Straight Into Your Arms

by ThatOneFangirl946

Summary:

When Tanjiro comes home one night, it’s to good music and incredible food. But the best part of all of it isn’t the music or the food - it’s who he shares it with.

My entry for Day Three of GenTan Week 2025 - Music or Dancing.

Notes:

I'm cutting it so so close with this but it's fine, we're all fine, everything is fine. I'm much happier with this work than I was with yesterday's, probably since it's an idea that lived in my head in fragments for a while and I finally had the chance to write it out. :D

Title from Vance Joy's song Straight Into Your Arms because it fits this fic's vibe so well.

No warnings!

Tanjiro could smell the cooking more than a block away from home. Following it like a moth to a flame, he wove his way through the people walking on the sidewalk, then took the elevator up to the floor of his and Genya’s apartment. Somehow, he thought he could smell it even enclosed in the elevator.

Fumbling with his keys, he opened the door, slipped inside, and was immediately hit with a gust of spices and cooking meat. Still following his nose, he set his bag down and made his way to the kitchen: the source of the heavenly scent.

And there - standing by the stove, stirring a pot, was Genya, his hair pulled back and head bouncing to some song playing on the radio.

“Welcome home,” Genya greeted him, turning slightly to make room for him at the stove.

“And what a welcome it is,” he commented, nodding to the simmering pot before them. 

Genya laughed, leaning over to press a kiss to the top of his head. “I only hope it tastes as good as it smells - this is a new recipe from the Uzuis, and you know how eccentric he can be.”

Tanjiro shrugged. “I trust Hinatsuru’s judgment.” He tilted his head. “Not that I don’t appreciate this - because I really do - but it’s my turn to cook tonight. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”

Humming noncommittally, Genya reached over Tanjiro to grab a pinch of cardamom and add it to the pot before answering. “You’ve been working really hard with the bakery lately - I thought I’d try to do something to make things a little easier on you. I was hoping to have it all plated and ready before you got here, though.”

Tanjiro laughed. “What, you were going to have a whole candlelit dinner ready and waiting?”

Genya blushed, looking away, and Tanjiro realized that that was exactly what he’d been planning.

“Aw,” he murmured fondly, wrapping an arm around Genya’s waist and pulling him closer, “that’s really sweet of you. Thank you.”

“Yeah, well,” Genya muttered, steadily growing more and more flustered.

He really was endearing when he got embarrassed. Tanjiro let him be, choosing instead to just stand there, enjoying both the closeness and the incredible aroma.

The song on the radio ended and a new one came on, something bouncy and heavy on the bass. Tanjiro knew it was exactly the sort of music Genya loved; sure enough, he went from head-bouncing to foot-tapping until his entire body started humming along with the song.

“What’s this song?” Tanjiro wondered.

Genya shrugged, still moving to the beat.

Tanjiro shifted back a little to allow him some more room to move. “Want me to set the table?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Rising on his tiptoes to give Genya a quick peck on the cheek, he pivoted toward the cabinet with dishware and pulled out plates and glasses. It didn’t take long to set everything out on the table and give them each silverware, and when he was finished he returned to Genya’s side.

A new song started, this time one of the few pop songs Tanjiro actually recognized. Grinning, he reached for Genya’s hand - Genya twined their fingers together and went willingly as Tanjiro pulled him away from the stove.

Neither of them was a particularly good dancer, but when it was just the two of them, it didn’t matter. Genya nodded his head to the beat, a few strands of hair that hadn’t made it into his bun flopping back and forth in his face; Tanjiro tapped his foot and drummed along to the rhythm on the counter. They moved around each other, dancing separately and yet together.

After what felt like far too short a time, the song ended. But Tanjiro didn’t have any time to be disappointed, because the next one that came on was a much quieter, slower song. He had no idea what radio station this was that played such a variety, but he certainly wasn’t complaining when Genya wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close.

He leaned forward, resting his forehead against Genya’s chest. Genya’s hands settled on his waist while his own came to rest on the small of Genya’s back. Tilting his head up so that his face was tucked into the crook of Genya’s neck, he just took a deep breath, feeling utterly enswathed in Genya’s scent.

It felt like home.

As the song continued, they stood there like that, right in the middle of the kitchen, swaying gently in each other’s arms. It was rare these days that they had time to just stand there and be: Tanjiro was so often rushing about to deal with the bakery, and Genya had his own job at an animal shelter, so most of their time together consisted of tired evenings and groggy mornings. It was nice - Tanjiro would never complain about waking up every day in Genya’s arms - but it was nicer being awake enough to fully appreciate it.

…Less nice, though, was the smell he suddenly noticed coming from the stove.

“Um,” he said, “Genya?”

“Hm?” he hummed, but in the way he did when he was only half-listening. He nuzzled his cheek against Tanjiro’s hair, blowing at a few stray strands.

“Did you by chance remember to turn off the stove before you left it?”

Genya lifted his head. “...Uh.”

“I think something’s starting to burn.”

Genya burst away from Tanjiro as if the contact had burned him , turning back to the stove and swearing profusely as he turned off the burner and removed the pot. “Dammit, dammit, hot hot hot!” he gasped, hurrying it over to the kitchen table and setting it down. 

“It doesn’t smell too badly burned,” Tanjiro noted.

“That’s a relief,” Genya sighed, shaking out his hands. “I spent way too long on this for it to be ruined because I got distracted.”

“We got distracted,” Tanjiro pointed out, “and honestly, I think it would’ve been worth it.”

Genya laughed. “You say that now.”

He shrugged. “We can always make it again.”

“Yeah, but next time I’d make sure you helped me,” Genya replied. “Measuring all this out was a pain. Who the hell has a sixteenth of a teaspoon on hand?”

“Master chefs, I guess.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You saying I’m not a master chef?”

Tanjiro laughed, lightly shoving Genya’s shoulder with his own. “You can be my master chef.”

Genya huffed. “That’s a cop-out answer and we both know it.”

“Are you complaining about being my master chef?”

“Oh, I never said that.” He punctuated his point by pressing a kiss to the top of Tanjiro’s head. “But it does mean that you better eat my cooking and appreciate it.”

“Of course I will,” Tanjiro said. “Did you really think I wouldn’t?”

“...Fair enough.”

“That’s what I thought,” he grinned. 

Genya harrumphed, but the light in his eyes was bemused rather than irritated. “You know you’re way too sappy for your own good, right?”

Tanjiro gave him his widest, most innocent eyes. “It’s what you love most about me!”

Genya threw back his head and laughed. “I suppose you could say that.”

“You suppose?”

“All right, you definitely could say that,” he agreed. “You could also say that our food is getting colder the longer we argue.”

“Who said we’re arguing?” Tanjiro questioned. “We’re just having a friendly debate, as all couples do.” Genya shot him a look - which he happily ignored, moving instead to pull out a chair and offer it to him. “After you.”

“I’m the one who’s supposed to be treating you,” Genya protested. 

“Believe me,” Tanjiro said, meeting his eyes steadily, “this has been plenty treat enough already.”

Genya flushed but held his gaze, pulling out another chair without breaking eye contact. “If I don’t get to give you the full candlelit experience, I get to do this.”

“Do you really think I care about having a few candles on the table while I eat?” he pointed out. 

“No,” Genya admitted, “but it would’ve been nice to give you the whole experience.”

Tanjiro was pretty sure he’d already done that - or, in any case, what he had done was nice enough all by itself - but decided it wasn’t worth it to stand there debating while the food was steadily cooling off. “Fine - you want to treat me, you can do the dishes tonight too.”

“Oh, hell no,” Genya retorted immediately. “I cook,  you clean - I’m not doing all the work.”

Tanjiro laughed. “You don’t love me enough to do the dishes for me?”

“I love you so much I know you’ll feel guilty if you think you didn’t contribute anything,” he countered, “and so I’m letting you help out.”

“Now that’s a cop-out answer.” Even if it wasn’t entirely inaccurate. 

“Oh, shush.”

“Fine,” Tanjiro said, “we’ll both do the dishes. Fair?”

“Fair.”

“Only so long as we can keep listening to the radio,” he added.

“That was a given. Although we’ll probably end up getting distracted again,” Genya warned.

Tanjiro didn’t see that as a problem. After all, there were far worse things to be distracted by.

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed! If you don't mind, consider leaving kudos/a comment to let me know :)

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of GenTan Week 2025