Andra Grace

Summary - Sukuna spent years building the future he thought you deserved. You spent those same years quietly supporting him and his brothers, Choso and Yuji. Somewhere between success, sacrifice, and unspoken words, he forgot to cherish what he already had. By the time he realizes that home was never the penthouse or the company, you're already gone. Tags - Yearning Sukuna, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Established Relationship, Jealousy, Misunderstandings, Relationship Problems, Temporary Breakup, Happy Ending (Eventually), Protective Sukuna, Soft Sukuna, Sukuna Has Feelings, Whipped Sukuna, No Cheating, Eventual Reconciliation, Choso & Yuji are Sukuna's younger brothers, non-sorcerers au, slight cursing, Taking Someone for Granted, Sukuna is down bad, Whipped Sukuna, Sukuna losing his mind with regret. Word count - 6.6k ================================================= You had been there for Sukuna since college. Back when everyone thought he was the biggest asshole on campus, until you realized just how much responsibility he was carrying all alone. Responsibility that was never supposed to be his in the first place. When you first approached him, he reminded you of a wild cat. Angry. Hissy. Ready to scratch anyone who came too close. But deep down... he never really wanted you to leave.

So you didn't.

Slowly, he began trusting you. He started opening up, little by little, and then one day he introduced you to his younger brothers. Choso and Yuji. You adored them instantly, and they welcomed you with tiny, shy smiles that completely melted your heart. Then eventually, with flushed cheeks and slightly trembling hands, Sukuna asked you to be his girl. All that time, you had been convinced you were the only one with a crush on him, so hearing those words felt almost unreal.

His parents had never cared about any of them and had left the three brothers to fend for themselves. Sukuna had been forced to grow up far too early, taking responsibility for Yuji and Choso while he was still just a kid himself. Even in college, he was juggling three jobs just to make ends meet while trying his best not to lose his scholarship. He never had much time back then, but somehow, no matter how exhausted he was, he never forgot about you.

You, on the other hand, came from a wealthy family. Sukuna was never the kind of person who would accept financial help, so you practically had to force him to move into your apartment just so he could stop wasting money on rent. It wasn't even yours to begin with. Your grandmother had gifted it to you. Once he finally gave in, it slowly stopped feeling like two people sharing a place. You felt like you had become a family.

You knew how important his work was to him so you helped him take care of his younger brothers, while also helping Sukuna get his business off the ground until he finally started attracting investors, business partners and greater opportunities. Then, slowly, the business began to grow. He had become someone people wanted to know and impress. 

The more successful he became, the busier he got. You tried to understand it but then there were moments, when it felt like you were no longer a part of his world. Slowly the lack of time, efforts and assurance turned your relationship bitter. At one point you couldn't even remember the last time the two of you had laughed together or simply enjoyed each other's company. You guys barely even talked and when you did, they turned into fights. Constantly for months now. 

He was always busy with work, meetings, and events, while more and more women kept throwing themselves at him. You understood he couldn't control that part, but it still pissed you off because he reacted like it was no big deal. Like you were overreacting. He used to get visibility irritated when some tried to hit on him before but now it was difficult to recognise him at times. Somewhere along the way, those frustrations slowly turned into suspicions. Were all those business trips really about work? Was there someone else? Did he still love you?

You watched the way women looked at him, with obvious desire in their eyes, not caring that you were standing right there beside him. And honestly you couldn't even blame them. Sukuna was attractive. Painfully so. Tall, handsome, successful, confident, and carrying himself with the kind of quiet authority that naturally drew people's attention the moment he walked into a room. It was almost impossible not to notice.

Some wore polite smiles. Others barely acknowledged your existence. But a few... a few looked at you with that same mocking smile, like they couldn't understand why someone like you was standing next to someone like him. Like you were some naïve little girl who had somehow ended up with a man completely out of her league.

And every single time it happened, a small part of you deep down had started wondering the same thing. 

The doubts only seemed to grow stronger. Women - investors, business partners, assistants - kept messaging him, sometimes even late at night. Other times when he would step outside to answer a call, and you couldn't help overhearing a little, he didn't sound annoyed.

If anything, he sounded interested. Or maybe just amused. Like he was playing hard to get. He had changed a lot. And maybe his feelings changed.

It wasn't really his fault... was it?

You had helped him through some of the hardest years of his life. Maybe he stayed because he felt guilty about leaving you, even if deep down he wanted to. At first, the two of you fought all the time, but these past few weeks... even that had stopped. The silence between you had become cold, almost as if neither of you thought the relationship was worth fighting for anymore.

And then he forgot your anniversary. He never even realized it. Or if he did... he didn't seem guilty enough to bring it up.You never reminded him.What was the point? He would've probably shown up with some ridiculously expensive gift, thinking money could fix what had been broken for months. It couldn't. You had spent years helping raise Sukuna's younger brothers, putting yourself and your own career second because you wanted to help all of them. You missed the girl you were back in college. The girl who was ambitious, who genuinely loved the work she did, who woke up excited for the future. Somewhere along the way, life became everyone else first and you somewhere at the very end. And now you were just tired.

But it was not just Sukuna who had changed. Even Yuji and Choso had.

Choso had always been the shy one. The kind of kid who practically hovered around you but hid behind you whenever someone new spoke to him. At first, you kept telling yourself that maybe he was just growing up. College changed people. He was probably busy trying to find his own friends and his own place in the world. Yuji was easier to explain too. He was a teenager now. Teenagers changed. They stopped clinging to people and became more independent. That's what you kept telling yourself anyway. But no matter how many excuses you came up with, that strange feeling never really went away. Both of them had slowly become distant. Yuji, who used to cling to your arm, scold Sukuna on your behalf whenever you two fought, and refuse to let you leave the house without hugging him first, had become someone who barely spoke more than three words to you. He still smiled politely whenever you crossed paths, but that was all they were now. Polite smiles. The kind you gave strangers. Choso wasn't much different. He no longer hovered around you or quietly followed you into the kitchen just to keep you company while you cooked. Instead, it almost felt like he was avoiding you. At first, you thought maybe you were overthinking it. Then one afternoon, you overheard him talking to a few of his college friends. They were talking about you.

"I mean... she's lucky. Sukuna's loaded now. Must be nice living off all that money while he works day and night."

You paused and waited.

You knew Choso would say something. He knew better than anyone that you had been there long before Sukuna ever had money. So you waited for him to correct them. To defend you. Instead there was silence. Your heart sank. He didn't agree but he didn't disagree either. And somehow, that hurt just as much.

Did Choso think that too? Was that why he had been avoiding you? Not because he was shy anymore, but because he genuinely didn't like you? It suddenly hit you that maybe they had all changed. You had just refused to accept it. You had fed them, helped them with their homework, cleaned up after them, worried about them, celebrated their birthdays, and loved them like they were your own. But what were you to them now? Just some girl living off Sukuna's money? A nanny? A convenience?

You kept telling yourself Choso was just busy with college, trying to find his people, while Yuji was simply acting like every teenager did. Until one afternoon, when you came back from the supermarket. The three of them were sitting together in the living room, eating, laughing, and joking around. They hadn't noticed you standing at the front door yet, your arms full of grocery bags, but something inside you broke that day because, for the first time in months, you saw them laughing the way they used to.

Just...Not with you.

You stood there for a few seconds before finally stepping inside. The laughter stopped almost immediately. The room fell silent, and it felt like a stranger had just walked into a private conversation instead of coming home. Like you no longer belonged there. The only person who spoke was Sukuna.

"There's dinner for you in the oven."

You simply nodded before making your way straight to your bedroom.

You knew you had to talk to Sukuna. You had been putting it off for months, but this couldn't continue anymore. Except... he never came to your room that night. A quiet chuckle escaped your lips as you lay down on the bed. When was the last time the two of you had even gone to sleep together peacefully? Most nights ended in arguments, while the rest ended with him staying in his office until he eventually fell asleep there instead.

As you stared at the ceiling, you remembered something Shoko had told you months ago when the two of you had met. You're doing wife duties while you're still just the girlfriend.It never ends well. Back then, you hadn't listened. Because back then they needed you.

But people changed, and maybe the biggest thing you had failed to realize was that you weren't actually family. You were just convenient. And now that they didn't need you anymore, you couldn't help but feel like a burden more than ever. Sleep never came that night. Sukuna and you barely even felt like you were in a relationship anymore. As difficult as it was to admit, maybe his feelings really had changed. His circle had grown. His world had grown. Deep down, he probably knew he'd be better off with someone else.

Just when you finally gathered the courage to talk to Sukuna, he walked into the bedroom.

"I have to leave now," he said, already reaching for his suitcase. "Business trip."

You simply nodded. He disappeared back out to finish packing when his phone, which he had left on the bed, lit up with a notification.

A woman's name..

She was just one of those women. One of the many who seemed to cling to Sukuna even more whenever you were around, acting as if they knew him better than you did. The conversation would always somehow drift towards business, investors, meetings, and deals, leaving you standing there feeling like an outsider in your own relationship. Then there were the little things. The way her hand always seemed to linger on his arm a little longer than necessary. The way she stood just a little too close. The smiles that almost felt intentional, like she was trying to send you a message without ever saying a word. But she wasn't the only one. There had been others. Too many for you to even remember their names.

‘Let's meet at the same hotel after the meeting.’

Before you could even process what you had read, Sukuna walked back into the room and immediately picked up his phone. It was quick. Almost instinctive. Like he was hiding something.

You didn't feel angry. You didn't even feel like asking him to explain. You had done that before. Every single time it ended the same way. Another fight. Another argument about how you were overthinking things. How you were reading too much into it. How you just needed to trust him.

But you did not trust him anymore. Not after everything had changed. You remembered how he used to get irritated whenever another woman openly flirted with him. Now, it almost felt like he enjoyed it. And you were tired of wondering. Tired of convincing yourself that nothing had changed when everything around you said otherwise. 

There were plenty of women interested in him. Women with influence. Women with powerful connections. Women who naturally belonged in the world he had built for himself. You weren't insecure. At least, you didn't think you were. You were just trying to be realistic.

Sukuna had outgrown you. He deserved someone who matched him. Honestly, he might even be relieved when you finally left. That night, Sukuna left for his business trip. You started packing.

There wasn't much that was truly yours anymore. Most of what surrounded you had been bought by Sukuna. At first, they were gifts because he wanted to repay you for standing beside him during the hardest years of his life. Somewhere along the way, they slowly became apologies instead. Expensive gifts after every argument, after every forgotten promise, after every disappointment. You just hadn't realized it back then.

Your eyes drifted to the ring on your finger. A ruby. Your favorite stone.

He had given it to you after landing his first major client almost four years ago. It wasn't an engagement ring. It was a promise ring. A promise that the two of you would get married one day as soon as his business got more stable so you guys could plan a lavish wedding.

Did you even want that anymore? You couldn't honestly say yes. Because love wasn't supposed to make you feel this small. You slowly slipped it off your finger and gently placed the ring inside the bedside drawer.

You were done.

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The next morning, two large suitcases sat by the bedroom door. One held your clothes. The other was filled with your books, important documents, and work files. Two smaller suitcases carried your gadgets and all the little pieces of yourself that had quietly found their place around the penthouse over the years.

Maybe you weren't being as calm as you had convinced yourself you were about this. Maybe you were being just a little petty because you wanted to erase every little trace of you out of his life. Your shampoo. Your bath bombs. Your soft pink towel. The stupid little decorations you had insisted on buying because they made the place feel warmer. Everything went into a box.

The things you couldn't take with you, you had removed from the apartment entirely. Your old desk. Your bookshelf. Your oversized chair where you spent countless nights working while Yuji and Choso did their homework beside you. Sukuna will get his life back. Without you. Without even the smallest fragments of you left behind. After all, it was only polite.

Before leaving, you decided to have breakfast one last time with Yuji and Choso. You let out a quiet chuckle when both of them seemed to be in a hurry to leave. It took them barely three minutes to finish eating before they were already grabbing their bags and heading towards the door. You simply watched them and had your breakfast. 

The two brothers exchanged a confused glance as you didn't say much today. You usually asked them what they had planned, their friends or just about anything but today you were very quiet. They shrugged it off thinking you were just in one of your quieter moods today. They walked toward the door, mumbled their goodbyes and turned to leave.

But you didn't answer.

That made them pause. Yuji looked back first. You were staring at the family picture hanging on the wall. The one you had insisted on framing years ago. Back then, all you could see was your family.

Now all you saw was a family of three brothers and a woman who was about to become someone they used to know. Eventually, you would just become another stranger from their past. You weren't going to fool yourself into believing Yuji or Choso would want to keep in touch with you after this. They barely spoke to you anymore. Some days you didn't even see them because they stayed over at friends' houses. You only knew the names of a few friends because they occasionally came over.

"Y/n?"

Yuji's voice pulled you out of your thoughts. You looked over at him as you replied. "Yeah?"

No smile.

"We're leaving."

"Okay."

Your face remained blank. No ‘Take care’, No ‘Don't do anything stupid’.

Nothing. Both of them frowned. It felt... strange.

Choso hesitated before quietly asking, "You okay? You seem distracted."

His eyes shifted towards the family picture you had been staring at. You finally gave them a small smile as you looked away.

"Yeah. I was just thinking it's time to change this old picture."

The two brothers simply nodded before leaving. It was unusual. But they were already running late. As soon as they left you got up and carried your suitcases down to the car. After one trip, you came back upstairs to check the penthouse one last time.

You looked around and there wasn't a single thing left that belonged to you anymore. The apartment looked exactly the way it had before you ever moved in.

Like a luxury hotel.

Only one thing remained. The family picture.

You walked over and carefully took it off the wall. As soon as it was in your hands, every bit of anger and frustration you had been holding back came rushing to the surface. Your fingers tightened around the frame as tears silently rolled down your cheeks. You remembered the day you had proudly hung it above the fireplace. You remembered Choso's shy smile and Yuji excitedly pointing at himself in the picture.

You couldn't take it with you. But you did not want to leave it here either. It didn't belong above that fireplace anymore. In a sudden burst of anger, you threw it onto the floor. The glass shattered across the room.

After a moment of satisfaction, you let out an exhausted groan.

Great. Now I have to clean it up.

Those idiots would probably end up cutting themselves trying to do it. Just then, your phone buzzed. A message from Sukuna.

‘Choso and Yuji will be staying at their friends' place and will return next week.’

You stared at the screen for a second before letting out a hollow laugh. They hadn't even bothered telling you when you just saw them now. But why are you even surprised anymore? You were not family to them, at least not anymore. You threw the broken frame into the bin. And gave the photograph one final look, before you walked over to the stove.

And burned it. Like it had never existed before you finally walked out of the penthouse. Away from the life you had built. And the life you had only convinced yourself was yours.

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You had your own money. More than enough, actually. You had never actually stopped working. You still had your own assets and investments, and although you had slowed down over the years, you continued taking independent projects from home whenever you had the time. You had simply spent so much of that time giving everyone else their share of you that your own dreams had quietly been pushed aside.

That was going to change now.

A friend owned an apartment nearby and handed you the keys without hesitation. You moved in that very day. There wasn't much to organize since it came fully furnished, so by evening you found yourself shopping for an entirely new wardrobe. Professional clothes. Clothes that made you feel like yourself again. You signed up for a gym too. Not because you were unhappy with how you looked, but because you missed feeling strong.

Besides, working out had always been your way of clearing your head. It gave you a reason to eat better, stay active, and focus on yourself again. For the first time in months... You were excited. Everything felt new.

The following day, you sat down and mapped out the next six months of your life. Registering your company. Legal paperwork. Finance. Marketing. Every little detail had already been planned years ago back in college. Somewhere along the way, you had forgotten about that dream.

Now... It was finally beginning. You slept well that night. You had already grown so used to sleeping alone these past few weeks that it didn't even feel strange anymore. There was a lot you were looking forward to. —------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning

Choso picked Yuji up before heading back to the penthouse together. The moment they stepped inside, both of them instinctively looked towards the dining table, expecting to see you already sitting there, probably waiting for them to finally wake up so breakfast could begin.

Instead the house was quiet. It felt strange.

"Maybe she went out," Yuji mumbled with a small shrug as he looked around for you, before making his way towards his room. Choso silently followed behind him.

As they walked upstairs, both of their eyes drifted towards the empty space above the fireplace. The family picture was still gone. A small frown settled on both their faces. The whole place looked weird without it.

After changing, the two brothers wandered back downstairs, grabbed a box of cereal, and sat across from each other at the dining table. Both were lost in their own thoughts before Choso finally spoke.

"...Did she message you over the weekend?"

Yuji looked up immediately. He didn't even need to ask who Choso was talking about.

"No." He frowned. "I honestly thought my phone was broken or something."

Choso slowly nodded, absentmindedly pushing the cereal around his bowl.

"I was expecting at least two calls," he admitted quietly. "She didn't even text."

Yuji stayed silent.

"...She didn't seem okay that day either," Choso continued after a moment. "Where is she so early anyway?"

Yuji shrugged. "Maybe she's with Sukuna?"

The two brothers looked at each other before nodding. That made the most sense. Anything else, didn't.

Just then, Sukuna finally returned from his business trip. He walked in carrying lunch. Your favorite. You had left his "Good morning" message on read earlier that day. It had felt more like a formality than anything else, especially since he had spent most of the weekend buried in work anyway. He figured you were still upset with him, so he had picked up your favorite food on the way home, hoping it might at least get you to talk to him.

The moment he stepped inside, his eyes instinctively searched the apartment. He expected to see you. Instead he found Yuji and Choso sitting silently at the dining table.

His brows furrowed.

"Where is she?" he asked as he placed the takeaway bags on the table before looking around the place.

Yuji looked just as confused.

"Isn't she with you?"

"I just got back from a work trip. How the hell could she be with me?"

Choso slowly looked up.

"...She hasn't been home since morning."

Sukuna's head snapped towards him.

"And you're telling me that just now?" His voice came out much harsher than he intended as he immediately pulled his phone out. "Did either of you at least call her?"

The two brothers exchanged guilty looks before quietly shaking their heads. They had both assumed you'd be back by now. Muttering a curse under his breath, Sukuna immediately called you.

You didn’t answer. He called again.This time the call disconnected, only for a message to appear a few seconds later.

‘I'm busy with some work.’

He stared at it for a second before quickly typing back.

‘Where are you? At least tell me when you'll be home.’

No reply. Another minute passed. Still nothing. Sukuna let out a frustrated sigh before slipping his phone back into his pocket.

"She's busy."

He gestured towards the food.

"I brought food. Eat."

The three of them sat down in silence. Trying to ignore the uncomfortable atmosphere, Sukuna finally spoke.

"What did you two do over the weekend, brats?"

"Nothing much," Yuji answered quietly. "Just hung out with friends."

Normally he would've rambled for another five minutes after that. But today he spoke nothing else. Sukuna glanced towards Choso.

"And you?"

"...Same."

Another silence settled over the table before Choso quietly looked down at the pasta in front of him.

"...She makes this much better."

Yuji nodded in agreement. Sukuna rolled his eyes, already about to make some sarcastic remark, when his gaze drifted towards the fireplace.

He paused.

"...Where did that picture go?"

Yuji looked over. "Oh."

"She said it was getting old. She must have taken it down to replace it."

Sukuna frowned. Old? You loved that picture. You had always gone on about how it was your favorite one in the house. Now the wall looked very empty. For some reason, it bothered him more than it should have.

"When did she say that?"

Yuji thought for a second.

"...Thursday morning."

Choso quietly added. "That was the last time we talked to her."

Something heavy settled in Sukuna's chest.

"Did..." Yuji hesitated before asking quietly, "...did you guys fight?"

Choso glanced towards him before adding,

"...She didn't look okay that day."

Sukuna frowned.

"...You're telling me she didn't call either of you the entire weekend?"

Both brothers slowly shook their heads.

That wasn't like you. No matter how bad things got between the two of you, you never dragged Yuji or Choso into it. You always made sure they were okay, especially whenever they stayed somewhere else. You always checked if they had eaten, if they reached safely, if they needed anything.

So why...

"I'll fix it."

It came out more like a promise to himself than to anyone else. He stood up, phone already in his hand, sending you another message.

Call me when you're free

Then he sat back down, staring at the screen as if somehow that would make it ring faster. A few minutes later, it finally did. Sukuna answered the phone almost immediately.

"What do you want?"

He frowned at your detached tone. It was cold. Polite. Like he was talking to a stranger. He deserved that much. Honestly, at this point he wasn't even sure what exactly you were still mad about anymore. Somewhere along the way, every fight had blurred into the next until he couldn't tell where one ended and another began.

"Look..." he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I'm sorry, alright?"

"Okay."

The reply came so quickly it almost caught him off guard. No arguing. No sarcasm. No telling him to go to hell.

Just ‘Okay’ Somehow, that felt worse. He continued anyway.

"Please just come home so we can sort this out."

There was a long pause. Long enough for him to wonder whether the call had disconnected. Then he heard you sigh as you realised he still hadn't noticed it yet.

"Sukuna..."

Your voice was calm. Too calm.

"I'm not coming back."

He frowned.

"What do you mean?...Are you staying at Shoko's? Just tell me where you are."

He assumed just like every other time, you will still stay. Maybe not happily, but you always did. Even when you were furious. Somewhere deep down, he had always known why.

Yuji.

Choso.

No matter how angry you were with him, you never let it affect them. But this time was different. And he was yet to realise it. "Sukuna..." You took a slow breath before saying the words that had been sitting on your chest for days.

"I moved out."

Silence. You could hear his breathing. Nothing else. It was almost like his brain had refused to process what you had just said.

"...What?"

"I moved out."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped, his voice suddenly rising. "I get that you're mad, but don't fucking joke like this."

You leaned your head back against your office chair, closing your eyes for a moment. You already knew he wasn't going to make this easy. Not because he loved you. Because you had become a habit. And habits were hard to break.

"I already moved out," you repeated quietly. "Three days ago."

Sukuna slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. His eyes wandered around the room. For the first time he actually looked.

Your desk. Gone. The chair you always curled up in while reading. Gone.

Your books. Gone.

The little decorations you insisted made the room feel warmer. Gone.

It was so subtle that he hadn't noticed before. Now it looked like you had never lived there at all. His breathing became uneven. His hand started trembling as he stood up and walked towards the wardrobe. He pulled the door open. Almost empty.

Only the expensive things he had bought you over the years were still hanging inside. His chest tightened painfully. Suddenly it felt too real.

"B-Baby..." His voice cracked for the first time. "Where are you?"

You stayed silent. He swallowed hard.

"Please." The word came out so quietly you almost didn't hear it.

"Think about Choso." Another pause. "...about Yuji."

Your voice remained calm. "They'll still have you... and that's enough. I know you'll all be alright."

Something inside Sukuna snapped. "NO!"

His voice echoed through the bedroom.

"YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE THAT!"

His breathing had become ragged.

"YOU DON'T GET TO JUST LEAVE AND TELL ME WE'LL BE OKAY WHEN YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WE WON'T!"

For the first time since the call had started, anger finally surged through you. How dare he. How dare he act like this now? Like none of this had been his fault? A quiet, bitter chuckle escaped your lips.

"You were doing just fine all this time," you replied softly. "Even when I wasn't."

He froze.

"So why pretend now?" Your voice cracked just slightly. "Why are you acting like we weren't already over?" A tear slipped down his face before he even realized it was there. He knew things had gotten bad. He knew the two of you had been fighting more than either of you were smiling lately. Every misunderstanding seemed to turn into another argument, every conversation into another disappointment. But somewhere, somehow, he had convinced himself that no matter how ugly things got...

You would still be there. He had taken that for granted.

"But..." His voice broke. "You can't just leave. We are family. You don;t get to do this" He didn't even know what he was saying anymore. "We have to at least try. We can fix this." He shook his head desperately, like if he refused to accept it hard enough, everything would somehow go back to normal. "Please... just give me one more chance. I swear I'll -"

You had heard it before. You had done this dance before. It always ended the same way. A few days of trying. A few promises. Then work took over again, another misunderstanding happened, and before you knew it, you were right back where you started. Now you couldn't believe him anymore. Not even if a part of you wanted to.

"Check your bedside drawer," you said quietly. "I left you something."

Your voice was so calm that it scared him. With trembling hands, he walked over to the bedside table. Somewhere deep down he already knew as he slowly pulled the drawer open.

His breath caught. There it was. Your ruby ring. 

The one he had spent months saving for after landing his first major client. He still remembered how nervous he had been handing it to you, promising that one day he'd replace it with a real engagement ring. He remembered how brightly you had smiled, teasing him that he had somehow managed to remember your favorite gemstone. Now it was lying alone inside the drawer. 

Returned. 

The promise had been returned with it. He understood exactly what you were trying to say. You didn't trust him anymore. You didn't believe in him anymore. You didn't believe in the relationship anymore. His trembling hand held onto the bed as another sob escaped him.

Ryomen Sukuna. The man who hadn't cried when his parents abandoned them. The man who hadn't cried while working three jobs just to keep food on the table. The man who had built an entire company from nothing with his own hands. Was now crying so hard he could barely breathe.

You had left.

The one person who had stayed beside him when he had absolutely nothing. The one who never looked down on him. The one who made sure Yuji and Choso always smiled. The one who had somehow turned a tiny apartment into a home..

"You..." His voice came out as nothing more than a broken whisper. "...You can't just leave us."

Your eyes filled with tears again. "We don’t belong together anymore, Sukuna. And I've accepted it. You should too."

And before he could say another word, you ended the call.

"No... no..."

His hands shook violently as he called you back. Again and again. Straight to voicemail. He sent a message. No reply. His breathing became more frantic as he looked around the bedroom again.

It wasn't just your clothes. Everything that had belonged to you was gone. Even your favorite blanket. It suddenly looked like no one had ever lived there besides him. Like you had erased yourself from the apartment...And from his life.

A strangled sound escaped his throat before rage exploded through him. He grabbed the chair nearest to him and hurled it across the room. It slammed into the wall, knocking a lamp onto the floor where it shattered instantly. His breathing became heavier. His vision blurred with tears.

He ripped the curtains down with one violent pull before punching the wardrobe hard enough to leave a dent in the wood. Nothing mattered. None of it. Not the penthouse. Not the company. Not the money. None of it meant a damn thing if you weren't there to come home to.

The crashing downstairs was loud enough that Yuji and Choso came running.

"Sukuna!"

"What happened?"

The two brothers stopped dead in the doorway. The room looked like a disaster. Broken glass covered the floor. The chair lay on its side. The curtains had been ripped down.

Their older brother stood in the middle of it all, breathing heavily, tears streaming down his face. Neither of them had ever seen him like this. Choso was the first to find his voice.

"...what’s wrong?"

Sukuna slowly turned around. His eyes were red. Broken. Empty.

"She left."

Neither of them moved.

"She's..." His voice cracked again. "...She's not coming back."

The room fell completely silent. Yuji felt the color drain from his face. Choso's heart dropped into his stomach.

What? Why?

Neither of them moved. For a long moment, the only sound in the room was Sukuna's uneven breathing. 

"...When?" Yuji finally managed to ask. Sukuna stared blankly ahead.

"Thursday."

Both brothers froze.

"...Thursday?" Choso frowned.

Choso slowly sat down, trying to make sense of it all.

"She..." His voice caught in his throat. "She was saying goodbye."

The family picture. You were not making conversation. You were saying goodbye.

"No..." Yuji whispered, shaking his head. "No... she wouldn't just leave." 

He immediately looked towards Sukuna. "You called her back, right?"

Sukuna nodded. "She won't answer."

"Text her."

"I did."

"Call her again then!"

"I HAVE!"

The words echoed through the room before Sukuna immediately looked away, dragging a trembling hand over his face. His voice had become hoarse.

"I don't know where she is."

That sentence hit the two brothers harder than anything else. After everything, he didn't even know where you were. This hadn't been some impulsive decision after another fight.

You had packed. Found another place to live. Taken everything that truly belonged to you. You hadn't left because of one argument. You had been leaving for months. He had simply been too blind to notice. For years, he had convinced himself that everything he was doing was for you. Ever since college, the only thing on his mind had been becoming someone worthy of standing beside you. You came from a family that could give you almost anything, while he came from nothing. Somewhere along the way, he had convinced himself that if he just worked hard enough, earned enough, became successful enough, then one day he would finally be able to give you the life you deserved.

So he worked. And worked. And worked.

He tolerated investors he couldn't stand, business dinners he hated, and people he would've gladly thrown out if his company wasn't still growing. Every fake smile, every forced conversation, every handshake was another step towards the future he wanted to build with you.

He never as much as thought about anyone else, forget cheating. The women never mattered. Not one of them. They couldn't even compare to you.

To him, they were nothing more than another inconvenience that came with success. He had simply become better at hiding his irritation because losing his temper every time someone flirted with him wasn't an option anymore. The company was still growing. Investors watched everything. One wrong move, one public scene, and years of work could disappear overnight. So instead of barking back the way he used to, he learned to hide it behind subtle gestures, cold stares, short replies, and ending conversations as quickly as possible.

He thought he was protecting your future. Instead he had forgotten to protect your present. He had forgotten to cherish the person he was trying so desperately to build that future for.

The room remained silent.

However Sukuna hadn't been the only one who had changed.

As his company grew, so did the attention around Yuji and Choso. Former classmates who barely acknowledged them when they struggled suddenly wanted to be friends. Some wanted favors. Others simply wanted to be associated with Sukuna's name. There were arguments, fights, and people trying to use them because of who their brother had become. Sukuna quietly handled most of it before it ever reached you.

The brothers stopped coming to you with every little problem. Not because they stopped thinking of you as family. Because they did not want to bother you even more..

Years ago, they remember overhearing your parents arguing with you, telling you that you spent too much of your life taking care of three boys who weren't even your responsibility. Those words made them realise how much they owed to you.

And without meaning to, they started carrying things on their own. They stopped asking for help. Spent more time outside. Tried to solve their own problems. Tried to become someone you could be proud of instead of another responsibility you had to look after. 

Neither of them realized that every small step they took towards becoming independent looked, from where you were standing, like another step away from you. And by the time any of them understood what had happened...

You were already gone. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've been busy with this story for a while now. This one might have 1 or 2 more parts. Let me know your thoughts!

You sighed and slumped back on the couch, staring down at your phone.

BLOCK SUKUNA.

You paused, scrolling back up to the last few texts between you two.

"Maybe you should just find someone then."

There was a pause. Then…

Sukuna: "Wouldn't have to look very hard."

Did he really mean he had other options?

You stared at the screen, waiting for another message to pop up. Maybe he didn't mean it like that. Maybe you were just overthinking it. But then why wasn't he saying anything? Why wasn't another message appearing to explain himself? You waited a few more seconds anyway, hoping he'd clarify, but the screen stayed exactly the same.

You two weren't exactly in an official relationship, but whatever this was between you, it wasn't casual either. And you knew better than anyone how mean he could get. Still, he had never once been cruel to you. Which was exactly why this hurt so much. Because if he really meant what you thought he did, then maybe you'd been reading everything between you two wrong all along.

Right now, though, you were confused, emotional, and vulnerable, feelings that had somehow slipped through the tough barrier you'd worked so hard to build around yourself.

No. Not doing this. Your fingers moved before your brain could stop them.

"Go fxck yourself."

And you blocked him.

You'd been feeling this way for a while now, especially with college about to end. What were you two going to do next? Just pretend none of this mattered and act like strangers once you both started your lives after graduation? Right when things might finally get serious, might become more?

It started with the small things. Your friends, who swore you two had basically been in a relationship for the last three years, kept asking about your plans for the future.

Together.

Would you move in together? Would you even live in the same city? Sukuna was the star player on his team; chances were he'd stay here. But you? It all depended on where you landed a job. Unlike him, you had no idea where life would take you after college.

And let's not pretend Sukuna could do long distance. A long, tired sigh escaped you as you got up. Why were you even worrying about a future together? It was obvious he didn't care. He'd never said a word about it. Maybe he already knew whatever this was between you two would end the moment college did. It just seemed like you were the one who'd finally gotten the memo.

You pulled on your jacket, laced up your shoes, and headed out for some air, hoping to bury these feelings somewhere deep down. He never promised you anything. It was your fault for expecting more. He was never the type to settle, and honestly, your relationship wasn't exactly normal either. You weren't a couple. Maybe just friends with benefits?

Even that didn't sound right.

You shut the door behind you, put your earphones in, and drowned yourself in music as you headed out for a run.

While you were busy drowning in your own dilemma, Sukuna was glaring at his phone like it held the answers to questions even he didn't know he had.

The second he'd sent that last message, he realized how badly it had come out. That wasn't what he meant at all. As the seconds ticked by with no reply, he frowned. Something was seriously wrong. You never missed a chance to run your mouth, to make him regret being mean to you. There was no way you'd just let something like this go. He started typing the rest of the message before you could misunderstand him further.

"When I know you're here"

He hit send.

The message wasn't delivered.

He frowned, blinking at the screen.

What?

He checked again.

Message not delivered.

You blocked him???

You actually blocked him over this?

You two fought all the time, but you had never once blocked him before. No, you fought back. You were ready to rip his heart out with your claws, call him every name under the sun, make him regret ever opening his mouth. You didn't just go quiet. Even during your last misunderstanding, you'd screamed at him while he practically begged you to let him explain.

But this time? Silence. And a block.

You, who barked at him, chewed him down to the bone, and threatened to kill him on a weekly basis? You, who had almost run him over with your car because you thought he was flirting with another girl, a girl who turned out to be Satoru in a skirt and a wig?

Satoru had literally screeched and bolted like he was on fire that day, terrified out of his mind. To this day, the poor man still looked at you like you were a bomb waiting to go off. Honestly, Sukuna agreed with him.

Which was exactly why he started thinking. Why?

Why weren't you fighting back? None of this made sense.

Now that he thought about it, nothing had happened recently. No psychotic threats. No fights. It had been almost a month since your last argument, not even one of those imaginary fights you started over something you'd dreamed about him doing.

He stood up, jaw clenched, eyes wild, heart pounding furiously against his chest.

Now he was fully panicking, because it suddenly felt like you didn't care anymore. Didn't care enough to fight him. Like he was no longer the person occupying half your thoughts, no longer someone you spent your day trying to annoy or find new ways to piss off.

Shit. Did you find someone else?

Fuck no. Never.

Maybe because you did most of the heavy lifting when it came to acting crazy, you'd forgotten that the guy who handled all that craziness without breaking a sweat was just as unhinged himself. Your particular brand of chaos had somehow become home to him. So if you really had found someone else, if you'd blocked him because he wasn't worth your time anymore over some other bastard, then today would be the day he committed murder.

He'd use those same hands, still soaked in that bastard's blood, to grab your phone, unblock himself, and delete anything and everything related to anyone else.

He rushed straight to your dorm.

Only to be met with silence. You weren't there.

"Oh…"

His eyes narrowed. So you'd gone out to meet someone, after blocking him? Cute. Real fucking cute.

He turned around, walking like an angry demon ready to burn the world down, fury blazing in his crimson eyes. Everyone who crossed his path practically ran the other way, knowing exactly what that lunatic was capable of. The only time he ever acted remotely normal was when he had his girl around him.

Too bad they didn't know that very girl had just blocked him and, apparently, gone out to meet some other bastard.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You were breathing hard after a lap around the nearby park. Weird how your stamina had gotten so bad, but whenever you were with Sukuna…

STOP. Stop thinking about him.

You sat down on the grass, back resting against the wall, when…

"Hey!"

You turned to see who it was, because a voice this cheerful could never belong to Sukuna. That little shit acted annoyed just to breathe.

AGAIN? STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM.

"Hi, Alex. What are you doing here?"

Alex was your classmate, and honestly, the best person in your class to work on group projects with. He was always prepared, never tried to sneakily hit on you, and you genuinely liked him as a person.

"I just finished the report. It's our final assignment. Want to give it one last look, see if I missed anything?"

You smiled and nodded. You'd worked hard on this project, especially since the professor had made his standards very clear. Plus, this was a good distraction.

You scooted left as Alex sat down beside you, both of you leaning in to look over the report together. To anyone passing by, you probably looked like a couple whispering sweet nothings instead of reviewing an assignment.

About five minutes must have passed when you felt it. Silence. Even the birds seemed to have stopped chirping, the wind gone still. Just silence. Then came the stare, an intense weight digging into your back that made your spine straighten instantly as you turned to look around. It was the exact feeling of prey realizing it was being watched.

And then you saw him.

Ryomen Sukuna.

His eyes were narrowed, blazing red with fury. His hands were clenched into fists, veins standing out along his neck and arms, lips curled into a sneer as he glared at the man sitting way too close beside you. Your eyes widened as you realized how this must look from where he stood. He couldn't even see the report lying open in front of you. All he could see was another guy leaning in close beside you.

His eyes met yours, and something in him snapped. Sukuna started walking toward you, and you knew exactly what he was about to do. Punch the crap out of Alex. No, "punch" was putting it lightly. He was going to strangle him.

"Alex! Run! Now!"

Alex's eyes snapped to you in confusion, but before he could even ask what was happening, he turned, saw what looked like a raging bull charging straight at him, and yelped, taking off in the direction you were practically shoving him toward.

Of course Sukuna went after him too, until you stepped directly into his path, grabbing both his shoulders before he could get any farther.

"Stop it! It's not what it looks like. We were just reading together!"

Somehow, that only made him angrier.

"Reading together?" he scoffed. "What a cute little date."

"Shut up, Ryo! It was our project! Not a date!"

That seemed to calm him, at least a little. He was still visibly tense, but he'd stopped trying to hunt Alex down. Then, out of nowhere, you remembered the last text, and the irritation came rushing right back. Why were you even trying to calm him down? Alex had already run off. Let Sukuna suffer thinking whatever he wanted.

His arms started coming around your waist, ready to pull you into a hug, but you shoved him back before he could.

Clearly still mad.

"Don't touch me. Go hug other girls."

"What the hell? Is this about the message? You blocked me over that?"

"Want me to do it again?" you deadpanned, and he glared at you like he wanted to rip his own hair out. For some reason, that made you very happy.

"Woman! I did not mean that! If you'd waited one more minute, you would've known! I don't have to find anyone because you can never keep your hands off me!"

You know how someone says something completely true, but the way they say it just pisses you off? Because what was that attitude? Why was he so sure of himself? How dare he throw the truth in your face like that? Where was the decency? The audacity of this man!

"An absolute deranged lunatic has no right to say that about me!"

"Oh sure, like I'm the one who almost ran you over once."

"Try that again and you won't live to see the next sunrise."

A soft smile tugged at his lips, that familiar warmth of home slowly filling his chest. It was small, but you caught it.

You froze. Before you could stop yourself, the words slipped out.

"Not like I'll even have a chance to run you over once we graduate. We might end up in different places."

Sukuna had never frowned so hard in his life. What you'd just said sounded like the biggest load of bullshit he'd ever heard.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You heard me." You shrugged, trying to sound casual even though your chest hurt.

"New lives. New people."

"Stop trying to piss me off." His voice wasn't playful this time. No teasing, no amusement. It sounded like a warning.

"Oh sure," you snapped before he could say another word. "Let's just pretend everything's fine until we graduate and then act like none of this ever happened."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"What, you deaf now?" you shot back, frustration finally boiling over. "We'll probably be living completely different lives, maybe on opposite sides of the country, surrounded by new people."

The last part came out quieter.

His jaw tightened. "Take those words back."

It wasn't even a threat this time. It genuinely sounded like he couldn't stand hearing you talk about a future where the two of you weren't together, like saying it out loud might somehow make it true.

But how could you not?

He'd never once said that wouldn't happen. Never once talked about what came after college. Every time the future came up, he either changed the subject or acted like it didn't exist.

So how were you supposed to think otherwise?

Hurt and frustrated, you laughed bitterly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I just saying the quiet part out loud? Because that's exactly what's going to happen, isn't it? We graduate, go wherever our jobs take us, meet new people, and eventually stop calling, stop texting, until one day we're just another college memory to each other."

Before you could finish, Sukuna lifted you clean off the ground.

Your breath hitched as your back met the wall behind you, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make a point. His hands planted on either side of your head, caging you in completely.

"You don't get to say that," he growled.

You glared up at him, heart pounding. "What? Reality?"

His red eyes were wild now, furious, panicked, unhinged in a way you rarely saw. Not the teasing violence. Not the playful threats.

This was real.

"You don't get to talk about replacing me like it's nothing," he snapped. "Like I'm just some phase you're done with."

You laughed, sharp and broken. "Oh, so now you care? Funny. You never seemed to care enough to talk about it."

"That did not mean...." his jaw clenched hard, "....I was ever thinking about other people."

"Then why did you never talk about it?" you shot back. "Because from where I'm standing, it sounded like you telling me you don't need me."

His grip tightened, not painful, but desperate. His chest rose sharply, breath uneven. For the first time, doubt cracked through his rage.

"…You think I don't care about the future?" he asked quietly, dangerously.

You swallowed. "You never talk about it. Not once. Not where we'll live. Not what happens after college. Nothing."

Because saying it out loud hurts.

His expression twisted, anger bleeding into something darker.

"You think I haven't thought about it?" he scoffed. "When I have already decided?"

Your brows furrowed. "Decided what?"

"That wherever the hell you go," his voice dropped, rough, eyes gleaming with a promise, "I go."

Your heart stuttered.

"That's not funny," you whispered.

He snapped immediately. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

He leaned his forehead against yours, breath hot, eyes burning.

"I don't do long distance," he admitted, voice low and ugly. "I don't do waiting. I don't do missing you."

Your chest tightened painfully.

"So what," you whispered, "you just expect me to fit into your life?"

"No," he said. "I expect to tear mine apart if it doesn't fit you."

That broke something in you.

"Then why," your voice cracked, "why do I always feel like I'm the only one scared of losing this?"

His hands slid down your arms, gripping tighter, like he was afraid you'd vanish.

"Because you're stupid," he muttered. "And because you overthink instead of talking"

You laughed weakly, tears burning your eyes. "You show no mercy."

He cursed under his breath.

Then, slowly, reluctantly, his grip loosened. His forehead dropped to your shoulder.

"I panicked," he admitted, voice muffled. "When you blocked me."

Your breath caught.

"I thought you were done," he continued. "And I don't want that."

You felt his fingers curl into the fabric of your jacket.

"I don't chase," he whispered. "But I ran like a madman looking for you."

Your chest ached.

"Idiot," you murmured, tears finally spilling. "You scared me."

He froze.

Then his arms wrapped around you, tight. Crushing. Possessive.

"I'm sorry," he said roughly, the words clearly foreign to him. "I should've said it. I should've told you I'm not going anywhere."

You pressed your face into his chest, breathing him in like oxygen.

"I just needed to know I mattered," you whispered.

He pulled back just enough to look at you, really look at you.

"You matter," he said firmly. "Too damn much."

His thumb brushed away your tears, uncharacteristically gentle.

"But block me again," he added darkly, "and I'll lose my mind."

A weak smile tugged at your lips. "You already did."

He huffed, forehead resting against yours.

"…Stay with me tonight."

It wasn't a demand. It was a plea.

You nodded. "Sure. And let's scare Gojo again after that." That made him chuckle. And for the first time all day, the knot in your chest finally loosened.

"Heyy! guess what? I found Shoko on Tinder!!"

"What?"

"Yeah, can you believe it?! She said she never would because it was so lame, but she's a liar!!!"

"Well, her choice."

"What?? That's it?!"

"Nice try, Gojo."

"You never let me prank you!!!"

But all he got in response was a thumbs up. He paused, suddenly uneasy. Were you actually mad at him? Had he messed up? Were you finally done with him being too much?

Shit, shit, shit.

"Baby I'm sorry, it was a stupid prank. I won't do it again. Please don't be mad at me! Forgive me!"

"It's okay. It's not about the prank, it doesn't really bother me."

And it didn't, not really. He always gave himself away before the punchline landed. Shoko, of all people? Your best friend who tells you everything, like every little detail of her life? Plus Gojo, if he really wanted, was too smart to get caught that easily. But this time, you decided to let it play out a little longer.

"You sound down? Did I do something? Talk to me, please."

"It's just... lately I feel like you don't love me anymore."

No reply came for a few seconds. Had he caught on? Was he playing along?

"What? Are you serious? I don't love you?? Like that's even possible! Shit! How long have you been feeling this way? Why didn't you tell me sooner?? This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life, and that's saying something coming from me."

Oh no. This was spiraling. Abort mission. Tell him it was a prank.

“I was just pranking you!!”

Before you could say more, he typed again.

"No, we're talking face to face. I can't let you think I don't love you, not even for a second. I'm coming over."

"Satoru, it really was a prank!! You don't have to come over. I'm fine!!"

Everything you typed somehow came out sounding like a lie.

"I'll be there in 10."

Oh god. Satoru rarely got serious like this. The last time was when your drink got spiked. And once before, when some guy crowded your space and it turned ugly after you pushed him off. You remember those times when he gets so protective. The one where the goofy, golden-retriever energy switched off completely, and something sharper, unhinged and dangerous, takes its place.

You paced your living room, trying to figure out how to convince him it was nothing. This was exactly why you never pranked him: your pranks always spun out of control. You didn't have his gift for keeping things light, harmless, like Gojo did; a fun story to laugh about later.

Then the doorbell rang. You opened it to find Satoru, a smile on his face, but his eyes were dead serious, sweeping over you like he was assessing every single reaction..

"Hi," you said first, eager to clear things up.

He leaned down, kissed you softly, and stepped inside anyway.

"Sit down, baby. We're going to have a long talk." His voice had lost its usual sing-song lightness, dropped into something low and deep.

Your eyes widened. It did warm your heart knowing how much it mattered to him and it also spoke to you how much he loved you that he has to make sure you know it. But it seemed you did not realise yet just how far he'd go to prove it.

"Satoru, it's really sweet, but it was seriously..."

"Baby." He smiled, but it wasn't happy; it was the look of a man furious with himself for giving you any reason to doubt him. "Sit."

Okay. You sat. That low tone did something to you, and you hated how much. Why did he have to be so hot even now?

Satoru was hot. There was no debating that. But he could shift between cute and commanding without missing a beat, in and out of bed. One moment he is whimpering and moaning. Next minute he had you screaming as he chuckled and whispered absolutely filthy things in your ears with a smirk. Then kiss you soft and slow, whispering how much he loved you. He held both extremes at once, effortlessly, and it left something restless and hungry twisting in your stomach every time.

He knelt in front of you, took your hands gently, and brought them to his lips, pressing a slow kiss to your knuckles with a sigh, like he was working out exactly how to make you understand.

"You look tired. Did you even rest..." You were cut off by his lips against yours, a soft shush silencing you. Right. He was in business mode.

"Now tell me. Did I ever do anything that made you feel bad? Anything, even something small, baby, I want to know."

You swallowed hard. A gorgeous man, your boyfriend, kneeling in front of you, hands wrapped around yours, completely locked onto your face like he was reading every flicker of emotion in it. It should not have been turning you on. And yet. Not your fault Gojo looked like this: gentle hands, dark eyes, muscles straining against a tight black t-shirt, that usual bright blue gaze gone a shade darker, laser-focused on your eyes, looking straight into your soul.

"No. You've never done anything like that. Ever."

Your voice came out steady, certain, and his eyes lit with quiet pride at having gotten that right, at least.

"Then did someone say something to you? Give me their names, baby."

Oh, holy shit. That dark edge in his voice, the way he kept pressing soft kisses to your hand even as his eyes flickered with something closer to violence, like love and murder were sitting in the same breath. Something was deeply wrong with you, because you were into it.

"You're really hot right now," you blurted.

His brows furrowed before he laughed. "Don't distract me, sweetheart. Give me the names."

You sighed and finally met his eyes.

"Okay, so, I have this boyfriend who pranks me constantly, and I finally decided to get him back. I'd just seen this tiktok where the girl gets insecure because her boyfriend's been busy with work, so I used that on you. I figured you'd worry a little, I'd reassure you, and that would be it. I did not expect this. And now I swear it's my first and last time pranking you. I didn't expect you to go all serious.” 

You pulled him up onto the couch and settled into his lap, his hands sliding automatically to your waist as he listened, still watching you like he was reading straight through to the truth underneath.

You cupped his face and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "I don't doubt you. Never did. You show me through everything you do, and you tell me through everything you say. You take care of me, cook for me, spoil me with ridiculous gifts, never tell me no, somehow always end up matching my outfits and act like it's a coincidence because we're 'soulmates.' You protect me and kind of get that crazy look in your eyes like you end someone for hurting me.

You paused waiting to see if he would say something to that but he just smirked, not accepting or denying anything. But he didn't have to. You could feel exactly how far he'd go for you radiating off him. And god, it made you ache.

You leaned in and kissed him again, softer this time, murmuring against his lips. "And I know it because you dropped everything to come make sure I felt loved. But baby, I really was just pranking you. Turns out I'm terrible at it."

Satoru laughed and pulled you flush against him. "Fine, I believe you. Just had to be sure. You're the most important thing in my life."

"Mine too. I love you."

You kissed him again, deeper this time. One second you were in his lap. The next, you were flat on the couch with him hovering over you.

His voice dropped to a low, smooth murmur. "I still need to make sure you know how much I love you. I should show you properly, right? His lips pulled into that lazy smirk like he had absolutely filthy thoughts in his mind “So there's absolutely no doubt left. Just in case."

His eyes gone darker for entirely different reasons now as they roamed all over your body underneath him, and your heart suddenly pounding wildly, helpless against him. Exactly where you want to be,

God, maybe you should prank him more often. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have soooo many drafts I am just editing and posting them now! Let me know if you have any requests, especially for hurt/comfort or fluff!

Pt 1, Pt 2 Later at the infirmary When you woke up, you found him sitting beside your bed.

His bright blue eyes immediately lit up when he noticed you were awake, only for you to greet him with a tired glare that somehow looked adorable.

“Heyy, it turned out to be a mild concussion. You're fine now though. All good!”

Your eyes narrowed as he chuckled nervously.

“Please forgive me.”

He was actually a little nervous now. This was definitely not the first impression he had wanted you to have of him.

“Only if you run headfirst into a wall right now with full force and bleed.”

His eyes widened as he immediately looked around the room, genuinely trying to figure out how to do it.

“I'm joking. Don't actually do that.”

“I totally would, you know.”

“No comment.”

He grinned as he looked at you, leaning closer. His hand reached up to your forehead, gently brushing over the small bump.

“I got you some medicine too. And if there's anything else you need, I'll do it.”

You nodded.

“It's okay. Thank you.”

He smiled in relief before speaking again, this time much more nervously.

“And... so you can tell me if you need anything, how about you give me your number?”

You raised an eyebrow at his flustered tone and the faint blush creeping onto the tips of his ears.

Suppressing a smile, you teased,

“Is this your way?”

“What?” he asked, confused.

“Your way of getting someone's number? Give them a concussion so they can't think properly, then ask for their number? Smart... but quite lethal.”

His eyes widened in horror as he immediately rushed to defend himself.

“No, no! It was an accident, I swear.”

You chuckled, taking his phone from his hand and typing in your number.

His eyes practically sparkled with happiness.

“Here. And expect me to bother you. I can be quite petty.”

“Don't worry about it.”

He smiled.

Pt1, Pt2 You had barely turned the corner near the staircase when someone came flying around it from the opposite direction without slowing down.

There wasn't even enough time to react. You crashed straight into him.

The force sent you stumbling backwards, but before you could hit the ground, his arms shot out and caught you against him.

You hissed immediately as pain bloomed through your skull.

The idiot who had nearly flattened you stared down at you with his stupidly pretty baby blue eyes. You might have noticed how pretty he was, but it pissed you off that he looked perfectly fine while you were the only one clutching your forehead in pain.

“Do you have Tanjiro's forehead or something?”

His eyes flickered with surprise before he immediately chuckled.

“You'd be dead by now if I did, sweetheart.”

You glared at him as you stepped out of his hold, leaning against the wall because you were kind of dizzy, and you could already feel your head starting to throb.

Satoru noticed and leaned down closer to your face.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Need a minute to answer that.”

He nodded and stayed, his hand gently coming up to check your head.

“You're late for something?”

“Don't worry about it.”

“I'm not. I hope you are late, for causing this misery to me. Rushing only caused you more delay.”

Your dizzy eyes still glared at him with all the strength you could muster.

He smirked.

“Maybe you're fine if you can sass me that much, sweetheart.”

“I can sass even at gunpoint. It's a disease and inevitably the cause of my demise.”

He chuckled loudly at that, smiling as he looked at you.

“Got it. Sorry about that. It's my fault. How are you feeling now?”

You were not fine, but you were stubborn enough to pretend you were. So you nodded, standing up straighter and trying to take a step, only to fucking trip over absolutely nothing.

Satoru's eyes widened as you clearly couldn't balance yourself.

Shit. Did I give her a concussion?

“I'll take you to the doctor.”

You didn't say anything. Your head just felt heavy.

Then, gently, he picked you up, carefully tucking your head against his chest.

Your eyes closed at the warmth… and the nice smell.

He rushed down the stairs as you blinked, your eyes slowly starting to close.

“Am I heavy?”

Satoru scoffed. He was the strongest. Even if you were heavy, it wouldn't make a difference. He could easily lift you.

“No, I'm—”

“I hope I am too heavy for you to carry me.”

You mumbled it so seriously that he paused.

Because… what??

“You should suffer with me.”

He laughed, holding you a little tighter as he continued toward the infirmary.

Shit. Was he crazy, or was that not just the most romantic confession?

Gojo Satoru was not insecure, this guy had a literal god complex. He could never be insecure but jealous? Oh, absolutely.

Not always in an intense, controlling way. But kind of pouty? Whiny? And of course, he was painfully clingy. A perfect combination, really.

Like right now as he sat with his friends at a party while chatting and drinking, he kept zoning out to look out for you. You had left barely 2 mins ago to the kitchen to get some water.

A frown etched his face as a small crowd of people stood in the way of his view, he hummed at something ghetto was saying as he craned his neck up, bright blue eyes laser focused on you.

“Checking if she finally ran away from you?” Geto teased as he turned to Satoru when he hummed absent mindedly while they were talking about cake. Specifically cake for Nanami, whose birthday was coming up.

Satoru snapped his head back, playful irritation flashing across his face. “Shut up.”

“About time,” Sukuna muttered, rolling his eyes. “I bet six months max.”

The playfulness dropped from Satoru’s face instantly. His eyes widened. “What?? What do you mean - did you guys really -?”

Geto laughed, turning to Sukuna. “I win, by the way.”

Sukuna scoffed. “No. You said she wouldn’t even say yes.”

Satoru audibly gasped, whipping toward Suguru with a look of betrayal so dramatic it could’ve been staged.

Suguru held up his hands with a chuckle. “Hey, I changed my answer to ‘this will last’ after two weeks. That has to count, right?”

Satoru’s entire face lit up, beaming like he’d just received the highest praise known to man. Sukuna clicked his tongue.

“Stop making that crazy lovesick face.”

They went back to talking about Nanami’s birthday, though Satoru kept interrupting, desperate to know every detail of the bet. Why did they doubt him? How long they expected it to last, just to feed his ego and his heart at the same time.

If he wasn’t sitting here right now, he’d be kicking his feet and giggling.

But then his attention snapped back to you. It had been almost ten minutes. Why were you taking so long? Did they not have water? Should he go get it? Should he—

His eyes finally caught your figure near the kitchen table. A smile rose on his lips.

Then vanished within a second.

Because you weren’t alone. You were talking to a guy.

…Oh. That’s why. And then his brain caught up.

OH! WAIT!

A GUY

You were talking to a guy.

While he was over here sitting alone, being a perfect boyfriend, minding his business—

His posture stiffened. His vision tunneled, everything else fading into background noise. He watched the space you kept between you and the guy, and noticed the way your smile was polite, not the soft, dreamy, soul-destroying smile you gave Satoru. But still why should this have the privilege of looking at you smile?

His jealousy flared hot in his chest, sharp and instant.

Not because he was insecure. Never. He could laugh at the idea. He was the best, best in the room, best in the city, best in the universe. But the guy was looking at you with heart eyes. Like he wanted to be closer. Like he wanted more of your attention. Like he wished he could keep you there longer -

No.

No, no, no.

You were his. And he was yours. That was the end of it.

So like a good boyfriend, he stayed seated.

He wasn’t going to storm over and make you feel like you couldn’t speak to people without walking on eggshells around him. He trusted you. He knew you didn’t need his help to set boundaries.

But that didn’t stop his eyes from staying glued to you.

Because you rarely talked this long with anyone outside your circle. And that made it worse. That made him think -

This guy had some significance to you.

And maybe that shouldn’t bother him.

He did not doubt you. He was just crazy about you. Like you were the earth and he was the moon, constantly admiring you, constantly around you. His world revolved around you, and he was not the type of guy who was afraid to admit it, to himself or to the world.

Suguru noticed the lack of reply from Satrou again. He frowned, about to smack him, when he paused, because Satoru looked far too serious for someone like him. Suguru followed his gaze and saw it.

You. Talking to a guy.

Hmm interesting, he never saw that person around before,

However the guy you were talking to was so lost in your eyes, it was like he did not even notice anyone around you two, let alone a whole group of people staring at him curiously.

Sukuna followed next, and a grin spread across his face.

And like some cursed chain reaction, now everyone was staring: Shoko, Choso, Nanami, Maki, Sukuna, Suguru, and the crazy blue eyed man were all drilling holes in your back. .

Meanwhile, the guy you were talking to looked so lost in you, he didn’t even register the group watching him like a jury.

“Who is he?” Shoko muttered.

“Probably an Ex.” Choso said casually.

Satoru nearly choked. Nanami noticed how Satrou looked like he was seconds away from spiraling.

He sighed, rubbing his temple with the kind of patience only Nanami could possess. Having some sympathy for the man-child he spoke “It’s probably not. Most likely an old friend.”

Satoru nodded, holding onto that possibility like a lifeline. Until Sukuna spoke again.

“Or a hook-up?”

Satoru looked like he was about to combust. Everyone groaned.

Suguru muttered, “You’re literally trying to make him spiral.”

“Obviously,” Maki replied. “Shut up, Sukuna.”

Sukuna lifted a hand innocently. “What? I was speaking my mind?”

All the friends sighed as they shaked their heads at Sukuna, who had a big grin on his face.

Then Shoko’s eyes narrowed. “…Oh, look. They’re hugging.”

Satoru’s head snapped back so fast Suguru was almost worried he was about to snap it.

Everyone looked. You gave the guy a quick, polite hug, clearly a goodbye. And then, just as you turned away, the guy called out again, holding his phone out in front of you.

Choso leaned forward, eyes wide. “Oh shit. He’s asking for her number.”

Satoru’s body moved before his brain did, he nearly stood up -

Suguru shoved him back into his seat. Hard.

“Don’t,” Suguru warned. “Be patient.”

Satoru didn’t speak. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, trying to control himself from walking there and throwing that damn phone in that guy’s face.

He watched as you said something to the guy.

And the guy’s smile faltered. Just for a moment.

He covered it quickly with another smile - awkward, flustered - then waved goodbye and finally walked away.

Satoru exhaled, leaning back like he’d been holding his breath the entire time. Still, his eyes stayed locked on you as you walked back.

You noticed immediately. Satoru was staring. And so was everyone else.

You blinked, confused. “What?”

Before Satoru could even open his mouth, Sukuna beat him to it.

“That guy seen you naked or not?”

Your eyes widened as you yelled. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Instantly, everyone - including Satoru - glared at Sukuna.

Sukuna held his hands up defensively. “What? I just said what we were all thinking! Stop looking at me like that!”

You scoffed and sat down directly on Satoru’s lap, finally understanding why he’d looked like an abandoned puppy waiting for you. Satoru’s hands wrapped around you immediately - greedy, possessive, pulling you impossibly close like he couldn’t help it.

You smiled softly. Why was he so adorable?

“He’s an old school friend,” you said calmly. “He was just saying hi.”

Satoru hummed, but it was completely whiney and pouty. Like he was struggling from complaining not wanting to make you feel burdened with his petty jealousy but at the same time needing reassurances from you that he is the most handsome, most masculine, most cutest and most smartest boyfriend ever.

“Just saying hi?” Maki raised an eyebrow. “He was giving you heart eyes.”

Satoru tightened his arms a little, burying his face into your neck like he could inhale you.

“We were just catching up,” you said, unfazed. “You’re imagining things.”

“I’m pretty sure he asked for your number at the end,” Suguru added casually.

“Actually…” you slowed down deliberately, letting suspense build.

Everyone leaned in.

Satoru froze so hard he might’ve turned into stone. His bright blue eyes peeked up at you from where his face was hidden, wild and unhinged with anticipation, waiting for you to finish.

Did he ask for your number? I mean, old school friends can ask for your number. That’s normal. But what if -

What if he tried something? You were beautiful. Of course he’d try something. Unless he was crazy not to.

And the fact that this man knew you from a time before Satoru even existed in your life made something ugly twist in his chest.

Why hadn’t he met you sooner?

“…He asked for my brother’s number,” you finished.

Silence.

Then a loud chorus of “OHHHHH” swept through the group as realization hit.

Satoru melted instantly, relief flooding through him like warm water. His entire body collapsed against you, huge and heavy, finally relaxing as if he’d survived something tragic.

Thank god.

His face stayed pressed into your neck, breathing you in like he’d just been handed back his whole world.

The group resumed their chatting again on what cake to get, when you leaned closer to him, pressing a soft kiss on his cheek making him look up at you with his sparkly blue eyes and soft smile. It made you chuckle remembering how Satoru once said he is the nonchalant type.

“What? What are you laughing about?” He asked softly, pressing impossibly close to yours.

“Just how adorable you are….” His eyes lit up, “Yeah?”

You nodded, another chuckle escaped your mouth “Yeah so adorable…” Satoru grinned, loving the praise coming from your mouth till -

“And so nonchalant too”

A dramatic pout settles on his lips at the teasing glint in your eyes, his cheeks turning pink.

“You’re so cruel to me” He muttered, hiding his blushing face in your neck.

“You’ll live.” You smiled, happy that he was so not the nonchalant type.

Pt1, Pt2 The airport was already loud when you arrived, half-asleep and running on caffeine, your mind firmly focused on boarding and nothing else. You were halfway through checking your phone when a familiar voice cut through the noise.

“There you are.”

You froze.

Slowly, you turned.

Satoru stood a few steps away, hands tucked into his pockets, sunglasses pushed up into his hair, travel bag slung casually over one shoulder like this was the most natural thing in the world. And on his face -

That grin.

Wide. Bright. Boyish.

The kind that never meant anything good.

“…Why are you here?” you asked flatly.

He stepped closer, practically bouncing on his heels. “I told Suguru I’d keep you safe.”

Your stomach dropped. “I didn’t tell you my flight details.”

He tilted his head, grin sharpening just a bit. “You didn’t have to.”

That should have worried you more than it did.

“I’m being a good boy,” he continued cheerfully, leaning in like he was sharing a secret. “You said it yourself. And good boys follow instructions.”

You stared at him.

“Following you to Tokyo,” he added, counting on his fingers, “watching you for two whole days, making sure nothing happens to you.”

He beamed.

“See? Very responsible.”

Something cold slid down your spine.

“Satoru,” you said slowly, “this is not what I meant.”

He hummed, unconcerned, rocking back on his heels. ““Oh? You thought you can just say things like that and I’d forgot?””

Then, almost evil, smugger, making you realise maybe you shouldn't have teased him. “You know I take your words seriously”

That grin turned almost wicked for just a second before snapping back into something deceptively cute.

You sighed, rubbing your face.

Oh.

You had absolutely made a mistake.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice just enough that only you could hear.

“Don’t worry,” he said lightly. “I’ll behave like a Good Boy.”

The way his eyes sparkled told you he absolutely would not.

And as he walked past you toward the check-in counter, he reached out and took your bag from your hand without asking. Smooth, effortless, like it was the most natural thing in the world. He slung it over his shoulder, already adjusting the strap, already settling into the role he’d clearly decided was his now.

That was when it fully sank in.

Calling Satoru Gojo your good boy hadn’t just encouraged him, it had activated something.

He was still smiling, still unbearably cute, all bright eyes and easy confidence, but there was something more beneath it now. A little too eager. A little too pleased. The kind of enthusiasm that bordered on obsession, wrapped neatly in charm and good intentions.

He looked like a pet who’d been praised once and decided this was his entire purpose now, except smarter, and far more dangerous.

And as he glanced back at you, grin wide and satisfied, already waiting for you to follow, you realized you might have just created a monster.

An absolutely adorable one.

Pt 1, Pt 2 It was 2:40 a.m. when your phone lit up with Satoru’s name.

You’d only known him for a couple of months, yet somehow, he had wedged himself into your life like you’d known each other across several past lives. You’d met Suguru first, and through him, Shoko and Satoru. From day one, Satoru had been just extra, with everyone, but especially with you. Nosy, whiny, unashamed, and completely unfamiliar with the concept of personal space. He clung to you at every possible opportunity, as if physical separation might actually kill him.

You sighed at the incoming video call. As if he hadn’t called you just a few hours earlier to invite you to the party they were all heading to.

You usually went. But today, you had work.

You knew exactly how the night would end otherwise: Shoko would get drunk and pass out somewhere. Satoru would get drunk off the alcohol in the air alone & get extraaa clingy, basically wanting to live inside your skin (he was worse than a dog), and Suguru would act all cool like he isn't drunk but you have seen the man saying 'excuse me' to the mirror as tried to walk past his reflection, he is not fooling you.

And you’d be left sober, playing the exhausted mom of the group, making sure no one died.

You answered the call.

“What?”

Satoru’s face filled the screen immediately, breaking into a wide grin as he ducked into a quieter corner. He looked a little flustered but not drunk.

Oh. So they could behave when you weren’t there. Little shits.

“Just wanted to check on you,” he said cheerfully. “Shoko passed out. Suguru’s watching her. We couldn’t really drink today because of someone.”

“Do you even realize how difficult it is to handle two grown, drunk men?” you deadpanned.

Satoru grinned. “Yet you always do. Why are you awake anyway? I thought you’d be asleep, it’s like three in the morning.”

“I’m working.”

“Still working?” He frowned like the word personally offended him, making you roll your eyes.

“I’m traveling tomorrow. I need to finish things tonight.”

“Traveling?” His frown deepened. “Why wasn’t I informed of this?”

You hadn’t told him. And clearly, that was a crime. Satoru Gojo, who somehow was updated about the exact time you last drank water, was deeply offended.

“It came up today. I leave in a few hours. I’ll sleep on the flight.”

He froze.

Then -

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN FLIGHT? WHERE ARE YOU GOING AND WHY ARE YOU LEAVING US BEHIND?”

“I’ll be gone for two days.”

“TWO DAYS? AND YOU’RE JUST TELLING ME THIS NOW? WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!”

“Tokyo.”

“OH MY GOD. YOU’RE LEAVING AND DIDN’T EVEN TELL US SOONER. DO YOU NOT LOVE US? WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?”

You pinched the bridge of your nose, a headache forming.

“Satoru. Stop yelling.”

You were sure Shoko and Suguru would be fine, but Satoru was like Siberian husky. Now that you thought about he even looked like one.

“WHY ARE NOT SPEAKING? WHAT ELSE YOU’RE HIDING? I LEAVE ALONE FOR TWO HOURS AND-"

A notification popped up on your screen. Of course, he heard and had to know everything about your life.

“What was that?” he asked immediately.

“Flight details. I leave in three hours.”

You looked back at him, not hearing a response, and there it was.

The pout.

A full-grown man, staring at you like you’d stolen his candy.

“Satoru. Stop pouting.”

He huffed. Very mature.

Then - “Wait. Who texted you? Are you going alone?”

His tone sharpened instantly, eyes fixed on you like this was life-or-death information.

“Alex is going with me.”

He relaxed for half a second, until you added, “He just texted me.”

His eyes went wide. He obviously thought Alex was a girl.

“HIM? YOU’RE GOING TO TOKYO WITH A MAN? JUST YOU AND HIM? FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS?!”

You groaned.

“You would look so much better with a gag in your mouth,” you muttered.

Unfortunately, he heard it.

His entire face flushed, cheeks, ears, everything turning bright red. You laughed before you could stop yourself.

“Oh?” you teased. “Did I just discover something new about you?”

“W-what—no—I—I mean—we were—” He was fully malfunctioning now.

Your laughter only made it worse.

Anyone else being this clingy would’ve driven you insane. But Satoru, despite his confidence and ego, had moments where he wore his heart right on his sleeve. And that made him… unbearably cute.

But you’d never tell him that.

“You’re so mean to me,” he whined, lip jutting out dramatically.

“But you can take it, right?” you said slowly, deliberately.

He made a strangled noise. “Stop! Stop being cruel to me!”

“Then stop yelling.”

“I am a very masculine man who is not afraid to show my feelings!”

You sighed.

“Gojo.”

He froze instantly. You addressed him by his last name after all.

“Shut up and listen.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

“I need to go. You’ll behave and let me work peacefully. Understood?”

He nodded frantically. Eyes wide, almost eager to listen to whatever you ask him to do. Why did he have to be this cute at times?

You smiled and lowered your voice just before ending the call.

“Good boy.”

You cut the call immediately, laughing out loud.

On the other end of the screen, Satoru was still frozen, face redder than ever. G-good Boy? You called him, "GOOD BOY"?? In that tone? With those teasing eyes!????

Satoru stood there for a long moment, staring at the blank screen until Suguru finally patted his shoulder.

“You okay? I thought you were going to talk to her?”

“I did.”

Suguru frowned. Normally, Satoru was bouncing off the walls after talking to you. Right now, he looked… dazed.

“What happened?”

Satoru’s eyes sharpened with sudden determination.

“I’m going to follow her to Tokyo.”

Suguru blinked.

“…What?”

Satoru nodded to himself.

Because that’s what good boys do. Right? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pt1, Pt2

The first day was unbearable.

Satoru laughed it off at first. Too loudly, too casually. As if pretending it didn’t hurt would somehow make it true. He hovered around you at home, brushing your hand “accidentally,” leaning in whenever you spoke, testing boundaries he wasn’t supposed to cross.

Every time you stepped back, it felt like a quiet rejection.

By night, he was restless. He lay beside you, close enough to feel your warmth, but not close enough to touch the way he wanted. The space between you felt louder than any argument you’d ever had.

“Are you still mad?” he asked softly into the dark.

You didn’t answer right away.

“I said I was sorry,” he added, voice barely above a whisper. “I really am.”

You turned on your side, facing away.

And that hurt more than if you’d yelled.

The second day was worse.

He stopped trying to joke.

He watched you instead, careful, subdued, like he was afraid one wrong move would make you disappear. When you laughed at something on your phone, his chest tightened.

Was it something else that made you smile like that now?

He tried to remind himself this was a prank. Your prank. You were teasing him. You always teased him.

But when you passed him without so much as brushing his shoulder, the doubt came creeping back in, uninvited.

Maybe Suguru’s jokes hadn’t been jokes after all.

That night, he broke.

You were in the kitchen when you felt him behind you, close, but not touching. His hands hovered at your waist, unsure.

“Can I hug you?” he asked quietly.

You froze.

That was new. Satoru never asked.

“…Just a hug,” he added quickly. “I won’t kiss you. I promise.”

You turned slowly.

He looked tired. Not sleepy. Drained. His usual confidence was gone, replaced by something raw and exposed.

You nodded.

The moment you did, his arms wrapped around you like he was afraid you’d vanish if he loosened his grip. He buried his face into your shoulder, breathing you in like it was oxygen.

“I hate this,” he muttered. “I hate feeling like I messed up so bad that you don’t want me.”

Your chest tightened, but you stayed quiet.

“I know I act confident,” he continued, voice cracking just slightly, “but when you don’t touch me… it makes my head spiral. I start thinking you’re tired of me. Or that I embarrassed you. Or that one day you’ll just… stop choosing me.”

His grip tightened.

“I need you,” he admitted, so softly it almost hurt. “And I know I’m clingy. But I swear I never meant to hurt you.”

That was it.

You lifted your hand, threading your fingers into his hair, grounding him.

He went still.

Slowly, cautiously, he pulled back, searching your face like he was afraid of what he’d find.

“You’re not losing me,” you said gently. “But you did scare me.”

His eyes softened immediately, guilt washing over him.

“I thought something happened to you,” you continued. “I ran out of work shaking. That wasn’t funny to me.”

“I know,” he whispered. “I know. I’d take it back if I could.”

You sighed, resting your forehead against his.

“The prank ends tonight,” you said quietly.

Relief flooded his face so fast it was almost painful to watch.

“But,” you added, “you don’t get to joke about being hurt again. Ever.”

He nodded instantly. “Never. I swear.”

You leaned in.

This time, you didn’t turn away.

The kiss was slow, needy, desperate, not playful. He kissed you like he was grounding himself, like he was proving you were real and still his.

When you pulled back, he rested his forehead against yours, smiling shakily.

“…I thought I was losing you,” he admitted.

“Never,” you said simply. “I love you.”

His shoulders finally relaxed.

“I love you too,” he breathed, like something inside him had finally settled. “Okay… I’m okay now.”

You stayed like that for a while, no rush, no jokes. Just warmth, quiet, and the steady reassurance he needed.

And when he finally looked up at you, bright blue eyes were clear again, and that familiar, boyish grin slowly returned to his face. He looked lighter, almost shy in his relief.

He looked at you for a moment longer, just taking you in, as if memorizing the feeling.

Pt1, Pt2

Satoru rolled his eyes, a smug smirk tugging at his lips as he spoke with childish arrogance, clearly determined to prove a point to Suguru. “Trust me. The moment she hears I’m injured, she’ll come running. My girlfriend loves me.”

Suguru chuckled, setting his drink down on the table. “You’re awfully confident. She’s been busy with work lately. You sure she’ll drop everything?”

A faint frown creased Satoru’s pink, glossy lips, stubbornness flashing in his eyes. “She’ll be here in ten minutes. Panicking. Guaranteed.”

Suguru glanced at Shoko, who looked bored out of her mind, clearly wanting no part in this. “Is that a bet?”

A spark lit up Satoru’s blue eyes as he leaned forward. “You got it.”

Suguru smirked and picked up his phone, already typing out a message, something convincing enough to make you believe Satoru had once again done something idiotic and gotten himself seriously hurt. Honestly, it wasn’t difficult.

“Well,” he said lazily, placing the phone down, “I’ve sent it. Let’s see what she does.”

Shoko sighed as she stood up. “You’re going to regret this.”

Satoru scoffed. This wasn’t really about the bet anyway. It was about proving something, to himself, and to everyone else. Suguru had been making comments lately, teasing him about how pouty he’d become now that you were working longer hours. Being the friend he was, Suguru never missed a chance to poke at him: jokes about you finally seeing how clingy he was, about you preferring work over your “needy mess of a boyfriend.”

Satoru knew it was all jokes. That’s how they were. But maybe, just maybe, a small doubt had slipped in. That was why he’d said it so confidently. Why he needed to prove it.

While he outwardly acted like his usual self-assured, god-complexed idiot, his mind was spiraling as Suguru’s phone stayed silent.

Why haven’t you replied yet? Did you not see it? Did you see it and choose to ignore it because he wasn’t alone?

…Was he nervous? Yes. Absolutely.

What if you didn’t care? What if he really was annoying? What if you loved your work more than him?

No. Wait.

DO YOU STILL LOVE HIM? WHAT IF YOU DON’T? WHAT DOES HE DO THEN??

Just as he was seconds away from completely losing it, a ting echoed through the room.

Suguru immediately grabbed his phone, smiled, typed a reply, and then turned it off, giving Satoru absolutely nothing.

“WHAT?” Satoru snapped. “TELL ME.”

Suguru smirked. “You sound almost… nervous.”

Satoru stiffened. “I’m just curious. She’s coming, right? That’s what she said.”

“Oh. It wasn’t her.”

Everything in him froze. Because what do you mean it wasn’t -

Suguru burst out laughing as Satoru visibly teetered on the edge of a meltdown.

“She asked how serious it was and where you were. I told her we’re at my place and then I switched my phone off.”

Satoru exhaled deeply, smugness flooding back instantly. “Told you. She loves me.”

Suguru rolled his eyes. “Like you weren’t about to combust two seconds ago.”

Satoru looked away, choosing to deny that entirely.

Shoko sighed. Together, Satoru and Suguru were a menace. Suguru’s mischief paired with Satoru’s personality was pure dumb-and-dumber energy. Why were they doing this? Simple. They were bored.

A few minutes later, before ten minutes even passed, the doorbell rang urgently.

Suguru stood up, and Satoru lit up like a kid on Christmas, grinning ear to ear as he followed.

SHE LOVES ME!

The moment the door opened, you rushed in, breathless and shaking, panic clear on your face as questions spilled from your lips. Suguru looked guilty immediately. Satoru froze.

“Where is-” You stopped short when you spotted him standing perfectly fine beside Suguru.

Your eyes scanned him from head to toe. No injuries. Not even a scratch.

They then shifted to Shoko, who rolled her eyes and nodded. Silent confirmation.

You inhaled deeply. The anger drained from your expression, replaced with something far more unsettling. You walked past them without a word, grabbed a drink, and sat down.

Satoru followed, stuttering. “B-Baby. It was - It was his idea!” He pointed at Suguru.

“You made the bet, Satoru,” Suguru shot back before turning to you. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have done it.”

You raised an eyebrow, took a sip of water, and sat in silence for a moment.

Then you smiled.

Oh no.

“It’s okay,” you said calmly. “I know you won’t do it again.”

“O-of course, of course,” Suguru replied nervously, as he sat back down, Satoru looked at him and you wide-eyed, like he was unsure of what to do or say next.

“We wouldn’t, but you sure trust us huh?” Suguru continued wanting to know what you were thinking of doing.

“Satoru.” you called out to him almost sweetly, normally he would be clinging to you at that but right now he just kept his mouth shut and looked at you in fear.

“Sit” You said patting the space next to you

He immediately sat down, he was gonna sit down on the floor if you had asked right now.

Then you turned back to Suguru and replied, “Oh I just know, you won’t even try something like this again.”

Shoko chuckled as she watched both Suguru and Satoru still in fear like they were in some horror movie, because you were surely mad at them, and they knew you will get back at them. But not knowing when and how was scary.

You turned to Shoko and talked warmly even including the boys in to talk, since you were here already why not take a break? You can think of a way to get back at them patiently. To really make them think twice before messing with you.

An hour slipped by easily. Conversation resumed, drinks were refilled, and the earlier chaos faded into the background, almost forgotten. Almost.

Satoru had slowly relaxed, inching closer to you on the couch, his shoulder brushing yours, confidence creeping back in as you spoke normally, laughed, even smiled. Maybe, maybe he was forgiven.

Then you spoke.

“Suguru,” you said casually, eyes still on your drink, “that reminds me of those pictures of you?”

Suguru stiffened immediately.

“The ones where you were drunk,” you continued thoughtfully, “crying about philosophy, existence, and how life has no meaning.”

Shoko snorted. Satoru burst out laughing.

Suguru groaned, dragging his hands down his face. “Yes. And thank you, for the hundredth time, for stopping Satoru from posting them.”

You hummed, pretending to think. “Hmm. But you know… considering how much you love pranks…”

Suguru slowly lifted his head, dread settling in his eyes.

“Maybe I was wrong in stopping him.”

Silence.

Suguru’s soul visibly left his body. Satoru’s grin turned feral.

“Actually,” you added sweetly, glancing at Satoru, “do whatever you want with them.”

Suguru stared at you like he was silently begging for mercy.

“This - this is how you get back at me?” he asked weakly.

“Exactly.”

“I get it,” he muttered grimly. “Never doing that again.”

“Good.”

Satoru laughed loudly, fully enjoying Suguru’s suffering, completely missing the fact that he was next.

Shoko shook her head. “You idiots walked right into that.”

You checked the time and stood up. “It’s getting late. I still have work to finish.”

Satoru immediately stood too. “I’ll walk you.”

Suguru and Shoko waved goodbye as you headed out.

“I’ll see you at home,” you said casually.

“Bye, baby,” Satoru replied, leaning in…

You turned your head. His lips landed on your cheek. He blinked.

Paused.

Then leaned in again, more determined. You turned the other way.

“S-Seriously?” he whined. “Baby, please let me kiss you.”

You smiled, and for a moment, he thought you were just teasing. So he cupped your face firmly this time, leaning in confidently -

Only to feel skin.

Not lips.

His eyes flew open just in time to see you roll your lips inward.

He gasped dramatically. “…Do you hate me?”

“Satoru,” you said gently, your tone dangerously sweet, “you didn’t actually think you were forgiven, did you?”

He swallowed hard. “It was just a p-prank…”

“And a bet,” Suguru added helpfully from behind.

Satoru whipped around to glare at him before immediately turning back to you with the most pathetic puppy-dog eyes he could manage.

You chuckled softly and cupped his cheek. He melted instantly, leaning into your touch like he always did - touch-starved, desperate.

Hope flickered in his eyes as they dropped to your lips. You leaned closer.

Then whispered, “This is also a prank.”

His smile faltered.

“You’re not allowed to kiss me on the lips.”

Beat.

“It’s fun, right?”

He looked like he’d been stabbed.

“Baby,” he whispered dramatically, “I will perish.”

“Oh, we’re not done yet,” you added pleasantly. “Hey, Suguru, want to make a bet?”

Suguru’s eyes lit up immediately. “I’m listening.”

“How many days should this prank last?”

Satoru’s jaw dropped.

“D-Days?” His voice cracked. “Plural??”

“I say three,” Suguru said easily.

“Seven,” Shoko chimed in.

You tilted your head. “How about ten?”

Satoru looked like the world had ended. Ten days without kissing?

He was about to cry. He loved kissing, slow kiss, needy kiss, make out whatever it was, he loved it a lot. So not having that for 10 freaking days!!

This was his thirteenth reason.

He dropped to his knees dramatically, grabbing your leg.

“PLEASE. I WILL COOK. CLEAN. DO LAUNDRY. I WILL WEAR A SKIRT IN PUBLIC. ANYTHING BUT THIS! I WILL WITHER AWAY! I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FUNCTION! I WILL DIE!”

“You’re very dramatic, also you can’t cook much or clean or do laundry. You also already wore my skirt for fun once.” you noted.

“I AM SUFFERING. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS TO ME”

You laughed, stepping back. “I’ll decide based on your behavior.”

Before he could plead again, you turned and walked away. You know you will give in soon anyway. Probably by tomorrow but yeah let him suffer for a while. You had to make sure he will never do this again after all.

Behind you, Satoru’s whining echoed down the hall, accompanied by Suguru yelling at him to stop embarrassing them in front of the neighbors.

You smiled to yourself.