𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 / Tanjiro x Reader

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄

           𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲 - 𝐎𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨
°.•.°.•°.•°. .°.•.°.•°.•°
THE NEXT MORNING.
The rising Sun shines through your window and wakes you early. You rub your eyes with the back of your hands and sit up groggily. The others softly snore in their beds, Inosuke's snoring shaking Zenitsu in his sleep. You giggle softly and kick your feet over the bed.

You were secretly glad you woke up early that morning; you get to watch the sunrise and think to yourself. The three young girls greet you in the hallway and remind you that rehab starts in two hours. You nod with gratitude and walk out of the facility.

The first thing you notice when you walk outside is the small pond's water reflecting the changing sky. You walk towards the pond and sit on the stones that surround it, allowing your fingertips to graze along the cool water. The contact disrupts the surface and rings of water distort your reflection. You look into your own eyes and absorb the bags that accompany them.

You can hear your heart beating in your ears, your fingertips drifting along the surface of the water. Would you be going on more missions with Tanjiro or will he request to fight alongside Kanao? She's a great influence on him, you think to yourself. You bite your lip and gaze back at your conflicted reflection.

Would he put aside your friendship to pursue his career, or his life motive? You personally knew how important finding a cure was to Tanjiro and what lengths he would go to achieve it. You sigh and reach further into the pool of water to fish out small pebbles of different shapes and sizes. The tan colored stones shine with small reflections of you, distorted by the length and width of each one.

You let the pebbles slip between your fingers and plop back into the water with small clinks. The water finally levels and you can see yourself clearly, along with Tanjiro towering over your shoulder. You turn your head and gaze up at him, smiling gently and ridding your mind of the melancholy thoughts.

"Good morning, Star." He reciprocates your smile and sits next to you on the stone ledge. Your hand retreats from the water and you divert your gaze away from him. "Aren't I too old for nicknames?" You force a chuckle and lean against your hands beside you.

"You think so?" You feel his eyes boring a hole into the side of your head, but you can't bring yourself to make eye contact. His head turns in your peripheral vision and looks at the facility with no interest. "You don't like the name anymore?"

Your body stiffens as you turn to him, face burning with blush as you feel your heart drop. He stares back calmly with a slight smile tugging at his lips. "I guess it just doesn't fit me anymore." You shrug and your eyes flicker between both of his red irises.

His smile widens and he allows his pinky to interlock with yours. "So, we should go stargazing again, right?" A smile plasters across your face uncontrollably at the suggestion. It had been forever since you had stargazed, let alone with Tanjiro.

   A giggle escapes your lips as you nod frantically. "That'd be nice." A faint blush sprawls across his cheeks and he nods in response. The two of you sit peacefully, the wind whistling in your ears as you watch the trees sway and hear the birds tweet. He takes in a sharp breath and you quickly notice his technique: Total Concentration Breathing. He doubles over and sputters as you pat his back sympathetically.

"I don't understand! How can I practice Total Concentration Breathing around the clock when it hurts so bad?" He sits up and turns to you, panting frantically. "Giyuu taught me to do so a long time ago." You shrug and suddenly become aware of your breathing. The days you used to rest after a workout were dedicated to perfecting the breathing technique, and you'd never forget the hell Giyuu put you through.