Rinny♡

He stared at your face through the call. "It's fine. I'm coming home now, don't move. I'll take you to the hospital-" His eyes met yours and he immediately shut up at the look you were giving him.

You stared at him through the screen with pure betrayal. Pure pain and suffering. "You ate my leftovers."

The man took a second to collect what you said into his brain, his eyes doing exactly three blinks. "What?"

"You ate my leftovers!" You wailed so loudly that several people in the restaurant turned around, and back at the table, Yuji and Nobara were openly listening. Both turning their heads when they noticed Megumi was looking their direction.

Megumi just stared. He was at a loss of words before sighing, the memory still fresh in his mind. Two days ago for dinner while you were asleep, he was looking into the fridge and seen the container practically glowing. You said you'd eat it eventually, but you had a habit of leaving food in the fridge to grow old. He figured this was no different.

Now he regrets it. "...The pasta?"

"YES THE PASTA." Fresh and immediate tears ran down your face like somebody had turned on a faucet. "I was saving that!"

"You said you weren't hungry."

"THAT WAS YESTERDAY MORNING." You pointed at the camera. "Yesterday, Megumi!"

He rubbed his forehead. You were going to go into one of those now very frequent ramblings you did that Megumi knew better than to interrupt. Especially when pregnancy hormones were involved.

"You little thief." You sniffled aggressively. "You refrigerator bandit." "You knew I wanted it."

Megumi sighed deeply, shaking his head. "I didn't know."

"The audacity."

"Okay."

"The unmitigated gall."

"Okay."

"The disrespect."

"Okay."

"The raggedy behavior."

He raised a brow, tilting his head to the side slightly as he looked off to the side. "You've never called me raggedy before." He didn't know if he should be amused or offended

You dramatically inhaled as you caught your breathe "Because I loved you."

"You still love me."

"I don't know right now." You continued your speech. "I opened that fridge." Sob. "I already had the fork ready." Sob. "I was imagining the first bite." Sob. "I was smiling and jumping with joy" Sob. "And it was GONE."

Megumi finally understood. This wasn't really about the leftovers anymore, it was pregnancy disappointment. The kind that felt like the end of the world for absolutely no reason.

He softened immediately. "Baby, I'm sorry."

"Fuck you"

"I'll buy you more."

"It won't taste the same"

Depsite your words Megumi noticed how you perked slightly at his words, making a mental note to buy you some before he heads back home.

The crisis was ending—

Then your face crumpled again. "The pasta was so good." A fresh wave of tears started.

Megumi immediately pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't start again."

"You don't understand." You wailed pathetically. "You ate my dreams, Megumi."

At that point, even Megumi couldn't stop the tiny smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, i'm sorry again." He shook his head. "I'll be home soon." Only then did you finally nod in approval and hang up.

Megumi stared at the black screen for a moment before he walked back to the table. Yuji immediately burst into laughter. "So nobody died?"

Megumi sat down. "No." His simple word make Nobara grin. "What was the emergency?"

Megumi picked up his drink. "I ate her leftovers."

While the other two laughed their asses off Megumi went to his notes app and added another thing to this list of things not to do ever since you two got together.

realistic megumi rection

Eventually the trees opened into a small hillside, there wasn't much left. Old stone markers leaned with age. Moss covered names weather had nearly erased. A forgotten cemetery.

Yuji blinked. "...A graveyard?" He then felt himself getting irritated once more. He knew it. A crude joke Sukuna was trying to pull. "You took me to a graveyard— Is this some kind of sign your giving me? if it is, it's not funny—"

Sukuna cut him off, the mouth moving against his cheek. "Left." He didn't laugh like Yuji expected him to, he didn't even explain if it was actually a joke. Just a simple word.

Yuji huffed and followed, muttering under his breath about this better not being some tactic.

"Straight." Another few rows passed as they walked. Yuji didn't feel so annoyed once he looked around at the graves. They seemed old, very old.

"Stop."

Yuji looked down after hearing Sukuna's word to be met with one grave, it looked older than everything around it. The inscription had almost disappeared beneath centuries of rain and moss.

He crouched down and brushed some of it away to reveal a name he hasn't ever seen, nor heard of. Your name.

He didn't recognize it. "...Whose is this?" Yuji mumbled as his fingers touched the lettering.

The mouth on his cheek didn't smile at all, in a straight line that couldn't reveal any kind of emotion. "My wife." No sarcasm, no laughter, Just Sukuna and his unbelievably quiet voice.

Yuji froze, his mouth opened and closed several times. He couldn't even force one word out.

Sukuna already knew what he was thinking. "She died before this place became ruins."

Yuji slowly looked around, "...You..." he couldn't even finish the sentence. Sukuna had a wife? The monster responsible for mountains of corpses? The King of Curses? The same guy who killed several is the same ancient curse who has a wife. "...You're serious?"

"I don't joke."

"...You absolutely do."

"Not about this." Silence settled again after Sukuna's words. The wind moved through the grass as Yuji looked at the grave. For once, he had nothing sarcastic to say. he only decided to get more comfortable and sitting with his legs under his thighs.

Minutes passed and neither of them spoke. They both couldn't bring themselves to speak to each other.

Then Sukuna finally did. Quietly. "It's been over a thousand years." His voice lacked its usual arrogance. "You're still here."

Yuji stared ahead. Sukuna wasn't talking to him. He was speaking to you. He hadn't expected... Whatever this is.

The mouth opened again. "Pathetic, isn't it?" It almost sounded amused. Key word, almost. "I conquered kingdoms, destroyed clans, became something legends fear," Another pause, like he was considering his words carefully. "Yet the only place I've returned to... Is this one."

Sukuna sounded pathetic to even his own ears. Here he was, in a vessel's body and choosing his choice of words to something he knew you would prefer him to use. It's dumb. You weren't here to hear him. So why was he sitting here trying not to anger you?

Yuji looked away suddenly feeing as if he was intruding. "...You want to talk to her." No response came but that alone was enough of an answer.

The boy hesitated. It was stupid, dangerous, every instinct screamed no. He was well aware he shouldn't suggest what he was going to. But...

He looked at the weathered stone, his eyes flickering to the flowers that had long since turned wild around it.

Someone hadn't visited this place in centuries. Except Sukuna apparently, before whatever it is that happened.

Yuji finally manages out a sigh. Not the only he used for Sukuna, but the one he did when he knew he was doing something stupid. because it was. What he was going to say was extremely dumb. But his heart couldn't take it anymore.

"...One minute."

"What?"

"You get one minute...Please don't make me regret it."

The eye on Yuji's cheek eyes widened— Just slightly, a reaction so small most people would've missed it. But Yuji hadn't. "...Take over."

After a few seconds, the markings spread across Yuji's skin, his posture straightened and the air itself seemed heavier. Sukuna would've hated how desperate he seemed for this chance. As of right now, however, he didn't even mind it.

Four crimson eyes opened. the two under the main two eyes sitting smaller.

Sukuna sat there once more. Not on a battlefield, not atop a mountain of bodies, not even laughing.

Just him before an old grave. For a long time... He said nothing. The wind answered in his place. He didn't even have to speak, this opportunity alone was as much as he wanted. But everyone knew Sukuna loved taking advantage of situations, this one was no different.

"...You always hated silence." His voice was softer than Yuji had ever heard. "I suppose you've won that argument." A faint chuckle escaped him, the sound itself was...strange.

"I visited when shrines still stood. When your family still came. When flowers were replaced every spring." His fingers brushed moss from the stone.

"They stopped. One generation after another. until eventually...No one remembered you." He looked at your name, silence taking over once more. "I told you I'd outlive everyone." A bitter smile. "You called me arrogant, and you were right."

His hand rested against the weathered stone. "I was arrogant. I outlived the, the clans, the era, the name they gave me." His voice became almost inaudible, he was fighting back so many emotions he didn't dare want to reveal.

"You would've hated what I became." The wind stirred again, "...Or perhaps you always knew." But now he couldn't even ask you which it was.

His thumb traced the carved letters.

"They call me a calamity now. And they're correct." He didn't seem so prideful about it now as he would have. "I stopped pretending I cared...After you met your fate."

Another long pause took hold. "I remembered your laugh today." The confession came so unexpectedly that even Yuji, somewhere inside, went still.

"I couldn't remember your voice, but I remembered your laugh." His eyes closed.

"I thought I'd tell you before I forgot that too." The words hung in the air. Painfully human and painfully lonely. He exhaled.

"...Ridiculous," A dry laugh escaped his lungs. "I'm speaking to stone. The stone of a person whose face I already forgot." but tried so hard to remember. Sukuna thought, but he didn't say.

He let out another exhale before rolling his eyes subtly. "Here brat. Take over the body." A moment of silence flooded back in, and the cursed marking disappeared from Yuji's face.

Yuji had nothing to say, his mouth in a firm line. He felt the mouth creeping back onto his cheek.

The silence remained between them as Yuji rose from his seated position, a small smile creeping onto his face. "You really loved her."

Sukuna didn't answer immediately, he let the pause stay before speaking. "Once." That answer made Yuji roll his eyes. "You're lying."

The eye also rolled its Iris, "Am I?"

Yuji nodded and held up two fingers. "You spent an entire minute talking to a gravestone." He let one of the fingers down as he counted that. "...And you remembered her laugh after a thousand years."

Nothing.

He smiled, knowing he won this round."...You're terrible at pretending you don't care."

The mouth clicked its tongue. "Don't become sentimental, brat."

Yuji smiled despite himself. "...I won't tell anyone." They started walking back. Halfway down the path Yuji glanced behind him. The grave stood alone beneath the trees covered in moss and forgotten by history.

But not by the man history remembered as the King of Curses.

The second you answered, all you heard was Yuji's loud voice blaring through the phone. he sounded ecstatic. "YOU POSTED ME." He sounded genuinely out of breath, taking a moment to calm down before speaking clearly. "On your actual Instagram? The one all of your friends follow? The one where people SEE IT?"

You laughed. "Yes, Yuji. I know." You smiled on the other side of the phone. "That's usually how Instagram works."

There was a long pause before he spoke. "Ugh, I love you!" he made sure you said it back before letting you hang up the phone. The moment the call disconnected he went to your Instagram page and just stared at the new post like it was the greatest thing he'd ever seen.

His grin was so wide it hurt.

it wasn't just a picture that made him smile, it was him. On your page.

Your account that barely posted anyone, your account that definitely had never posted a relationship before— now changed to where it had. There he was, right there.

Your favorite person, your boyfriend, Yuji Itadori. His heart felt like it was going to explode.

Later that day, you found him sitting on your couch scrolling on his phone. You walked over and peeked over his shoulder, curious on what he was so focused on, considering he didn't answer you when you called his name multiple times.

Settling next to him on the couch, you blinked at the sight of seeing that he was reading every single comment.

[y'all are so cute]

[WAIT YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND??]

[HE'S ADORABLE]

[need what they have]

Yuji looked like he had ascended to heaven. "Oh, my goodness." He pointed dramatically, a huge grin on his face. "LOOK."

"It's literally just comments."

"They know."

"...Know what?"

His smile somehow got even bigger. "That you're taken." He didn't even hesitate, not one second. "Now everyone knows." Before you could say anything Yuji immediately cut you off. "No because think about it."

He grabbed your shoulders. "Every person who had a tiny crush on you? Destroyed, obliterated."

You shoved his face away while laughing causing him to laugh too. Because honestly? He wasn't trying to be territorial, not in the slightest. He just liked the feeling.

The feeling of being yours and not having to hide it, not that he was planning to but you get the point. He also loved the feeling of seeing you willingly show him off.

His expression softened as he looked back at the photo. "...You really wanted to post me?" The question came out quieter than before. Less teasing, more hopeful.

You smiled. "Of course I did."

His ears immediately turned red. For a full ten seconds he just stared at you, then he buried his face in your shoulder. "You're gonna kill me."

"You'll survive."

"Might not." A muffled groan escaped him before he peeked at your phone. "...Can you post me again sometime?"

You burst out laughing. "Yuji, it's only been three hours."

"Okay but the people deserve more content."

"The people?"

"The people." He pointed at himself. "I'm a fan favorite now." The huge smile on his face never faded.

Because for the rest of the week, every time someone liked the photo, he'd quietly check again. And every single time he saw it, his chest warmed.

Not because people were looking at him, no definitely not that. But because the person he loved had looked at him and thought, Yeah. That's my boyfriend.

And Yuji honestly couldn't think of anything that made him happier than that.

MEGUMI FUSHIGURO

When you posted the picture, you didn't tell him.

That was your first mistake.

The second was posting one where he actually looked good. Not that he'd admit that.

The photo was simple. Megumi sitting on a park bench with one of his Divine Dog's asleep in his lap. His head was tilted down slightly, black hair falling into his eyes, one hand absentmindedly scratching behind the dog's ear.

You thought it was adorable. So, you posted it. "♡" The caption nothing but a very simple and plain heart.

Megumi discovered it completely by accident, well. technically Megumi didn't discover it. Someone way worse did.

Gojo.

"Oh, how interesting, what's this Megumi?" The sound of his enthusiastic voice echoed through the hall.

Megumi immediately regretted being alive, not bothering to look up from his book. "What."

Gojo peeked through the door, phone in hand and a suspiciously wide grin. "It's veryyyy interesting."

"I don't care."

"Your girlfriend posted you." He waved the phone in his hand, clearly tempting Megumi.

But the boy froze, just slightly and barely noticeable "...What?"

Unfortunately, Gojo noticed everything. "The man in statement doesn't even know," His grin grew. ", this is wonderful."

Megumi ignored Gojo's antics and fished into his pocket for hos own phone. Quickly typing in your birthday to unlock his phone and his thumb went to the app he barely used. Only downloading it and making an account per your request.

And there it was, your post. His figure posted straight onto your account, the tiny heart caption quickly taking his attention.

For a second, his brain completely stopped working because you never really posted people. You especially didn't post relationships.

You were both pretty private.

Which meant exactly what he thought.

The next time he saw you, he acted completely normal. Suspiciously normal. Too normal.

You smiled and raised a hand quickly, waving. "Hey."

"Hey."

"How was training?"

"Fine."

You narrowed your eyes, seeing his responses were way too dry. "Okay?..."

Silence quickly took over. Neither of you saying a word. Just you and your confused expression and Megumi's avoidant eyes, darting any and everywhere. Megumi opened and closed his mouth multiple times before finally speaking. "...Saw your post."

There it was. You smiled. "You did?"

A tiny pause. "Yeah." Megumi looked away. "It was nothing." Liar, absolute liar. You could practically see him trying to hide it.

You tilted your head at his response. "You didn't like it?" His head snapped back immediately.

"What? No." Megumi met your eyes only to see your grinning face. Got him, causing him to groan.

The truth was—

He had looked at that post at least thirty times. Maybe more.

Not because he liked seeing himself, if he's being honest, he didn't. Actually, he hated pictures of himself.

But he liked that you posted it. He liked the comments. Not because he cared about strangers, but because every single one confirmed the same thing.

That's your boyfriend.

His stomach did this weird thing every time he thought about it.

A few days later, you were lying together on the couch when your phone buzzed. You glanced down seeing another notification, someone had liked the photo.

You didn't think much of it, as usual. Until you noticed Megumi casually looking over.

Then another notification.

And another.

And another.

Every time your phone lit up you were met with those same deep green eyes focused on your phone screen. Megumi looked. Every. Single. Time.

You tried not to laugh and eventually you couldn't take it anymore. "Are you checking the likes?"

He didn't look up from the TV, which was playing some documentary he put on to distract his thoughts. He refused to mee eye to eye with you, knowing you were just going to tease him.

To which you did. "You're happy about it."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

You poked his cheek. "You are."

Megumi grabbed your hand before you could do it again, sis face was already turning red. He was annoyed, embarrassed, and most importantly, caught. "...Maybe a little." he mumbled out, finally admitting it.

"A little?" Your smile widened at his confession.

He sighed dramatically before quietly muttering "Just... nice, I guess." Your heart melted. That wouldn't mean anything if it was someone else. But for Megumi? That was practically a love confession.

Later that night, he was scrolling through Instagram while you were half asleep beside him. The post appeared again, someone had shared it.

Megumi stared at it for a second, taking a moment to process his actions before finally saving the picture.

Immediately after, he looked around the room like he'd committed a crime. You were asleep, meaning nobody saw.

He relaxed, his eyes then looked at the photo one more time. At the little heart in the caption, at the way you'd chosen that picture.

And despite himself, a tiny smile appeared. The kind he only ever showed when nobody was watching. "...Idiot."

But he couldn't stop looking at it.

Because even if he'd never say it out loud—

He liked that everyone knew.

He liked being yours.

He hoped there'd be another post someday too.

YUTA OKKOTSU

Yuta would be predictable because he looks shy.

Everyone thinks he'd be awkward about it, everyone assumes he'd get embarrassed and hide his face.

And he would get embarrassed. Just not in the way people expect.

You posted him without warning, which in his offense, he wasn't prepared for. it wasn't even a couple picture of you two together.

It was just Yuta standing outside a cafe waiting for you. One hand in his pocket, and the other holding your drink because you'd made him carry it while you tied your shoe, just for him to forget to give it back.

The sunlight hit his hair perfectly. his expression was soft, fond, and looking directly at you.

Moments after you snapped the picture he laughed softly at your unexpected picture and when on with his day.

He never expected you to actually post it.

"<3" That was it. That was the caption. Nothing extravagant or over the top, just plain and simple.

Yuta found out two hours later and immediately stopped functioning. See, he'd been in the middle of a conversation with Maki Zenin when his phone buzzed.

He glanced down to be met with your username. He assumed it was a post about a drink you ordered or something you usually posted and did a quick tap on the like button and was about to put his phone away until he actually saw the post.

He had to do a double take to make sure what he had seen wasn't his imagination, but he was met with the same thing. He saw himself and immediately forgot what reality was.

"...Yuta?" Maki raised a brow at him.

Slowly, he looked up. Then looked back down. Then back up again. "...They can see that?"

Maki blinked. "See what?"

"She posted me."

"Okay?"

Yuta stared at her. "Publicly, as in, people can see it."

"...Okay?"

"On purpose."

At that point Maki simply walked away.

The thing about Yuta was that he loved you with his entire soul. Every piece of it, every single day, never once had he felt otherwise. However, he always worried.

Not because he doubted your feelings but because he knew how lucky he was. Sometimes he still couldn't quite believe you chose him.

So, when he saw that post which meant that you'd willingly shown him off— Something warm settled in his chest.

When he saw you later, he was trying very hard to act normal. Trying and failing. "Hey."

"Hi." You smiled, slightly concerned by his demeanor and decided to point it out. "You seem happy."

Yuta rubbed the back of his neck in an attempt to hide his smile but failing again.

"You liked the post?"

He looked at you like you'd asked whether he liked breathing. "Of course I liked it." He bit the inside of his cheek to prevent his smile from getting any bigger, but it did. "You posted me."

The way he said it made it sound like you'd handed him the moon.

Over the next few days, you noticed something, Yuta kept revisiting the post. Not obsessively. Just...

Whenever it crossed his feed, whenever someone commented. whenever it came up— He'd smile every single time.

One evening, you caught him reading the comments. Immediately he looked guilty like you'd discovered a secret. He spoke before you could call him out on it. "I was curious."

You rolled your eyes playfully and leaned against the kitchen counter beside him, where he was standing and scrolling. You smiled. "You were reading them all."

Yuta sighed with a dazey smile plastered on his face. Caught again.

His favorite comments weren't even the compliments. It wasn't the people calling him handsome, cute, or saying you looked good together.

It was the ones that sounded surprised.

[WAIT THAT'S YOUR BOYFRIEND??]

[YOU TWO ARE SO CUTE]

[I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE DATING SOMEONE]

Those comments made him ridiculously happy.

Every time he read one, his brain translated it into something else.

That's your boyfriend.

You chose him.

You're together.

His heart did a stupid little flip each time he had that thought, it was insanely cute and he loved it.

A week later, you posted another picture, this time it was both of you. Nothing dramatic, just you and Yuta at a small shop after a mission.

The second it went up you seen Yuta's familiar username liked your post, and a second later, your phone rang.

You answered. "Hello?"

Silence took over the call for a split moment before Yuta's voice came through. "...You posted another one."

"Of course I did." You laughed

On the other end of the line, Yuta smiled. The soft, genuine kind of smile that nobody saw often. He knew you couldn't see it but that' just the way his body responded to you.

He wasn't happy people were seeing him nor was he happy because strangers knew he existed.

He was happy because you wanted people to know. No hiding, no uncertainty, no ambiguity.

Just him and the silent message being told. This is my person.

And for someone who spent so much of his life feeling alone— That meant everything.

So later that night, when nobody was looking, Yuta took a screenshot of both posts and created a little folder in his gallery.

Because that information was staying with him forever.

“You’re not a bother,” he said flatly, like the words annoyed him. Then, after a beat, “Come here next time without the tray. I’ll buy you something that’s not as good as your food, but my company will make up for it."

You blinked at him. “Was...That an invitation?" You asked carefully.

He didn’t correct you further, just watched as you smiled at him before walking away to a quieter environment.

Down the hall, the noise softened into something more focused once you entered a familiar room within the frat house—the tattoo room lit warmly, music lower, atmosphere calmer. Suguru Geto was there again, sleeves rolled, finishing a piece on someone’s arm with careful precision.

He looked up when you entered, and this time his expression changed slightly—less observer, more attentive. “You came back,” he smiled.

“I brought you something to try,” you replied softly, stepping closer. He set his tools down immediately, giving a small word to whoever he was working on about a five minute break.

When he tasted your food, his gaze didn’t leave you for long. It wasn’t intense in a harsh way—more like he was trying to understand you the same way he understood everything else he worked on.

“This is better than last time,” he said quietly. “More confident.” He tilted his head, a small smile he reserved only for you coming to his face like it's natural. “You’re always so gentle when you ask for feedback.”

“I don’t want people to feel pressured.” You gave a small smile

“That’s going to get you taken advantage of,” he clicked his tongue, not unkindly. His gaze softened further. "You should be appreciated properly.” Then, like it was the most natural thing in the world, he added, “Let me take you somewhere sometime. Not a party. Somewhere quieter.”

Your hands tightened slightly around the tray. “That’s… kind of you.”

“It’s not kindness,” he said, but his voice had gone lower. “It’s interest.”

You excused yourself before you could overthink that. The hallway upstairs was quieter, the music muffled, the air cooler. You walked into a room and found Choso sitting near a window again, away from the crowd, like he always drifted toward the edges of noise instead of the center of it. Someone walked past you back down to the party. Probably one of his regular clients.

When he saw you, he immediately straightened a little. “You made more food,” he said, like he was genuinely happy about it.

“I did,” you replied, offering it to him. “If you want to try.”

He accepted it carefully, as if it mattered more than just taste. After a moment, he looked at you again, quieter than before. “You’re always kind when you give things to people. I like when you come here.” He looked up at you as he chewed meaningfully on the sample.

Your expression softened before you could stop it. “You do?”

He nodded, serious. Then, a little hesitantly, “If you wanted, I could walk you home after this. So you don’t have to leave alone." He looked back outside as he rethought what he said. "You know, because i want to. By the way." he added quickly, like he needed you to understand it wasn’t obligation.

And for a moment, the party outside didn’t feel so loud.

The next stop was upstairs into a different room, where the quietness moved into tired laughter and scattered conversations. Walking into the room you see a group of sorority girls laughing and giggling about whatever. In the center Shoko Ieiri was still on the bed, legs stretched out, watching you enter like she’d been expecting you specifically.

“You look like you’ve been collecting opinions all night,” she said.

“I have,” you admitted, setting the tray down.

She tried it immediately, as always. “…It’s good,” she said after a moment, then looked at you more directly. “You’re going to get yourself in trouble like this," She pointed at the sample before at you with her “with people thinking you’re easy to approach.”

You blinked. “I just ask for feedback.”

“I know,” she said, and her tone softened slightly. “If you’re going to keep coming to places like this, at least let someone walk you out. I’m not saying me specifically. I’m just saying… don’t wander off alone.”

You smiled a little. “That’s kind of you.”

She rolled her eyes and dismissed you playfully with the flick of her wrist. You smiled, walking back downstairs to the chaos in search of one last person.

The party was louder now—messier too, like the whole house had fully given up on structure. You balanced your tray carefully as you moved through it, already a little flushed from too many opinions, too many lingering looks that felt less like feedback and more like attention that didn’t know how to behave yet.

You weren’t expecting to find him so easily.

Kento Nanami, the resident nerd, was sitting at the kitchen island like he had accidentally walked into the wrong universe. Clean posture, calm expression, drink barely touched. He looked at the chaos around him like it was mildly inefficient.

Then his eyes landed on you. “…You’re the culinary student,” he said, as if confirming a fact from a report.

You nodded a little shyly. “I brought something if you want to try.”

He accepted it without hesitation, precise and polite. After one bite, his expression barely shifted—but his gaze sharpened slightly. “Good control,” he said. “You don’t overdo anything,” he nodded subtly. “That’s harder than it sounds.”

You blinked. “Is that… a compliment?”

“It is,” he said after a pause. “Don’t let people make you think otherwise.” A beat passed, quieter than the party around you. His eyes wandered around to everyone before back to you. “You shouldn’t be moving through all this alone,” he added.

“I’m okay,” you said softly. “Everyone’s been nice-"

“That’s not what I meant.” His eyes held yours a moment longer. “If you’re going to keep doing this,” he said, “let me walk you out when you’re done.”

You nodded with a polite smile. The kitchen had barely reset itself when you realized your tray wasn’t actually empty—you just kept refilling it in your head, like there was always one more person you hadn’t gotten feedback from yet.

That’s when you spotted him near the back door, half outside, half inside, like he couldn’t decide if he was part of the party or just stealing from it.

You quickly excused yourself from the bookworm and made your way to Toji Fushiguro, who looked like he’d already lost a fight with life and won anyway. Hoodie loose, posture relaxed in a way that suggested he’d never once asked permission to take up space. A red cup sat in his hand like an afterthought.

When you approached, he glanced at your tray immediately. “…You offering food or charity?” he asked.

You blinked. “Taste test.”

That got a low huff of amusement. “Same thing,” he said.

He took it anyway, no hesitation, like he was broke enough to never refuse free anything. He ate it, leaned back against the wall, and studied you like you were the more interesting part of the interaction. “Not bad,” he said. “You feeding the whole house like this?”

“I like getting feedback,” you replied softly.

“That so?” His eyes narrowed slightly, amused. “You doing this for everyone, or am I special?”

You hesitated. “Everyone.”

“Lame answer,” he said, but he was smiling a little now. Toji took another bite, then tilted his head at you. "Someone’s gonna start thinking you’re doing it for them specifically if you keep handing out samples like this.” His tone was teasing, but his gaze lingered a second too long.

Then he pushed off the wall slightly. “Next time you bring food,” he added, “don’t make me come find you for it.”

You smiled a little. “You want this to be a regular thing?"

He nodded before walking away with a wave of his hand, exiting the party. You knew he was doing that to look cool. Considering his broken down car somehow got worse and is in the shop. Point being, he had no reason to be leaving now since he rode here with Gojo.

You stood there with empty containers and too many lingering invitations disguised as casual comments, it felt like something else had shifted too.

Less like you were just collecting taste tests.

More like you were accidentally collecting people who were starting to hope you’d come back for reasons that had nothing to do with food.

There it was. That stupidly honest thing he did that made it impossible to tell if he was flirting or simply incapable of lying. You rolled your eyes to hide your smile. "You must love me."

"I do."

The answer came so quickly that it made you laugh. His gaze lingered on you as you sat down beside him, the couch dipping slightly.

For a few seconds neither of you said anything. The noise from downstairs became distant, muted and comfortable.

Then Choso reached into his pocket. "You smoke?" You eyed the blunt he held between two fingers.

not bothering for an answer he handed it over and you took it. "Thought plugs weren't supposed to share."

He nodded, confirming what you said. "They don't."

"So why am I special?"

"'Cause you're you."

Twenty minutes later, you felt buzzed. The room felt warm and your limbs felt heavier. The music drifting through the floorboards sounded weirdly beautiful but you knew it was just bullshit playing.

You sat slouched into the couch cushions while Choso sat beside you, one arm stretched across the backrest. Not touching, just close enough to be distracting.

"You ever notice," you said slowly, "that ceiling fans are kinda threatening?"

Choso looked up at the completely normal ceiling fan. Then back at you. "No." He stared for a moment at your expression, then laughed. Not the smile he usually gave, he laughed.

You pointed at him. "You should do that more. Laugh."

"I laugh around you." His expression softened.

The butterflies returned even through the haze- matter of fact- especially through the haze. You groaned and buried your face in your hands. "See, this is why I can't get high with you."

"What makes you say that?" He raised a brow at your statement, leaning closer and giving you his full attention.

"Because every sentence sounds like a confession."

His head tilted. "They usually are."

"Choso," You started off as you leaned back against the couch cushions. "You cant just say that." When he asked why you just thought in your head listing the reasons.

Because your heart wasn't built for it. Because every time he looked at you, it felt like he was seeing something precious. Because you were starting to look back the same way. But you couldn't bring yourself to say it. So you just finished off saying, "You're ridiculous."

He smiled, only a little, but it was enough.

A while later, the two of you somehow ended up sitting on the floor. You couldn't remember how or why, but you were just rambling about something of little importance.

But Choso listened with complete focus and attention. Most people would've thought you were saying something important from the way he was listening, and to his ears, you were. Every opinion mattered.

He stared with the intensity of a man who looked at you like you hung the stars.

The kind that made you feel important.

Halfway through your rant, you realized he wasn't looking at anything except you. "Why are you staring? Is there something on my face?" You begin wiping the corner of your mouth with your sleeve.

He tilted his head as if he was admiring the most beautiful piece of art he's ever seen. And to him, he was. "You're pretty." Seeing your absolute shock right after, he immediately apologized. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's fine." You said shaking your head. "It's just...You said it like it was nothing." Your words earned a frown from him. "It wasn't nothing."

You bite the inside of your cheek to prevent a smile. You leaned back until your back hit the couch and turned your head away from his.

Concern immediately appeared on Choso's face when he seen your actions. "You okay? Did i do something?"

"You keep being nice." You commented, finally looking at him. You met face to face with a man who had the look of confusion on his face. his brows furrowed slightly and his frown deepening. "That's bad?"

You stared at him and he stared at you.

Then you both started laughing.

And for a while, that was all there was.

Eventually the laughter faded into something warmer, the room falling into a soft atmosphere.

You found yourself sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with him against the couch. Comfortable, quiet, relaxing.

"You tired?" Choso nudged your shoulder. ""You can stay up here., yknow. If you want."

You looked over. His eyes were half-lidded and gentle. "You sure?" You asked.

"Always." He responded, a small smile on his face.

Your chest tightened in the best way. Without really thinking about it, you let your head fall onto his shoulder.

He froze at your sudden contact before slowly easing into it, his smile widening.

The moment of silence that filled the air stopped when he softly spoke. "You know i love you, right?"

You blinked multiple times before looking down. You knew. Of course you knew. You felt the same way. But you couldn't say it. Not because you didn't want too, you really did. You just couldn't accept it.

Telling Choso about your feeling would change everything.

You wouldn't be thinking for yourself anymore, you would have a whole other person to consider in everything. You would have to deal with the expectations of a couple. People would look at you both and have comments, they would have thoughts.

You didn't want that right now.

Before you could respond Choso seemed to realize the meaning behind your silence. "It's okay. You don't have to say it now. I just wanted you to know."

Your chest tightened. Not in the way it did earlier, but with guilt. "I'm sorry."

Choso shook his head. "I'll wait however long you need me too. Take your time."

Closing your eyes, you nodded. Shifting closer to him if that was even possible. And he let you.

And neither of you moved away.

"After I shared my groceries."

"You charged me for juice last week that I bought."

"And this is how you repay me? I'm tryna introduce you to flavor and you're here insulting my chicken knowing damn well you eat chicken seasoned with hopes and dreams."

Nobara put a hand over her chest dramatically before huffing. "I'm getting out of here. If this chicken is over seasoned then you're never cooking at my place again." She grabbed the two shirts and went back to her room, grumbling something along the lines of you giving others food poisoning.

By the time you finished cooking the chicken she was already reluctant to take a bite. But when she finally did she refused to make eye contact with you, telling you that it was way too salty while reaching for another piece.

As much as she was hesitant to eat food she claimed you didn't know how to cook, she sure was devouring it the moment you walked out of the room.

Megumi Fushiguro's first mistake was thinking he could go to your apartment and expect peace. He figured that since his place was too far and he was way too tired to drive that distance he would just crash at your place.

The second mistake was looking at the counter.

The chicken was covered in so much seasoning it looked like it had been excavated from a volcano. Megumi's thoughts, not mine. He stood there for a few seconds. Silent. Blinking. Processing.

And when Megumi finally spoke it only came out in a small whisper. "...Why?"

You didn't even turn around, deciding to just ignore him. You were in a good mood, which was slowly turning bad by the second. All because Megumi walked in.

He shrugged, his nose slightly scrunched up as he made his way beside you. "Why does the chicken look like that?"

You looked offended. "Like what?"

"Like it's been through a natural disaster." He moved closer to you, looking closely at the chicken with huge amounts of concern. especially when you grabbed another bottle. Megumi watched in horror. "Please tell me that's the last one."

"No."

"How many have you used?"

You started counting on your fingers. "Garlic powder. Onion powder. Paprika. Smoked paprika. Lemon pepper. Black pepper. Cayenne. Creole seasoning—"

Megumi held up a hand.

"No. No more. No more seasoning." He shook his head disapprovingly.

"Now who died and made you my father?"

He sighed, rolling his eyes at your sass.

You looked at him. "Megumi." You started off like you were going to tell him words of wisdom. "If I listen closely..."

He already knew he wasn't going to like this.

"...I can hear the ancestors telling me to add more."

Megumi slowly closed his eyes thinking on why he even came over. When he opened them again he found that you were still seasoning, earning a big sigh from his mouth. "You know food can have flavor without trying to assault people, right?"

Your head snapped around.

"Assault people?" Your head snapped around to the man who was now standing behind you. "ASSAULT PEOPLE?" You repeated louder.

"Yes." Megumi nodded. "That chicken is armed." You were about to say something smart but he cut you off. "The concern is valid, the chicken is orange. This should have a warning sign."

You stared at him. "Megumi. Have you ever looked at food and thought, 'wow, I wish this tasted like absolutely nothing'?"

"No."

"Then why are you talking?"

Megumi regretted entering the kitchen. He really did. He just shook his head one more time before leaving the kitchen silently.

A while later, the chicken finished cooking. He eyes the pieces you offed him with the most disgusted look on his face, he wasn't grossed out, he was just worried he would get a heart attack.

After a bit of convincing he took a bite without saying much. Chewed for a bit before swallowing the piece. When you asked if that was too much seasoning he just shook his head and muttered an apology before continuing on eating.

Megumi learned to just trust the process instead of judging immediately, but he still thinks his concern was valid.

Walking into the kitchen Yuji Itadori immediately stopped. Not because something was wrong but because the smell was amazing. "Damn, what's that smell? It smells delicious."

You looked up from seasoning the chicken to see Yuji, returning from the gym. "Hey."

Yuji walked beside you, placing a small kiss on your forehead as he took a sideward glance to the counter, looking at the ingredients sprawled out. A bowl of flour and cornstarch with seasoning in it, then to the bowl of chicken. Then he looked closer. Then looked much closer.

His smile slowly disappeared once his eyes laid on the seasonings on the counter. His eyes looking between the bowl you were currently putting those seasonings in. "...How much seasoning is on that?"

"Not enough." You shrugged. "Might need a bit more."

Yuji"s eyes went back to the counter. There were seasoning bottles everywhere. Some were open, Some were closed, one looked like it'd been through combat.

Yuji pointed at the seasonings. "You used all those?" When he seen you sprinkle more onto the chicken his eyes got wider. "YOU'RE STILL ADDING STUFF?"

You raised a brow at his sudden increase in volume. "Yeah, you okay?" You gave him a look. The look that said I heard what you said and now I'm disappointed in you. "Yuji. You said you'd always trust me. So now i ask for that trust. Trust the process."

Yuji nodded immediately. "Yes Ma'am." Then he remembered what he was supposed to trust in. You and a possible dish that might give health issues. "...Actually, no."

You rolled your eyes seeing him walk around the bowl, inspecting it from different angles, like a scientist studying an unexplained phenomenon. "Does every piece need this much?" He glanced between you and the bowl.

"Yes."

"What happens if you use less?"

"It tastes less good."

Yuji considered this. Fair point. "Alright, i'll trust you-"

Then you grabbed another seasoning bottle. Yuji immediately look back his words. "THERE'S MORE?"

"Always." You put your Cajun seasoning down to grab another bottle. Yuji just watched with his bottom lip in between his teeth. He wasn't so sure about this anymore. "How many seasonings do you own?!" When you answered saying enough he sighed. "That didn't answer my question."

You put the seasonings down as you put the chicken into the dry flour and cornstarch mix. "It answered it spiritually."

"...What does that mean?"

"It means mind your business."

He didn't even try to respond, he just watched you with a defeated expression before walking to go take a shower, trying his hardest to not doubt your cooking skills.

Once the food was finally done Yuji just gulped when you held out a piece for him. His eyes closed shut as he took a deep breath, taking a bite with unnecessary movements. After a bit of chewing he beamed. Proudly throwing all his pride out the window when asking for another piece. Praising you and promising to never question you at all again.

From then on Yuji would just sit back and watch when he seen you using your seasonings, even offering to help.

Toji Fushiguro wasn't paying attention when he walked into the kitchen, he was focused on finding something to eat. Walking past you he bent over as he looked into the fridge. "Ain't nothing to eat in here, you need to go shopping." He said standing back up.

Then he looked and froze. The counter looked like a seasoning company had exploded. Bottles everywhere. Garlic powder, paprika, lemon pepper, Cajun seasoning, things with labels worn off from overuse.

And in the middle of it all sat a bowl of chicken so thoroughly coated that the original color was a distant memory.

Toji didnt even try to hide his suprisment. His brows furrowed, nose scrunched up, mouth open, and giving you the most nastiest look. "...The hell is that?"

You closed your eyes, supressing the need to turn around and yell at him. Even being near him was annoying cause you knew he was just gonna run his dumbass mouth.

"That ain't chicken anymore." He kept going. "You just creating stuff and using chicken as a title." You kept seasoning, ignoring him.

Toji watched in disbelief. "You still adding stuff? How much seasoning you need?"

You shrugged. "Enough."

"Enough for who?"

"The people who are whispering in my ear to add more."

"The people?" Toji snorted. "The people got high blood pressure." Toji leaned against the counter with his arms crossed, watching and judging the way a man watches somebody spend money they definitely don't have. "You know seasoning costs money, right?"

You immediately pointed at him. "There it is. The broke talk."

Toji looked offended. "Broke talk? I'm just sayin. That garlic powder was $5.49."

"You would know." You rolled your eyes to which he immediately ignored. You sighed deeply feeling his eyes side eye you. "You know, every time somebody sees properly seasoned food they start calculating the budget."

"Because you got enough seasoning on that chicken to season another chicken pack of chicken breasts."

"Exactly." You sprinkled more, making Toji rubbed a hand down his face. "This is why groceries disappear so fast."

You smiled at him mockingly "This is why food tastes good."

"You payin for more then, since you wanna use all that seasoning."

"Nigga get the fuck out my kitchen."

Toji opened the fridge once more as if anything was gonna change. It didn't. So he closed it as he walked past you. "Nobody wants your salty chicken anyways."

As you were frying the chicken in oil you kept seeing Toji lingering. Checking cabinets he didn't need to, continuing to look in the fridge with no goal at all, actually sweeping for once...Or he called it sweeping but he was actually just tapping the broom on the floor.

When you finally offered him a crispy piece he took it without a second thought, taking a bite out of it and gave a slight nod of approval. Realizing what he did he immediately said he was just hungry...All while getting a plate and helping himself.

The moment Gojo Satoru walked into the apartment, he stopped. Not because he saw the chicken, because he smelled it. He dramatically placed a hand over his heart. "...ouuh shittt."

You were at the counter seasoning chicken. "Close the door. You're letting the air out."

Gojo closed the door and practically ignored that he slammed it completely and pretty much floated into the kitchen, taking his blindfold off and throwing it somewhere.

Then he saw the bowl. He blinked twice, seeing the chicken was completely covered. Not lightly seasoned, not moderately seasoned, that chicken pieces looked like it had survived a sandstorm made entirely of spices.

Gojo walked around it slowly, taking back what he said earlier and changing it. "...bullshittt."

"Get out my kitchen."

"There's no way all that seasoning is necessary." He shook his head as he took a sniff of the chicken before quickly moving away from it and sneezing. "This chicken has weather patterns."

You grabbed another seasoning bottle. trying your best to not hit Gojo with it repeatedly. "I can still see the chicken and that's a problem"

Gojo shook his head. "The problem is the amount of seasonings you're using. Every time I make chicken I use salt and pepper and maybe a bit of ground white pepper. That's it."

"See, this is why I don't trust your opinions." You pointed at him. "You over here making chicken with nothing but a dream and a Christmas list."

He gasped. "Are you saying I don't know how to cook?"

"I know you know how to cook. You just don't know how to make flavor. Which reminds me on how you also don't know how to wash dishes apparently, cause you left this kitchen a mess before you left."

"So what if i just hollow purple you? Hypothetically."

"Get out."

He quickly shut up when you whipped your head around. Nodding once, then twice, then backing out the kitchen slowly. "Why do i have to get out though?"

You looked up at his retreating form, tilting your head and squinting your eyes. "Because I said so. Now are you gonna keep talking back or actually get out?"

He shook his head slightly as he turned away, mumbling. "I feel bad for our kids."

After a little while when you sat the chicken on a plate to cool off Gojo came snooping back in. Seeing you were distracted washing your hands he took a piece, eyeing it skeptically before taking a bite. He chewed slowly processing the flavor before taking a few more pieces and walking out before you could notice he was there.

★ gonna be so honest...i had this just waiting in my drafts after the poll was released regardless. oopsie!

★ i had sooo much fun writing this. I know this isn't what won the poll but i came up to the desicion that depending on what won is the order i'll post each idea! yaeeeeey? no? okay.

★ i'm planning on sticking to this style, i actually really love it. Love finding the pictures and all! inspo - @sillyandsleepyy