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“Have you ever wanted to wear them, Nezuko?”
He caressed her head,fingers gently combing through her head, as she tilts her head at him. She hums, looking up at him with big questioning eyes, cotton pink.
“Dad’s earrings”. His fingers brush against her forehead to the back of her ear, tucking stray strands of hair away.
She frowns, eyebrows scrunched together rather cutely on her toddler face, turns around hastily in her brother’s lap and then humphs, repeatedly patting, or rather firmly smacking her brother’s cheeks.
“It’s just...” He pauses, “I just want you to wear them, is all.” He offers her what he hopes is a reassuring smile, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. It’s something he’s thought a lot about recently, he can’t quite get it out of his mind. She deserves them, they’d be safer with her.
She hums sadly, the sound coming off as a long sing-song whine, and squishes his cheeks together, the heavy smell of smoke- concern and sorrow rolling off of her like waves.
He chuckles lightly, taking his sister’s hands in his and lowering them. It’s a little reassuring, that she remembers this, especially something as important as this. She doesn’t seem to remember a whole lot of the past before the day they- the incident. Just vague, blurry things.
To their family,the earrings were incredibly valuable, priceless. A family heirloom passed down from eldest son to eldest son for centuries, charcoal sellers, dedicated worshipers to the hinokami.
He’s not worthy of them.
Besides, if he ever failed, if- if he died then... He didn’t want to lose such an important thing, their legacy. Nezuko would take good care of them.
“Ah! We can get your ears pierced together, Nezuko! Then we can share!” He lets go of her hands and adjusts her on his lap so that she doesn’t slide off his legs. Would the piercing wounds regenerate and heal completely? He’s not sure, there were some demons out there with earrings after all.
At that, she brightened up, frown finally lifting from her face, smile evident in the crinkle of her eyes. Her hands go up to grasps at her earlobes, eyes shining with excitement.
In a rush, she jumps up and off his lap, nearly smacking her head with his chin, and hops enthusiastically around him, delighted little chirps and hums leaving her as she waves her hands up around in the air.
It was a tender sight for him, bringing back precious memories of their little siblings excitement, shining eyes and greedy little hands when he used to bring back some treats and candy, even of when the two of them were even littler, he’d sneak off to the kind lady in the village who’d give him candy every time, and he would go back to share it with Nezuko, no matter how many times he got reprimanded for it. Her wide smile made was worth it each time, konpeito were her favorite and they were so easy to get so-
Ah, he really needed to stop grieving her when she’s standing right in front of him.
Or rather hopping.
Suddenly, Nezuko stills and almost immediately turned to him, looking a little lost in thought.
He cocks his head “Hmm? What’s wrong?” He held out his arms for her as she slams into his chest and they wrapped their arms around each other.
Nezuko looks up with her chin on his chest with a troubled expression, untangles her arms from the hold and squishes his cheeks together again with a long and low hum. Ah, the earrings were his, eldest son.
“We can share like I told you before” he receives a head shake in response “How about we wear one earring each?” A good compromise in his opinion.
Her expression lightens, seemingly satisfied and buries herself deeper into the hug, taking hold of the fabric on the back of his uniform.
“Tomorrow we can ask for some piercing needles or go into town to buy them,” He gets up, gathering her in his arms and carries her and settles into the futon “Good night, Nezuko”.
If they go into town then he could take the chance to go look at all the kimonos they have to sell, buy the prettiest one as he promised two years ago. He’s been saving up quite the amount, maybe they could take a look at jewelry too, hairpins, earrings, whatever she takes a liking to, maybe something western too. She deserves all that and more.
He hesitates a little, he doubts if he should do so when she’s a demon still. When she’s human again he will, he decides.
He looks down at her, and strokes her head.
He pauses.
He misses how things were before all this.
It isn’t fair, but life goes on either way. If it weren’t for Tomioka-san giving him a new purpose, he’s not sure what he would’ve done. Maybe bury himself along with his family, if Nezuko had died that day too.
He scorns himself for even daring to think that way.
He shouldn’t, he can’t. He can’t leave her all alone. He has a duty to fulfill.
Nezuko must be human again.