Happy birthday V! Could you do sanemi + I know you like me? Have a great day :)
sanemi shinazugawa x I know you like me
You can’t help but wince when Tanjiro headbutts him, lips curling and brows furrowing in a grimace that, much to your embarrassment, has Shinobu chuckling. It feels like she’s always watching you when he’s filming a scene, especially if it’s anything involving any kind of violence or bleeding.
“It doesn’t really hurt, you know” she whispers.
“I know. I’m the one who has to make sure it looks realistic” you whisper back heatedly. She offers you a smile.
“Right”
But then it happens again, right as he slashes his hand open with a knife in front of Nezuko. You suck in a sharp breath and are unable to keep your eyes on the fat blobs of blood dripping from his wrist to the floor, devilish grin splitting his face not really enough to ease your nerves.
Rationally, you know it’s just the corn syrup you have prepared. You know the injuries on his body have been meticulosuly applied with your own fingertips, barely half an hour spent exchanging casual remarks about each other’s dark circles and asking informal questions about the other’s weekend. It was pathetic, really, the contraction your stomach responded with when he handed you the extra hot beverage he brought to his trailer. Black hazelnut coffee. It’s sweet, because he remembered it’s your favorite, it’s also expensive: you know that because he got it from that extra popular cafe downtown, where they don’t use syrups and hazelnuts are grinded in with the coffee.
As cliché as it sounds, the moments spent prepping him for his scenes are the best part of your day. He’s similar to his character in a way, equally stubborn, blunt, with brows often furrowed and a deep scowl distorting his features, especially when he has to be on set early in the morning. But he’s also completely different. Sanemi’s smile grows warmer throughout the hours spent between takes, lunch breaks and infinite amounts of caffeine. His eyes light up whenever Genya is around and although he usually makes a whole scene of huffing and puffing, in the end he always accepts to be part of his stupid tiktoks. He loves hanging out with people, is a great listener and the sweetest, most friendly person a fan of the show could ever run into.
Overall, he’s a very decent, kind, attractive person whose thoughtfulness shouldn’t stir anything in your chest and definitely shouldn’t have your palms feeling all clammy and disgusting in response to a simple smirk or a good morning mumbled with a big, warm hand lingering a few seconds more than what’s needed on your shoulder.
Well, perhaps you have a small, insignificant crush. You might feel infinitesimal pangs of jealousy whenever he’s locked inside his trailer with Kira, the costume designer, because she gets to touch him for hours on end. You may often wonder how it must feel for Kenji, the hairstylist, to run his fingers through that snowy locks each day.
“Cut!” the director seems pretty satisfied with the scenes they’ve rolled until now. He gives the actors two thumbs up and lands a few friendly pats on Tanjiro’s back. Izumi, the assistant director, approaches you to notify that Sanemi is going to film another gruesome fight scene. Genya, Gyomei and Muichiro are gonna need extra makeup to be applied as well, but their prosthetics are not ready yet and they’ve all asked for a short break anyway: Muichiro has to finish his homework, the other two haven’t had lunch yet.
“Have fun” Shinobu gives you a knowing smile as she noisily sips her taro milk tea. Although it may be unprofessional, you shoot her a glare.
“Stop it”
“Why? You don’t think your job is fun?” she innocently bats her eyelashes, to which you groan.
“Shinobu”
“I think it’s fun”
“What’s fun?”
You jump and Shinobu can’t contain her chuckle any longer, a sound so sweet that would have you smiling immediately on a different occasion. Right now, it just accentuates your embarrassment.
“Their job” she shrugs and Sanemi cocks his head, a small frown settling over his features as he looks at you.
“Ah, guess you’re tired. Sorry to be a bother, I didn’t think we’d film that scene so early”
Dumbfounded, you stare back at him for a few seconds. Always so clever, of course he’s sensed the sarcasm.
“What? No, no. You’re not a bother, it’s my job to take care of you”
Perhaps you could have phrased that better. Nevertheless, the smile that splits his face is a reason good enough not to succumb to the abyss of awkwardness threatening to swallow you whole.
And so, back you are in his trailer, sitting in front of him, well aware of the fact that you’re soon gonna have to apply makeup all over his exposed chest. Still, you choose to start from his face.
“Was the coffee good?” he asks as you apply a thin layer of yellow cream to his cheekbone.
“So good” you smile “thank you”
“We should get another”
You hum distractedly, busy dabbing a layer of violet cream mixed with navy cream on top of the previous layer. Finally, you add pockets of maroon, keeping everything as asymmetric as possible to make it look realistic.
“Tomorrow is your day off, right?”
Finally, your fingers come to a halt as you slightly pull back to look at him.
“Yes?”
Cautious, he thinks. Pretty, too.
“So, coffee? My treat?” he’s offering a charming smile, one that has your pulse freaking out on the spot.
“Why?” surely it’s not the best reply one could come up with but, seriously, why would he…?
Sanemi laughs at your shocked expression.
“I know you like me” he has the nerve to shrug but is quick to make up for a cockiness that doesn’t quite suit him, nor the pinkish tips of his ears “I like you. And coffee. Seems only fair we do something about it, right?”
