𝘡𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵

[𝗨𝘇𝘂𝗶 𝗧.] 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨

Zenitsu wasn't the best when it came to timing.

To be honest, he was pretty shit at it.

He met his Gramps due to a debt Zenitsu couldn't pay off; he'd been dirty and bruised back then. Shortly before, said debt was caused by him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It had been the beginning of the evening, the lanterns being lit one after another, as he finally presented as an omega. Not wanting to be passed around by the few lingering alphas in the area, he had clung to a pretty beta woman. He promised her everything for a bit of protection - and everything she had wanted afterwards.

Gramps had been his savior. Yet, once again, the timing was miserable. Because just like that, he had met Kaigaku. A boy he'd admired and looked up to, he was brave and manly. He hadn't presented until Zenitsu's next heat. Just to his luck, he had to be an alpha. His Gramps hadn't been home that night - something he still regretted.

Kaigaku had turned into a man, while Zenitsu was suppressed even further. The older boy kept blaming him even months after the incident, being even more aggressive during their training than before. He didn't hold his sharp tongue either, partly resulting in the weak mind the blond possessed nowadays.

After his participation in the Final Selection, which he had magically survived, he met Tanjirou. Sweet, innocent Tanjirou. The timing had, of course, been pretty bad once again. Zenitsu had been on his knees, begging another pretty beta woman to take him in as a husband, to protect him. He kept hoping to finally escape from Kaigaku, from the nightmares, and the soiled feelings that came with them.

As usual, he had been cast aside. The redhead disliked his actions greatly, but became his friend nonetheless. Tanjirou was the first alpha he could actually admire, he had a nice sound to him and proved himself as trustworthy more than just once.
And then, they met Inosuke. Their meeting was in a mansion filled with a nest of demons, they were accompanied by scared kids. And the sight of Inosuke, an alpha behaving like a beast, wearing a real boar head, terrified them to no ends.

The fact that he kept smelling Zenitsu whenever he felt like it didn't make it any better. It was good to know that his scent seemed enticing in a way. The thought that he might be his fated pair had him crying for an entire evening, nonetheless. Inosuke was an idiot, he had no tact and was rude to push it even further. Not a man his Gramps would see on his side - neither did Zenitsu.
It's safe to say, he wasn't impressed by that idea.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case.

Instead, his predetermined match was a Hashira. A strong alpha that would be more than able to protect him. Something he desperately needed after their mission on the Mugen Train. They had witnessed one of the strongest dying, after all. To a demon, Upper Moon Three, who made killing him look so easy, that it still brought nightmares to him.

After recovering, none of them were motivated to fight. They were weak, and if a man like Rengoku Kyojurou hadn't stood a chance, how could they? The answer to that came not much later, in the form of a man that stood nearly two meters tall. He had tried to take Aoi on to a mission with him; she had screamed loudly not to be brought along, she had even cried. So, of course, not being able to see an omega cry, Tanjirou squared up.

And when Tanjirou squared up, he and Inosuke had to do so as well.

Typically, the timing hadn't been good at all. Because on that day, Zenitsu met his fated match.
Uzui Tengen.

It wasn't love at first sight, far from it. Instead of lovey dovey feelings, they only bickered. Tengen was married, it had been the reason why they went to Yoshiwara in the first place. He had no interest in a child, and Zenitsu didn't want anything from some perverted, old gigolo. His fated match tunred out to be a prick, and Tengen's turned out to be a cowardly crybaby. It was meant to fail from the start - they didn't fit together at all.
Then, the blond had been caught by the demon. Tengen had not hesitated in wanting him back. They realized that Zenitsu wasn't just some boy, and that the alpha wasn't just some gigolo.
By then, it was already pretty late. They nearly lost another, before even getting a taste.