Even after the teenagers make it into town and stop walking, Inosuke refuses to let go of Tanjirou's hand, and the redhead would be lying if he said he didn't like allowing himself to indulge in the minuscule action.

Inosuke's hand is large and warm in his but not in an unpleasant way. It feels weighty and familiar, like it's supposed to be there.

The more Tanjirou thinks about it; it feels kind of like their bodies and minds are made for each other.

But it's not fair of him to think that way.

So after absorbing a bit more of Inosuke's warmth than he deems necessary, Tanjirou drops his hand and chooses to ignore how Inosuke almost looks disappointed by looking around.

In doing so, the local boy realizes precisely where they are when the heavenly smell of authentic udon wafts through the air around him. He turns around to see the familiar face of the resident old man who runs the stall standing behind the counter, and he lights up as he pulls out his wallet to order two bowls.

Inosuke tries to snatch Tanjirou's wallet and pay himself, but the redhead smacks the ravenette's forehead with his own, though gentler than usual. Inosuke retreats but not without grumbled words of detest and some things Tanjirou can't quite make out.

Because he thinks he hears the word 'date' somewhere in the mix, and he has to be imagining that. Reason one being Inosuke would never ask him out, and reason two being he vowed not to let himself get involved like that with the foreigner.

Though somewhere in the back of his mind Tanjirou allows himself to hope for something he thinks is unattainable, no matter how selfish it makes him feel.

When Tanjirou hands Inosuke his bowl of udon, a soft dusting of pink presents itself on his pale skin, and Tanjirou has to remind himself of the steps required for breathing.

They find a cute small table by the shop with weathered wood once painted a bright pink and decide to sit there. Before Tanjirou can break apart his disposable chopsticks, Inosuke is almost done with his entire bowl.

The broth is smeared around his mouth, and Tanjirou laughs into his hand softly. His shoulders shake gently, and he knows he's obviously smiling with the way the corners of his eyes crease, even if he tries to hide it.

Then suddenly, Inosuke is choking, and Tanjirou jumps into action smacking the other teenager's back until he takes a normal deep breath.

"Maybe that's a sign you shouldn't eat so fast," Tanjirou chuckles with a concerned smile as he cautiously relaxes into his seat.

"I'll eat however fast I want. Nothing's gonna take me out, Gonpachiro." Inosuke puffs up his chest and starts downing the rest of his bowl, facing away from the redhead this time, and Tanjirou decides to start eating as well.

When the two boys finish their food, they chat idly over their empty bowls about a little bit of everything.

Tanjirou's family, Inosuke's animals back on the farm, what they want to do when they get older, and even how each of them came out.

(One day, Tanjirou just brought home a boy from his class freshman year and told his family how he didn't care about gender.

Inosuke, on the other hand, gruffly stated, "Yeah, I like men." while watching Magic Mike on a different visit to his aunt's.)

They've since moved on from the udon stand in favor of walking around the cobblestone paths closer to the beach, enjoying the sun as it shines down on them.

"I can't believe you bathed in the mud pit as a toddler," Tanjirou laughs loudly as a wide smile stretches across his lips.

"Well, I was convinced that I was one with the animals, and I still am." The redhead can see Inosuke swallow thickly even as he returns his smile.

The usually wild boy almost looks nervous.

But Inosuke's smile is big, and Tanjirou can see how his canines are noticeably sharper than average. His stomach flutters at the realization, and he pushes the warm feeling back down, trying not to let his sudden infatuation show.

This, Tanjirou thinks, is why he's never hung out with Inosuke alone before. Zenitsu or Nezuko have always been there as a sort of buffer, so he could never mistake something as intimate.

Because, with Inosuke's bare shoulder brushing his own as they walk and watching the petals that fall into his hair as they wander under trees, it feels intimate.

How can it not when Tanjirou feels like he'll float away to mars whenever Inosuke stares at him a millisecond too long with stars in his eyes and a pink blush on his cheeks.

Tanjirou shakes his head as he looks down at his feet and hops over a cracked stone. "What do you want to do now?"

He doesn't receive an answer as fast as he's used to getting, so the redhead looks up to see if his friend is okay. The question dies on his tongue when he sees Inosuke is now the color of a basket of ripe strawberries, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to devour him a little.

Then Inosuke is looking at him with wide eyes and a set jaw that screams determination despite his apparent nervousness.

"Tanjirou." The local boy blinks at the correct pronunciation of his name leaving the other boy's mouth as the same boy grabs both his hands in his. "I-."

Inosuke gets cut off by a deafening boom of thunder. It splits the sky open, and rain starts falling lightly until it rapidly pelts the ground with continuous smacks.

Tanjirou shivers as the freezing droplets roll over his skin, and he grips Inosuke's hands tighter as he looks up. The sky is gray and dark, and he doesn't know how he didn't realize the sun had disappeared behind the clouds earlier.

He looks back at Inosuke, whose blush has dulled slightly from the rain cooling him down.

"OH FUCK YOU, SKY GODS!" The wild boy drops Tanjirou's hands in favor of holding up to middle fingers to the sky.

"Inosuke, stop that! You'll make them angrier!" Tanjirou gasps as he swats at the other's outstretched arms.

It's only been a couple of minutes, and Tanjirou's shirt is already clinging to him like a second skin, the white material practically turning see-through. His hair starts flattening onto his face, and he slicks it back as he grabs Inosuke's wrist (he avoids holding his hand on purpose) to start dragging him home.

"No, stay right where you are, Monjirou," Inosuke grunts as he whips the redhead forcibly back around to face him properly.

Tanjirou is about to protest that it's not safe to stay outside in this kind of weather, but after seeing how Inosuke looks similar to a drowned cat with his hair down, he has to keep himself from giggling instead.

"Do you remember when we kissed that night during truth or dare because of Butterly Clip?" Inosuke gnaws on his bottom lip hard enough to drain it of color.

Tanjirou's brows furrow as his mouth parts slightly, and he watches Inosuke's eyes flash down at the movement then back up.

Why were they talking about this now?

"I-," Tanjirou stutters as he starts playing with the hair on the back of his neck. "Yes. Why?"

"Well, I wanted to say I wasn't mad about doing that with you." Inosuke voice goes quieter toward the end of the sentence.

Lightning illuminates the clouds above them.

"Me either." Tanjirou twirls a curl a little too tight.

The two teenagers stare at each other silently for a moment, and suddenly, the rain doesn't feel nearly as cold as it did earlier.

Another moment passes, and more thunder sounds in the distance before Inosuke surges forward, smashing his lips against Tanjirou's.

Tanjirou stumbles back slightly, and he moans softly, taken by surprise. Without his permission, his eyelids slip closed, and he circles his arms around Inosuke's middle, pulling him closer until he can feel his heat seep into him.

He feels one of Inosuke's arms wrap around his lower back while the other wraps around his neck and his fingers tangle in his wet hair a little harshly.

The ravenette's lips are chapped and slick, and he tastes like the udon they ate earlier.

Somehow this kiss is different than before.

This kiss is needy and desperate in the way Inosuke holds onto him so tightly and how he presses their lips together with such force, and how he tugs on Tanjirou's hair so he can slip his tongue into his mouth when he gasps.

Tanjirou feels like he's burning from the inside out as his knees shake, and he moves his arms to wrap around Inosuke's neck to keep himself upright. His nails rake over the ravenette's shoulders, and the action draws a groan from him that Tanjirou swallows enthusiastically.

He feels lightheaded.

Kissing Inosuke is like dying and coming back to life.

All his atoms are being ripped apart and then sewn back together in a complex array of something he can't quite see the complete picture of.

It's infuriating and intoxicating all the same.

Inosuke feels so solid and so right wrapped up in his arms, and Tanjirou hates how he lets himself melt into him.

It's not fair.

Inosuke pulls away, gasping softly against the redhead's lips, foreheads resting together.

"Tanjirou, I really fucking like you." Inosuke pulls away and moves his hands to cradle Tanjirou's face.

Tanjirou fixates on the water droplets falling from Inosuke's long eyelashes as his throat constricts like all the oxygen in his body has evaporated. He stumbles back out of the other's hold, eyes widening.

"Um," Tanjirou distantly notices he's shaking. "I can't do this right now."

Tanjirou turns quickly on his heels, almost slipping on the stones as he starts running home.