[ ONESHOTS ]

[ Touch-starved ]

Another TanZen chapter after 12 million years since I'm gay and they make me happy... also Zenitsu is touch-starved 100%
[ INCLUDES ]
- fluff and flirting
- they fall asleep together
- a bit of angst on Zenitsu's part
- Tanjiro is the comforter... obviously
- romantic touches and phrases mwuuah
- cuddling ig
- THEYRE IN LOVE, IDC
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Fried, blond locks were wet with tears as Zenitsu cried into his pillow... again. He was often a sad person, tears falling down his soft, rosy cheeks almost daily, which was highly distressing to at least one of the two friends he was accompanied by.

Tanjiro walked into the room just as the blond was finishing his crying session, immediately smelling the waves of sadness coming off the other. The burgundy boy walked over and sat on his partner's bed, gently resting his scarred hand over the others back and rubbing softly through the cloth. The older boy only hicced in response.

"Why are you crying, Zenitsu? You know we're almost out of here, right? You won't have to drink that yuck medicine anymore, doesn't that make you excited?" He asked soothingly, comforting the other as he continued to make circle-motions on the others back.

"I- it's not that," He sucked in a breath unintentionally before continuing. "I- I just feel so lonely... I basically only have you and the nice butterfly girls right now, no one else enjoys my company- not even Nezuko-chan. She doesn't sound like anything when I t- talk to her,"

"Hey, shhh, shh," The younger cooed, bringing the other into his arms once he sat up to continue, hugged together comfortably. "Take your time,"

The blond sighed into the touch, letting more tears roll down at the feeling. He couldn't help but curl into the other, burying himself in his neck as he slowly calmed down.

"I just... I don't even want other friends- I just want someone to hug me until I fall asleep... it's really hard, y'know? I wanna be held all the time and I can't do anything about it because no one likes me," He whined, tears finally drying on his cheeks.

"I understand, Zenitsu. I used to have hands on me all the time- " The other looked at him suspiciously. "Not like that, I had a big family- but- well... now I have no one to take care of. If you really need someone to hold you, just tell me and I will. It's nice having someone to hug after so long,"

Zenitsu could do nothing but sniffle and place his hands on the other's back, holding him gently but with intensity, scared that if he let go he'd wake up and feel empty again.

"Tanjiro... I can hear your heart beating against my ear like this," He whispered, smiling softly as he snuggled further into the other boy's neck, enjoying the thrum of it enough it calmed his own racing heartbeat. "So kind... so soft,"

The younger boy couldn't stop his face from flushing at that, embarrassment tinting his ears red. He hummed a laugh, though, and gently placed a hand over Zenitsu's head, thumbing over the blond and orange carefully.

"You have the warmest heartbeat I've ever heard," He whispered, arms crossed around the other's waist as the aftermath of sobbing was starting to affect him.

"Shh, how about we lay back," Tanjiro slowly leaned back against the bed, dragging the blond with him, and allowed them both to get comfortable.

"Sometimes," The blond spoke quietly, laying against the other's chest, "I think you're too good to be real,"

The burgundy boy huffed a laugh but slowly began resting his eyes as the warmth of another person made him dizzy. He raked his hand through thick blond locks a final time before letting himself relax and start to fall asleep.

It was so quiet but so loud, the way their racing heartbeats intermingled over the deafening silence. It was at that moment, as sleep slowly overcame him, that Zenitsu recognised their hearts sounded better together than apart.