this is based on the Midnight Melodies Sanemi asmr series on yt!! Not mine!! It was quiet over the Shinazugawa estate. You had been making food for the trainees since the early hours of the morning—chopping vegetables, stirring batters, boiling water— prepping everything for the day. The Hashira had taken trainees under their wings to help strengthen them, and once a trainee was deemed finished by the Hashira they trained under, they were allowed to move on to the next. So far, however, very few had passed Sanemi’s training. Which meant you had that much more food to cook. Your work had been making waves through the Demon Slayer Corps—the person who could make food with wisteria to strengthen the consumer, despite the plant being poisonous. You had been working under—really, with—Sanemi for a while now. But everything changed at the night market. He had acted as your escort while you picked up an order for Shinobu. After choosing trinkets for all the Hashira, collecting Shinobu’s things, and being mistaken for a couple by a Christmas tree salesman, the most unexpected thing happened: he gave you a Christmas gift. A handcrafted knife, made like an official slayer’s katana, with your name engraved on one side and “protect” etched into the other. After opening it and recovering from the shock, you gave Sanemi his gift—a kiss. He couldn’t promise you the future you deserved, but he didn’t deny his feelings either. Weeks had passed since then. Now, in the new year, Sanemi had stopped interacting with you as much after the kiss. You were using your knife to chop vegetables when you suddenly felt a weight against your shoulder. Sanemi. He leaned into you, forehead pressing against your neck, his breath uneven. His voice was low, rough—more tired than angry. “Stupid… useless slayers,” he muttered. “They’re going to get themselves killed.” You slowly turned, startled to see him like this—clinging to you, arms wrapping around your waist as he vented his frustration into your shoulder.