love is blind ! or perhaps, silent ?
⤷ ゛ ✮ sukuna’s wife gets
some godawful advice . . .
you wanted to be the perfect partner for sukuna, naturally. which in turn meant doing exactly what the wives of the court insisted: learning the sacred art of not speaking to your husband for as long as you can to, “cultivate intimacy” . . ? or so you were told.
unfortunately, much to your displeasure, you had only lasted until the third hour. reason being—to put it quite plainly—ryomen sukuna is quite the relentless man . . .
he let out a sigh. a very loud, obnoxious sigh.
“i wish for my wife to talk to me.”
“i wish for my wife to deign to speak to her husband.”
“i wish for my wife to cease such an absurd performance, and speak to me how she normally does. it is tiresome. the silence. do you not agree?”
your footwear scuffed softly against the cobblestone path as you came to an abrupt halt. the warmth that normally lingered in your gaze gave way to mild annoyance, though not enough to be mistaken for genuine displeasure.
try as you might, you could never remain upset with your beloved for long.
“i have heard you the first time sukuna, what is that you want?” you huff, the words drawn out in mild exasperation. tilting your head back to look up at him, your lips pressed into a faint pout, brows knitting together in a questioning glance.
sukuna only halts with you, standing a few feet ahead of you. “sukuna?” he repeats, perplexed, his gaze narrowing slightly at the unfamiliar distance between you.
usually, you referred to him by far gentler names. my beloved. simply, husband. my lord, when you wished to pester him. simply “sukuna” was a new low he had never imagined he would reach.
he scoffs, “to engage in conversation. i thought it to be rather obvious, was it not?”
you inhale sharply, as though it were painful to neglect your husband in such a way. perhaps it was. and yet, it was for the better.
“have i done something to displease you? or wound your honor?”
you look at him with quiet seriousness, a sorry attempt to stand your ground.
“no. you are disturbing the ritual,” you say, voice a mild but firm whisper, as though the contents of your speech were not meant to fall upon the ears of another.
“what ritual do you speak of?”
“the one i am attempting to complete it.”
you huff under your breath. “or rather, the one you are making rather difficult. i have already spoken too much, and you are not helping.”
you attempt to resume your way down the path, tucked between silk-draped garden pavilions, only for your unreasonably large husband to step in front of you. all four arms are crossed over his bare chest, a black haori draped over his broad shoulders.
when you finally glance at him, to your surprise, there is a deadly seriousness in his gaze that sends a shiver down your spine.
“where are you going? i believe we are in the middle of a conversation, are we not?”
you only suck in a sharp breath, splaying a fan to cover the lower half of your face, your eyes darting toward a nearby patch of cherry blossoms, anywhere but his own. “i cannot speak with you.” you reply softly, a gentle warmth rising to your cheeks, soft as ripened plums, taking a small step back from him.
his gaze narrows slightly, studying your unusual timidness, along with your peculiar mannerisms. “you do see how you are poking at my nerves, yes?”
“well, that only means it is working. so if you would only let me complete it to its entirety—”
“working…?” he scoffs, only taking another step forward until there is nowhere left for you to retreat.
you take another step backward, then another, then another, until your shoulders brush against the wall behind you. only then do you finally stop. sukuna places a hand beside your head and stares down at you, all four eyes narrowed.
the single word causes you to blink. “you will explain this ritual to me. at once.”
you let out a groan as you raise the fan to cover your face entirely. “why is it that you cannot respect my privacy?” your voice slipping out in a low, uncertain whisper.
sukuna lets out a low chuckle at that.
well, you believe. you cannot see his face after all, but there is no trace of displeasure in it.
shortly after, you feel his warm heavy hand, one stained with years of work and war, gentle to the touch, lowering your wrist, and therefore the fan. his voice is low and soft, as if coaxing an answer out of you:
“you do not actually wish to be apart from me like this. do you?”
you only let out a soft groan as you give a small shake of your head; eyes soft and pliant, though a small frown lingers over your features.
“ah . . i see,” he hums, eyes scanning over your face before his lower hand comes up to cradle your chin. “and, who, has forced you to do such a thing? because it certainly has not been me.”
you sigh. “i have not been forced.” shrinking back behind your fan.
“i had wanted our marriage to be more intriguing, so i sought out the other wives for advisement.” you pause, watching him carefully. “they said i should not speak to you, so that things would be calmer . . and more . . intimate . . between us once we reunite. though i have heard little of the latter.”
you look up at him once more, lashes blinking uncertainly, as though searching his face for approval. except instead of any shocked or amused reaction, he simply stares at you for a long moment, then exhales slowly through his nose.
“please do not speak to those women again,”
“they are fools.” he says flatly. “you do realize we are as intimate as can be, correct? i have seen you cry. i have seen you without your robes. i have seen you at your most unguarded, and yet you still think there is more to achieve.”
you only smack him lightly with the spread of your bamboo fan. “you cannot just say that!”
“the reason this ‘ritual’ of theirs works is because they do not love their husbands,” he continues, unbothered. “that is why there is peace when they do not speak.”
and then, a small snicker escapes him, causing your head to whip toward him. an everso slight frown pulls at your lips before he promptly falls silent.
a soft silence spreads between the two of you, lingering, to that of a breath being held for too long . . . before a low burst of laughter escapes his throat. a quiet, unrestrained cackle that makes your chest loosen despite yourself.
his hand comes up to rest over his mouth, while the other remains crossed over his chest, his shoulders shaking with each contained laugh.
“do not laugh!” you insist, though your voice wavers with lingering amusement. “i have done this for you!”
“must you look so aggrieved? i am only laughing with you.”
you huffed, loud and dramatic; “how can you laugh with me when i am not laughing at all?”
“very well”, he began, an infuriatingly smug smile working onto his face, “i’ll wait for you to start then.”
and then, as though a switch had been flipped; every trace of amusement vanished. the smile disappeared, his features settling back into the impassive countenance of a ruler, as if nothing at all had been amusing.
but only after a moment does it slip from you too: soft at first, almost disbelieving, your laughter spilling out in quiet, uneven breaths before settling into something gentler. you cover your mouth with your fan, though it does little to hide it.
“i would prefer this be forgotten.”
“unfortunately, wife, i cannot grant you that mercy.”
and while you hated to admit it, the advice had been sound; simply at the expense of your last shred of dignity.