lina ᢉ𐭩

'Fuga.'

You're interested immediately. Coming to a stop outside, the meaning of the shop name is printed in white on the window. 'Fuga — One of the Japanese meanings of this is 'a way of elegance or grace'. We hope to include fuga with every order that we take; there's no rush, just sit back and enjoy.'

The opening and closing times are also unusual. They're open in time for the usual morning rush hour but unlike other coffee stores, they stay open until 9pm. You can't imagine the shifts that their staff must take and how much happens behind the scenes.

Despite being hidden, it is the morning rush hour on a weekday and through the window you can clearly see that there is a queue forming. Underrated coffee shops get discovered pretty quickly these days thanks to social media and it's not long until they'll be announcing a sister location somewhere else in the city.

Stepping inside, a bell chimes overhead but it's drowned out due to the hustle and bustle inside the shop. The scent of crushed coffee beans hits you immediately and the sound of lofi music playing in the background is just about heard over the level of conversations in the store.

Joining the queue, your eyes scan the cafe. It's pretty spacey compared to the other units that most coffee shops rent out. There's clearly more places to sit in the back and all of the window seats are currently taken. There's a handful of students and people in suits either sat working away on their laptops or taking a call. In the corner an old man is sitting back and enjoying a cup of his own hot coffee.

There's three people currently manning the counter and you worry whether that means service is slow but on further observation you notice they work well, weaving in and out of each other. There's a man situated at the till, tall and large you first notice. Then you see that he has pink hair and it's only when you inch closer to being served that you notice he has an array of black tattoos. They're printed on his face as well as around his wrists and you start to wonder how many baristas you've seen with face tattoos.

He seems to be the first.

Behind him seems to be a white haired figure with a plum pink stripe dyed into their hair. It's clear that whoever employs these people are very laid back with how they are presented. The figure moves quickly but also with caution pouring and making drinks before bringing them to the collection section and calling out a name.

You've been so caught up in studying the new environment of the cafe that you don't even realise that it's your turn next. You haven't had the chance to look at the menu so when you finally do, you're left with your mouth open in front of the tattooed man. And on closer observation you find that he's rather intimidating.

"Good morning." you greet.

"What do you want?" he asks in a monotone tone evident that he's been repeating this question for a while. You brush off the fact that he hasn't greeted you back and you simply hum as you stare at the menu.

It's evident that you're irritating the barista by not even knowing what you want, the bored expression on his face and his finger impatiently tapping the counter. Your eyes are scanning the menu until he finally says something that in all of your years of going to local cafes have never heard in your life.

"Can you hurry up?"

"Excuse me?"

"I said," he draws as if it's painfully inconveniencing him to repeat himself, "can you hurry up? There's a queue behind you." It's evident in his tone that he's not asking but rather ordering you to do so and for a split second there's a moment in which you forget that you are in fact the customer.

"I'm aware." you say, "I'm deciding."

"You had two minutes to decide." he retorts.

"I've never been here before, of course I'm going to take my time looking at the menu." you keep a calm tone making it clear that you don't want any misunderstandings.

"Do you want a medal? What's your order?"

Fine. You think to yourself, you're gonna give him the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe it's been a long morning, maybe he wasn't supposed to be on shift today but then got called in, maybe he's just an asshole. You don't care. But what you do care about is getting your morning coffee as usual.

"Vanilla latte with oat milk please."

"We're out of oat milk." he announces keeping his tone flat with enough space to add some frustration into it as if this was your own fault.

"Really?"

He doesn't reply, keeping a blank face that silently asks 'do I look like I'm joking?'

"Uhhh, could I get an iced strawberry matcha then please?"

"We're out."

You hold back a sigh, forcing a tight lipped smile on your face. "Fine. A cappuccino. Any milk you have. Please."

The barista doesn't look up, tapping onto a screen. "Regular or large?"

"What's the difference?" you ask.

He points to the side where the size cup differences are shown and as usual the large is 50p extra.

"Regular."

"Name?"

After giving your name, he mutters something under his breath and if you were in a bad mood this morning then you would have asked him what his issue was but instead you keep quiet, silently wishing he spills lukewarm coffee all over his disgustingly attractive face. Somehow. If it was logical to spill coffee on one's face.

"Four fifty. Tap your card and stand over there." he orders without any patience.

You don't even think twice before tapping your phone and moving immediately. In your mind you continue to curse him forever whilst watching his back muscles move swiftly as he makes your drink. Him and the white haired figure switched places with him making your order and his co-worker now at the till.

You expected a long wait but it takes less than five minutes before he's yelling out your name with impatience.

And he pronounced it wrong.

Whether it was on purpose or he wasn't listening to you at all, you'll never know but you go ahead and take your order. You can't even say thank you directly before he's rushing off and completing another order. Deciding to get out as soon as possible, you grab as many sugar packets you need, a stirrer and you head on out.

"How fucking rude." you mutter to yourself, opening the lid to your cappuccino. There's no latte art and you wouldn't expect there to be given the rush. You pour your sugar in and stir until satisfied, slowly making your way to the office building.

Sure, you know baristas are sometimes not the most welcoming people given the high stress level of their jobs and you've come across some reclusive baristas before but this one…he's just plain rude. You don't usually complain about how people do their job but this one has really struck a nerve.

How was he hired in the first place? Does the manager know he speaks to customers like this? How did he even pass an interview to get hired for this place? Does he act like this with all his customers?

Those are the questions that you continue to ask yourself whilst on the way to work, you get a little distracted after taking a sip of your coffee and coming to find out that your cappuccino is actually pretty good. Usually some cafes don't do cappuccinos the right way but there's something about this cup that makes you wonder what exact type of coffee bean they use.

You make a mental note to check later in your free time and it's not long before you start to feel rejuvenated by your coffee. Despite your bad customer service, you still manage to get a good cup of coffee to support your day and it's almost enough to forget your bad interaction.

*** Almost.

That cup of coffee was good.

Good enough to make you check their company website and check their 'about us' page.

And of course it just so happens that you stumble onto their google reviews.

Fuga Coffee Shop | reviews (54)

Naturally, your laptop cursor clicks onto their reviews. They only opened two months ago so it's understandable why the reviews must be so low, they're just starting out. The reviews are automatically filtered to their top reviews, which is from just over two weeks ago.

ihatemonkeys009

The grumpy tattooed barista is a little anti-social but he makes the best lattes ever! will be coming back again! four stars.

"A little?" you say aloud to yourself, "give me a break."

The review that follows under that is also highly popular.

ghostsarerealiswear2334_67

free wifi and they open early and don't close till late?! best study place ever! (please like my review!) five stars.

kentoforwork89

A nice and newly established restaurant under the Japanese name 'Fuga', the name is fitting for its elegant service and high quality coffee. They have a wide range on the menu and serve food too. The cafe is spacious, plenty of space to study or work and if you use electronics they have power sockets dotted around. Good prices for the service and highly reliable. I will be coming here again as it is not overwhelmingly busy or loud like some other places. I highly recommend. four and a half stars.

ilovesweetssooooooooooomuchhhgojo9838

tHE tattooed barisSta maybe be cold hoever his coffees are the warmest!!!!! xoxoxoxo peefect date location (soz for typos idid this fast on my phone so i coulget fre emochi) FIVE STARTS

You let out a sigh reading the reviews, it's a little cheesy but you get the point. Reading all 54 reviews you've come to find that a lot of people find the same tattooed barista annoying but miraculously all is forgotten once you've tried a coffee from him.

There isn't one totally bad review — maybe from an AI bot who says that the location is in a whole other city but other than that it's clear that this cafe is a new and upcoming contender as one of the best spots in the city.

And that doesn't sit right in your soul.

Taking this personally as someone who runs a company, you understand that if people were talking about your employees in this manner then they would be subject to being fired. You're confused on how this man is still employed even after fifty reviews, surely the owner must be reading them.

You sit in silence for a while as you contemplate.

Should you?

Or shouldn't you?

Hesitant, your fingers hover over your keyboard, testing out a sentence.

i tried this cafe as a new customer — no, no, too cliche, you backspace your sentence entirely.

Thinking for a moment, you reflect on what you want to say. You start typing slowly before it all flows within your fingertips, a mini paragraph forming on your screen. You're writing in the heat of the moment, out of pure frustration and embarrassment. Most people would be able to forgive and forget but well…unfortunately you're not most people.

anonymouscapybara45

this place is relatively new in this city and as a coffee lover i was extremely enthusiastic to try this place out. my high hopes for this cafe were quickly crushed once i was (not even greeted) but completely mistreated by the tattooed barista.

i did not like this service, no matter how good the quality of the coffee was.

i do not think a barista should be talking to customers like this. i felt severely unwelcomed and i am having second thoughts on returning to this place.

there's better and kinder staff in other cafes in the city who i will gladly give my money too.

1 out of 5 stars.

Sure, it's a little…Karen but you feel petty. Highlighting all the adverbs makes you think that your english teacher from high school would be proud. There's a small feeling of guilt in the pit of your stomach as it dawns on you that your review will be the first one star review the company has ever had.

But this is not a baseless review. You actually felt this way at the time. It's a little exaggerated but who cares, they don't know you and they never will because you're not stepping foot there ever again.

There's not much satisfaction in the world that you can get other than pressing post on your review.

***

An hour later you've moved on with your life. You've settled into your home, following your post-work routine and you're now sitting on your couch. Your phone lights up with a notification and your eyes land on the screen.

You get a notification from your gmail that someone has mentioned you in a reply and with your thumb clicking on the message your eyes slightly widen.

The owner has replied to your message.

And for the first time it seems because they haven't seemed to reply to all the other positive messages on the site.

You'd forgotten that this was an option for them, simply thinking that your review would just get the employee removed. Your eyes skim over the reply.

From the Owner of Fuga in reply to anonymouscapybara45

Hello valued customer,

we apologise that you have had this experience recently, it is never our intention to make our customers feel this way. Our company and brand relies majorly on the respect and communication with our customers which is always taught and trained to our employees. We apologise for the actions and behaviour of our barista and on behalf of the company we would like to invite you to have any item on our menu free of charge over the course of the week. We would like to give you a seven day voucher and invite you back to a better atmosphere of our cafe to show you truly how we treat our customers.

Please pop into our cafe at your convenience. We look forward to seeing you and we apologise again for your experience.

Kind regards,

Fuga Owner (Jin Itadori)

Your mind is baffled.

Free drinks…for a week? Because of your bad review?

Not even the other low starred reviews have had this level of response from the owner. You're the first one star review they've had and they haven't even responded maliciously. You can't pass up on this good of an opportunity to have free coffee for the next week? You could be saving a ridiculous amount of money.

You re-read the review a few times to make sure that it still seems real to your eyes.

Maybe it will be the last time that you'll see that barista again.

**

You try your luck the following day. You're a bit more hopeful walking into the coffee shop the next day. It's a little less busier than the previous day and the queue is a little shorter.

But most important of them all, you don't see that tattooed jerk around.

This time serving the till is the white haired figure you saw making the drinks the last time you arrived. Behind them works another person that you haven't seen before who has their back turned making orders.

Soon enough it's your turn to go up to the till.

"Hello." They greet and almost immediately you feel comfortable that you won't be shunned for simply being a customer at this cafe.

"Good morning," you greet back with a smile before explaining your situation. "This may be a bit awkward but uhm, I was the customer who wrote a review of this cafe and uh— the owner said I was given a voucher as some sort of compensation."

For a second you thought you were scammed or that the entire thing was a lie just to catch the poor customer who's written terrible reviews but you watch as the wave of recognition hits the barista.

Instead they nod and say, "one moment" before turning around to head to the back. You shift from one foot to the other, patiently waiting and in the meantime thinking of what you'd want to get as your first free drink.

Your smile soon drops once you see the figure that follows the person that you were speaking to at the till.

That tattooed bastard.

His eyes widen slightly at the sight of you before turning into a miserable frown, clearly he wasn't expecting you to be the customer who wrote the review but there's also something that tells you that he's not totally surprised.

The white haired barista makes their way back to you, "If you go over to Sukuna he can help you with your voucher."

Sukuna. Now you know his name. And now you know he's somehow still employed by this damn coffee shop.

You walk over with hesitation and you can't help but notice Sukuna's eyes watching you as you make your over to a quiet area.

"It was you." he says but there's no bite to his tone. It's merely a statement he's making but you don't miss the judgement in his eyes.

"I was being honest." you shrug, holding your head high. You have no regrets whatsoever, you were merely giving constructive feedback about an environment that felt hostile to you. About a certain someone who was hostile.

Sukuna leans in a little closer to you, one hand placed on the counter as he speaks to you. "Because of you and your stupid review I have to serve you free drinks for a week, which is coming out of my pay by the way."

"Maybe it'll teach you how to speak nicer to customers." you retort back.

You notice his hand turning into a tight fist, gripping the counter, clearly holding back on responding to you. With his other hand he slides over a piece of paper. "Here's your damn voucher and, no I didn't write it, so what do you want?"

You tilt your head a little at him.

Sukuna corrects himself and in a deadpan monotone he starts over. "Hello. Welcome to Fuga. What would you like today?"

A satisfied smile reaches your lips. "Much better. I would like an iced strawberry matcha with oat milk please."

"Regular or large?"

"Hmm since it's on the house, large please."

"It's not on the house…" he mutters.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Hmmmmm."

Sukuna disappears, diving into the hustle and bustle of his other colleagues making your own personal drink. As he makes your drink you look over your voucher, Sukuna's written today's date already and the expiry date is set seven days from now.

Once again, your order doesn't take him long and you spot your green and pink drink in his large hands. Approaching he hands your drink over to you which you thank before taking a sip.

On your tongue, the grassy flavour is immediately sedated by the sweetness of the strawberry at the bottom. There's the perfect amount of ice and matcha in your drink for you to enjoy and it takes everything in you not to fall to your knees and praise Sukuna on how great he's made this drink.

"Not bad." you murmur, downplaying your enthusiasm. "Can I get another free drink?"

"One per day stupid."

"The voucher doesn't clarify that, it's handwritten."

"I don't care."

"Would you like me to write another poor review?"

Now this is what gets Sukuna clenching his jaw together. He takes a pause, calming himself down before speaking to you again. "No anonymouscapybara45 I wouldn't like that because you got me in a lot of shit for this."

You don't flinch when he mentions your username. Ah, so he's read the review then. You quip back, "Your boss fire you yet?"

"No," and there's a slight pout, "he's just annoying the shit out of me at the moment."

"Hmm right, if you make me an iced vanilla latte with oat milk to go I think I might just refrain from writing a bad review about you for today."

You watch as he clenches his jaw in frustration. "Just this once. For the rest of the days you get one drink only."

"And a sweet treat!" you chime in.

Sukuna pauses, mulling over your suggestion. He lets out a sigh.

"A free drink and a snack." He offers.

"Deal." You outstretch your free hand to shake on.

Sukuna looks at your hand in pure disgust like you've just offered to spit in his mouth. "Deal. Just don't make my job harder than it needs to be." he mutters.

"I don't think I can promise that." you reply and you watch in pure satisfaction as he walks away mumbling to himself.

The door of the gym swung open as he entered,keeping his head low, hoping that no one was there to greet him. And to his relief the room was empty. A reception desk stood in front of him, littered with all kinds of papers and leaflets.  On the wall stood a simple printed poster of the membership prices and working hours. But Sukuna had something different on his mind.  Finding the locker room in time. 06:22 PM. He stalled longer than he had expected and now he had to be lightning quick. He spotted a small sign saying “LOCKERS” on the wall and he sighed with relief. He quickly went through the hall and looked at the tiny door at the end. Twisting the handle, he took a deep breath in and entered.

Finally. It hit him. The smell of rubber, blood and sweat hit his nostrils all at once as he entered, sending the stress of this whole mess straight into his fists. 06:27PM. He had three minutes. He unbuttoned his jeans in a hurry and tried sliding them down his legs, stomping on the ends. The raw denim, however, stuck to his thighs like second skin, not wanting to let go. 

“Oh fuck me..” he spat as he bent down to take off his jeans like a normal person. 

He quickly put on his crimson shorts and started tackling with his shirt next. This will require some patience. He grabbed the hem of his gray shirt and started lifting his arms slowly, carefully - this was the last whole shirt he had, and he knew he couldn’t go to his job in his old band tees. His hands passed his waist and began reaching his ribs, so far so good. As he passed his ribs with the hem of his shirt in hand he started to feel resistance. The sweat from the heat and stress was not helping as the black compression shirt stuck to him like glue. He glanced at his phone. 06:29 PM. Fuck. He tried to wiggle out of it, but it caught on his lats and wasn’t letting go. 

“you motherfu-” he hissed as he yanked his hands up, desperately trying to free himself. 

*hrrkk*

the seam ripped as the shirt went over his head. There it went. His last fucking shirt. He crumpled it up and stuffed it in his bag. He didn’t have time to think about this right now, he would just ask Toji for some spare ones, even though this one was also Toji’s..

He quickly got an old tank top on and changed into his old, busted up sneakers. 06:31 PM. He snatched his water bottle from the bag and got out into the gym.

The gym was illuminated with white lights that hung off the walls. In the middle of it was a large ring where two guys stood, talking. The walls of the gym were adorned with all kinds of posters and news articles of fights won. In the middle of the wall stood a large mirror overlooking the ring. The smell of iron and sweat was even stronger than in the locker room, but it was the only thing that gave Sukuna a little comfort. He squinted at the blearing lights trying to find the old man when he heard the whistle. 

“You.” an old raspy voice barked from the left. The man standing had a permanent frown on his face from years of shouting and scowling at his athletes. His short gray hair crowned his head as he looked at Sukuna with eyes full of agitation. 

“Laps.” The old man said quickly.

Sukuna’s eyebrows shot up and a scowl appeared on his face and he looked at him with a dose of indignation. What the hell was he going to do laps for? 

“I came here to box old man, not run a marathon.” He spat.

“Oh? You came here to box? Alright then. Let’s see what you got.” The man spoke coldly. He passed Sukuna and started going towards the ring in the middle of the room. Sukuna never took his crimson eyes off of him, unsure of what he’ll do next. 

“Satoru!” The old man roared. Despite his old and frail frame the man had some lungs in him.

“You’re up. This is your opponent.” he said, pointing at Sukuna, who had a smirk plastered on his face.  The man who turned his head was one of the guys standing in the ring, talking. His unnaturally white hair fell over his cerulean blue eyes as he turned his head. He had a tall, lean frame but nowhere near as large as Sukuna’s. 

Satoru looked towards his coach and let out a laugh. 

“This guy?”, He said, pointing at Sukuna with his chin, arms crossed as he did so, “Gimme a break Yaga  I won’t entertain your new toys,” Satoru scoffed, “He doesn’t even have gloves. Hell, he’s not even wrapped. Have you ever seen a ring pinkie pie?” The white-haired man shouted to Sukuna.

“I don’t need gloves to fuck you up fuckwad!” Sukuna roared as he came up to the ring, ducking in between the ropes to get in. He was seething with anger. Who the fuck does this white-haired weirdo think he is, sounding all high and mighty. No, he hasn’t seen a ring. You don’t need a ring when you go to threaten people and beat some sense into them. A ring could be anything in Sukuna’s mind - the street, a club, a bathroom in a restaurant, hell, even a bedroom. In his world there was no need for stupid wraps or gloves, the stronger you hit, the faster it ends.

 And so he went up there, just his scarred knuckles and raw strength. He looked at the two men standing in the ring. The man next to Satoru had long black hair that was tied up in a man bun and the aura he exuded was aloof and uninterested. He would deal with him later, for now the target was the white-haired asshole. Sukuna put his fists up while searching for any openings that freak had. Left cheekbone, stomach, chin. He counted them all. Satoru put on his sparring helmet and the mouthguard. The man-bun tightened Satoru’s gloves and he turned around to face Sukuna. 

“Put on a helmet at least, I would feel bad busting you up on your first day.” Satoru smirked. He was bouncing from one leg to the other, like a little kid in a candy store. His hands were beside his torso, swinging. 

“I’ll go easy, don’t worry.. What’s your name again?” He asked with a slight lisp from his mouthguard. 

“Ryomen Sukuna, asshole.” Sukuna’s voice was ice cold. He just stood there with his guard up, waiting for Satoru to start the fight. He knew the catch with guys like Satoru - the  fast kind, the ones you have to chase around and subsequently lose your footing while they use that to their advantage. Waiting him out was the best strategy. 

“Don’t dance around pussy, fight.” Sukuna spat and his crimson eyes darted around Satoru’s openings again. 

“Well, Ryomen Sukuna, I will when you put on a helmet, I fight fair.”  

“Those are for pussies, fight like a man.” Sukuna spat as he tightened his fists, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. 

“Satoru, get on with it I don’t have all day!” Yaga roared from the corner of the ring. Sukuna turned to look at the sudden noise when he felt a sudden sharp pain across his nose. The scent of blood immediately filled his nostrils as the pain bloomed across his face. The crackle of cartilage filled his ears. That was a heavy punch. His head swung back. The pain became dizzying. 

“Never take your eyes off of your opponent, newbie. Rule number one in boxing. ” The white-haired man smirked. Sukuna’s eyes immediately darted toward Satoru. He straightened up in a  second as his hand went flying faster than the thought went through his mind. A punch to the abdomen, just at the diaphragm. Precise and calculated. He could hear the air being pushed out of Satoru’s lungs. A low grunt escaped Satoru’s lips as he doubled over. But Sukuna was nowhere near done. He had just started. Satoru threw another punch aimed at his left temple. He ducked. 

“Is this guy your strongest, old man? What a fucking joke!” Sukuna asked , smirking, eyes locked on Satoru who was sweating bullets, trying to regain his breath. The pink-head had that predatory glint in his eyes. The one that would usually send shivers down a person’s back. His crimson eyes looked for a chance, an opening in Satoru’s defence, anything. He hit Satoru again. A quick jab, straight to the middle of his face. His raw knuckles burned at the punch but he paid no mind. 

The only thing he thought about was seeing this guy on the floor. Sukuna’s tattooed torso rippled with every punch he threw. It was a relentless fury of punches heading in Satoru’s direction. Head, nose, shoulder, head again. He stumbled back into the ropes, head spinning as blood poured out of his nose like a faucet. The dark purple bruise bloomed over Satoru’s eye as he wiped his nose. It was time for a switch or he won’t endure this. There was no stopping this guy - so he started wearing him out. Satoru begun flying around the ring, desperately trying to regain his breath. 

“You should try and punch, asshole, not dance around me.” Sukuna laughed. 

“Yeah and you should try and move, newbie, you haven’t moved an inch since we started.” Satoru smirked while jumping, droplets of sweat falling off of his hair, hitting the floor of the ring. 

“And yet I still got your ass.” Sukuna sneered. 

Satoru took a good look at Sukuna - his crimson irises, oozing hubris, fixated on Saroru’s face, nostrils flaring, his stance that was too rigid, too upright, his fists too stiff in the way he hit.

“So, Ryomen Sukuna, do you wanna be a champion? Is that why you’re here? To prove to everyone who ever doubted you that you are worthy of the champion title?” Satoru mocked, his feet never stopping. “Everyone comes here with that in mind, you know. But they all fail. Do you know why? Because they don’t have what it takes.” 

“And you do?” Sukuna cocked an eyebrow. 

“I never said I wanted to be a champion now did I? You gotta listen better, pinkie. Tsk tsk tsk. All of you assholes come here, walking in like you own this place. But let me tell you now, Ryomen Sukuna, you’ll. Never. Be. A. Champion. Get that through your thick head.” 

Satoru’s words echoed across the walls. 

And at that moment Sukuna set his sights on the white-head. His feet moved in a blink, coming up to Satoru in an instant. The pair of cerulean eyes widened at the sudden intrusion of personal space when his windpipe started to close. A second was all it took for Sukuna to wrap his large hand around Satoru’s throat and start squeezing. His grip was iron, slowly squeezing the air out of Satoru whose vision began blurring. Sukuna’s eyes were frantic, their crimson color amplifying the murderous intent behind them.

 If he wanted to, he could kill Satoru right then and there.

Suddenly, a high-pitched noise broke through the silence. Yaga got up from his chair, whistle in hand and started quickly walking towards the ring. 

“HEY! Knock it off both of you!” He spat as he got inside to separate the guys. Sukuna let go of him and Satoru fell backwards on the ropes, his friend catching him quickly. 

“Now give me one good goddamn reason not to kick you out this second boy!” He roared, pushing his thin finger in Sukuna’s chest. 

“Are you sick in the fucking head?” The guy with the man-bun yelled as he looked over at Sukuna while trying to lift Satoru up. 

“He was asking for it.” Sukuna shrugged, his voice full of venom. Satoru started coming to soon enough, his legs still a bit shaky but he managed to get up. He held onto his friend as he regained his breath.

“Im fine Suguru. He stammered, rubbing his hand around his throat, soothing the blooming pain. 

“Alright everyone, practice is done, Sugru take Satoru to the medic, and you” he pointed at Sukna “We’re gonna have a serious talk.”Yaga ’s eyes turned into slits as he looked Sukuna up and down. His posture was relaxed, arms lazily hung next to his torso, like he just didn’t almost kill a man. His tattooed chest rose and fell slowly, he was calm. Too calm. 

Suguru took Satoru’s arm around his shoulders and started walking towards the medic’s room. He spat as he passed Sukuna, staring daggers through him. 

“You’re mine next time, asshole.” he hissed.

“Hm, I’ll be waiting.” Sukuna scoffed. His eyes followed them, lingering on their figures before they left the gym completely. He fucked up. He knew it in his bones, yet he couldn't help but think to himself how arrogant that asshole was. He had it coming, and if Sukuna was going to be the one to fuck him up, so be it. 

What pulled him out of his thoughts was a sharp slap across his cheek. His head swung as his eyes set on Yaga whose hand was pressed against Sukuna’s cheek. The loud crack bounced off the walls. 

“If you do that shit again..”he  said, voice cold as ice, “You will be out of here for good do you understand me? It was you who said fight like a man right? Men don’t fight like that Sukuna. Assholes do. Men who have zero morals do. Am I making myself clear? You have one more chance. Now you better start running, you prick.” 

“How many old man?” Sukuna mumbled, nostrils flaring with anger.

“Until you fall over.”  said as he turned and headed for his office door at the far corner of the gym.

 With that the tattooed brute started running laps around the gym, his chest rising and falling with the pace he had set. His legs burned but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. This was going to be one hell of a long night…

.

.

.

The office door closed with a loud thud. All of a sudden, the stifling air became charged with a whirlwind of emotions. Yaga entered, his hand rubbing the bridge of his nose as he sat down with a huff. The old office chair creaked under his weight. 

“They called, again..” You said, voice barely above a whisper. Your eyes found your father slumped in his chair utterly exhausted. Rubbing your hands against each other, you tried removing the sweat that made them feel clammy - a hard task indeed. 

“What did they want now?” He sighed, putting on his glasses as he took up a notebook filled with monthly expenses for the gym. The bills piled up high - rent, electricity, water, heating, the air conditioning there was no end in sight. He flipped through the pages, a defeated look spread across his face. 

“They, uh, they said they want to see five thousand by the end of the month, or..” You whispered. 

“Or what?” Yaga growled, his eyebrows fusing in an angry line. 

“Or there will be consequences..” you mumbled looking at you father with a worried look. 

His nostrils flared with anger as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Fucking.. ASSHOLES!” He roared, throwing the notebook across the cramped office. The pages fluttered around as the notebook flew, hitting a lonely shelf with a loud bang. The trophies on the shelf shook violently from the force of impact, as pictures began sliding down to the floor. You silently got up and started picking them up one by one. Your dad was in one, grinning from ear to ear. He was about three decades younger but his short hair had some color in it, not the typical gray he had these days. His gloved fist rose in the air, victorious. That was the first time he had won the national championship. Yaga told you that story countless times before. How he was so tired he couldn’t get up, that all he could feel was the dull ache in his fists and shoulders. How he had to put all of his focus on standing his ground. How his opponent was twice his size but it didn’t matter, that he had to deliver the final blow - and he did. 

Next one was a photo of him and your mom, grinning in front of the gym with a small key in hand. You sighed, holding the picture a little tighter in your hands. Your mom was so pretty and indescribably happy in the photo. She looked like she was on top of the world - her smile warm and genuine as she held up the key to the gym. She was the brain behind all the muscles of this place, as your father said. While your dad was out there training the future champions of boxing she stayed behind, in the chair you are now sitting in, taking care of all problems that popped up along the way. You remember her sitting at her desk, relentlessly typing on her computer as your father showed you around the gym and teaching you how to hit the boxing bag when you were only three. “, she’s too young for that, she’ll hurt herself!” she would always say after watching the two of you play-fight.

But then she became frailer and frailer. As time went on the stress of her job caught up with her and she could not fight anymore. Her face was gaunt with prominent dark circles around her eyes - but they never lost their spark. And the coughing. The relentless coughing that would pull you from your sleep. It went on for hours and there was nothing you could do. And then one day it all stopped.  You remember standing outside of your parents’ bedroom hearing your father’s sobs as he begged “One more round babe, come on, don’t do this. Please..”

 Nothing was ever the same after she was gone. Your father stopped coming to the gym, his athletes found new coaches, and the bills started piling up higher and higher. You were fifteen when you decided to fill in your mother’s shoes. You started cleaning around, renovating the gym, keeping up with the relentless bank calls - and it was you who helped your father slowly come out of his shell little by little. The wounds of the loss of your mother healed, but they did leave a pretty nasty scar. 

You got up from the floor and sat back at your desk, taking a good look at . 

“Dad.. we can’t keep doing this. Its time. We must close it.” You said as you straightened up, trying to look serious. 

“No! We are NOT closing the gym! Your mother.. She didn’t lose her life so I could close..” he choked on his words. “We just need a champion, a winner. After that they will all know that they are making a mistake!” 

“Dad.. come on, not this again..” Your voice rose up as you stared at him. “The gym didn’t produce a champion for the last eight years and counting. Do you honestly think that any of the guys in here are capable of being a champion? Satoru with his ego, Suguru with his aloofness, and Choso who is softer that a teddy bear, dad be realistic. We can’t win!” You yelled, the words sounding harsher than you intended, but it was too late now. They were out. The feeling of the last eight years finally found its way to come out of you.

Yaga’s heart sank. He just stared at you with a devastated look written all over its face. You fucked up. Big time. But you didn’t have time for a single thought, because the door of your office swung open with a loud bang and in stumbled a six foot three mountain of a man. His torso, covered in black tattoos, sprawling from his wrists, around his biceps, on his shoulders and snaking down from his neck towards his chest was covered with a sheen of sweat. His face, covered in the same style of tattoos - harsh lines outlining his jaw and cheekbones, was speckled with beads of sweat rolling from his forehead and temples. The salmon pink strands were glued to his forehead, hiding his eyes. Oh his eyes. His crimson irises looked around the room as he examined both yours and Yaga’s faces. He slumped forward , trying to regain his breath when he suddenly spoke. 

“I… I can get you what you need old man.” He huffed. “I can be your champion.” 

“How.. how much did you hear?”  Yaga asked, baffled at the state of this guy. 

“Enough.”

“Dad.. Who.. Who’s this?” You said, eyebrows shooting up at the sudden intrusion. 

“Ryomen Sukuna, pleasure.” Sukuna rasped, quickly glancing at you and returning to look at your father. 

“Are you alright? You want me to get you some water or?” You asked, as you stood up, worry written all over your face. Other guys never came out this sweaty after practice. This guy just stood there, staring at your father without uttering a single word. 

“Dad, what in the hell did you do out there?” 

“I told him to do laps. Standard.” Yaga replied, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I get it but this seems a bit excessive, don’t you-”

“Until I fall over. So here.. Here I am. ” Sukuna rasped.

“Sukuna… Just.. just go home.”  he muttered,“We’ll talk next time, and do not be a second late I mean it.” 

“Alright.” 

And with that he turned around and closed the door behind him. What was up with this guy? His presence was a new level of intimidating, yet he listened to your father’s insane command. You glanced at  who was staring at the closed door of your office. 

“Dad what are you..?” 

“He’ll do it.” Yaga whispered, a smirk forming on his face.

.

.

.

Despite the muggy heat of the afternoon, the night was slightly chilly. Getting out of the old building Sukuna slung his bag over his shoulders, his thighs still burning from the relentless running he was subjected to. What a day. From ripping his shirt at the beginning to choking out that white-haired arrogant asshole, to then running fifty laps around the gym. Oh, yeah he had to call Toji to tell him about the shirt, and the fact he choked somebody out. Fun. 

“Fuck me..” He whispered, sliding his hand across his face. The guy had it out for himself. “Don’t talk shit if you can’t get hit” Sukuna thought to himself. But If he wanted to become the champion he would have to get on that old man’s good side.

“You? Boxing? Come on sweetie, don’t make me laugh…” 

Her fucking voice. Again. Echoing through his mind like a fucking parasite. He fumbled around his pockets trying to find his cigarettes, he needed something to calm down. Desperately. He found them finally, taking one between his fingers and lighting it up. The hot puff of smoke rose quickly as he dragged the smoke into his lungs. The wave of calm finally hit him, but his night was far from over. As soon as he pulled the first puff of smoke into his lungs his phone vibrated in his pocket. Taking it out he saw the unsaved number and answered immediately. 

“Sir..” His tone was flat. 

“Heh, there is my hand of iron, Sukuna, my boy, how’ve you been?” The voice echoed over the speaker. 

“Pretty good sir, what can I help you with?”

“Listen, tonight I need you to go to the Zenith tonight.”

“The night club?” Sukuna asked, pulling another huff from his cigarette. 

“Yes, the night club, please follow my boy. There you will see a man whose picture and name I’ll send you. He’s the representative of the “Camo Enterprise” who will be hosting a press conference regarding their new ski resort tomorrow. There he plans on exposing our future plans for the company, since, unfortunately, he worked for us before joining “Camo Enterprise” I hope you know what you need to do. ” The voice said. 

“Yes sir it will be..” the line cut off. Great. Instead of sitting in his home, cracking a beer and watching a movie he would have to dress up and go beat up some random guy. What an incredible way to spend the night. He started walking up to the train station wondering if he still had that suit Toji lent him a couple of months ago, because getting in Zenith is no easy task. 

.

.

.

He pulled up in front of the club, trying to act as nonchalant as he possibly could given the reason for his visit to this place. He checked himself in the rearview mirror - the black shirt pulled taut over his chest and the burgundy jacket perfectly framing his broad shoulders. He checked his watch. 12:35 AM. Time to move. He got out of the car and strolled up to security, completely disregarding the queue behind him. 

“Hello there gentlemen! There seems to be a little misunderstanding, you see, my colleagues are in there celebrating a big achievement for our company,” He pulls out a “Camo Enterprise” ID with his information. Toji’s work. “And as you see Im out here.” He huffed, sounding genuinely defeated. The security guard took the ID from him and took a good look at it. 

“Beat it salmon-hair.” He barked. 

 Now see, if it was his first time he had to do this he would be quite stumped. But it wasn’t. It was his life. He looked around as he pulled a thick wad of cash out of his pocket. 

“Now, gentlemen, I think we can let this one slide right?” He cooed, voice dripping in honey. The two men looked at each other and quickly snatched the wad right out of Sukuna’s fingers. They started counting and once they passed one thousand the door opened. 

“Right this way sir.” 

Sukuna entered the club and was immediately hit with the stench of alcohol and expensive perfume that women who frequent this place wore. The lights were blearing as techno music exploded from the floor to ceiling speakers. It was a shitshow. And there he was. The man Sukna was looking for. His face flushed a deep shade of red as he hugged a women and started preparing himself a line. 

“What a dickhead” Sukuna mumbled as he sat at the bar. 

“What can I get you sir?” A woman’s voice chirped near his ear. 

“Whiskey. Neat. ” he said, not taking his eyes off of the man.

Soon, his drink arrived and he took a sip. The waiting game begins. A couple of minutes passed when the man stood up, swaying and earning a drunken cackle from his group. 

“Bathroom! Then evr’thin else..” the man slurred as he walked towards the restroom. Bingo. Sukuna downed his drink in a large gulp and turned around to make sure he wasn’t so suspicious. He got up and slowly went to the restroom. 

When  he entered, he looked around discretely, checking for anyone else but the man he needed. Luckily it was just him standing at the urinal humming an unknown tune. Sukuna entered the urinal next to him, pretending to take a piss. 

“So..” he began “big party tonight huh boss.” 

“Yeeah, yeeeah, my cmpany got this biig sale,  y’know!” The man slurred “We got a whole fuckin ski resort, canyou belive?” 

“Oh that’s incredible sir, and which company is it?” Sukuna flashed a sweet smile. 

“Camo Enterprise. THE fuckin buldozer of the sports world! Hic” 

By now they were already washing their hands at the sink. This was it. The moment that made everything worthwhile. Sukuna looked at him from the mirror and pounced in a split second making the man choke on his spit. 

“Listen here you little shit..” Sukuna hissed, the grab on this man’s collar was iron.

A slap cracked across the tilled walls. A red handprint bloomed across the man’s cheek

“I know what you and your shitty firm will say tomorrow..” Sukuna saw the sheer terror in this man’s eyes. The man stumbled backwards, getting out of the restroom and being pushed against the wall of the hallway. 

“Listen to me very carefully now, I won’t repeat myself.” Sukuna began, “I will break your legs if you say all that vile bullshit about.. ” 

“Sukuna?”

His head turned on instinct, and there you were standing in the hallway. Your red dress hugged you figure as you slowly approached him, your eyes wide from the shock. 

“Fuck me..” he said looking back at the man he held.    

a/n: Hello guys! Im sorry for my little hiatus, but here I am at last! Thank you so much for reading, I had so much fun writing this first chapter! Im not sure how long this will be but it will be a rollercoaster! Thank you for all the support on this and ofc reblogs, comments and likes are very appreciated!

taglist: OPEN, comment to be tagged! <3

@mrswhitethornbelikov

Just like that - Toji took control. You could already feel a familiar heat pooling in your stomach that came from hearing his husky voice. "I - I'm not doing this with you, Toji." Even you could tell that your remark had no effect whatsoever. He let out a throaty chuckle. "Callin' me to say goodnight, knowing that cunt gets wet at the sound of my voice." Before you could refute, he went on, "I know you are baby, don't gotta deny it."

"Cus' I" you picked up a faint repetitive slick sound in the background. Had he been doing that the entire time? "miss that fuckin' pussy, doll. You don't even know - ..shit.. - don't even know how much." His breathing got heavier. "Toji I–"

"Bet you're dripping right about now, yeah? Just waiting for me to come fill that tight fuckin' hole, huh? Wearing those cute little panties tonight, aren't'ya? I fuckin' bet." You hadn't even realized your hand was slowly drifting further down your body, halting at the waistband of said panties. "...Maybe I am." Sure, you could entertain this for a minute or two.

"Dirty girl." The smirk he wore could be heard in his voice. "My dirty girl.. fuck. Use your fingers, baby. Wanna hear that wet pussy." A soft moan slipped from your lips, which only fueled his burning desire. "Fuuck yeah. That's right doll, listen t'me."

"Toji." You called his name in such a breathy tone that almost surprised yourself. "We shouldn't." You replied, attempting to convince yourself more than anything.

"But we can, baby. Go ahead n' rub that pretty clit f'me. You can do that, I know it. Reeal slow for Toji."

You listened to his command, no longer holding back. "Mmh, yeah, good fucking girl. You're dripping for me, I hear her. Beggin' for my cock.. yeah."

You moaned unashamedly into your phone, mind already going blank. "That's right.. bet you're wet enough for me to just slide this cock right in.. shit, yeah. I know it." His pace quickened - so you followed suit. "Ji, 'm close."

"Hold it. I know you can mama. Be a real good fuckin' girl n' hold that shit in." You could hear the sound of him sloppily fisting his weeping dick faster.

"Miss that perfect lil' pussy - those fat tits... shit. That face - that tongue. You miss me? Miss this cock? Huh baby?" Toji could only listen to those pitiful, sweet whimpers.

"Yes — Yes Ji!"

You weren’t going to last much longer, not like this. His vulgar words struck you directly at your core. "Cum for me, mama."

Your fluids landed everywhere onto your sheets, soaking the bed below. Your breathing slowed as everything settled.

Maybe, if you’d had more sense, you would’ve broken up with Naoya in that moment and saved yourself a whole lot of trouble. Instead, just like always, you made excuses for him. You figured he was just having a bad day - that you just needed to prove yourself to him and then he’d be happy to have you as a climbing buddy. 

He was just concerned about your skill. That was all. 

So you’d worked hard at the club - learned plenty of skills, did plenty of hours in the gym, made dozens of friends with the other club members to ensure you weren’t dependent on Naoya to teach you everything. 

You tried to ignore how uninterested your boyfriend seemed in your progress, tried to ignore the way he’d flirt with the other women at the club - you were sure he’d be so impressed with you on your first major outing to Mount Hotaka that he’d forget about everything else and be pleased with you for once. 

That was all you wanted, for him to be proud of you outside of the offhanded thanks he’d give whenever you’d make him dinner. 

Your first trip out to the mountain had several people in attendance. Beyond you and Naoya there were a handful of women from the club who you’d grown close with: Shoko, Utahime and Yuki, and then a few men. There were a couple of older guys you didn’t know very well, and then a few in your age range who had been helping develop your skills - the most notable of that group being Sukuna, who had dedicated lots of time to teaching you knowledge that Naoya had brushed aside. 

It had surprised you at first, that the hulking pink-haired man had any interest in helping you do anything. Others in the club had claimed that he tended to be aloof, harsh and generally unfriendly - and while he was harsh in his teachings, unfriendly was certainly not the word you’d use to describe him. 

He’d gone out of his way to help you, chasing away others like Satoru with the claim that they were ‘too stupid to teach you right’. Spending hours at your side, he’d taught you all you needed to know about equipment, rope skills and climbing. He wouldn’t provide praise unless it was deserved, but once you’d finally started getting things right he’d always made sure you knew he was pleased with you. 

It was praise you were desperately starved for, praise you’d love to receive from your boyfriend, and you were ashamed to admit that Sukuna’s simple compliments lingered in your mind for longer than they should have.

You’d grown rather fond of him since joining the mountaineering club, even despite his somewhat prickly demeanour to everyone else, you felt he was someone you could rely on, someone who wouldn’t call you stupid for asking him questions. Even if he’d sometimes tease you for getting upset or frustrated for not understanding something, he’d still take the time to help you understand. 

Unlike Naoya, who would roll his eyes and once again point out how unfit you were for something as involved as mountain climbing. 

The comparison between the two was something you found yourself making more and more often, eyes straying over to your pink-haired friend when he wasn’t looking, your stomach flipping when he’d speak to you, or when he’d place a large hand on your shoulder in congratulations at a task done well. 

You knew it was wrong, chastising yourself whenever the thought of Sukuna would stray into your mind late at night while Naoya was snoring away next to you. Not only did you have a boyfriend, but you were certain Sukuna didn’t think of you in anything beyond a friendly manner anyway.

So you kept those feelings locked deep within your chest and tried to focus on why you were in the club in the first place - to prove to your boyfriend that you’d make a good partner for his mountain expeditions, to prove that you were worth more to him than being a glorified maid in his house.

The first few hours of the hike, starting in the early morning, had gone by fairly uneventfully. Your training had paid off and your legs felt good as you winded up through valleys and fields, trailing a little behind the group of boys, favouring a slightly slower pace and jovial conversation amongst the girls. 

Despite Naoya’s reluctance for you to join the club, you felt like it was where you were supposed to be. You loved being out in nature - taking in the fresh air and drinking from mountain streams, wandering along with like-minded people and encouraging each other along through the gruelling uphills. 

It wasn’t until late afternoon that things started to get more difficult, with the altitude creeping steadily up, and the group stumbling across snow fields that still hadn’t melted in the late spring air. It was nothing you weren’t prepared for, but with everyone feeling a great deal more tired than they had in the morning hours, the pace slowed considerably. 

A group of the more experienced men ended up going on ahead at a quicker pace, saying they’d get the next big section of uphill completed and scout out a good camping spot for the night, since the plan was to make a summit push in the early morning to watch the sunrise. 

You didn’t mind that so much - you didn’t like the feeling of slowing them down and that arrangement meant that you could keep going at a comfortable pace without feeling stressed about it. The girls you were with were perfectly experienced in their own right, and Naoya had chosen to hang behind with you anyway rather than going on ahead. 

That was a decision that you’d convinced yourself was on account of him wanting to keep an eye on you, but a part of you believed it was really because he didn’t get along with any of the men at the club. 

Or perhaps it was just so he could keep staring at Yuki’s ass like he had been for the entire hike up to that point. 

The next couple of hours were difficult, and everyone grew more withdrawn under the effort of a constant uphill - facing switchback after switchback with no clarity on how far you had to go beneath a freshly settled blanket of fog lowering the visibility. Shoko had been struggling for a while, and after an extended rest on a rock decided that it was best if she turned back and camped somewhere lower in the valley. 

She’d been having issues with her lungs and didn’t think it was wise to keep going. 

At her decision, Utahime also suggested that she wanted to go back, mentioning that she also didn’t feel in the best physical condition, and Yuki insisted on going back with the two of them to make sure they got back down safely. You’d considered joining them, but you were still feeling good both physically and mentally and were keen to continue upwards towards the peak. 

Considering Naoya’s experience, you were certain that the two of you would be fine even without the girls, so you waved them off and continued upwards into the mist, eager to reconnect with the other half of your group and get settled with Naoya in the tent for the night. 

—

Sukuna had found a pretty good camping spot. He was pretty sure it was in a similar position to where he’d set up on his solo winter ascent a couple of years before - a location that should be downright comfy in the mild spring weather. 

Assuming that weather stayed mild. 

It was hard to tell through all the fog, but he was almost sure he could see dark clouds rolling high in the sky. He hoped he was wrong. There hadn’t been a storm on the forecast, and if one was to roll in that could make for a very harrowing evening, especially for people like you who’d had little experience of the mountains. 

He hoped one bad night wouldn’t be enough to put you off entirely. 

“Yuki just radioed.” Satoru called out to him. “She, Shoko and Utahime are all going back down. The others are still coming I think.” 

Sukuna hummed in affirmation as he moved to set up his tent. He wished it could’ve just been you coming up, rather than you and your shithead boyfriend, but he supposed he’d rather you have a buddy in the mountains than be out there alone. If he’d had things his way, he would’ve hung back with you for the whole duration of the hike, but he didn’t need people casting suspicions on his actions. 

He’d already received some strange looks over his eagerness to teach you - the last thing he needed was the rumor mill in full operation. 

Even if the rumor mill was right in this case. 

He liked you. He really liked you. 

Feelings that he needed to keep to himself, because your boyfriend was one jealous asshole, and he was almost confident that any sign of flirting on Sukuna’s part would have Naoya taking out his anger and jealousy on you, which was the last thing he wanted. He wasn’t sure what you saw in that guy, but god, Sukuna wanted to bash his teeth in. 

He’d been watching it for months now - the depressing life you lived in which you’d excitedly bound over to Naoya to show him something you’d learned only for him to react with total disregard. Sukuna had watched the light in your eyes flicker and die each time, doing his best to control the rage boiling in his chest. 

You deserved better than that fucker. 

But he got the sense that you weren’t able to see that. 

Almost everyone had set up their tents, laughing and joking and tearing into provisions by the time Naoya appeared from the mist. A couple of hours had passed since the group first found the camping spot, and Satoru welcomed him enthusiastically as he stepped into the clearing. He looked surprisingly exhausted for a man who was supposed to be experienced. 

Sukuna’s red eyes scanned the fog, waiting for you to appear behind the man. His chest squeezed when only silence followed, no sign of your presence in the mist. 

“Is it only you?” Satoru asked, voicing the very question that was on the tip of Sukuna’s tongue. 

“Yeah, the girls went down,” Naoya responded nonchalantly, shrugging off his backpack. “Is there a good place for me to set up?” Satoru’s lips parted, as if to question the man’s statement, considering Yuki had relayed specific names, but he clearly thought better of it, nodding and pointing Naoya in the direction of a clear patch of dirt for him to pitch his tent. 

Sukuna wasn’t so happy to shrug it off. 

“Yuki only said she was going down with Utahime and Shoko,” he called out to Naoya. The man turned to look at him, irritation shining in his amber eyes. Sukuna was well aware that Naoya despised him just as much as he despised Naoya. 

“They all went. Think I don’t know where my own girlfriend is?” Naoya snapped. 

Sukuna stared him down for a moment before leaving him be, heading over to Satoru and asking for the radio. Speaking into it, he called out for Yuki, praying that they were still within a reasonable range to pick up his voice. 

He was met with only silence, cursing under his breath at the realisation that they were probably all the way back in the valley by that point and likely impossible to reach. His crimson gaze fell to Naoya once more, watching him hum as he set up his tent without a care in the world. 

Something in the pit of Sukuna’s stomach told him that there was something wrong. You hadn’t gone back with Yuki. You’d been so happy all day, so excited about your first major peak. Not only that, but you’d been in good condition - he’d been watching you whenever he could, he’d been proud at how well you were doing. 

You wouldn’t have turned back. And if you had, Yuki would’ve listed your name when she was heading down. Yuki was no newcomer to the mountains - she was responsible and experienced and she always emphasised the importance of good communications. And if you’d have turned back any later, Naoya should’ve gone with you - it's what any sensible person would’ve done. 

But he was here, and you weren’t. And you hadn’t gone with Yuki. So you were alone. 

Sukuna’s first instinct was to bash Naoya’s head in. He wanted to walk over there and silence that bastard’s humming with a well placed rock to the head. What kind of a man - an experienced mountaineer, no less - would abandon their inexperienced girlfriend on the side of a mountain? 

It wasn’t like Sukuna doubted your ability. He’d taught you all you needed to know, but putting those things into practice alone, at altitude, and in adverse weather was a whole other thing. 

Instead of doing anything about Naoya, he parked that issue temporarily and quickly moved to dismantle his own tent. He wasn’t going to sit there and do nothing while your location was unaccounted for. Even if you had gone down shortly after Yuki, even if you’d made it back to the valley by yourself, he wasn’t going to roll the dice on your life. 

He’d go back the way they’d come and he’d walk until he found you - even if that happened to be safe and sound at the bottom of the mountain. 

“What’re you doing?” Satoru asked, hovering as Sukuna put his stuff back into his pack. Naoya had stopped to watch, a sneer on his already ugly face. 

“I don’t think she went down with Yuki. I need to make sure the boyfriend of the year over there didn’t leave her in some bad situation,” Sukuna explained.

“Oh my god, she’s fine.” Naoya snapped from across the campsite. “Yuki just misspoke, she went down with them. Why is it your problem anyway? It's not like she’s your girlfriend.” 

The defensive edge to the man’s voice told Sukuna all he needed to know, and he ignored the jabs in favour of packing up more quickly. He didn’t want it to get too dark - if something bad had happened and you didn’t have your headlamp on it would be impossible to find you at night. 

Unfortunately, Naoya seemed to have no interest in letting up. “I mean seriously? You’re actually doing this? I know you wanna fuck her but she’s always been a loyal little thing - she ain’t gonna put out for you because of this. I think she’s realised that she isn’t cut out for this type of shit - she went back down to safety with the rest of the girls and I think she’ll probably quit the club. She can get back to what she’s good at.” 

Sukuna’s hands stilled as he zipped his bag shut, his expression calm as he finally looked at the man before him. There was malice in his expression and a clear, guilty desire to keep Sukuna from trekking back down the mountain path. 

“‘She can get back to what she’s good at’?” Sukuna asked, drawing himself up to his full height. “And what would that be?” 

The smug grin Naoya shot him was sickening. “Making me dinner.” 

Sukuna laughed, a deep unpleasant sound rumbling from his chest. “Right.” He took a step forward, towering over your boyfriend who he deeply hoped would be your ex-boyfriend after that expedition. Before Naoya could react, Sukuna grabbed him by the front of his raincoat. “Listen. I’m going back down that path. If I find her out there, abandoned and alone, be assured that I’ll beat you so badly that you’ll never climb another mountain again. Do you understand me?” 

Fear flickered in Naoya’s amber eyes, but he pushed it down quickly, replacing it with a scowl. “Get the fuck off me.” 

Sukuna let him go, revelling in the way he stumbled about off balance, barely keeping himself from careening onto the floor. If he was being honest with himself, the desire to enact justice on Naoya in that moment was tempting, but he could wait. Every moment he spent in that camp was another moment of peril for you. 

And unlike Naoya, he wouldn’t leave you to a night alone on a mountain. 

—

You weren’t sure when you’d lost Naoya. 

He’d been picking up the pace significantly while you’d been getting slower and slower, and despite calling out for him to wait for you to catch up, eventually he just disappeared off into the fog - the sound of his footsteps fading entirely. 

It had left you at a loss, unsure as to whether you should keep going or turn back. You were certain that the summit camp probably wasn’t too far off, but you had no real idea of how far that distance might actually be, and had a vague concern that you might take a wrong turn in the ever-thickening fog, leaving you stranded for the night. You and Naoya were sharing a tent which he’d been carrying, and subsequently ending up alone for the evening wasn’t ideal for you. 

The most you’d be able to do is wrap yourself in your sleeping bag and find a sheltered place to hunker down for the night. 

But it shouldn’t come to that. 

Getting down to the valley would take too long, and you weren’t sure where Yuki and the gang would’ve settled anyway. Naoya had the radio. He had everything really, which meant that the only thing you could do was continue upwards and hope that you stumbled across the other half of your group. 

It was a plan that was going okay until you’d carelessly stepped on a loose rock, sending you tumbling back down a hill of scree you’d spent the past half an hour climbing. 

At first you’d thought only your morale was damaged, your mind exhausted at the prospect of having to get back up and reascend a slope you’d already climbed once. But as you struggled to get to your feet, you realised that it wasn’t only your mind that had undergone damage.

A hot pain spread through your ankle as you tried to stand, sending you straight back down to the floor with a yelp. Panic instantly overcame you, the sudden realisation of where you were hitting you like a tonne of bricks. Naoya, your boyfriend, had abandoned you on the side of a mountain. He’d left you in the fog, beneath the setting sun, without a tent and without a radio. And now you were injured.

If you didn’t know better, you would’ve said he was actively trying to kill you. 

But what was more likely was that he was just proving the point he’d been trying to make all along - that you weren’t cut out for the life of a mountaineer. 

And considering your condition, could you really disagree with him? 

Soft sobs overtook you, and you began to spiral. You weren’t sure how long you sat there, shivering as the cold grew more intense, mumbling incoherently to yourself about how you should’ve gone back down to the valley with Yuki. 

Perhaps you never should’ve tried facing the mountains in the first place. 

Maybe Naoya was right. 

They were thoughts that fled from your mind at the blessed sight of a headlamp cutting through the fog from above, footsteps crunching evenly on scree, picking up in speed the moment the light shone upon your sorry figure huddled on the ground. 

“Fuck, are you okay?” Sukuna’s voice had a tremor of relief shooting through you, and more tears swelled at the corners of your eyes. He was crouching down in front of you, expression laden with concern as he scanned your cowering form. One of his hands reached for your face, wiping away tears carefully while he waited for you to answer him. 

“My ankle…” You mumbled. Everything was too overwhelming for you to articulate any further, your words already coming out all choked and shaky. Sukuna didn’t need to hear any more, attention instantly shifting to your foot. His hands moved to prod gently at it, watching your face for a grimace which came quickly under his touch. 

“Does that hurt?” 

You nodded. He bit down on his lip and quickly moved to untie the lace of your boot. A soft whimper left your lips as he pulled it from your foot, but he was right to pay your reaction no mind since you were overcome with relief once your ankle was freed from those rigid confines pressing down too tightly upon it. 

It had swollen up significantly in the time you’d been sitting there waiting for someone to come for you. 

“Right. I’ll deal with the ankle soon but I want to get us to someplace better first before it gets fully dark.” It was only just occurring to you that the wind had started to pick up a little, your clothes ruffled by air rushing against you. It would be best to be in a less exposed place - Sukuna had taught you that exposure made all the difference when dealing with bad weather.

“There was a plateau back down at the bottom of this slope,” you mumbled, remembering the slight respite you’d had from the seemingly neverending onslaught of uphill.

Sukuna gave you a proud smile and it made your heart flutter. “Yeah, that would work. I’m gonna carry you down there, if that’s okay? I don’t think you should try walking on that ankle until we give it a proper look.” 

You wanted to collapse into fresh tears at the suggestion. While your boyfriend, the person who was supposed to look after you, had abandoned you on the side of your first big mountain, Sukuna was here offering to carry you to safety. The feeling his offer was giving you had a risk of overwhelming you entirely, utterly grateful that he was the person who’d come back to look for you. 

Naively, you wondered if Naoya had sent him down to look for you. It was a weak hope, a desperate, delusional belief that your boyfriend wasn’t as cruel as he truly was. 

“Yeah, that’s okay,” you said, quietly. You tried to ignore how pleasant it felt when Sukuna crouched down to scoop you up into his arms. His touch felt warm against your body which had grown cold over the past few hours of inactivity. The arms holding you were strong and secure, building a feeling of safety knowing he was there with you. 

Naoya would’ve taken issue with it, but you wished you’d asked Sukuna to stick with you throughout the whole trip. Things would’ve felt better if it was him you were relying on rather than your boyfriend. In his lessons he’d always emphasised the importance of matching your pace with a mountain buddy - always checking that they weren’t far behind. 

Rules that a supposedly experienced mountaineer like Naoya should’ve been well aware of. 

Sukuna strode down the rest of the hill with ease, keeping you tucked close against him in a princess carry. Considering that you had your pack still on your back you were surprised at how easy he made the whole thing look, because he wasn’t exactly carrying a light load between you in his arms and his own bag on his back. But he didn’t complain or demonstrate any signs of struggle. 

Outside of the fact that he was largely silent until you reached your destination. 

You didn’t mind that. It wasn’t like you were in the mood to talk either, your mind swimming with all kinds of things now that you were in safe hands. Naoya had left you behind to die. You could’ve died if no one had come back for you. Exposure could’ve gotten to you, or an animal, or some person with ill-intent prowling the mountainside. 

He’d left you helpless and defenceless. 

And, as rain started to drip from the sky above, you realised that if Sukuna hadn’t come for you, it would’ve been an evening out in the storm, at altitude, with nothing but your rain jacket and sleeping bag to huddle within. 

You could’ve died. 

Sukuna found a well sheltered area and placed you down while he set up the tent. You were in awe at how quickly he got it done - the same actions would’ve taken you three times the time it took his experienced hands to get it sorted. You were grateful for the speed, because it meant the two of you made it inside before the worst of the rain began to hammer down from the sky above. 

“Okay. First the ankle. Then everything else.” 

You tilted your head a little at his statement, not quite sure what he meant by everything else, but you assumed he was referring more to your mental condition and questions around how you’d ended up in your terrible position in the first place. You hoped he wouldn’t be mad at you for failing to make it up to the peak after how much time he’d spent teaching you things. 

You thought maybe he’d chastise you for things like not having your own tent or radio, but Naoya had been insistent about carrying those items for you, assuring you that he’d stick at your side and claiming his actions were out of a desire to keep your pack as light as possible. 

You were stupid to have believed him.

Sukuna knelt by your foot, removing your sock and inspecting the damage carefully. His fingers pressed delicately against the skin and you found yourself admiring his concentrated expression in the lamplight. “I don’t think it's broken,” he said. “Probably just twisted.” 

Reaching into his first aid kit, he found a bandage which he wrapped around the problem area, before pulling out an ice pack and snapping to activate its effects. He placed the pack down on your ankle, earning a little hiss from you which pulled a small smile from his otherwise serious face. 

He’d been really serious since he’d found you, his expression all irritated and stormy. 

Was he angry with you? Frustrated that he’d had to come back down the mountain to your aid? You didn’t like the idea of being his burden. 

“Endure the cold for a bit - it’ll make you feel much better.” he said, placing a warm hand on your calf. Your breath hitched involuntarily at the contact and Sukuna quickly withdrew from you, a tinge of guilt flickering across his handsome face. He instantly busied himself before you could question it, moving onto the next stage of tending to your injury.

He fumbled about in his pack and withdrew some clothing, bundling it up into a small pile and wedging it beneath your foot to elevate it a little. Nothing he was doing was particularly revolutionary - on the contrary, his actions were all things he’d taught you to do in the event of an injury. 

You’d just been too panicked to do anything on that scree slope. 

Perhaps he was mad at you for that too. 

Sukuna laid out his sleeping mat next to you, his nose wrinkling at the revelation that you didn’t have one because it was in Naoya’s possession. He slid his mat beneath you, keen not to have you lying on the floor, before pulling out his sleeping bag and sitting on top of that for some amount of comfort. 

“So, what happened?” Sukuna asked. His voice was a little clipped, as if he was holding himself back from saying what he really wanted to say. 

“I was rushing and lost my footing on some scree-”

“No. I mean, why are you alone?” 

“Oh.” You shrugged, taking a deep breath and avoiding his eyes. There was a sticky feeling building up in your throat, keeping your words down. If you said the truth aloud you were certain you’d burst into tears again. “I don’t know,” you mumbled finally. 

“You don’t know?” He echoed. 

“It just sort of happened. The girls went back down the mountain and Naoya kept going quicker and then we got separated somewhere in the fog. I imagine he was probably waiting somewhere up ahead for me but then I slipped.” You weren’t sure why you were trying to defend your boyfriend. You weren’t naive enough to truly believe he’d been waiting up ahead for you. 

He’d left you. 

But the idea of airing out just how stupid you were to be in that relationship in the first place felt humiliating. You wanted to at least pretend that Naoya didn’t leave you for dead - that you weren’t the fool who had stayed for years with an abusive boyfriend when you should’ve just left. 

You didn’t want Sukuna to think you were completely pathetic. 

“Naoya arrived at the camp hours ago,” Sukuna said, his tone detached, as if he wanted to avoid projecting any of his own emotion onto you. “He said you’d gone back down with the rest of the girls.” 

The horrified expression on your face must’ve said it all, because Sukuna’s impartiality quickly faded, rage burning within those crimson eyes. Naoya really had abandoned you. And not only that, he’d also attempted to sabotage any retrieval attempt that might be made for you. He’d outright claimed you were safe when he knew no such thing. 

It was a thought that made you sick, and once again the tears started to flow, dripping down your cheeks. You’d spent years with that man, feeling like you were less than good enough. You’d let him break you down, put up with his endless bullying and tormenting, all because he’d been sweet to you at the start. 

You’d always thought you weren’t good enough, always thought that it was your fault he was so unpleasant with you. 

Now it felt like your eyes were open for the first time. 

He’d left you on the side of a mountain. He couldn’t care less about your wellbeing. He couldn’t care less about you unless you were making him dinner. 

And you’d put up with it. 

You were a fool. 

“I knew that fucker was lying,” Sukuna hissed. “Yuki didn’t say your name when she radioed in to say she was heading back. She’s always good with that sort of thing. Fuck, I’m glad I came down to check, who knows what would’ve happened if-” 

He cut himself off, faltering before he could finish the sentence. It was clear that he didn’t want to scare or upset you further, not when you’d already reduced yourself to a puddle of tears. You didn’t want to imagine what fate the night would’ve brought if not for Sukuna arriving as your saviour. 

Falling silent, he shuffled a little closer to you. Reaching out delicately he began to wipe away your tears with his thumb. The touch of his skin against yours felt pleasant, and you found your sobs faltering at the new found comfort he was providing. A deeply loyal part of you urged you to pull away, reminding you of your boyfriend. You immediately pushed the thought aside. 

Naoya wasn’t your boyfriend. 

Not after what he’d done. 

“Don’t cry. You’re okay. I found you and we’ll make it through the night together. I’m not going anywhere.” Sukuna’s words were soothing, and you found yourself nodding between sniffles, your tears gradually drying up. You hadn’t realised you were shivering until Sukuna tentatively wrapped an arm around you, pulling you up and close to him. 

The storm had worsened outside, and you huddled down in your jacket, letting yourself lean into Sukuna’s chest to keep the shivering at bay. If this was how you felt inside a tent with another human to warm you, you hated to think how you would’ve felt still stuck all alone on the scree. 

It didn’t bear considering. 

“You should report that asshole to the police once we get down. Nothing will come of it because it's hard to prove intent, but this was an active attempt on your life. He had a duty of care he ignored, stripped you of shelter and then tried to prevent a rescue. I have half a mind to kill him myself.” Sukuna’s voice rumbled through his body. 

No one had ever really stood up for you before. Naoya was always good at being charming when it mattered. Your parents and the rest of your family had always seen him as a good prospect - a polite and handsome man from a well off family. With your friends, you’d done the damage on your own, always defending him, manipulated by him to act like the perfect picture of an abused girlfriend. 

“I’m so stupid,” you whispered. 

“What?” Sukuna asked, pulling back ever so slightly so he could look at you properly. You hadn’t spoken at all since the reveal, and your quiet words clearly caught him off guard. 

“I’ve wasted so much of my life with him. Spent so much time defending him like he was some good guy. I only joined this club to impress him and all he ever did was tell me how useless I was at stuff like this - at everything. Did you know that he spent most of this hike staring at Yuki’s ass? And yet, when I’d tell him about how much stuff you’d taught me he’d get all mad about me talking to another guy and verbally berate me until I cried. And I just let it all happen. You must think I’m an idiot.” 

Sukuna hesitated, searching for the right words. It made you smile in a twisted sort of way, because he was definitely trying to find something to say that wouldn’t indirectly call you stupid - an impossibility considering the circumstances. Now that your eyes were open you could finally see how foolish you’d been. 

You just wanted to go home. Forget mountaineering or anything else you’d tried in an attempt to bond with that asshole.

“I don’t think you’re an idiot,” he said finally. “I think guys like that are very good at getting their way, and you happened to be his victim.” The words were uncannily gentle, and at a glance at Sukuna’s face you could tell he was out of his comfort zone, but trying his best. He tightened his grip on you as a sudden gust of wind battered the tent. 

The touch had your heart fluttering, and you wondered how Sukuna felt about your current position. It was probably just a necessity in his eyes - a bid to warm up a tired and stressed woman, nothing more than that. 

With your loyalty to Naoya stranded somewhere on the mountain never to be recovered, you found yourself wishing the contact was something more than that. 

But considering your woefully pathetic attempt at summiting this relatively easy peak, you doubted Sukuna held you in high regard at all. His type was probably some strong, confident girl who already knew all her outdoor skills without Sukuna’s input. The type of woman he could rely on to partner with for dangerous and difficult peaks. 

That wasn’t you. 

You weren’t sure you’d step foot on a mountain again after this. 

“Maybe you don’t think I’m an idiot for that, but you probably think I am for all this.” You gestured in the general direction of your foot, still humiliated at the thought of Sukuna having to rush down the mountain to your rescue, like you couldn’t be left unsupervised for a single moment without finding yourself in need of rescue. 

Much to your chagrin, Sukuna laughed. “An idiot for getting injured? No, that’s practically a rite of passage. You were doing great through most of the hike - I was keeping an eye on you before the group split in half. We’ll get you down the mountain and get your ankle sorted, and then you can try this peak again another time.” 

Sukuna’s optimism had butterflies swarming in your stomach, but years of insults and abuse weren’t so easily displaced. You lowered your gaze, staring down at your hands in your lap. “I don’t know. I just wonder if Naoya was right. Maybe I’m not cut out for this.” 

Sukuna pulled a face, clearly displeased by that statement. 

“Do you like being in the mountains?” He asked simply. 

He made no statement on your skill, no attack on anything your boyfriend had told you. Asked nothing more than whether you liked being out in the fresh air, doing what you’d been doing before your ankle had been injured. 

And you did. 

You really did like it. 

“Yeah. I do.” 

“Then you are cut out for this. Enjoyment is literally the only requirement,” he said earnestly. “Besides, that guy’s full of shit. I taught you everything you needed to know and I have faith in your abilities. If you need to listen to someone else’s opinion to determine your value, how about you consider mine instead of his.” 

A flush appeared across your cheeks. Those were the kind of compliments Sukuna would always pay you. Nothing particularly special or flowery, but deeply genuine in a way that had your whole body bursting with pride, pushing the rot of Naoya’s insults from your veins and replacing it with Sukuna’s approval. 

“We’ll come back here together in a few weeks, just the two of us, and we’ll do this peak. I can promise you it’ll be better. I won’t abandon you in the fog.” You believed him, nodding a little in agreement. Even in your fragile mental state that evening, you couldn’t help the excited flip of your stomach at the thought of Sukuna wanting to do something alone with you. 

The mountaineering club had been a means for you to learn your skills to climb alone with Naoya. You hadn’t expected that it would leave you excited at the prospect of climbing with another man. 

Still, you tried not to get ahead of yourself. Your little crush on Sukuna, which had been present for several months more than you were really willing to admit, seemed to have finally found the freedom to really take over your thoughts. Your heart was practically in your throat at your current proximity to him, a desire coursing through your whole body. 

You needed to push it back down even with Naoya out of the picture, because you were certain Sukuna was just being friendly, just being a better person than Naoya was. You couldn’t afford to let your mind run wild with fantasies. 

At least, that’s what you’d told yourself. 

The two of you had sat in silence for a while after Sukuna’s offer of climbing alone together, still huddled together and listening to the wind and rain outside the tent. You found yourself calmed by the steady rhythm of Sukuna’s heartbeat, basking in the warmth of his body which took your mind off the cold compress burning at your ankle. 

“Do you mind if we share the sleeping mat? It's okay if not, but it would be warmer for you and more comfy for me that way.” Considering that the two of you had been cuddling for a while, you didn’t see the issue. Anything was fine in matters of survival and you were more than happy to remain close to Sukuna. 

“Yeah, sure. We can zip our sleeping bags together.” 

Sukuna’s lashes fluttered and you swore you could see a dusting of pink on his cheeks, but you were quick to disregard it. It had been a long and exhausting day, and you were likely just seeing what you wanted to see. 

The cold compress had started to lose its effect, and Sukuna removed it from your ankle while the two of you shuffled about to get ready for bed. Your ankle was feeling much better after a period of rest and elevation, and you found you could move it again without excruciating pain. Getting back down the mountain might still be an issue, but it was one you could leave to figure out in the morning. 

Zipping your sleeping bags together and settling down on the sleeping mat, Sukuna made space for you beside him. You had to half lay on him for you both to stay on the padding, but with how warm his body seemed to run, you really didn’t mind. He wrapped his arm around you, nestling you close against him under the guise of conserving space - an action that had your whole body thrumming with electricity. 

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d felt that way. For months, maybe even years, the only thing you’d felt under Naoya’s touch was mild dread. This was something nicer, something more exciting - a feeling you wanted to experience over and over again. 

“Warm enough?” Sukuna asked, giving you a reassuring squeeze. The tent was relatively cool, the fabric being battered by the storm outside, all of which seemed distant as you lay there in Sukuna’s grip. It was a safe and warm place to be, one where you could take your mind off troubles and anxieties knowing he was there to keep anything and everything at bay. 

Troubles which Naoya had actively brought upon your life, were effectively chased away by Sukuna. 

How you wished you’d met the pink-haired man earlier in your life. 

“Warm enough,” you echoed, your voice coming out muffled as you buried your face into his chest. 

Again, the two of you fell into comfortable silence, listening to the whistling of wind and basking in the feeling of your bodies pressed close together. You were half asleep and almost convinced that Sukuna was already asleep, when his deep voice cut through the darkness and silence. 

“I don’t usually go on these things, you know,” he confessed quietly. “This is my first one. I’m only in the club because it gives you connections for exhibition funding and learning new skills. Usually I do mountains solo and usually I do stuff much harder than this.” He waved his hand in the direction of the tent’s exit. 

A guilt blossomed in your gut at the speech, recalling similar words from your boyfriend when you’d brought up the trip. He’d said that climbs in the Japanese Alps outside of wintertime were nothing special, and that the whole thing would likely be so easy that he could do it in his sleep. He’d only agreed to go after you’d begged him, reminding him that you didn’t have the experience he did. 

“I’m only here because of you,” Sukuna continued. The guilt within you only grew sharper. Was Sukuna trying to imply that he was only present out of concern for your inexperience? Had you forced him along because he knew something like this would happen? Had he known he’d need to come to your rescue?

“Sorry. I must be such a burden,” you mumbled quietly, burying your face in your sleeping bag. 

Did Sukuna really want to commit to climbing alone with you knowing that you were so much less experienced than he was? Or was he just doing it because he felt bad for you? You were likely a pitiful sight with your messed up ankle and an abusive boyfriend who had abandoned you. 

Sukuna blinked rapidly, astute enough to swiftly connect the dots. “What? No, that’s not- I was trying to say something nice. I was saying I only came along because I enjoy spending time with you. I don’t like these group things and I prefer to do harder stuff but I’m here because you’re here, and I like you.” 

Your heart was pounding so hard you could hear it in your ears, completely drowning out the sound of any thoughts on how you were supposed to reply to that. You were too caught up on the word ‘like’, on the way Sukuna shifted ever so slightly against you, pulling you more firmly against his body. 

“What?” You asked, dumbly. 

“I like you,” he repeated. “I think you’re so cute and I love how happy you get whenever you learn something new and I’m so fucking exhausted of watching your boyfriend ignore you and take you for granted when I’d cherish you.” 

Again, your stomach flipped, your ears growing warm. 

“And when that fucker showed up at the top of the mountain without you, I wanted to kill him. When I found you all cold and alone on the slope I just- fuck. I want to keep you safe. I want to be the person who looks out for you, I want to take care of you in a way that guy seems unwilling to. He has no idea what he has- had, while I understand exactly what you’re worth. I want to take you to the mountains at my side because unlike him, I’d be thrilled to have you as my hiking partner.” 

Before you knew what was happening, you were crying again, wetting his clothes immediately with your tears. Your shoulders were shuddering and you could feel Sukuna’s heartrate picking up. It seemed like he was starting to panic - concerned that you were upset by his words when the reality was the total opposite. 

You’d never heard something so romantic from Naoya and you never would. To have someone speak such beautiful words to you felt surreal and your body had no idea how to react beyond sobbing from being so overwhelmed with love and affection. 

“Sorry,” Sukuna said quickly. “I know it's been a long day, now probably wasn’t the time to say anything. You don’t have to respond-”

He faltered as you peered up at him, your face wet with tears. He usually looked so confident, and even then there was still some atmosphere of certainty about him, but he couldn’t fully hide the glimmer of anxiety in his lovely red eyes. There was a fear of rejection buried within him, a fate that he seemed almost certain he was going to face. 

If only he could step into your shoes for a moment and feel all the emotion rushing over you at his confession

You didn’t say anything, you couldn’t think of anything that would suffice as a response to his outpouring of desire. Instead you tilted your face upwards, lips parting softly in a clear signal - one that Sukuna caught onto immediately. He closed the gap swiftly, lips slotting perfectly against yours with a warmth you’d never experienced before. 

Naoya’s kiss had always been domineering - a wet and unpleasant experience. Sukuna’s kiss was gentle and exploratory. His lips took the time to appreciate yours, to linger on that lovely shared warmth and soak in the feeling of being connected so intimately for the first time. 

His tongue ran along your lips carefully, requesting for you to open your mouth. You complied easily, letting him hold you ever closer as his tongue pressed into yours, deepening the kiss in a way that felt so natural despite the fact that you’d never kissed each other before. 

A rumble of thunder overhead had the two of you parting for a second, and you found your shivering renewed as a particularly cold wind blew through the tent. Sukuna’s red eyes went to the entryway, the space illuminating for a second as another flash of lightning ripped through the sky above. His hands rubbed your back soothingly at a louder rumble overhead. 

“I’m so glad I came down to find you,” he whispered. 

“Thank you for coming to find me,” you mumbled, eyes fixed on his handsome face, your mind still struggling to catch up to all that had transpired in the past few minutes. Thoughts of Naoya and all the suffering he’d put you through seemed distant in the intimacy of that tent. “I feel so lucky. Injured ankle aside.” You giggled softly, heart jumping at the way Sukuna grinned back at you, pressing another soft kiss to your lips. 

There was a gratefulness to his expression, a soft affection in his gaze which made you feel seen and special in a way you’d never felt with Naoya. It had you sinking deep into another kiss, your lips locked against his in a deeply intoxicating manner. All the stress and the anxiety of the day seemed to wash away beneath his grip. 

Even with the storm raging outside, you felt safe and warm with him there beside you.

You should’ve known about his feelings for you - should’ve understood the moment Yuki had made a comment about how Sukuna never usually spoke to anyone. He’d spent so much time on you, being so gentle in his teachings, making sure you knew what you were doing, making sure you were praised. 

He’d liked you from the start and you’d been too blind to see it. 

Too beaten down by your own experiences in relationships to believe that any affection directed towards you would be legitimate. 

You wished you could’ve puzzled it out sooner. You wished you could’ve noticed the soft look that always sparkled in Sukuna’s eyes whenever he looked at you. You wished you’d dumped Naoya several years ago, because it shouldn’t have taken an abandonment on the side of the mountain for you to realise how truly awful your ex-boyfriend was. 

But what was done was done. Sukuna’s hands were on you now, and that was all that mattered. You’d made it in the end, even if it had taken you a little longer to get there than you would’ve ideally liked. 

“You’re so pretty,” he whispered as the two of you broke apart for breath, red eyes scanning your face like he was committing your features to memory. “How Naoya could be so stupid, I have no idea.” 

“He’s not a smart man.” 

“No. He really isn’t.” Sukuna agreed. “But his loss is my gain.” 

You hummed, leaning against Sukuna’s chest once more, listening to his heartbeat beneath you. Despite the excitement, you were suddenly aware of how tired you were, and how much the cold was still seeping in through your clothes and down into your bones. Altitude was no joke, and the pleasant spring warmth was nowhere to be found on the mountainside that evening. 

“Are you still cold? You’re shivering.” It wasn’t possible for Sukuna to physically pull you closer to him than you already were, but he gave it an attempt all the same, practically crushing you in his grip. 

“A little, yeah.” 

“Shit. Once sec.” Moving away from you for a moment, he reached out of the sleeping bag and rummaged about in his bag, withdrawing his down jacket and draping it around your shoulders like an additional blanket. You were grateful for the added warmth, coccooned in between that and Sukuna’s warm body. 

For a few moments you lay there, your shivering finally subsiding, only for all the hairs on your neck to raise at the feeling of Sukuna’s voice vibrating against the top of your head. “There is another way I could keep you warm.” 

His tone was suggestive and perhaps a little amused. The comment had heat billowing throughout your body, your gut tightening at the suggestion of something you’d never allowed yourself to think of before. Sukuna was very attractive, and sometimes your mind had drifted in his direction when your hand had been caught between your thighs. But you’d always scolded yourself for it, had always driven away the idea of picturing a man you actually knew when you had a boyfriend. 

Now the suggestion was right there on the table as something real and tangible, and your mind was conjuring all sorts of exciting imagery. 

“O-oh. Yeah, that could be nice,” you said with a sudden rush of confidence. It was Sukuna’s turn to falter, red eyes suddenly wide with surprise, as if you’d called some bluff without even realising it. 

“I don’t have a condom,” he murmured, pushing you back ever so slightly so he could look properly at your face. “Sorry, I wasn’t actually expecting…this.” 

“I am on the pill,” you offered a little bashfully, embarrassed to have reacted so enthusiastically to what you were now realising was a joke. “But we can wait if you’d rather use a-” 

“No, no-,” his face was definitely a little red this time, seemingly caught off by your willingness. “If you want to, I’d like to. I just…” He rubbed his neck a little awkwardly. “I was just teasing and you surprised me, I guess. You’re always surprising me.” 

Before you could backtrack or come up with some witty response, Sukuna recovered himself and his lips were on your neck. You let out a soft whimper at the sensation of his teeth dragging against your sensitive skin, his lips latching onto you and sucking purple marks onto you with no concern for who might see them the next day. 

As far as he was concerned you were his. Naoya could rage all he wanted. If he wanted to keep his girlfriend he shouldn’t have discarded her on the mountainside. Bitterly, you hoped Naoya found out exactly what you and Sukuna had done that night. Let him seethe. Let him reflect on all that he’d lost. 

The bastard deserved all that misery and more. 

Sukuna’s hands found their way beneath your clothes, calloused fingers pressing against your skin with care. You hadn’t realised how much your whole body was aching until he was touching you like that, your muscles flexing at the new contact. 

You took his actions as a sign to do the same, sliding your own fingers beneath his shirt and pressing them against his abs. You knew he was well built - on hotter days he’d been shirtless when working on teaching you to lead climb, and you’d pretty shamelessly stared at him until your mind had reminded you of your boyfriend.

It would be nice for him to be shirtless now, but neither of you felt like removing any layers of clothing in the cold, so for the time being your touch would have to suffice. That was a freedom that Sukuna seemed to be taking full advantage of, mapping out your body with his hands, his fingers moving to your breasts and squeezing, red eyes lighting up at the little moan it earned him. 

“Really shouldn’t be doing this now,” he whispered huskily against your ear. “Had the whole thing planned out. Figured once you’d broken up with Naoya that I’d take you out on a nice date and then bring you back to my place so we could do this properly. But here we are.” 

You giggled softly at the dismay in his tone. “We can still stop.” 

“No. I want this now. You aren’t so easily resisted. But mark my words, once we’re back home, I’m going to take my time with you. I want to look at you properly beyond just fumbling about in a dark tent - as hot as this is.” 

Giggling again, you nodded, in total agreement with his sentiment. Doing things like this, while a little limited, did feel exciting in its own way. It felt like you were keeping some secret with each other, doing whatever you could in the dark without anyone else knowing about it. There was an allure to it that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. 

With Sukuna’s attention on your breasts, you were the one that ended up making a major move first. Your hand slid down beneath the waistband of his trousers, finding its way into his briefs. He let out a groan at the feeling of your hand brushing against his cock, which twitched erratically at the slightest touch. 

It felt big beneath your fingers, and you hadn’t realised that your breath had hitched until Sukuna was letting out a chuckle. 

“Impressed?” 

“Maybe,” you mumbled shyly. You didn’t have much of a point of reference for such things. Naoya was the only man you’d ever been with, and you imagined that he wasn’t packing anything particularly unique down there. Not if Sukuna’s size was anything to go by. You wrapped your fingers around the shaft, enjoying the way Sukuna shivered in pleasure. 

Meanwhile, Sukuna mirrored your actions, his fingers moving down your body until they were grazing against your panties. It was a little embarrassing how damp the fabric had grown, your pussy desperately slick from the events of the evening. Your body wanted Sukuna just as much as your heart and mind did, and it was making that fact glaringly obvious. 

“So wet,” he said with a chuckle. “There I was all nervous that you wouldn’t feel the same. Shows what I know, huh?” 

You flushed, glancing away from him in embarrassment as his fingers pushed your panties to the side, giving him free access to your pussy beneath. His fingers moved deftly through your folds, moving the slick around before rubbing at your clit, leaving you whining his name and squeezing his cock a little tighter. 

“Cute,” he hummed, his nose brushing against yours. One of his fingers prodded at your opening, pushing in with a little effort. He took a few minutes opening you up with two of his fingers, languidly stuffing you full with them to prepare you. You didn’t want to admit to how emotional the whole thing made you feel, because Naoya had always said that foreplay was a myth. 

Never before had you been prepared for anything, and Sukuna taking so much time to do so had your heart fluttering. 

You tried your best to return the favour, stroking his cock as best as you could while it was still confined beneath his clothes, but he didn’t seem to pay that too much attention - completely fixed on making you cum around his fingers before moving onto anything else. That was another thing that Naoya had never done. Cumming with him was so infrequent that you’d almost grown certain that you couldn’t do it with another person. 

And yet, Sukuna had you doing it in a matter of minutes - your toes curling in desperate pleasure as you gushed over his fingers with a sweet little gasp. 

There was no time for you to catch your breath before he was pushing your trousers and panties down ever so slightly to give him access whilst still keeping you dressed and warm. He did the same for his own clothes, gently displacing your hand from his cock and repositioning the two of you so that he was on top. 

The sleeping bag was still wrapped snugly around the two of you, keeping the warmth in effectively while he lined himself up over you, his muscular body keeping you pinned down beneath him in a position you’d be more than happy to remain in for the rest of your days. It was so nice to be under him like that, to be so surrounded by his body and heat and scent. 

It was where you were supposed to be. In some uncomfortable tent on the side of the mountain feeling happier than ever because he was there with you. 

You’d gone to the mountaineering club for Naoya, but you couldn’t help but think fate had guided your actions and really led you there for Sukuna. 

“All good?” He asked, hot breath brushing against your ear. The tip of his cock was pressed up against your opening, and you realised that he was giving you a chance to back out - showing you a level of consideration that Naoya never would. 

“Yeah,” you breathed, lashes fluttering as you peered up into lovely red eyes, letting out a whine when he finally pushed into you.

You hadn’t been prepared for just how big he was, your eyes practically rolling to the back of your skull as he pressed his way into your tight pussy. Your nails dug into his arms and a whimper left you at the intensity of the feeling. You felt like you were aware of every ridge and vein on his cock, your pussy squeezing around him each time he’d involuntarily twitch within you. 

It didn’t take long for the uncomfortable fullness to give way to pleasure once he bottomed out inside you. It had a pleasantly warm buzz running through your body once he started to thrust within you, the weight of his body keeping you still and secure, keeping you warm even as the storm picked up outside. 

Any fears of the thunder and lightning were pushed aside in favour of focusing on the feeling of being split in two. Sukuna’s lips found your neck once more, overstimulating you as he bit and sucked on the juncture between your neck and shoulder, bringing tears to your eyes beneath all the pleasure he was giving you. 

Even through the stretch it felt right to have him inside you, and it was downright heavenly each time one of his long strokes hit that one specific spot inside you, bringing stars and light to your vision each time. 

This was where you were meant to be. 

Neither of you lasted particularly long. Not after the day you’d just had, and certainly not after months of mutual crushing. You’d cum first - your body already sensitive from the previous orgasm and totally overwhelmed by the intimacy of it all. Sukuna had reached down to play with your clit while he fucked you, and that set you on a high unlike any other. 

If Naoya had known where the clit was, he’d certainly never touched it. 

And yet, there Sukuna was utilising it. You could count on one hand the number of times you’d cum from penetrative sex, but Sukuna had pulled an orgasm from you like it was easy. 

And maybe it was easy. 

Maybe Naoya just fucking sucked. 

Sukuna wasn’t far behind you in reaching his release. When you’d cum you’d clamped down around him tightly, locked in a spiral of pure pleasure unlike that which you’d experienced before. It felt better than anything you could achieve with your own hands - infinitely more intimate and lovely. 

The way you’d squeezed him so tight had sent Sukuna over the edge, prompting him to groan your name in that low tone of his as he filled you with his seed, riding out his own release to the point where you were growing overstimulated and begging him for mercy. 

Mercy which he gave you with a gentle smile and a kiss planted atop your sweaty forehead. 

The two of you lay then in the darkness, soft pants drowned beneath the howling of wind. Sukuna was holding you tightly, keeping you secure in his grip like you might vanish if he didn’t cling to you with all his might. He was still inside you, softening but present in a way that felt blissfully intimate. Whenever you’d laid with Naoya, you couldn’t wait to escape his grip and get cleaned up. 

With Sukuna, it was different. 

You could stay there with him sheathed inside you for hours - connected in a way that just felt right. 

His lips were ghosting against your hair, soothing you with kisses, running his hands over you repetitively in a bid to ensure you stayed warm at his side. Your ankle was throbbing a little from all the movement, but with Sukuna’s legs intertwined with yours you found yourself able to ignore it. All thoughts and discomforts overridden by how happy you felt in that moment. 

“Try and get some sleep,” he murmured against your hair. “I’ll look after you.” 

“I know,” you whispered. 

He smiled softly. “Just making sure you know it. Apparently you can’t take for granted that everyone will look out for you.” His tone came out a little bitter, but instead of feeling anger at the reminder of Naoya’s actions, you felt a warmth blossom across your chest at Sukuna’s display of care. 

You liked that he was angry about it. It was nice to have someone care about you for once. 

In hindsight, it was a blessing that you never made it out into the mountains alone with Naoya like you’d intended to at the start of your mountaineering training. If you had, perhaps you would’ve ended up left for dead - freezing on the side of the mountain while Naoya summoned some crocodile tears and dismissed your fate altogether. 

You were lucky to have Sukuna. Lucky to be able to continue going into the mountains with someone who actually wanted you there. Someone who would really take care of you. 

“I’m glad you’re here to look after me.” Your hand reached for his face, tracing his tattoos with great care. As pleasant as your evening with him had been, you were looking forward to making it down the mountain - to spending time with him outside of that tent. It would be nice to see just where those tattoos disappeared off to beneath his clothes. 

But that would have to wait. 

You knew that the next day would be long. An arduous trek back down the mountain was ahead of you, along with a no doubt vicious confrontation with your ex. One that you were sure Sukuna would take the lead on, but still not something you were looking forward to experiencing. 

Either way, you wouldn’t dwell on it that evening. 

Because for the time being, there was nothing you needed to worry about. The storm could rage on outside for as long as it needed to. You were safe in your tent, in the arms of a man who would never leave you alone on the side of a mountain. 

And it was possibly the happiest you’d been in a very long time. 

a/n: after getting down to the bottom of the mountain the next day I promise reader slapped naoya and sukuna beat the hell out of him :)

had such a fun time writing this its literally the most self-indulgent fic I've ever written as I love being in the mountains hehe

hope you enjoyed! reblogs and comments are appreciated as always!

perma taglist: @calicatzz @suzunu @winkii @sukubusss @bobis-notmylover @tetsuski @torupilled @brattyxackerman @r0vena @chaos-4baby @moonlitreveri3 @feyrinnn @strawberryrosey @creamofsneky-blog @zeeseekay @p1nkfl0wers @apricityn @keiiiluv @dogggggggblog-kaye @lav4mpira @seellove @cutesytwt @gojodickbig @yuujispinkhair @somos-things @yeagersss @paradisestarfishh @jennilynn63 @tthhaattgguuyy27 @bexxli @being-blue-is-better @tisuruxx @juliarchiv3s @dishs0pe @plutoxxxworld @5kkalara @serenadesvt @00frenchfries00 @warriorofenlightenment @scarlet-issilly @himbosexual @pousivuitton @ksjtozaki @certainfanpoetry @gojoscumslut @ynishalee @nakiich @t4ters @himezoro @pandabiene5115

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Sukuna was the big strong beast of half cursed-man and half tiger. with those instincts of a cat with the fast reflexes, soft tiger ears atop of his head in the mess of pink hair, a tail split into two, and tattooed stripes across his ribs to represent the stripes of a real tiger, as well as his tattoos that everyone associated with the curse side of him.

people feared him, as he was the King of Curses and a tiger all in one. he was never mentioned by name in passing conversation amongst the village people, as they believed that they’d get hunted down and killed if they dared uttered his name.

well, everyone but you, of course.

somehow and someway, Sukuna chose you to be his. at first it was being his caregiver, then it bloomed into a relationship. how? you guys didn’t really know.

but you did know that he was the biggest brat you’ve ever met.

everytime you came back to the estate after doing your errands, like getting new silks and foods for the cooks to make into meals the next couple of nights, you’d come home to servants cleaning up Sukuna’s mess that he’d made while you were gone. he scratched at the carpets, couches and even the wooden posts on the walls, pissing on said scratched materials.

whenever you’d ask, it was always the same answer.

“just marking what’s mine.” he would state like it was the simplest thing.

as much as you wanted to get mad at him about ruining the house, you also understood that he was part tiger, which gave him those cat instincts to mark his territory.

another thing that made you question why you loved this man was when he never listened, another aspect of his brattiness. he never listens, no matter what you say, how you say it or what you’re telling him not to do, he’ll do it without a care. it gets on your damn nerves and he knows it.

but damnit do you love him.

especially right now.

currently, you were curled up in bed with a book, a few candles lit on your bedside table to provide a little bit of light before you went in for bed. you were the only one in the huge bed, Sukuna doing something, probably getting ready for bed as well or talking to some of the guards and military leaders about the next attack he wanted to do on a neighboring village.

he came into the bedroom when you finished three chapters, yanking the sheets off of you and practically replacing them with his own body. he laid on top of you, all 400 plus pounds of his body on top of yours. his head rested against your chest, tail flicking back and forth slowly as his purrs started to fill the room, loud and full. they almost rattled some pictures off of their nails on the walls.

his hands started to knead at your stomach and thighs, like a house cat getting their sleeping spot comfortable for their nap. sure it hurt a little bit, his claw like nails digging into your skin, previous scratches and faint scars on your body proved that this was a reoccurring event.

you looked down at the man when he lightly butted his head against your breasts, a silent demand for something, unsure of what he wanted since it changed almost every night.

“behind my ears, woman.” he stated flatly, looking up at you for a moment before going back to kneading your flesh, purring even louder as you scratched behind one of his ears.

you used his head as a rest for your book, still reading to yourself. a page in, you gave up since you couldn’t help but dote and love on him in this state.

the two of you stayed like that even as sleep overtook the two of you, his body weight pinning you down to the mattress, keeping you still and safe, even if it meant you’d wake up to your legs all prickly due to the lacy of blood flow to them during the night.

whenever morning came, like clockwork, you’d awake to a big, scratchy tongue licking across your cheek and into your hair, your lovely boyfriend grooming you like you were a kit.

you watched him groom himself, licking at his arms, legs and whatever else he could reach before turning his attention to you, licking at your face and hair, brushing the knots out with the sandpaper like feel of his tongue.

it hurt.

a lot.

but if you ever tried to leave early before he was finished his morning cleaning on both himself and you, he’d hold you down in his lap with a pair of arms, keeping you still even if you squirmed and tried to break free.

“g’morning to you, too..” you mumbled softly, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you rocked and swayed at every movement from his tongue licking at your face, smiling warmly at the sound of his purring.

“you slept too long, woman.” he huffed, nuzzling his face against yours, ears flicking slightly at he listened to the sounds outside of the bedroom. he paused, listened some more before rubbing himself against you again, letting his scent cling to you like perfume, letting everyone know who you belonged to.

rolling your eyes, you mirrored his actions slightly when his head brushed against yours, smiling as you nuzzled your face into his neck, climbing atop of the big male next to you. “my apologies, my apologies.”

a low, deep noise escaped him when you were on top of him, leaning back slightly until his back hit the headboard of the bed, one hand resting on your waist, one rubbing circles against your back while the other two laid at his side.

as tough and threatening Sukuna was, moments like these were the soft, slightly possessive side that you loved. sure, he got on your nerves on occasion, but that was part of the fun, wasn’t it?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

i’m back again…hopefully i’ll update more since i’m on break and i’m not going to school in the fall🥹✌️