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giggly-squiggily · 1 year ago

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Here's another Demon Slayer fic I wrote for @mystwrites, I hope you like it! It's a little angsty and includes psychic!Tanjiro because I had been watching The Shining and Doctor Sleep, and it made me think how he was able to see Urokodaki's dead students.

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AHHHHH! I loved this so much oh my GOD! The whole concept of Tanjiro being a psychic is something I've never thought about but utterly love??? And Rengoku being such a good big brother figure made my heart swell! Thank you for sharing this @nutzgunray-lvt- it was utterly lovely!

It was nothing more than a bad dream… or so Tanjiro tried and failed to convince himself as flashes of lightning lit up the room he was sleeping in for the night.

The unexpected torrential downpour would have normally been welcomed by the burgundy haired boy, as he had always loved rain. The smell and sound had always brought him comfort, even if it was practically coming down sideways and severely impairing their vision and hearing. The sensation of the droplets on his hair and skin felt grounding to him, even if the cold, autumn air made them feel like flecks of ice - especially since he and Mr. Rengoku were traveling up north to Aomori.

Though he normally loved the rain, the Wisteria House they came across as the sun set was a gift from the gods, and after some nabeyaki udon and a hot bath, he was quickly ushered to bed.

"There's no telling when the storm will end, so we'll need to stay here for the time being," the tempura haired man patiently explained, giving his Tsuguko's wet hair a ruffle. "You're about to keel over from exhaustion, and we'll be of no use if we wind up falling ill from being out in the elements, wouldn't you say?"

Though he was more than willing to push through the unfavorable weather - it wouldn't be the first time he had done so - the raised eyebrow from Mr. Rengoku had him silently nodding instead, letting himself be gently pushed into the bedroom next door to his. As was often the case, Mr. Rengoku was quickly proven to be right, because thanks to the warm food and relaxing bath, Tanjiro's eyes closed almost as soon as his head hit the pillow… something that quickly proved to be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, a deep sleep quickly found him. On the other hand, nightmares accompanied it.

It was a hodgepodge of things both from his past and yet to come, things that seemed so out of left field yet set in stone. His family's corpses blaming him for their deaths accompanied Mr. Rengoku's near demise at the hands of the Upper Third. Mr. Uzui's narrow survival against the Upper Sixth segwayed behind dead children littering temple grounds. Sabito and Makomo's dead bodies in the forest clearing sprung at the forefront. Nezuko at the mercy of Lower Fifth preceded moving corridors, slamming doors, perpendicular hallways, and upside down stairs. A woman in a black kimono sat with a biwa in her hands, and when she strummed -

A loud crackle of lightning had woken the burgundy haired boy with a yelp. Tangled in his blankets, he scrambled upright and tried to calm his thudding heart.

Please be asleep, Mr. Rengoku, he pleaded to himself as a loud rumble of thunder made him flinch. Please be asleep, please -

"Young Kamado?"

Of course the Hashira with the best extrasensory perception had to choose me as their Tsuguko.

He could hear the older man's footsteps approaching him, and as he knelt before him, Tanjiro bit his lip and looked out the window, the pouring rain obstructing the view of the outside. He trembled violently from both the cold air in the room and a fear that his guest wouldn't take kindly to being woken up in the middle of the night over something as childish as a nightmare. Mr. Rengoku had to have been just as exhausted as Tanjiro himself was, so he had every right to be angry -

"What's this?" he softly asked, pulling the burgundy haired boy into a tight hug. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Tanjiro didn't answer, burying his head in Mr. Rengoku's chest as tears welled up in his eyes, his trembling worsening as he started crying in earnest. As always, the Flame Hashira was incredibly patient with him, never once reprimanding him for his less than stoic attitude. Instead, he securely held his Tsuguko in his arms, absent-mindedly resting his chin on top of his head as he rubbed his back and whispered, "It's okay, my boy. It's okay."

These dreams always left the burgundy haired boy's mind a mess, and not wanting to worry those around him, he shouldered the burden on his own. It was his job to take care of his loved ones, not the other way around. And besides, how in the world was he supposed to explain these dreams to anyone? "Well, I've been having nightmares about a weird building with never ending moving stairs and hallways, and I also sometimes see the dead children of Mr. Urokodaki as well as my dead family."

He couldn't possibly tell that to anyone. Not only were nightmares incredibly common amongst Demon Slayers, but who would believe him about his weirder ones?

Fortunately, Mr. Rengoku's steady heartbeat and protective embrace had Tanjiro slowly but surely calming down. His sobs had quieted down to soft sniffles, and after a few more minutes of quiet crying, his tears finally stopped. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he closed his eyes and painted this moment in his mind. Though the Flame Hashira was never afraid of being physically affectionate with him - what with the head pats, shoulder squeezes, and tickle attacks he doled out - he hadn't been hugged so tightly since he had said goodbye to Mr. Urokodaki all of those months ago.

It felt… nice.

"Young Kamado, should ever want to hug me, all you have to do is ask," the older man said evenly, cupping his head with the hand not rubbing his back. "I won't refuse you."

Tanjiro felt his face flush, and he tried to burrow deeper into the embrace, drawing out a fond laugh from the man.

"It's… you're really warm, that's all," he said clumsily, his voice muffled by Mr. Rengoku's shoulder. "It's comfy."

"Senjuro would agree with you," the tempura haired man acknowledged, carding his fingers through Tanjiro's hair, making his eyes practically roll to the back of his head. "It sometimes shocks me how similar the two of you are to each other."

The burgundy haired boy nodded absent-mindedly. "You remind me so much of Senjuro, my boy!" had been something he had heard more than once from his senior, particularly when they would visit his family's estate. Whenever Tanjiro wasn't working with Mr. Shinjuro to research Sun Breathing, he was spending time with Senjuro. The two got along great with one another, and more than once, he'd seen Mr. Rengoku watching over the two of them with a warm, approving smile.

"I always tell him that there's no shame in having nightmares, and I want to make sure that you know this as well, my boy," the older man continued. "We may be Demon Slayers, but we're human at the end of the day."

"But I woke you up," Tanjiro tried saying, lifting his head off of Mr. Rengoku's shoulder, only to have it gently pushed back down. "You were tired -"

"You're my Tsuguko," he gently but firmly said. "Not only am I in charge of your progression as a Demon Slayer, but it's also my duty to take care of you both physically and mentally. It would have been cruel of me to leave you to cry alone with how frightened you sounded."

He couldn't really argue with that… not that Mr. Rengoku would have let him. Instead, he nodded his head and let his hair be brushed out of his face. It was an almost hypnotic comfort to him, and though he wasn't sleepy anymore, he could feel his eyelids fluttering shut…

Only for a loud crack of lightning to wake him up with a gasp.

"There's no need to be frightened, Young Kamado!" Mr. Rengoku warmly said, gently prying Tanjiro from his embrace to get a better look at him. "It's only a thunderstorm!"

"I wasn't scared," the burgundy haired boy insisted, his face flushing under his senior's intense gaze. "It's just, with the nightmares…" He trailed off, not wanting to outright admit to how badly shaken he was. He felt his crying fit said plenty, and when he dared a peek at his mentor, he saw that he had the same line of thinking.

"I see… that is quite understandable," the Flame Hashira mused, frowning slightly as he listened to the howling wind and pounding rain. "I didn't expect for the storm to stay this strong up to now. We'll most likely need to hold off on traveling tomorrow as well."

Tanjiro nodded. As much as he hated to leave the potential demon lurking around Aomori, they really would be of no use if they tried traveling through the storm. The extra day would not only replenish their energy, but it would be the perfect time to plan out their reconnaissance and battle strategies.

His frustration must have been apparent to Mr. Rengoku, because his loud laughter shook him out of his feedback loop. "Don't give me that look, Young Kamado! What is it that I've always told you?"

"A watched pot never boils," the burgundy haired boy echoed, a pout still on his face. It had been a motto that was pounded into his mind ever since becoming Mr. Rengoku's Tsuguko, one that he constantly stressed due to the notoriously rigorous training he put his mentees through. He applied it to everything from overtraining to even literal boiling water, and it looked like he was going to apply it to traveling.

"Well, you don't need to sound so forlorn about it! Come on, smile for me!" Mr. Rengoku encouraged, ruffling Tanjiro's hair harder than he usually would.

"Hey!" he cried out, trying to dodge the tempura haired man's ministrations and unsuccessfully fighting the smile appearing on his face. "What're you doing?!"

"Did you not hear me? I said to smile!" he repeated, abruptly releasing Tanjiro's head to poke up and down his sides.

"Ah! Mr. Rengoku! No!" he shrieked, dissolving into giggles as he fell onto his back, trying in vain to curl in on himself as the poking turned into slow, up and down spidering.

"What's that, my boy?" Mr. Rengoku asked, playfully frowning and tilting his head to the side. "I'm afraid I can't hear what you're trying to say over the sound of you not smiling."

"Th-That-That dohohohoesn't make any sehehehense!" Tanjiro whined through his giggles, kicking his legs out as the older man took a seat on his thighs.

"Of course it makes sense!" The Flame Hashira retorted with a proud smile, pinching at the younger boy's lower ribs and laughing at the shrieks that accompanied it. "Now all you need to do is set your heart ablaze and endure this torture like the capable Slayer you are!"

"I cahahan't! It-It's so bahahahad!" Tanjiro begged, uselessly grabbing onto his senior's wrists in an effort to stop him. The evil grin that appeared on Mr. Rengoku's face at this told him he said the wrong thing, and his begging and pleading went ignored as those awful fingers walked up over his sides and bypassed his ribs.

"Oh dear," he playfully mused, pinching each of Tanjiro's ribs and laughing at how the boy flailed and kicked underneath him. "It appears that my normal methods of torture have gone stale! Don't worry, my boy! I still have a few tricks up my sleeve!"

Mr. Rengoku lingered at Tanjiro's topmost ribs, ever so lightly pinching them and clearly deriving great amusement at how he slapped his hands over his mouth in an attempt to muffle the shrill squeals he was producing. What else am I supposed to do, wake up the owners of the inn?! The burgundy haired boy screamed to himself, squeezing his eyes shut as the pinching finally came to an end. As he gasped for some much needed air, those torturous hands left his body, and he kept his eyes shut in order to not quell the sense of hope bubbling up inside of him.

Was that it?

Had Mr. Rengoku been bluffing?

In hindsight, he really should have known better than to think such things. This was Mr. Rengoku that he was talking about - the man was practically the personification of the Tickle Monster. Looking back, Tanjiro would thank the gods that a loud crack of lightning masked the shrill scream that escaped him when two hands clawed into his stomach, completely bypassing his underarms and throwing him for a loop.

"Oho, what's this?" Mr. Rengoku teased over Tanjiro's frantic belly laughter. "Is this tummy of yours a bad spot?"

The burgundy haired boy couldn't even hope to answer verbally, so he just let his hands release the Flame Hashira's wrists and drop uselessly to the futon as he nodded, his mind and muscles being turned into a goofy mess. Tears once again filled his eyes, slowly pouring down his cheeks as his mind was further scrambled due to his senior's taunting words. Two thumbs drilling into his hips had the younger boy screaming into his pillow, an action that made the tempura haired man laugh as well.

"Why are you hiding from me, my boy?" he asked, pulling the pillow away and setting it aside. "Happiness is something that should be shared with those around you!"

Tanjiro tried answering that they couldn't be as loud as they wanted, but fingers gently scribbling along his lower abdomen had him giggling like a five year old instead. His throat and stomach hurt from laughing so much, and when he looked up at Mr. Rengoku, the soft smile on his face told him that his torture had come to an end for the night.

"There we go, Young Kamado," he fondly said, giving his hair a gentle ruffle once the tickling came to a stop. "Are you feeling better?"

Tanjiro nodded, the happy smile still on his face as he gasped for air, curling in on himself as Mr. Rengoku got off of him. The mushy goofiness was leaving in his brain, leaving him in an elated state of pure bliss and sleepiness as all of the energy he expended caught up to him. He let his eyes droop shut as he yawned, blindly reaching around for his pillow as a rumble of thunder shook the windows.

"Go to sleep, my boy," the Flame Hashira said, getting to his feet. "Let me get my pillow and blanket - "

"You don't have to!" Tanjiro tiredly insisted as he curled up under his own blanket. "'M not scared anymore -"

"Nonsense!" the older man retorted with a firm shake of the head. "I used to share a futon with Senjuro back in the day, and it always helped him with his own nightmares!"

He left the room before the burgundy haired boy could object any further, and as he listened to sounds of movement next door, he couldn't help but feel relieved that the older man insisted on staying with him. Was it childish? Maybe, but it was something that he was always allowed to indulge in around the tempura haired man. Part of him felt guilty - after all, he had his friends and Nezuko to tend to - but Mr. Rengoku thought nothing of assuming a big brother role in his mentorship of him.

"You're my Tsuguko. Not only am I in charge of your progression as a Demon Slayer, but it's also my duty to take care of you both physically and mentally."

And as the man in question returned and settled in next to Tanjiro, the younger boy thanked his lucky stars that he survived against the Upper Third. After all, who else could take on such an essential role that Tanjiro had no clue that he needed in life? (Well, there was Mr. Uzui, but he'd never say it out loud to the man's face.)

#submission #demon slayer #tanjiro kamado #rengoku kyojuro #hurt/comfort #tickle #tickle fic #I am so SOFT right now oh my!#This was gorgeous thank you so much for sharing!

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ctl-yuejie · 1 year ago

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What did you eat yesterday Season 2 - Episode 7

(yes, I jumped over episode 6, but I watched it at 3 am and just had a lot of feelings and not that many thoughts)

this episode reenforced my opinion that the show's writing is among the best in the slice-of life genre. the way themes and story-threads are introduced to come back in later episodes or get featured from a different view point makes this show not only feel well-rounded and well thought-out but it makes you think and reminisce since everything feels so real. The show treats its premise seriously: Shiro-san and Kenji being 50 and late 40s respectively is not treated as a surface-level story setting but it does the work of really dissecting and deep-diving into how these two people would view the world. Their outlook on life is so so different from mine, not only because I'm not a gay man in Japan but because of our age difference. We might share similar experiences but how we react and think about the same issues couldn't be more different. I love that I can never predict what tone the next scene might set and it feels like talking to a queer elder sharing their story. You can learn something just by listening and gain new perspectives.

Shiro-san losing a friend, thinking - yet again - about death and not having any children of his own is contrasted with how solemn but peaceful the funeral is. Here is Shiro-san imagining how tough things must be for the widow and - what he assumes - three young children only for the children being old enough to have kids on their own. It perfectly illustrates the kind of bubble in which we might experience our lives. His former classmates talk about becoming grandparents and here is Shiro-san just having started finding a way to accept his complicated emotions of not granting his parents grandchildren. It not only feels like two social circles colliding but how unintended alienating it can feel to be queer. And sometimes it just hits you that there are people around you that are both similar and very different to you. And an excellent way to connect the theme of marriage and children to the past episodes but from a very different viewpoint.

The same way Kohinata and Wataru are so important to the story. They can be comedic relief while never feeling cartoonish but they also offer more variety in how a gay couple can live together paired with the generation gap between the three and Wataru.

While writing is fantastic, this show equally is indebted to the stellar performances by Uchino Seiyo and Nishijima Hidetoshi. The way Uchino Seiyo can carry pure joy in his voice gets me everytime he calls for Shiro-san off screen. The way they both move inside the supermarket and as a couple, the way they embody their characters so thouroughly is never not giving me joy.

favourite moment: Kenji realising that Shiro-san wants validation by the supermarket lady and being overjoyed at that fact and that Shiro-san will wear his glasses more often.

food talk

Not only was this another fantastic episode, I am craving some nabeyaki udon now and i wish i had brought back more yuzu kosho from japan. I wish I could get my hands on fresh clams here. Never tried clam soup with just clams but it looks delicious. And I wish I could get fish roe here.

production corner

I really commend this show for making this flat so congruent with its history. you understand why shiro rented it in the first place. you can feel both their styles coming together and also the different times they might have purchased things. it is not planned by an interior designer but has a consistent style that feels very them.

#what did you eat yesterday #what did you eat yesterday season 2 #wdyey 2 #wdyey #kinou nani tabeta #switched up the format from rambling in order of what happens in the episode to a more topical approach #no idea whether i will continue this style #already have the draft for the episode but i need to get some studying done beforehand

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