Yikes!

You really don’t know when his fascination with you started.

Perhaps it was because you and Yuuji were best friends, using you as a way to taunt the boy within that mind of his. Vivid images of what Sukuna would do to you if given the chance haunt Yuuji every time he closes his eyes, so much so that he looses sleep over it.

Oddly enough, Sukuna has never acted on those little fantasies of his. Yet.

Perhaps, though, it’s because you remind him of someone. Someone powerful that he once knew in a past life. Yes, even more powerful than the almighty Gojo Satoru, but for some reason unbeknownst to Sukuna, you kept that power hidden away. Either that, or you had no idea what you were capable of.

What were your limits? Did you even have any? Did you know?

Sukuna wanted to find out. No, he needed to.

Which is why, after residing inside of Yuuji for months simply observing you and seeing how far he could push the boy, he finally spoke to you for the first time.

“Oi, brat,” a mouth had formed on the side of Yuuji’s cheek, interrupting your once peaceful conversation.

Both Sukuna and Yuuji noticed how you flinched slightly at that nickname, worry etched onto Yuuji’s features while nothing but curiosity furrowed Sukuna’s brows.

“Don’t call me that,” you spat back, glaring into the red eye now slightly opened beneath Yuuji’s own.

Never before have you used that tone with the king of curses before. Well, you’ve never really spoken directly to him before now, but he enjoyed it. In that twisted mind of his, he wanted you to do it again.

“But it’s so fitting for a br-“

His words got cut off by Yuuji slapping a hand rather harshly over his cheek.

“Sorry, sometimes he slips out,” he grins sheepishly, giving you a look of concern soon after he lowers his hand. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” your answer is short despite the reassuring smile you shoot his way.

Yuuji leaves it at that. Sukuna remains silent.

The next time Sukuna attempts to speak with you is when Yuuji is passed out, his head resting on your lap as you run your fingers through his hair. In fact, if the curse didn’t know any better, with the way the two of you act towards one another, he’d swear you’re in a relationship of sorts.

He doesn’t understand why, but it bothers him to no end.

“Hey, you,” again, a mouth forms on the side of Yuuji’s cheek.

You sigh, “I have a name, you know.”

A brief pause. “What is it.”

“Like I’d tell you,” you huff, halting your movements momentarily, only for Yuuji to grunt in his sleep, brow only smoothing out once more as you continue to run your fingers through his hair. “Are you asking for the sake of asking, or do you actually want to know?”

Of course, Sukuna already knows your name. He’s tormented Yuuji enough with the thought of him ripping out your insides more times than he can count. Although, the more he attempts torment the boy with these thoughts, the less Sukuna actually enjoys them. It’s been brief, but the odd time while the boy is asleep, Sukuna can access certain memories. For some reason, he always searches for the ones with you in them, and not all of them are happy.

There’s a tightness that grows in his chest while he watches Yuuji comfort you in one of them. The feeling, completely foreign to him, makes him recoil in disgust.

Why does he wish to be the one comforting you instead? Why does he want to be the only one you come to for help?

He huffs out his annoyance, “I want to know.”

He’d rather you tell him yourself. There’s something more… intimate about it that way. Something that makes his skin tingle in excitement.

“Wow, the great and feared Sukuna wants to know my name,” you mock, staring down at him from your nose. An angle he’s not sure if he enjoys looking up at, but with the way you say his name sending a shiver shooting down his spine, he may just make an exception. Again, you pause. “It’s (Y/n).”

The last thing you register from Sukuna is a grunt of acknowledgement before Yuuji is waking up from his nap.

The next time Sukuna makes an appearance surprises you the most. You had been training with Megumi, Yuuji, and some of the upper years while Gojo watched from the sidelines, giving you all pointers here and there. Needless to say, you and Maki were kicking the guys’ asses.

Until they finally started working as a team to separate the two of you.

It was Yuuji and Panda against you, and Megumi and Toge against Maki, until Toge managed to catch Maki with his cursed technique. Frozen in place, Maki could do nothing but watch as the four of them teamed up against you.

Panda ended up misjudging his strength while being backed up by Megumi, sending you flying into the stone steps of the outdoor training area on impact.

Gojo was in front of you in a second, assessing you for injuries as the others crowded around you, only for a voice to draw everyone’s attention to the bottom of the steps in an instant.

“Get away from them,”

For a brief moment, Yuuji lost control over Sukuna.

Immediately, everyone’s guard was up, even as the tattoos slowly but surely began to fade away from Yuuji’s skin. Now, Gojo was in front of him in an instant, leaning intently into Yuuji’s personal space to assess the boy as Panda helped you up and Maki led you to the infirmary.

“Don’t touch them,” despite not being able to take control again, a new mouth formed on the side of Yuuji’s cheek.

Your last glance, spared over your shoulder at your best friend was all Sukuna saw until you were finally out of his reach.

“My, my, what do we have here?” Gojo hums, amusement clear in his voice.

“Sorry, teach, he got the jump on me that time,” Yuuji rubs his cheek, sore from the hit he just gave himself to shut Sukuna up again.

“Did he now?” Gojo raises an eyebrow. “Curious.”

Sukuna remains quiet for the rest of the day, and smartly so. He doesn’t know why seeing you get hurt made him so… angry. The need to protect you and make sure you were okay was the first thought on his mind.

He scoffs. An immortal being like him caring and worrying over a measly, fragile, little human? Unthinkable. Yet, the more he thinks about it, the less he wants to see you hurt again.

He can protect you. He can keep you safe.

A week passes before Sukuna can see you again, the time passing agonizingly slow. In this dull world, you’re the only thing that has managed to captivate him. He doesn’t know why, but you make him feel alive.

The mission is simple: eradicate a few lower level curses from the abandoned factory, then home before dinner. You should be in and out in no time at all, considering you’re with Megumi, Yuuji, and Nobara.

If only you hadn’t decided to split up to cover more ground. If only the factory didn’t have an incomplete domain held within it. If only there wasn’t a special grade lurking in the dark.

Sukuna hadn’t been worried. You’ve proven that you’re more than capable of handling yourself with a few measly little lower grade curses. This should be a walk in the park for you.

That is, until he heard your scream of fear.

It’s like the whole building pulsed as Sukuna took over Yuuji’s body, most of the lower grade curses now fleeing at the shift in curse energy. Even the special grade froze in its spot momentarily, before going back to tormenting you with old memories. Memories which you had suppressed for the better part of your life, if only shortly.

The worst part? The way it could imitate your parent’s voices as they screamed at you, berating you into nothing as you cower into the corner.

No wonder you had flinched when he had called you brat.

Unprecedented rage boils within Sukuna as he discovers you clutching onto your thigh desperately, blood spilling over your hands as you cower in the corner away from the laughing curse. It’s taunting you, easily playing with you before it kills you as it cuts more slashes into your skin.

“What’s this?” His voice hardly remains steady as he appears behind the curse in the blink of an eye. At least the curse is smart enough to go silent, body going ridged at the waves of rage rolling off of Sukuna behind it. “By all means, don’t let me interrupt.”

With the flick of his wrist, the curse is shredded into nothing.

“Never touch what isn’t yours, fool,” he seethes, purposely stepping through the remains of the curse, even as it dissipates beneath him.

He manages to get two feet away from you before you’re shrinking back, cowering even more beneath his gaze. You look at him with nothing but fear in your eyes, your hands desperately covering your ears as if to block out even more brutal insults thrown your way despite the room now echoing in silence.

Sukuna has always loved the way people cower before him, the way they look at him with terror in their eyes as they breathe their last breath before he smites them where they stand. Normally, his chest would fill with pride at the fear pouring off of you, how you shrink away from his touch, desperate to get away. He would never think twice about hurting someone.

But you? Never you.

That familiar tightness swells in his chest the more you look at him with those glossy eyes, form physically shaking as you attempt to hold onto life for just a little while longer.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you,” never before has he uttered those words before and actually meant them. “You’re safe now. I’m here.”

Scooping you into his arms, he’s quick to move up onto the roof of the factory, seeing as the incomplete domain had disappeared thanks to him destroying the special grade. Surprisingly, he’s very careful with you, being mindful of your injuries so as not to aggravate them any further.

In the back of his mind, he begins to wonder why the boy hasn’t attempted to take his body back anymore after he got rid of that special grade.

Finally, as Sukuna uses his reverse curse technique to heal your wounds, he feels you body start to calm down. Your shaking has nearly stopped and no more tears escape your eyes, though you refuse to meet his gaze.

“Why did you help me?”

Sukuna remains quiet, cupping your face in his hands as his thumbs move to stroke your cheeks. Even he doesn’t know the answer to that one.

As soon as you hear your name being called by Nobara, his tattoos begin to fade from Yuuji’s skin. In his final seconds remaining in control, Sukuna feels you place a hand over one of his own, and he swears a shiver runs down his spine. The next words out of your mouth are like music to his ears, and he swears he’ll make you say them again, in any and every way he can.

“Thank you, Sukuna,” you breathe.

Within seconds, Yuuji is back, blinking at you with wide eyes and retracting his hands from your face somewhat confusedly.

“What’d I miss?” He asks, tilting his head slightly as both Megumi and Nobara finally reach you both on the roof.

“I think Sukuna just saved my life,” you say, voice barely above a whisper.

The three of them blink at you in disbelief while unbeknownst to them, Sukuna sits on his throne watching the entire scene unfold with a smug grin on his face. You’ll be his soon, he’ll make sure of it.

“Sukuna? Doing something good?” Nobara voices, appalled. “Now there’s an oxymoron. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“Just fine,” you shoot her a reassuring smile, turning to face Yuuji once more.

You can still remember the first day you met Itadori Yuuji like it was yesterday. Nothing really eventful happened on that day, but you know that it’s one you’ll never forget, for he’s your best friend and you are his. In fact, having just entered middle school at the time, he was one of the first friends you ever made at your new school. 

He seemed impressed by how unafraid you were of the supernatural, the two of you spouting ghost stories to one another during lunch every day. Each day was a competition to see who could freak the other one out the most with an even gorier horror story every lunch period. So far, your record is thirty to twenty-nine in your favour, with more ties than you can count.

Soon enough, middle school came and went, and then the two of you found out that you were to go to the same high school. Both of you were excited that you would know at least one person, not to mention that that person is your best friend. At least you wouldn’t have to give up your daily routine with him. Needless to say, it came as quite a shock to Yuuji when you stopped coming to school about halfway through your first year.

Even though the two of you continued to text every day since your transfer, things never felt the same to either of you. Every time Yuuji asked what school you transferred to, you’d brush off the question, or give him a fake school name. He knows they’re fake since the one time he wanted to surprise you after school one day by visiting you, but when he went inside and checked the registry, your name wasn’t even close to being listed there.

That was a small rough patch in your relationship. Yuuji was hurt that you would lie to him like that, and it took about a week before you could cheer him up again. He just had to see you in person, that was the only way he would stop moping about. That, and he jokingly said it would be the only way he’d forgive you.

Again, as the two of you were walking around the shopping district, he asked you which high school you transferred to. Well, you couldn’t exactly tell him you transferred to a school that teaches you how to become a jujutsu sorcerer, now could you? So, you gave a vague description of the place, stating that you honestly always forget the name, but it’s hidden somewhere in the mountains surrounding Tokyo. Regardless, he made you promise that he could come visit at some point.

Every day, you miss him, just as he misses you, and every day you wish you could see more of him. Despite the amount of trips you plan together, nothing can replace no longer seeing each other every day. Oh well, at least you still keep in touch.

Yuuji never told you, but it was pure agony for him when you left without a clue as to where you’d gone. The fact that you couldn’t answer him for a few days made him go crazy. When he finally got an answer, it felt as if the world had finally started moving again, because to him, you are his entire world.

He doesn’t exactly know when his platonic feelings towards you turned more romantic, but he knows that they’ve never gone away, no matter how many years have passed. Perhaps it was that time in your second year of middle school when you tricked him into playing shogi with you, a game you had convinced him he could beat you at, only to be severely disappointed. How was he to know you were the best in the year when you had never mentioned it before that day? Or perhaps it was that one day during the summer break before the start of high school when the two of you were running through the park, laughing at each other as the sunlight reflected off of your hair, lighting up your eyes in a way he’d never seen before. Either way, he knows he’s been in love with you for a long time now, and he’d never do anything to jeopardize your friendship. He just hopes that someday, his feelings are returned.

Unfortunately for you, you didn’t get to spend as much time with Yuuji over the break as you wanted to, what with your duties and all. However, you’re hoping you’ll be able to soon. You wanted to see him one last time before he started university, but unfortunately you couldn’t. Weeks passed, and you finally made plans to visit him a few months into the semester, but you had to cancel due to a last minute mission you got thrown on. Little did you know what would happen that night.

Earlier that evening, you had gotten a voicemail from Yuuji, informing you that his grandfather had died. You managed to take a detour long enough to call him back, making sure that he’s okay and letting him know that you’re sorry for his loss. His grandfather was the closest family he had left, so you know that as soon as you’re done with this mission, you’re going to see him. He told you he was fine, but you want to make sure. After all, you know how he can get.

Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you focus in on the task at hand. Clearing this abandoned building will be easy for you, nothing you haven’t done before. All there are are two level two curses to take care of, piece of cake. You only wish it was located closer to where Yuuji is, that way you could get to him sooner.

It took a few years, but you managed to quickly work your way up to a grade one sorcerer. You’re a very quick learner, and the fact that you already had strong reflexes thanks to always competing with Yuuji helped a great deal. You’re only surprised your mother kept her family secret for so long. However, you’re grateful for how long she kept it secret, because if she had revealed it sooner, you might not have met Yuuji, and you don’t know where you’d be today without him in your life.

With a sigh, you enter the building. Shifting your gaze around, you begin to hunt the curses currently within the vicinity. It doesn’t take you long to find the first one, quickly disposing of it before it even has the chance to retaliate. Locating the second takes a little bit longer than anticipated, but eventually you find it, preparing yourself to take this one down just as you did the first.

“Man, you really are one ugly thing, aren’t you?” You tut, shaking your head.

The curse in question did not seem to like your words, letting out a screech and lunging for you in the next moment. Quickly dodging, you parry the curse’s attack, managing to sever one of its many limbs before jumping back and keeping a bit of distance between the two of you. You’re just about to jump in for another attack when you falter, a sudden wave of specialized curse energy pulsing throughout your entire body.

Taking advantage of your momentary loss of composure, the curse lunges at you. You just manage to block the blunt of the attack, still getting a small scrape on your cheek in the process. You curse.

Another two minutes pass by and you’re finally able to dispose of the second level two. Immediately, the air in the building seems lighter, and you know you’ve cleared all the required curses and purified the space. Breathing a sigh of relief you head towards the exit, ready to be clear of this building once and for all. 

As soon as you step outside, you feel your phone vibrate in your pocket, signalling that you’re getting a call. Thinking it to be Yuuji, you don’t even bother checking the caller id before answering right away.

“Hello?” You say, just as you hear the door fall shut behind you.

“(Y/n)! So glad you answered on the first ring,” the voice of your personal teacher and trainer, Gojo Satoru answers in a chipper voice. “Listen, I have some news for you.”

“Listen, teach, if you’re just gonna tell me about the mochi you bought today-“

“Ryomen Sukuna has been released,” he cuts you off, and you can only freeze in your tracks as your breath hitches in your throat. “We currently have control of his vessel.”

“What happened?” You ask, steadying yourself with your back against the side of the building you’ve just exited.

“Ah, nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about,” Gojo assures you. “We had it under control.”

“We?” Your brow quirks slightly even though he can’t see it.

“Yeah, Fushiguro and I,” he replies. “Well, it was mainly me, but who’s keeping score?” You can faintly hear grumbling in the background and then a chuckle from Gojo. “Anyways, best return to campus as soon as possible.”

“I can’t,” comes your immediate response.

There’s silence for a moment until, “and why’s that?”

“I have to go visit Yuuji,” you bring a hand up to rub at your temples. This conversation is giving you a headache.

“You mentioned he lives near Sendai, correct?” Gojo inquires.

“That’s correct,” you confirm, “why?”

“The incident was near there, so you can’t come, it’s not safe for you,” he explains.

You scoff, “since when have you ever been concerned for my safety?”

“I’m offended,” he feigns hurt. “As your teacher, I’m always concerned for your safety.”

“Bullshit,” you huff, rolling your eyes. “Anyways, that’s all the more reason I should go and see him. Now I have two reasons to make sure he’s okay.”

You hear a deep sigh on the other end before Gojo is speaking once more, “listen, (Y/n), you know I’m not usually one to be a stickler for rules and such, and I hate enforcing things, but I’m going to need you to get back to campus and wait in your dorm until I come get you.”

“But-“

“That’s an order,” his voice is firm, and you know that there’s no arguing with him once he’s made up his mind.

“Fine,” you sigh, pushing yourself off of the wall in order to head to the train station. “Will you at least tell me the name of Sukuna’s vessel?”

“All in due time,” he says, sounding too cheerful for the current events which have just taken place this evening. “See you back at the academy!”

Without another word, the line goes dead and you know he’s ended the call to avoid answering any more of your questions.

Letting out another sigh, you tuck your phone away in your pocket. You sent a quick text to Yuuji beforehand, just explaining that something came up and you’re still thinking of him during this time. You hope you can see him soon.

The ride back to campus is spent thinking about the effects of Sukuna now being released. You know the elders will probably fight to execute whoever the poor idiot is that ingested his finger. Knowing Gojo, he’d fight against whatever the elders decide to do. You’re just hoping that whoever the idiot is that turned out to be Sukuna’s vessel is strong enough to both contain and control him.

Making it back to campus, you immediately head to your room, just as Gojo had instructed you to do. Figuring you have enough time before he comes calling, you take a quick shower, washing off the dirt and grime from the events of this evening. Once done, you change into some comfortable clothes and lay down on your bed, scrolling through your phone as you wait for Gojo to appear.

It’s not until noon the next day when Gojo finally shows up at your door.

“Took you long enough, I’m starving,” you grumble, noticing he’s carrying what looks like two prepackaged lunches in his hands.

“You could have gone out for food, you know,” he chuckles, already moving to sit down in your desk chair.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was told to ‘wait in my room and await further instructions,’” you cross your arms, allowing your door to fall shut as you return to sitting on your bed.

“Details, details,” he waves you off as you grab one of the lunches he hands you. “Anyways, I came to update my favourite student about what’s going on.”

You simply quirk a brow at him as you open your lunch, waiting for him to continue.

“Well, for starters I’ve delayed the inevitable,” he begins, to which you only give him a look. He goes on to explain that the vessel will most likely be joining the other first years in training to become a sorcerer until the proper time comes. “I’ve basically convinced the elders to allow the vessel to consume all of Sukuna’s fingers before being executed.”

“Okay, and?” You stare at him expectantly.

“Please, do hold your applause,” he grins, expression only faltering slightly when you continue to remain silent after a few moments. “Geez, tough crowd. Anyways, I thought you’d be more happy about this.”

“I only feel bad for the poor idiot who got involved in all of this,” you sigh, continuing to place food in your mouth while chewing thoughtfully.

“Oh, he’s an idiot alright,” Gojo chuckles.

“And who exactly is he?” You tilt your head slightly, looking at him expectantly.

Gojo lets out a deliberate yawn while standing up, stretching his arms above his head, “would you look at that? I’m late for a meeting with the principle. Toodles!”

Without another word, he vanishes from your room, only leaving you just as frustrated with him as you were before, with many more unanswered questions building in your mind. It’s just like him to do this to you, too. Always keeping information this important from you until you’re thrust upon a situation where you’re forced to confront the facts of the matter. You just hope that this is another one of his stupid training exercises and not him purposely avoiding telling you straight up who the vessel is. You also hope whoever the vessel is, is someone you don’t know since it’ll probably make it easier when the time comes. Still, knowing Gojo, he probably will come up with a plan to save the poor soul set for execution even after everything is said and done. If the poor boy even lives that long.

Finishing up your lunch, you decide to head towards the principle’s office. You are technically considered a first year in the university courses, so maybe you’ll have a chance to sneak a look at the vessel if you’re lucky. Besides, Gojo did mention something about Fushiguro and you meeting up with the other new first year tomorrow, so you want intel on what’s happening in regards to that.

Just as you raise your hand to knock on the principle’s door Gojo opens it as if he was expecting you. You attempt to sneak a glance past him but to no avail, only causing him to chuckle as he steps into the hallway and shuts the door behind him.

“How can I help you, my dear student?” He smiles, leaning against the now closed door.

“When are we meeting the new girl, and is the vessel accompanying us?” Your questions are direct and straight to the point.

“Ah, yes, Nobara,” Gojo nods. “Unfortunately, you won’t be accompanying us guys to meet up with her tomorrow, you have another mission to attend to.”

“Since when?” You scoff.

“Since now,” he singsongs. “Level one curse spotted at an old primary school. I would take care of it myself, but as you know, I care deeply about every single one of my students so I must be there to meet Nobara on her first day! Besides, you’re the only one I trust to do this assignment right now.”

Any protests you had soon die in your throat at his last statement. Though still ticked off you won’t get to go with them, you understand why he’s chosen you. Besides, this is your job, and you know it will help with your training.

“Fine,” you grumble, “but I still want to meet the new kids.”

“All in due time,” he waves you off with the same words he told you last night. “Now you better get planning before that curse gets too out of hand! I’ll text you the details!”

“Yeah, yeah,” this time it’s your turn to wave him off as you turn around and start walking back to your dorm to grab your stuff, muttering under your breath, “you old croon.”

The offended gasp you hear behind you is enough to drown out the sound of the principle’s door opening once more, two people stepping out to join Gojo in the hallway.

“Who’s that?” Itadori asks Gojo as they watch your retreating form disappear behind a corner.

“One of my best students,” Gojo hums proudly in response.

“Funny, she looks just like my best friend-“

“C’mon, I’ll show you to your dorm!” Gojo cuts him off before he can finish his sentence, leading him down the hallway in the opposite direction to which you disappeared in, Itadori not being able to do much else but follow close behind.

Sure enough, about twenty minutes later Gojo sends you a text with all the details you’ll need to exercise the curse tomorrow at the primary school. You plan to leave early in the morning since it’ll take you at least an hour or two to get to the location, and then another hour or two to get back. You also want to see if you can catch the guys before they leave, see if you can introduce yourself to one of the two newbies at least.

Unfortunately for you, it doesn’t seem like the luck of coincidence is on your side in the morning as you prepare to leave campus. Letting out a small sigh, you make your way to the train station, ready to begin your mission for the day and get it over with as soon as you can. Perhaps you can time things just right so that you get back to campus around the same time that they do. After all, this task should be a walk in the park.

Oh, how wrong you are.

Not only did it take you three hours to arrive to the primary school, but the curse, which was supposed to be one level one turned out to be two level one curses sharing the vicinity. They cornered you and you ended up getting thrown harshly against the wall, causing your whole body to ache all over once you finally managed to exercise the curses. You’re pretty sure you pulled a few muscles in the process, too, and the amount of scrapes and bruises you acquired since the other day has tripled. Damn Gojo.

Limping back to the train station, you check your phone. Speaking of your personal trainer, he’s been keeping you up to date with the newbies all throughout the day, though he keeps referring to the boy as ‘the vessel’. Furrowing your brow, you find it strange how he hasn’t told you the boy’s name yet, only making you believe that it probably is someone you know. There’s still a tiny sliver of you that’s hoping Gojo is just testing your deduction skills, but at this point, that’s probably not the case.

Sitting down in the first free seat you find, you text him back. Almost immediately you get a response, letting you know that the two newbies have just passed their first test and that you should be proud of your fellow students. You play along with his enthusiasm for the time being, being obviously sarcastic in your responses, but Gojo doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, it seems as if he’s amused by your reactions, only serving to irritate you further.

By the time you get back to campus, you’re drained. All you want to do is take a nice, warm shower, curl up in a ball on your bed and sleep. You don’t even care if you miss meeting the new students. That’s how your day is going so far. Besides, it’s getting late and they don’t seem to be back yet. There’s always tomorrow.

Except, you don’t get to meet them the next day, nor the day after that. It takes a full week before you even cross paths with Nobara, and even still, the meeting seems rushed. Luckily, you manage to properly introduce yourself to her the day after that one, but for some reason, Sukuna’s vessel just keeps eluding you. That, or someone is purposely keeping the two of you apart. It’s not until two weeks after that fateful day has passed that you finally get your answer.

The three first years have been tasked with handling a few curses at a juvenile detention centre while you accompany Gojo on one of his missions at the same time. You’re getting real tired of his antics, every time you ask him about the boy who’s Sukuna’s vessel he answers you either cryptically, or changes the subject. The worst is when he ignores your inquiries all together. You’re hoping to get some information out of him this evening though, otherwise you might just sneak over to ‘see’ Megumi one day and actually go to see his neighbour who just so happens to be the vessel.

Another reason why you’re in a bit of a grumpy mood recently is that Yuuji seems to be distancing himself from you. Your conversations are very dry as of late, and he doesn’t seem to want to tell you what’s going on in his life. There’s even been a few day where you’ve tried to sneak away to go visit him, but each time, Gojo has stopped you in some way or other. You’re convinced he’s hiding something, but you don’t want to accept the reality he’s been presenting to you as of late.

“(Y/n), I need you to focus,” Gojo snaps his fingers in front of your face, successfully startling you back to reality.

“Huh? Oh, sorry,” you blink a few times to clear your head, needing to focus since this is a serious task for the both of you.

“Everything okay?” He asks, the two of you now continuing to move through the labyrinth laid out before you, having yet to stumble upon any one of the four special grade curses you’re supposed to be exercising.

“Just fine,” you sigh before muttering out, “it’s not like I’m going to get answers anyways.”

“Now, now, you don’t know that for sure,” he grins, hands in his pockets as he walks beside you nonchalantly.

“Considering every time I bring up the new guy you avoid the topic, I’d say, yeah,” you peek around the corner before confirming the hallway is clear, turning back to face Gojo who already seems to be looking at you amusedly, “I do know.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet,” he hums.

“There’s not much to go on,” you reply.

“Oh, I believe there’s plenty,”

“Yeah, well, that’s cause you already know everything there is to know about this subject,” you huff.

“Oh, you flatter me so,” he chuckles, only causing you to roll your eyes at him in exasperation.

“Well, I suppose there is one question I have for you, teach,” you start to say, until you finally come across one of the special grade curses. 

The two of you quickly press your backs against the wall, preparing to attack. Gojo gives you the go ahead to attack first, and you do, using his quick distraction of walking out and gaining the curse’s attention to sneak up on it and destroy it. No more than two minutes pass and you’ve succeeded.

“What’s the question?” Gojo calls your attention back to him as you both continue on through the hallway.

“On the day he was released, I felt a sudden wave of specialized curse energy ripple through me, almost as if there had been a part of it dormant that had suddenly been awoken,” you say, turning to look at his face in order to gage his reaction. “Is that normal, considering how far I was from the main site?”

“Hmm,” he brings a hand up to cup his chin in his fingers, contemplating the new information you’ve provided him. He only wishes you would have told him sooner. “Considering the distance and Sukuna’s total power, it’s not that surprising.” You let out a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding. “However, since at the time it was only one-twentieth of his power over that great of a distance, that is very odd. Considering that you know our reputation with strangeness in this trade, this makes it even stranger. Has it happened at any other point in time after that?”

Your brow furrows as you contemplate his question. “Actually, yeah, now that I think about it. I think it was a day or two after the initial release.”

“Huh, interesting,” he hums once more, a slight frown pulling at his lips as he considers what this means. Looks like his original hunch was correct as both these surges you’ve felt correspond with Itadori ingesting one of Sukuna’s fingers.

“What, exactly, is interesting?” You stare at him expectantly.

“Nothing you need to worry yourself with for the time being,” he assures you, just as another one of the special grade curses jumps out at the two of you. In an instant, Gojo has eliminated the threat, neither of you faltering in your steps down the hall.

“You know, sometimes I swear you take the phrase ‘having blind faith’ too seriously,” you let out a long breath.

He laughs at this, “what makes you say that?”

You just raise a brow at him in response, the look on your face enough to convey your thoughts. He laughs once more.

“Nothing wrong with having a little faith in me, you know,” he jokes as you two near the centre of the building where you can feel major curse energy pouring out.

You say nothing, opting to shake your head at him in response as you ready yourselves to enter the main room. Slowly opening the doors, you walk in, the two of you scanning the room for either of the final two curses that have still yet to show themselves. 

All is silent for a few moments until you feel a pang reverberate through you, the familiar feeling of specialized curse energy flowing throughout your whole being. Your eyes widen as this one far exceeded the power of the first two.

“Hey, uh, teach?” Gojo pauses mid-step as he observes you, hearing the uncertainty in your voice. “It just happened again.”

As soon as those words leave your lips, the final two curses you’ve been hunting for pop out of nowhere and attack the both of you. The one closest to you manages to knock you into Gojo, him steadying you as the two curses near the both of you to attack.

“(Y/n), I’m sending you to where the first years are, I have a bad feeling something terrible has happened,” he says lowly in your ear.

“What? Right now?” You don’t even have time to look at him incredulously as you both jump in opposite directions to avoid the attacks of the curses.

“Right now,” he confirms. “Don’t worry about me, I can handle these two clowns.”

The curses growl at him as he says those words, with him managing to split one of them in half in the next moment.

“I wasn’t,” you reply, unamused.

“Well, best hurry, wouldn’t want Sukuna wrecking havoc,” he grins at you and something clicks in your mind.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you growl. “At least tell me the name of his vessel!”

“You already know it,” is the last thing you hear before your vision shifts, you now standing on a path outside in an unfamiliar area.

You mentally curse him as you collect your bearings, noticing Megumi standing across from you, facing towards you as another man stands between the two of you with his back turned to you. You’d recognize that back anywhere, not to mention the hair. Now you’re really mentally cursing your teacher.

You remain still, noticing how Megumi darts his gaze over to you as if to tell you not to move. Assessing the situation, you begin to plot your best course of action as you see drops of blood dripping onto the ground near Sukuna’s feet. A quick scope of the area has your eyes widening slightly, telling yourself to remain calm as you see a heart laying in the grass as if it was tossed carelessly off to the side.

Of course, Sukuna felt your presence before even bothering to turn to look at you. At the moment, he’s more focused on talking to Megumi, then he can deal with this newer secondary presence, no matter how familiar it seems. He can feel the eyes trailing over his back before he even sees them, but your voice has him halting his actions momentarily.

“Damn, Yuuji, I leave you alone for two weeks and you decide to get tattoos?” Your voice is light, playful even, despite the grim situation you know that you’ve been thrust into.

Megumi shoots you a cautious look as you both notice Sukuna tense slightly between the two of you, before standing up straighter and rolling his shoulders once. A chuckle escapes him, causing you and Megumi to share another concerned look between you both before his movements catch your eyes.

Sukuna would recognize that voice anywhere. Oh, how cruel fate can be.

The first time Atsumu had mentioned it, you nearly spat out the water you had been drinking. Clearing your throat, you had looked towards him with wide eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly,” came his immediate response, gaze locked with you own.

A few moments of silence had passed between the two of you as he waited patiently for your response. You sighed, “I’ll think about it.”

The only response you got from him was a smile and a nod of his head. At least you didn’t outright say ‘no’ to the idea.

The next few times he brought it up, you managed to avoid the topic by changing the subject, face heating in embarrassment at the mere thought of what he was suggesting. Each time, he was patient, always looking at you with a glint of hopefulness in his eyes that you would agree to his proposal. However, you weren’t too sure if you should say yes or not.

Currently, the two of you are on your bed, lips locked in a heated embrace. Both of your shirts have already come off, along with your pants, as he helps you to grind down on one of his thighs. He smirks, knowing how much you love them, almost as much he loves yours. What’s even better is the slight dampness he can feel soaking through your panties and onto his thigh, only serving to make his cock twitch in his shorts.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful like this,” his voice is nothing more than a low drawl as his eyes drink up every movement you make.

The only thing you can manage is a pleasant hum in response, your movements quickening as you desperately chase your own high. In your dazed state, you barely register his next words, and once they click in your mind, they have you halting your movements as you stare down at him with an expression of mild shock.

“I want you to sit on my face,” his grip tightens on your thighs, eyes locked with yours as you hesitate to respond.

“I don’t want to crush you,” you finally say, nervously chewing on your bottom lip.

You’re not going to lie, you’ve thought about it, too. Given how much he’s asked about it, it’s obvious that this is something he really wants to try. You know he’d never push you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with, but you are slightly worried you might suffocate him. Even if the thought of looking down at him between your thighs turns you on.

As if sensing the reason you’re hesitant, Atsumu is quick to respond, reassuring you with his words.

“Babe, it would be an honour to suffocate from your thighs,” there’s that look again, the one which lets you know he is one-hundred percent serious with what he’s saying.

Your heart flutters in your chest as you take a deep breath, warmth spreading throughout your body starting from your core, “okay.”

“Wait, seriously?” His whole face lights up, eyes sparkling with delight as he leans up onto his arms to get a better look at your face.

“Yes,” you nod once in confirmation, “I trust you.”

His heart feels as if it’s about to burst out of his chest as it swells with love and admiration for you, eyes clouding over with lust in the next moment as he continues to stare at you, “I promise I’ll make you feel so good, baby.”

Laying back down, he watches through hooded eyes as you carefully slide your panties off. As if he can still sense your slight hesitance, he smiles reassuringly at you, guiding your body so that your knees rest on either side of his head. He can already see your entrance glistening with your juices, just begging for him to have a taste. He smirks, licking his lips as his hands trace the outsides of your thighs, causing a shiver to run down your spine.

“That’s my girl,” he hums as you settle above him. “Now,” his thumbs are stroking gentle circles on your skin as he locks gazes with you once more, “sit on my face.”

You can feel your walls clench around nothing as you carefully lower yourself to meet his waiting mouth. You’re careful not to sink down too far, making sure that there’s still an adequate amount of space between his head and your core. However, as soon as his tongue makes contact with your clit, you inhale sharply, nearly loosing your resolve to keep this amount of distance between the two of you.

You can hear your heartbeat in your ears, doing your best not to succumb to the need to drop your entire pussy on his mouth in fear of squishing him. Each stroke of his tongue through your folds causes your legs to shake, and it becomes even harder for you to remain above him as you are. A fact of which he notices.

“I said,” he growls out, wrapping his arms fully around your thighs as he pulls you into him, voice now muffled by the skin of your thighs, “sit on my face.”

You can feel his arms tensing around you, keeping you in place as he holds you to his mouth, nothing separating the two of you now. A gasp escapes your lips as you feel him suck your clit into his mouth, using his tongue to flick over the sensitive nub shortly after. He wants all of you, and fuck, if your sounds weren’t music to his ears before, they certainly are now.

Allowing his tongue to explore every inch, he notices your back arching slightly at this new angle. Now that there’s no space separating the two of you, he can finally get to work on pleasing you the way he knows best. Fingers biting into your skin, he pulls away briefly to suck a mark onto your thigh.

“You’re gorgeous, you know that?” He grins, soon blowing cool air over the mark he’s just made and watching as you shiver slightly.

“You’re not-“ your breath hitches as he licks a teasing strip up your entrance, dark eyes locked on your face as it twists in pleasure, “you’re not so bad yourself.”

A chuckle rumbles from beneath you, “I don’t think you understand, darling. What I wouldn’t do to these thighs of yours,” he trails off, licking his lips once more. “So tender. So soft.” He emphasizes each phrase with a kiss. “Perfect for marking.” He growls, nipping at your skin and causing you to gasp. “Perfect for me.”

“Atsumu,” his name escapes you in no more than a breathless sigh.

“Fuck, you don’t know how long I’ve dreamt of this,” he confesses, tongue going back to circle your clit as you keen above him. By now, you’ve had to grab onto the headboard to steady yourself, holding on tightly in order to ground yourself. He chuckles once more, “look at you, trembling from the slightest touch.” As if to emphasize his words, he gently caresses the inside of your thigh with his nose, eyes flashing to yours as he notices you twitch once more. “My beautiful girl.”

With another bite to your thigh, he guides his mouth back to your clit, flicking the nub a few times before sucking it back into his mouth with a new vigour. Your hand flies to his hair as you feel him move his mouth down to your entrance, thrusting his tongue as deep as he can and collecting every last drop of your essence that escapes you.

“You taste so fucking good, darling,” he groans, grip tightening once more around your thighs.

You can feel him smirk against you as he continues to work you closer to the edge. You even start to grind down on him in time with the strokes of his tongue on your folds. Each flick on your clit sends a jolt of pleasure coursing through your body, and you know it’s only a matter of time before you fall over the edge.

“That’s it, baby,” he encourages, eyes alight with satisfaction and glee as he feels you begin to tremble above him, signalling you’re getting very close to your orgasm. “Use me. Use me for your pleasure and fucking come on my tongue.”

His words, combined with the way he expertly flicks your clit, moving in time with each of your thrusts has you tumbling over the edge in no time at all. His chest swells with pride as you come, head thrown back as you cry out his name in bliss, hand tightening your grip in his hair. 

Gaze drinking in your figure, he watches as your chest rises and falls with each breath you take, small moans still escaping your lips as he laps up every last drop of your sweet nectar that you have to offer him. The way your body twitches in response makes his own shudder in pleasure, knowing that he’s the one to make you react like this, to make you feel this good.

Releasing his grip on your thighs, you move off of him, allowing for him to sit up against the headboard as you return to straddling his lap. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he watches you carefully. Only now is he aware of how painfully hard he is beneath his shorts as you both attempt to catch your breaths.

“Wow,” is all you manage to get out and you watch as his expression morphs into one of smug content.

“I knew you’d enjoy that,” he flicks his eyebrows at you in amusement, only causing you to raise one of your own.

“Oh?” This time, it’s your turn to smirk, shifting slightly to grab his prominent bulge and hearing how he lets out a slight hiss at the contact. “And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you also enjoyed that.”

“More than you’ll ever know,” comes his response, his voice dripping with lust as his gaze flicks to your lips.

Understanding his silent request, you lean into him, connecting your lips with his once more. You can taste yourself on him as his tongue explores your mouth, a low groan escaping his throat as you grind against his hard cock beneath you.

“I can’t wait any longer,” he tells you, resting his forehead on yours, fingernails biting into your skin. “I need to be inside you.”

Nodding wordlessly, you give him one final peck on the lips before moving over to the nightstand and grabbing a condom. By the time you’ve opened it and are back to straddling his thighs, he’s removed his shorts. You watch as he holds his length in his hand, stroking himself a few times before you pass him the condom. Rolling it on, he watches you lick your lips, gut twisting as he sees the same want in his eyes reflected in your own. Ever so slowly, he watches you position yourself above him, head tilting back as he feels your warmth envelop him as you sink down on his cock. 

This is one of his absolute favourite positions with you, with him sitting up and leaning against the headboard while you’re placed in his lap, riding him slowly. There’s nothing more intimate then this to him, being able to feel you so close to him as he holds you in his arms while you control the pace. He loves feeling ever inch of your body pressed against his own, getting to feel every little tremor you make while mapping  out all of the curves of your figure. Every time this occurs, he swears that you’re made for each other, and to him, this position proves it.

Once he’s fully sheathed inside you, he rests his forehead on your shoulder, breathing laboured. How is it that you make every time feel like it’s your first? Never has he been able to rid himself of the butterflies, and at this point, he doesn’t ever think he wants to. How he got a goddess like you all to himself still boggles his mind.

His hands find purchase on your lower back as he places a gentle kiss onto your neck, “whenever you’re ready, baby.”

Nodding your head slightly, you wait another moment before starting a slow pace, feeling him continue to place gentle kisses onto your neck, chest, and shoulder. Each movement you make is drawn out, and you can feel him pull you closer as he lets out a soft moan. Your heart races in your chest as he pulls away to stare deep into your eyes, nothing but wonder, awe, and love shining within.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are today yet?” He asks, nuzzling his nose along your jawline as your breath hitches.

“You may have mentioned it once or twice,” you hum back, enjoying the casualness between the two of you, even during such an intimate moment as this.

“Then I haven’t said it enough,” he replies, and you can feel your heart flutter in your chest. “There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thankful that you’re in my life.”

“Sumu,” your expression softens, movement momentarily halting as you whisper his name.

“It’s true,” his hand caresses your spine, trailing upwards slowly as you continue moving once more. You can feel him twitch inside you as you clamp down on his length unexpectedly. “Fuck- how are you so perfect?”

Now it’s your turn to hide your face in his neck, letting out a small whine of his name, “I wouldn’t say that.”

“Why not?” He lets out a small hiss as you shift above him slightly, allowing him to sink even deeper into your warmth. “You mean so much to me, so goddamn much. You’re smart, beautiful, talented, not to mention unbelievably kind, and I get to call you mine.”

You feel your walls involuntarily spasm when he says that, only causing a smug grin to pull at his features. 

“You like it when I call you that, don’t you?” He teases, arms beginning to help guide your movements over him.

“Call me what?” You pretend to not know what he’s talking about, tilting your head innocently to the side.

“Mine,” he growls, and you cannot help the small moan that escapes you when he does. As soon as he hears you, combined with the way your pussy clenches once more around him, he knows he’s got you. “Don’t worry, baby, you’re all mine just as I’m all yours.” 

Shifting his position slightly, his arms wrap around you securely, holding you to his chest as he plants his feet on the bed behind you, legs now bent to help support him better for what he’s about to do. 

“My beautiful darling, you have no idea what you do to me. From the way you smile at me that sets my heart racing, to the way you call out my name,” he emphasizes each phrase with a sharp thrust into you, causing your legs to start to tremble as his name falls from your lips. “Yes, just like that- and don’t even get me started on this body of yours- fuck,” he pulls you closer, nails digging into your flesh as if he’s holding on for dear life. “So fucking perfect. It’s as if you were made just for me, and you always respond so well to my every touch, like I was made for you. I love everything about you, baby. I love you.”

By now, you can hardly form words of your own, only whimpers and moans of his name able to fall past your lips as you begin to meet his every thrust. Your arms are around his shoulders, pulling him closer to you just as he’s doing with you. You can tell he’s getting close from the way he twitches inside you, not to mention how much more laboured his breathing has become. Luckily, you’re not too far behind.

Pulling away slightly, you manage to meet his gaze, conveying wordlessly all that you want to say. He only grins at you as you cup his face in your hands and connect your lips once more, allowing your passion and love to come through in the kiss.

Removing one of his hands from around your back, he brings his hand up to caress your own, intertwining your fingers together and pulling your arms between your bodies. You swear you can feel his heart racing in his chest, just as you’re sure he can feel yours as you both near your release.

“I love you,” he echoes his words from earlier with a deep growl, staring deep into your eyes.

Hearing you mirror his words is the final push he needs to send him over the edge, you following at the same time. He comes with a loud cry of your name, feeling you bite down on his shoulder to muffle your own cries of pleasure. It’s as if the dams holding back your releases have finally broke, pure ecstasy flowing through your bodies as you remain intertwined with one another.

Holding you to his chest, he gently strokes your back with his hand, cooing sweet nothings into your ear as you both come down from your highs. Your breaths mingle together as you look at him to already see him smiling fondly at you.

“What?” You giggle, kissing him softly on the lips.

“Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you,” he answers, removing his arms from around you to allow you to move off of him and clean yourself up, also allowing him to dispose of the condom and pull his shorts back on.

“I think I’m the lucky one,” you mutter, yet he still manages to hear, causing a smile to tug at his lips as he watches you move around the room, one of which you don’t see until you turn around again to face him. “What’s that look for?”

Pain. 

That’s all your body and mind can register as your consciousness starts to come back to you. Every little bump and jolt of the wagon sends a shock through your system, causing a groan to slip passed your lips. 

“They’re waking up,” a voice you think belongs to Mikasa, says to your left.

A groan is all they receive from you as you come to. Half of your body feels numb, and you can’t move your right arm or your left leg. You attempt to sit up, only for your body to not respond, leaving you laying in the cart you’re in. You open your eyes.

“What happened?” Your voice comes out scratchy and hoarse, blinking a few times to clear your blurry vision.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Mikasa says, guiding her horse away from the cart to give you and the other person in the cart with you some privacy. She can already tell what is about to happen, but he’ll need the solitude more that he knows.

Eren can only give a curt nod in thanks, not even bothering to watch her leave. Instead, he looks down at you with sorrowful eyes, a pain of his own shining behind them. A pain you cannot place.

“There was a herd of abnormals that attacked your squad while we were out,” he tells you. “You’re the only one who survived; we’re heading back to the wall now.”

You nod slowly in understanding, finding enough strength in you to lift your head to inspect your injuries. Just as you thought, your left leg from your knee down is missing, having been tied off at the thigh with a belt in attempts to help stop the bleeding, along with your right arm completely gone from the shoulder down. There was apparently some attempt to bandage you, but the gauze has already soaked through with blood.

It takes a few seconds for your thoughts to push pass the pain and remember what had happened to you. Indeed a herd of abnormals had attacked your squad. You had been riding through a small town when the first one quite literally jumped out of nowhere and had taken down two in your rear flank. You had managed to take out two of the five abnormals with the three of your remaining squad before losing them to the last three in attempts to take them down. The last thing you remember is seeing another squad ride into town while being held between two of the abnormals before passing out from the pain of being torn apart.

From just one look, you already know you’re not going to make it back to the wall alive. You’ve lost too much blood. In fact, you’re surprised you’ve managed to live this long despite how much blood you’ve lost, but you know it’s only a matter of time now. You can feel death creeping in slowly, almost as if it’s giving you a chance to say what you need to before you go.

Once more, you attempt to sit up before Eren is stopping you.

“You shouldn’t move around too much,” he says, voice soft as he gently pushes you back down using your good shoulder. “Here, let me get you some water.”

There’s an unspoken tension between the two of you as he turns to grab the pack beside him. Ever so slowly, he helps you tilt your head up to take a sip of water. It helps to soothe your dry throat, making it easier for you to speak now.

“Thanks,” you mumble as he puts the lid back on once you’re done. 

You see him nod once in response, “you’re going to be okay.”

“Eren,” you sigh, but you can already tell he’s zoned out and is now in his own little world.

“Once we get back, we’ll take you to a doctor-“

“Eren,” your voice comes out a little stronger, but his eyes are still glazed over, not registering the call of his name.

“It’s not too bad; it’s not too late to save you-“

“Eren,” this time, the firm tone of your voice snaps him back to reality, his eyes now locked on your own, panic and fear swirling in his teal orbs. “It’s okay. I’m not going to make it.”

“Don’t say that.” His voice comes out in a rush, brows furrowing in worry. “You will make it, and you will be okay.”

“No, Eren,” you shake your head slightly as you come to terms with what you’ve already realized: you are going to die. “I’ve already lost too much blood, it’s too late for me now. It’s only a matter of time before-“

“Don’t say that!” He repeats, tears now lining his eyes as he looks down at you. There’s a type of fury burning there now, most likely at this world for taking another person he cares about away from him. If only he had gotten there sooner, then maybe he could have saved you, and none of this would be happening right now. If only he were stronger.

“We both know it’s true,” you whisper, and you’re beginning to feel the numbness again, spreading throughout your body slowly, starting from your one remaining leg and creeping upwards. “It’s okay, though. Everything will be okay.”

“How can you say that?” His fists clench in his lap, fingernails biting into the skin of his palm as anger courses through his veins. “You’re leaving me. I don’t want you to leave me.” His voice is small now, and you can tell he’s doing his best to hold back the sobs that want to escape his throat. “You promised.”

You take in a low breath, closing your eyes briefly as you recall those words the two of you spoke all those months ago. You had been his first real friend in the scouts when he had first arrived, having been the only one besides Hange whom was greatly intrigued by his titan shifter abilities. You treated him like an equal right from the start, and only ever wanted to be his friend. He admired you for your honesty and bravery, and the two of you grew close in a matter of weeks.

It had been the night before his first scouting mission outside the walls; the fated female titan attack, as you came to refer to it as. You couldn’t sleep so you made your way up to the roof of the old castle, only to find Eren already there gazing up at the stars. It was then that the two of you made a promise to each other. A promise to always come back alive, no matter what.

“I’m sorry, Eren,” your expression holds nothing but sorrow, “I don’t think I’ll be able to keep that promise any longer.”

“I don’t want you to die,” a single tear escapes his eye, rolling down his cheek before falling onto the skin of your left hand.

“It’ll be okay, I promise,” you smile at him faintly, finding enough strength left in you to raise your arm up and cup his cheek with your hand. Immediately, he leans into your touch, “but I want you to promise me something in return.”

“Anything,” comes his response, eyes locked on yours with a new determination shining behind them, alongside the grief and anger.

“I want you to promise me that you’ll keep on living and fighting. Not just for me, but for Mikasa and Armin, too,” you begin. “Live a good life Eren, and remember, no matter what anyone thinks, I will always believe in you. I swear that I’ll never truly be leaving you, and that I’ll always be with you,” you pause, moving your hand to rest over his heart, “in here.”

He nods, swallowing the dryness in his throat, “I promise.”

“Good,” you nod, only causing you to start coughing in response, blood now filling your mouth. It’s getting harder to breathe, and you know you have mere moments before your time is up. “Hey Eren?”

“Yes?” He brings your hand back up to his cheek, allowing for you to stroke it gently with your thumb. He can no longer hold back the flow of tears as he watches the person he loves most take their final breaths, blood trickling down the side of their lips.

“I love you,” 

His breath hitches in his throat as he sees your chest stop moving. At least you died with a smile on your face. 

A broken sob escapes his lips as nothing but pure pain and panic courses through his veins. He lets your limp arm fall to the side as he pulls your body into his lap, a roar of anguish escaping his lips as your blood soaks his clothes. He sobs into your chest, begging, pleading for you to come back to him. How can he save humanity from the titans if he can’t even save you.

White hot anger begins coursing through his veins. Angry at himself for not getting to you in time, but also anger at the world for taking you away from him. He’s already lost so much, so why did he have to lose you, too? 

It’s then that he makes a promise to himself. Something only he believes he can do, as he whispers his final words to you. He only wishes you were still alive to hear them.

He’s been pushing your buttons all day. Every time you would suggest a plan to capture the criminals you’ve been chasing, he would counter your ideas, or go off and do his own thing. The worst was when he stormed into the building by himself, yelling at the villains to ‘stop being such little bitches’ and fight him head on. To say you’re frustrated would be an understatement.

Due to his attitude in the past, many other agencies refuse to work with him, leaving only a select few you can count on. You’re just lucky you have friends in those agencies, otherwise hero work might be a little bit more difficult to come by, especially when he goes off on his own like this, ignoring your direct orders.

It takes you all twice as long to capture the goons this time due to him nearly collapsing the building they were hiding in, completely ignoring the fact that you told him to wait for backup. Eventually, you managed to catch up to him and apprehend the villains you’ve been after, giving them to the authorities shortly after capture. 

However, not only are you beyond frustrated, but you’re also embarrassed by how Katsuki has been acting lately. Given that you’re one of the top heroes working at your agency, your team is supposed to listen to your orders and follow them, especially when it comes to tasks like this. Katsuki, on the other hand, directly refuses to even acknowledge how you run things, which only makes you believe he has no respect for the agency’s code of conduct, nor you, especially when the two of you are at work. 

You’re sick and tired of it, especially since the two of you are supposed to be partners, in more ways than one. You can’t count the amount of times you’ve overheard people commenting on your relationship because of this. Enough is enough, and you’ve decided you’re going to do something about this. It’s like he doesn’t have any respect for your authority.

This won’t be for long, though. Not if you have anything to say about it. Someone is going to have to put him in his place, and you know just the person to do it. You.

When the both of you get back to the agency building, your superior gave you both a massive scolding. Katsuki received a larger one than you, but you were still told to get him under control, lest the two of you want to be out of a job. The last thing the agency wants is their approval rating to go down in the eyes of the public, and Katsuki is already dangerously treading the edge.

“It’s your job to keep him under control, (Y/n),” your boss scolds you once the two of you are alone in their office.

“Yes, boss,” you reply, a sigh nearly escaping your lips for the umpteenth time that evening.

“Now go home and get some rest, tomorrow’s another day!” They say, sending you a tight smile as you nod politely and leave their office.

You say nothing as you pass Katsuki, expression remaining blank as your eyes blaze in anger. If anyone saw you, they’d think you look quite normal, but one look into your eyes and they’d know how pissed off you really are.

He huffs and rolls his eyes as you walk passed him, arms crossed as he follows you out to the car, “what? I got the job done, didn’t I?”

The only response he gets out of you is a glance at him out of the corner of your already narrowed eyes, only causing him to click his tongue in annoyance, “what?”

Sliding into the drivers side of the car, you remain silent. Turning the keys, you register him sliding in the passenger’s seat, teeth gritting against one another as he clenches his jaw. He tilts his head slightly upwards, his nose in the air as he looks over at you from the corner of his eyes.

“Are you really going to ignore me now, dumbass?” He scoffs as you remain silent. “Fine, I didn’t want to talk anyways.”

Usually, you’d be cussing him out by now, voices raised as you argue your whole drive back to your shared house about what has transpired this evening. To say your silence is slightly unnerving to him would not be an exaggeration. He has a feeling that you’ll probably lay into him as soon as you get home, and that anticipation alone is eating away at him. Believe it or not, he can’t stand you actually being upset at him, and he can tell you’re furious.

Your grip is tight on the steering wheel the whole ride home. Every so often, you can feel Katsuki’s gaze drift over to look at you, though he still defiantly holds his head high. Each time you let out a tense sigh, he tenses slightly, waiting for you to blow up at him like he knows you can. 

The longer this goes on, the more nervous he gets. Did he finally go overboard? Will you forgive him this time like you have all the other times he’s disobeyed your orders? It’s not like anyone got hurt this time, so he doesn’t understand why you’re so upset. In fact, you should be used to this by now.

Each second that goes by with this tense silence lingering in the air feels like an eternity to him, and by the time you’re pulling into the driveway he nearly breathes a sigh of relief. As you’re unlocking the front door, he figures he’ll attempt to talk to you again, wanting at least some sense of normalcy to come back to the two of you.

Stepping inside, he lets out an irritated huff, “look, if you’re saving the big lecture for when we get inside, you should just-“

His voice dies in his throat as you push him against the wall, the front door clicking shut beside you.

“You never know when to keep that big mouth of yours shut, huh, Katsuki?” You tut, shaking your head in disappointment. “You know, if you actually put it to good use, instead of spewing your typical bullshit…”

“The fuck are you talking about, (Y/n)?” He counters, brows furrowed.

“I’m talking about how this is the last time you’re going to disrespect me like that, you fucking brat,” you spit, pushing him harder into the wall with your arm across his chest.

“Oh, please,” he rolls his eyes, “if I hadn’t gone ahead-“

“Enough, Katsuki,” you cut him off, eyes hard as your gaze meets his. “This is the last time you pull something like this. I’ve put up with it for this long because I care about you, and it usually all works out in the end, but not anymore. It’s time you learned some respect.”

He scoffs, “and I suppose you’re going to teach me?”

“Damn right I am,” comes your immediate reply, and you can tell he isn’t expecting it. “It’s time someone knocked you down a few pegs, brat, and I’ll be happy to do it.”

A humourless puff of air escapes him, “I’d like to see you try.”

“Oh, baby,” you grin, “I’ve already started.”

At your words, his brow furrows further in confusion until he feels you arm shift slightly, allowing for your hand to rest at the base of his throat. His eyes go wide as he feels your fingers gently brushing over his skin, almost teasingly against his throat, your body now pushing into his fully.

“Like I said, you’ve always had such a loud mouth, Katsuki,” you stare into his eyes, and you know he’s watching you, waiting to see what your next move will be. “You’ve always needed someone to discipline you properly, to tell you ‘no’ and actually mean it. To bring you to your knees and make you beg-”

Before you can say another word, he cuts you off, “like hell I’d ever beg for anything.”

Your eyes flash, grip squeezing slightly at the base of his throat in warning as he gasps, “don’t interrupt me again.” 

You notice his eyebrow quirk slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing against your hand as he swallows subtly, yet he nods once in understanding. 

“As I was saying,” you sigh, “you will beg by the time I’m done with you tonight. After I’m done teaching you some respect. Though, I don’t think I’ll need to try very hard.”

To emphasize your point, you bring your free hand to his crotch, cupping his semi-hard cock in your hands and squeezing. He inhales sharply, gritting his teeth as he feels you gently caressing his growing erection, both loving and hating how much this is actually turning him on at the moment. You smirk.

“After all, I’ve barely done anything to you, and you’re already this turned on,” your voice is low as you lean in to whisper into his ear. A shiver runs down his spine as he feels your breath ghost over his neck, “pathetic.”

A small moan escapes his lips, immediately causing his eyes to widen, face turning red as you chuckle at his reaction. He attempts to get words out, but all he can do is splutter as you release your hold on him with a quirked brow, nails trailing down his chest teasingly until all he’s left with is the faintest ghost of your touch over his skin.

“Seems to me like you’re already begging for me to have my way with you,” you say as you take a few steps backwards and away from him. 

He catches himself as he takes a small step towards you, gritting his teeth in frustration at what you’re doing to him. You watch as his fists clench at his sides, a fire igniting behind his irises. He’s putting up a front, and you can tell, one that’s close to cracking.

“Like hell I would,” he’s still, spine rigid as he watches you with defiance still shining in his eyes, along with something else. Something you’ve never seen before.

“Oh?” You quirk your brow once more, now taking small steps towards him as if you’re a cat stalking its prey, “you mean you don’t want to feel my hands all over your body, leaving marks for everyone to see? You don’t want to know what it’s like to be rewarded for being my good boy? You’d rather me not take care of that little situation you’ve got going on down there?” You trail your eyes over his body, gaze focusing on the tent now visible in his pants as he shifts slightly at the feeling of having your eyes on him like this. “Damn, Katsuki, I knew you were masochistic, but you shouldn’t let your pride get in the way all of the time.” You’re close enough to him now to trail a teasing finger across his chest. “Especially not at a time like this.”

He scowls, but you can see it doesn’t fully reach his eyes. He’s intrigued by your whole demeanour tonight, for he’s never really seen you act this way before. He always knew you could be demanding, a true leader that he honestly wouldn’t mind following anywhere you told him to, but he’s never had this directed towards him. Well, he’s never felt you mean it like this before.

Maybe he wanted this to happen. Maybe he wanted to see how far he could push you before you snapped and put him in his place. Maybe he’s been desperate for you to use him like he’s used you. The countless times throughout your relationship where he’s made you weak for him, made you beg him for more has made him want the same from you. Maybe, just maybe, there’s something more to it. Maybe he just wants to see how far you’re willing to go. Maybe, he just wants you to make him beg.

“I don’t let my pride get in the way,” he grumbles, as you take a step back to distance yourself from him once more. His gaze darts to the side as he crosses his arms in front of his chest, just waiting for you to do something to him.

“Sure you don’t,” you chuckle, now standing right in front of him. 

The two of you stare at one another for a few moments, the tension of anticipation lingering in the air between you. He can’t help but hold his breath as he watches your one hand come back up to cup his face, patting his cheek affectionately in the next moment.

“Once you’ve swallowed that pride of yours, brat, I’ll be waiting in the bedroom,” with a final smile that simply screams nothing but trouble for him, you’re turning around and heading up the stairs, leaving him standing there, stunned, in the front entranceway.

Letting out a frustrated growl, he shakes his head. No way in hell is he leaving things like this. There’s a part of him that wants to march right into your shared room and show you who you belong to. To put you in your place for teasing him like that. However, there’s another part of him that cannot help the way his heart races in excitement as he thinks of what you might have in store for him once he makes it upstairs.

The fire behind his eyes is still burning once he throws open the door, only for his steps to falter as he sees you casually changing your shirt. His gaze trails down your torso, swallowing slightly as he watches you turn around, you not wearing anything at all on your upper half.

“Took you long enough, brat,” you tut, shaking your head as you walk over to him, now frozen in the doorway. He’s seen you plenty of times without a shirt on, hell, even without a bra for that matter, but there’s something about your aura this time that makes whatever retort he’s about to say die in his throat. This time, you look serious, and he just knows he’s in for a long night. “What, no smart-ass remark?”

Your lips tugs upwards into a grin, arms crossing across your chest, only serving to emphasize the curve of your breasts. His mouth practically salivates at the thought of finally getting to touch you after what you did to him downstairs. He’s never gotten this worked up like this in such a short period of time before, and he wants to see what you’ll do to him next.

“Are you finally going to listen to me for once?” You ask, tilting your head slightly as you continue to stare at him expectantly.

“I always listen to you,” he responds grumpily.

“There’s that smart mouth of yours again,” you shake your head in mock disappointment. “Now, see, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now if that were the case. So, we’re going to start at lesson one: do exactly what I say, without question.”

He laughs in disbelief despite feeling the way his cock twitches in excitement in his pants at your words, “like hell I’ll do that.”

“Did I fucking stutter, Katsuki?” Your hands are on your hips now as you stare him down. “Now, I want you to get on your knees.”

“Excuse me?” He shoots you an incredulous look, not believing what you’ve just told him to do.

“I said,” you breathe, closing your eyes briefly as you walk towards him, grabbing him harshly by the back of his hair and pushing him down onto the floor beneath you, “on your fucking knees.”

A gasp escapes him as he feels his knees make contact with the floor, loving the way your hand feels harshly gripping his hair, forcing him to look up at you. Tugging at his hair causes a low groan to escape his lips, causing him to flush red in embarrassment once more.

“What did I say?” You hum, “you’re practically begging to be put in your place.”

“That’s not-“ he begins to protest, but a strangled moan escapes his throat as you tug on his hair once more.

“You were saying?” You smirk, only receiving another scowl in response. “Lesson two: right here, right now, you will address me as your Mistress. Do I make myself clear?”

“What? Like hell I’m calling you tha-“

“Do I make myself clear?” 

Another tug at his hair has him biting his lip before conceding, “yes, Mistress.”

“Good boy,” you release the hold your hand has on his hair in order to bring your hand down to cup his face gently. He stares up at you defiantly, but you can see the excitement growing in his eyes. He’s wanted this for a while now, and he can feel his cock straining against his jeans, practically begging for your touch. “Now, I think you should make it up to me, given the way you’ve acted today, don’t you?”

“Yeah, right-“

“What was that?” Your hand grips his chin, forcing him to stare directly into your eyes as a sadistic smile rests on your face.

He huffs slightly, eyes avoiding yours now as he grumbles out, “yes, Mistress.”

“Glad you agree,” you hum, releasing you grip on him in order to undo your pants. “We’re going to put that mouth of yours to good use, and maybe by then I’ll have thought of a suitable punishment for a brat such as yourself.”

At this, it’s his turn to quirk a brow at you, watching as you strip yourself of the rest of your clothes in front of him. He smirks, drinking in your figure before him and admiring every curve you have to offer. If this is his punishment, he’ll gladly take it. After all, he can’t wait to have you begging for him later tonight.

“Lesson three:” you begin to say, positioning yourself right in front of him, your hips in his line of sight. His mouth salivates at the thought of getting to taste you as your one leg comes to rest over his shoulder, hand now back in his hair. Just as he’s about to bring his hands up to help steady your figure more, your voice is halting his movements, “no touching me if you still want to come tonight.”

“Huh?” He recoils slightly, eyes wide as his cock throbs, reminding him of how painfully hard he’s become already, and once again he’s reminded how you have still yet to touch him.

“You heard me, baby,” you smirk down at him, fingers tightening their hold slightly in his hair. “Hands behind your back; no touching unless I say so. Now, put that mouth to good use.”

Without waiting for a response, you push his head down. Putting his hands behind his back, his eyes flick briefly to yours before he’s attaching his mouth to you, sucking your clit into your mouth before flicking it a few times with his tongue. 

One thing you can always count on Katsuki for is his need to be the best. No matter what he does, he’s always proving to everyone that he can do anything better than anyone else. No one compares to him, and even if he’d rather you be sucking his cock first right now, he’ll prove to you that he does in fact, deserve to come tonight. That, and he can listen. He wants to make you feel good, always, and seeing this side of you has sparked a new flame of desire for you in him. He’ll be your good boy, but he’s going to make you work for it.

Throwing your head back, you let out a moan, feeling him lick at your entrance with his tongue before moving it back up to flick at your clit. Your sounds are music to his ears, and he never grows tired of hearing his name fall from your lips, especially during these times. He only wishes he could touch you back, to tease you like you’ve been teasing him. However, he’ll do what he can for now, eating you out like a man starved, moving his tongue just how you like.

By now, your hand is gently stroking the top of his hair, brushing it out of his face so he can maintain eye contact with you as you grind your pussy on his mouth. You can feel the rumble of approval he lets out from his chest as you tug on his hair every now and then, only causing you to smirk.

“See, baby,” you comb your fingers through his hair for emphasis, “you do know how to properly use that mouth of yours.” His eyes flash and he renews his efforts tenfold. Again, he wants to prove to you that he can do it, to please you in a way that only he can. A low groan escapes your lips, “that’s it, baby boy, just like that.”

The nails of his right hand dig harshly into the skin of his left wrist, wanting nothing more than to grip your thighs and pull you into him so you cannot escape the pleasure he’s giving you. He can feel his chest swelling with pride with each jolt of your hips into his face, letting him know you’re enjoying this, too. Except, he can feel himself becoming greedy; he wants more.

“You gonna make me come?” A growl is all you get in response. “Come on, baby, make me come all over that pretty mouth of yours.”

His chest is heaving as a feral look takes over his eyes. Seeing you above him like this has awakened some part of him he never knew he had, and he loves the control you have over him right now. All he wants to do is please you, to make you feel good and be your good little boy until you can’t take it anymore. This is what he deserves, what you deserve.

With a few more sucks of your clit into his mouth, you can feel yourself tipping over the edge. Your hands bury themselves in his hair, tugging harshly at the roots as you anchor yourself to him, his tongue continuing to work you through your orgasm as your eyes flutter closed. 

A breathless moan of his name slips passed your lips, and his whole body twitches, gut clenching in ecstasy. His eyes watch your every movement as you still above him, your head thrown back as you attempt to catch your breath.

“That’s my good boy,” you breathe, removing your leg from his shoulder as you steady yourself onto your own two feet. He smirks subtly as he watches you sway slightly, knowing that he’s the one who’s done that to you. “Now, on your feet, baby.”

As soon as he goes to move, the smirk is falling right off his face. His pants are no longer uncomfortably tight, but instead, he can feel stickiness pooling against his skin as the material rubs against his sensitive cock.

“What’s the matter, baby boy?” You tilt your head mockingly as your eyes glance down to see the dark wet patch on his jeans. A sadistic smile spreads itself across your lips, eyes glinting darkly. “How cute,” you hum, “was the thought of my wet cunt on your lips that tempting to make you come untouched?”

“Shut up,” he growls, cheeks flaring once more as he avoids you gaze.

There are three things Shoto knows now.

One, the moment he learned that you started dating his brother, a part of him had felt like it had died inside; A feeling of emptiness filled him. A feeling of longing that he couldn’t quite explain at first, no matter how hard he tried.

Two, he’s positive his brother doesn’t actually care about you. 

At first, maybe he did, given how happy the two of you looked together. However, as of late, he’s just not so sure. There have been too many times he’s come back home to hear your muffled sobs echoing through the walls, his brother nowhere to be found. He’s always the one who ends up going to comfort you for his brother’s mistakes.

And three, he is completely, and utterly, in love with you.

He doesn’t know how, or when, it happened exactly, but he remembers the night he realized it like it was yesterday. Oh wait, it was.

You had come back home shortly after nine in the evening, causing his head to dart up from the article he had been reading on his laptop. He found it strange that Touya wasn’t with you, considering the three of you live together in a shared apartment, but given the circumstances as of late, he wasn’t that surprised.

“I thought the two of you were going out for dinner?” He asks, brow furrowing in slight confusion.

You let out a sad sigh, “I had thought so, too.”

“What happened?” His voice is soft as he shuts the laptop, noticing how you kick off your shoes dejectedly.

“I-“ your breath hitches slightly, “I don’t know.”

Concern is written all over his features as he stands up and walks over to you, whom has not moved from your spot in the entranceway. You look at your feet, refusing to meet his gaze as he guides you to sit down on the couch. He can feel his heart physically pang in his chest as he watches the first of your tears slide down your cheek.

“We were supposed to go out for dinner tonight,” you manage to get out, and he nods, waiting for you to continue. “Since our anniversary is coming up al all.” Of course, how could he forget. “We agreed not to do anything too fancy, just a quiet dinner at our favourite restaurant. I waited two hours for him to show up. Two hours-“ you choke on a sob, “did he even care at all?”

Shoto doesn’t know how to answer you, because he’s not too sure himself. All he can do is grit his teeth in frustration at his brother for treating you like this, yet again. He decides wrapping you in his arms is a start, and pulls you into his chest for comfort, letting you sob, and get it all out of your system.

“That’s not even the worst part,” you admit, and you don’t register his hand gripping your shirt tighter. “Remember how my birthday was last week?”

“Of course,” he says, having a feeling he already knows where this is going, “how could I forget?”

You scoff, pulling away so you can wipe your eyes briefly, “well, apparently Dabi can.”

Shoto’s eyes widen slightly. You only ever use his brother’s nickname when you’re really upset. Although, he definitely doesn’t blame you. He always knew his brother was an asshole, but forgetting your birthday? 

That’s not even the best part. Besides not getting you a gift, and only giving you a half-assed apology, there have been other instances where Touya hasn’t been treating you like he should. Or at least, as well as Shoto knows you should be treated. How he would treat you, if only given the chance. He would give you the world, and everything in it, if you asked him to.

By now, this entire situation is getting ridiculous to him. The more he listens to you rant about the neglect his brother has been giving you recently, the more upset he gets for you. So much so, that by the time you’ve finished talking, his jaw hurts from clenching it so hard in anger.

“He doesn’t deserve you,” slips out before he can even process the words leaving his lips.

This causes you to laugh slightly, “yeah, tell him that.”

“Then why do you still stay with him?” He frowns. “You deserve better.”

“I know,” you sigh, your tears having stopped momentarily as you avoid his gaze, “but you have to understand, I love him, Shoto.”

He doesn’t think he’s ever a felt pain in his chest like this before as he hears you utter those words. A pain that starts from inside his heart and radiates outwards, spreading like a wildfire as it suffocates him from the inside out. 

He wants to scream. To yell at his brother for treating you this way. To tell you that he’s right here, and that he will always be right here for you. You’re everything to him, but he’s too late. You’re not his, you’re his brother’s. He stays silent, a torrent of emotions swirling in his eyes.

The both of you are interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing. You can hear your name being called faintly from the entranceway, so you quickly wipe away the rest of your tears and stand up. You notice the concerned glance Shoto sends your way, so you opt to send him a small reassuring smile in return. You’ll be okay, or at least that’s what you keep telling yourself.

“I’m here,” you call back, heading over to greet Touya as he walks in.

“I’m so sorry, babe, we got held up at work tonight,” he says, wrapping his arms around your waist and staring into your eyes. “I tried to call you, but you weren’t answering your phone.”

Sure enough, you had turned it off after leaving the restaurant, not wanting to be disturbed on your way home. You nod your head in understanding, and Shoto knows you’re too understanding for your own good.

“It’s alright,” you say, faking a smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes. “You’re here now, aren’t you?”

“That I am,” Touya hums, placing a gentle kiss onto your forehead. “How about we go out for lunch tomorrow instead? I know it won’t make up for tonight, but I have the day off.”

“Okay,” you nod your agreement, before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and heading off to your room for the night. After the evening you’ve had, you’re exhausted, wanting nothing more than to curl up and sleep.

The whole time, you fail to notice Shoto now visibly shaking with anger, now standing just in front of the couch, but his brother does. A smirk crosses Touya’s face as he sees his little brother fuming, brow quirking in amusement.

“What’s the matter, Shoto?” He hums, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he leans against the wall.

“Nothing,” Shoto hisses, hands balling into fists at his sides. How you can so easily forgive his brother for how he’s been treating you makes his blood boil. He doesn’t deserve you.

“Well, if that’s all,” Touya says, pushing off of the wall and heading in the same direction you went off in down the hall. “Goodnight, Shoto.”

Shoto watches his brother disappear down the hallway, jaw clenched in frustration. The fire burning in his eyes slowly dies out as he sits back down on the couch, head now resting in his hands as he lets out a sigh.

He loves you, and he wants you. He wants to know what it’s like to hold your hand, to see you smile just for him. He wants to know how it would feel to kiss you, to wake up beside you every morning with a smile on both of your faces. To be able to hold you when you cry, and celebrate your successes. To take you out to dinner and not have you wait two hours for him, and him having to apologize with some half-assed excuse later that evening.