once. Twice. Still not a single hint that this is a joke.

“What?”

His face is flushed, veins in his neck straining.

“You heard me. Marry me. I’m sick of watching you nearly get yourself killed, sick of worrying if you’re gonna make it back. If I’m gonna go crazy every damn time you pull some stunt, I’d rather do it knowing you’re mine.”

His voice cracks slightly on the last word, but his eyes burn, unflinching.

Your mouth opens, but nothing comes out at first. The infinity castle hums around you, walls shifting, and still, his words hang heavier than the building itself. He…Wants to marry you? None other than Sanemi Shinazugawa, the man you fell for a long time ago but never dared to say out loud? The man who insisted on hating you until one fateful night, he couldn’t hold himself together anymore and kissed you out of no where? Marriage never seemed to be an option for the both of you, was never something you allowed to get into your head. Especially not like this.

Finally, you find your voice.

“That’s… that’s your proposal? In the middle of this fucking mess?”

He scowls.

“You got a problem with that?”

“A big one!”

You gesture wildly with your sword.

“You can’t just bark ‘marry me, damn it’ after chewing me out like some deranged guard dog!”

His scowl deepens, but his ears are red now, his boldness fraying at the edges.

“I don’t… I don’t know how else to say it, alright? I love you, you pain in the ass. And if we make it out of this alive, I want-” He swallows hard, the words sticking to his tongue.

“I want you with me. For good.”

Your sass falters, something hot and tight blooming in your chest. His confession is as graceless as it is raw, but that’s Sanemi, all rough edges, no polish, heart bleeding through the cracks whether he likes it or not.

You stare at him, then snort.

“You’re a nutcase, you know that? Scolding me one second, proposing the next.”

He bristles.

“So what’s your answer?”

You let him stew for a beat, just to watch the way his eye twitch oh so annoyed. Then you smirk, sliding your blade back into its sheath.

“Fine. Yes. I’ll marry you, you stubborn, hot-headed bastard.”

Relief floods his face so quickly you almost laugh. He tries to mask it with another scowl, but his shoulders sag, tension bleeding out of him.

“Good,” he mutters, voice low but firm.

“About time.”

The castle groans again, a door sliding open to reveal another endless hallway. You sigh, drawing your blade once more.

“Guess this means we better survive long enough to make it official.”

Sanemi steps ahead of you, sword gleaming in the eerie light and glances back with a smirk that’s half feral, half something softer.

“Damn right we will. You’re stuck with me now.”

You roll your eyes, but your heart races for an entirely different reason as you fall into step beside him. The infinity castle can shift and scream all it wants; nothing could drown out the fire in his voice when he said marry me.

And nothing will keep you from saying yes again once this nightmare is over.

Uzui Tengen

The first thing you notice is the quiet. No clash of blades, no shrieks of demons, no groaning of broken bones. Just the hush of summer air rolling over the grass. You sit with your knees pulled to your chest, head tilted to the sky.

There was a time when you couldn’t bear to look up, too many nights replaying fire and blood behind your eyelids, too many shadows that reminded you of the war you barely survived. The scars are still there, inside and out. They may never leave.

But you’re alive. Somehow, so is he. Despite all odds, the two of you made it out of the entertainment district arc back then.

“Oi.” Tengen’s voice cuts through the silence, brash as ever.

“You trying to ignore me, huh? That’s unflamboyant behavior.”

You turn and there he is. He still stands tall, broad shoulders casting a long shadow over the grass. But the empty sleeve where his hand used to be and the patch over his eye are impossible to ignore. His smile is wide, loud, everything he wants the world to see. But you’ve learned how much effort it takes him to keep it there.

“You’re late,” you tease, though your voice softens at the edges.

He grins, crouching down until he’s at your level.

“Late? Perish the thought. A man of my caliber is never late. I arrive precisely when it’s time to make the world gasp in awe.”

You raise a brow.

“And what exactly am I supposed to gasp at tonight?”

His grin sharpens.

“Glad you asked.”

He snaps his fingers, and as if on command, the night sky cracks open with light.

The first firework bursts into a bloom of color, red and gold spilling across the darkness. Another follows, then another - glittering trails, starbursts, showers of sparks raining down like meteors. The entire field shimmers in their glow.

Your breath catches, eyes sparkling in every imaginable color.

“Tengen…”

He leans back on one knee, watching your face rather than the spectacle.

“You told me once you wanted to see fireworks. Said you’d never gotten the chance.”

His voice is still loud, flamboyant, but there’s a rawness underneath it you don’t get to hear quite often.

“So I figured, why not make your first time unforgettable?”

You blink rapidly, torn between laughing and crying as the sky blooms again and again.

“You really… you did all this for me?”

“Of course I did.”

His grin wavers, just for a second.

“After all the hell we went through… after how close I came to not walking away at all…”

He exhales sharply, rubbing the back of his neck with his remaining hand.

“Truth is, I’ve been terrified. Not of dying, I made my peace with that a long time ago. But of leaving you behind. Of not saying what I should’ve said.”

The fireworks thunder overhead, bathing him in crimson light. His voice drops, barely audible over the bursts.

“You’ve seen me at my weakest. I lost an eye. I lost a hand. And you… You carried more than your share of pain too. You’ve fought, you’ve suffered, and yet here you are. Still shining. Still here. And every damn day, I thank whatever gods are listening that you are.”

Your throat tightens.

“Tengen…”

He takes a breath and moves closer, until the heat of his presence pushes away the night chill. His hand trembles as it cups your face, not from weakness but from something far rarer in him.

Fear.

“I’m not the perfect man,” he admits, voice breaking.

“Hell, I’m not even half the man I used to be. But if you’ll let me… if you’ll have me… I’ll spend every flamboyant second of the life I’ve got left making sure you feel brighter than these fireworks.”

And then he drops to one knee fully, bowing his head before you in a gesture you’ve never seen him make. His shoulders shake as he lifts his gaze and you realize he’s fighting tears.

“Marry me. Not because I can dazzle the world. Not because I can still fight or brag or stand tall. Marry me because when I’m with you, I don’t feel broken. I feel whole.”

The fireworks roar above, a brilliant cascade of light, but you hardly see them anymore. All you see is him - this ridiculous, flamboyant, larger-than-life man, stripped bare in the only way he knows how.

Tears spill down your cheeks before you can stop them. You laugh shakily, pressing your hands to his face.

“You’re such an idiot,” you whisper, voice cracking.

“You think I care about an eye? A hand? You could lose everything and I’d still say yes.”

For once, Tengen is speechless. His breath hitches, his wide smile faltering into something softer, rawer.

“Yes. I’ll marry you.”

The grin comes back then, blinding and messy, streaked with the tears he can’t quite hold back. He rises up, pulling you into his chest, spinning you once with reckless joy. The world blurs - sparks above, warmth around, his laughter loud and cracked in your ear.

“You hear that, universe?” he shouts to the sky.

“She said yes! Yes!”

You bury your face against him, laughing and crying at once.

“You’re going to wake the whole world!”

“Let them wake! Let them all see how damn lucky I am!”

He sets you down only to cup your face again, kissing you with the force of a man who refuses to do anything halfway. The fireworks thunder one last time, a grand finale exploding into the night.

When he finally pulls back, his forehead rests against yours, his voice dropping into a whisper.

“You’re my light. Always have been. Always will be.”

The sky goes dark, smoke drifting from the last firework, but it doesn’t matter. Your world is already burning bright - flamboyant, fiery, and forever his.

Hashibira Inosuke

The forest is alive with sound. Cicadas buzz around you in a mess of cries, leaves rustling, the snap of branches under your feet. You’re panting, heart pounding, but you don’t dare stop. Not when Inosuke is somewhere behind you, crashing through the undergrowth like a wild boar.

“Stop running, you coward!” he thunders, voice echoing through the trees.

You duck behind a boulder, pressing a hand to your mouth to smother your laugh. Only Inosuke would call you a coward after he’s the one who challenged you to a chase through the mountains at midnight.

“First one caught has to marry the other!” he’d declared, standing bare-chested under the moon with all the seriousness of a war general.

You’d raised a brow, even though your heart almost flew out of your chest.

“That’s… that’s not how marriage proposals work.”

“Shut up! That’s how it works now!” he barked.

Then he lunged, and you’d barely had time to sprint before he was hot on your heels.

Now, crouched behind the rock, you grin despite yourself. Only Inosuke would think to propose by turning it into a hunt. Only Inosuke would make it feel… oddly fitting. The two of you share each other’s companies for quite some time now. After the horrors you’ve witnessed inside the infinity castle, you weren’t able to spend a single night without him anymore. For some reason, this boy makes you feel safer than anything else. Just the thought of spending the rest of your life with him…

A sudden crash to your right. He’s close. You bolt again, weaving between trees, your laughter spilling free this time.

“You think you can escape me? I’m the king of the mountain!” Inosuke hollers, and then he’s vaulting over a log, landing beside you in a spray of dirt.

You squeal, deviating left, but his hand shoots out and catches your wrist. He yanks you around, momentum pulling you both down onto the mossy ground. You land in a heap, him half sprawled over you, his boar mask twisted from the fall.

“Got you!” he crows triumphantly, chest heaving.

“You’re mine now!”

You glare up at him, breathless and flushed.

“That’s not-! You can’t just…Inosuke!”

He rips the boar mask off, eyes blazing with wild joy.

“I can! I caught you fair and square! That means you have to marry me!”

“You’re unbelievable,” you huff, shoving at his shoulder.

“What if I don’t want to marry a maniac who tackles people in the dirt?”

His grin falters, confusion flashing in his eyes.

“You don’t want to?”

The question is so raw, so startlingly vulnerable, that your heart stutters. For all his bluster, for all his wild declarations, Inosuke still doesn’t really understand how fragile human connections can be. To him, everything is straightforward: win a fight, claim a victory, hold onto it forever.

You soften, brushing a leaf from his hair.

“Idiot. Of course I do. But maybe you could’ve asked me instead of chasing me through the woods like prey.”

He blinks, processing. Then his grin bursts back, brighter than the moon overhead.

“So that’s a yes?”

You laugh, unable to help yourself.

“Yes. It’s a yes.”

Inosuke throws his head back and whoops, the sound loud enough to scare birds from the trees.

“Ha! I knew it! I knew you couldn’t resist the strongest, most amazing, most fearless-”

“…most insane,” you interrupt, smirking.

“- most flamboyant fighter!” he finishes, ignoring you.

He leaps to his feet, dragging you up with him in one strong pull.

“We’ll be the strongest pair ever! No one will beat us! Not demons, not humans, not anything!”

You shake your head, still laughing as he puffs out his chest like he’s announcing to the world. But then his hand slips into yours, clumsy, uncalculated. You blink, looking down at your joined hands, then back up at him.

His grin softens just slightly, enough for you to glimpse the boy beneath the wild mask.

“I mean it,” he mutters, quieter now, though his voice still vibrates with conviction.

“You’re mine. And I’m yours. Forever.”

Something hot twists in your chest. You squeeze his hand, smiling back.

 “Forever.”

He beams, then immediately yanks you against him in a crushing hug that nearly knocks the wind from your lungs.

“Good! Then it’s settled!”

The forest rings with his triumphant laughter, your softer giggles tangled in it.

Tags:

@bitchpleaseeeeeeeeee

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@komelrebi-san @kentocalls @barbuse @sunshine7queen @lavenderdrxp

𖤛 TANJIRO

He notices you flinched before you even realize you flinched, and like, he lowers his voice instantly, "I didn't mean to make you scared, I'm really sorry."

He's so sad, like he wants to make it up to you. So bad.

𖤛 ZENITSU

He sees you flinch, and almost immediately, he panics, "Wait, no, no, no, I'm not mad!!" Like he was upset, but now he just feels bad and wants to reassure you.

"You're not scared of me, right?" He'll apologize a million times, dude.

𖤛 INOSUKE

He was probably yelling a bit louder than usual, yk, and he stops instantly and looks at you. "Oh, did I scare you?" And he actually lowers his voice for once.

He tries to comfort you, butttt he makes a note to not be that loud around you anymore.

𖤛 GIYUU

The moment you flinch, his expression drops a bit, and he just shuts up. He doesn't really know what to do, so he backs up a bit to give you space.

"Sorry, I don't want to be someone you fear." He won't really touch you unless you move to him first.

𖤛RENGOKU

He freezes up before looking to you with a gentle look. Then he lowers his voice when he talks to you, "Forgive me; that was unnecessary of me."

He'll only comfort you physically if you let him since he doesn't want to make you scared again.

𖤛 TENGEN

His attitude disappears when he sees you flinch, and he tries to calm himself down before addressing you again. "...I'm sorry, that was really rude of me."

He doesn't keep arguing with you, though, he just tries to calm both of you down

𖤛 SHINOBU

She just freezes mid-sentence before her eyes soften immediately. She's not very used to people flinching at her voice, but she touches your shoulder gently.

"I'm not here to hurt you, I'm sorry if I sounded harsh." And she'll just sit with you until you want to talk.

𖤛 GYOMEI

Idkkk, I can't see him yelling at you... So let's just say you're scared of loud noises, like thunder. Anyways, he sits beside you and talks to you gently.

"There's no danger; I am here." And he means it, of course; he'll always protect you.

𖤛 SANEMI

He's yelling because, I mean, it's Sanemi, but then when he sees you flinch, he shuts up like someone forcibly cut his voice off. And he feels bad. Like, really bad.

"... I wasn't going to touch you." And he turns his head away from you. He feels ashamed the rest of the day.

𖤛 GENYA

He flinches with you because he's on edge from arguing too. When he realizes you're flinching because he's yelling, he lowers his voice and tries to calm down.

"I didn't mean, I wasn't, I mean—" he's a bit lost for words, "I'm never going to hurt you. You know that, right?" He's, like, scared that you thought he would.

𖤛 MITSURI

It genuinely breaks her heart to see you flinch because of her. She rushes to you and wants to hug you but then realizes you probably don't want to be touched.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!!" She reallyyy would like to hug you but won't until you say she can

𖤛 OBANAI

You flinch, and he gets confused by why you're flinching before he reminds himself he was just yelling at you, to which he shuts up. And he moves back a bit to give you space.

"I didn't mean to raise my voice at you." He genuinely feels so bad that he even scared you.

𖤛 MUICHIRO

You flinch, and like, all of his irritation just disappears. And he tries his head and blinks at you, "...did that scare you?" He sits beside you after, not exactly touching you, but giving you the chance to if you want.

He feels bad, so much so, he spends the rest of his week trying to make it up to her.

DEMONS

✬ AKAZA

He freezes up just a bit. He hates the idea of frightening you, someone he cares about at that. His voice also drops instantly to a softer tone

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle or scare you," he tries to speak low so that he doesn't scare you.

✬ DOUMA

He stops and tilts his head slightly at you, as if he's trying to see if you really did just flinch because of him or something else. "Oh... you're scared? Of me?"

He cups your face gently and actually lowers his voice when he speaks to you.

✬ ENMU

He sees you flinch, and he tilts his head at the sight. He's trying to figure out how to approach you really, since you seem to be scared of his tone. "Oh... Did I startle you?"

He keeps his voice lowered around you since he doesn't want to scare you again.

✬ GYUTARO

He sees you flinch, and at first he ignores it before it actually clicks that you were flinching because of him and he shut up instantly and sits down

"I'm not... Gonna hurt ya, ya know?" He looks upset with himself that he even raised his voice at you to begin with.

✬ KOKUSHIBOU

You flinch, and his eyes scan you before he sighs, not because of you but so he can calm himself down so he doesn't scare you again. He doesn't like that thought of scaring you.

"I let myself speak too harshly. I will be more mindful." He looks away, actually ashamed of his own self for once.

✬ MUZAN

You flinch at his tone, and he just goes scarily calm and just looks at you. "Did I frighten you?" And it's an actual question; he lowers his voice a bit at that.

"I'll reframe from raising my voice with you. "For you, he means it, ofc. <3

<3

✬ YORIICHI

I can't see him yelling at you, ngl, so you just got scared of something loud going off suddenly. But, anyways, he reacts instantly and moves to your side.

"You're safe, it's okay," and he stays beside you in case you want physical touch then. Even if you don't, he'll just sit with you.

Yessss, you can, @perfectsharkoracle <333 shark shark i forgo to ahh read more sryyy

Tanjiro Kamado

Tanjiro is literally the sweetest fiance EVER

i would imagine your guys' relationship to be the closest to a traditional one

well, aside from the fact Tanjiro enjoys doing the house work at times

he doesn't mind helping cook or do house chores (or doing them alone for that matter) but he does appreciate it if you so decide to take these tasks on yourself

he especially enjoys watching you get along with Nezuko!

it's important to him that his loved ones get along seeing the people he holds closest to his heart interacting and having fun makes his chest bloom with warmth

he treats his fiancee with the utmost care and respect

he's a very gentle lover <3

a lot of times he prefers if you send him out to do the shopping, because then while he's out he can pick up something that reminded him of you and gift it to you later

tanjiro my sweet boy <3 he is perfect and can do no wrong

Inosuke Hashibara

he doesn't get the concept of being engaged or proposing or any of that

honestly, if he likes you he'll just claim you as his "queen of the mountains" and no, there's no getting out of it

all he knows is that he enjoys being near you and likes it even more when you dote on him

he ESPECIALLY loves it when you feed him

and since you guys are technically engaged I guess he basks in the knowledge that this is what every day for the rest of your lives will be like

he likes to bring you things he finds while out an about like a smooth rock or a half wilted flower he plucked from the ground

OHH HES SO CUTE IM GONNACRY

he's very protective of you as well

he expects that all the nice things you do are reserved for him and him ONLY

Genya Shinazugawa

Sanemi actually met you before his brother did

as a matter of fact, he saved you from your shit family and the demon they threw you to as a sacrifice

after he killed the demon your family was like "just take the girl, she's cursed!" or whatever bullshit and Sanemi is like the fuck?

and he's like follow me or don't its your choice and you follow him and somewhere down the line meet Genya

you probably ended up as one of the aids at the butterfly manor

the purple haori (?) clad boy was so nervous around you, often turning a violent shade of red and staying quiet around you

and obviously Sanemi saw this and a lightbulb goes off in his head

so the next time Sanemi is yelling at his poor little brother to quit the corps he throws out the idea of Genya marrying you

and Genya's like WHAT!?

and after that every time he sees you around or you help tend to him he thinks back to what is brother said and just short circiuts

ends up asking Gyomei for advice LOLL

and Gyomei tells him to just go for it and one day while your hanging laundry to dry he just walks up to you and yells

"WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

and you're a little confused because you thought he hated you

but to his surprise, you accept his proposal with a smile on your face as he stands before you red as a tomato

"Sure, let's have dinner after I'm done here okay?"

and he ends up stiffly holding your hand under the table while you use your free one to feed him <3

Giyuu Tomioka

lets be so fr rn he would never ever dare to propose to you (unless it was post-canon)

he was so skeptical to even letting you in his life knowing that at any moment it could be taken from him or even yours could be taken

and he's already lost so many people that he doesn't think it would be fair to do that to either of you

but somehow you weaseled your way into his heart and now that he has you he'll be damned if he ever let you go

so if HE was the one doing the proposing it's gonna have to be after a near death experience or the rest of the events of the series.

even if he doesn't express it outwardly, he's very excited to get to marry you

he never imagined he would ever be able to get married and lead a normal life but now that you're engaged? his thoughts wander to what it would be like to have children with you and grow old together

he would want your engagement to be special and I think he would take the time to make you something like a handmade/carved hairpiece

he asks you in spring as the two of you stand on a bridge stretching across a nearby river

as for the wedding itself I don't think he'd actually want one; he's okay with just the two of you spending the time together and knowing that you're his and he's yours <3

Kyojuro Rengoku

Kyojuro knew he wanted to marry you from the very beginning

you were shamelessly courted for months before he mustered up the courage to ask you to be his for real

you sat in a clearing surrounded by wisteria trees, resting on a large rock bordering a glimmering pond as the sun set, Kyojuro next to you with your hands in his

he brought your hands to his lips, kissing your knuckles before looking you in your eyes with the burning passion you were all to familiar with

"I knew from the second I laid eyes on you that I wanted to be with you forever... may I have the honor of becoming your husband?"

and when you accept with tears in your eyes he lets out a joyous laugh and embraces you tightly

he holds you against his chest and rests his chin atop your head, content to be here with you beneath the setting sun

i think he'd actually want a wedding, inviting the Ubuyashiki family, his fellow hashira and the younger slayers

and his dad + brother ofc

and the image of you clad in your beautiful shiromuku kimono would be burned into his memory for years to come <33

Zenitsu Agatsuma

Knowing him he probably started proposing to you the second you met

either you just start going with it until eventually he's fr proposing or at the end of the series you run up to him crying like "let's get married!"

SPOILERS START HERE- I wrote this because it just happened to be on my mind prior to this rq :>

It was finally over. You guys did it; the demon slayer corps won.

You were exhausted. You were lying on your back in some alleyway, a couple of kakushi tending to your wounds when you heard a commotion start back up.

"Those of you who can still move, gather together!! Tanjiro has turned into a demon!"

Your eyes widened in shock, breath already unsteady growing more ragged.

There's no way...

You swatted the hands of the worried kakushi away, rolling yourself into your front in an attempt to reach for your blade that layed a few feet away.

I need to go help the others!

"HEY!! You're in no shape to fight anymore, if you keep straining yourself you'll die of blood loss before you even get close enough to the others!" one of them yelled, attempting to grab you and lay you back down.

You flailed and struggled as the two kakushi tried holding you back, finally breaking free and standing on wobbling legs with sword in hand. By the time you managed to stumble towards all of the others, you saw Tanjiro standing in a large clearing, Nezuko clinging to him while Kanao laid on the ground not to far from them. You mustered up all of your strength to grip the hilt of your sword, only for the spine-like tendrils coming from Tanjiro's figure to dissolve in the sunlight.

His body was laid on his back while everyone gathered around him, your comerads sobbing in relief.

"HE'S BACK!!" "TANJIROOOO!!!"

Your own eyes welled up with tears as you watched the scene before you unfold, gaze falling on your yellow haired companion. He was battered and bloodied, crying at Tanjiro's side. Ignoring the aches in your own body you stumbled closer.

"ZENITSU!!"

The aformentioned male whipped his head around to see you standing not too far off, chest heaving and tears streaming down your face despite the smile you wore.

"Let's get married okay!? I mean it!!"

His entire face burned a bright red while tears of his own kept flowing. He scrambled to get up and made his way to you, gripping you in a tight embrace and tumbling to the ground with you in tow.