Plum Season

Chapter 5

   Tanjiro awoke with a start, disoriented and unable to remember the minutes leading up to his dreamless sleep. It was as if he had only blinked. The room was quiet—aside from Zenitsu's hushed snores—and still lit dimly by the lamp. Without a window to give him a ballpark on the time, Tanjiro was a bit on edge, and felt the urge to check on his sister.

   Turning over, he saw that she and Zenitsu were still asleep under the blanket they shared, only now in a different position. Zenitsu on his back with one arm sprawled out above his head; the other around Nezuko, whose head rested at his shoulder. All was well.

   "Oh, you're up!" said Inosuke in a loud whisper from behind Tanjiro's head. Zenitsu's snoring ceased.

   Somehow managing to stay silent, Tanjiro nearly leapt from his skin, jolting where he sat in bed. He slowly looked over his shoulder toward Inosuke's voice, then panned down to see him lying on his stomach; arms out to each side.

   "Can't sleep again. My arms hurt like hell and I can't get comfy." He noticed Tanjiro's expression. "Hah, scare'd ya d'int I?"

   "No," he said, tone unsure. He didn't have a reason to hide his shock, but nonetheless found himself trying to.

   "Shut up, yeah I did." Inosuke smirked. "You awake enough to stay with me? Or you going back to sleep?"

   That's odd. He's pretty chipper even though he's in pain... I guess I could stay up with him; he startled me kinda bad anyway. "Yeah, I could stay up with you for a bit." He smiled.

   Perfect. From the moment Inosuke woke up and realized the condition his arms were in, he was fixated on the idea of asking Tanjiro to massage them for him. But now that it was all happening according to plan, his nerves were getting the better of him. "Cool," was all he could manage.

   After a bit of silence, Tanjiro spoke up. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

   Inosuke was busy preparing himself to ask for what he was pining after. It was difficult for him to admit when he wanted affection. Being in need of someone else made him feel weak. Can you rub my arms? Can you rub my arms? He repeated the question over and over in his head, hoping with each time he would be just a bit more ready to say it aloud.

   "....Inosuke?" Tanjiro could see him quivering where he sat.

   "Canyourubmyarms?" It all came out in one big, incoherent word vomit.

   Tanjiro's eyes were wide with confusion. "Uh...one more time, please?"

   "My arms. Can you—uh." Inosuke rolled over to face Tanjiro and acted out the words he couldn't find by massaging his own arm. "You know, if you feel like it." He felt as if his brain was turning into soup.

   "Oh, you want me to rub them?" Tanjiro couldn't help but turn a little red himself, especially since Inosuke was making such a huge deal out of asking.

   Inosuke nodded and earnestly held out an arm in Tanjiro's direction. He could hardly wait to feel his skin against his again. It was unlike him to yearn for such vulnerability, and he was well aware. But Tanjiro was unlike anyone he'd ever met before, and he was willing to make an exception for someone so special.

   Tanjiro admired the shape of Inosuke's muscles for a second or two, sparks igniting in his chest. He took his hand and pressed circles into the palm with his thumbs; Inosuke sighing quietly as he did so. His skin was warm to the touch, and rather callused. But Tanjiro didn't mind. If anything, calluses were something to be proud of. Inosuke's hands were proof of his strength and tenacity, and they had served him well on his life's journey thus far.