[ he's in the room that went from having three occupants to two to suddenly one. when there's a knock, the stupid part of him hopes it's anya, who's lost her key in the chaos. but, throwing the door open with a gasp, he finds phoenix on the other side. ]
[ zenitsu looks down at the proffered pudding cup, panting. it takes a moment for his breathing to settle. ]
[ it's just dad.... a disappointment. dadsappointment. he hands him a spoon, too, and just smiles gently and gives zenitsu a moment to compose himself ]
[ nor does zenitsu try to retreat from the hand. but as soon as they make that contact, a memory flashes through their minds: ]
"Get out of my sight."
You blink in shock as you watch your foster brother partake of a peach.
"Don't make me repeat myself," he says without glancing your way. "Get out of my sight."
The sound of disgust rolls off of your brother in waves. You're not truly related, but you can't help thinking of him as your brother, just as you look at your teacher as your grandfather. Your extraordinary sense of hearing hones in on the cadence of his voice, and you know that he means it when he tells you to scram. Just seeing you sends his blood boiling (you hear that, too).
Finally, he looks at you as he would a dumb child. "You know what I'm talking about. Aren't you ashamed of crying like a baby all day long?" You hunch your shoulders. Of course you're ashamed. He tsks. "You laggard . . . Any time spent on you is wasted. Our teacher is an extraordinary man."
Bolstered by the mention of your foster grandfather ("Call me Master!"), you attempt a step forward with your fists raised in defense. "But Gramps said—"
Your brother winds his arm back and throws the peach at your face. It hits your forehead and falls to the ground with a sloppy sound. You've ruined his appetite.
"'Gramps'? Don't speak of him in that familiar way! Our teacher is a former Pillar! Someone who earned the highest title in the Demon Slayer Corps! Almost no one ever gets the chance to be trained by a former Pillar!" He raises his arms, making himself look bigger as he makes a sweeping motion. Your head has lowered, but you don't need to look at his face to see the revulsion in his eyes; you can hear it in his voice and the sounds coming from his body. That's how you know that he means every word he's saying while he roars, "The time he spends training you is all for nothing! You're an eyesore, okay? Get out of my sight! Why are you here? Why do you insist on clinging here?"
You have no parents, so no one has any hopes for you. There's no one who dreams that you'll grasp or accomplish something one day. That you'll prove yourself useful to somebody. That you'll manage to protect somebody and make that person happy, just once in your life. Not even a simple future like that. There's no one who hopes that you'll have a future. If you fail, cry, and run away even once, they say, "Oh, this guy's no good," and they walk away.
In the end, your brother huffs and puffs before doing just that. (You only wanted to spend some time with him, and now you've driven him away by being yourself.) You're left alone in a garden ripe with the sweet aroma of peaches and a numbness so overpowering that you don't even have it in you to cry.
[ as soon as the memory ends, zenitsu flees with a single step backward. it's not the first time this memory has played, but now isn't the time for him to be entertaining the anger and hatred it spurs within him. he snaps his head up, searching phoenix's face for a reaction. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
week 3, post-anya
[ and wordlessly handing him a pudding cup. ]
definitely post-anya and not on sunday, nope
[ zenitsu looks down at the proffered pudding cup, panting. it takes a moment for his breathing to settle. ]
M-Mr. Wright . . .
shhh
[ it's just dad.... a disappointment. dadsappointment. he hands him a spoon, too, and just smiles gently and gives zenitsu a moment to compose himself ]
no subject
Anya is . . .
[ in his heart, he knew she was gone long before luna even closed her eyes. saying it aloud is different, though, and so much harder. ]
no subject
[ he will hug if zenitsu needs it ]
no subject
[ he doesn't really want anyone inside. after a moment, though, he nods and steps aside, still refusing the pudding. ]
no subject
[ thanks for letting him in, though. he'll put his hand on zenitsu's head gently, if zenitsu lets him. ]
no subject
[ nor does zenitsu try to retreat from the hand. but as soon as they make that contact, a memory flashes through their minds: ]
[ as soon as the memory ends, zenitsu flees with a single step backward. it's not the first time this memory has played, but now isn't the time for him to be entertaining the anger and hatred it spurs within him. he snaps his head up, searching phoenix's face for a reaction. ]