red strings 『 h. inosuke x reader 』

red strings. part 1.

"y/n!" aoi called as she walked into the room you were in, carrying medical supplies.

"do you need anything?" you asked, taking care of the little flower in your room.

"inosuke arrived, but miss shinobu is out and i have to go to the love pillar's estate," the girl replied. "can you take care of him for me?"

you carefully stood up and looked at aoi, humming in response. she smiled and thanked you before heading off.

you walked through the hallways of the butterfly mansion, on your way to the room that inosuke, zenitsu, or tanjiro usually use after grabbing the materials you needed.

"y/n!" the blue-eyed boy shouted, sitting up from his bed as you entered the room.

"calm down," you stated. "you have yet to be treated."

"alright!"

despite being a hyperactive boy, when it came to you, he was surprisingly very obedient. you were his friend. you were everyone's friend, and it was the same for him. but somehow, you managed to make him obey your words so easily.

you started preparing the herbs you'll apply on his wounds and the ones you'll have him drink for faster recovery as he looked at you in awe. he's aware that you specialize in herbal medicine, but he can't help but admire how you efficiently and swiftly moved.

"you know, i defeated lots of demons today!" he bragged, trying to make some noise to prevent himself from getting awkward. "i'm amazing, aren't i?"

"that's expected," you responded. "you are amazing, inosuke. i wouldn't be surprised if one of the hashiras asks you to be their tsugoku, or if you become a hashira yourself."

inosuke fell silent. he couldn't seem to find the proper words to reply. from your words, he didn't sense some kind of pity or anything like that. he feels like you didn't say that to encourage or cheer him up.

you simply said that out of sincerity and because you believed that he'd actually be able to do that, assuming that kibutsuji muzan wouldn't be defeated by the current hashiras, hopefully, they will though.

inosuke admired you. he admired the way you worked, and the way you cared for others.

but most of all, he admired how you treated him like you did everyone else. you made him feel equal to the others. you didn't call him feminine, or treat him like an animal from the mountains. you treated him as hashibara inosuke, and he was grateful to you for that.

he lightly smiled as you asked if the herbs you applied on his wounds and bruises hurt. he shook his head quietly, slightly shocking you. but you just smiled at his behavior.

he can be a pain sometimes, but he was kind. he cared for his friends and comrades more than anyone would think.

"hey, y/n," inosuke finally spoke, breaking the silence that loomed over the two of you. you hummed, focused on wrapping his broken wrist. "let's live together when we kill the hat guy."

"hat guy?" you repeated, looking the boy in the eye. "kibutsuji muzan?"

"yeah, him. let's live together after we defeat him. with gonpachiro and his demon sister and the yellow head."

as he said these, inosuke lifted his free hand and stuck out his pinky finger. you stared at it for a while, before realizing. you mirrored his actions and intertwined your pinky with his before the two of you retracted your hands.

"you learned that from shinobu, didn't you?" you asked.

"yeah, we made a promise too!"

"alright, rest up," you said before standing up. "make sure you drink the herbal tea. i added a sweetener that also helps in recovery so that you could drink it without problems about the taste."

you waved your hand with a smile before turning to the door to leave.

as inosuke watched you close the door, he thought to himself.

maybe, after defeating muzan, he'll tell you his feelings. if both of you survive—no, he knows that both of you will survive the final battle, you're both strong after all—he'll finally tell you.

but for now, for now, he'll enjoy the warmth you provide him with every time you're with him and the excitement he gets when he finally sees you again. for now, he'll let you achieve your own goals, knowing that you had your priorities.

and then, on the day that the world wakes up with no demons on it, he'll confess to you, live with you, grow old with you, and die with you.

then when you and he reincarnate, he'll find you again. no matter where you are and how long it will take him, he'll find you. because he knows that you two are the ones whose red strings will never snap broken.

—————

hello there. i hope you're all doing fine.

this is just a short, two-part story that struck me when i was cooking dinner earlier.

it's a little rushed, but i hope you like it.