#tanjiro does adjust eventually.... eventually

It mostly follows canon again- well. Kyogai doesn't die, he's not there in the mansion which most likely makes that mission easier actually. -but it mostly follows canon alll the way to the Rui fight. Rui doesn't die. But he is able to confirm Hey There IS Another Grub Out there!! And the Slayers Have Her!!!! The beemons Swarm even more. Don't worry about it.

Tanjiro is Fine, and being fine, and doing fine. His kid sister is Fine. Very cuddly, doesn't like the cold, bundles up in the blankets and whatever she can get ahold of. The box has so many blankets & extra haoris & everything else for while she naps.

The train is where things uh... well. The two of them don't get kidnapped- Akaza got distracted. (Still debating on if Enmu lives or dies, We'll See) ...Rengoku got kidnapped. Don't worry about it, Akaza & Koyuki are taking Good care of him. Honest.

Tanjiro & Nezuko & co are doing Less well from it but Don't Worry.

By the end they'll get yoinked as well, and it is to the Nursery to them, where it is Safe and Warm and Comfortable- and have the beemons mentioned it's Safe? Alongside... just a... few others... It'll be fine. Probably. Mostly. Maybe.

(Also I feel you'd like to know, Kokushibo & Yoriichi share Upper One, and their main jobs in the hive is to watch over the Nursery. Aka where the baby beemons are. Alongside guard Muzan- to Muzan's Frustration.) (Is he not supposed to be the boss around here?!) (Well sir yes you're the Queen-Mother of this hivemind- which means they're Going to Protect you despite you Protesting because Hivemind, and you being the Queen-Mother)

Both of them end up as Moons- which in this AU is less of a rank and more akin to a supermajor ant vs a normal worker ant. Which means they get to be extra fluffy. Nezuko adjusts far easier than Tanjiro, seeing as she's been a beemon for longer. And he very much is caught between the non-human instincts and his previous human feelings of absolutely Hating Kibutsuji.

ᰔᩚ Tanjiro !

He kinda thought you passed out for a second, so he was panicking a bit before he realized that you did and you just fell asleep on him. He then relaxes his body and probably ends up straining his neck so that you can be comfortable.

Probably makes a note to check on you at night..

ᰔᩚ Zenitsu !

He lwk short-circuited for a bit, trying to figure out exactly what to do. like should he push you off… No, obviously, he's going to let you stay. He doesn't move, though, since he doesn't really want to wake up.

He probably also ends up falling asleep on your head, though.

ᰔᩚ Inosuke !

At first, he probably thinks that you're joking or something, since you're awkward, and well, he wasn't expecting it for one. When he does realize you just fell asleep on him, he just kind of gets stiff. Like awkward and stiff, ngl.

Lets you stay thereeee and probably brags about it to everyone.

ᰔᩚ Giyuu !

He freezes almost immediately like he doesn't move, like at all and really just stares off into the distance for a bit before he eventually turns to you down at you on his shoulder. He eventually adjusts himself in a way so that you'd be comfortable.

He lost circulation a bit in his arm but pretends like he didn't when you wake up.

ᰔᩚ Kyojuro !

Honestly, he's probably the happiest about it out of all of them. He does because he is much more steady, or at least tries when he feels you lean your head against him. He doesn't move though, just lets you sleep.

If you are kind of embarrassed when you wake up, though, he'll reassure you multiple times.

ᰔᩚ Tengen !

Lwk, he kinda likes it, he finds it cute. probably also sees it as a way to possibly convince you to be his fourth significant other because you fell asleep on him. Meaning you love him technically, so you should date him…

Lwk, he just lets you stay there until you wake up, thinking about how he can convince you.

ᰔᩚ Shinobu !

She already knew that you were going to fall asleep by the way you were probably sitting. So when she feels your weight on her shoulder, she's not too surprised. Though she is kind of happy that you feel comfortable enough around her to go to sleep on her.

Might tell you to sleep better, though, when you wake up to tease you.

ᰔᩚ Gyomei !

He probably already noticed that you were going to sleep, but he wasn't really thinking you'd fall asleep on him of all things. But when he felt you fall asleep on him, he was a little surprised, but he let you stay, of course, because he didn't really mind.

He does fix his posture so that you're comfortable.

ᰔᩚ Sanemi !

He's lwk really startled by feeling you suddenly lean against him and is about to shake you off before he realizes that you're asleep. Then he just realizes that you're asleep. Then he just sits right there and slowly becomes red.

When you do wake up, he pretends like he is so irritated.

ᰔᩚ Genya !

He freezes up and stays like that for a while. Like he's genuinely like a statue for a bit before he eventually settles into it. Even if he's kind of awkward the whole time.

He's also turning red the whole time. When you do wake up, he refuses to even make contact with you because he's so embarrassed.

ᰔᩚ Mitsuri !

She just let it happen. Even more, she was preparing to let you, bc she could see you starting to fall asleep. While you are asleep, she probably moves your hair out of your face or fixes your clothes for you.

Probablyyy takes pictures of you in a cute, non-stalker way..

ᰔᩚ Obanai !

Oh, he turns stiff, like stone stiff. Even Kaburumaru raises its head to look at you, probably because he's confused about what you're doing, lwk. When Obanai does realize you're completely asleep, though, he relaxes when he just… lets you stay.

When you do wake up, though, he kind of pretends like it was such a nuisance to have you sleeping on him, but he actually really liked it…

ᰔᩚ Muichiro !

He just kind of blinks, feeling you fall asleep on his shoulder. He was planning on falling asleep on you himself, but he doesn't really mind. He finds it cute kinda and just lets you lean on him.

He falls asleep on you as well, and yeah. You both are just sleepy, he'd want to do it more often with you though. That being fall asleep with you.

DEMONS

★ Akaza !

Kinda stunned into silence. So he kind of just stares down at you while you're sleeping. It also reminds him of his human life… He should dwell on it, he supposes. Anyways, he does let you stay there.

And he stares there until you eventually wake up, just sitting there, also thinking about his human life, ngl

★ Douma !

For once he doesn't tease you, while you're asleep at least. He lets you stay, even if he's lwk kinda snickering at the fact that you fell asleep on him.

He does tease you about feeling so comfortable around him when you wake up.

★ Enmu !

He loves it actually, he loves the fact that you can just fall asleep on him. You sleeping around him actually fascinates him very much. He also keeps you there, like, if you try to move away from him in your sleep, he will guide you back.

Yes… He also appears in your dreams, bc why not.

★ Gyutaro !

idk if you even reach him, but he tenses up at feeling you lean against him. He eventually slowly untenses himself.

But he still is sort of awkward about it. He won't let you slide off, though.

★ Kokushibou !

He barely moves and also glares down at you like he's upset. But he's not, it's just his face. He doesn't adjust too much, since he doesn't really want to wake you, he just leaves you there.

He does let you stay there; unless you both have to leave, then he'll wake you up.

★ Muzan !

He's kind of surprised that you even considered lying on him, even more so that you went through with it. He lets you stay…he guesses.

He lets you stay bc he convinces himself that you are bold enough, so he might as well. only this time. Yeah, only this time.

<3

❀ Yoriichi !

I'm not surprised at all because he already knew that you didn't really get good sleep the previous night. So he was expecting you to fall asleep throughout the day. On him though? He's cool with him, he likes it.

He also helps you to bed so that your neck wouldn't hurt when you wake up <3333

uhhhh, oh, yeah, happy valentines to all my lonelys, i was too dw <3 i was up till like 4am doing this..

bcs i didn't wna gts lastnight, but, ehh, anyways, ty for the request <3

“Do you think there’s somewhere out there where we can be happy again?” Sanemi rests his head against the trunk of a cherry blossom tree and, under its first bloom, accepts that he is dying. 

“There must be,” Giyuu whispered, pressing a kiss to Sanemi’s wrist, “I’ll make sure there is.” 

-

Autumn again, Sanemi thought to himself as he swept the sidewalk of the bakery’s storefront. Where in the days before he’d find nothing but a bit of litter and dust, now the familiar crumples of dried leaves lay at his feet. The ever-familiar first nip of cold, reminding him that he’d better start wearing a jacket when he opens shop, before he catches a cold.

 He cracks the front door open and calls inside. “Back to school rush will be soon. Put in an order for pumpkin syrup before we leave, yeah?”

Genya, who had been wiping down the last of the tables, gave a start. “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sure thing.”

Distracted. Sanemi finished storing the broom away and flicked his brother on the forehead. “What do I always say about distracted wiping?”

Genya knew better than to roll his eyes. He did it anyway. “It leaves dirty tables.”

“Damn right they do.” Sanemi tapped his fingers to the table. “Finish up. We’ve got another busy day tomorrow.” 

To be accurate, he’s had “another busy day” for the past decade. The family bakery was open seven days a week, twelve hours a day. Sanemi never thought he’d end up as a baker. He didn’t have the look for it.

“Right, I wanted to talk to you about that.” Genya fiddled with the rag in his hands. “I-I’m quitting.” 

Sanemi must not have heard that right. Genya, the bakery’s only other employee and his own younger brother. The one who promised him that they’d always take care of the family together. 

He’ll give him one more chance. “Come again?” 

“Sanemi, I’m quitting the cafe to pursue my dreams and you can’t stop me.” Genya slid his apron across the glass counter, covering the view of the day’s last remaining cake slices.

Sanemi was first and foremost a family man. He was proud to have raised six whole siblings who were well-adjusted, productive members of society. At least, he thought they were well-adjusted.

Sanemi slid the apron right back. “No the hell you’re not.” 

The bakery was a family business. If there was no family running, then it wouldn’t be a family business anymore, now would it?

Genya was, understandably, frustrated. “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.” 

“And I’m telling you, you are not quitting.” Sanemi went back to closing up the register. He understood why Genya wanted to leave. Making cookies and itsy bitsy pastries all day wasn’t exactly Sanemi’s life calling either.

Even still, for the past decade Sanemi got up at the crack of dawn and ran the store until well past duskfall. No college, no prospects, just bakes. There was a heavy pocket of air in his chest as cleared out the tip jar. 

“I don’t want to be stuck making coffees for the rest of my life. I want to cook!” Genya balled his hands into fists. He tried to put on a brave face, but it just ended up making him look a bit puffy. 

Sanemi shut the register with a firm click. “And what makes you think you can do that?”

Genya did his best not to fold. “Well, Tanjiro said–“

Sanemi scoffed. “That kid is a terrible influence on you.”  

“We’re twenty.”

“Alright, that infant is a terrible influence on you.” Sanemi crossed his arms. “With what money can we afford to put you through culinary school? We can barely afford rent every month and you think you have the option to stop working?”

Genya, who had held back until now, finally dropped the bombshell. “I got a scholarship!” 

“I’m-” Sanemi began angrily, but then finished processing Genya’s words- “very proud of you. Good job.” 

Well that worked at shutting his little brother up. Genya’s eyes were as wide as saucers as Sanemi gave him a hearty pat on the back. What was he so surprised about? Sure, Sanemi was a hardass but that was only because he wanted his siblings to succeed in life. He didn’t actually want Genya to be stuck working somewhere he didn’t like. However-

“There’s still no way I can run the business by myself. I can’t brew for shit.”

Genya put his finger up, as if to say “not so fast.” Out from his back pocket he produced a rolled up paper which, once unfurled, read “HELP WANTED.” 

Sanemi eyed the bold font with uneasy skepticism. “Really?” 

“You didn’t see all of it. There’s more.” Genya smoothed out a curled corner of the paper, revealing additional text. “NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.” 

Genya was looking mighty impressed with himself. Sanemi snatched the makeshift sign, shaking his head as he read it over again. It was handdrawn, very neat. Sanemi knew his siblings well; there was no way Genya could whip something like this up at the last minute. He must have thought for a long time before confronting Sanemi about this. 

Hell, being able to confront Sanemi at all was a feat. 

Sanemi knew what the right decision was. It wasn’t even his decision to make, really. But as the closest sibling in age, Genya often felt like the only one Sanemi could really talk to without feeling like a substitute father figure. So excuse him if he felt some type of way about being left behind on such short notice. 

Sanemi paused. “Wait, how many days’ notice are you giving me?”

“Notice?” Genya tilted his head like he was twelve again, staring at an impossible homework problem. “What’s that?” 

-

The ensuing week was filled with tight-lipped regulars telling reassuring lies as they sipped on burnt coffee. Sanemi appreciated that they were trying to make him feel better, but drinking fresh hot incompetence was starting to wear on most customers by day three. It was a miracle anyone was even ordering coffee by day seven.

Trying to work the bakery solo for the first time in years was not ideal. It wasn’t his fault no one applied for the open job. So what if Sanemi buried the “Help Wanted” sign Genya made between a couple of outdated sales flyers? If people really wanted the job, they’d have a keen eye for these types of openings. 

He wasn’t self-sabotaging at all.

A beeping from the back reminded Sanemi of several bread loaves he’d forgotten. By the time he got back from those, there was a line out the door. Was the bakery always this busy? He looked at the clock, the first time he’s been able to all day. Three o’clock in the afternoon. 

He called out into the crowd. “How many of you are here for just coffee?” 

A little over half of the customers raised their hands. Fantastic.

Sanemi chucked his oven mitts under the counter and resumed his position at the register. “Alright, next up. What can I get ya?”

“All by yourself? That’s rare.” One of the bakery’s longtime regulars, Shinobu, mused as she looked around.

“Genya quit.” Sanemi must have said that line about twenty times now. “So your coffee is now made by me.”

From all the reactions he’s gotten (a lot of sympathy, a few “good for him”s, one “he doesn’t look like much of a chef,” whatever that meant), Shinobu was the only one to laugh right in his face. 

“I don’t know what’s funnier, you as the barista or the fact that you don’t even think you need the help.” She totally saw through his poster-hiding plot. “All these people are waiting for drinks?”

“Caffeine addiction is a real epidemic.” Sanemi shrugged. “I must’ve made about a hundred cups already today.”

Shinobu let out a low whistle. “And people are coming back?” 

“Do you want your coffee or what?” One extra large iced black coffee, no sugar. Thank goodness it was an easy order. 

Sanemi moved to grab the coffee pot, but she held her hand up to stop him. “I’m good. If I wanted to die from poisoning, I would have done it myself.” 

All that time in pharmaceutical school made her awfully creative with her insults. Before Sanemi could return the favor, or at least cuss her out a bit, she left. He didn’t even have time to shout at her as the next customer was already waiting.

“Hi, could I get a small oat milk latte with two extra pumps of hazelnut syrup?” The customer waited a beat before remembering to add, “Please.” 

Sanemi glanced at the clock again. Three o’ four. 

Midway through botching a vanilla latte, something by the window caught his eye.

A stranger was looking right at him. 

He looked to be around Sanemi’s age. There wouldn’t normally be anything remarkable about him were it not for his eyes. It wasn’t the color, though Sanemi would later recall it was a rather pretty shade of blue. 

No, it was the weight behind it. Not quite recognition, not quite surprise. 

Sanemi was sure he’d never seen anyone look at him that way. Did he think Sanemi was ugly or something? Sure he didn’t have a smooth complexion, but usually people thought his facial scars gave off a cool, rugged look.

Mysterious Guy blinked a whole bunch, then started to stare at the group of flyers plastered by the door. Every other blink, he’d alternate between staring at the flyers and staring at Sanemi, who could only watch from the opposite side of the glass with utter perplexity. 

The fuck was this guy looking at? Did he want to come in? Was Sanemi really that ugly?

Wrapped up in his thoughts, Sanemi didn’t notice the milk boiled over. The first drop of scalding hot liquid on his hand snapped him back to reality. “Shit!” He fumbled while trying to shut the damn machine off, causing more milk to spill on the floor and all over his apron. 

He profusely apologized to the poor customer who ordered the drink, bending down to wipe up the mess. 

By the time his head raised above counter height, the customer was gone and Mysterious Guy was standing in his stead. 

The sudden appearance was so startling that it knocked all those years of customer service training right out of Sanemi’s head. “You, uh- I mean, hi. Hello. Do you need… help?”

The stranger’s eyes were even more striking up close. They looked less uncertain now, but stared with the same undercurrent of intensity as he spoke, monotone but oddly warm. “Don’t you need help?”

A bucket of cold water rained over Sanemi and unblurred whatever fuzziness had been covering his eyes. “Excuse me?”

Mysterious Guy repeated himself with a completely straight face. “Do. You. Need. Help? I was asking you a question.”

Was this guy for real? Sanemi had ears, he heard him the first time! 

This had to be a prank, right? Some punk kid was around the corner, waiting for Sanemi to embarrass himself for cheap laughs. Well, too bad! Sanemi refused to take the bait. He plastered on his “fuck you” smile reserved for rude customers. “I’m perfectly fine.” 

“Are you sure?” The man peered over to see the complete mess that was behind the counter. “You really look like you could use some help.”

Sanemi threw his rag down. “Listen here, wise guy. You think you can come into my bakery and start talking to me like that?”

Three slate-faced blinks. “You have a help wanted sign outside.”

Sanemi let out a dry laugh. “If I knew the king of comedy was coming today, I’d have worn something nicer.”

“I’m not a king, I’m Giyuu-” Excellent, now Sanemi could put a name to the face he was two seconds away from punching- “and I’m serious. I’d like to work here.” 

Did he now? Sanemi eyed Giyuu up and down. Either he was dead serious or he had a poker face better served at a casino. “Got a resume?”

“No.”

“Are you a barista?”

“No.”

“Do you have literally any experience making coffee?”

Giyuu stared at the floor for a bit, fingers fidgeting underneath the long sleeves of his blue hoodie. “The sign said you didn’t need any.” 

Sanemi was going to regret this. He knew he was going to regret this. It was so obvious and yet, for some godforsaken reason, one more look at those damn blue eyes and all words consisting of or synonymous with the word “no” were gone from his vocabulary. 

“Fine.” Sanemi spoke through gritted teeth. “Come back tomorrow.” 

Giyuu was stupid enough to take Sanemi at his word, and smiled. 

Sanemi was stupid enough to find it kind of charming. 

-

Giyuu, to put it nicely, sucked. 

Sanemi was in the back kitchen, rolling out dough as he watched Giyuu up front at the register. Just his luck that the bakery had run out of bread. Fucking, bread, because he had stayed up too late training his new employee and slept through his usual prep hours. 

Giyuu was fascinatingly bad at almost everything Sanemi tried to teach him. Worst part was, Sanemi couldn’t figure out why. Giyuu listened well to instructions, moved in a careful manner, and was not absentminded. 

The coffee was still ass. It took a whole bag of beans and several hours before Giyuu produced a beverage that wouldn’t result in a health and safety violation. Now, Sanemi had to trust him to run the store while he was making up for lost supply. 

He hadn’t felt this nervous since the first time Genya tried to handle an oven. 

“Here is your coffee. Here is your change. Come again.” The man talked to customers like a robot. He held himself awkwardly, too. Not the kind of stiffness that came from nerves, either. It was a certain level of formality that only existed in old movies. 

The ensuing giggle from the customer made Sanemi’s skin crawl. The slight uptick in phone numbers in the tip jar since Giyuu started working did not escape Sanemi’s notice. Just because he was hot did not mean he was good at his job! 

A flirty voice was overhead saying, “So, do you tend to come here often?”

“I do,” Giyuu responded flatly. “I work here.”

Sanemi threw down his rolling pin, burying his head in floury hands. “He can’t be serious. He can’t.” 

The noise must have made it to the front. Sanemi heard an, “Excuse me one moment.” Then, the pitter-patter of Giyuu’s light footsteps. Finally, “Sanemi? Is everything alright?”

When Sanemi raised his head, Giyuu’s concerned face was right up in his own.

“Just. Fine.” Sanemi stared back down at his sad lump of dough to avoid Giyuu’s intense eye contact. That was another thing. The staring never stopped. 

Giyuu, unwilling or unable to take the hint, didn’t move away. “Are you sure? You’ve been back here awhile and you haven’t made anything yet.” 

Helpful. Very helpful. Sanemi reminded himself that he was now manager to a real employee and that workplace harassment was a real thing that existed. “You should head back front. We can’t leave the counter unsupervised.”

Despite being told that everything was fine, Giyuu lingered. Sanemi could read him well enough, having lived through many teen angst phases now. 

“Alright, spit it out. What’s bothering you?” 

Giyuu thought for a moment before choosing his words. “There’s quite a lot of people outside.” 

Applied to be a barista with no experience and he wasn’t even a people person. That latter fact came as no shock to Sanemi. Hang around Giyuu for three seconds and anyone could come to that conclusion. This man was a walking puzzle, but one Sanemi hadn’t the time to solve. 

“Just- alright. Stay back here then.” Sanemi wiped his hands on his apron, trying to make himself presentable enough for the outside world. “Do not touch anything.” 

Was it a good idea to abandon his new employee– a stranger who he barely knew– alone with all the bakery’s supplies and industrial grade kitchen equipment? Probably not. Did Sanemi have any other options though? Also not. 

If Giyuu messes anything up, Sanemi could always just beat the crap out of him. That was the reassuring pep talk he gave himself as he headed back outside.

Before he could leave, though, Giyuu called out to him. “Sanemi, wait.”

By the time he turned back around, Giyuu was already there. Standing too close, as always.

“We really need to talk about personal spa-” Sanemi’s mind went blank as Giyuu’s finger brushed against his cheek. A soft brush. Far more gentle than anything Sanemi’s experienced since… 

He couldn’t even remember. 

“You had flour on your face.” Giyuu flicked the flour dust from his fingers aside. Sanemi couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw something like fondness across Giyuu’s face.  

Sanemi jolted back. “Don’t-” He wanted to say not to touch him but, in a moment of disgusting realization, Sanemi knew it wouldn’t be an honest reaction. “Don’t get too familiar.”

“Oh.” Giyuu’s hands fell to his sides. “Apologies.” 

Sanemi went back out front and neither of them mentioned it for the rest of the day. 

When he came home that night, Sanemi expected to slump into his bed and fall into another too-short, unfulfilling sleep. Instead, he dreamt of an unfamiliar smile and a warm hand holding his own. 

-

Every so often, the flow of customers would slow to just a trickle and Sanemi would have time to hold a real conversation with someone who wasn’t behind the counter. 

During these moments, he’d often get paid a visit from his good (and only) friend, Obanai. They used to go to school together and he was the only one who bothered to stay in contact after Sanemi had to drop out. It was nice to think that someone cared enough about him to visit after all these years. 

It was more realistic to say that they were the only two people who thought sitting around and insulting each other was “quality bonding time.” 

“How are you getting bullied by your own employee?” Obanai snickered, because of course this was his reaction after Sanemi told him about Giyuu. 

“I am not getting bullied!” Sanemi scoffed. A meteor hitting the earth again would be more likely. 

Obanai was unimpressed. “Then why the fuck do you let him get away with that?”

He pointed his thumb towards the bakery’s exterior, where Giyuu was standing around waiting for people to come to him for promotional coupons instead of handing them out like he was supposed to. 

A sudden weight compelled Sanemi to slam his head into the table but he forced himself to keep upright. “If he’s being weird out there, it stops him from being weird in here. At me.” 

“Right.” Obanai swirled the ice in his coffee and took a sip from beneath his face mask. “At least he makes a decent cup of coffee.”

If only his friend knew how much time went into that “decent” cup. 

It’s been a few weeks since Giyuu graduated from his trainee status. With the coffee shop returned to some semblance of normalcy, Sanemi thought he’d also be back to his usual self. Watching the days bleed into weeks, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it months as life slipped him by. Though Giyuu’s skills improved, it wasn’t enough for Sanemi’s life to snap back on autopilot. He felt oddly present. 

Like today. There was a certain lightness as he went back and forth with Obanai, something he couldn’t say he’s felt for a long time – if ever. Years of working in the same bakery should have dulled all his senses but lately he could really feel the warmth of the pastries as they came out the oven and smell the earthy grinding of coffee beans. 

Somewhere along the conversation, Sanemi’s eyes wandered back outside. Giyuu was still standing in the same spot, hand outstretched with a flyer no one would take. 

Enter: a strong gust of wind. 

The flyer slipped through Giyuu’s grasp. He tried to catch it, arm shooting up with a surprising speed, but natural currents of the wind put it just out of reach. The flyer gave a taunting twirl through the air before flying smack into a pedestrian’s face. 

Giyuu winced, quickly looking inside to see if anyone was watching.

Sanemi was, and as their eyes met through the window, Sanemi couldn’t help but laugh at Giyuu’s pink face as he mouthed “sorry” through the window. 

“So-” Obanai rattled his iced coffee- “are you into him or what?”

“What?” Sanemi’s attention snapped back to his friend.

Obanai shrugged. “You were staring.” 

“Only because he’s terrible at his job.” Graduated or not, Sanemi still wouldn’t trust Giyuu to run important tasks by himself. What if he miscounted change or something? “I’m just supervising.” 

Giyuu chose that moment to walk back in. He gave a brief greeting to Obanai (Sanemi’s already told him off for acting too cold towards new customers) before turning to Sanemi. “I have handed out seven flyers. Forty three are leftover.” 

“You know you don’t have to count them, right?”

Giyuu looked embarrassed again, an expression Sanemi was beginning to find rather entertaining to elicit. “You said I needed to be more detail-oriented with my tasks.”

“With making coffee, not-” Sanemi gave up, waving him away. “Forget it. Why don’t you go and count the stock in the back, yeah?”

Thankful to be given a backroom task, Giyuu set the stack of coupons behind the counter and hurried away. 

Obanai was long finished with his drink but he kept shaking the ice in a chastising manner. “So, he sucks at making coffee, can’t hand out flyers, and has the personality of a wet twig. Why the fuck else would you keep him around if you weren’t into him?”

“I needed the help, alright?” Sanemi wanted to list several more reasons for keeping Giyuu around. It made the shop less lonely. He was good at handling grouchy customers. He didn’t act like a wet twig all the time. But those were beginning to sound like excuses.

Sanemi did not like the implication that those were excuses. Because of, well, the implications. 

“Alright.” Obanai held his hands up in defeat. The victory was almost too easy. A notion which was swiftly confirmed when, on his way out, he remarked, “When he inevitably accepts some hot guy’s number because you’re too chicken to ask him out, don’t come cryin’ to me.” 

“You literally do that about Mitsuri at least once a month.” 

“Then I guess I’ll see you next month.” 

Sanmi slammed the door in hopes that it would hit his smartass friend on his way out. Slippery bastard got away, snickering to himself down the street. The commotion instead caused Giyuu to poke his head out from the back. 

“Sanemi?”

Instead of saying something normal, Sanemi went, “It’s against store policy to accept phone numbers from customers!” 

“I can’t.” Giyuu blinked. “You throw them out of the jar every night.”

“Right.” Sanemi forgot about that. “Just checking to see if you were paying attention.” 

Giyuu chuckled. It took a second for Sanemi to even realize the sound, given how unexpected it was. “Don’t worry, Sanemi. I don’t plan on running off with a customer. I enjoy working here too much.” 

He said it like he knew Sanemi was jealous. More concerningly, why was Sanemi feeling jealous? 

“You do?” Sanemi’s brain was still catching up to his mouth, so he couldn’t hide his surprise. 

Giyuu nodded, like the simplest thing in the world. Like Sanemi hadn’t spent all their working hours either berating or fretting after him. “I do.” 

The two words echoed like somehow Sanemi had heard them before. He didn’t know how long he stood there trying to place it. The door chimed and a customer walked in. Sanemi was about to excuse himself to handle order, only to realize that Giyuu was no longer there. The sudden emptiness made his stomach drop, even though logically Sanemi knew his employee was just in the back. 

“Sir?”

“Right, sorry. What can I get for ya?” 

-

In hindsight, operating a bakery for twenty-four hours was a terrible idea. 

“I could’ve told you that.” Giyuu’s voice took Sanemi by surprise.

He must have been talking out loud. That, or he was hallucinating. He’s been up for twenty-three and a half hours and counting. Sanemi turned his head to look at Giyuu, who was slumped over the front counter right next to him. “Wuh?”

“The awake-a-thon.” Giyuu spoke as if Sanemi was five. “This was a terrible idea.” 

 Sleep deprivation, Sanemi has learned, made Giyuu incredibly snarky. Sanemi might have relished in the change but he was, ironically, too tired to snark back. 

The catalyst for their current predicament all began at last week’s Shopkeepers’ Association meeting. The neighborhood stores had all agreed to keep their stores open twenty four hours to take advantage of the holiday shoppers. Not one to miss out on extra cash, Sanemi had no reservations signing the bakery up to join. A thoughtless act which swiftly and presently bit him and his sole employee in the ass.

“Should I make you another cup of coffee?” Giyuu sleepily suggested. 

Sanemi didn’t even have the energy to shake his head. “I don’t think caffeine works on me anymore.” Come to think of it, Sanemi hadn’t seen Giyuu take a single sip of caffeine all day. “Why don’t you make one for yourself?” 

“I don’t really like coffee.”

Sanemi couldn’t even pretend to be shocked anymore. Giyuu was a damn enigma. “That’s fucking hilarious.” 

Giyuu’s only response was a small groan. He could barely keep his eyes open as they strained against bright store lights. 

The first hour after the normal workday would have ended wasn’t so bad. Things were slow, but Sanemi used the extra time to organize his inventory and do minor housekeeping that he otherwise wouldn’t do. A few more hours went by, alongside several cups of mediocre coffee. Sanemi even tried to send Giyuu home, but the man insisted on staying through the whole night. Good thing, because somewhere between eleven and midnight came a sudden late night rush. 

By the time the last customer trickled out, it was three in the morning and Sanemi wanted to fall asleep next to the discounted day-old bread. 

“At least we can go home soon.” Sanemi remarked, just to fill the air. “You really didn’t have to stay the whole night. Surely you had better things to do.”

“Not really.” 

That made it sound like Giyuu had kind of a sad life. Sanemi really wasn’t sure that he wanted to hear about it. Five in the morning on no sleep was hardly the time to ask, but he did it anyway. “Sad life?”

Giyuu curled deeper into his own arms. “No. Just a bit lonely.” 

That still sounded pretty sad. Then again, Giyuu wasn’t exactly Mr. Chipper. Sanemi used to chalk it up to him being shy or standoffish but after working in close quarters for two seasons, he noticed a natural melancholy that followed Giyuu. 

Last week, they were actually getting along for once. Sanemi made an offhand joke that made Giyuu laugh so hard, he could cry. Only then did Sanemi realize Giyuu was actually close to tears. Before he could say anything, Giyuu excused himself and didn’t return until ten minutes later with a slight redness under his eyes. 

Even now, the haziness of the midnight hours laid Giyuu’s expressions bare. His eyes drooped, hopeless. 

Something in the midnight air made it easy for Sanemi to forget his conversational filters. “Why do you always stare at me?”

The question was too direct for polite society but not for Giyuu. “Just to look, I suppose.”

“Bullshit.” Giyuu always looked like he wanted to say something, but never did. This wasn’t the mindless stare into the middle distance that any other customer service worker wore to survive the day. Giyuu stared in a way that made Sanemi feel put on the spot. Like he knew something that Sanemi didn’t. 

Even now, Giyuu didn’t respond. Sanemi’s expletive was left hanging in the air as blue eyes fixated on Sanemi’s own. Though dulled by the urge to sleep, Giyuu’s eyes retained their all-knowing, lonesome look. 

Sanemi didn’t know why he felt so affected by it. He felt an urge to make him feel better. “It’s not just you. I feel lonely too.” 

This, it seemed, caused Giyuu to raise his head a bit. “But you have so many siblings.” 

“Sometimes in a family so big, you feel lonely in a different way.” Now was not the time to be getting into Sanemi’s family issues. “Do you have any siblings?”

“Just one. My older sister.” 

“Do you get along?”

“She’s the best.” Giyuu sounded slightly more awake than before. It was cute how quick he responded. 

Sanemi chuckled, a chorus of his siblings’ little voices saying the same thing replayed in his mind. “You always seemed like an only child to me, but I guess I don’t know much about you. Sorry I never asked.” 

“Don’t be.” Giyuu’s voice was soft, too gentle for the night they just had. “You can ask anytime.” 

With nothing better to do, Sanemi decided to figure out Giyuu’s life story. He grew up with his sister raising him mostly, something Sanemi could sympathize with. He got decent grades in school. His best friend was a prodigy getting a Ph.D at some fancy university. He exercised a lot and he really liked to eat food. For the past few years, Giyuu’s been traveling around. He didn’t say it outright, but Sanemi got the sense that Giyuu was looking for something. 

Sanemi in turn, let it slip that he spent most of his time not running the bakery either worrying about the bakery or worrying about his family. 

“If you didn’t have the bakery, what would you do?” Giyuu asked. 

Not even Sanemi was brave enough to ask himself that question. “I don’t know. I’ve just been here my whole life. Waiting, I guess.”

“Waiting for what?”

His gut told him he knew the answer already but his mind was drawing one huge blank. “Dunno. Just waiting.” 

Surely it was time to go home by now but neither of them made a move. The first hints of sunlight threatened to break through at any moment. The world slowed to a near stop, and the stillness of it all sent a shiver through Sanemi. 

“Cold?” Giyuu muttered. 

Sanemi hummed. 

If Giyuu weren’t so tired, maybe he wouldn’t have reached his hand out. If Sanemi weren’t so tired, maybe he wouldn’t have taken it. 

But they were tired and now, they were holding hands. 

The sudden touch brought an overwhelming sense of comfort to Sanemi. He was just blinking slowly before but now that he’s closed his eyes again it’s felt impossible to keep them open. Through bleary vision, Sanemi saw a peek of Giyuu’s blue eyes gazing back at him. 

“I had a dream before, like this but… you were happy.”

Giyuu’s thumb brushed over Sanemi’s knuckle. Like a silent lullaby, Sanemi was pushed towards the cusp of sleep. Before he finally drifted off, he swore he heard Giyuu reply, soft and sad, “I was happy.” 

-

Ever since the stupid awake-a-thon, Sanemi’s been sick. An oddity, as he’s been the picture of health for as long as he could remember. People thought that being surrounded by children and working all the time would mean it was easy to catch something, but that didn’t apply to Sanemi. 

He couldn’t afford to be sick and so he wasn’t. Simple as that. 

This little rule of the universe was working perfectly well for over twenty years, and for some reason his body has now decided to fail him. 

“I think you handed me the wrong order.” One of his customers grimaced at a latte clearly meant for the person behind. 

Sanemi couldn’t even wheeze out an apology as he switched the cups and his focus back to the register. Giyuu was supposed to be dealing with the coffee but Sanemi found himself alone once more. 

Worse than being sick, Sanemi had gone and got his only employee sick as well. 

When Giyuu came back the next day, it was like he’d been back from a funeral. Sanemi thought he may have come in just to quit. With sunken eyes and a twinge of pain in his voice, Giyuu instead informed him that he needed to take a few days off for personal reasons. Tough a boss as he may be, Sanemi wasn’t cruel. He granted Giyuu’s request, even if it meant dealing with a full bakery on his own for a bit. 

Right on cue, his symptoms began to act up as he felt a sharp ache in his chest. 

It’d been like this for days. 

After their twenty-four hour nightmare shift ended, Sanemi awoke with a pounding in his head that wouldn’t go away. He didn’t know how long it’d been since he fell asleep on his own front counter, but the sun was beaming in through the windows.

Giyuu had long since gone home, but did Sanemi the courtesy of closing up shop. He’d watched Sanemi do it many times before so that wasn’t surprising. Giyuu’s patterned jacket draped around Sanemi’s shoulders– that was surprising. He blamed its thick material and earthen smell for the sudden heatflash he experienced. 

Sanemi left it atop Giyuu’s apron and dragged his exhausted ass back home to sleep for the rest of the day. He looked at the apron now, folded neatly beside a tower of paper cups, with a certain hollowness. The heat and the pounding did not go away.

Should he be working while sick? No, but has he gotten away with doing so before? Absolutely. So until the health department decided to shut him down, Sanemi would just don a face mask and keep working. 

“There was a blueberry muffin that was supposed to go with this.” From across the room, Sanemi’s ears attuned to the customer’s complaint. 

He handed over the missing item and was about to move on to his next task– 

“Tch. That’s the second time you’ve got it wrong. Not losing your touch now, are we Sanemi?” 

Upon hearing his name, Sanemi whipped around to find one of his more bedazzled regulars, Tengen, smirking at him behind those sunglasses he always wore even though it was daytime. 

“Oh, it’s just you.” Spared Sanemi from having to actually apologize to a customer. 

Tengen feigned offense. “Hey, I’m still a paying customer-” Despite Sanemi’s best efforts- “and I’ll have you know that I’m actually here today because the girls wanted coffee before we set off to Milan for-”

Tengen was some kind of entrepreneur playboy rich kid. At least, that’s what Sanemi gleaned from all his far-fetched tales. It wasn’t like he had time to listen while he was working. He thought the brown bear method of ignoring Tengen would make him go away but it had yet to work. At least he always tipped well. Practically speaking, Tengen didn’t even come in as frequently as the other regulars, but c’mon. How the fuck was Sanemi supposed to forget a guy like that?

“-and that’s why I need a blueberry muffin instead of the usual cherry. Hey, are you good? You look fuckin’ terrible.” 

“It’s just a cold. I’ll live.” Sanemi waited for Tengen to take the blueberry-not-cherry muffin he’d been holding out for the last five minutes. 

Despite his order being fulfilled, Tengen wasn’t budging. “It’s definitely not a cold. Say, where’s that new kid you got workin’ for ya?”

Sanemi felt another dizzy spell come on. He gripped the edge of the counter in hopes that his vision would stabilize. He did not need to be seeing double of someone as visually loud as Tengen. “He’s out.”

Tengen gave a hearty laugh. “Of course! You miss him. Heh, I know a lovesick fool when I see one.” 

A what-sick what now. “Excuse me?” 

“Playing dense are we? Alright, I’ll spell it out for you.” Tengen smirked. “Has your heart been beating very fast? Cheeks flushed red for no reason whatsoever? Are you lightheaded whenever you think about him?” 

“Yes.” Sanemi admitted through gritted teeth. “Because you’re describing symptoms of being ill.” 

Tengen shook his head before grandiosely gesturing towards himself. “That’s what I told myself the first three times too. Now look at me.” 

As a result of only half-listening to Tengen whenever he came in, Sanemi didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking at. 

Interpreting his silence as acquiescence to his infinite wisdom, Tengen nodded to himself in satisfaction before patting Sanemi once on the shoulder. “Go for it, kid. Even the unflashy deserve happiness in life.” 

It was astounding how Tengen’s insults always circled back to a self-compliment. 

Sanemi had hoped the usual rush of customers would distract him, but it seemed Tengen left right as the late afternoon lull arrived. It was almost spring. The breezes didn’t feel as biting and the first buds of cherry blossoms were on the cusp of full bloom. A few cyclists rode by, light scarves trailing behind them, unburdened by the heavy winter layers that slowed them just a few weeks ago. 

Lovesick. Sanemi scoffed. He picked up a rag and started to wipe down the tables. What a ridiculous thought.

Love was one of those things that Sanemi set on a shelf in his mind to gather dust a long time ago. Right up there with college plans, tucked away next to unresolved parent issues. He didn’t have time for it and he couldn’t afford it. Two different ways of saying the same thing.

He loved his siblings and they loved him back, and that was all Sanemi needed to be content. So what if he never got to hold hands down the street or kiss somebody hello? It was probably best he never experienced something like that in the first place.

If he never experienced it, he wouldn’t need to know what he was missing when it inevitably went away.

Except–

Sometimes he thinks he’s felt the arms of someone wrap around his waist before, holding onto it like something special. He thinks he’s heard the ghost of sweet nothings whispered against his ear when the store radio was set too low. There were nights when he’d sleep, and he’d see an all-too-unfamiliar shadow with open arms waiting for him in a not-quite-familiar room. 

He thinks he does know what love is supposed to feel like, but he isn’t quite sure how.

And Giyuu? Sanemi wrinkled his nose. 

There was no way. So what, if he saved Sanemi from having to work at the bakery alone? Surely someone competent would have come along. He didn’t even know why Giyuu bothered to stick around. It was clear he didn’t enjoy being a barista. The guy didn’t even like coffee! There was no reason for him to be giving his all day after day.

It wasn’t like Sanemi was exceptionally pleasant to be around. 

He wasn’t nice about giving orders. His criticism was blunt, temper short. 

But everyday, Giyuu showed up for work, moving towards a destination Sanemi could not see. Staying with Sanemi through the roughest days of work and never complaining. Always offering a way to support and be helpful, even if he didn’t know what that meant. 

And the stares… As Sanemi thought back through all their interactions it dawned on him the true meaning behind them. Longing. 

Whatever this strange tension was between them, Giyuu must have picked up on it much earlier than Sanemi had. Was he waiting for Sanemi all along?

There was a change in the light as the sun dipped behind a cloud. Sanemi looked through the window and was met with his own reflection. Staring at himself, he recognized the same longing look that Giyuu had worn for him ever since that first day. 

And if he now wore it too, could it mean he also felt the same longing? 

The sun re-emerged in all its usual splendor, shining its radiance directly into Sanemi’s eyes. He cursed at the sudden blinding light and the ensuing migraine it triggered. Fuck. If Tengen was right and he really was just lovesick, then this feeling might be terminal.

A fresh bout of sweat covered his entire body. His stomach churned with the newfound feelings he was grappling with, so much so that he was seriously considering shutting down shop for the day. 

If only Giyuu were here. He hated himself for having the thought. He didn’t like to rely on anybody, yet even in a short time and with no talent for it Giyuu’s made himself indispensable. 

The heartache intensified tenfold, causing Sanemi to drop the rag he was holding as he scrambled for purchase against the back of a chair. He couldn’t really hear anything– not the clock ticking on the wall, the cars honking outside, or the muffled voice shouting his name. 

His name? 

Sanemi tried to blink his eyes open. He hadn’t realized they closed. It felt like someone shoved cotton up his ears into his head. His arms and legs were downright gelatinous as he tried to place himself.

“Sanemi, no! Please, not again…”

Strands of black hair. That jacket that kept him so warm that day. “Giyuu?” Sanemi’s own voice sounded foreign to him, with how softly it whispered. 

Two hands grabbed at his shoulders and pulled him in tight. 

“I’ve only just found you, please don’t leave me alone again…” 

Sanemi wanted to say something to calm him down. Surely someone like him wasn’t worth the panic-stricken voice Giyuu was calling out to him with. 

“S’alright, Giyuu. S’gonna be alright.” The words slushed around in Sanemi’s mouth like he was just learning to speak. It didn’t help calm Giyuu down. If anything, Giyuu’s embrace grew tighter and his voice broke into a sob. 

Sanemi couldn’t hear anything being said, though. In a last ditch effort, he put on his most easygoing smile to try and let Giyuu know that everything would be fine. As he did, the heaviest swell of deja vu hit him square in the face. 

He blinked and blinked to try and regain his vision but at some point Giyuu’s tears started to look like falling flower petals, and he couldn’t tell daydream from reality anymore. Somewhere far away, he heard the rustling of leaves and the sound of clashing swords. 

Starting back at the final selection let’s say that’s when you met

just to clear things up

and you two started dating some time after that

of course eventually making it official

tanjiro was quite flustered when he realized his sexuality might be different from tradition

but he wasn’t afraid to be bi/gay/pan or anything

he just thought- ..! Actually he never really thought of that type of thing..

I mean he was kinda too young

but now that your together!

he has time to figure it all out :)

tanjiro is such a sweet lover!

and helpful!

and caring!

(Really he’s a ball of love)

if you feel tired he carries you

(Even if your both beat up after a mission)

if you need water he’ll spare you some of his or go fetch some

And he’s always down to spar at any type of day!

I will say he’s not thinking about you in that way when you take your shirt off

but when you do he definitely admires you!

you might have abs seeing as though the demon slayer corps has………...harsh (brutal) training 😅

if you do then he sees it as a result of your hard work!

same with scars!

especially with scars<3

he can 100% relate and you two share stories about each one

if you have any—you probably trauma bond

you guys just end up talking all night long about your past, everything that happened, your pain, whether you want revenge or not and so on!

It strengthens your trust and relationship with each other

btw if anyone asks why your together as two males or how you know you actually like men..

tanjiro will humbly and politely educate (lecture) them on how important you are to each other, how you met, why/when you started dating and even if they don’t like it, it’s simple to walk away instead of disrespecting your relationship!

I hope y’all don’t run into uzui..

(y’all do)

that man has THREE wives why wouldn’t he question when he sees you two?? 😬🧍‍♀️

tanjiro had to hit em with the quick fix cuz when I tell you he did not let that slide 😂

especially with how slick uzui mouth be gettin..😒

Tanjiro also has learned to adjust to scavenging for food (he grew crops with his mom)

as well as inosuke (he grew up in the wild) and zenitsu (he used to have crops with his sensei)

so if you can too, great!

if not the 3 of them work together to make the 4 of you meals

and after they learn how to stop burning them

theyre pretty tasty too!!

don’t expect inosuke to share.

do expect inosuke to take

-note to self, m/n.

zenitsu doesn’t see the attraction to males instead of females

he won’t judge but will ask you two if your sure your into males

and after tanjiro gives him that lecture about being respectful-

he doesn’t question it again

LOL

inosuke straight up don’t care

he doesn’t really view relationships in a romantic way

its more so between “they’re beneath me” , “they’re above me, I must beat them”

so no worries about him judging either 😋

if nezuko doesn’t like you

it’s not to say tanjiro won’t date you because of it

but I’ll honestly say it plays a factor

If sweet nezuko doesn’t like you it prob means something..🤨

she has good instincts so tanjiro might start to assume you have ill intent or smth 😬

he’ll try to get her to like you and if she warms up to you he assumes it might’ve been personal 😂🤷‍♀️

but if she doesn’t..

he finds you like 30% less attractive🧍‍♀️

if she does like you from jump, she starts to protect you as well

and loves to spend time with you when she’s outside her box

tanjiro adores this and you three cuddle or play in each other’s hair whenever you have the time

It also makes him happy if you accept nezuko as a demon quickly

after missions tanjiro finds you, nezuko, zenitsu and inosuke

then cries

like your all just a crying mess tbh

i mean unless your like emotionally unavailable..

BC I DON’T SEE HOW YOU COULD NOT CRY AS A MINOR WHO HAS TO KILL LITERAL HORRIFYING BEASTS FOR A LIVING?!?!?!?

Tanjiro will help you achieve your goals as you likely help him achieve his

even more so after that night you had where you opened up to each other about your past

(again, only if you have truama)

tanjiro is really grateful for you

before all he had was nezuko

and aside from zenitsu and inosuke

now he has you!! 💗

tanjiro’s love languages are acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation and (shy) physical touch

actually maybe some gift giving when he can too!!

so all?!

such a green flag 💖

for acts of service as I said he’ll genuinely do any sane thing you ask of him

he cares about you that much

he won’t bother to complain about being tired either

he automatically assumes your either doing worse or he’s fine

as for quality time he gets really relieved when he gets sent on missions with you

at least he can be there to see and protect you

(or maybe vice versa 😂)

he’d beat himself up about not being able to protect you more if you get serious injures

tends to your wounds everyday then trains vigorously

to get stronger and protect you as you fight along side him when he fights muzan

if your gonna fight along side him in that battle? He’s gonna need to be strong enough to protect you.

he doesn’t want to loose you.

especially not to that man.

he lost everything to him.

he won’t let it happen again.

💗💕💖🍡♥︎

for quality time outside of missions ✌︎('ω')✌︎

tanjiro likes to train, cuddle, go on walks, go shopping, chit chat :)

All that good stuff <3

with words of affirmation he really just praises you all the time

”you did your best today in training! I could tell! :D”

“You look great today m/n!! I’m glad your wearing the (favorite men’s jewelry piece) I got you!”

”I can definitely tell your getting stronger, m/n!!!”

c:

it can also be

“get a good nights sleep, m/n! I love you!”

”be careful on your mission okay? I love you, m/n!”

“thank goodness we surviveeeeed!!! I love you m/n!! I love you so much!!”

now lastly for (shy) physical touch

he is nervous to touch you

he doesn’t wanna make you uncomfortable, yes that’s the last thing he wants

he doesn’t know how to execute it so he ends up either asking or making it very obvious of what he’s trying to do

that way you can shut him down early on just in case

and you won’t feel pressured to let him if you dislike affection

which mind you he does asks if your okay with it first

so that’s likely not the case

if you did mention your distaste for physical affection, however, it’s duly noted in his mind and will keep it to a minimum

your gonna have to discuss boundaries or else he’s gonna act like you have the plague trying not to upset you 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Tanjiro doesn’t dislike pda or anything

he’s just a bit embarrassed about it

maybe if it’s more subtle like resting your head on his shoulder, then yeah that’s okay!

hugging too!!

but direct kissing or hand holding?

his face is a cherry and he’s apologizing to the passerbyers for disturbing them

even if they don’t mind

he’s self aware when it comes to not disturbing others

tanjiro can be a little flustered/shy about things but he’s certainly isn’t embarrassed about your relationship!

he’s quite proud, actually!

will happily tell/correct anyone that asks or misjudges♡♡♡

It’ll make me happy if you enjoyed this, so hopes to you did!

If the baby picks up much from their personalities, then when growing up, it probably takes protecting others pretty seriously. How nicely the child goes about doing so probably depends on how desperate of circumstances they were exposed to (though I cannot imagine anyone in charge of caring for the baby would want to let anything happen).

Although I think the other Hashira would be happy for them, natural interest and curiosity about the baby might vary. For instance, Himejima might give Kanae some guilt about not retiring but be resigned to her choices and would probably decline spending time with the baby due to past trauma. Giyuu would probably be intensely curious but because he does not explain his staring (and desire to hold the baby), Sanemi gets protective and keeps the baby away from him. Shinjuro might go off on them about how they brought a child into the world just to orphan it. Uzui probably chides them a bit for being irresponsible but might quietly have the most faith in them to be able to handle it and know what they're doing.

Shinobu would probably go off on Kanae for being irresponsible but of course be the one to take over a lot of care for the baby. The other Butterfly Mansion girls also help. Shinobu might chew Sanemi out for this but begrudingly allow him in to "take responsibility" as he is indeed frustratingly talented at childcare. So with that forming the core of Shinobu and Sanemi's frenemy co-childcare relationship, that means that once Kanae dies, they have to formalize their share of co-parenting. Between the two of them, Sanemi is probably more warm and sweet to the baby (with only the Butterfly Mansion girls around, he could swing being a family man), but Shinobu--who has made up her mind to avenge her sister even if it means dying--might be nice and all, but more resistant to forming a bond. She can't have the child looking at her as another mother figure to lose, after all.

By the time Tanjiro comes around, baby Shinazugawa is probably a happily adjusted small child with free reign of the mansion to go around and stare at all the nursingvwork going on, and once Tanjiro plays with the kid, the kid is probably always beamibg and expecting the Kamaboko boys to play (for good measure, Shinobu might initially keep Nezuko at a distance, but Nezuko is eventually just as much of a playmate).

This would also mean that when Tanjiro follows an an oddly familiar scent one day he walks in on Sanemi having daddy time, and Sanemi would instantly change his demeanor once he's been spotted (baby probably isn't bothered, though).

Shinobu perhaps secretly lets Genya have uncle time too, which brings out Genya's soft side instantly. Shinobu might use her leverage in the baby care relationship to guilt Sanemi into caring more openly for his brother too.

The few occasions when Uzui has seen the child, he makes funny faces that make the kid laugh. Giyuu tried this once and the kid cried.

Himajima still generally avoids interaction with the child but politely inquires how the child is sometimes. Muichiro doesn't care but has had the child on his lap sometimes. Child gets regular visits to Oyakata-sama, like taking a child to see their grandparent. Iguro met Sanemi after Kanae's death so guilty Sanemi for irresponsibility doesn't cross his mind, he merely inquires how the kid is sometimes and takes Sanemi's side if Sanemi ever has complaints about Shinobu's parenting methods. Mitsuri hates being a bother but is always looking for excuses to invite herself over to the Butterfly Mansion to play. The baby met Rengoku once and loved him.

Prior to the final battle, when Shinobu explains the poison plan to Kanao, the baby is napping on her lap. Shinobu admits she has always planned to entrust the child to Kanao and Aoi and the others and wants Kanao to do her best to survive. During the final battle, Sanemi thoughts for his child help push him through, and on the edge of the afterlife, his mother insists he goes back to raise the child who gives her hope for the future.

Tankana is kind of similar in the sense that I just find it really boring. Kanao is a very layered and fascinating character to me. Given her childhood and trauma, I get why she would latch onto Tanjiro and admire him in the way that she did. She was a character who never experienced kindness or even being treated as a human being until Shinobu and Kanae found her. To be honest, I think her relationship with the Kocho sisters is incredibly complicated, and immediately being entranced in the Corps lifestyle also affected her in an extreme way. To meet someone like Tanjiro, who is so unabashedly kind and genuine and immediately sees her as a person with agency (not that the Kocho sisters didn't do this, but that Kanao has had more time to adjust and process her trauma by the time she met Tanjiro so he's more... separate, in a way), like I said, it makes sense to me that she would latch onto him.

So it makes sense, and I don't hate that they became canon, but again, it's just a bit boring to me. I also personally think that Kanao and Nezuko's storylines and personalities compliment each other a lot more from a writing perspective, so I much prefer Nezukana. So yeah, it's a ship that makes some sense to me, I can understand why people like it, but I don't care about lol. And it does have a little bit of the "they get together because they're a boy and girl omg" angle, though it is a little less egregious than some.

And oh boy alright here we go

So Zennezu. The ship's only basis in Zenitsu's overplayed crush on Nezuko. I already don't like ships like that, where the whole thing is "one of the characters has a crush on the other for shallow, usually physical, reasons the entire series and the other character never acknowledges it/returns it until suddenly they do at the end of the series." Like, imo, that's one of the laziest ways to write a romance ever, and also just feels very unrealistic. Maybe that's the aroace in me, but "crushes" portrayed like that are just not realistic or compelling to me.

Beyond that, I think the ship kind of negates a lot of Zenitsu's character arc and development. He ended up in the situations he did because of his obsessions with women and wanting a wife, and a lot of him needing to learn to live and do things for himself, not because he wants the stereotypical image of a wife, and not letting his anxieties control him. Instead of getting that development, seeing him settle down with Nezuko at the end of the chapter feels... idk, out of place? Odd? I can't think of the right word, but just for a character development perspective it just doesn't make sense to me. Also. Nezuko deserves better lol

And for Giyuushino.... Yeah. The epitome of "guy and girl get together because they're a guy and girl and stood in the same frame so that means they're canon." (Because no seriously, I would be less bitchy about this ship if the shippers could acknowledge it has no canonical substance or backing but so many of them fully act like it's based in some kind of canon feelings or implications)

I just truly don't understand what is so entertaining about two characters who work together, who, conceivably, if they were ever going to even be friendly with each other, would have done it already. One of their few interactions is Shinobu telling Giyuu how much everyone hates him, and also Giyuu really never gives an indication whatsoever that he wanted to be close with Shinobu. He treated her the same as he treated all the other Hashira

Also Shinobu is a lesbian and anyone who disagrees just fundamentally don't understand her sorry not sorry she hates men

(A little modern au for you!)

"Thanks for coming with me today! " Tanjiro smiled kindly, motioning to the little outdoor market that you guys had been venturing around for the past hour or so

"Oh, of course! It's really nice here!" You returned the smile, taking a moment to look away from all the stalls, to look back at Tanjiro.

Thankfully, he had asked you earlier in the week to go with him, and by chance, your afternoon was free. And it had been really nice, you even found some things that you were sure that you'd enjoy.

Most of the trip was so that Tanjiro could find food, and some things to help his sister feel better, since lately she was feeling fairly sick, and slept a lot. Which you of course wanted to help with, pointing out little items here and there that you either knew would be good to help, or just ones that you had been hearing good things about.

The weather was nice, not particularly hot, not too many clouds, a good breeze here and there that would shift the hanging items of the stalls. And, as you noticed this, a soft chime came from your right, and you paused, turning to look.

It was a windchime, the tubes clinking together to create a little melody. It was decorated with light blue crystals, ones that caught the sunlight and gave off small rainbows.

You gave it a small smile, and made a mental note to come back later for it, if you had the time.

"Hey, I don't want to lose you in this crowd," Tanjiro was suddenly at your side, and was holding his hand out to you. You paused at the sight, but eventually took his hand, noticing how your hands seemed to fit so well together.

The next stop was a little down the market, where an array of dried flowers and herbs were displayed proudly by the shopkeep. You let your hand slip from his for a moment to pick up a bundle of lavender, then a jar of dried wisteria petals, drawn in by the color that they still held so strongly.

You weren't really sure what you were supposed to use them for, but the idea of giving them to Nezuko just to have won you over, and you found yourself making the purchase.

Slowly, the sun started to set, and the stalls began to close for the night. It had been a pretty successful trip for the two of you, and it had even been fun.

"I hear that they have this every Saturday or so, if you want to come again!" Tanjiro pauses, giving a bashful smile, "and we won't need to only look for things for me,"

"Don't worry about that! I think it's cool that you care for your sister so much! But, I would love to go again! I saw a lot of cute things," You hummed, thinking back on all the things you passed and wanted to get.

"Well, actually, I didn't just get things for myself or Nezuko," he shuffled his bags around until he found the one he was searching for, and produced a small package made of brown paper. He passed it to you, face starting to turn a pinkish color.

You took it carefully, curious to see what it was, and as you started to peel away the paper, the light blue of the crystals from the windchime. Slowly you pulled the whole thing from its paper, a huge smile easily crossing over your face.

"I noticed you stopped to look at it, and it looked like you really wanted it, and i figured i could get something for you since you came with and really helped me, it really means a lot"

And, with the sun now behind you, you returned the words with a smile, "yeah, it means a lot to me too."

A moodboard for u