Red Royal Flush

VI. A reason to stay

*Spotify playlist for the chapter, brought to you by @_anasta: Red Royal Flush on Spotify

It was the kind of day where hiding in the shade didn't protect you from the heat. 

The sun blazed down on the Butterfly Region, suffocating whoever dared to venture out into the heat wave. Birds were nowhere to be seen, sheltered in the depths of a surrounding forest. 

"Keep your guard held up high!"

Zenitsu grimaced, unable to dodge Tanjiro's punch in time. He received the blow without a care in the world, feeling the prince's knuckles graze against his cheek. It wasn't like Tanjiro was actually trying to hurt him, at any rate, so he might as well receive the punch and act all tough on top of it.

On the other hand, it was harder to act like his pride wasn't utterly torn down to pieces, and he was pretty sure that the prince had noticed it. 

He probably loves to see me suffer. What a psycho...

The past few days had been a repetition of this long, painful routine. Repeating the same movements  — fruitlessly. Lifting weights — and hurting his back in the process.  Running in the woods — to feel like he was about to have an asthma crisis. 

He hated to admit it, but Shinobu was right: he wasn't cut out for this. 

And it was all too similar to the Butterfly Program. With the slight exception that he didn't have to handle an obnoxious boar on top of it. Or horny teenagers. 

"Stay focused, Agatsuma-san," Tanjiro commanded, rubbing his knuckles with the palm of his hand. "Your opponents will get the best of you if you don't."

"Easier said than done..." Zenitsu winced. He held his hips in an attempt to catch his breath. "As far as I'm concerned, Your Highness fights at night, not in broad daylight during a fucking heat wave."

"Language."

"Oh sorry, was that off-line? Or is it the heat that's getting on your nerves?" 

Tanjiro stayed quiet, an unreadable expression on his face.

"I'm surprised Your Highness cannot handle it," Zenitsu pressed. "You know... if you really do have the power of the sun."

It was petty. And the blond was surely aware of it. But seeing how close to his breaking point the prince was, Zenitsu found himself relishing his power.

Tanjiro opened his mouth, ready to say something, but held himself back. Instead, he took a deep breath and mumbled:

"You've got quite the temperament, you know that, Your Pettiness?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Zenitsu shrugged.

Tanjiro shook his head before looking away.

I hate it when he does that.

It wasn't like Zenitsu was totally insensitive to the prince's growing kindness; in truth, he liked the attention. Sometimes he'd find himself staring for too long, wondering how a man could seem so pure and destroyed at once. 

At first, it was a matter of analyzing his target to learn about his weaknesses. Now, he wondered what caused his pain. What caused that small yet noticeable furrow in his brows, what made his jaw clench for a second — yes, for a second. But the strongest feelings are the ones hidden over time, and their strongest significance merely appears to others. 

It made him feel empathetic. And this empathy made an urge resurge within him, a necessity to ask questions, to get to know Tanjiro more, to understand him. But he was only able to mutter a feeble: