Missing Pieces
Pairing: childhood bestfriend!sukuna x f!reader
Content: As a kid, all Sukuna ever really wanted was to be around you. He did just that for 10 years, only to spend the next 7 years wondering why you just stopped picking up the phone one day [tw: MDNI, angst/comfort/smuČ, porĹ with plot, friends to enemies(?) to lovers, uncle!sukuna, mentions of depression and low self esteem, sukuna's tongue is pierced, so is his đ, nÄąpple sucking, humpÄąng, Ăłral (f receiving), fÄąngering, squÄąrtÄąng, dacryphÄąlia, matÄąng press] word count: 15k
Sukuna isnât the type to hold on to promises, especially one made in elementary school. But, he never wouldâve thought that youâd break it like that.Â
The promise? That youâd be each other's best friends until the day you died. Looking back, it might be a little dramatic, but you were eight years oldâ all eight year olds are dramatic.Â
Exactly how did you break said promise?Â
You ghosted him.Â
You fucking ghosted him.Â
You were friends for over a decade and the moment you went off to college, poofâ gone! You stopped calling, stopped texting, deleted all your socials. It was as if you had never even existed and that you were just a figment of the manâs imagination.Â
Now thatâs dramatic.
Heâs texted and called you multiple times, no response. Heâs asked mutual friends, they never got a response either. It got to a point where he had finally had it and texted your mother. You could only imagine how hurt he was when she told him you were doing just fine, and not that you were missing or in a coma.
Heâd never admit it, though.Â
The years came and went. The hurt he once felt inevitably dulled. Yet, you always managed to linger around in the back of his mind, like a little ghost haunting him.Â
To this day, he still has no idea what he did wrong. You may have ghosted everybody, but he wasnât just anybody. If anyone deserved an explanation, it was him.Â
He still cares for you, sorta, but itâs been so long, heâs not sure if heâd even want to reconnect with you. Not with how you just dropped him like that.
. . . . . .Â
âAre you excited?â
âNo,â you respond a little too flatly for Ieiri, who shoots you the look right after. âUgh, Iâm sorry. Itâs just been forever since Iâve seen everyone.â
She sighs, redirecting her attention back on the roadâ thereâs not much to look at. Most people stay home on gloomy Sunday afternoons.Â
The GPS says youâre nine minutes away from your destination, making you remind yourself once more to relax. Though, you really wish you could be one of those people staying in right now. Cuddled up on the couch, watching a movie.Â
Ieiri taps her finger on the steering wheel. âItâs like what I saidââ
What didnât she say?Â
She held you hostage on the phone for over an hour last weekend, threatening and bribing, and then threatening you again if you didnât go with her to Kentoâs surprise birthday party.Â
You thought you had a good argument at the time.
âDo you realize how annoying that sounds? Kento doesnât even like surprises, could you imagine how irritated heâd be if I just randomly popped up, too?â
âIf you were Satoru? Yes. You? Doubt it. If anything, heâd probably like the distraction from it.âÂ
âYeahâ probably,â you murmured.Â
âCan you please get out of your fucking head for once?â she scoffed. âYeah, itâs been years since youâve seen everyone, but itâs not like itâs because of a falling out. I donât know where you got this weird idea that they hate you now because of it. It was them who told me to bring you!âÂ
âWhoâs them?â you stubbornly responded.Â
âSuguru, Satoru, Yuki, Chosoâ even Toji said something about bringing Megumi so you could see him.âÂ
As much as youâd love to meet his kid, it would also be another reminder of all the years thatâve passedâ how everyone moved on with their lives. Getting married, buying homes, having children, starting families.Â
The most youâve done is get the job. Youâd include the condo if you actually got to enjoy it, but itâs been a year since you bought it and you havenât even bothered furnishing the place despite all the money you've saved up for it. The last thing you want to do after work is look at a screen and make more decisions. Deciding between color palettes and aesthetics, deciding on what decor and accents you wantâ it all sounded exhausting. Hiring an interior designer was an option. Except, you barely want to talk to a stranger, let alone work with one.Â
Itâs too many decisions to be made for someone that didnât want to make them. You often wonder if youâve simply just become someone that couldnât make them.Â
Youâre well aware of the things that are wrong with you, but it didnât make it any less surprising. You, paralyzed by choices and options?Â
The people who knew you professionally would laugh. Hard. Any sense of certainty that could be felt in the air almost always emanated from you. You were decisive. Sharp as hellâ honed to perfection. Someone that was more than capable of a task as menial as filling a space full of items they liked.Â
You know what you like, donât you?Â
No, not really.
You are sharp, thereâs no doubt about it. Itâs what your boss favors you for, and sure, one could say youâre valuable to the company, too. Itâs a nice feeling for a while.Â
Then you realize there is quite literally nothing more subjective than the value of something.
Luckily, you are very useful. It was simply a fact, and every single one of your quarterly reviews solidified it. A coworker, or god forbid a client, could spend an entire hour talking shit about you, and theyâd eventually reach the point where theyâd have to backtrack with a little âwellâ or âhoweverâ, before giving credit where it was due.Â
The devil works hard and you stole his pitchfork. Ripped it right out of his hands, because apparently, you needed it more than him to become the youngest portfolio manager the companyâs ever seen.Â
Who cares about the value of something when you need it? Mr. Yaga claims to hate black tea, but leave him out in the desert long enough and heâd easily drink gallons of it.Â
Having you at the company isnât a matter of life or death, thereâs thousands of others out there that are more than qualified for your role. More than half probably had resumes twice as long as yours, too.Â
But for Yaga, there is no guarantee that day to day operations would run this smoothly, ever again.Â
You may be a little blunt. At times, impatient. But in a world full of sexual harassment allegations and sleezy managers abusing their power, not once has there ever been a formal complaint made against you. Youâre not always like that either, youâre great with the clients and stakeholders.Â
Itâs a talent, reallyâ remembering all the personal details people tell you, like childhood stories, the places theyâve vacationed to, a spouse's birthday month that was briefly mentioned months ago. It makes people feel special.Â
It was very handy, too. Especially in the case where the company might deal with someone that isnât likely to give them their hard-earned money or signature. Your job was to either sweet talk or gaslight. No arguing needed.
Yaga may have not preferred you at first. You were essentially a kid compared to the people that applied for the position.Â
The plan was to let you down easily, tell you to keep working hard and youâll eventually get there. You were already lucky enough to have your foot in the door as an employee.Â
Yaga had a list of goals he wanted to reach before his retirement, though. Any of the other candidates wouldâve helped with that, but none would've given him the opportunity to make a second list and cross that off as well.Â
The decision took months.Â
In that time, he realized a few things.Â
One, he spent his entire adult life playing it safe, which is an obvious sign of fearing growth. Youâre not sure who taught him that, but at least he realized it was okay to start over and try something new. It was like a rebrand for him and he embraced that the ânewâ him craved more profit and welcomed different approaches.Â
The different approaches being, finding more aggressive people because they bring in the money quicker.Â
He never saw you as aggressive, though. He never saw you at all, actually. It wasnât personal, those under 30 usually come and go, so he didnât see much of a point in remembering names. What he did see, when he finally opened his eyes, was efficiency.Â
You were straight forward in a way that saved time, had an air about you that screamed âdonât ask me how my dayâs going or what I have planned for after workâ, yet approachable enough for work related questions. Stellar reports, received every quarterly and year-end bonus. Sharp.Â
Making you one of the managers meant he could wield you like a weapon, now you are the one he uses the most. You had the salary to prove it, yet no time or energy to enjoy it.Â
Youâre respected. The young interns, the girls in particular, look up to you more often than not. Eyes bright and filled with ambition. Romanticizing everything, from how much coffee you drink, all the way to your style that they labeled as âeffortlessâ. Theyâre not wrong, it is effortlessâ always some variant of trousers, a t-shirt, heels, and a long coat. Theyâre never planned, yet they somehow always manage to work thanks to the lack of color in your wardrobe.Â
You overheard your lack of jewelry and unpainted nails being appreciated once for how âcleanâ you look. All you could think of was the girl that used to do her hair and paint her own nails at one point. Except for the ones on her right hand. She saved that job for her best friend who surprisingly had a steady hand, despite complaints flying out of his mouth the entire time. Even on the days he gave in and painted his own nails black, heâd find something to be grumpy and complain about.Â
It was always you choosing whose house to hang out at, which movies to watch, what places to grab food from. He was a big brat whose favorite answer to most questions was an inaudible âI dunnoâ from the way heâd mumble it. So, you always led the way.Â
Now itâs you mumbling that same exact âI dunnoâ when youâre all alone.Â
Youâre tired. Worn out. If you were a blade, you end each day dull and chipped. Nobody sees it, not even those young girls with all the time theyâve spent studying you, blinded by their own dreams and aspirations to be just as important, not knowing the difference between being valuable and useful.Â
Maybe itâs better off that way.Â
Who were you to try to burst their bubbles when you never had dreams or aspirations to begin with? Your eyes were never as bright as theirsâ not as a student, not as an intern, and definitely not as a new hire.Â
You never had a spark to begin with, what makes you think theyâd eventually lose theirs?Â
Maybe you were the unlucky one here.Â
You were the one whose head went under water after one bad semester, after all. Even now, years later, it still feels like youâre stuck in the deep end while everyone else has moved on.Â
Toji chose to get married and have a kid.Â
You canât even choose yourself on most days.Â
âYou have arrived at your destination.âÂ
Fuck. You have a hard time believing the GPS was that loud when it was telling Ieiri which exit to take and where to turn.Â
Her lips thin into a reassuring smile as she makes the final turn into the apartment buildingâs parking garage, and you fail to return it as you take a deep breath. Ieiri doesnât say anything this time, figuring youâll probably just have to see everyone's excitement for yourself to realize this wasnât a pity invite. Itâll settle half of your nerves.Â
The other half should settle itself with time and a drink. Several drinks, honestly. She did the best she could with telling everyone that what you pulled during your second year of college was 100% a you thing and to not talk about it unless you brought it up. Which you probably wonâtâ everyone will understand. No one wants to talk about being in a dark place when they havenât fully left it.Â
One moment, youâre sitting in the passenger seat with your seat belt still buckled. Next, your chest is tightening as you watch her open the door to Satoruâs apartment. Thereâs already chattering, which stops once she announces your guysâ arrival.Â
You barely get the chance to look around before Suguruâs peaking his head out of the kitchen to see if you really did show up and lets out a laugh once he sees that you did. It was light and airy, the kind thatâs accompanied by the warm feeling that you should get in your chest when seeing an old friend.Â
Heâs obviously changed, itâs been 7 years. Yet, he never lost that quality that managed to make people a little more comfortable.
âHey stranger.â
Your lips thin into a shy smile, âHey.âÂ
âWell?â Suguru asks, holding his arms out. âI know itâs been ages but thereâs no need to be shy.â
âSorry,â you murmur, stepping forward and accepting the hug.Â
He lets out another laugh. âDonât beâ itâs nice to see you.â
âWhereâs mine?!âÂ
You easily recognize the offended, slightly childish tone. You slowly turn your head around to see a slightly less lanky Satoru. Aside from getting some much needed meat on his bones, he doesnât seem to have changed much. Heâs still as unserious as ever, still wears sunglasses indoors like an asshole.Â
Ieiri stood back the entire time, sipping on a drink she had already managed to make, patting herself on the back as she watched her little plan run smoothly: Show up early and let you build some confidence from awkwardly greeting the old friends you shared together one by one.Â
Itâs funny, you told her that theyâd eventually move on to talking to the friends they made after you, but they all seemed more interested in circling back to you, whether it be handing you a shot or introducing you to a new face.Â
If there was one burden she wishes she could take from you, itâd be the burden that has you walking through the world as if you were everyoneâs last choice.Â
Today should be enough to prove that.
âYeah, noâ at this point, fuck Nanami and his birthday. This is a better surprise.â Satoru throws an arm over you, slightly swaying from the shots heâs already taken. âPfftâ he doesnât even like his birthday. Iâm sure heâd be happier to see her, tooââ
âHeâs coming up the elevator,â Suguru cuts him off.Â
âSHIT! EVERYBODY SHUT THE FUCK UP AND HIDE,â Satoru suddenly yells, as if he werenât just talking shit just seconds ago.Â
No one would be surprised if Kento heard him yelling at everyone like that, and given how hesitant of a knock there was at the door. The blonde probably already knows thereâs something up.Â
Suguru goes to open the door, and the moment he opens his mouth to greet him, thereâs a loud wave of people yelling âSURPRISEâ behind him, with Satoru saying it a split second sooner than anyone else did.Â
Kentoâs eye slightly twitches. Half surprised, half irritated. He fucking hates surprises and knows thatâs the only reason why Satoru decided to throw him one. Before a complaint can leave his mouth, Ieiri hands him an old fashion. He tries to speak again, but gets interrupted once more when she tells him whoâs here.Â
At first he scoffs, already having enough of people of fucking with him today.Â
âNo, Iâm serious!â she swears, looking around trying to see where you were at, eventually catching a glimpse of your head in the kitchen. âThere she isâ come say hi.â
Ieiri grabs his wrist and pulls him through the living room and into the kitchen, where you, Yuki, and Choso were talking. She turns back to look at Kento, whoâs already surprised by her rare display of excitement, as she gestures towards you.Â
âSee? Surprise!â
âYeah, surprise!!â Yuki says right after.Â
âHoly shit.â Kento rarely curses, but finds himself unable to come up with better words. âItâs been ages!âÂ
âI know!â You try to sound more apologetic, but ultimately fail from the nice buzz you had going on. âHappy birthday!âÂ
And for once, heâs a little less uptight about it when he gives you a hug and says his thanks. It was a nice surprise, he had to admit. If only Satoru didnât have to ruin the moment with the way he barged into the kitchen with some stupid, frilly party hat in hand, begging Kento to put it on.Â
âI said no!â
âCâmon, Nanamin!â Satoru whines, taking a step forward each time the blonde takes a step back. âYouâre not getting any younger.â
âI donât want to get any youngerâ Iâm a grown man, and so are you. Maybe you should start acting like one.âÂ
âI do! Iâm just fun,â he continues to pester him, ignoring everything Kento mumbles under his breath.Â
You end up excusing yourself to use the restroom, somewhat bummed you couldnât stick around longer to watch them bicker some more. Youâre sure it went on for a while, though, unaware of how it was cut short when Shoko grabs Satoru by the arm.Â
He hisses at how tight of a grip she has on him, fingers digging into his skin as she pulls him aside.
âWhat is your problem?!â he asks through a clenched jaw.Â
âSukunaâs here?!âÂ
âYeah?â He tries and fails to free himself from her grip as he answers. âI thought itâd be a nice surprise!â
She looks at him like heâs stupid, nails continuing to dig into his flesh. âA nice surprise? He fucking hates her. I wouldnât have brought her here if I knew he was coming!â
âOw ow owâ No he doesnât?! Do you actually believe that?!â he groans in between each sentence.Â
âYes! He says it every time someone brings her up!â
âOw ffuck! You know how dramatic he can be sometimesâ fuck, Shoko, please, youâre breaking skin.â
âYou deserve it!â she responds in a clipped tone, despite finally letting go.Â
âJesus Christâ you canât just assault people like that,â he pouts, rubbing his arm. âItâll be fine! Itâs been years, he canât hold a grudge that long.â
. . . . . .
Sukuna can absolutely hold a grudge that long.Â
Except, he was staring at said grudge like some fucking loser, and had to remind himself that it was still alive and well.Â
At first he thought you were just one of Satoruâs new friends as you walked through the living room, shyly making your way around everyone, but then you just so conveniently looked up in his direction.
His eyes nearly widened.Â
And yours actually did, looking as guilty as you should be. Â
The longer you two stood there, looking at each other from across the room in shock, the guilt you had in your eyes started to fade. He was sure everyone else welcomed you back with open arms, and in turn got irritated because you probably thought heâd do the same. So before you could even think to take a step in his direction, he wiped the shock off his face and replaced it with a look thatâs able to make even grown men turn around and walk the other way.Â
Which is exactly what you did, stomach slowly twisting into a tight knot as you immediately began to replay the death glare he gave you over and over in your head.Â
Sukuna didnât stay long and left shortly after. Not without pretending like he didnât know you when he said goodbye to everyone, including Kento, who he never even got the chance to say hi to in the first place.Â
Shoko didnât think that was enough to have a complete 180 in your mood. She then realized you were already quiet before that. You also decided to stay in the kitchen, where there was a wall in between you and him.Â
So yeah, she blames Sukuna.
âAre you sure he didnât say anything to you?â Ieiri asked one last time as she pulled up to your apartment building.Â
âNahâ my stomach just started to hurt. I donât drink alcohol that much.âÂ
She still didnât believe you, not with how big of an asshole Sukuna can be, which is why a certain someone got an earful over the phone the moment you got out of the car. He barely got a word out while she threw nothing but insults and threats so specific his way, that he had begun to believe them.
Of course Satoru felt bad! He didnât want you to disappear again for another seven years and have it be all of his fault. So, he gives Sukuna a call, continuing the cycle of abuse started by Shoko.Â
The phone rings three times. Sukuna never finishes saying hello before Satoru tries to grill him. âAlright, what did you say to her?â
âWho the fuck are you even talking about right now?â
Sukuna knows exactly who heâs talking about, Satoru can just see his face crinkling in fake disgust over the accusation because heâs just a bullshiter at the end of the day.Â
âShoko thinks you said something to herâ she said she was acting all weird and shit when she came back from the bathroom.âÂ
âSheâs already fuckinâ weird,â Sukuna scoffs.Â
âSo you did see her before you walked into the kitchen to say bye?âÂ
âYeah, I saw her. Doesnât mean I said anything to her though, you fuckinâ moron.â
Satoru sighs and rubs his temple, knowing he probably looked at you like he wanted to skin you alive.Â
âWhat? Is looking at her a crime now?âÂ
âWith the way you look at people? It should be.â Itâs clearly not the first time Sukunaâs managed to simply offend someone his face with the way it comes out as a complaint on Satoruâs end.Â
âWhy do you even care?âÂ
âDonât turn this back around on me?!â
âThen quit trying to grill me over the way I look at people. Seriouslyâ she comes back and you all are fuckinâ babying her like sheâs some victim. Itâs not that serious.â
âWell Shokoââ
âShoko can fuck off.â Sukuna cuts him off. âDonât bother me about something stupid like this again. If she canât handle someone looking at her in a way that she doesnât like, maybe she should stay home and lock herself in her fuckinâ room.âÂ
âIâ she already did!â he tries to come to your defense. âShoko wonât tell me much, but she was going through it for years. She probably still is! She doesnât go out at all. I tried telling you before and you wouldnât listen.â
Thereâs a long pause before a disappointed sigh could be heard. Satoru could tell it was directed towards himself instead of you. âShe was going through it, so she locked herself in a room for years?â
âNot literally,â he scoffs. âLook, all I know is she was dealing with depression and now sheâs all anti-social because of it.â
âShe shouldâve fuckinâ said something then.âÂ
âWell, she fuckinâ didnât.âÂ
âThatâsââ
âIf thatâs an opinion, it doesnât matter,â he cuts the man off, starting to grow impatient. Satoru has adhdâ the severe, annoying kind. Thereâs only so much he could handle before getting the violent urge to scream out random noises. âIâm just gonna give you her number so you can talk to her if you want. Who knows, she might even open up to you more since you were the one closest to her.â
âI donât want her nââ
âYES YOU DO.â Satoru yells, leaving Sukuna more appalled than annoyed. âI just sent it. BYE.â
click.
Sukuna glares at his phone for a moment as if it were an extension of Satoru, convinced he was dropped as a child or something and just doesnât know it. He knows he definitely wouldnât tell his kid if he dropped them as a baby.Â
He relaxes his tensed brows and shakes his head as he pulls up the number Satoru sent. For some reason, he expected it to be your old number that he still somehow knew by heart.Â
He hates that he remembers it.Â
He also hates that the actual reason why you disappeared isnât as dumb and selfish as he wanted it to be.Â
. . . . . .
In the three weeks heâs had your number, he hasnât tried reaching out. He also hasnât accepted any invitations to hang out with anyone as a group, despite being told that you were okay with him showing up. Part of it was spite, the rest being him genuinely tired from work.Â
His old manâs been taking more time off under the guise of letting him âtake over for the dayâ. He acts so gracious with it, too, as if Sukuna should be thankful for the opportunity, when really, Wasuke should just fucking retire already so he can hire someone else to take his place as site manager. Heâs essentially working two jobs now and when he asked for a raise, that old piece of shit laughed so hard that he damn near coughed up fifty years worth of cigarette tar.
Youâd think watching his father nearly hack up an entire lung would be enough to make him quit smoking himself, but that shit pissed him off so bad that he smoked three cigarettes in a row just to calm down before going back to work. It still pisses him off. He doesnât regret taking $50 out of that old man's wallet on his way out to cover his gas for the day. He honestly shouldâve taken more.Â
Itâs been months since heâs gotten home at a decent time. Tonight was probably the worst thus far.Â
He drags his feet into his apartment and kicks off his boots, heavy eyes landing on the clock thatâs two minutes away from 10:00 pm.Â
The next ten minutes are spent shoveling leftovers into his mouth, followed by a hot shower that was mainly spent just standing there, zoning out as the hot water hit his back. Itâs been days since heâs jacked off, realizing it doesnât even give him the urge, his sex drives plummeted all the way down to hell. He just wants to sleep at this point.Â
Except when his head hits the pillow, heâs wide awake. It doesnât help that he ends up scrolling through instagramâ there was hardly a point for someone that barely followed anyone to begin with.Â
Thereâs not much to scroll through. The most interesting thing being a recent post of Suguruâs night. He absentmindedly looks through them, then pauses at the 4th photo of you and Shoko with your little drinks in hand.Â
You were barely smiling.Â
Your lips curved just enough for the cameraâ nothing like the photos of you from before, grinning and laughing. Thatâs how heâs always remembered you.
Would it have even made a difference if he told you not to move so far away for school? Itâs not like he couldâve known, you never said anything. He thought you were doing just fine and you deleted everything one day and changed your number.Â
He taps the photo to see whoâs tagged. Just Shoko. You still havenât gotten back on social media, no profile to see what youâve been up to. All he knows about you is that you moved back to the area after graduation and scored a cozy finance job without telling anyone. The only reason why you got in touch with Shoko again was because she ran into you at some bakery and made you give her your number.Â
It didnât even matter if you did have a new phone with no contacts by the time you moved back. You didnât need to text him or call him, you couldâve just shown up. Sure, he mightâve been annoyed at first, but he wouldnât have turned you away.Â
Youâve known each other since 8 years old, you disappeared at 19. Thatâs his whole childhood right there. You played together, ate lunch together, walked to school together until he got a car, ditched school together. You had your own shampoo and toothbrush at his and would just use his clothes if you didnât have a spare set with you.
Itâs just dumb.
Still thinking about it, that is. Itâs been years. It may have been fine to still be thinking about it at 21 or 22, but now itâs just ridiculous.
. . . . . .
You arenât expecting Sukuna to warm up any time soon. At all, really. You couldnât blame him for the reaction he had seeing you at Kentoâs birthday. If there was one person that deserved an explanation, it was him, and youâre just about seven years too late for that.Â
He wasnât the same person you knew. You couldnât just go up to him expecting that youâd get to have a conversation. A civil one, at least.Â
Itâs been years.Â
And honesty, it might not even be about being several years too late. Heâs a grown man, why would he care about a childhood friend that just up and left?
All thereâs left to do now is to stay out of his way. Youâre sure his temperâs the same and the last thing you want is to bug him. Hopefully being at a kids birthday party shields you from it in the case that you accidentally do. From what you heard, he seems close enough with Toji to know not to fuck with his sons special day.Â
Itâs not all bad. Toji couldnât come to Kentoâs birthday since his wife and son woke up sick that day, so you were more excited than nervous for today since youâd get to meet them.Â
This time it was you that picked up Ieiri. You felt a little guilty for being the one that constantly got rides, despite having a running car of your own. Once you two got to the little park in their neighborhood, everyone was already there, including Sukuna, who was stuck having to watch his nephew that youâve heard about through Choso.Â
The biggest plot twist of all was probably learning that Jin is now technically Chosoâs stepfather. You knew Choso had a teen mom, you didnât know she was that young, though. You also had no idea how much of a milf hunter Jin was, either.Â
Jin apparently didnât know that was Chosoâs mother. No one believes him, especially not Sukuna, who still looks at two like theyâre a couple of fucking sickos for making him Chosoâs step-uncle.Â
The kidâs name is Yuji, and he looks just like Jin and Sukuna when they were kids. Heâs the same age as Tojiâs son, whoâs turning 3 today. Yuji acts nothing like his father or his uncle. Jin was always quiet and sensitive. Sukuna was sensitive, too, but he was always very vocal about the things that annoyed him. The toddler was more like Gojo, hopped up on sugar and bouncing off the walls.Â
Sukuna calls out to him like an angry mother at a grocery store, gritting his teeth as he tells the kid to, âget your ass over here, NOW,â all while Yuji pretends not to hear or see himâŚ. up until Sukuna gets up from the bench, which is when the little boy decides to run back to him, whining about how heâs sorry and how he didnât know.Â
Megumiâs more quiet and follows Yuji around. He even ran back to Sukuna with the boy, worried that his friend's uncle was going to leave him at the park too, even though his father was at the grill just a few feet away.Â
Watching the two boys play is adorable, but you try not to look too much in an attempt to avoid making eye contact with the grumpy uncle, which ends up becoming more difficult than youâd imagined. The kid eventually wore him out to the point where he managed to slip out his view.Â
Yuji didn't go very far.Â
â...esâcuse me?â
You feel a little tug at your shorts and look down to find an incredibly worried Yuji, who shouldâve gone to an adult he knew, but here he was after quickly deciding you were the trusted adult for whatever problem he had.Â
âWhatâs wrong?â You crouch down, getting at eye level. âAre you okay?âÂ
âNo,â he shakes his head, pointing to his feet. âI donno how to tie my shoes.â
âYou donât?â you ask, sounding just as concerned. âDo you want me to tie them for you?âÂ
He pouts. âYes, please.âÂ
Your heart melts at his little voice. âAw, okay.â
Like any other kid, Yujiâs amazed at how fast adults can tie shoelaces, unable to keep up with the strings crossing and looping around each other to create the little bow at the end.Â
âYay!â He claps his hands, jumping in excitement. âWe can play again, Gumi!â
Megumi thinks to celebrate with his friend, but closes his mouth right after opening it.Â
Then youâre startled by a scoff made directly behind you. âYou make a stranger tie your shoes and you canât even say thank you?âÂ
The last to freeze is Yuji, who side-eyes him, rather than turning to face him. âUm.. ya I did..â
âNo you didnât?!â The toddler's ability to lie over something so simple amazes and offends the man at the same time. Does Yuji seriously think heâs that stupid? âI watched you lie about not knowing how to tie your shoes and then I watched you try to run off with even thanking her.âÂ
âI donno how to tie my shoe!â Yuji stomps a foot on the ground to prove whatever point he thought he was making.Â
âYes, you doâ now thank her, before I take your shoes away.âÂ
âOh no, not my shoes!â
âYeah. Bye bye, shoes.â Sukuna snorts, clearly enjoying this. âYouâre a big boy now, remember? You donât need them.â
âYes, I do!â Yuji whines.
âThen have some manners and say thank you.â Sukuna continues to glare at the kid while pointing at you.
âThank you for tying my shoe,â Yuji tightly grabs the bottom of his t-shirt with both hands and bows at you, then turns to his uncle and starts whimpering. âDonât eat my shoes, Unkakuna! I need them!âÂ
Sukunaâs even more annoyed now at how specific that was. âWho said I was gonna eat them?!âÂ
âI dunno! You eat everything!â Yuji claims, bottom lip quivering and all, making his uncle's eye twitch in disbelief. âItâs all stuck in your big belly.âÂ
Sukunaâs face drops, as if he didnât see a 6-pack in the mirror this morning with his own eyes.
âI don't have a goddamn belly,â he scolds him through a clenched jaw, then lowers his tone as he begins to crouch down. âDo you want me to hit your Papa Jin?âÂ
âNo!!!â
âThen quit acting like I eat everything in sight, you little shit.â
Yuji scratches the back of his head as he continues to whine, trying to force a couple tears out. Eventually he turns to you. âHeâs gonna hit my papa with his big belly.âÂ
âUh-oh. That's not nice,â you begin to laugh, all while Sukuna grumbles something about Jin being the one with love handles.Â
âPapa gonna cry,â he claims, continuing to act distraught over the news, trying to get all the sympathy he can from you. âMy poor papa.âÂ
You giggle. âI donât think heâll hit your papa, though.â
âHeâs gonna EAT my papa!â Yuji stretches his arms out, emphasizing how big of a meal that would be for Sukuna. As if it couldn't get any worse, Yuji finds a random basketball and tries to stuff it under his shirt. âThen his belly will be big like THIS.â
âStop it,â Sukuna snaps, pointing off into the distance behind the kid. âGet out of here before I barbecue you on that grill Mr. Tojiâs using.âÂ
âHey!â Yuji gasps. âYou canât do that!â
âYou can barbecue anything when you have barbecue sauce, Yuji.â he informs the kid, then notices a mortified Megumi standing off to the side. âYouâre next.â
âDAAAADDDDYYYYYYYY.âÂ
The boys run to Toji at full speed. Yuji thinks itâs a game, but Megumiâs genuinely scared, sobbing as his father picks him. His dadâs obviously confused as to why his sonâs crying like someone threatened to kill him. Once Megumiâs able to actually get a full sentence out as he points right as Sukuna.Â
If Megumi thought he was going to receive any sort of comfort from his father, he was dead wrong. Toji bursts out laughing and doesnât stop, even when Megumi starts screaming and hitting him for not being more concerned over something so dire.
âMegumi says youâre not allowed to have any cake,â Toji yells out.Â
âIâm taking Yuji home if I donât get a slice.âÂ
Sukunaâs response has the two boys whining in the distance.Â
âNO barbecue me.â Megumi glares as he tries to strike a deal with the most difficult person heâs encountered so far in his short, yet stressful life.Â
âGive me three slices and I wonât barbecue you.â
âBut Unkukuna, youâre belly!â Yuji rounds his arms out in front of him, emphasizing how detrimental those extra calories would be for his physique.Â
Everyone grows quiet as Sukuna stares him down, wondering who the fuck even taught him that. Whoever it was better pray to god that he doesnât find out.Â
âIâm not gonna be your uncle anymore if you keep talking about my belly.â
Yuji reaches out in despair as he screams, âNOOO.â
âNo? You donât want that?â he asks, fighting back a smile.Â
Yuji throws his back dramatically, shaking his head. âNO.â
âThatâs what I thought,â he barks, not bothering to hide how proud breaking Yuji down with a singular sentence made him. âNow ZIP IT.â
âKAYâ.âÂ
Yuji looks away for a moment to take a deep breath, trying to calm down, all while sneaking little peeks at Sukuna.Â
He quickly looks away after seeing that his uncleâs staring at him, then peeks again. It happens several times, yet his uncle hasnât moved a muscle once as he continues to just look at the boy like heâs better than him.Â
What kind of a sick game is this?Â
Naturally, he grows irritated knowing Sukuna is winning whatever game this is, which isnât fair since heâs already going to have three slices of cake later. Even one slice was pushing it, to tell you the truth. He was too young to put into words why it pissed him off. All he knows is watching Sukuna enjoy good things, that are meant for good people, will never sit right with his spirit.
By the time Sukuna decided to stop staring at the kid as a form of psychological warfare, you had already been awkwardly standing there for quite some time, unsure if you should leave or not. It was either look rude or look too comfortable, neither of which you wanted to come off as.
Sukuna wasnât mad at you anymore. At least not since Gojo called and told him you were and still are dealing with some mental health stuff.Â
He wasnât planning on talking to you today, either, purely because he didnât believe he should have to apologize for giving someone a harmless look. But then he caught Yuji trying to get your attention and figured it wouldâve been fine since 2 minutes with him would make anyone want to choose peace for the next hour.
You couldnât tell what he was thinking when your eyes finally met his, but at least he wasnât giving you that same disgusted look you got at Nanamiâs birthday.Â
You werenât the best at starting conversations outside of work, though, and quickly embarrassed yourself with how bad you stuttered while trying to find something to say, which ended up being an apology for tying the kids' shoe.Â
In turn, Sukuna looked at you like you were a fucking weirdo.Â
âWhat? No, itâsâ thatâs fine,â he waves a hand, still thrown off by the apology. âHe just goes around annoying anybody he can.â
âOhâ donât worry, he didnât annoy me. He's adorable.âÂ
You suppress a laugh as he shoots you a look saying heâs anything but that.Â
âHeâs a pain in the ass,â he grumbles, already rubbing his eyes from how tired he is. âWe passed around a baseball for an hour before coming here and heâs still running around trying to convince people that Iâm a fatass.â
He has to be at least 200 pounds of pure muscle and has the ass of a baseball player, so you neither confirm nor deny the words out of fear that youâd make yourself look stupid again. âHe probably just likes your attention.â
âThatâs the problemâ heâs probably taken 10 years off my life already because of it,â he smiles a little, obviously more fond of the kid that he lets on.Â
You avert your gaze as you find yourself smiling as well. âHis poor parents.â
âThey have good life insurance, heâll be set.â
âOh, I'm sure,â you laugh with him until it dies down into another awkward silence. Youâve barely looked at him and try not to think too much about it after the realization. Having a conversation with him was surprising enough. Difficult on your end, too, but you pushed yourself. âHowâve your dad and Jin been?â
âJinâs been good, heâsââ he huffs out a laugh, âyou know he went and made Choso his fuckinâ stepson right?â He openly points at Choso, not very worried about getting caught.Â
âYeah,â you nod, just as surprised by it, more so by the fact that Choso and Yuji and brothers.Â
âWell. Heâs still going strong with Kaori. Just bought a house,â he struggles to list things worth sharingâ aside from the mommy kink, his brotherâs pretty boring. Sukuna quickly moves on to Wasuke, who he has no issue talking about. âOld manâs driving me nuts. Says he wants to retire, instead he just takes a bunch of days off and pretends heâs doing me a favor by letting me play boss while heâs gone, so now Iâm doing my job and his.âÂ
âYouâre working for the company?â
He sighs deeply. âYeah.âÂ
It pains him to say, remembering all that talk about him wanting âsomething of his ownâ when he was younger. Now here he is, set to take over daddyâs company.Â
âI mean⌠itâs already there,â you try to offer some words of reassurance, being the one that heard most of the said talk. âAll you have to do is maintain it once itâs yours.â Â
âExactly,â his tone changes, less ashamed of pulling the nepo baby card. âIâm not tryna work any harder than I should at this point.â
âDoes he pay you extra on the days heâs off, at least?âÂ
âFuck no.â He laughs, even though there is nothing funny about being exploited at his grown age. âYeahâ nopeâ he works me like a fuckinâ dog.âÂ
Hence why heâs been helping himself to whatever cash is in the old manâs wallet and whatever food he has in his pantry when he visits. He makes good money to begin with, so itâs not like he canât afford any of it, itâs just the principal.Â
Heâll take Wasukeâs toilet paper, too.Â
That old man has one year to either give him a raise or retire completely before couches and T.V.s start to go missing.Â
âOld manâs been good, though⌠still kickinâ,â he mutters, then stops himself before saying something really fucked up, âWhatâve you been up to?â
You shrug as you let out an indecisive hum, knowing you didnât have much to share. âNothing reallyâ work usually has me pretty busy.â
Heâs well aware of how boring of a life you have, but still tries to push for more details. âYeah? Suguru says youâre in finance now.â
âMhm,â you nod, growing shy, âportfolio manager.â
âYou spend the day telling people what to do now?â he asks as if he were almost impressed.Â
âNot really,â you laugh. âA lot of itâs research, reporting, meeting with clients, Iâ yeah, I mainly just take care of more of the sensitive stuff. If my manager hatâs on, itâs usually just collecting reports from the other managers or figuring out whatâs going on with their teams if theyâre not performing the way they need to.âÂ
He nearly barks out a laugh.Â
You look at him with confusion. âWhat?âÂ
âSo instead of managing a bunch of people, you just terrorize their managers?â
âI donât terrorize them,â you murmur, shifting in place. âItâs their job to make sure that their teams are performing well and if they arenâtââ
âYou ask them why they arenât doing their jobs,â he finishes your sentence with an amused grin. âThen they sit there for the next hour, trying to come up with an answer for that.â
You pause for a moment, wondering if he has to do the same. âWellâ kind of.â
You donât have time to sit there and listen for an hour, nor do you want to. The longest one went just over twenty minutes before you had to stop her.Â
âListen, Lindaâ I,â you stopped to think twice about what you were going to say, âIâm just asking why thereâs been a dip in the performance, I really donât need an entire life story for that. Why donât we take a few steps backâ how has your team been?â
âWell⌠uhm⌠well⌠theyâŚâ You nodded, thinking itâd encourage her, and it did, but 5 minutes later she went off course to talk about her failing marriage, again. âAnd then Dave, heââ
âIs Dave a new hire?âÂ
Her eyes dried right up. âNo⌠Dave is my husband.âÂ
You knew damn well who Dave was, but she was starting to get on your nerves.
âOkay, letâs talk about your team right now⌠this is about workâ Dave doesnât work here.â You tried your best to be patient with her, but it was like teaching a kindergartener how to self regulate. âI wanna know things like how everyoneâs been mentallyâ are they eating, are they getting enough sleep, are they taking their breaks? Are they having to work through them?â
She didnât know. She just wanted to give you a sob story so youâd let her off the hook. So, when she mentioned Dave a third time:
âThis isnât working,â you murmur to yourself as you turn to your computer and start typing. âIâm going to make a little worksheet for everyone, including you. Think of it as a peer review. Youâll have one for each team member and each team member will have one for you. I think thatâll be an easier way to get to the bottom of things.âÂ
Instead of excusing herself, she stares at you like a deer in headlights.
âThereâs no need to wait on me by the way, Iâll have them emailed out to everyone within the next hour.â
On the rare occasion that you do have to ask performance related questions, you send them the same exact worksheet so they have an idea of what you wanted to talk aboutâ which is the only part you mention to Sukuna. Heâd probably accuse you of terrorizing Linda when you know you couldâve been ten times worse.
Youâre just glad he didnât ask about any of the other stuff you had to do.
Sometimes you wished you spent your days in Lindaâs professional shoesâ god forbid you ever had to deal with a man like Dave. Her job was less demanding than yours. More human. Working with others and collaborating with them must be great in terms of keeping you groundedâ normal people, that is.Â
You wouldnât consider any of the people you answer to now as normal. The stakeholders, clients, the higher ups, Yagaâ theyâre all fucking crazy. You couldnât just pretend like they were normal, you had to match their energy and in some cases, you had to be worse to finish whatever job you were tasked to do, which drove you closer to their territory with each day that passed.
âDo you like it there?â Sukuna looks at you and asks, tone fond and filled with warmth, as if he were proud of you.Â
In the same moment you realize that you were only fooling yourself earlier when you tried to believe that he hated you.Â
You wish you could turn back time by just a few seconds to change the subject. You didnât want to answer a question that he clearly wanted a yes toâ youâre sure itâd make him feel better about knowing you chose to spend all those years alone, when you had someone wouldâve easily stayed by your side.Â
You grew stiff, eyes glossing at the question because you hated the real answer to it.Â
âNot really,â you murmur, almost ashamed to admit it. âThatâs kinda how I feel about most things, though.âÂ
It was true. You donât even know why youâre wishing for a job like Lindaâs, you always came off as cold and hardly spoke to others before the big promotion.Â
He didnât know what to say to that, he wasnât even sure if there were any words you could give to someone as apathetic as you sounded when answering. Itâs not like he was the type to offer anything encouraging to begin with. Instead, he stayed quiet, comfortable in the silence as he let his own mind run free for a bit.Â
Just as you were starting to think you made him uncomfortableâ
âDid anyone have to drag you here today?â he asks.Â
âNo.â
âSo you chose to come to soot sprites' birthday?â he asks, as judgmental as ever.
You smile. âI did.âÂ
He gently rests his hand on top of your head, leaving you with a familiar sense of comfort as he leaned in. âYouâre not doing too bad then.âÂ
âUncle-Kunaaaaaaa!â The man looks up to see his nephew sprinting towards him. âMy tummy growling!!â
âThis kidâs always coming up with the most extra ways to say things,â he mutters under his breath as he pulls away. âSo youâre hungry?â
Yuji slows down the closer he gets, until heâs skipping towards the man. âYeah. Mr. Toji says he make chicken sticks.âÂ
Sukuna looks at Yuji the way he always does whenever the kid decides to rename something. âYou mean skewers?â
âYeah, chicken sticks,â Yuji nods, confidently repeating himself, because Sukuna was obviously wrong, even though Toji said skewers, too. Both men obviously donât know what theyâre talking about.Â
The man actually looked to you for help, and given how itâs an issue between a 3 year old rage baiter and a grown man that will make time to argue with a child, you decide to stay out of it.Â
âThat sounds yummy,â you say to Yuji, and you could feel Sukuna glaring at you for not even bothering to call them skewers, too. âYou guys should probably grab some before Suguru arrives, he loves chicken and leftovers.âÂ
Sukuna lets out a mixture of a scoff and a laugh since itâs true, but if anyoneâs taking those skewers home, itâs him.Â
Which is why he lets Yuji start to pull him away to get some.Â
. . .Â
Getting to talk to you more, after being pulled away from Yuji, hardly counted since it was with groups of other people.Â
Luckily for Sukuna, your carâs parked right next to his and youâre leaving at the same time heâs trying to get the little brat in his car seat. Heâs half asleep and wonât let goâ each time he physically tries to pry Yuji off of him, he does this weird muted scream.Â
Heâs about 2.5 seconds away from wrestling this kid when he hears someone.Â
âBye.âÂ
It comes off as a little unnatural, but itâs in more of an awkward âI donât know if I should say goodbye to you right nowâ way.Â
Sukuna turns around. âOh, waitââÂ
His hand slides into his pocket, only to find it empty, then realizes itâs in the pocket of his jacket. The side where Yujiâs on and wonât leave. You stay in the place the whole time, wondering if heâs aware of how funny he looks grumbling to himself as he checks all his other pockets.Â
He eventually finds his business card, then rolls his eyes after realizing heâs about to give you a business card, because heâd rather not tell you he already has your number. To add salt to injury, he didnât even need to pull his phone out, because the goal was to give you his number.Â
âHere.â He hands the semi-decent card over for you to take, surprised itâs not more broken down since heâs always leaving them in his pockets, even when heâs throwing his clothes in the washer. âYou donât have to of course, but feel free to reach out if youâre interested in catching up sometime over lunch or something.âÂ
âYeah, thatâd be nice.â You look at the card, flipping it over a couple times. âUm⌠I donât actually⌠need this, though.â
He stares at you for a moment, wondering if it was just some pathetic, last minute excuse to turn him down.Â
âI already have it,â you shyly admit, handing the card back to him as if it were better off going to someone else. âSatoru gave it to me a couple weeks ago. I just wasnât sure if you wanted to hear from me.âÂ
âFair enough.â He shrugs, reluctant to say moreâ he might be down to catch up, but heâs still not apologizing for his face. âShoot me a text sometime, then. I wouldnât mind.âÂ
âYeah, I will.â You smile a little, trying to hide a bit of the excitement that was starting to bubble up. âAlright, wellâ it was nice seeing you.â
âYeah, you too.â
. . . . . .Â
âYouâre not doing too bad.â
It took around 3 months after the words left Sukunaâs mouth to actually start believing them.Â
Itâs not like your life was crazy interesting now. It just slowly started to fill up with things you looked forward to over time. Whether it be hanging out with others or simply sitting in your living room with a latte you took your time making. Your apartment started to feel more like a home with each new addition you added to it. You were nowhere near done, but you found yourself enjoying the process of casually looking through items and randomly falling in love with different ones.Â
The newest addition was a painting you saw a year ago and decided not to buy, despite how much you loved it. You stood in that gallery for over an hour, convincing yourself that it would never get that much attention from you again once you took it home. You were convinced that itâd find a way to collect dust in a space that felt as sterile as yours, and left it for someone that had a home where it wouldnât.Â
You found it again in a consignment store with a big coffee stain on the side of the canvas. The person who ended up buying it probably got rid of the moment it spilled. They didnât even bother hanging it up, and most likely had it on some counter before the accident happened. By the time you got to it, it was collecting dust with dozens of other paintings leaned against the wall since they werenât good enough to be hung up.
You paid less than a quarter of it was originally worth, but a part of you thinks you wouldâve purchased it for its original price if it meant you got to take it home. Youâve thought about it nearly everyday since you stepped out of that pristine gallery, after all. Â
Sukuna stared at it for a while before hanging it up. You canât remember how the conversation started, but he came over and put it up for you after finding out you were going to do it yourself, claiming you didnât have the right tools. You probably donât.Â
It wasnât until the canvas was up on the wall when he finally asked the question you had been expecting to get after you caught him looking at it funny.Â
âThat brown stuff on the bottom corner is a part of the whole thing, right?â
âNope.âÂ
He just stood there and continued staring at the damn thing with you, waiting silently for an explanation that he soon realized heâd never get on his own. Â
âAre coffee stains some new trend I donât know about?âÂ
He was dead serious. It was almost funny how he couldnât believe that youâd just buy something that was stained like that.Â
âNope, not a trend.âÂ
He continued to stare at you, so utterly confused as to why you want that thing hung up on your wall when you could just walk into one of those art shops and buy a new one. Itâs not like you couldnât afford it, heâs seen some of the shit you own and youâre clearly not bothered by commas on a price tag.Â
You eventually told him the story. He probably still didnât get it, but that didnât really matter.Â
âHow cute,â he says rather boredly, wondering why you couldnât just tell him that in the first place. âYou didnât buy it for more than 50% of its price, right?âÂ
You shoot him an annoyed look. âI spent almost an entire year sulking over it, do you seriously think the price of it matters at this point? I wanted it.âÂ
âYou probably ended up cursing the damn thing so no one else could have it. People donât usually spill coffee on paintings.â he says, starting to laugh the longer he thought about it.Â
You donât laugh with him, but he does catch the proud look on your face as you walk away, just happy to have it. He walks after you with another question in mind, hoping now was an okay time since he always forgets.Â
âMind me asking why youâre just now starting to furnish the place?âÂ
You shrug. âI was just always too tired to get out of bed. If it wasnât for work, I wasnât getting up,â you remind him. âToo many choices to make, too. Iâd get overwhelmed and stop looking for stuff.âÂ
âYeah, thereâs a lotta shit out there,â he murmurs, helping himself to one of the white claws in your fridge.Â
The can cracks open and he takes a sip, looking over your living room thatâs become a bit more filled in since the first time he came over to help you put your couch together. The place was so empty that he automatically assumed you had recently moved in.Â
Heâs been helpful since Megumiâs birthdayâ at least he tries to be.Â
It never feels forced, most of the time itâs just him asking if you wanna come along to a place he was already going to, just to get you out of the house.Â
He also asks how youâre actually doing, a lotâ figuring you were just someone that needed some extra support, given how one lonely, difficult semester made you isolate yourself to the point where you started to believe you werenât worth missing.
Once, he almost asked how you couldâve ever put him into that category. He loved you, both platonically and not platonically. But he never asked, the past is the past and thatâs probably just how it is when someoneâs spiritâs in the dumps.
Heâs far from a therapist and never has any advice to give, but he was surprisingly good at getting you out of your headâ pull you back to reality, without the reality check. Youâve obviously had more than enough of them. Itâs why he doesnât bother being harsh with you, at all. Even during the times heâs come off as more straightforward, you donât feel any judgement or malice behind his words. The last thing he wanted was to say or do something that made you think you couldnât give him a call.Â
Itâs probably why youâre so comfortable with having him come over and why you donât mind telling him certain things, like the fact that you spent most of your free time sleeping at one point. He never bats an eye. He just wants to be around you, like heâs always had.
âSummersâ coming up. Getting anything for the balcony?â he asks, nodding in the direction of its doors.Â
You turn your head, looking over at the empty space. âWhat would I even get?âÂ
Heâs mid-sip when you ask, but hums in acknowledgment. âSome seating, a little table, maybe a fire pit if youâre feeling extra crazy.âÂ
You fight back a smile, âOh? Thanks, asshole.â
âYou might be a grandma, but I never said thereâs nothing wrong with it.âÂ
âIâm trying not to be, okay.â You give him the finger as you walk to the fridge, hoping he didnât take the last seltzer. Seconds later youâre cracking one open yourself.
He chuckles at the little pout you get on your face when youâre offended. âIâm just fuckinâ with youâ youâre fine.â
âI guess,â you murmur, leaving him in the kitchen to go take a seat on the couch.Â
He trails behind you, leaving enough space between the two of you as he takes a seat on the couch he nearly lost his mind trying to put together. The instructions were in a language so uncommon that most people go about their lives without knowing about it.
âWhat do you mean you guess?âÂ
âI donât know,â you murmur. âKinda feel guilty for all the years I lost, I wish I could get them back.â
âI bet,â he leans back in his seat. âYou ever considered making more time for yourself, now?â
âWhat do you mean?âÂ
âTaking some time off. Could be a week, could be a couple months. You could even try working part time for a little. You have a savings, Iâm sure you could get away with taking a break.âÂ
âOhâ yeah, I have actually. The company has really good benefits, though. Itâs kinda why I havenât even tried to leave,â you turn towards him, leaning against the arm rest as you hug your knees. âIâve been considering asking for a demotion, though.âÂ
Youâre not quite sure how Yaga would handle that. Youâve been coming up with different ideas all monthâ a hybrid schedule, switching to a 4 day work week, maybe leaving early some days, a demotion. Youâre sure taking on another role would have its own difficulties, but itâd be easy to handle compared to all you do now. The workload you have really should be split between two people, maybe even three.Â
âThatâd definitely be a lot less work,â he remarks, still shocked at all the shit he has you do.Â
âA lot lessâ Iâm hoping Yaga agrees to one of them. If not, I might just find some place else. I could probably take a few months off then. Free time does sound nice.âÂ
âYeah you could sleep in, hang out with anyone whoâs free, find a hobby, go on a dateââ
His last suggestion gets shut down with a laugh. âYeah, right.âÂ
âWhat?â he smirks.
âI suck at dating,â you inform him. âI donât even know how to anymore.âÂ
He snorts. âThatâs a little dramatic, no?â
âItâs trueâ last time I went on one was three years ago.â
He raises his brows, then flatly asks, âThree?â
âDonât judge me,â you grumble.Â
âMânot. Itâs justâ 3 years of completely nothing?â
âGodâ obviously.â You hide your face in embarrassment. âYou are judging me right now.â
âIâm not,â he laughs, taking another sip. âJust a long time to go without having someone take care of you.âÂ
"Well I slept through most of it anyway so I'm fine,â you roll your eyes, annoyed at how heâd even make a joke like that when he knows you can support yourself just fine without anyoneâs help.
âYouâre awake right now, though.âÂ
âSo?â you scoff.
âI can take care of you, if you want,â he offers.
âNot funny,â you murmur, just about ready to kick his ass out.Â
At first, heâs confused as to why his little offer had you that offended. Then after a minute, it clicks. Since you refuse to look at him, you miss the amused grin on his face after realizing you two are thinking about two entirely separate things in terms of âbeing taken care ofâ.
You only finally look at him when he gets up from where heâs sitting and thereâs a shit eating smirk on his face, making you think heâs just being a dick and leaving.
Then he takes a seat right next to you, leg just barely brushing against yours.
âWhat are you dââ
âI think youâre a little confused here,â he says a little too calmly, throwing his arm over the backrest and leaning in way too close.
âListen, I looked forward to hanging up that painting of yours all day, same goes for all the other stuff Iâve helped you out with.â You feel your cheeks start to warm as a result of the low, honeyed tone heâs using on you. âI really like helping you. It makes you a little happier, and with all the assholes I have to deal with everyday, it makes my day a lot better. So, why not just let me do a little more?â
âI donâtâ what are you even talking about right now?â Your words come out all nervous and jumbled, failing to stay calm from how close this guy is.Â
âIâm talking about all the times Iâve caught you looking at my dick print.â
Your eyes widen in horror and he laughs.Â
âYeah, youâre not slick,â he tucks some hair behind your ear and leans in closer. âCâmonâ youâre not even at work right now and your mindâs still all over the place trying to find stuff to be stressed about. Arenât you tired?â
Your heart pounds against your chest as you hesitate to answer. âI meanâ yeah.âÂ
âLet me fuck you then,â he murmurs, tracing the backs of his fingers down your arm. âYou wonât have to think about anything, wonât have to do anythingâ just gotta take it. Super easy. Sounds fun, huh?âÂ
âI⌠I donât know,â you just barely whisper, shifting in your seat from all the nerves, looking like a deer in headlights.
âI think you do know.â He continues to toy with you as he waits for you to say anything else. Surprise: you never do.Â
âIâll stop if you tell me to.â
You look like youâre about to have a panic attack and itâs adorable. âStop what?â
âThis.â He smiles, pressing a soft kiss right under your ear, humming against your skin, not missing the way it makes your breath hitch. Then he presses another one on your jaw, then another, getting closer to your lips and pulling back right before he does, meeting your glazed over, half lidded eyes.Â
He snakes a hand around the back of your neck and pulls you in, making your lips meet his. The first kiss is slow and gentle, letting you warm up to it. You put your legs down trying to get closer, not expecting for it to grow more heated, too.Â
An arm wraps around your waist and you're being pulled in to straddle his lap. His big hands roam around your hips and ass as you start to full on make out, grinding you down against something long and hard until youâre desperately panting against each other.Â
He gives your ass one last squeeze before finding the bottom of your shirt and pulling it up over your head, rushing to unclip your bra and tossing it in whichever direction the shirt went. A soft gasp slips through your lips once you feel the wet heat of his pierced tongue drag a slow stripe over your nipple, not thinking much about the way Sukuna smiled at you afterwards.Â
You shouldâve braced yourself for the level of greed you were about to experience.Â
Many minutes later, your tits are covered in spit and youâre failing to bite back moans out of self preservation.Â
And itâs fucking hard.Â
Sukunaâs groaning and dragging a heavy tongue over each nipple 1, 2, 3, 4 times before wrapping his lips around them and starts sucking. He goes back and forth between each, pulling away with a wet, lewd pop before moving on to the next. At first, heâd replace his mouth with his fingersâ rubbing, rolling, and pinching on the sensitive bud so itâs not completely neglected while he works on the other one.Â
Theyâre now firmly planted on your hips, because apparently he needs the extra friction. So now your shorts are soaked through and youâre trying not to cum as he continues to push you down back and forth against his cock.
Your fingers are digging into his shoulders, the moans youâre struggling to bite back come out as whines and the one thing that actually pulls one out of you is when Sukunaâs palm cracks down on your ass.Â
âCome here.â
He pulls you in by the back of your neck and swallows all the little sounds you try not to make with a kiss messier than the last.Â
The air's hot and heavy once he breaks it. A small string of saliva hangs on and then breaks as you pull away, already looking like a mess while trying to catch your breath. Â
âBed?â
âYeah,â you nod, sounding more desperate.Â
âThought so,â he stifles out a laugh as he suddenly gets up, easily taking you with him as he makes the short walk to your bedroom.Â
He sets you down on the mattress before pulling his shirt over his head. The buckle of his belt lightly clinks as he undoes it to take his pants off, leaving just his boxers on that leave little room for imagination. He leans forward, hooking his fingers over the waistband of your soaked fucking shorts, taking them off along with your panties in one go.Â
You donât even get the opportunity to be shy around Sukuna because he's immediately grabbing the backs of your thighs and letting out a low whistle while pulling them apart to get a good look at how wet you already are.Â
âShitâ look at you,â he groans.Â
Without warning, he dips his head down in between your thighs, and he licks a long, fat stripe up your slit, not missing the extra friction from the metal ball on his tongue. Thereâs a shit eating smirk on his face when his head comes up, teasing you as he pushes you back further up the bed to make more room for himself.Â
âTold you this was fun.â
âShut up.â You giggle as you watch him get settled back in between your thighs, only for it to die out once he dips his head back down.Â
He draws a long sigh out of you once he starts to slowly lap at your sensitive clit. He goes at an unhurried pace, just barely using any pressure and youâre sure heâs just doing it to fuck with you. With the way you are right now, the lazily licks are fucking torture, making you squirm around while you clench around nothing.
The more you move, the tighter his grip around the back of your thighs gets, until you find yourself pinned in place as he finally starts to pick up the pace, adding more pressure until that metal ball starts swiping across your clit like you need it to. You focus on it, until it gets ripped away once you finally feel his tongue press flat against your hole and begins dragging heavy stripes up to your clit.Â
Your breathing grows sharp and uneven, hand moving down to his head, locking strands of hair in between your fingers as drawn out moans start spilling past your lips. He goes from pressing his tongue against your entrance to pushing past it, dipping further and further until deciding to just stay there and fuck you with it.
The shallow thrusts have you squeezing and clenching, back arching off the bed, desperate for more. You nearly let out a pathetic cry when he pulls away, but then he fills the empty space right back up with not one, but two of his fingers. Theyâre long and thick, and heâs curling them in. The pads of his fingers rub right up against that spot inside that has you seeing stars.Â
Through half-lidded eyes, you watch as he starts to pump them in and out faster, until a light squelch can be heard. âOh fuuuck.âÂ
âYou like my fingers?â he asks with a low, amused hum.Â
You nod. âFeels so goodâ oh my god.â
âI betâ look at how fuckinâ soaked they are from you.â He pulls them all the way out for you to see, then stuffs them back in. He starts curling faster, thumb pressing your clit and rubbing little circles until youâre clenching and whining. âYeahhâ thatâs it, show me how good that feels.â
He keeps hitting your sweet spot until something in you shifts, making you close your legs out of instinct, only for him to keep them open so he can keep going.Â
âOh my godâ fuckâ wait!â you cry out.Â
âWhatâs wrong, baby? Gonna cum?â Instead of letting up, he goes faster, letting the room continue to fill up with the filthy sounds of his fingers scissoring into your cunt, pushing you over the edge until you give him what he wants.Â
And he gets it quick. You let out a sharp cry as you gush around him, finally cumming after holding it in from earlier.
âFuuck yeah, there you go,â he rasps, fingers slowing down as he works you through it.Â
He waits for you to catch your breath before leaning forward and kissing you a couple times, humming with each one.Â
âTired or you wanna keep goinâ?â he asks.Â
Youâre still trying to catch your breath as you answer. âYeah, keep going.â
âAtta girl.âÂ
He pushes himself off the bed to take the boxers off and your eyes widen at his cock thatâs bigger than you originally thought itâd be. It springs out of his boxers with multiple piercings and precum smeared all over his darkened red tip.Â
And of course, you stare for longer than you should.
âYou alright?â he asks, sounding cocky as hell, and actually having the right to be.Â
Taking your eyes off feels impossibleâ 3 rows of barbells on the underside of his shaft right below his tip, and another one on the underside of his tip. It almost feels wrong, heâs already long and thick.Â
âYeahâ I justâ holy shit.âÂ
âI know.â He says with full confidence as he gets back on the bed and situating himself in between your legs. âGonna be fun watching you take it.â
He grabs the backs of your knees and spreads your legs further apart, getting a better look at how wet you still are, fighting back a smile knowing itâs from him.
He gives his cock a couple pumps, then looks at you, not sure whether youâre excited or nervous. âYou ready?â
You look at him, then back down to the absolute monster he has in his hand, then back up at him.Â
âMhm.â
He stares at you for a few seconds, then casually shrugs. âAlright.â
Youâll get used to it.
He runs the head of his cock through your slick folds, tapping it over your clit a couple times, making you a bit more nervous after feeling the cold metal ball from his piercing nudging at your entrance.Â
He pushes in, and you both have the same reaction to how easy it slides in despite how tight of a fit it was. You take in a sharp breath as he starts to sink in, inch by inch, with no resistance, all while feeling an immediate stretch and the added friction from each piercing.Â
Once heâs halfway through, he slowly starts to rock his hips back and forth and you find yourself having to bite back on a moan, realizing those piercings were also rubbing back and forth against your walls.Â
âYou doinâ okay?â he raises a brow, clearly enjoying the sight.Â
âYouâre so fucking big,â it almost sounds like a complaint.
âI am,â he hums, leaning down and caging you in with his arms. âIâm gonna push the rest in.âÂ
âHow much is there left?â
âYouâll be fine.âÂ
He thrusts right in and you're letting out a shattered gasp. At the same time, heâs humming in satisfaction since he got to watch the whole thing.
âFuckinâ tight,â he murmurs, giving you a moment to get used to how stuffed you are, stealing a few kisses while heâs at it since heâs not entirely an asshole. âRemember what I said, all you gotta do is take it.âÂ
You donât get a chance to respond before heâs pulling out all the way and sliding back in, working up a pace as he stuffs you over and over again, dragging those small metal balls right over the spot that made your toes curl.Â
It still took you a little bit of time getting used to him though, all words dying at your throat once he started to actually fuck you like it was nothing. Feeling betrayed by your body for letting him stretch you so easily like this.Â
Each drive of his cock has you moaning and gasping, making you cover your mouth trying to hold them inâ something he did not like since he pushed your hand away.Â
Then without warning, he shoves two fingers in your mouth.Â
âMmmhâ you look good with my fingers shoved in your mouth like this. Now suck.âÂ
You do as he says, swirling your tongue around his digit a few times before he presses them down it, making you softly moan as you sucked on them. He pulls them out with a wet pop and starts muttering in your ear.Â
âDonât cover that pretty little mouth again, alright?â
Thrust.Â
âFuckâ okay,â you whine back.Â
âGood girl.â He gives you another rough thrust, pulling another choked noise out of you. âDonât try to hold out on me thinkinâ snot and tears are gonna turn me off, cry on it if you have to. I like it ugly.âÂ
At first you wanted to cry from how fucking mean that was, only to realize that urge to cry may have just been from that one spot he wouldnât stop hitting, which eventually stopped being overwhelming once you finally get used to him.
âSee? That wasnât so bad now, was it?â he asks, though it was more of a condescending remark rather than a question. âBet this feels good now, huh?â
âItâs been a while,â you say in an attempt to defend yourself.Â
âYeah, no kiddingâ pussyâs fuckinâ tight,â he says all smug, getting harder at just the thought. âFeels good like this.â
He brings your legs together and throws them over his broad shoulders. Moans start to spill out of your mouth the moment he starts hitting at an angle that manages to hit your clit too. His hips crack against your ass as he picks up the pace, slick spreading past your thighs as he pounds down deeper, bed steadily rocking from all the force behind each thrust.
âShitâ look at how much of a mess you made,â he groans once the wet squelch between you becomes unavoidably louder. âDid you squirt or somethinâ? Youâre fuckinâ soaked.âÂ
âNo. I donâtâ nghhâ who cares, just keep going.â
He looks at you in amusement, keeping the same pace as he pushes further back against your legs to go deeper, making you nearly squeal. âIs this whatâs got you lying about squirting?â
âI didnât squirt,â you say with an airy laugh. âFuuckâ just feels good.â
âRight,â he mutters slowly as he pushes back against you even more, slowing down until heâs just grinding against you. âWhat about this?âÂ
Itâs a full blown mating press at this point.
âMhmâ yeahh.â Your lips curl into a small smile. âBetter, actually.â
âGood,â he hums.Â
He leans down to press his lips against yours while slowly picking up the pace again, soaking up all the sighs and soft moans he pulls out of you from the deep strokes of his cock, letting the base of it rub against your clit while his tip mushes against that special little spot inside.
The slow, lazy kisses go on for as long as they can, and for you, itâs when your teeth threaten to clash against each other each time his hips snap against you. By then, Sukunaâs going harder. He pulls all the way back, then drives back inâ the force behind each thrust growing greater than the last.
âF-fuckâ Kuna, thatâsââÂ
âWhat? Too much?â
âNo, noâ keep going,â you damn near start pleading with him, feeling a little bit of pressure start build. âDonât stopâ please, I think Iâm gonnaââ
Your cunt stretches helplessly around him, feeling every inch and vein he stuffs into you over and over again as he fucks you with reckless abandon. The sightâs nothing but obscene as he fills the room with the sounds of him pounding you senseless.Â
âWhatâs wrong, baby?â he asks, honeyed and condescending. âCanât take it?â
âI donâtâ fuckâ I donât know.â Your words are cut off by sharp sudden gasps, feeling something unfamiliar build up. Itâs not until he gives you one particularly rough thrust when tears start streaming down your cheeks.Â
âYou poor thing.â If you hadnât known any better, he sounded quite pleased with himself. He leans down to lick a fresh tear streaming down your cheek before going back to business. âLook at you, getting fucked so good that itâs making you cry. Youâre probably close, arenât ya?âÂ
You take in a sharp breath, wondering how bad it would be if you did. You already thought you came. Instead, Sukunaâs right and heâs letting one of your legs back down, leaning in close and cradling your head while he continues to absolutely ruin you.Â
âCum for me,â he murmurs. His fingers trail down to your clit and starts rubbing over it with just the perfect amount of pressure, making clenching like fucking crazy. âThaaatâs itâ câmon. Give it to me.â
He drags his heavy cock all the way out with a wet schlick, then slams back inâ again and again and againâ pushing you over the edge until your nails are digging into his back and youâre breaking out into a cry.Â
Youâre gushing around his cock and he keeps drilling into you like heâs trying to work as much as he can out of youâ just powering through it. This is the hardest youâve ever cum in your life, youâre fucking sobbing and heâs just encouraging it with the way he licks a stripe up your cheek, groaning about how fucking hot you look crying on his cock.Â
âOh my g-godâ I-I canâtâ ffuck itâs too muchââ your nails start to claw down his back as he drives you into overstimulation.Â
âI knowâ Iâm so fuckinâ close,â he husks out, and you can tell heâs not entirely all here anymore. âShhiittt almost thereâ keep squeezing me like that, babyâ yeahh just like that,â his hips desperately slam into you, deep groans start to rumble out of his chest as he chases his own relief. âFuckâ ffuuck.â
He lets out the most drawn out guttural groan once it hits him. He slams in, burying his cock deep inside of you and flooding your walls with so much cum that it starts to spill out while he grinds every last drop of it out.Â
He pulls out but keeps you caged in underneath you, pressing lazy kisses against your lips with short uneven breaths in between, skin damp and glistening from sweat. It takes a moment to come back to reality, and for someone that doesnât even know where to start, youâre surprisingly comfortable with the silence between you.Â
It eventually ends, though. Youâre the first to break it.Â
âDid you still want me to go out on those dates you were talking about?âÂ
Immediately he lets out a breathy laugh. âIf you donât mind me trying to fight them, then sure.â
. . . . . .Â
Six Months LaterÂ
You walk step inside Sukunaâs office, giddier than usual with the small pink cake you bought after handing in your resignation letter to Yaga. His feet are kicked up on the cherry oak wood desk and you doubt heâs doing anything work related. But heâs the boss, whoâs going to yell at him? He does sit up straight once he sees you, though, ready to hear the news.Â
Unfortunately, he doesnât get to hear it right away since you just had to look at the wall shelves and catch sight of something that wiped the smile off your face.Â
âWhy is Yujiâs face crossed off in that photo?â
He rolls his eyes, âdonât worry, itâs whiteboard marker.âÂ
âBut why would you do that?â you continue to interrogate Sukuna, because unlucky for him, you two are the best of friends now.Â
Jin visited him earlier today and brought Yuji along. He started off the visit strong by pointing to Sukuna and asking his father âDoes Uncle have a reezding hairline, too?â and eventually took a look at the protein snacks he had in the corner, which made him look Sukuna up and down, and go âyou eat too much.â
Sukuna rubs his temple as he grows annoyed again. âHe called me fat and bald, so I told him we werenât family anymore and crossed his face out to prove it.â
Despite the words that come out of Yujiâs mouth, the kid loves him in all of his grumpiness.Â
âSo you made him cry?âÂ
Yuji cried so hard that started dry heaving and nearly threw up. âNo,â he grimaces. âHe just pouted and said sorry.âÂ
The apology being, âNo, PLEASE! Iâm sorry, I'm SORRY,â and, âI LIEDâ huhuhuhu my tummy hurts, yuji gonna frow upâ Iâm sorryâ.
You look at him rather suspiciously as you grab a couple forks from his little snack station in the corner, but let it go this time.Â
He takes your silence as an opportunity to change the subject completely. âHowâd your boss take the news?âÂ
âOh my god, he was distraught,â you reveal, still surprised over how panicked he looked when you turned in your resignation letter.Â
He waves a dismissive hand, believing itâs the least he deserved for not trying to meet you halfway when trying to cut some of your hours down and refusing to demote you.Â
âYouâll forget all about it after sleeping in tomorrow,â he reassures you before taking his first bite of cake.Â
âYeahâ I,â you give a nervous laugh, âokay, so about that.âÂ
He stops chewing and just stares at you.Â
âIâm gonna stay with them.âÂ
âWhat?â he almost snaps. âWeâre going on vacation in a few weeks. Iâ what the fuck? What did you get a fuckinâ cake for then?!â
âWeâre still going! Heâs giving me that time off.â
âHow charitable of him.â He snorts out a bitter laugh, then goes back to be mad. âI thought you hated that fuckinâ place?!â
âI did! But he offered to shorten my hours and said I could work from home.âÂ
That piece of information does nothing for Sukuna, who is grumbling profanities under his breath, acting like heâs the one being forced to stay there. His words start going in one ear and out the other after telling yourself heâll get it eventually, and take a bite out of the victory cake since you also got a small raise, despite the decrease in hours.Â
âAre you listening?â
âWhat?â you look up and ask, still chewing on the food.Â
âTchâ nothing.â Sukuna takes his aggression out on the cake by stabbing the damn thing when getting more. âHe shouldaâ given you all that before you tried to quit if you were that important. Hellâ he shouldnât have dumped all that work on you in the first place.â
âHeâs a greedy old man thatâs hungry for money,â you remind him. âWhat else would you expect from him?âÂ
Sukunaâs delusional and does this thing where he just assumes the world sees you the same way he does, and then when it doesnât, he gets offended. Last week at the grocery store, someone reached for the produce in front of you and he snapped at them for not saying excuse me. Then he snapped at them again for not having any patience, given how you wouldâve eventually moved.
âWhatever,â he gets up from his seat to grab a water from the mini-fridge and takes a sip, but before sitting back down, he stops next to you and gets at eye level. âIf Mr. Crabs calls you while weâre gone, Iâm ripping that phone out of your hand and cussing him the fuck out, you hear me?â
You suppress a laugh. âLoud and clear.âÂ
âGood,â he says, stealing a quick kiss from you. âProud of you.â
The sincerity in his tone pulls a smile out of you. âThanks.â
He glances at the door, notices itâs locked, then places a hand on your thigh when the sudden realization that there was no one that could fire him hits him.Â
He gives it a squeeze. You already know what heâs thinking.
âSeriously? You canât wait until we're at home?â
âIâll make it quick.â
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