Arabella

It was colder than it should have been for autumn. The perfect season for the short, delicate purple perennials that bloom around this time. There were dozens of them, but none seemed dangerous. Neither you nor Kakashi noticed the creamy-yellow pollen bursting from them, leaving a heavily scented trail behind the path you had just walked.

Soon enough, you felt as if something had widened your blood vessels, improving blood flow. The rush came out of nowhere, and it had nothing to do with chakra. Maybe your body was adjusting to the forest’s conditions?

Your nose scrunched, your steps feeling heavier.

“Something’s wrong.”

“Hm? Based on what exactly?”

“On my intuition.” You could hear his skeptical thoughts. “I swear. It’s... Forget it. Can you just trust me?”

“Of course. What’s the purpose without trust between shinobi?”

“Fuck you…” Your words faded as something else caught your attention.

The yōkai tree that looked like an ordinary tree made you step closer to it, hands on your knees as you leaned toward it.

“Wow, this actually looks cool.”

Kakashi grabbed your arm sharply at the same moment the plant moved slowly toward you, slowly as if it were hiding its urgency.

You glared at him as he dragged you along behind him. Kakashi looked completely unfazed as he spoke, his hand leaving your skin.

“If you want to be drained of blood, I’ll let you go.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Vampiric tree. It’s said to bleed like a living creature. They usually grow on former battlefields.”

You raised an eyebrow as you followed him, murmuring to yourself.

“And why are they here?”

Kakashi shrugged. He looked around the vast wilderness. The unnatural layers of canopy blocked out most of the sunlight, casting the forest floor into a permanent, gloomy shadow.

The undergrowth was incredibly dense, making navigation difficult and concealing potential threats. He spoke while trying to choose the most reliable path.

“That’s why your intuition tells you something’s wrong?”

You shook your head. His teasing tone irritated you enough to maintain your annoyed expression.

You looked ahead before him, analyzing the path he had chosen as both of you lowered your heads beneath the massive plants, until you spotted one you recognized from its characteristics. A Keyaki? A deciduous tree native to Japan, with a vase-shaped crown and intensely serrated leaves. In a forest like this, you weren’t sure it was much different from barbed wire if it made impact with little skin.

“Kakashi.”

He slowed his pace until you moved in front of him, cutting away the serrated leaves with the kunai that was rested next to your knees, before they could brush against his body. When you turned to glance up at him, Kakashi’s eyes lingered across your face.

“Move away. It has thorns. Don’t touch it.”

He held your gaze for a second, and it left you dizzy, momentarily unaware of where you were until you turned around and continued walking ahead of him. Kakashi murmured something in response, but you ignored it.

“Mhm. Thank you.”

At least he isn’t Mr. Perfect, you thought.

Still, your focus wasn’t here—not on him, not even on yourself. It felt as though it had drifted somewhere else entirely. Something was happening, but what? Was this how you felt as a child during those exams? No, this was completely different. This was unexplored territory.

You glanced up, jumping onto a tree as you followed Kakashi, barely looking back at whatever little creature had just let out a growl, hidden closer to both of you. You didn’t want to know.

You weren’t far from the other side. Shouldn’t the destination be closer?

In fact, the problem was that you were only in the middle of the forest.

🍃

Being an ANBU member was not as validating as it seemed, despite being handpicked by the village head, chosen for your individual capabilities and specialized kills. There were apparently no true ranks within the ANBU either, only divisions. Kakashi's and yours was Team Ro. Well, before that, the two of you had a brief stint in Root—the worse one. You suspected that's why you were assigned to this mission specifically. Having served in both worlds, the mission didn't seem too dangerous, nor too easy.

The decision to remain in ANBU was because it was an elite tactical squad operating under the direct command of the Hokage. Not because you liked the Hokage or anything. You couldn't stand him. Still, after Orochimaru's infiltration during the Chunin Exams, no one wanted to let all of it go to waste without reinforcing the village's safety. That's why both of you needed to find one of his hideouts, to gather more intel. Once inside this massive forest spanning a 10-kilometer radius, Orochimaru had shed his disguise, blended into the dense, perilous wilderness, and infiltrated the kids' exam. One of them was now literally cursed because of it.

Another reason you remained on this team was because Kakashi was its captain. Annoying as it sounded to admit out loud, he was a good ninja with far more experience in the shinobi world. Respectable, right? Yet, Kakashi managed to get under your skin in more ways than one. First, every time he spoke, he manages to always irritated you somehow. And the other... you weren't particularly proud of. To admit something like this? You will probably need a very hard drug to do it so.

Coming back, you knew you should head northwest of Konoha. That was where other comrades had found traces suggesting one of Orochimaru's hideouts might be located, roughly 300 to 500 kilometers away, approximately a two-to-three-day journey on foot for a standard shinobi, somewhere near his possible base in the Land of Grass.

As you tried to gather your thoughts, mapping the route and sensing your geographical position, you could feel your mind blurring, barely finishing a sentence, let alone formulating a plan. What the hell is happening? Should you take break? Since when do you need a break? For what? Walking 1 day and a half? Impossible. It was more concering when the shadow that just appeared before you was noticed only as it passed by, not beforehand as it should have been. You watched the next movements as though time had slowed, seeing a hand place an explosive tag on a tree. Kakashi had disappeared long ago, and you…only now, you reacted.

You exhaled, trying to regain some semblance of control, hands pressed against the ground, one knee striking the earth. Your reflexes still responded, tilting your head instantly once—a shuriken flew past. Twice—the second shuriken followed as you vanished from the spot again. How many they are?

From his concealed position, Kakashi analyzed the situation, counting five shadows so far. They wore dark robes, their faces hidden beneath hoods that obscured nearly everything. Five? Wasn't the Sound Five team eliminated during the Chunin Exams? Or were they Orochimaru's clones, meant to throw you into confusion? More importantly, where were you? He hadn't sensed your chakra nearby the way he had expected after the surprise attack.

Kakashi was certain they were getting closer to the source, that they were on the right trail. Otherwise, this ambush wouldn't exist. He quickly glanced toward the sudden noise, tracking the movements around him until he saw the scene unfolding before him—or rather, beneath him, since he was perched in a tree.

Two shadows farther back. One shadow closer, on the adjacent branch, moving toward you horizontally. Two more on another parallel branch.

The shock Kakashi felt came when, unexpectedly, one of the figures in the rear hurled a sickle, splintering the hardwood so violently that the branch cracked nearly in half. The chain attached to it wrapped around the branch above you, enough to throw you off balance. One of the shadows bend enough for your leg to be touched by a kunai, but you retreat. He watched as your hands—almost as if they were trembling, because otherwise he couldn't explain it—moved far too slowly for a shinobi toward the twin chakra-infused sickles secured in the straps across your back. By the time your hands reached behind your head and your fingers curled around them, it was already too late. His Sharingan did not lie.

The shadows nearly collided. One second they were attacking you, the next you had vanished completely, one of the figures forcing the already unstable branch until it plunged into the void below.

Kakashi looked down at you, noticing your dilated pupils, probably from the adrenaline. He couldn't say anything yet. No. They needed to leave. He didn't know if he could take all of them down without knowing what they were capable of, and with you in this condition, the risk was far too great. Kakashi couldn't ignore the unexplicable fear he felt when you saw you there. Not even know, when he glance at you once in a while as your face was hidden in his chest for a reason he doesn't understand.

🍃

It’s bad. It’s really bad.

Kakashi jumped over the furthest three he found, loosening his grip around you when one of your legs hit the massive branch. You pressed one hand against the wood, bending your body slightly as you tried to catch your breath.

“How is it possible you didn’t deflect that?”

You could only manage a small scowl, too disturbed for anything else. Your ears started ringing like the whole forest was infected with a whistle genjutsu, carrying disturbing high-frequency notes meant to disorient the enemy’s senses. Or just a really bad bird song.

“Shut up—“

You hissed at the sudden uneasy feeling in your body, scrunching your eyebrows as you bent down, hair falling toward the distant ground that promised a completely unwelcome fall from this height. Just a fleeting movement and Kakashi’s hand found your arm again, stabilizing you in a second. Something was wrong. With you.

“What’s happening?”

At the lack of an answer, only the sound of your heavy breathing, Kakashi guided your arm over his shoulder as his own came behind your body, supporting your back as he took you down with him, jumping on the ground. He placed you down as gently as he could, but he felt the way you had gripped his clothes until now, your form now resting against the enormous tree.

“Are you hurt?” He looked over the small cut from the kunai, staining your training pants with blood. “Here?”

It’s really just a scratch. The tension in your shoulder muscles was more painful from the hit you had taken. But Kakashi had already ripped the fabric of your pants, his hand moving swiftly to locate the medical kit in his pack until his fingers found it.

Your eyes widened when his mask was lowered to his chin, his teeth tearing through the bandage and pulling off a long strip—enough to wrap around the wound one, two, tree more times — after he poured disinfectant over it. His fingers were warm as they brushed against your bare leg. He inspected the injury while you gasped at his touch, and he glanced at you, assuming it was because of the—pain?

“Kakashi, stop—It’s not—”

Kakashi pressed the back of his palm against your forehead, feeling the elevated heat of your skin.

He had never seen you like this. Kakashi had witnessed your wounded expression only once before, during an ANBU mission at the very beginning, and it had been nothing like this.

“What is it? Was their weapon poisoned?”

No, for fuck’s sake! You had felt this sensation simmering inside you even before the ambush, but your tongue refused to cooperate long enough to form coherent words. Your only focus was to breathe and breathe—

“No!”

“But what?”

“Hell, it’s so fucking embarrassing.”

He was so close that it made your heart pound wildly.

“What? What is it embarrassing? You need to tell me."

You moved away as much as possible, which was hardly at all. Your head resting against the tree trunk, your hands disturbing the earth beneath you from where you sat.

"I’m fucking… I’m fucking aroused, Kakashi! Okay? God, I wanna die. From all the goddamn things—to be here with…no, fuck!”

Kakashi’s hands stopped in an instant; his whole body froze as you continued rambling. You swipe the sweat over your face, leaning more on the three behind you, your body twitching against the ground.

“It’s like I took 3 bottles of aphrodisiac. It’s similar! I tried before, okay? I’m sure it is—“

You hissed as your thighs suffocated the heat between your legs, where the problem is. His shocked expression makes you feel he is taken aback, mostly disgusted by the way your mind is fragile. Unaware that Kakashi was indeed taken aback because it was the last thing he expected to hear from your mouth.

This is not good. He shouldn’t be here. No, you shouldn’t be here in the middle of the forest. Kakashi glanced around; the Copy Ninja seemed like he was going to pieces. Never thought about you like this. He never speaks with you about things like this. Yes, he heard you talk vaguely over a glass or two of sake about some hook-up with some jōnin from other villages with different rank names he doesn't remember now. Rating the experience, complaining, or praising based on their skills or—but it wasn’t his business. Not his place to talk about his own personal experiences and indulge in a conversation.

Still, he is also a liar.

He was younger that time, struggling with hormones a person could have, feeling guilty enough to have such a depraved thought about his comrade, no matter the gender. But he shut down that door inside his head pretty fast, not indulging in any filthy fantasies, repriming his urges in general, especially towards you.

His attention comes back to you, aware again and aware of your lack of air.

“We might not be the closest, but I trust you, okay?” What— “I trust you enough to not die here so pathetically from this fucking jutsu—or what the hell is this! I need to—Fuck!”

His eyes widen when you start putting your shirt over your head while his own turn so quickly in shame.

“[Name]—“ He looked around, feeling so stuck his own heart was leaping so hard.

“I really need to do something—please, leave me alone for a second. I don't—"

"No," Kakashi wet his lips. You shouldn’t be alone here. “You shouldn’t be alone. It’s dangerous and—“

“Kakashi, I need to touch myself like right now. Can’t you understand?”

His own breath was enough when his own mind betrayed him.

“Do you want me to help you with that?"

Am I hearing things?

“W-What? Why…why should I let you? It's clear you feel disgusted, and I’ll never force—"

“I’m not. I’m not disgusted.” He’s not at all. You don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s not the problem. “We need to resolve this fast, to get out away from this.” But you’re not conscious of consenting to such things, and he feels so damn guilty. “I’ll stay here. I’m not going to look—“

“Are you insane? I could ever—Oh! Fucking hell—I will, fuck—“

Kakashi's eyes lingered on the way your own hands try to give some sort of comfort by letting faint touches fall on your body. He catches himself, glancing back at you.

"Can you help me do a barrier ninjutsu?"

You tried to understand the meaning behind his inquiry, but all you could feel was fear. You swallowed harshly when Kakashi's hands grabbed yours, trying to ground you more in the present as his dark grey eyes messed with your mind.

"What…what are you saying?"

"Focus on me, please. We need to limit access here. Now."

More specifically, the seal will manipulate a specific point of space. The realization freaked you out even more.

"To trap me in a void here? With you? No—"

Kakashi let out a deep breath.

"[Name], trust me. Please."

The invisible sphere that seals away any opening has the possibility of being destroyed; however, doing so would require a tremendous amount of effort.

Kakashi moved your elbows into the position of starting basic hand seals as a first step.

"You remembered, right? What I showed you?"

You eventually nodded, listening to him. As both of you complete the hand signs, you struggle to channel a steady stream of chakra to your hands and touch the group. Kakashi put his hand over yours, transferring his chakra outwards, weaving an invisible barrier mesh across the perimeter of the area. He made a final hand sign, a mental command to seal the deal. The problem is, your chakra is already destabilized, and it will clear very quickly, so that remains for Kakashi to use almost all this chakra to maintain both of you here, as he was more plausible to remain conscious to concentrate.

“F-Fucking hell.” You start unzipping your pants, hands trembling in need.

“[Name],” Kakashi moistened his lips, catching only a glimpse of your panties. “Breathe. I’ll turn around.” You struggled to let out a laugh, not a hint of amusement in it. Your hand comes right between your thighs, struggling against the tight little space, not patient enough to undress yourself completely. You hissed at the first touch with your pulsating clit, not even teasing with light touches, circling around but pressing to feel more, your arousal already soaking a big spot on your underwear. Hell, they are not even your best panties. You spread your folds before trying to focus on a satisfactory rhythm, but it was so torturous—your blood burning and pumping in your veins, feeling jittery all over your body. Your foot pressing into the ground harshly, seeing your own legs with a diplopic vision. Your half-lidded eyes were open, seeing Kakashi’s back as you glance down at the pumping veins on his arms, hands — placed on the ground, hidden under that fucking attractive black blouse he usually wears in missions, tightening against his toned body.

He tried to literally ground himself, almost like he could’ve let him gather a high concentration of his lightning chakra, breaking the ground under him. The squelching sounds of your pussy drive Kakashi mad, feeling like an intruder, like he shouldn’t be here. His eyes closed as he heard your moans, blaming the universe for not even having the possibility to use Kamui since his chakra is needed here. You cursed under your breath, letting your hand from between your legs fall to the side, mirroring the other one as you breathed out agonizingly. “Turn around.” He flinched, his head shifting imperceptibly. “Please, Kakashi. H-Help me.” Kakashi took his time, looking in front of him before slowly, torturously turning around. Your eyes eat him alive, forcing him to look at you and see how dishevelled you are right now, with your top long gone and your breasts straining to slip off that bra, luring one to bite the skin above, to suck it, to worship it. He sizes you up, but how couldn’t he? When do you look so devilishly beautiful? “Will you f-fucking help me?” Your hand comes around your breast, squeezing it for any form of relief as he follows the motion before he drags himself closer to you. “[Name], there’s no going back from…this.” He let you take his hand to come touch your breast, placing your own on top of his. “I only want you to feel good.” He swallowed hard at your taunting tone. “Yeah?” He palmed your breast slowly, his mouth parted as he watched how you let out sweet notes of pleasure. “Then make me feel good, Kakashi.” You lifted as much as you could to be closer to him, looking up at him as your eyes fell on his lips and then on his cautious eyes. “Kiss me.” Fuck. He couldn’t even speak or even try to stop you when his brain was intoxicating enough to lower his head at the same time you move, feeling your soft, dry lips against his for the first time. Kakashi’s knees dragged against the ground as he draw closer, inclining his body to tower over you. One hand squeezed your breast, the other coming behind your head, deepening the kiss. Your teeth grazed his lower lip before tugging it, and it only made him more aroused, gripping your hair slightly just for you to moan against his swollen lips. He gave you a short glance before kissing you again, feeling your shuttering breath, his tongue slip inside your mouth.  Kakashi kissed you gently, carefully, but it wasn’t gentleness you wanted, not now, not after all this time, and as you knotted your fists in his shirt, you pull him harder against you. He groaned against your mouth, not interrupting for even a second. Slowly, cautiously, he draws a path over your shivering body, letting his fingers brush against your bra straps, letting them fall over your shoulder. Going further between your breasts, down to your belly, squeezing, caressing the heat of your skin on your waist as your hands come over his shoulders, giving him no chance to breathe.

You whined, biting your own lips as you started panting, no longer capable of kissing back because his hand came to touch your thighs, between them, hovering, and then shortly above your waistline. It was too little space for his liking, but he still felt hesitant to continue.

“Should I take them off?” You nodded exasperatedly, your hands coming on both sides of your body, leaning over the three as you saw him taking your pants off, gentle in his movements while he looked up at you. When you part your legs, he felt ashamed for looking shortly after at how soaked you are, at how erotic you look right now, giving him your trust for him to take care of you in such a vulnerable state.

He comes to his previous position, a hand cupping your jaw, and he starts kissing you again when you desperately, insistently search for him. Kakashi was devastated by how you moaned every time he touched you, felt you, or tasted you.

On the other hand, you felt terribly lightheaded, feeling a tingling sensation down your spine while your body was so exhaustingly needy for any relief you’re not sure what could help you, and the way Kakashi kissed you didn’t help either. He didn’t kiss you like it was the first time. He kissed you like he’s been waiting for a long time for this exact moment. And you know that was impossible, but how can you explain the way he watched you right now? Like everything you say, directly or not, it’s a mental note for him to take care of. Or how his mouth parted, sighing sharply when his fingers came slipping past your waistline, coming to feel the radiant heat against them. The first touches of his fingertips make your hips twitch. “F-Fuck…” “Feels good?” His moves were fast and quick, knowing there’s no way to torture you by the way you are soaked. You hummed in agreement, eyebrows scrunching, eyes shut off to focus on his touch. You breath out, barely conscious of your words when you looked down at how his hand between your legs, fingers moving in circles around your clit. “I can’t believe you’re touching me when I’m like this. Why it happened this way—“ Your own moan cut you off, eyes opening wide.  ‘Why did it happen this way?’ You’re intoxicated. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Kakashi put a hand over your hips to immobilise you, knowing you are already closer to orgasm. “God, you’re damn annoying. You never looked at me before—” You wanted him to look? He swallowed down the aggravating feeling in his chest, closing the distance as his face was inches apart, lips brushing. “Shh.” “You don’t believe me—you think I’m a fucking liar—” He cupped your cheeks to stop you.  “I believe you.” He doesn’t. He can’t. “Focus on me, [Name].” Your breath catches, opening your mouth in an ‘O.’. “Mhm. Like this. Let go.” His fingers dragged your orgasm over your clit until your muffled screams against his chest, his head lowering down toward your neck. Your heavy breath against his sensitive spot, your tight grip against his arm muscle, the scent of your arousal glistening now visible on his finger as he just slowly start slipping in and out of your pussy, testing your entrance—everything drives Kakashi madder. “Mhmm—” you whimpered, feeling him stretching your insides so fast by how soaked you were that he needed to add another one. “Please...” You gasped when he hit that tight, sweet spot, making you involuntary spasm in his embrace, lifting your head until he glanced down to see your fucked-up, but very beautiful gaze. Kakashi swallowed, his own breathing betrayed him, telling you directly how affected he is. “Put your hands like this.” His arm comes behind you, taking you closer until your own weak ones come over his shoulders, his head promoted next to your neck, nipping the skin there between your lovely sounds that you gave him. “Fuck, Kakashi—” you moaned as his rhythm turned faster, the end of his palm giving you friction against your clit at every flapping sound made by his deeper, ruthless fingering. “It feels…I can’t—I can’t explain!” He licked his lips, breathing out. “Tell me.” He turned his head to whisper against your ear. “Tell me how it feels.” “I never…Oh, f—” Your eyes roll into your head, feeling a tension in your bones starting to build. His arm gripped yours tighter, his fingers didn’t stop pumping inside. “I feel...like a—p-pressure down there!” “Mmm. You do?” He straightened himself, letting you fall back gradually onto the tree, knees rising slightly as legs parted for him more. His thumb came to add another stimulation over your clit, and his rhythm faltered for a moment when he glanced at you and then at your belly. Kakashi knows what you mean. Yet, it seems you don’t. “Kakashi, w-what—”

He puts his other hand over your belly, near your waistline, adding a pressure you didn’t know you needed. Or you don’t. You didn’t know what you were feeling, a mix of fear and need for something you didn’t experience; the overwhelming sensations made your head numb, wanting release again as soon as possible. Your name falls from his lips, trying to open your half-lidded eyes to be here with him. “I’ll make you feel good like I promised.” When he crunched down, enough for you to understand what he would do, only giving you a quick look, your hands were too late to stop him, instead gripping his hair when Kakashi started eating you out. One of your palms comes to rest over one of his, pressing on your belly. “Fuck, fuck, fuck—”

Kakashi pulled back to pant for air, avoiding your gaze to don’t let it stuck with him forever. He grunted and his tongue flicked faster, his forearms flexing as he held your trembling thights down. He licked your pussy with broad, slow strokes first before beginning to devour you once he felt yout clit swlling against his tongue. With his vigorous, repetitive thrust, his tongue lapping and sucking over your clit, and the added pressure you already felt before all this, your thighs come in an instant around his head, trapping him here as you scream. It felt surreal, like you were high on drugs, and not on the ones you were already on while a colorless, fluid come all over his mouth. You didn’t realize at first, seeing stars behind your eyelids, now shut completely. Only the way he was cleaning you up, lapping all the juices of your squirt and orgasm, made you conscious again, tugging his hair with the faint trail of power you had.  Your hand fell from his hair, your fingers brushing over his face, his cheek, as you were completely perplexed by Kakashi, his mouth, his chin—all soaked.  But his eyes, God, his eyes were so fucking entrancing, like the only person in this world that he could desire right now is you. Did you just…? No…you never did. But it was the best, intense orgasm you had. Your senses were so clouded, still so clouded, that you felt if he wasn’t here with you from beginning, you wouldn’t know what to do.  His mouth parted when one of your fingers grazed his lips, and you felt your pussy clenching when he swirled his tongue around it, taking your hand to sit still as he sucked now on two of your fingers.  He is so fucking good.  Your eyes glanced slowly, seeing how tight his combat pants were in the middle.

Kakashi sensed the way you feel, like a subtle hint a cat might attack him by the manacing, predatory gaze in her, either because she likes him or because she doesn’t. And right now, it’s definitely not the second option. A jolt of electricity runs down your spine, like your chakra that kept both of you hidden (long gone before your first orgasm) was now only supplied by him when hou over him, knees resting on both sides to sit on his lap. His hands come quickly to rest on your waist. “[Name]—” You cupped both of his cheeks, your mouth finding his, shutting him off, barely letting him breathe between your kisses. “How…d-do you feel?” He hissed when you grind right against his leaking tip, propping his shorts. The fact is, Kakashi felt himself ashamed for indulging so much previously in how beautiful you reacted to him that now he has a bad conscience.  “Better.” “Then we should—” “Now I want to make you feel good.” Your tongue slips inside his mouth again, making his terrible life more struggling by how your naked body grinds on him and your other hand comes under his skin to touch everywhere you can. You stopped the kiss, letting others, wet and hot, fall down his neck. “You don’t need to. I only want you to feel capable enough to…”  Kakashi’s words fall off his mouth when you start lowering yourself more and more until you play with his pants, your body bending, ass rising in the air. Hell, thank God you are protected, only seen by him. But the thought it’s not not for too long make him more alerted. Kakashi doesn’t have infinite chakra, and he would really need to preserve it. What if the ambush happens again after you both want to leave and— “But I want to. Can I?” He glanced down at you, seeing more clearly your intoxicated gaze and your rushed, desperate movements, like that cursed pollen didn’t even get completely absorbed into your body but to be eliminated. His hips buckled when your fingertips move around his bare waistline, giving him a soft peck here. “Can I, Kakashi?” He’s completely done. You’ll definitely hate him, won’t you? Still, he tried again to stop you. “I’d…rather make you feel good.” His hand came on your shoulder when you nuzzled your face here, feeling the urge to escape the prison of your seductive spells. “I want to feel you inside my mouth, please. I need it.” Kakashi’s eyes widen, more aroused by the way you speak and look at him, playing with the edge of his trousers.

He didn’t realize he nodded.  Kakashi didn’t even hear the rustle of the leaves swirling in the wind, his knees scraping the ground, or his pants’ zipper being dragged down—only an agitating, ringing sound in his ears, his grey eyes totally bewitched by you. Kakashi groaned at the same time you moaned when you licked the wet spot with his precum imprinted over the shorts, taking his dick in your hand. He’s still surprised he didn’t cum yet after he ate you previously. Kakashi will definitely not forget that image of you getting off his face, letting him swallow every drop. He was too focused on making you release the toxins from your blood, too focused to make you scream. And now? He feels pathetic in your hands. All control vanished from him as he let you free him of his shorts; the faint coldness of the air barely touched his dick before you warmed it up already, swirling your tongue over his tip. “Ah…” His deep voice was all you could hear and want to hear, and his taste was all you wanted to eat right now, to taste him on your lips as you kiss his dick from the bottom to the top until you couldn’t wait to take him in your mouth.

You hummed inch by inch, letting it still inside your throat to make him weak a little before slipping away. You stroke him as you watch him unravel. “God, I wish you were like this instead of me.” Kakashi closed his eyes, breathing heavily. You whisper before coming to take him in your mouth again. “To see you more like this.” He throbbed in your mouth as you sucked him on and on without stopping, making his hand come to rest on your head and sending vibrations down his veins when you moan— saliva slipped down your chin from the sloppy deepthroat you start to give him. He tugged your hair at the feeling, only spurring you to choke on him again. Making you more lightheaded than you already were. When Kakashi glances down to make eye contact with you, you come to your senses for a moment by the look he gives you, realizing your position. “Y-Yes? Would you like me to lose composure like that for you?” Is he teasing me? He is as aroused as me? No. It might be from my intoxication. It sure is. Damn, you want him so fucking bad. All of him. You glanced away, focusing on making him cum, but Kakashi didn’t have any intent to do so, trying only to offer you what you wanted with his body, not like he wasn’t feeling extremely pleased by the fact you were just kneeling between his legs with his dick in your mouth. He is despicable, isn’t he? As he tried to provide you more pleasure, touching your breast, your back, your face—his whole body stuck him in place, incapable of doing more when you didn’t relent, sucking the life out of him until he filled your mouth deep enough to make your throat bulge and your wall tightness to grip his tip enough that he was sure he would cum now if he didn’t stop. “[Name], please—stop. I’ll—” He tugged your hair a little, not to hurt, but to try to signal he might cum; his other hand came to cup your face, but Kakashi was completely finished when you glanced up at him one more time before his cum spilled inside your throat, your mouth working to swallow all he gave you.

Kakashi’s face was so intimate you felt your chest pumping violently, and not because of the sex. You’re not sure who was more desperate to lap the other’s cum by the way you clean him off, licking his balls and kissing his dick one more time before you came to kiss him, coming over him.  Kakashi hugs your form, glitching a little when you sit over him by how overwhelmed he is by the way you behave. He can handle you. Of course he can. But you lost precious time to make him cum when he was the one supposed to take care of you. You don’t realize any of this right now, and his guilt only accentuates every time he has a second to breathe. Not that you let him. You take his hands to come over your ass, letting him squeeze it, your breast touching his lean chest as you eat each other out. You stopped only to breath against his lips. “Strip your clothes off.” His amused glint was here by how demanding you sounded, yet Kakashi was also…afraid. Still afraid. You are both naked. In the middle of the forest. His chakra is at his limit. And the next step will literally dig his grave further. But how could he tell you? He let his shirt fall over, and by the way you looked at him, Kakashi’s breath rested in his throat for a second by your words.  “You’re so beautiful.” Did you really mean all you told him until now? Since when do you feel about him like this? Or will you react the same with other men in this condition? He feels agitated just by the thought of some asshole having the chance to see you so open.  His bad luck comes from the fact his mask couldn’t save him both times today. You thought you imagined it when you saw his face flustered. But he didn’t when he saw yours. Kakashi comes to hug you again, squeezing your ass before lifting you more over his lower abdomen as his head comes next to yours. “You’re more beautiful, believe me.” He didn’t realize he only riled you by the way his fingers caressed your back. “Very beautiful and alluring.” Or by the way his hoarse voice whispered praises in your ear.

Kakashi only hoped you’d come to your senses until he heard your voice. “Kakashi… Please, I need you to…” He brushed his lips over yours, pleading with his eyes for you to not say it. “To what?” You kissed him slowly, sensually, nipping his bottom lip between your teeth. You lowered yourself on him, feeling his dick twitch at the movement. “To feel me.” He looked in another direction, trying to blink away the desire you light inside of him. “Are you sure? Do you want to...” Your hands come over him, your forehead rests against him as you try to make him look at you. “Don’t make me humiliate myself more, Kakashi. Fuck me, please—” His eyes widen at your words, feeling the urge to wipe them off with his lips pressing against yours. “[Name], you’ll hate me if—” “I’m the one taking advantage!”

He swallowed, shaking his head, yet his grip tightened on your thighs as you moved slowly.  “You’re not in your rigjt mind—“ No. This is worse. He looked at your desperate, lustful yet hurt expression and felt a pang in his chest. You lowered your head over his shoulder as you mumbled. “S-So you don’t want to…”

His hand comes to take your face in his hands, pecking your lips.  “I do.” He let his lips leave his love marks against your skin, showing his care. “I’ll do it.” Not even a condom in his useless backpack could be found. Not like he would ever think to bring one in a mission with you. That thought was completely nonexistent before. Your legs trembled as you felt his hand come under your body, taking his dick as he started sliding his tip between your folds. He circled at your entrance, his eyes only glancing up at you or at your lips. He whispered, not sure where to look first to gather his answer. “Can I?” “Yes. Do what you want. Inside me, please—“ His dick started entering you, and Kakashi’s lungs had no air left at the feeling, still he focus was on all your faces.  “F-Fuck.” You’re so wet, yet his girth makes you struggle from this position. He grasps you tight, whispering encouraging, sweet nonsense in your ears. “I’m here. I’m here.” You whined, breathing hard as you clamped down his dick, feeling your legs tremble little by little. Kakashi felt at the brink of death when he felt your tight walls giving a warmth he was not sure he could resist. Or resist against it.  “Please, relax. It’s going to hurt if you don’t—”

You head rested against his, both foreheads covered with little drops of sweat. “I don’t care.” You take him all in in that moment, making your head fall back and him groaning at the addictive feeling. “Take me.” How could he not respond to that?

He raised his hips, hitting exactly where you want him to. “Oh God—“ Your legs burn so sweet as you ride his dick. “Y-Yes, yes—Like that.” His dick feels so good inside you. You tremble in need, filling his ear with your cries. And Kakashi was not better. “I need more. Baby, p-please.” Baby? His heart can’t take too much of this. Kakashi’s arm rested high on your back, now his hand come around your neck. “Don’t move.” He lowered you on the ground, slipping slowly in the process. He looked over your face, assessing how aware you are.  “Kakashi, I swear to God—“

There’s no point of stopping now. “Spread your legs for me. Can you do that?” You almost bite your lip, your cheeks flushed instantly as your closed legs now start spreading for Kakashi. He is sure he shouldn’t be allowed to deserve this. Your arms over your chest were quickly set aside by him before one rested on his elbows. “I’m sure you’ll hate me.” “I can’t hate you—“ He stopped you with his dick coming back inside you, not yet used to the incredible feeling. Kakashi can see you better now, and he’s not sure if it’s a bad thing or not. For his blood pressure sure is. He starts feeding you more, thrusting inside as he watches you cry for him. You want to feel him forever. You’re sure. And it’s not because of the toxins. You already felt you sweat at least half of it out. Kakashi’s gaze followed how you bite your lip, by how deep he is inside you, tears threaten to fall on your cheeks, and they do when he moves faster, his body so close you almost seem fused together. You felt his warm breath against your face, your lashes fluttering when you felt his lips on your cheeks, kissing the tears away. “Here?” “Mhm!” His hand comes to find a way between your bodies, letting your skin breathe only for a singular purpose. You nod frantically when he starts grazing your swollen clit, helping you reach closer to your orgasm. And truly you didn’t need long. Soon enough, air left your lungs at every harsh, deep thrust until he started going faster, nodding frantically at him. “I’m going to cum again— Kakashi, please!” He claimed your lips. “Do it. You can do it.” He whispered against them. “I need you too, sweetheart.” “Oh God—Mhmmm! You feel so good. So fucking good. Do I feel good for you?” “Y-Yes.” Like heaven. “So good.”

You’re so damn talkative. Who would’ve thought? You want to literally rewind his brain forever? You came all over his dick, crying against his chest, your orgasm only triggering him way too close to resist the temptation. And when your legs trap him and he realizes that’s really a dangerous zone he will force himself out if necessary. He gripped one of them to lower it down, and you begged against his lips so sweetly. “Baby, no. I’m on the—“ You could be. That’s not a problem. That’s a thing he should speak when you’re in your right mind. If this were ever to happen again. Kakashi hopes it will. It will crush him if not. He realized he doesn’t want anyone else. In any way. He begged you back, his eyes compelling you as his dick was punishing (pleasuring) your insides. You’re not sure. “Please, listen to me.” He places both of your hands above your head with his on top of it, shutting you off with his lips and his harsh, deep pounding. Your eyes roll in the back of your head, your legs completely falling from your waist. He thrusts one more time, pressing his lips against yours before he slips off your pussy at the same time his mouth leaves yours. Kakashi didn’t let your eyes fall off him as he stroked himself between your legs until you could feel some of his warm release between your thighs. He groaned so much at his cum didn’t stop spurring that you’re sure you never heard something so attractive. You didn’t have time to have a small, tiny intrusive thought as reality finally start setting in when he came back, pestering your face with soft kisses as he took you from the ground, your body placed vertically on his lap.  “You’re feeling okay?” His lower, deeper voice, like a cradle song. “Tell me, [Name].” Kakashi left a kiss on your forehead.  “Mhm, mhm.” He turned his body to search for a vest, his backpack with his sleeping bag, or anything to hide both of your bodies in. You murmured, exhausted. “Do you like me, Kakashi?” He paused his wandering hands over the ground, completely taken aback.  You’ll probably not remember his answer. That’s his hope. But he didn’t look at you when he said it. “I do.” You murmured against his chest one more time before your body slowly let you fall asleep in less than a minute. “Your heart beats so fast.” He sighed, tugging you against him so you wouldn’t get cold, or…for other reasons too. Kakashi mumbled, resting his head on yours.  “You should hear yours.” A flicker of chakra was all he felt inside of him, sensing the barrier exposing your presence at the same time the pieces of clothing were thrown on both of you, vanishing instantly.  🍃 In a simple, hidden cave that served as a subterranean room used to rest, stash scrolls, or hide from tracking ninjas, you stayed unconscious until now. You flinched as you woke up, aware of how stiff your body felt. A blush spread across your cheek as you felt your bare body, warmed under Kakashi’s blanket—which he’d probably use for his missions. You struggled so much to get dressed that it felt like it took an hour, using whatever clothes were still wearable—that is, pants and a top. Your underwear was hanging on a wire, stuck deep into the rock so it wouldn’t fall. Thoughtful of him? Yes. Embarrassing for you? Yes.

What did you do? A sigh escaped your mouth as you managed to come outside the hideout, making Kakashi glance briefly from where he was patrolling until now while you slowly came to sit next to the small fire, close enough to where you had rested. You avoided his eyes, and he knew it. “How do you feel?” You put your elbows on your knees, raising yourself slightly into a more comfortable position. For the first time, you looked at him, forcing a smile that was still genuine. “Surprisingly, I feel much better than I did before the mission. You took care of me,” you added, your voice lowered a tone. “...Thank you.”

Kakashi hummed, not mentioning the fact that helping someone shouldn’t be praised for having common sense. You moved a stick through the ashes that spelled the end of the fire, as if you wanted to fill the silence around you with anything that could make it bearable. His way-too-early question surprised you, making you stiffen. “Did you mean what you said?” You groaned while both your palms tried to hide your face, too red to blame on the fire. “Can we not speak about it? It was humiliating.” He answered shortly, much like your response. “Did I make you feel bad?” “No.” “Good.” He shared a faint smile with you. Then, you bit your lip in distress, wondering if you should risk it. After all, you could play dumb, minimizing all of your big, so fucking obvious, confessions. You were drugged, right? But you were not a liar. “...Yes. I meant it.” You glanced in another direction, your chin resting on your hand. Your eyes wandered mindlessly despite your spiraling thoughts and the heart that threatened to escape your constricted ribs. “Quite surprising.” You looked at him, confused. Kakashi slipped his hand into your backpack, and you only now noticed he had been handling it. He threw you a bottle of water, and you caught it smoothly, taking a much-needed sip to relieve your dehydrated mouth. A flashback of you screaming his name flooded your mind, but you swallowed down the intrusive image with another gulp. “How so?” His tone was amused, dissipating the tension in the icy air the night provided. “You were not exactly the friendliest person before. I usually catch it quickly when someone is interested.” You placed your hands on either side of your body, leaning back as you snorted, a mirthful glint in your eyes. “I’m sorry that the perceptive Kakashi Hatake himself didn’t uncover my feelings. You’re not so easy to read either, by the way.” He breathed out a laugh, not retorting for once. Kakashi wasn’t the only one curious about what had happened, about what you had both said. You started carefully. “How were you not affected by the pollen?” He took part of his mask between his fingers, tapping it back against his face. “I made some changes to it. It’s now enchanted with a material that blocks toxins in the air.” “That’s cheating.” “Don’t tell anyone.”

The corner of your mouth twitched, suppressing a smile. Yet how could he have been so affected? Did you remember it wrong? The way he touched you, tasted you, and fucked you? More like... made love to you? Spoke so intimately, so sweetly to you? You caught yourself speaking, and this time Kakashi was visibly tense. His eyes suddenly became very interested in the ground beneath him. “Did you also mean what you said?” His answer came after a minute. “...In a way.” Oh. He glanced at you then, seeing how you had switched places from how you had been before your question—you weren’t here with him anymore. And shinobi were skilled enough to anticipate when a threat lay ahead. A fight, maybe. For him, the discussion had already been difficult enough. He wasn’t prepared for more than this. Although, when you spoke again, he felt caged between his own walls. What used to be a familiar feeling had now slowly transformed into something he wasn’t as comfortable with as before. “So it was only sexual?” Kakashi realized by the trembling tone in your voice that you had understood him in the worst way possible. “No, [Name].” His eyes widened, distressed, as he saw half your face, a tear tracing your cheek. “Don’t...” You turned away, and he had the urge to rise to his feet. He did. It was too late to step back. You only saw his shadow approaching. He crouched down, and slowly, hesitantly, his hand settled over yours, and you fought the urge not to pull away. “That’s not what... I meant.” You wiped the tears away with the back of your hand. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.” Kakashi sighed, and it only made you feel worse, like a parent trying to make a child understand something simple. Not knowing how conflicted Kakashi was, how he needed to detach himself from his own discomfort to speak openly about things he didn’t understand yet. “It’s... I didn’t consider this before. It was surprising for me.” “Okay.” He sat down beside you now, taking your hand in his and playing with your fingers, turning the little ring you used to twirl whenever anxiety got the best of you, now using it himself to distract from the intrusive thoughts that surfaced whenever it came to his own vulnerability. Being honest was all he had to offer for now. At least, that’s what he thought. “I wasn’t unaffected like you think. Not only in the way of having you like this.” You furrowed your brows, tilting your head but still not looking at him. “So you meant the other parts or not?” You both spoke so vaguely that if anyone else listened, they wouldn’t understand a thing. “...Yes.” You scoffed, letting out a harsh breath. “I don’t know what to believe.” He didn’t know either. “I understand,” Kakashi admitted eventually. “I never... tried before.” “What? A relationship?” You looked back, your eyes meeting for a second. Fuck, wrong move. Your gaze lingered on his expression, one you hadn’t seen before. He nodded, and you found yourself turning until you faced him fully, both of you sitting on the ground. “I can’t say I’m much different. You know what arseholes I’ve met before. But... you’re not that kind of arsehole.” His warm chuckle made your heart leap. Only now did you realize how close he was, close enough to hear his slow breathing and to crave his warmth again without being so hot and bothered. “God, if you say this to anyone else, I swear—” He shook his head, cutting you off. “Don’t worry. I’ll never do something like that.” You whispered, searching for him without realizing it. For that part of him you needed now. “I get the feeling you wouldn’t.” When he met your eyes, Kakashi regretted it, forced to weigh your words. How could you see him for what he was? It unsettled him. He needed to do something. Good or bad, he didn’t know. “I don’t want to raise your hopes for nothing.” You studied his face. His words sounded like a rejection, but his tone and expression didn’t match them. You tried something else. “Okay. I get it. You’re allergic to feelings.” He chuckled. “I guess I am. But...”

You tilted your head instantly. “But?” “I’m not sure. I felt something once and never found it again until... you.” You gulped. “What does that mean, Kakashi? Do you want me to be your...” No. That wasn’t the appropriate question. He should be the one. Kakashi interrupts you. “Do you want to be my... cure?” “Yes.”

Your heart has a mind of its own, otherwise you couldn’t explain how or when you leaned closer to Kakashi, softly pecking his lips. He was just as startled as you.

Only for a moment. Kakashi glanced shortly at your lips, then at your eyes one more time before he leaned in back, his lips meeting yours, licking his way into your mouth. The tip of your tongue brushed against his. Just the wet press of his mouth and the quick faltering of his breath make your fingers tighten at his neck, a dizzy drop is present in your stomach every time he comes back for more. A shuddering breath escaped him. When his eyes opened, his innocent gaze was almost gone, swallowed entirely by his pupils. His voice was hoarse, finally feeling at peace for showing without guilt how much he feels for you. “Kakashi, we really shouldn’t—”

“One more time.”

Kakashi pressed his lips against yours, unwilling to wait another second. His tongue writhed deeper, tangling around yours, tasting greedily more and more of you. When he pulled away, both of you looked wrecked by it—cheeks flushed, lips swollen, eyes glistening.

You licked your lips, not daring to see things yet, breaking the spell. When your mouth twitches, failing to stop a smile forming, Kakashi finds his heart violently pumping inside of him, taking your hands in his, glancing away. But you’re sure now of what you see and feel, and his subtle smile didn’t go unnoticed.

At least the tension in his body finally left after the two of you coming to a discussion.

Aware now of your surroundings, you glanced around the darkness spreading around the forest. The small fire is long gone; probably need to make another one until tomorrow. You looked back at Kakashi. You slept until now; he really needs a break from taking care of you all day.  “Come on, let’s switch. I’ll stay awake until morning.”

His answer is coming shortly.

“No, don’t worry.”

Your threatening tone wasn’t missed. “Kakashi.” He didn’t respond, not until he saw the concern between your eyebrows, the unspoken pleading words all over your face. And of course, now he can openly see the lovely glint inside of them. For him. Only for him. “Then, we stay together.” You nodded reluctantly. But not long after, as your fingers carefully play with his soft, silver hair as his head rested on your lap, Kakashi fell asleep. One of the few times in his life, he felt safe enough to be vulnerable, to trust someone.

⸻

Gojo’s class. Or rather, Gojo’s break.

While you tried not to stare at anyone in particular so you wouldn’t seem like a total freak, Megumi noticed you biting the inside of your lip with nerves while the overly theatrical white-haired man in front of you only made your anxiety worse.

“Sooooo, she is your new colleague! For now, at least.”

Your brows furrowed in concern, almost glaring when Gojo waved dismissively, joking as usual.

As the pink-haired boy gave you a bright smile, and the only girl seemed neutral, the tension eased a little. Nobara pulled the lollipop from her lips, curious. You didn’t even get the chance to answer her.

“What’s your ability?”

Gojo grinned, immediately glancing at Megumi, who only raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s see a demonstration, shall we?” Yuji’s eyes gleamed with the same playful spark as his teacher’s. “Megumi, show her your loyal dogs first.”

When Megumi’s eyes met yours, you averted your gaze in a second. Somehow, that got under his skin.

He couldn’t read you yet, and he didn’t like it. Like a reflection of his own self.

Without commenting, he clasped his hands, summoning a shadow puppet of a dog’s head with them.

Only then did he notice that you were…pretty. Not that he hadn’t realized you were good-looking before, but the moment his dogs appeared, he saw your face soften, your lips curling into a genuine smile as you murmured for yourself. “They’re so… cute.”

Yuji crouched beside them immediately, petting their fur.

“Heh, what’s up, boys? Hm?”

The expression on your face made it clear you wanted to pet them too. Megumi felt an odd impulse to tell you to go ahead, but he said nothing. And you didn’t allow yourself, either.

Gojo’s gaze then fixed on you, making your chest pang with the dread of failing something basic. You didn’t like showing off.

You sighed, finally clasping your hands together. A small spark flickered in the room, light blooming between your palms before you let out a soft gasp, raising your joined hands. The energy shaped itself at your fingertips before you knelt, smiling faintly at the dogs.

You murmured, placing your hands on their heads.

“Dai kô myô (大光明). Great shining light.”

What was shocking was how their tails wagged—like they were happy to… see you again? A triangular seal stretched between each body, the ends capped with glowing orbs, filled in with white zigzag lines. A circle formed around them. Your breath caught as the cursed energy stabilized, binding you and Megumi’s dogs together.

“What’s happening!?” Yuji asked first. Nobara leaned forward, dragging him down by the shoulder so she could see better.

“Here, my friends, is a healing technique. An ancestral one, rooted in Japan, taught for centuries.” Gojo’s playful narration made your cheeks flush. There was no need to—

“And what is it doing to my dogs?”

Gojo leaned closer to Megumi, tilting his head and poking his cheek in a ridiculous manner. Your eyes widened. This was… his teacher?

“Awww, Megumi’s worried for his little dogs? Is that it? He’s scared?”

Megumi closed his eyes in irritation. Yuji, noticing your confusion, leaned closer, whispering into your ear.

“They’re kinda… related. But not by blood.”

Your lips twitched, but you didn’t smile. It didn’t feel right — not when you barely knew Megumi, not when he was so closed off. Still, maybe you could ease his mind.

Your voice drew his eyes toward you, and your heart stumbled.

“I sealed their souls. They can’t be killed, immune to any jutsu.”

Megumi’s gaze locked on yours, weighing every word. Nobara was the first to cut in.

“What’s the catch?”

You hadn’t expected the question so soon, but Gojo spared you, reframing it.

“The greater the attack, the more her body and spirit suffer. Even the risk of losing her own soul.” The room froze in silence. Until Gojo broke it once again. “No worries, that’s just one technique. Her Reiki Power Jutsu goes far beyond that. Still…very handy in a crisis.”

He smirked. You forced a small smile back, uneasy under his words. Then, Gojo suddenly clapped his hands, glancing at the clock before spinning back dramatically.

“Oh, so fast! Sorry, guys, tight schedule!” He winked at you before stepping out the door, his head popping back in a moment later. “Ah, right. Ask your new colleagues for the notes so far, [Name].”

You only managed a quick nod before he was gone. Yuji slung his backpack on, glancing at Nobara.

“Kugisaki, food?”

“Maybe. Let’s see if I feel like it on the way.” Nobara turned to you, eyes scanning you head to toe before her tone softened slightly compared to how she spoke to Yuji. “You got plans?”

You tore your gaze from the door to her, shaking your head.

“I don’t think so. No.”

“Good.”

Yuji glanced at his friend, already expecting the answer.

“Fushiguro, you coming?”

He shook his head. No explanation needed, the closeness between them said enough.

⸻

Back home, you felt strangely satisfied. Yuji and Nobara had bombarded you with questions, dragging you through shops, and for once—it felt like there was a possibility to bond.

Still, when you pulled out your phone to send a message after being added to their group chat, it wasn’t either of them you wanted to text.

On the other end, Megumi had just closed a nonfiction book, briefly glancing at the notification: a new member added. He saved your contact without thinking twice, no intentions behind it. But confusion struck when three dots appeared… disappeared… then appeared again.

You were struggling to even think of what to say first.

Fuck it, you thought.

That was… You couldn’t even decipher what to even think about him, probably the message you sent him came off as mean? You only remembered Yuji and Nobara telling you they don’t even write in their courses most of the time and that made you a little taken aback. Maybe he is more responsible?

Meanwhile Megumi didn’t bother, locking the phone and opening his book before sleeping until morning.

⸻

The next day, the road to school alone was contemplative, much earlier than classes would begin, your mind caught in wondering if you could ever manage to befriend people here.

Until it was interrupted by the scene in front of you, making you stop unconsciously and stare at the school’s inner yard.

A Megumi in a hoodie raised in the style of the purple garment from yesterday that he wore, black with a line of blue through the middle and short black pants with a fitted layer underneath them up to above the knee was climbing the stairs, a towel in hand wiping off the sweat he was anyway going to wash off considering he couldn’t stand remaining like that. His facial features, even with his eyes closed, carried a hint of irritation.

You realized a little later he had locked his eyes on you, his eyebrows raised barely visible. Even though your cheeks were already flushed long before, you blamed it on being caught staring at him too much. Your eyes widened, forcing a smile and waving a little agitated, awkward even, before hurrying with more rapid steps toward the school.

Megumi lifted his hand slowly in a greeting, his expression unchanged, even if you didn’t see it. His eyes followed you unintentionally, more in observation than anything else.

Do you even know the school has certain dress code limits?

You had short pants, skirt-like with a slit, beneath them sheer black tights. Over it a long blouse tied in a way similar to his, with two buttons, wide sleeves layered over another black fitted blouse beneath that looked like the pants (he assumed it was a bodysuit or something) with your abdomen only slightly visible.

Megumi was in fact irritated that your clothing resembled his in a certain way. At least the colors were the same. And it looked very good on you.

Irrelevant, he thought.

Before reaching the classroom, Nobara and Yuji startled you from behind, their playful gesture of grabbing your shoulders making you jolt.

“Heeey!” Yuji’s smile stretched to his ears while Nobara’s small grin was pointed at you as well. “Badass look.”

It was flustering, the blush from before still maintained.

“Hey, guys.”

“What are you doing this early at school?” Nobara’s question was completely ignored by Yuji.

“Much more important than that, are you going out with us again?”

You smiled back at Yuji, trying to reply to both of them.

“Yes, of course. Ahm, need to train my abilities.”

Yuji’s enthusiasm was hard to dismiss while Nobara scolded him.

“Oh, can we see?”

“Itadori, maybe she doesn’t feel comfortable, did you even think of that?”

Yuji raised his hands, mimicking apology.

“Just a suggestion! A suggestion.”

The shame of being seen in public diminished with the way they acted, at least with them, if not with the other colleague.

“Gojo said I should train with Megumi. Something about my abilities could help him more in future missions?”

Nobara looked at Yuji and him back at her, their faces carrying the same look as if they felt sorry for…you?

“And…he agreed?” Yuji asked.

You didn’t know how to speak about their friend, choosing a safe ground.

“I…didn’t speak too much with him.”

Nobara put a hand over your arm, reassuring.

“He’s a pain in the ass to talk to, I know.”

“I didn’t say—“

Yuji saved him. “But he is a good guy! Trust us—“

Megumi had already entered the school, stopping to glance at how the two were all over you, catching only the final words, assuming maybe it was about him. But what had you said about him?

He gave you a side glance, mostly out of curiosity, but your shy expression made him double think again.

Lucky for you, Yuji asked him before you.

“Fushiguro! Let’s help [Name] training.”

Megumi huffed lightly, stepping closer, asking in a neutral tone.

“Doesn’t she have a mouth to speak, since you’re speaking in her place?”

Nobara rolled her eyes and Yuji just mimicked his words in a pinched voice before they started walking. Your heart throbbed, assuming at first he was annoyed at you for telling his friends before him. But Megumi already knew he was responsible for your…introduction here.

⸻

On the training grounds, the stretching routine was a little embarassing to do together, yet Nobara’s constant casual questions with Yuji interjecting here and here make it much comfortable.

Yet, your face drained on colours when Megumi turned to you.

“Besides petting my dogs, what else can you do?”

Nobara gasped at the same time as Yuji at his arrogance, while you blinked, trying to understand whether he was angry at you or not.

He lifted his hand slightly with his palm toward you to don’t answer, looking over his shoulder as he shifted the training weapon in a smooth motion until it rested against his chest.

“Leave. We should start training.”

Yuji whined.

“Really, bro? We want to see it too! Where should—“

“Itadori, next to us…just, another door.”

Nobara shoved her hands into her pockets and made a “tsk” sound, grabbing Yuji by the hood of his sweatshirt.

“Weird way to say you’re shy, Fushiguro. But we accept you as you are.”

Megumi rolled his eyes before it landed on you after they shut the door. Your heart stumbled back. You still didn’t answer.

“Yes. W-we, Reiki users, have a spiritual potential scale to take.”

Megumi spun his weapon in a sharp, almost bragging motion, tilting his head toward your as well.

“Move as you talk. I need to see your combat capabilities.” You stammered a little, but still shifted your weapon into a battle stance as he asked. “Spiritual potential?”

You dodged his next strike, countering his thrust by channeling the resisting force into your leg before stepping back.

“Dai Ko Myo is the Reiki master symbol, tied to level three of the system’s power, where you begin focusing on the spiritual aspects of Reiki. It’s the final stage before immersing your abilities into the physical realm.”

Megumi let you finish before striking again, noticing you became far more serious when speaking about something meaningful to you. He dropped his guard for a second too long, and you almost smiled faintly as you struck, his eyes widening.

“I can also use something called Cho Ku Rei.” You draw it into your palms, then brush it along the walls to cleanse negative energy. “It works for cursed energy too, if it’s low-grade.”

Megumi stepped back twice, only to lunge forward with his blade, creating a loud clash against yours. Your eyes locked.

“And Sei He Ki, if someone’s technique is blocked by interference, to restore flow and add protection.”

He drew back his sword, pivoting before lunging again, faster this time, trying to catch you off guard.

“All of them can be used together?”

That’s when your difference in defense became clear. You stumbled back to your knees, struggling for breath before managing words.

“Yes. If there’s harmony. It’s called Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen. It can be used across distance, if that person consents. And… so on.” Don’t want to make him bored with too much information.

Megumi lowered his blade before your kneeling form.

“And what does that mean?”

You were certain he remembered what Gojo once told Nobara, yet you downplayed it.

“For me not to be affected emotionally or mentally.”

He sheathed his weapon behind his back and extended his hand to you. You looked at him, then at his hand, before taking it, letting him help you to your feet.

“Aha.”

He glanced down at you struggling to catch your breath, his unreadable gaze fixed, while you realized that was quite a long conversation.

“Your defense is low, very weak.” Ouch. You tilted your head away, embarrassed. Megumi caught your expression and almost regretted the words that came out. “But your abilities are very strong. I’ll help you with everything necessary.”

The blush rising on your face when you thanked him startled Megumi for a moment, his eyes widening slightly before he quickly turned his head aside. “Tomorrow again.”

As he gathered his training gear, you found yourself staring at him, confused. Maybe that’s why you dragged the conversation on.

“Wait—” Megumi froze, giving you a side glance. “Um, don’t you want to go out with them after school?”

You tilted your head toward Nobara, who was climbing onto Yuji’s back—most likely, since only his eyes could still be seen through the small window in the training room’s door. Megumi’s furrowed brows softened as he exhaled an annoyed sigh.

“Probably not.”

Megumi noticed a faint trace of disappointment in your eyes, though he couldn’t quite understand why. Why should you care if he came or not? He barely managed to be social enough with those two idiots, opening up just a little more to them, but to add another person like that into his life?

And for some unknown reason, speaking with you felt even more difficult for him deep inside his soul.

You watched his back as he left the room, probably heading to class as you were about to as well, while Yuji fell flat on the floor when the door swung open, Nobara standing over him, grinning.

You chuckled, though you raised your hands defensively when they rushed toward you, bombarding you with so many questions your head began to ache—you weren’t used to this kind of attention.

Back at home, everyone was treated the same. No praise, no insult, regardless of whether you advanced through the Reiki levels or not.

⸻

Yuji’s mouth was stuffed with katsudon, his voice muffled. You were currently on lunch break with both of them.

“So… how is it?”

After sipping from your drink, you answered, trying to sound detached.

“Good…” When Nobara arched her brows, knowing you a little more after these months together and recognizing your hesitation, you leaned back in the chair, sighing. “It’s perfect, I swear. I don’t know what Megumi thinks, but our abilities match pretty well.” Nobara’s smirk mirrored Yuji’s when they noticed your blush.

“Is that so?” Nobara pressed.

You waved your hands dismissively.

“Don’t think about stupid things! It’s just that… his divine dogs trusted me from the very beginning, since they can recognize pure energy not tainted with bad intentions. Also, I’ve enhanced most of his abilities.”

Yuji asked right away.

“But he constantly protects you, doesn’t he?”

Well, more than that, you thought. At first, you concluded it was just part of his selfless personality—not necessarily for you, not because it was needed to help him, but sometimes it feels a bit much. As if he’s far more afraid when it comes to you compared to how he reacts with others.

You can’t lie: the past months with Megumi deepened some things inside your soul that sometimes suffocated you.

You’ve never felt this way for anyone before.

Which is why you don’t even believe there’s anything particularly special about you from him—after all, Megumi still doesn’t go out with you alone anywhere, at most when the others are present, and even then, rarely.

You only nodded at Yuji’s question as both of them replied in unison. “As he should.”

You blinked twice more, just as both turned their heads—Megumi had entered the coffee shop, the chime of a new customer marking his arrival.

His eyes landed on you like a magnet before he lifted his gaze and walked toward the cashier. Yuji waved his hand to get Megumi’s attention, speaking way too loudly for the morning crowd. “Bro, we’re here! Hello, Earth to Fushiguro!”

Megumi’s eye twitched, forcing a very friendly tone between his clenched teeth since too many people were around for him to smack Yuji’s head. “Do you really think I didn’t see you, I - ta - do - ri-kun?”

Yuji only grinned back before turning to chat with Nobara again. You shot her a glare, murmuring a “What?” when she glanced knowingly at you, as she usually did. Sometimes you really don’t like girls—how the hell did she already detect something?

You tilted your head toward your drink, stirring the straw when you felt someone sit down next to you. You had expected it anyway, considering it was the only free seat left.

“Gojo told me to talk to you about the next mission.” All of you turned to Megumi as he caught your attention. “Apparently, there’s an area between Shizuka and Yamanashi that’s constantly affected by cursed energy. The higher-ups believe something’s behind it, rather than just too many cursed spirits.”

Yuji let out a small whistle. “Isn’t that kind of far from us?”

You asked curiously. “Yeah, but I assume we’ll stay overnight there, right?” You smiled mischievously at the same time Nobara did, your thoughts syncing telepathically with hers, already imagining all the place you two should visit.

Megumi rubbed at his neck, uncomfortable with the subject.

“Sorry to ruin your plans, but we should split.”

Nobara’s teasing voice made Megumi want to shut her up instantly.

“Oh, and don’t tell me you’ll take [Name] with you because you need her soooo badly? Staying in the same place since is so dangerous for your well-being.”

You covered your eyes with your hand, turning your head away. Yuji whistled mindlessly, glancing around the café while the other two seemed to be in a silent competition of who would blink first.

⸻

Locking your phone, you let out a deeper breath while walking through the city streets, your eyes catching Mount Fuji in the distance, stumbling back at the breathtaking view.

Megumi caught your arm, and you blinked several times in confusion before raising your head toward him, who was watching you with a questioning look at your distracted mind.

“Something wrong?”

He let go of you, and you turned your gaze away in embarrassment, murmuring.

“No, no. Sorry. Just a little distracted.”

Megumi thought you needed to stay focused, your mind steady and at ease. Tomorrow, you were supposed to investigate the location you had gathered intel on the previous day. Yet he found himself uncertain about how to approach you.

“We should eat before going to the hotel.”

You only nodded, and somehow that made him even more anxious. You didn’t know, but Megumi had been quite observant of you these past months.

He could tell when you were stressed—even in small things, like your habit of touching your ear and playing with your lobe or earrings, as if to check whether they were still there.

How you restrained yourself from reacting too enthusiastically when something warmed your heart, especially his dogs—that sight stuck in his mind more than once, how lovely you were to them and they to you.

How you refused to admit how exhausted you were after using your abilities, or how you grew shy at every touch or protection he offered. He couldn’t lie—he had never felt so strangely comfortable letting someone exist inside his personal space.

Still, it was hard for him to understand the curiosity he had about you. About everything tied to you. Sometimes he gave himself a random moment just to watch you, which always caught you by surprise. Which he found… cute.

After taking a bite of his meal, he asked,

“All of your family has this power?”

You froze mid-bite, licking the remains off your lips, and Megumi unconsciously watched.

“Yes, all kids know from a young age which direction they should take, depending on their power.”

Megumi furrowed his brows.

“Isn’t that too much pressure for a young child?”

You shook your head in disapproval.

“Not really. Our sensei let us live our childhood enough. We shouldn’t complain, since others have it much worse than us.” You didn’t realize what your next words could mean. “More than that, I would never complain in front of you specifically.”

It was only when Megumi suddenly went silent and you lifted your gaze that panic surged in you. You felt like a stalker, since you had wanted to know about Megumi’s past from the very beginning.

“I’m so sorry. I invalidated your privacy with my stupid action—”

“It’s fine.”

He cut you off, suddenly feeling too exposed. Cursing Gojo or his friends for probably talking about it with you without his consent.

Silence fell over both of you until the end of the meal.

As you walked back together, he noticed you fidgeting with your fingers, though he was too avoidant to say anything. You thought you had messed up badly. But Megumi wasn’t mad—he was anxious about your opinion of him after hearing about his dysfunctional past.

Since when did he care what anyone thought of him?

As you lay on the bed later, you stuttered, breaking the heavy silence.

“C-can you bring your dogs? I need to make a protection seal for tomorrow morning since w-we’ll leave pretty early.”

He didn’t respond, only did what you asked. When you knelt to pat them gently, you spoke while placing the ability on their heads.

“I feel like I upset you. It was a mistake for me to… ask about you that way. If you wanted to tell me, you would have. I… I just didn’t know how to ask, or maybe it wasn’t even my place to allow myself into something so personal. Please, forgive me.”

Megumi’s heartbeat pounded violently, freezing in the middle of the room. His question made your hands tremble as you finished the seal. You stared through his dogs’ eyes, though you didn’t dare look directly at him.

“Did it change your opinion about me? About what you found out?”

“W-what?” You rose from your knees. “No… in fact it made me want to know you more. I believe you are one of the… strongest people I know.”

When Megumi looked at you over his shoulder, his expression scared you. You weren’t sure if you had spoken without thinking again, insulting him somehow or stepping too close into his personal business.

He almost whispered, though his tone came out rough.

“Nonsense.”

You asked fearfully, “Megumi? I didn’t mean to upset you again or insult you, I swear, it’s my honest opinion—”

Megumi clenched his fists, feeling suffocated.

“You didn’t upset me, don’t say that again! Do you really see me that badly? And how could you see anything strong in my life? I’ve done absolutely nothing good enough for anyone. You…know nothing.”

After his words, Megumi wanted to bury himself under the ground, as deep as possible. When he saw your saddened expression, guilt crushed him—he cursed himself for not letting you go with Nobara instead.

Yet your shock was for something else entirely. How could he describe himself that way?

“How can you say something like that about yourself?” Your whisper made Megumi snap his head toward you, your eyes piercing him with too much intensity. “You say you haven’t done enough for others, but what about for yourself? Do you even give yourself a shred of credit for everything you’ve been through? Who are you to be responsible for everyone? And for you, who is there? Do you let anyone in?”

No, no. He needed to leave this room or he would suffocate. A panic attack was the last thing he could allow right now in front of you.

When the door slammed shut, you collapsed onto the bed, feeling lightheaded, while his dogs lingered around you, nuzzling your body as if thanking you for something you don’t know.

Meanwhile, outside, Megumi felt like throwing up. One hand clutched his pounding chest, the other braced on his knee as he bent forward, gasping for breath. What the hell was that?

“Who is there for you? Do you let anyone in?”

Reviewing his past and the loneliness he had carried constantly—until his father figure had practically forced him into his care—Megumi realized, consciously or not, he had let some people closer than he thought he ever would.

He had let someone in. More than he believed he deserved or was capable of giving back.

So how could he admit that what you told him was exactly what he needed to hear? That maybe, in his selfishness, he wanted something more? Like for example — you, in his life.

⸻

In the morning, Megumi was waiting downstairs. He could not bear the idea of leaving at the same time as you. He had hardly slept the entire night in the bed beside yours, though he had the vague impression that he had not been the only one awake, judging by how often you shifted, in contrast to him who remained stiff, almost petrified.

His eyes flickered toward the shop window by the corner, fastening themselves for a heartbeat upon the earring set you had gazed at yesterday morning, before he finally raised his head and caught sight of you stepping outside.

Even if his expression seemed carved from stone, his heart betrayed him the instant it faltered, when his gaze collided with yours, anxious as if still haunted by the shadows of the night before.

You murmured a faint “Thank you.” when he handed you a coffee cup, just before beginning to walk with you in the direction of the designated location.

Aside from thinking of each other and of the next step that needed to be taken, not a single second passed in which either of you considered how much danger could be lying in wait.

He refused to allow you to use your abilities, he did not even call upon his divine dogs while he cut down the multiple cursed spirits that infested the abandoned hospital.

He barely gave you the chance to intervene at all, although you were certain he knew perfectly well that you were capable of destroying them easily, since they were only low-grade, with your Cho Ku Reizl.

“Really, Megumi? Let me help—“

“No need. Preserve your energy.”

You gave him an aggravated look as he forced himself to ignore it before your mind start to wander.

What made the place truly suspicious was the sheer abundance of cursed energy for such a neglected site. Even residual negative emotions should not have been able to nurture so many spirits for such an indefinite length of time. How much, exactly, could there be, to sustain them without end?

This was the reason why Gojo’s messages with updates had left the two of you so tense, since the hospital had only been abandoned recently.

Meanwhile, Nobara and Yuji were nearly finished with their assignment at the abandoned school, having found nothing noteworthy beyond a scattering of weak spirits. They were supposed to come here sooner or later.

The real problem was that you could not decipher the reason for Megumi’s grave expression, nor understand why it deepened, since you were not truly a sorcerer, but rather more of a guardian.

And you could not know that the chilling sensation seeping into your limbs, the cold breath raising goosebumps across the back of your neck, was in fact the aura of a Special Grade Spirit, the presence that had turned Megumi to stone.

A special grade spirit. Here. Now. More precisely, a Vengeful Cursed Spirit.

Such a being could only appear if a sorcerer had once been in this hospital, and in the act of cursing, had bound themselves to their beloved after death refused to be accepted.

Only Megumi’s shout of your name wrenched your awareness to the grotesque monstrosity that towered before you, babbling in words so distorted they were nearly impossible to decipher, yet enough to draw your attention against your will.

Why… should… you… be… happy… with… your… lover… instead… of… me?

Your body was hurled brutally into the wall, the impact tearing a sound of pain from your lips as blood welled in your mouth.

Megumi reacted instantly, summoning his shikigami with ferocious resolve.

He had always been uneasy with the idea of being someone who saves others. Especially when sorcerers could so easily become instruments of karmic retribution. Just as when he had saved his friend not long ago, not from obligation but purely guided by his morals, he still chose to protect people mostly because he believed they were good.

And you? The thought of the world losing someone as good, as compassionate and radiant as you, someone who warmed even the coldest chambers of his barricaded heart.

Megumi did not want to be a hero in general. But right now. When his eyes saw your body crushed so mercilessly against the ground, something within Megumi snapped violently. His rarely revealed, fiercely competitive edge ignited.

And yet he was only a Grade 2 sorcerer.

Calling forth the full strength of the Ten Shadows technique, Megumi unleashed his arsenal of shikigami. Nue was dispatched to find his comrades, who had to arrive sooner or later.

His divine dogs lunged into the enormous curse, their fangs and claws tearing, devouring, but still it was not enough. The massive toad stretched its tongue to lift you from the ground, dragging you into a zone of greater safety.

“Megumi—“

He gave you only the briefest of glances as you stumbled, slipping from the toad’s saliva, but the curse demanded his full attention, leaving him no moment to strike back.

“Damn it!”

His rough voice froze you in place as you watched him press his knuckles together, his decision final as he resolved to lock you within as well, having no other choice.

“Kangō An’eitei.”

Shadows surged like a tide, flooding ground and wall and all that surrounded you. His power expanded violently, climbing to one hundred and twenty percent, his body moving with a speed and precision that felt sharpened by desperation, as cursed spirits began to fall one by one.

Until one of his divine dogs was savagely torn apart, likely killed, its loyalty erupting as it shielded Megumi from a strike that would otherwise have devastated his face.

Of course, it was one of the dogs protected, sealed against death by your reiki.

When your scream tore out, raw with the agony burning in your chest, the sound echoed through Megumi’s domain, and his entire body trembled without his consent. The domain shuddered, its stability disintegrating with every second.

“No…No!”

He turned, his fury consuming him, blood streaming across his face from the earlier strike, and the smile that carved itself upon him was monstrous.

You lifted your head suddenly when the first words fell from his lips.

“Yatsuka-no-Tsurugi—“

“Megumi, don’t!” He shouldn’t summon Mahoraga, he really shouldn’t. That’s why you were grateful when he consented before you, murmuring. “Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen.”

Megumi’s eyes widened when he felt the source of energy pierce straight through his core, other traces spiraling around him until they formed a shield, then vanishing, invisible.

He stood now as though at the very beginning of battle, his cursed energy fully replenished, the strength of his domain brimming to its utmost for one final strike. A tear seared down his cheek as the cursed spirit disintegrated beneath the fatal blow, needing no seal, for Megumi’s power had already transcended.

He flung himself backward, collapsing to his knees, sliding desperately until he caught you, lifting you into his arms. His hand cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing the blood from your lower lip as his voice came in ragged, frantic bursts.

“Why? Why, [Name]? Why you and not me? Who is responsible for you too?”

Your faint, fragile smile struck his heart still as your voice, cracked and broken, whispered.

“So you do care about me too. It warms my heart, Megumi…”

When your eyes closed, his desperation to save you was so fierce it even took Gojo off guard, when he heard the sharp gasps of Megumi’s breathing through the phone, the sound of him begging.

“Please—Come here. Now.”

Gojo blinked twice, the abrupt end of the call sounding in his ear for a breath before he transported himself instantly.

⸻

When Nobara and Yuji ran toward the hospital, they froze in place as Gojo cast a glance over his shoulder before all of them turned to take in the scene before their eyes.

Megumi’s battered, exhausted body clung desperately to yours on the ground, his grip still unyielding.

Megumi had been tormented for days as you lingered in a coma. Shoko had offered few details, merely stating, “It is not my field of expertise, since her abilities have affected her body differently than those of a sorcerer or at least of an ordinary person.”

He remained there every day in that hospital. Haunted at every moment by memories of when his sister had once been confined to a hospital bed.

You must not die. You cannot die.

Meanwhile, Nobara and Yuji were themselves deeply unsettled, yet seeing Megumi in such a state was even more disquieting, leaving them at a loss on how to approach him at all.

Standing on the chair beside him, Yuji nonetheless tried to speak.

“Maybe it’s not the right moment, but you remember when you thought I had died and yet it didn’t happen?”

Megumi’s voice was stripped of any emotion.

“Not a good moment.”

Yuji attempted again.

“Maybe inside her soul there’s a battle just like mine was. We can’t possibly know.”

Yes, exactly. Naturally he could not know, since he had never truly allowed himself to know you better.

Yet the waiting did not last more than a single day. In the middle of the night, you gasped in a rush of air, your lungs filling desperately.

As long as your body had only been pushed to the brink between life and death, you could not truly perish. Your soul was still protected by the spell cast by your master. He would likely be utterly disappointed that you had barely arrived at this school and already destroyed the protection.

Still, fortune had been on your side, for if both divine dogs had nearly died, you would have had no chance left.

When your gaze turned toward the moon through the window, you gasped softly. Your eyes instantly softened.

Megumi slept at the counter, slumped uncomfortably in the chair. He must have been beyond exhausted not to have heard your dramatic intake of breath when you awakened. You wished he were lying at your side now, but most likely Megumi would never do that. Not yet, at least.

His beautiful lashes fluttered, his eyes opening as reality struck him slowly. You were awake.

“[Name].”

His cracked, whispered voice made your fragile heart leap.

“Megumi…”

He rose from the chair, moving to your bedside as you looked up at him.

“I’m going to get the assistants—”

You caught his hand, cutting him off, feeling his muscles tense.

“No need now, Megumi.” You let silence fall between you as your gazes locked with countless unsaid emotions. “Did you stay here all day?”

Lucky for Megumi, the night concealed at least a trace of the flush on his cheeks. He squeezed your hand lightly, lowering himself back onto the chair beside your bed, his spiky hair shading his eyes as he leaned his face toward the floor.

“These past days, yes.”

His murmur was so faint you almost wondered if you had imagined it. You swallowed as your vision blurred slightly, tears beginning to flood, dampening your lower lashes.

“Thank you. I should have told you my limit sooner so you wouldn’t have worried yourself this much. I didn’t realize you would actually—“

You blinked the tears away at his sudden interjection.

“No. I should have asked myself.”

“Megumi, please don’t do as you usually do—”

He raised his hand, his reddened eyes meeting yours, both pairs locking in a fragile vulnerability as they saw one another fully.

“Can I? Can I have the chance to know you better?”

Your eyes widened before a soft laugh escaped you at how lovely he was in that moment, how open.

“Of course. I would be so happy, Megumi.”

He nodded eventually, and you barely managed to convince him to return home to sleep properly.

⸻

On the day you were released from the hospital, Megumi sat on the bench in the yard with Yuji and Nobara.

Nobara spoke suddenly, unable to contain her bluntness now that the hardest moment had passed.

“I knew it.”

Megumi tilted his head slightly, but Yuji was the one to answer her.

“Me too.”

“Who knew Fushiguro actually has a heart? Shocking.”

Yuji chuckled, patting him on the back.

“So you just need to confess, bro—”

Megumi’s cheeks turned scarlet as he grabbed Yuji by the collar of his hoodie, pulling him toward him.

“Itadori, don’t you dare say another word or I’ll k—”

Your laughter stopped them both in their tracks as you stepped toward them. You had missed this.

Megumi released Yuji, who fixed his hoodie before both he and Nobara rushed to embrace you.

“Don’t ever scare us like that again,” Yuji added. “Yeah, our hearts can’t handle it like yours can!”

Megumi looked at them over your shoulder, anxiety twisting inside him. Your eyes found his and he swallowed. After slipping free from their arms, you walked slowly toward him, and Megumi never looked away from you.

He raised his arms slightly when you embraced him, your breath steady against his chest as you intoxicated yourself with his scent, or perhaps simply the addictive fragrance of him.

Megumi could swear you must hear the violent pounding of his heart, yet he could not bring himself to push you away anymore. He exhaled slowly, steadying himself as his arms wrapped around you, his head lowering against the crown of your head.

Only when Nobara’s camera clicked did he stop, glaring at her as you chuckled.

“See you later, lovebirds.” Nobara announced as Yuji waved at both of you, while you could only gaze at Megumi with a warm smile.

Megumi scanned every detail of your beautiful features, feeling himself on the verge of madness for not knowing what to do, whether to act recklessly or to restrain himself. You sensed his hesitation, yet you trembled when he lifted his hand, his fingers brushing softly across your face.

You swallowed hard, your gaze shifting from his eyes to his lips. When your mouth parted invitingly, Megumi felt himself drawn irresistibly, being the first to press his lips tentatively to yours, afraid of rejection.

Yet when you responded with greater certainty, humming softly against his mouth, he cupped your cheeks more firmly. You slid your hand over his shoulder, rising slightly on your toes for his height. You could not know which of you had the more flushed face, entirely overcome by emotion.

Only the absence of breath could separate you, his forehead leaning against yours, his thumb brushing your cheek sweetly as he found himself incapable of speech.

That was why it was fortunate you were his opposite, unable to contain your words.

“I like you so much, Megumi.”

Megumi’s body felt electrified, barely containing the walls he always forced to stand, trembling as his eyes shut and he bit his lip. He encircled you with his arms, your head resting on his shoulder as he murmured.

“I like you more.”

He walked you home, since you still needed time to recover before returning to school.

⸻

Now that you thought about it, walking with him hand in hand like this on the street was such a stark contrast to every other time before, especially the last time, when neither of you spoke at all and both had been upset.

You felt your cheeks warm, absently brushing your ear as you thought of his kiss. When the realization struck you, you spoke at once.

“Fuck! I lost my earrings?” You ran your fingertips over your earlobe and beneath it. “Yes… Completely gone.”

You lowered yourself onto a bench in the park, Megumi’s silence not escaping your notice. You looked at him curiously.

“Megumi?”

He cleared his throat, finally raising his gaze to you with his dark, striking blue eyes.

“I saw you looking at them before.” He pulled a small box from his hoodie, fidgeting with it anxiously before revealing the pair you had admired when you were together on the mission. “After the fight you lost them. I assumed you would notice sooner, but you didn’t—”

Your heart swelled so fully you thought you might faint. Megumi gasped when you throw yourself into his arms. He grew shy at such public affection, yet your constant words of “Thank you” made him smile as he warmed you with his embrace.

He was seated near the low table with one knee raised, a scroll open beside him and his cloak folded over the back of a chair. He had returned from a short journey two days ago, which meant the house still carried that strange, private relief of him being there. His sandals were by the door, his sword was propped where it always stood, within reach but not in the way, there was an extra cup beside the kettle again, and one of his shirts had been left drying near the veranda.

Small proofs, ordinary ones. The kind you had once learnt not to take for granted.

"I'm home," you called, stepping into the genkan. Your voice almost managed it, and that is what made Sasuke look at you properly.

His gaze scanned over you in a single, measured sweep, taking in the set of your shoulders, the tightness around your mouth, the way your fingers held the strap of your bag as though letting go of it would require more strength than keeping it there. You had worn that face before. Not often, but enough that he recognised it. It was the face you wore when the day had taken more from you than you wanted to admit, when you were trying to cross the threshold without dragging the ache in behind you.

"Hm," he answered.

That simple response should not have been comforting. Somehow, it was.

You slipped off your sandals, slower than usual, and bent to straighten them by the door. The motion nearly undid you. A long day could do that; hold you upright through every duty, every conversation, every expectation, then try to break you over something as small as lining up your shoes at your own door.

You took too long. Behind you, Sasuke closed the scroll, the faint clap of paper settling into itself carrying through the room.

"I'm fine," you answered before he could ask.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at you.

You winced. "That was…too fast, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

A laugh left you, thin and worn around the edges. "I'm just tired. It's nothing dramatic."

Sasuke stood. There was no alarm in it, no rush, no grand display of concern. He simply crossed the room and came to stand in front of you, close enough that the warmth of his body reached through the evening chill still clinging to your clothes. You could smell rain on the air outside, sesame from the kitchen, the faint trace of smoke and clean fabric that always seemed to linger on him after travel.

He held out his hand. "Give me your bag."

"I can carry a bag, Sasuke."

"I know."

You squinted at him then. He did not move. There was no pity in his face, no impatience either. Only the familiar, infuriating certainty that made resistance feel more exhausting than surrender.

Your fingers loosened. The strap slid from your shoulder into his hand, and the absence of its weight was immediate. The ache in your neck shifted, your skin prickled where the fabric had been digging into you. You hated that something so small helped so much.

Sasuke set the bag down near the wall, out of the walkway, then reached past you to close the door fully. The latch clicked into place, the evening air was shut outside, the smell of the house gathered around you again, warmer now, rice and tea and the faint, dry sweetness of old wood.

Home, sealed against the world.

Sasuke glanced down at your hands.

You curled them into your sleeves. "Don't."

"I didn't say anything," he replied.

"You were about to."

His mouth shifted, almost a smile. "You're guessing."

"I live with you. I have advanced warning systems now."

Sasuke only hummed in response, the almost-smile disappearing quickly, but you saw it. You always saw it.

He turned towards the kitchen. “Sit down.”

“I should wash up first.”

“You can do that after.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten.”

“That isn't what I said.”

“No, but it matters.”

You stared at his back as he moved away, one sleeve pinned empty at his side, his remaining hand already reaching for the bowls. Years ago, you might have argued more. Years ago, he might have made the whole thing sharper than it needed to be, concern hidden too well beneath irritation. Both of you had learnt different forms of gentleness since then. Not perfect ones, but real enough.

You made it as far as the low table before lowering yourself onto the cushion. The relief of sitting down hit your body all at once. Your legs ached, your shoulders throbbed from where your bag had dragged at them all day, the muscles in your jaw loosened only when you realised you had been clenching them. For a moment, all you could do was close your eyes and let the house hold the parts of you that you could no longer keep upright alone.

In the kitchen, Sasuke moved with the solemn concentration of a man performing a task that had once been unfamiliar but now mattered because it belonged to someone he loved. He had never become fussy about food. He did not decorate bowls or worry over presentation, but he had learnt what you could manage after bad days—rice soft enough to be easy, broth warmed through, greens with sesame, tea poured fresh once he realised the first pot had gone bitter.

You heard the lid lift from the pot.

Steam breathed into the room carrying ginger and spring onion with it. A spoon clinked against ceramic, water ran briefly, the kettle was moved off the heat with a dull little scrape. These were ordinary sounds but they landed in your lap with careful hands.

You rested your forehead against your folded arms on the table. 

The house settled around you.

Beyond the open inner doors, the garden shifted in the evening breeze. Maple leaves near the veranda brushed together, their shadows moving across the floor in broken pieces. Water ticked from the bamboo spout into the stone basin, patient and unhurried. The sound filled the spaces where words might have gone.

That was the part that made your throat ache—the not-asking.

Sasuke brought the food over in two trips because he refused help and had become remarkably skilled at making refusal look efficient. First, a bowl appeared in front of you, steam curling against your face. Then tea, pale and hot, set near your hand. Then came water, because he had noticed that you always forgot it when you were tired.

Finally, he sat beside you instead of across from you, close enough that his knee touched yours beneath the table. The contact was deliberate.

You lifted your head.

The broth in front of you smelt of ginger and spring onion, simple and savoury, with a warmth that touched your face before you even lifted the spoon. Sasuke took his own chopsticks and looked down at his food instead of watching you too closely.

"Eat first," he started, and your eyes burned at once, "then decide if you want to talk."

Other people would have meant well and asked too much, too soon.

What happened? Who upset you? Why didn't you tell me? Are you alright?

Sasuke did not turn your exhaustion into a report you had to deliver before anyone cared for you. He put food in front of you, he sat close enough for his knee to rest against yours under the table, he gave you the choice of words later, when they no longer sat beneath your ribs like something sharp trying to break free.

You stared down at the bowl until the steam blurred.

"Sasuke."

"Hm?"

"You don't have to do this."

For a moment, he said nothing. Then, without looking up, he replied, "You came home tired."

That was his whole explanation, as if it were obvious, as if that alone answered everything.

A shaky breath slipped out of you. You reached for the spoon, mostly to give your hands something to do. The ceramic felt warm against your fingers. The first mouthful burned a little, but not badly, then the broth settled through you with an almost embarrassing kindness. Your body, treacherous thing, remembered all at once that you had asked it to survive on stubbornness and half a mango since morning.

Sasuke noticed the moment you took a second bite and said nothing. That, too, felt like mercy.

For a while, the two of you ate in the low amber glow of the room. The windows reflected your home back at you, your table, the bowls, the kettle, Sasuke beside you in dark clothes with his hair falling loose around his face. Older now than the boy who had once treated tenderness like a trap. Reserved, still, and sharp in the bones of him, always, but here, in this house, with his knee pressed against yours and his hand near your cup, he offered something steadier than reassurance.

You ate half the bowl before your appetite faltered.

Sasuke's gaze flicked towards you.

"I'm eating," you said defensively.

"I didn't speak."

"You were thinking loudly."

"You're avoiding the vegetables."

"I'm emotionally wounded," you told him, spoon hovering over the bowl. "I shouldn't be held accountable for vegetables right now."

His mouth softened at the corner. "Eat them."

"You are so strict."

"You like them."

"I like them when I'm not being perceived by the vegetable police."

This time, the sound he made almost became a laugh. It started low in his chest, brief and rough, then vanished before it could incriminate him. It helped more than you expected.

You picked up the greens and ate them with exaggerated dignity. "There. Honour restored."

"Hm."

"Do not 'hm' me after I obeyed your vegetable command."

"You're talking more," Sasuke observed.

You looked down at the broth.

So you were. Not much, not about the day you had, not about the ache itself, but enough that the room no longer felt like it was balancing on the thin edge of pretending. Enough that your voice had begun to sound like it belonged to you again.

Sasuke reached for the teapot and refilled your cup. His hand moved with familiar precision. Lamplight caught along his knuckles, over old scars and lean tendons, over the strength you knew so well. Tea streamed into the cup, fragrant and golden, and you watched the surface tremble as he set it down near your hand.

You thought, suddenly and painfully, of how many times he had returned to empty rooms before this house became yours together. How many years he had spent moving through the world with only duty for company, believing distance could keep the people he loved safe.

Yet here he was, home before you. Warming food, refilling your cup, not leaving.

Something must have shifted in your face, because Sasuke set the teapot down and turned towards you fully.

"What is it?" he asked. Gentle, for him. Careful in the way he offered it.

You swallowed. "Nothing."

His expression flattened at once.

You tried again. "Not nothing. I just—" 

Words gathered behind your teeth, tangled, failed. Sasuke waited.

That was another thing he had learnt, or maybe it had always been in him, that patience, once he stopped using silence as a wall and learnt how to make it shelter instead. He did not rush to fill the space. He did not rescue you from needing to speak, but he also did not punish you for struggling either.

You rubbed your eyes with the heel of your hand. "I just— I tried really hard today."

His eyes remained fixed on your face.

"I know that sounds stupid," you added quickly.

"It doesn't."

"It does," you argued, your voice thinning despite your best efforts. "I didn't do anything extraordinary. I just…got through it, and by the end I felt like even that was too much."

Your voice cracked on the last word and you hated it. Hated how your body betrayed you here, in the one place safe enough for it to happen. Your throat tightened, your fingers curled around the spoon until the edge of it pressed into your palm. 

Sasuke shifted closer. He did not touch you immediately, he knew better than to assume. Instead, he let his knee press more firmly against yours against the table, a question offered in the language of old trust. You answered by leaning into him.

His arm came around you after that, careful and solid. He drew you against his side, not tightly enough to trap you, but firmly enough that you no longer had to hold yourself together by force. His shirt felt warm beneath your cheek. You could feel the slow rise of his breath, the steady line of his body beside yours, the place where his hand settled against your shoulder with deliberate care.

You turned your face into him.

"I'm sorry," you whispered.

His arm tightened around you. "For what?"

"For coming home like this…"

The air seemed to hold its breath for a moment, then Sasuke lowered his face until his cheek rested against the top of your head.

"You came home," he replied. "That's the important part."

It should have been simple, and perhaps it was simple, perhaps that was why is reached you so cleanly. You cried then, not prettily, not neatly, not in any way that made sense. Just tears that came hot and sudden, pressed into the dark fabric of his shirt. Sasuke held you through it without flinching. He did not tell you it was fine, he knew better than most that some hurts do not shrink just because someone wished they would.

His hand moved once over your back, slow from shoulder to spine, awkward only because he was being careful.

The garden clicked and rustled beyond the open doors, bamboo knocked lightly against stone. Somewhere deeper in the village, a dog barked twice, then settled. The kettle gave up its last thread of steam beside the hearth and the world went on with its ordinary little sounds, but it no longer felt as if you had to keep it turning by force.

"I don't want to talk about all of it," you murmured eventually, your voice muffled against his shirt.

"Then don't."

"I might tomorrow…"

"Okay."

"Or not."

"That's okay, too."

You let out a shaky breath. "What if it comes out badly?"

"Then it comes out badly."

A small, wet laugh escaped you. "That isn't comforting."

"It's true."

"Your bedside manner hasn't improved much."

"You're not in bed."

You lifted your head just enough to glare at him. Sasuke looked entirely unrepentant. 

The glare failed almost immediately. You were too tired, and he sat too close, his arm still solid around you, his warmth seeping through the fabric between you. Something about the dry line of his mouth loosened the pressure behind your ribs until the heaviness no longer felt impossible to carry.

"I hate when you're funny by accident," you muttered.

"I'm not."

"Yeah, that's why it's by accident."

His eyes gentled, only slightly. Enough to make you want to cry again for an entirely different reason.

Sasuke reached for your cup and placed it into your hands. His fingers brushed yours as he did, warm from the bowl, calloused from years of steel and travel. "Drink."

"You're taking care of me like this is a mission," you said, wrapping both hands around the cup.

"It is."

"What's the objective?"

Sasuke looked at you for a long moment. The years had changed the answer he might once have given. A younger Sasuke would have looked away, he might have hidden everything important inside irritation or silence and trusted you to infer what he could not say. The man before you still did not offer tenderness carelessly, but he had learnt that withholding the trust did not always protect anyone. Sometimes it only made the house colder.

"You," he replied at last.

Your heart did something foolish in your chest.

"You can't just say that," you whispered in horror.

"I did."

"Yes, and now I have to survive it!"

"Hm."

You laughed again, small but real, and drank the tea because he was watching and because the heat of it helped. It slid down your throat, sweetened faintly with honey you knew he only kept because you liked it, and settled into your chest like a warm hand pressed there.

After dinner, Sasuke cleared the table before you could stand. You made one weak attempt to protest and he ignored it with the calm authority he used when facing gods, monsters, and Naruto Uzumaki's worst ideas, and therefore had no intention of losing to your guilt over dirty bowls. He rinsed each dish with efficient care, one-handed and unbothered by it, while you retreated to the engawa with the blanket he had left folded nearby.

The night air had cooled as summer had begun to loosen its hold on the village, leaving the dark mild at the edges. Lantern-light glowed through the paper screens behind you, turning the verands honey-gold at your back. The garden lay silvered under the moon, every leaf and stone familiar because the two of you had placed them there over time.

A home did not arrive whole, it gathered itself around you.

A mug chosen from a market stall. A plant kept alive through three summers. The sword stand by the door. His cloak folded over the same chair whenever he came back from a journey. Your sandals beside his in the genkan.

You pulled the blanket around your shoulders. The fabric still held a little warmth from the house, and the hem brushed your bare ankles as you tucked your feet beneath you. Sasuke came out after a few minutes and sat down beside you.

For a while, neither of you spoke.

He looked out over the garden while you looked at him. There were still absences in him, there always would be. Long journeys, old grief, the missing arm. The things he had done, the things he had survived, the pauses he carried not because they were empty, but because some memories did not belong in the middle of an ordinary night.

There was also this.

His shoulder beside yours, his cup cooling inside, his home no longer waiting empty, his presence offered without demand.

You leaned against him. Sasuke adjusted at once, letting your head settle against his shoulder. After a moment, his hand found yours beneath the blanket and his fingers thread through yours with care, slow enough that you could refuse, certain enough that you did not need to. His thumb rested against the inside of your wrist where your pulse still beat too fast from crying.

"I'm glad you were here," you whispered after a while.

He looked down at where your hands were joined under the fabric. 

"So am I."

He said it softly enough that only you and the garden heard. You closed your eyes.

For a while, that was all the comfort you needed; the cool night air on your face, the warm blanket over your knees, the steady weight of him beside you, and the knowledge that you did not always have to be easy to love in order to be loved well.

Eventually, your body began to give in. Your head grew heavier against his shoulder, the day loosened its grip, not gone but father away now, pushed beyond the gate where it could wait until morning. 

Sasuke shifted.

You made a small, protesting sound and curled your fingers more tightly around his.

"I'm not leaving," he murmured.

Your eyes opened half-way. "Promise?"

His thumb moved once over your skin. "I'm here."

For Sasuke, that was a promise. You believed him.

When sleep started to pull at you again you felt him turn slightly towards you as he pulled his hand out of yours for a moment. Two fingers touched your forehead, light as memory, gentle as the kind of love he had once been afraid to keep.

"Rest."

You let yourself sink a little further into the warmth of him, into the house you had made together, into the safety of the village settling around you for the night.

There is something uniquely dangerous about loving Sasuke Uchiha because he is not a man built for easy attachment. He loves like winter soil clinging onto buried fire—quietly, reluctantly, absolutely.

In the beginning, your relationship would feel less like courtship and more like being slowly permitted closer to a feral animal that keeps expecting the hand reaching for it to become a weapon. Not because he dislikes you, it's actually the opposite; Sasuke becomes colder when he cares. He watches himself around you with frightening precision because attachment still feels dangerous to him for a very long time; he has lost too many people to trust happiness without expecting a blade to be hidden inside it. So early affection comes in strange forms: He walks you home without mentioning it, he remembers little details that you forgot about telling him, he appears beside you any time you need help, he silently positions himself between you and any perceived danger without even thinking about it. Sasuke has a deeply protective streak that becomes very obvious in a relationship. He is constantly aware of his surroundings and unconsciously keeps track of where you are, especially in crowded or dangerous situations. Sometimes it manifests subtly, like a hand at your back guiding you through a crowd, and other times it becomes intensely serious if he believes you are truly threatened. You realise he loves you long before he ever says it because his body rearranges itself around your safety.

Sasuke is deeply tactile in private and near untouchable in public. Not out of embarrassment. Possessiveness, maybe a little. Privacy? Definitely. He hates the feeling of other people witnessing something soft from him; it feels exposed in the same way standing unarmed might feel exposed. Behind closed doors, he is an entirely different creature. He adores unconscious contact like your legs thrown across his lap while he reads, your face pressed against his shoulder while he maintains his weapons, fingers hooked loosely in your clothes while you sleep. When he's exhausted, truly exhausted, he becomes clingy in ways he would vehemently deny under torture. He gravitates toward your warmth like his nervous system only powers down correctly when he's near you. The intimacy of simply existing together peacefully means far more to him than grand declarations.

Arguments with Sasuke are rarely loud. He does not explode outwardly often anymore, he freezes. Silence becomes his defence mechanism when he's hurt or overwhelmed. The problem is that his silence carries weight with it—it makes rooms feel colder, it makes air turn tight around the ribs. The hardest stage of loving Sasuke is learning that when he withdraws, he is usually trying not to wound you with whatever storm is moving through his head, and the hardest thing for him to learn is that shutting you out hurts you anyway. Eventually, the relationship becomes less about 'never fighting' and more about learning how to come back to one another afterwards. Sasuke apologises badly at first, awkwardly, like he's trying to translate into a language he barely speaks. His apologies are sincere, though, because his behaviour changes following them. That his how he tells you he loves you most consistently: correction, effort, and return. Loving him requires patience, but he gives that same patience in turn.

Sasuke is wildly observant to your emotional state. This man notices everything. The stiffness in your shoulders, the difference between tiredness and sadness, the exact tells that let him know when you're overwhelmed, when your smile is performative rather than genuine, the tone your voice takes when you're pretending to be okay. He spent years surviving by reading danger in microscopic shifts and then skill never truly disappears. The catch is that he often notices your distress before you do, and if you're someone who self-destructs privately, Sasuke becomes fiercely protective. Not controlling, necessarily, but he is very intent on reducing burdens once he realises you're reaching your limit. So he starts handling things before you ask. He'll cook, he'll take over chores, he'll steer social interactions away from you, he will stand guard like a wolf sitting before the entrance of its den.

Trust with Sasuke is sacred. He does not give trust halfway. Once you have it, you have something immovable. If someone insults you unfairly, he remembers. If someone hurts you intentionally, he remembers longer. There is an almost chilling certainty to the way his loyalty operates once you become part of his inner world. You stop fearing abandonment with him eventually because Sasuke's love is not fickle. If anything, it's stubborn to the point of self-destruction. The horrifying part is realising he would burn himself hollow protecting the people he loves if left unchecked.

Domesticity changes him more than anything else ever could. Not dramatically; Sasuke is never going to become loud or overly expressive overnight, but little things soften in him. He starts lingering instead of disappearing constantly, he learns your routines as he slowly gets used to your presence being woven into the tapestry of his life. Sometimes you catch moments that almost feel unreal: Sasuke half-asleep with his hair loose and sunlight across his face, his arms around your waist and his chin resting on your shoulder while you cook, looking up from across the room with this unbearably gentle expression on his face like he still cannot believe you stayed. Domestic peace affects him like thawing frostbitten hands—painful, at first, then addictive.

Jealousy with Sasuke is subtle but lethal. He is not the type to start a scene, he is the type to silently appear beside you with one hand settling at your waist while staring another person down hard enough to qualify as psychological warfare. The worst part? Half the time he does not even realise he's doing it. 😭 Possessiveness leaks out of him the most when he feels emotionally insecure or disconnected from you, especially early in your relationship when part of him is still bracing to lose everything unexpectedly. Once mature trust settles in, though, the jealousy quiets down and becomes more amusing. Dry comments, calm interruptions, that infamous Uchiha Stare™ sharpening whenever someone is getting too comfortable with you.

Physical intimacy with Sasuke would be intensely emotional even when neither of you says much. Like some of the other men in the cast, vulnerability and desire are deeply intertwined for him. Eye contact matters to him, forehead touches, hands gripping fabric, breathing each other in like memorisation. Sasuke strikes me as someone who loves slowly at first, cautiously, until the dam breaks and suddenly all the suppressed intensity surfaces at once. And afterwards? Oh, the softness is ruinous. This terrifying man who looks carved from shadow and old grief delicately brushing hair from your face, thumb tracing absentmindedly across your pulse points, holding you against his chest like he's calming something ancient inside himself.

He would struggled profoundly with the idea of deserving you. Even years later, especially after happier periods in your life together. Trauma survivors sometimes become most frightened when life finally turns gentle because now there is something precious to lose. There would be nights where Sasuke looks at you with almost crushing tenderness and distance at the same time because part of him still cannot reconcile love with survival. Those moments require patience, not reassurance every second, just simple presence. Your hand in his, your forehead against his, proof that you are still here. Over time, that consistency becomes the thing that finally teaches him that peace can be survivable too.

Loving Sasuke ultimately means understanding that beneath all the restraint, intelligence, sharpness, and grief…he loves with startling sincerity. Sasuke is not a casual lover, he is not convenient, he does not do halfway. Once he lets you into his heart, you become stitched into the structure of him permanently. That kind of love from someone like Sasuke Uchiha would feel less like fireworks and more like standing beside a mountain in winter and realising that the snow-covered thing beside you would collapse the very heavens before letting you freeze alone.