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Sukuna seemed genuinely unconcerned by any pressure, certain that he could study the night before and pass, seeing no merit in fretting the way that you currently were. Meanwhile, you’d reached the point where you were certain you’d already run out of time, and were ultimately doomed to failure. 

Even though you’d diligently kept up with your studies during your time in Kyushu, you were certain that it hadn’t been enough. Missing out on smaller seminars and workshops by studying remotely was practically a death sentence in your area of study. 

Might as well just give up now because you were fucked. 

“I’m going to have to re-do the year anyway, why am I trying so hard to fail?” 

Sukuna frowned, pausing his game and moving to linger next to the bed you were currently laying on. You were propped up on your elbows, lip quivering as you continued to look at your notes, afraid that if you glanced at Sukuna you’d instantly burst into tears. 

He had that effect on you. If you were ever feeling low his comforting presence would always bring out the waterworks - sometimes it was annoying how ineffective you were at holding yourself together whenever he’d show you the smallest shred of concern. 

“You’re like the smartest person I know,” Sukuna said softly, his form casting a shadow over you. “I don’t think you could fail if you tried.” 

“You called me stupid the other day.” You could practically hear him roll his eyes. 

“Yeah, because for someone so smart, you can be really dumb.” The bed creaked beneath his weight as he took a seat beside you, warmth radiating off his body. “Always coming up with silly ideas like how you’re gonna fail, when we both know that’s not happening.” 

“It might-” you started, turning to finally look at him. Just as you’d expected, the sight of his concerned expression had you choking on your words, eyes instantly growing watery. 

“Come here, baby.” He whispered, wrapping his arms around you and tugging you into his chest. You let the warmth of his hoodie encase you, tears finally spilling over once you were secure within his embrace.

“I’m gonna fail- I can’t- I’m just too far behind.” 

“Baby, you’ve been studying for weeks now. When was the last time you took a break outside of grabbing a few hours of sleep?” He had a point, and it wasn’t like you could dismiss that with a lie when you’d literally been studying in his room - he could see plain as day that you’d barely been taking breaks. 

If he knew how little sleep you’d been getting while he was off away in dreamland, he’d probably be even more frustrated with you. 

“I don’t have time,” you mumbled into his hoodie.

“You’ve studied more than literally anyone I know. You have time.” Gently peeling you away from the safety of his hoodie, a hand came to rest below your chin, tilting your face up to make you look at him properly. “We’re gonna go get some fresh air.” 

“It’s like 11pm already,” you mumbled. 

“So? Doesn’t look like you were planning on sleeping any time soon anyway.” He stood up and tossed a coat in your direction. “Put that on, I don’t want you catching a cold.” 

Knowing that he was probably right, and that it was pointless to oppose him whenever he set his mind to looking after you, you pulled the jacket on as asked. You found that your tears were already drying by the time you were appropriately togged up for the weather, giggling as Sukuna pushed a beanie onto your head.

“Perfect. Aren’t you just adorable?” He cooed, before flicking you softly in the forehead and ushering you out of his room. 

The house was silent as the two of you headed out into the night. Choso was probably staying over at Yuki’s place, and Sukuna had mentioned that Toji had been seeing someone lately and was likely spending the night with her. It was a little strange to not hear the ambient noise of one of the two other boys milling around - you’d become accustomed to their presence over the last few weeks. 

Not quite sure what Sukuna had in mind in terms of a destination, you let yourself be led along beside him, basking in the warmth of his hand tangled with yours. Even if his presence still had your heart pounding, you’d gotten to the point where being with him felt easy and comfortable, no longer anxious about what he might think of you. 

Because you knew that he loved you. 

He’d proved it over and over again. 

You’d shown him all of your worst sides - he’d seen you at your most stressed, most anxious, most grief stricken - and he’d still stuck with you, rewarding you with that gentle affection that was reserved exclusively for his precious girlfriend. 

“I think you’d like the game I’m playing right now,” he said, filling the comfortable silence as you wandered together, enjoying the night air. “Once exams are done you should play it. I’d find it funny to watch which choices you’d pick.” 

You had to admit that your interest had been piqued by the game he was currently fixated on, but you’d been too focussed on your revision to really pay attention. “You’ll make fun of me though,” you said with a pout, recalling how hard he’d laughed when the two of you had played PEAK together.

A smile lit up his face, clearly recalling the same memory. “There’s no actual gameplay in this one, it's all just pointing and clicking. I really think you’d love it.” Sukuna went on to explain the outline of Disco Elysium and its overall appeal, only faltering when the two of you passed a 7/11. 

The warmth pouring out through the automatic doors was inviting, and you felt your stomach growl. It was hard to recall the last time you’d actually eaten anything of substance. Both you and Sukuna had been so invested in your own tasks that the day had largely gone by without either of you noticing. 

“We should probably grab something to eat, huh?” He suggested, giving your hand a squeeze. “You’re probably just grumpy because you’re hungry.” 

“I’m not grumpy.” 

You were, but there was no way you were going to admit to it when he had a big shit-eating grin on his face. 

“Sure, baby. But let's give some food a go anyway.”

The two of you wandered into the inviting warmth, milling around until you picked something you wanted. You decided on tuna onigiri, while Sukuna grabbed himself a piece of fried chicken from the warm food section at the counter. He paid for both of you, despite your protests, clutching your hand as he led you back outside and over to a bench in the little park across the road. 

The place was deserted. No one with any sense wanted to be out this late in weather this cold, and you found yourself pulling your jacket closer around you, grateful for your gloves as you pulled your hands from your pocket to unwrap your onigiri. 

“Do you remember the first time we met?” Sukuna asked, his breath visible in the cold air. 

“Of course.” You didn’t think you’d ever forget that evening in the bakery - the way that your heart had raced at the sight of him was etched in your mind forever. Well, that and just how grateful you’d been for his presence on one of the scariest nights of your life. He’d truly been your knight in shining armour that day. 

“I think about it whenever I get fried chicken from a convenience store,” he said with a fond smile. 

You tilted your head in question, not particularly connecting the dots. “Why?”

“Because the Family Mart chicken is what put everything in motion that day. If I hadn’t gone to the convenience store that evening I would’ve been on the train home by the time those guys stopped you in that alleyway. But because I’d gone to buy chicken, I was in the right place at the right time and then…” He gestured between the two of you, clearly trying to think of the right words. “And then all of this happened.” 

You giggled. “So you’re saying that our whole relationship is thanks to famichiki?” 

“At least somewhat.” He laughed. As he finished off his food, he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you close to his side. The way that his body always seemed to stay warm no matter the circumstances was impressive, and you found yourself huddling close against him to try and heat yourself up. “I feel like your dad had something to do with it too.” 

You hummed in agreement. There was no denying that your father had been playing cupid for a while. From the very first time that you and Sukuna had met, your father had been urging you forward with the concept of a relationship, keen for you to find happiness with someone who he perceived as being right for you. 

And his judgement really couldn’t have been better. 

His work in puppeteering your union really felt like some lovely final gift that he’d provided you, making sure that you were finally happy and safe before he left you behind. 

Although, your dad definitely didn’t do all the work. 

“I think your effort also had a lot to do with it,” you pointed out. 

Considering that you’d literally run from Sukuna the first time he’d tried kissing you, you had to praise the man’s patience and tenacity. Most guys would’ve given up on a girl for far less than that. You didn’t consider yourself to be low maintenance and you’d leant on him a lot over the last few months. 

And yet here he was, as loving as ever. 

He shrugged. “You make me wanna try, so it didn’t really feel like effort.” Your heart skipped at the casual nature of his comment, a deep flush washing over your cheeks. 

“Corny,” you mumbled, hiding your face in his shoulder to stop him from seeing how much you were blushing. He knew anyway, laughter rippling through him as he reached for your face, fingers brushing your lips gently as he tilted your chin up towards him. 

“Only for you.” 

Leaning down, his lips brushed yours tenderly. While he’d kissed you thousands of times, it somehow still always felt like the first - a moment of pure joy and excitement, the giddy feeling of being a girl with a crush who actually likes her back. 

You still couldn’t believe that he was yours, that he wanted a future with you. 

It felt silly to be stressing over exams that you’d most likely pass when you had the best thing that had ever happened to you sitting at your side. Through all the bad, you really needed to start appreciating what was good. 

And Sukuna was very good. 

Breaking the kiss, he peered down at you with those deep crimson eyes, the irises lit up in the yellow light of the streetlamp overhead. He looked beautiful, just as he always did. 

“Feeling a bit better, baby?” He asked, and you offered him a hum of affirmation. 

He’d been right - you really did need a break. You’d been so locked in on reading your notes that you’d almost forgotten that there was a whole world outside of your exams next week. 

And no matter what happened, the Earth wasn’t going to stop spinning. 

Somehow that came as a comfort. 

“Good. Now, when we get home we’re going to bed, and I’m going to stay up to make sure you actually get some sleep,” Sukuna said sternly. 

“Aw, we’re going straight to sleep?” You shot him a suggestive look, a sweet pout on your lips. It seemed to completely disarm his serious demeanour and he shook his head in disbelief, a grin playing on his lips.

“Okay, we can make out a little first.”

“Oh thank god.” You giggled, leaning your head on his shoulder, your heart feeling at ease. 

Tomorrow you could get back to studying, and maybe you’d wake up the next morning feeling just as stressed out as ever. But that evening, snuggled up against the man that you loved, it really felt like everything was going to work out just fine. 

—

Your exams came and went, giving way to a few very stressful weeks in which you flip-flopped between pretending you didn’t care about the result, and hyperventilating over the idea of having to re-do the year if you’d failed. 

At some point Sukuna stopped trying to convince you that you’d passed, because despite all the logical arguments surrounding the fact that you’d worked hard, and had extenuating circumstances leading to more leniency on your grading anyway, everything always fell upon deaf ears. 

So instead, he focussed all of his effort on distracting you, which was something he’d always been excellent at, proceeding in all the usual ways by making you watch various movies, taking you out to nice cafes, and spending hours tangled up together in his sheets. His efforts at distraction were also how you found yourself completely absorbed in Disco Elysium, spending days trying to solve the game’s mystery, all while Sukuna sat at your side, offering cryptic hints and advice. 

You could understand how he’d been so preoccupied by the game when he should’ve been studying, and it did an excellent job of taking your mind off things for hours at a time. 

Not that there was any point to all your worrying anyway, because when your final grade was shared at the start of march, just as the weather started to warm, you discovered that you’d passed with flying colours - just like Sukuna had said you would. 

You really were dumb sometimes.  

That gave way to plenty of celebration with your friends, followed by a few peaceful weeks leading up to graduation, in which you and Sukuna were free to relax together with no cloud hanging above your head. 

At least, beyond the vague concern regarding what the hell you were supposed to do now that school had finished. 

Sukuna was already mid-way through the interviewing process for a graduate scheme appropriate for people with engineering degrees. You were almost envious of how certain he seemed to be about his future, moving along with it mechanically like he’d always had a clear plan in mind. 

Meanwhile, you had no idea what you were meant to do. 

You weren’t sure you were interested in some grad scheme, especially not when all the literature related schemes seemed to dump you straight into some corporate marketing job that would no doubt suck your soul after the first year. You weren’t built for dealing with frustrating stakeholders and circling back - you just couldn’t imagine yourself feeling happy in an office setting. 

But that left you adrift, because with a degree like yours, what other direction were you supposed to go?

After a year that had constantly put you under pressure and left you more stressed than you’d ever been, you really wanted to enjoy some time without the weight of big decisions looming in the distance, but this wasn’t one you could escape. 

Even with all of Sukuna’s assurances that he could look after you for a while to give you a break, you knew that you didn’t want to be so dependent on him in that way. 

You’d have to reach a conclusion soon. 

But you tried to put your concerns aside as best as you could as graduation approached midway through March. Sukuna and all your friends seemed so happy and carefree, everyone’s spirits high in the temperate spring weather as they celebrated their final days as students. 

You weren’t going to be the one to drag the vibes down just because you couldn’t figure out what you wanted out of life. It wasn’t like all your friends knew what they were going to do - they were simply living in the now and seeing where life took them. 

After years at university you were owed a moment of peace before entering a new cycle of fretting, and that’s what you promised yourself that graduation was going to be.

The afternoon that you finally received your degree was lovely and warm, not unlike the day that you’d first met Sukuna nearly a year prior. You were wearing a green dress beneath your robes, more ecstatic than you could’ve imagined as you walked across the stage, receiving a handshake and your diploma, which felt so precious in your hands. 

You hadn’t really expected to be there. 

The last year, perhaps even the last few years, had felt like you were constantly trekking up a mountain with no summit, fighting just to take a single step. To some extent, you’d wondered if you’d ever come out of the other side after all the suffering that had been tossed your way. 

But there you were - a graduate. 

Despite it all, you’d made your way through. 

When you’d imagined this moment in the years gone by, you’d imagined it to be a little different. You’d expected to look out into the crowd and see both your parents, eyes shiny with pride, infinitely happy with the accomplishments of their little girl. It hurt to look towards your mom and see a stranger sitting to the left of her, in the position where your father should’ve been. 

He would’ve been so proud of you. 

Perhaps bitter disappointment should’ve hung in your chest, and maybe under different circumstances a desperate feeling of grief might’ve overwhelmed you as you exited the stage. But as your eyes swept to the right of your mother, those sad feelings were drowned beneath the brightness of Sukuna’s smile.

He was there and he was alive. 

The void that your father’s death left in your heart would never dissipate, the grief was something you’d carry with you for as long as you lived, but your heart would grow bigger around it. 

There was still so much love for you to experience in your life, and even in your worst year, you found the best thing you ever could’ve imagined. 

And you’d hold on to that happiness as fiercely as you knew your father had wanted you to. 

“Congratulations sweetie!” Your mother exclaimed once you’d found her at the end of the ceremony, wrapping you up in a tight embrace. Sukuna was standing nearby, letting you have your family moment. The engineering graduation had already taken place the day before, so you were certain that his social battery was running low where sappy family matters were concerned. 

There had been a surprisingly lovely heart to heart between him and Wasuke after he’d crossed the stage, and you could only assume that he wasn’t looking for a round two of that display. 

“Oh you look so lovely, let me take a picture!” She fumbled about with her phone camera for a few moments while you waited awkwardly for her to figure it out. In the end, Sukuna had to step in and show her what to do, treating your mother with that same gentleness that he reserved for very few people. “Perfect! Get in the picture Sukuna, you should have one together.” 

Sukuna’s cheeks were flushed a soft shade of pink as he approached you, wrapping an arm tightly around your shoulders and pulling you close. Your mother told you to smile for the picture, but she really didn’t need to - you were certain that you were already beaming. 

Satisfied with her photo, your mother moved her attention to her phone, scrolling through the snaps she’d taken. Meanwhile, Sukuna took the opportunity to focus on you, drawing you into a more full hug. Your face was buried into his chest, breathing in the scent that had grown so familiar to you over the last few months. 

“I’m so proud of you.” He whispered into your hair.

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” you replied. You were certain that he was going to wave that statement off, go ahead and say that it was all down to you, but that simply wasn’t the truth of the matter. Without Sukuna you would’ve fallen apart - be it from the incidents with Hiromi or from the loss of your father. 

He’d held you together at a time when you were right at the edge of falling apart, and you owed more to him than he’d ever understand. 

“You’ll never have to do anything without me.” Your heart fluttered at his response, peering up at him and pushing yourself up on your tiptoes to meet him in a fleeting kiss. You were eager for more passion, to have him kiss you with the ferocity that he usually would, but you’d save that for a moment when your mother wasn’t watching you. 

“So, still up to go out for steaks?” Your mother asked, offering the two of you a smile. “My treat. I understand if you want to go and hang out with your friends though! I won’t be offended.” 

While a handful of your friends had graduated with Sukuna yesterday, most had walked the stage at the same time as you, which meant that they were also somewhere within the mess of people currently milling around on the university lawn. You imagined that most of them were probably engaged with their parents for the time being, just like you were. 

The plan was to all meet up later anyway. Satoru and Suguru had just moved into a new apartment together and wanted to use graduation as an excuse to have everyone over, but until 8pm at least, you had no plans keeping you from grabbing steak with your mother. 

You knew which place she wanted to go to - you hadn’t been there in years, not since your parents had gotten divorced. It had been your father’s favourite when you were young, a steakhouse strongly entwined with dozens of memories from your childhood. 

The perfect place to go as a celebration for stepping into real adulthood. 

“Yeah, I want to go!” You hesitated for a moment, playing with your next words in your head, wondering if it was right to voice them out loud when you were still uncertain of them. “We should stop by the bakery on the way, since it's nearby.” 

Both your mother and Sukuna regarded you with surprise. It was a place that you’d avoided like the plague since your father’s death, visiting only a handful of times when your aunt had been doing a preliminary cleanout of the place. Since then the building had stood silent, waiting for you to make a decision on what to do with it. 

“If…you’d like to.” Your mother was careful in her wording, clearly not sure what to make of it. Sukuna’s fingers interlaced with yours, giving your hand a soft squeeze in a silent show of support. 

He’d caught onto your intentions quicker than your mother had. 

“I just- I’ve been thinking about it. Thinking about what to do with it. But I don’t think I’ll really know until I go there. Today seems like as good a day as any.” 

Smiling, your mom offered you a nod. “If that’s what you’d like. I’ll go and pull the car around, you kids wait here.” 

Your mother scurried off through the crowd, and Sukuna gave you a tug on the hand, calling for your attention. You stared up at him through your lashes. “Sounds like you’ve maybe made a decision already?” He asked. 

“Maybe.” You responded shyly, playing with his fingers. “I just want to be sure.” 

—

Six months later you were standing in the centre of the bakery, staring up in dismay at the picture you’d hung up behind the counter. It was completely lopsided and, now you’d taken a step back, you could see that it wasn’t in the central position that you’d believed it to be when standing up close. 

The gap of wall to the right of the image was far larger than the gap on the left, leaving the framed image noticeably asymmetrical, which meant you were going to have to start again and put yet another nail in the wall. 

Perhaps you should’ve waited for Sukuna to get home from work like he’d suggested - hanging pictures really was a two person job, and for this one in particular it was important that you got the placement right.

It was a painting made by your father when you were young - a watercolour image depicting the outside of the very bakery that you were currently standing in. You’d found it when you and Sukuna had finally gotten around to clearing out the apartment above, recalling a fond memory of sitting across the road at your father’s side, painting away on your own little canvas while he rendered the masterpiece before you. 

The image captured a moment in time, and you could hardly believe that it had been left to gather dust in some storage cupboard upstairs. Now that he was gone, you wanted to display it as a way of honoring his memory, and where better to put it than within the bakery itself? 

Now that you were on the path to reopening the place with your own changes, it felt nice to have something displaying how it had looked before the bakery had fallen into your hands - almost like the soul that your father had curated was still there and shining on, even if he wasn’t there to tend to it himself. 

Letting out a sigh, you walked back over to the picture and took it down, using the back of your hammer to pry the nail out from the wall. Just as you were grabbing the measuring tape to give a third attempt at aligning the image properly, the bell jingled above the door and you peered over your shoulder to see your boyfriend. 

He looked as handsome as ever, with his pink hair a little tousled, his t-shirt sticking to him slightly thanks to the humidity which had stuck around into September. His red eyes were glimmering with interest as he observed the scene, and you were glad he hadn’t walked in two minutes earlier to witness how terrible a job you’d done of hanging the painting. 

He definitely would’ve made fun of you. 

“Hey, baby.” 

“Hey,” you said, throwing the measuring tape down and making a beeline for him, throwing your arms around his neck and pushing up onto your tiptoes to kiss him. “Good day?” 

“Pretty busy - glad it's the weekend.” he said with a sigh, his fingers instantly finding solace in your hair. He’d started his graduate scheme back in May, and while the money was good, the job was relatively demanding. 

Relaxing into his hug, you placed a couple of gentle kisses on his neck, amused at the way that he was leaning some of his bodyweight on you in exhaustion. “I can cancel with Yuki and Choso tomorrow if you want? Satoru and Suguru will be there to help anyway so I don’t think they really need us.” 

Sukuna scoffed. “No, it's fine. Satoru’s useless at moving boxes, he gets too distracted by things. I’ll have more energy tomorrow, I just need a good night’s sleep.” 

“If you’re sure?” 

“Always so worried about me,” he said, peering down at you with a smug smile. “So cute.” 

“Well, I also don’t want to move boxes so I suppose I have an ulterior motive.” You confessed with a giggle. Considering that you’d been spending all of your time clearing out and renovating a space you weren’t keen to spend your weekends doing more of the same. But you did adore Yuki, and if Sukuna was still up for it, you’d still be going. 

At least you could all hang out and have some pizza afterwards - that had been Choso’s promise to you in exchange for helping them move. 

“How cunning.” He laughed, kissing you on the forehead before moving his attention to the bookshelves lining the left wall. “Oh, you got more books?” Detangling himself from you, he walked over to get a closer look, scanning the additions to your collection. 

The bookshelves were one of the many features that you’d added to the bakery over the last few months. Rather than being a grab and go bakery, you were eager to rebrand it into more of a reading cafe, integrating your passion for literature into the space and giving patrons an opportunity to settle down with a book or magazine as they whiled away the hours with a coffee and pastry.

As such, you’d bought plenty of bookcases and magazine racks, and had spent the last few weeks filling them up as best you could. 

You’d mostly done that with the help of your aunt, moving collections of yours and your father’s books down from the apartment upstairs, as well as scouring various second hand stores to buy books as cheaply as possible. 

That project had been coming along well. 

You’d also used much of your inheritance to replace some of the furniture in the bakery - the tables and chairs which had been scattered haphazardly in the space before weren’t the most comfortable or aesthetically appealing items, so you purchased some nicer furnishings which matched the vibe you were going for. 

Despite the additions, the base that your father had created was still present, and you left the counter and wallpaper just as they’d always been. You didn’t want everything to disappear, you still wanted that familiarity of a place that you’d known your whole life. For that reason you were keeping the name too. 

You were just going to market it a bit differently once you were ready to open. 

“Oh, you put Ship of Theseus down here?” He asked, scanning along the spines of the newly added books. 

“Yeah, I can put it back upstairs if you want though? I just figured since we’ve both already read it we might as well leave it for someone else to take a look at.” 

“Yeah, it's fine. It just feels nostalgic. I think I was reading that the first time I met you.” 

You smiled at the memory, recalling how you’d been nervously shuffling about behind the counter as Sukuna had taken a seat and brought out a book which you certainly weren’t expecting a guy like him to read. 

God, you’d been so scared of him that day he’d first walked into the bakery. 

Now here he was, comfortably milling about in your shared space, inspecting the tiny additions that you’d made to the bakery that afternoon. Later that evening the two of you would go up to your shared apartment and cook dinner together, before watching some trashy TV, making out, and falling asleep in each other’s arms. 

The idea that you’d be here when you’d first met him a year and a half ago was unthinkable. 

“Want help with the picture?” He asked, gesturing towards the counter. 

“Please,” You said with a nod, stepping back and letting Sukuna get to work with the measuring tape, using the level to see how the picture would look on the wall and marking out the edges on the wallpaper with a pencil. He went about it in a far more surgical manner than you did. 

It really was better to leave it to him. 

Hammering a nail confidently into the wall, he turned to you for a moment. “Stand in the middle of the room for me, baby. You can let me know when it looks straight.” He lifted the framed painting onto the wall, adjusting it under your careful instruction until you were certain it looked right. 

Coming over to join you and review the placement himself, he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, gazing up at the painting hanging so nicely above the counter. 

“Happy?” 

You hummed, staring at it a little longer. The image always summoned a strange feeling in you - sorrow wasn’t quite the right word, for it was a warmer emotion than that - perhaps longing felt closer. It was nice to know that your father’s hands had crafted what hung in front of you, but it made you feel desperately sad all the same. 

“You don’t think my dad would be mad at all the changes, do you?” You asked, sweeping a hand in the direction of the bookshelves. 

It was a worry that had tugged at the edge of your mind for a while, one of the many fears that had held you back when making the decision as to whether you even wanted to keep the bakery. You knew you’d have to make changes, knew you’d turn it into a place for you, but it was hard wrestling with the idea that it would be a desecration of his memory. 

Perhaps you should’ve kept it pristine, just like in the painting. 

Your worries fled at the sound of Sukuna’s deep laugh, chuckling for a few moments before pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Baby, you could tear this place down and I don’t think he’d be mad at you. All he ever wanted was for you to be happy.” 

Letting out a huff of breath, you conceded to that without argument, because who could ever deny your father’s desires on that front?

“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” You whispered, leaning closer into Sukuna’s arm, basking in his familiar warmth.

And as you stared up at the painting, in the bakery that was all yours, with the man that you loved at your side, you could finally see for the first time that you were doing exactly what your father had always wanted.

You were happy. 

a/n: after almost a full year of writing this fic we're finally at the end. I started writing this at one of the hardest times in my life and it did so much to help me heal, it'll always hold a special place in my heart even if writing it grew difficult for me towards the end when I'd moved on from the feelings that made me write this in the first place.

I've had so many lovely messages throughout writing this fic, and I've been so moved by how many people going through grief have mentioned finding comfort in this story. I'm glad that it can provide happiness to others in the way that it did for me when writing it.

I'll probably do some one shots about these two in the future, but for now all of my focus will be on my other ongoing fic crazy in love, and a couple of other sukuna projects that I'm working on in the background.

thank you so much for reading and sticking with me throughout this journey, I appreciate all of you <3

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‘somewhere in northern italy…’ the familiar words flash across the screen of the cheap flat screen tv in your living room, the is sun peaking through the blinds, illuminating the room in golden beams of warmth. the air in your apartment smells like sweet vanilla and blueberry from the muffins you’d just baked and put in the oven.

it was that time of year where everything was a little bit looser, with the semester ending and summer break approaching, the days were longer, the sun set at 7pm and you found yourself smiling a bit more. the perfect time to rewatch “call me by your name” one of your favourite films ever.

you take off your baking apron, which was decorated with adorable little embroidery flowers along with mini kittens, a gift from sukuna. the same sukuna who was now about thirty minutes late after saying he was going to come over today so you guys could begin your annual summer festivities. it wasn’t unlike sukuna to be late, he always had something going on at the frat, but it was really irritating. i mean you didn’t even like blueberries that much, but you baked the muffins specifically because you knew how much sukuna liked them.

you grab a popsicle from your fridge and walk over to the couch, deciding you can’t be bothered to clean up the mess from baking, get comfy and resume watching the film. then about ten minutes later you’re heart almost jumps out of your chest when you hear the front door slam shut from down the corridor.

“i come in peace..and with snacks!” sukuna walks into the room, holding his hands up in surrender.

“oh my fucking gosh sukuna, are you trying to give me a heart attack or what?!” you jump, startled by the sudden commotion.

“shit my fault, forgot my bestfriend has a weak ass heart.” he chuckles, kicking his shoes off and already gravitating towards the kitchen to scavenge through your fridge.

“—wait. is that blueberry i smell?..” he says, sniffing the air.

“oh yeah, i baked muffins, butttt you don’t get any since you wanna’ be late again.” you shrug, turning your attention back to the film playing on the tv.

you were totally bluffing, you weren’t that evil, but you liked teasing sukuna.

“you wouldn’t..” he narrowed his eyes.

“oh i so would.”

“there’s no way in hell you can eat a whole batch by yourself anyway.” he shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the counter.

“you seriously underestimate me sukuna…in fact they should be done by now.” you reply, getting up off the sofa and pushing past sukuna peering into the oven at the golden treats.

you take them out the oven, careful not to burn yourself, and place them on the counter between the two of you. you pick up one of the muffins and slowly begin to take a big fat bite, all whilst staring sukuna right in his ruby red eyes.

“oh so you’re evil evil.” sukuna gasps.”

“mmmm~ so good.” you taunt, very proud with yourself.

“bro you don’t even like blueberries like that.” he retorts.

“i know, its for the love of the game.” you reply, a smirk making its way to your face as you wait for sukuna to give in.

a few seconds pass, then…

“fine dang it, you win y/n, what do you want from me, i’ll do anything for a taste of those muffins.”

got him. “hmm..i want a heartfelt sincere apology for you being late.” you reply.

sukuna raises on eyebrow, “really…? that’s it? an apology.?”

“yup, that’s it.”

“huh..alright bet, easy enough.” he says, standing up straight and clearing his throat very dramatically.

“i am so very, very sorry my amazing, wonderful, beautiful, talented, funny, smart and amazing at baking best friend for being late. i promise it won’t happen again.”

“how was that for an apology?” sukuna asks, looking exceedingly proud of himself.

“you’re so stupid” you can’t help but giggle as you grab a nicely designed ceramic plate from the cabinet behind you, plate up a couple of the muffins and push them towards sukuna.

“yeah and you love it.” he teases back with a mouthful of the dessert.

“you’re so lucky i do, idiot.” you roll your eyes at him, but can’t hide your smile.

because it was true, sukuna was an irritating idiot, but he was your irritating idiot and you wouldn’t have it any other way. you’ve known sukuna for as long as you could remember, but the memory of when you two met would forever be rooted in your brain chemistry.

you were in second grade and little you was sitting on the fake grass outside cross-legged. reading your favourite book, a habit that grew with you except now you’ve upgraded to novels and manga, whilst eating the packed lunch your mom made for you. when suddenly, the afternoon sun was blocked by a shadow. you look up from your book to see a little red haired boy with beautiful crimson eyes and mud on his knees holding a worm in front of your face.

“ewww! get that away from me, gross!” little you shrieks, inching away from the bug.

the boy only giggles, exposing his toothless grin and plopping down next to you on the grass, setting the little worm down somewhere in the distance.

“whatcha’ readin’?” he asks curiously, shuffling over even closer to get a closer look.

“dork diaries, my mommy bought it for me and its my favourite ever!” you exclaim, excited to finally be talking to another kid about something that interests you.

“huh.. that’s cool—anyway do u wanna’ play tag with me?” the boy asks.

“i don’t really like playing…” you continue to flip through the pages of your book, expecting the boy to leave and go continue playing with the other kids.

instead he pouts says, “awwh okay, can i read with you then?”

that shocked little you, because you weren’t used to people noticing you. you were always tucked away in the corner, nose buried in a different book, or drawing little doodles. you enjoyed your own company.

“you wanna read with me?…okay! but no more worms or creepy crawlies..” you scold, grinning from ear to ear at the excitement of someone wanting to talk to you.

“yayyy, and no more worms, i got it.”

he notices the lone blueberries left in your packed lunch and frowns.

“why aren’t you eating those blueberries?..they’re gonna feel sad if you don’t eat them!” he points to your pink lunchbox.

“that’s not true silly! and i don’t like blueberries they’re yucky and mushy…but you can have them if you want.” you giggle at the boys comment.

he doesn’t waste any time and takes a handful of the berries, stuffing them in his cheeks like a chipmunk. you burst out into fits of laughter, amused by the boy’s little act of stupidity and he follows shortly after.

you both sit there in the liquid gold sun, giggling till your stomachs hurt and your cheeks ache.

and ever since that day, you two were best friends. same middle school, same high school, and now same college. you smile at the memory, completely caught up in your own head forgetting you were still in the kitchen, the faint noise of the film on the tv forgotten, and the air warm with the lingering smell off sugar and blueberries.

“awe ya thinking about me?” sukuna coos, snapping you out of your daydream and back into the present.

“you wish, definitely not.” you scoff, walking back to the couch and plopping down with the rest of the muffins in hand.

which was a fat lie, because you totally were, but you weren’t gonna tell him that.

“yeah yeah, whatever.” he grins, following you over to the couch sitting next to you.

the sheer weight of him made the whole couch shift beneath you two and you catch yourself distracted by the way the light seemed to catch his eyes. sukuna was good looking, like really good looking, you weren’t going to lie to yourself and it wasn’t unknown news, everyone knew it including himself. you weren’t surprised why so many sorority girls would literally drool all over him, though sukuna never seemed to acknowledge them which you admired. ever since joining sigma rho he still stayed the same old sukuna, he didn’t change to fit in or fake being someone who he wasn’t.

“hey y/n, you good?..you keep zoning out like crazy..” sukuna speaks, once again snapping you out of your daydream.

“—what, oh yeah i’m fine, just tired or something.” you reply.

“yeah? you sure?” he moves closer and puts his arm around you pulling you into his side.

“i’m fine sukuna, promise.” you grin, shimmying out of his grip even though your attempts are futile due to his strength.

“good—oh shit yeah, i’ve been meaning to ask if you’d come to the frat party on saturday..” he asks, his arm still around you, but now his hand’s tracing patterns into your arm.

“sukuna—“ you start, already opposed to the idea.

“and before you say it, i know you hate the frat, and the parties—“

“and the people.” you add.

“and the people, but i really want you there y/n, seriously, hey who knows you might even enjoy it.”

“i don’t know…” you contemplate, considering the idea, but genuinely not wanting to deal with anything that goes on at those parties.

he pouts, “pleaseeeeee..”

“whatever, fine i’ll come, but you have to wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen in return.” you point to the mess still on the counter from your earlier baking.

he jumps up from his spot on the couch and gets straight to work, “yes ma’am.”

what an idiot. you think to yourself, grinning as you watch your best friend attempt to wipe flour off the counter, but only worsening it.

the sun begins to set, leaving the room painted in warm tones of gold and orange, as you sit back and already begin to dread this party you got yourself tied up in.

—————————————————————

it was saturday night and you were now smoothing out your hands on your outfit which you’d picked last minute, mini jean skirt, and your favourite light beige sweater which was decorated with small black cats all around it, all paired with a pair of uggs. you honestly didn’t even know what you were supposed to wear to frat parties, but you thought your outfit was cute and you felt confident. you even did your makeup a little differently and tried out a new hairstyle in hopes of trying to hype yourself a little.

you walked to the doorstep of the large house and stepped through the threshold.

shit.

you’re immediately hit in the face with bright fluorescent orange lights and the smell of alcohol. the booming sound of speakers blasting some rap song you’re not familiar with fill your ears as you try to move your feet and weave through the tight bodies already filling up the space.

you end up in the kitchen, where it’s a little calmer and hop up to sit on one of the kitchen stools. you take in the whole scene, couples eating off each other’s faces, freshman doing karaoke, a very intense game of beer pong. it was chaotic, and you don’t even realise your leg has started bouncing up and down and that you were fidgeting with your necklace, a nervous habit, till a familiar voice breaks you out of your trance.

“there’s my favourite girl.”

the voice startles you and you look up to see sukuna striding over to you, a smug smirk plastered on his face and red solo cup in hand.

“sukuna i fucking swear one of these days you’re deadass gonna’ give me a heart attack!” you yell over the music.

“glad to see you too.” he grins, thanks for actually coming.” he says, placing his free hand on the counter behind you, leaning closer so it was easier to hear.

“yeah well you didn’t really give me a choice did you.” you take the cup out of his hand and toss back the contents.

bad idea.

“ew oh my gosh what the fuck is that-“ you wince, take back by the sharp taste.

he snorts and takes the cup from your hand, “easyyyy, easy.”

you don’t even notice that you’ve still absentmindedly been bouncing your leg up and down till sukuna frowns and places a reassuring hand on your bare upper thigh.

the gesture makes your face heat up and your stomach flip. ‘stop. cut it out y/n.’ you think to yourself, it’s just the drink right?

“hey you okay?”

“—what, oh yeah just a little loud that’s all..” you dismiss, distracting yourself with your necklace once again.

“mm, you overwhelmed?” he asks, gently.

of course he knew exactly how you were feeling.

“yeah a little..i’ll be fine though.”

“promise?” he asks

“promise.” you reply.

sukuna knew that parties had never been your thing, ever since you were kids he found it cute how you’d always rather be reading, drawing or lost in your own little world. even though in high school, you broke out of your shell and became a lot more outgoing you still preferred to be in the comfort of your own home, that’s just who you were. and he loved it. he also could always tell what you were thinking or feeling just by you body language, years of observing your little habits meant that he knew you very well.

“alright good, tell ya’ what, we stay for an hour or two then after that i take you home, we get food and binge watch films of your choice.” he says, tracing small circles into your thigh.

you try and stifle a smile, he practically listed your ideal night, how could you say no?

“foul play, you used all the perfect buzzwords.” you grin

“nah, not my fault i know you so well.” sukuna smirks, pulling you onto your feet and leading you into the living room.

“alright c’mon drama queen, the guys are gonna think i dipped or somethin.”

—————————————————————-

sukuna leads you to a couch near the corner of the room where he sits down and drags you down with him and his arm snaking around your shoulders as you curl up into his side, knees up to your chest.

“cute sweater.” he teases, smiling down at the little black cats.

“you like it? it’s new, can you believe i got it fifty percent off?? such a steal.” you examine it once more.

you start rambling about things sukuna doesn’t even particularly care about, but he listens and watches the way your eyes light up and your smile gets bigger and brighter as you speak. it’s always been like this, you speak and he listens, getting lost in the sound of your voice and the gleam of your eyes, he loved it.

but his serenity is disturbed when he hears a yell from the other front room.

“satoru get off the fuckin’ chandelier you idiot!”

he groans, already dreading whatever bullshit he’s gonna have to deal with this time.

“—hold that thought, gotta go deal with these jackasses before one of ‘em breaks some shit.”

“okay, good luck.” you giggle.

sukuna enters the other room and immediately spots satoru, choso and suguru all sprawled out on the rug in front of the couch. satoru holding a half empty bottle of whiskey, suguru downing a beer and choso smoking a blunt.

he joins them on the floor, “so, the hell happened here then.”

“yo, ryo you should’ve fuckin’ seen it man, shit was hilarious.” choso drawls, smoke curling in the air around him.

“yeah i don’t even wanna know—damn satoru how much have you drank?” sukuna replies, eyeing the half empty bottle in his hands.

“pfftt, barely anything this is lightwork bro.” satoru slurs, proud smirk on his face.

“saw y/n here” suguru starts, tossing back the rest of his beer. “surprised she came.”

“hm? yeah, asked her to come.”

satoru snorts, “she has cats on her sweater right? damn, the girl’s cute as shit.”

“deadass, might need to invest in that i won’t lie.” suguru smirks, gaze falling back to the room you were in.

the fuck? sukuna wasn’t liking where this conversation was headed.

“what the fuck do you mean by that suguru?” he crosses his arms over his chest, eyes narrowing.

“he’s not wrong y’know, looks like the type to bake you cupcakes ‘nd shit.” choso adds.

“imagine a good fuck from her then getting some bomb ass cupcakes right after” satoru begins, taking another sip of whiskey. “that shit would be heaven.”

they had to be messing with him.

“what the hell is wrong with you guys? cut that shit out.” sukuna’s pissed now, “y/n doesn’t sleep around with fucking frat boys, she’s not like that.”

he stared at his three friends, completely baffled and disgusted at the way they spoke about you as if you were just another thirsty sorority girl. they didn’t get it, didn’t get you.

then all of a sudden the three burst into obnoxious laughter and sukuna deadpans.

“oh my god bro, you should’ve seen your face.” satoru chuckles, slapping his leg.

“i don’t get the joke.” sukuna spits.

“don’t worry man, we didn’t mean any of that crap.” suguru says, still clearly amused.

“yeah we were just tryin’ to confirm our suspicions on the fact you’re a hundred percent in love with y/n.” choso snorts.

oh.

sukuna didn’t even know what to reply to that because he could lie all he wanted, tell them it wasn’t true, but it wouldn’t get rid of that feeling in his heart, the one that wouldn’t leave him alone whenever he thought of you. who was he kidding? it was just normal affection anyone felt towards their best friend right? totally platonic…so why did he still feel that lingering ache in his chest.?

“whatever. i’m retiring for the night..later.” sukuna swiftly gets up and leaves, heading back to you.

“think we pissed him off?” choso asks.

“nah he’s mad cus’ he knows we’re right.” suguru takes the now empty bottle of whiskey from satoru who was now completely passed out.

—————————————————————

the party has died down a bit now, the music’s a little quieter and the atmosphere more relaxed. you’re still on the couch idly scrolling on your phone, to keep yourself from drifting off, when sukuna appears in front of you.

“oh there you are, thought i’d fall asleep before you got back.” you yawn.

“yeah sorry about that, they were being idiots as per usual.” he runs his hand down his face.

“i can imagine, anyway can we go now im like actually starving, anddd you owe me food.” you whine.

“of course you remember—was hoping you’d crash before we got to this stage.” he curses.

you giggle, “how could i, already thinking about what i want.”

“yeah i bet you are, love running my pockets don’t you.” he pulls you off the couch hand coming to wrap around your shoulders as you two walk towards the door.

you can only yawn in response, tiredness completely taking over as the cold night air sends shivers down your spine making you lean into the warmth of sukuna.

“you tired?” he asks, speaking into the crown of your head.

“hm..nuh uh.”

another yawn slips out, completely betraying your last statement.

“not tired huh? he snorts.

“shut up..”

“c’mon i know you just wanna get into bed, how about we reschedule our little evening and i make you ramen instead?” sukuna leans down to get a closer look at your face.

“fine…but i’m not forgetting that you owe me sukuna.” you look up at him, eyebrows raised.

“i know you won’t y/n, i know you won’t.” he grins.

—————————————————————

you reach your apartment, immediately kick your shoes off and run straight to your couch. your sunset lamp illuminates the room in a cool orange tone. sukuna follows shortly after sitting down on the couch right next to you. you crawl into his lap on instinct, your head resting on his hard chest. the position nothing new and familiar to you by now.

“so, how was your first frat party?” he asks, running a gentle hand down your back.

you hum, “okay i guess..still don’t know why you wanted me to come though..”

“cus i like having you around y/n, you know that…you just get me.” he says, hand still running up and down your back.

his words and the repeated sensation on your back give you those stupid butterflies again and make your face heat up. you try to stifle down the feeling and ignore it, because you know sukuna doesn’t think of you like that, ‘why the hell do i keep feeling like this?’ you knew damn why, but you wouldn’t say it out loud, not even to yourself, because saying it out loud is hard. so instead, you settle for humour and bury those feelings.

“don’t get all dramatic on me idiot.”

he faintly laughs at that, the sound almost not there, “not dramatic, just true.”

you smile into his chest, and you both sit there tangled up in each other, the sound of your breathing and cars passing in the distance and a million unspoken thoughts that neither of you brought up, but you have a feeling that things were changing.

—————————————————————

98% ~ amazing work y/n, great way to end the semester.

you’re standing in the middle of campus near the common area when the notification from student portal pops up. you reread the grade once, twice just to make sure you’re not hallucinating from the scorching heat beaming down on you. 98%. you passed. it felt like someone had just released the invisible strings that had been holding up your shoulders the whole semester. all the work you’d put into your final literature essay had paid off.

you couldn’t wait to tell sukuna, he’d promised that if you got over eighty percent on the essay he’d take you out anywhere and let you get anything you want. he had calculus right now so you rushes across campus with a smile plastered across your face.

you get to his class right in time, you see him speaking to gojo about something, and rush up to him.

“sukuna! sukuna look! i passed!” you squeal, shoving the phone in his face completely unable to contain your excitement.

“—woah, woah passed what, what am i looking at.” he asks, taking your wrist and steadying your shaky hand to get a better look.

“my english essay sukuna, i got a ninety eight!” you bounce up and down, steadying your hand so he can see.

“holy fuck, ninety eight? atta’ girl that’s amazing y/n, seriously.” he wraps you into a tight embrace, hugging you tightly.

the smile on your face is contagious as you pull back, “you know what this means right?”

“i sure do.” he sighs, “so what’s the first stop then.”

you tap your chin in contemplation, “hm..well i have been dying for a new pair of jeans..oh my god and there’s this new book place that opened..”

sukuna can’t help but smile at your enthusiasm, “god what have i got myself into..lead the way.”

—————————————————————

you drag him all the way your favourite book store off campus for your first stop. the place has that nostalgic orange lighting, with decorative signs and retro furniture in every corner. whimsy lamp posts and wooden bookshelves filled to the brim with different copies of literature are on display as you walk in.

“this place is literally you.” he states, taking in the whole scene.

“what does that even mean dude?” you look at him, one eyebrow raised.

“just like if you were a store this is what i’d imagine it to look like.”

“yeah okay whatever that means sukuna.” you roll your eyes and grin.

you take his hand in yours and lead him to the back of the store where the largest bookshelf resides.

the keychains on your backpack jingle as you excitedly move and grab every single book you’ve read that you can spot and start explaining the plot to him.

“….and then it’s like so cute because—hey are you listening??” you wave the book in front of his face.

“huh..yeah, yeah of course keep going i was interested.” sukuna blurts out.

which was a massive lie, because he was way to busy watching the way your lips moved as you spoke, how your pretty little eyes looked up and batted your eyelashes at him. he was mesmerised, you were beautiful, the way the sun made you glow you looked like a fairytale. he wanted so badly to just take your face and kiss those lips till all he could remember was the taste of your lipgloss—pause. what the fuck? this was y/n, his best friend y/n, so why was his heart suddenly beating and his face hot?

“sukuna, you alright? your face is like crazy red..” you ask, snapping him out of his daydream.

“oh yeah, nothin’ it’s just mad hot in here.” he shrugs, lying through his teeth.

“hm yeah it is..i’m almost done in here anyway, gonna get these two.” you grab the books and place them under your arm.

“alright let’s get outta here before i pass out please.” he begs.

you wait patiently by his side as sukuna pays for your books, then you two exit the shop and step back into the summer air. it’s the brink of the evening by now and the sun is ever so slightly beginning to set leaving behind a refreshing breeze that cools you down.

“thank you, i’m so excited to read these..you’re hearing all about them by the way.” you grip onto his arm as you two begin walking down the pavement.

“no worries, you deserve it im proud of you forreal, for acing that essay.” he says looking down at you with so much admiration in his eyes.

“thanks sukuna.” you reply, squeezing his arm.

“so where to next, miss shopaholic.” he sighs.

“hmm y’know i’m kinda tired of shopping, oh i know, can we go to that gelato place down the street?” you ask.

“fuck yeah, i’m down for some ice cream.” sukuna replies, a big grin appearing on his face.

“of course you’re smiling..” you roll your eyes, but can’t help but grin.

you two begin walking down the street to the gelato place, your still gripping his arm as you watch the cars drive by and the trees sway in unison to the wind. it was getting a little darker now, so that cool summer breeze began to pick up.

you loved summer, something about the way the sun shined and left the streets glittering, the way people gathered in the parks for picnics everyday and you woke up already feeling tranquil.

your heavy bag filled with textbooks and notebooks started to make your back ache, so you fidget a little in futile attempts to get comfortable.

sukuna, noticing your squirming, asks “want me to carry your bag?”

“no it’s okay, super heavy you’d probably struggle.” you tease.

“pfftt, i take that as a challenge.”

sukuna reaches behind you and grabs your backpack off of your shoulder with ease.

“super heavy huh?” he smirks.

“whatever, try carrying it on your back the entire day.” you roll your eyes.

you reach the ice cream shop and immediately go to the counter to look at the variety of flavours. you loved looking at the different colours laid out in front of you, it gave you that nostalgic feeling for some reason. you already have your order ready, you always get the same thing—vanilla.

“you ready?” sukuna asks.

“yeah.” you go to order and then tap your card, but sukuna beats you to it.

“i got it, your treat remember..plus i still owe you.” he nudges your shoulder.

he watched your smile grow as you both got handed your ice cream and you turn to him with those pretty eyes of yours and say “thank you, you’re the best.”

well shit. he was definitely blushing again.

“no problem y/n..don’t know why you always get plain vanilla though.” he teases, leading you two out of the shop back into the summer breeze.

“says you, i don’t know how you always get blueberry…i mean who even eats blueberry ice cream?” you shoot back.

you two settle on thee edge of the curb near the small beach a few miles off campus.

“don’t knock it till you try it sweetheart.” he takes a big bite into the scoop.

you’re close enough to be able to hear the calming crash of waves against each other and smell the salty smell of the sea water. you’re so engrossed in the hypnotic scene that you don’t even realise the vanilla ice cream was dripping down your chin.

“messy ass eater..” sukuna teases, tilting your face towards him and running his thumb across your bottom lip, wiping up the mess and then licking it off his finger.

you stare at him, butterflies again. those stupid butterflies and that fluttering feeling in your stomach that can’t seem to leave you alone no matter how much you push it down. it would only get bigger and bigger, leave a lingering feeling that got stronger everytime you were near him. you yearned for his warmth, his hands in yours, his lips on yours. the feeling was suffocating, but you couldn’t say anything, wouldn’t say anything because if you did it would only make things complicated and you didn’t want to risk losing him, it would kill you. so you just push it down and pray.

“shut up..” you mutter, turning your face away from him in embarrassment so he can’t see how much he’s affected you.

but you’re then distracted when the cutest most tiny little ball of fur strolls up to you.

“oh my god! sukuna look at it, s’ a kitty!” you squeal, passing your melting ice cream over for him to hold.

the little creature meows and crawls into your lap like you’re a cushion.

“awhh, hi there little one, you’re so adorable aren’t you?” you coo, stroking the kitten.

“it kinda looks like you” you say to him.

he raises his eyebrows, “did you just compare me to a kitten?”

the cat had reddish-ginger fur with little white spots all around it. it did sort of resemble sukuna.

“it does, except it’s way cuter.” you giggle.

“liar.” he grins, poking you in the side.

the kitty meows once again and hops out of your lap, running off somewhere in the distance.

“awh, bye bye.” you wave as the little feline runs off.

you take the rest of your ice cream back and then sukuna speaks.

“y/n?” he says, staring off into the distance.

“hm?” you’re preoccupied with finishing off your dessert without any of it dripping onto you.

“what do ya’ wanna do after college?..”

the question surprises you and you turn your head towards him.

“after?..i don’t know, i mean i’ve always wanted to travel, who knows maybe i’ll visit italy or something…”

travel with you, is what you really want to say. be with you, is what your heart desires.

“what about you?..” you ask, almost a whisper.

“i don’t really know to be honest..probably stay here.” he shrugs.

travel. travelling means leaving, means leaving him behind, he thought. he didn’t want that, he needed you with him, it’s always been like that, you and him.

you hum as you two sit there, and let the ocean carry away the weight of all the things you haven’t said, let the wind calm the storm inside your head.

—————————————————————when you get back to your apartment, you head to your room and get changed into your pyjamas as sukuna crashes on the couch, exhausted from the day.

you walk out into tiny polka dot sleep shorts and a matching thin tank top, perfect for hot summer nights.

shit. sukuna couldn’t help but stare at your perfect legs and the perfect swell of your breasts under your tank top—there it was again. those thoughts that normal people were definitely not supposed to be having about their best friend. but then again his head was a mess, a whirlpool of emotions and unsaid thoughts and feelings. he knew what it was deep down, but he chose to say nothing. it was easier keeping it all to himself than loosing you and ruining what you two had because you didn’t feel the same way.

but it was killing him, he was pent up, he hadn’t even looked at another girl let alone touched one for ages, and he now realised why. plus, the sexual desire he felt for you wasn’t making anything easier.

you cross the room, sit next to him and throw your legs over his lap. “you gonna crash here tonight?” you ask.

“uh yeah if that’s cool.” sukuna picks up the remote and switches on the tv, needing a distraction from the way your ass was rubbed up right against his hip.

“yeah, cool just don’t steal all the blanket this time or you’re getting kicked in the stomach.” you snort, snatching the remote from him.

“god you’re mean.” he grins

“you wouldn’t have it any other way, don’t lie.” you look up at him.

“got me there”

you’re both drifting asleep slowly, some cheesy rom-com playing on the tv when you hear sukuna speak tiredly.

“frat’s throwing an end of semester mixer..you gonna come?”

“another party? i’ll pass..” you say, rubbing the tiredness from your eyes.

“c’mon please, it’ll be less chaotic this time jus’ a small mixer with some of the other frat’s and sororities.” he pleads, caressing your leg.

“when is it?”

“two days away, sunday.”

“shit i can’t anyway, that’s my designated cleaning day..and i’m baking that day, sorry.” you say.

“man, gonna fuckin hate it if you’re not there.” he groans.

you giggle, “you’ll be fine drama queen..”

you drift off to sleep like that.

—————————————————————-

sunday

sukuna’s on the couch at the mixer, red solo cup in hand even though he hasn’t drank anything since he got it. he didn’t want to be here, being forced to make conversation with neighbouring frat members whose names he wouldn’t even remember in an hour, and a blonde sorority chick wouldn’t leave him alone. her high pitched voice going on about wanting to “get away from the party for a while”. everything was pissing him off and he just wanted to be back at your place arguing about something stupid whilst he helps you mix brownie batter.

“hiiii sukunaaa.” the blonde was back again, clearly a few drinks in.

he doesn’t even look her away, just returns a slight nod.

“you look a bit down, need me to cheer you up a bit?” she winks.

he looks at her now, expression stoic “how you gonna cheer me up huh?”

“why don’t you come find out…” she purrs, her hands all over him now, feeling up his arms, his chest, everywhere.

he feels sick. but for some fucked up reason he abides, he gets up and walks towards the staircase looking back at the girl.

“you comin’ or what?”

—————————————————————-

as soon as he enters some random bedroom on the second floor, the girl pounces on him, all teeth, nipping at ever inch of skin. sukuna can only stand there, his mind in a completely different dimension.

y/n.

that’s all he can think off as the blonde steps back and frantically removes her tank top.

y/n.

she pulls him onto the bed, her hands everywhere, reaching under his shirt searching for any inch of skin. your smile, your laugh, your face, your voice is all he can see. images of you in the apron he gifted to you, baking muffins and singing along to your favourite songs in your kitchen flash through his mind.

he doesn’t want this, never wanted this, the girls perfume is way to sweet, nothing like you.

“y/n.” he says out loud this time.

“what..?” the blonde scoffs, pausing.

“get off me, i need to go.” he spits, shoving the girl off and running out the room.

“whatever.” she rolls her eyes, putting her shirt back on.

sukuna runs down the stairs of thehouse, his heart pulsing and stomach turning. his own heartbeat is so loud in his ears that he doesn’t even realise that satoru was calling after him.

“—sukuna where you goin’ man?”

“think he finally came to his senses?” choso asks.

“hundred fuckin’ percent.” suguru replies watching his friend leave through the door.

sukuna feels sick to his stomach and he doesn’t even realise his feet are moving in the direction of you apartment. what the fuck was he doing? he knew exactly what he was doing, he thought that maybe he just needed a distraction, that he was pent up and needed release, so he tried to. but it wasn’t you and that made him want to throw up, but why? why? why? why.

“i’m in love with y/n.” he finally says, barely a whisper

“i love y/n.” he says again, louder now like he’s finally allowing himself to feel.

his feet are moving even faster now and his mind’s going at a hundred miles per hour, he couldn’t hide it anymore, couldn’t push it down, it was killing him.

he reaches your apartment in no time, enters the lift and pushes the button to the correct floor. he doesn’t even bother knocking, just uses the spare key you gave him for emergencies and busts the door open.

you’re vacuuming the floor when you hear it and it startles you so bad, you genuinely think someone’s breaking in.

“oh my fuck, sukuna you actually want me dead don’t you…—“

your words are cut off when he runs up to you and captures you in the tightest embrace you think you’ve ever felt. his face buried in the crook of your neck and hands squeezing your torso so tight, his breathing ragged and uneven.

concern starts to flood your mind and you run your hands through his hair in attempt to get him to calm down.

“sukuna you’re scaring me…what’s wrong why aren’t you at the mixer?..”

a few seconds of silence pass..

but then ever so quietly that you think you’re hearing things, “i’m in love with you y/n.”

you must be hearing things, you’ve finally reached the hallucination stage.

“what?..” you whisper.

he finally looks up, tears, in his eyes as he says, “y/n, i love you. you’re the only one i want, whether or not that’s as best friends or more. i need you.” his voice is so small, you’ve never seen him so emotional.

he continues, “i think i’ve loved you ever since that day in second grade on the grass, i didn’t go back and play tag with the others for some reason, but i’m glad i didn’t.”

it feels like you’ve finally come up to shore after drowning in your feelings for ages. “you’re stupid sukuna…why didn’t you tell me earlier.”

he drops his head back onto your shoulder, “i know i am, i didn’t say anything because i didn’t wanna ruin anything.”

your heart breaks, “if you’d told me earlier i wouldn’t have had to push my feelings so far down either.”

he looks into your eyes, the ones he wishes he could get tattooed onto the backs of his eyelids so he could stare at them forever.

“what do you mean?” he mutters.

“i love you too idiot, have loved you forever.” is the last thing you say before your lips are on his.

the kiss is electric, so full of years of longing and unspoken feelings it feels like you can finally breathe properly again. sukunas hands are everywhere, trying to literally climb into your skin as your hands come up to run through his hair, you tug on the crimson locks and that earns a satisfied groan from him. he’s leaving trails of kisses down your neck, on your cheeks, anywhere he can. and you’re moving towards the couch before you even know it.

your back hits the couch and sukunas lips are on yours again, his tongue grazing your bottom lip, wanting in. you feel his tongue exploring the inside of your mouth before the kiss is broken and you’re both left panting. sukuna hovers over you and lifts his shirt over his head exposing his tan chest, and abs. you trace over the few tattoos painted across his body, mesmerised.

“careful, you’re drooling baby.” he smirks.

“shut up, i’m not.” you roll your eyes, leaning up on your elbows to remove your thin tank top.

you discard your shirt somewhere on the floor, leaving you in just your lacy bra and tiny pyjama shorts.

“fuckin’ hell you’re perfect..” he breathes, eyes taking in your figure.

“who’s drooling now?” you tease back.

“damn right i am, please i need to taste you baby, please can i?” he’s already trailing down your body and sliding your shorts off.

he settles between your legs, fingers running along the waistband of your underwear as he leans in and licks a long stipe along your clothed pussy through the fabric. sukunas eyes blow wide and light up in pure ecstasy as he continues licking through the now soaked fabric.

“…fuckk, so good. who knew my best friend had such an amazing pussy.” he groans.

your legs wrap around his head, the sensation sending vibrations through your whole body.

“take em off, sukuna, stop being such a t-tease..” you whine.

he removes his mouth from the soaked fabric, “didn’t hear the magic word in there baby.”

such a tease.

“p-please ‘kuna” you manage to force out.

all his restraint disappears at the use of the nickname and he hooks his fingers under the waist of your underwear and drags them down your legs, the damp fabric sticky due to the mix of your arousal and his saliva.

he eats you out like he’s been starved for days, tongue plunging in and out of your sopping cunt, wet lewd noises fill the air. the pleasure is only added to when he adds two fingers, starts thrusting them in and out of you and his thumb starts circling you sensitive clit.

“mm—close ‘kuna ‘m so close don’t stop..” you moan, your legs beginning to shake around his head and your toes curl in the air.

“yeah? that’s it, that’s my girl, cum on my tongue baby, give it to me..” he rasps.

the vibrations against your pussy send you over the edge as you orgasm. sukuna doesn’t stop, only continues eating you through it, lapping up all your juices with a satisfied moan.

he doesn’t waste any time and’s already unbuckling his belt and pulling his jeans and boxers down, freeing his thick cock. and oh was he massive, his cock was girthy and a little curved, the tip flushed a bright red and already dripping pre down to the base. he jerk it a few times, smearing pre cum all over all whilst staring at you with that sultry look and those enchanting ruby eyes.

“holy fuck you’re big..” you didn’t even realise you spoke aloud.

“yeah? don’t worry baby i know you can take it.” he mutters, leaning down to catch you in another deep kiss.

he spreads your legs wider and starts lining his cockhead against your entrance.

“i’ll go slow yeah? tell me if it’s to much okay baby?” he mumbled into the crook of your neck, thumbs rubbing circles into your hips.

you nod, already feeling the stretch as he pushes in inch by inch, your back arches and your eyes snap shut as you feel sukuna fill you. he bottoms out and his forehead drops against yours, both of you panting.

“you good? want me to move?”

you nod, the pain fading away and being replaced by pure pleasure and need.

he smirks, “use your words baby, wanna hear you say please.” he moves his hips in little circles, teasing.

“f-fuck how much times are you gonna make me beg…please sukuna need you.” you plead.

“that’s my girl.” he grins.

his hips start moving, slow thrusts at first then his pace picks up, brutal thrusts angled so perfectly they hit that sweet spot. you cover your mouth in attempt to muffle the lewd sounds you’re making.

“nah, don’t do that baby, let me hear those cute noises, let everyone hear how good i’m making you feel.” sukuna grits out, gripping your hips so tightly you’re certain it’ll bruise.

your eyes roll to the back of your head ad he continues thrusting and your hands fly to his back, scratching up and down trying to find anything to grip onto. sukuna’s completely rambling now, praise flying out every second, completely lost in pleasure.

“so so good, fucking pussy’s so tight and warm, so good for me aren’t you? yeah fuuckk me.”

your release is close, but too fucked out to even form coherent sentences you can only babble and make little noises, “close ‘kuna, so closee—so deep”

“yeah? me too baby, f-fuck, where do you want it?

“i-inside please, need you inside—“ you moan.

as soon as those words leave your mouth both of you cum at the same time, sukuna’s hot seed spilling inside of you, and you soaking his dick.

he lets out a string of praise, “fuck i love you, love you so much, so perfect for me”

and then he collapses next to you on the couch, pulling out and watching his seed drip onto the cushions beneath you.

“..you okay? i didn’t hurt you or anything did i?” he asks, sitting up on one elbow.

“i’m perfect ‘kuna.” you press a light kiss to his cheek.

“good—let me clean you up.” he jumps up and heads to the bathroom to get towels.

he returns and you sit up, allowing him to clean up the mess you two made off of you.

“can’t believe you couldn’t tell i was in love with you dummy” you poke him in the stomach.

“same here baby, why do you think i always wanted you at those parties.” he grins back.

you laugh and put your pyjamas back on, sukuna does the same and you curl up next to him on the couch like you always do, except now things were way different and instead of that heavy burden you felt free, comfortable.

the sound of cars driving past in the distance and college kids laughing outside filled the air as you two sat there.

“y’know..im looking forward to our sleepovers way more now..” sukuna says smugly.

“you perv.” you can’t help but chuckle.

“yeah you’re stuck with me forever now baby, maybe we’ll even go to italy together.”

“oh gosh, what have i got myself into..” you playfully reply, rolling your eyes up at him.

“love you y/n.” he kisses your forehead.

“love you too idiot.” you reply.

and as the sun sets, you know you’re going to remember this summer for the rest of your life.

You tried to put up a fight, you really did, but it was all just a waste of time and energy. 

You offered to sign an NDA, to which you got laughed at by Sukuna and all of his men. NDA’s protected secrets like affairs, not criminal activity. Not that you’d know, you weren’t a fucking law student.

Then you tried crying– saying you were just trying to get by and that you had no reason to go off and snitch on him. You just wanted to live a peaceful life, you didn’t bother anyone. You quickly sucked it up after realizing he enjoyed watching others cry. He even encouraged you to keep going, all while there was an evil twinkle in his eye, the biggest smile on his face showing off his perfectly straight and glittering white teeth.

And how could you ever forget the hunger strike? That didn’t last long either. Sukuna found out you were refusing to eat, going as far as throwing away all the meals you were served in the same minute you got them. He woke you up that night by barging into your room with multiple boxes of take-out. 

This is where the annoying portion of his shitty personality comes in– he sat across from you and began to slowly eat, not holding out on expressing how good the food was after each bite. The room was excruciatingly quiet too, you heard each crunch and he eventually heard your stomach growl. 

He got you to eat in the end, just not any of the take-out he used to persuade you with. 

“Sorry sweetheart, bad girls don’t get rewarded,” is what came out of his mouth when he handed you a plate of dry chicken and rice. You wouldn’t be surprised if he cooked it himself too. 

You are going to die here.

It's harsh reality that eventually settled in for you. You do your best to accept it, knowing you’ll perish in the home of someone who playfully taunted you once with food. It’s almost laughable, it would be if you didn’t have to circle back to the fact that he’ll probably be the one to watch you take your last breath.

Each time you clean blood up off the floor, you hope it’s the final straw that makes your brain finally realize just how traumatizing it is. You hope it goes into overdrive, just so that the next time you have to stand before a presumably innocent person’s blood, you are numb and dissociated enough to clean up his mess without a thought.

But nothing ever changes, it’s always just as filthy and disgusting as the time before, holding back on a gag or several when you first get started with mopping his white marble floors. His home was too beautiful for all the bloodshed that happens in it, the only reason why it’s not riddled with angry spirits is because he has a shaman come in frequently to spiritually cleanse the place. 

You spend most of your nights trying to figure out why he keeps you here, he has plenty of unpaid maids already. He has more of a reason to keep them instead of you, he’s saved them from their lives one way or another and they are more than happen to serve him. Not that you didn’t need to be saved, you absolutely did, you were drowning in debt from student loans. 

But still, you’d take your old life any day over being a literal modern-day slave, at least you would’ve been able to still go to the liquor store and grab a bottle of vodka to wash your worries and pain away. 

But now you are painfully sober, mainly by choice. You’ve declined Sukuna the couple of times he’s offered you a drink, you didn’t trust him enough to believe that he wouldn’t slip something in there. Except there’s something that tells you he was the type of person to use a psychedelic over something else, just so he could watch you have a bad trip and laugh about it the whole time. 

Some days you’re convinced that he just wants someone to tease and make fun of while he’s home, kind of like an extra source of entertainment for when he gets bored of scrolling through tiktok. 

Like a pet. 

He ignores most of the workers, but you? He makes it his life’s mission to get under your skin, he taunts you for sport. 

He’ll come up behind you, childishly flicking your ear, poking the side of your waist, lightly pulling your hair. Then there’s his favorite, dropping a random object on the floor or counter when you think you’re alone in a room, just so he could startle you. He laughs at your pain and frustration everytime he does it, yet you can’t say anything because he’ll probably torture you.

“Mr. Sukuna is requesting your presence.” One of the many staff members knocks on your door and says. 

More like demanding, but you had no choice either way. So you drag your feet down the long, cold hallway and into his office filled with many books that you doubt he’s ever touched, let alone read. To no one’s surprise, he’s been patiently waiting. As always, he's leaning back in his chair with his feet kicked up on the table, absolutely no care in the world.

“Took your sweet time getting here, didn’t ya’?” He says with a smug look on his face. 

“Of course not.” You respond dryly. “May I ask why you requested my presence?” 

“No you may not.” His tone is even drier. “Have a seat.” He says, gesturing at the leather chair in front of him.

You continue to look at him reluctantly, all while he continues to encourage you to take a seat. His words blend together in your brain, translating to one big ‘pspspspsps’ because that’s how he makes you feel at this point, a fucking pet.

What could he possibly want this time?

He says nothing at first and just continues to stare you down. It’s not uncomfortable anymore, you got used to it after a month of staying here. You’ve been here for 7 months now, what used to be a painful silence accompanied by your racing heart and barely contained fidgeting has turned into a waiting game– sometimes he’ll speak after 3 minutes, other times longer. One time he didn’t say anything at all and just had you sit in front of him for a whole hour– once the timer was up, he excused you. 

You really thought about saying something to him about it that day, but decided to hold your tongue. It’s not like you had anything else to do, your life revolved around him and his orders. 

“Did you miss me while I was gone?” He smirks as he asks. He already knows the answer to that, but wants to watch you struggle as you lie straight to his face.

You try your best to hold back a scowl, apparently he likes it when women look at him with disdain and you do not want to give him that pleasure. “I don’t think a week is long enough to miss anyone, Sir.” 

“Yes it is.” He refutes, sitting upright in his chair. “My girlfriends usually start to miss me after 2 days.” 

Your eyes almost roll into the back of your head when he says that, he treats those poor women like shit and they just eat up. “Must I remind you that I’m literally one of your victims, not one of your girlfriends.” 

There she is, he thinks to himself. He likes it when you get all sassy with him, especially when he’s trying to be nice to you. “You are neither.” He corrects you, then plops a wrapped gift on to his cherry wood desk. “I would’ve never gotten you these if you were.” He adds, sliding the mystery gift toward you. 

“What is it?” You ask, not as excited or pleased as he’d like you to be over his kind gesture. 

“Maybe if you opened it, you’d find out.” He says condescendingly. “Go on– don’t let my efforts of trying to be a better boss go to waste.” 

“More like my abductor.” You mutter to yourself, making the man chuckle because he knows it’s true. You slide the gift closer to yourself and pull the ribbons string, quickly undoing the shitty bow that he most likely tied together himself. 

Under the wrapping paper is a collection of books, you don’t know if you should be happy or even more disgusted by him. There’s a part of you that feels excited, you’ve missed reading. You’ve never asked to read any of the books he has, because fuck him, and you didn’t have a phone that you could go online and read free books from. 

But on the other hand, “Did you get me a collection of Dostoevsky books just so I could be in even more despair?” You’re quick to accuse him. 

“What? No.” He grimaces, you can’t tell if he’s lying or not.

“Then why did you get me these?”

“You were a student before I took you in, no?” He clasps his hands behind his head. “Just thought you’d like ‘em.” He simply says. 

You turn your attention back to the books, there’s 5 of them and it’ll probably take around a month to read through all of them– not bad. But you still don’t trust him. “What do you want?”

“Well, right now I want you to stop asking all these stupid questions.” He answers sourly, clearly a little offended that you weren’t showing more joy over his gift. Who knew the man could be this sensitive, you watched him cut someone's fingers off last month for fucks sake. “Do you want them or not? ‘Cause I can toss them in the fireplace right n–”

“No need.” You chirp out, grabbing the collection and plopping it on your lap. “You already got them, might as well read them.” You casually say, biting back on thanking him because that was the last thing you wanted to say. 

“Great.” He begins to look at you expectantly.

“Mhm.” You respond through shut lips. “Well– I should uhm… probably get back to work.” 

He nods and agrees, “You probably should.” You move to get up, but are quickly stopped when he continues to speak. “Buuut if you say thank you, I’ll let you take the day off.” He offers. 

You almost want to laugh at him for that, “Seriously?”

“Yup.” He pops the ‘p’. “C’mon, I know you want the day off, just say it.” 

“..Thanks.” You mutter under your breath. 

“What? Sorry, didn’t hear that.” 

“Thank you.” You say a little louder and it puts a smirk on his face. 

He leans forward, planting his elbows on the desk. “Knew you could do it, guess I just had to talk you through it a little bit.” 

It sends a slight shiver down your spine, he’s never been that suggestive with you, ever. Before you even get the chance to process it, he goes back to his cold, distant demeanor that he presents to the world and excuses you from his presence.

—

Your wish of wanting him to leave you alone more was surprisingly granted. Work is still as difficult as always, but ever since he gifted you those books, he’s moderately toned down the daily torment towards you. No longer poking you or tugging at your hair. 

But the sly, unsolicited comments still persist. You’re used to them though, they’re more like background noise to you at this point. 

Your duties for today were dusting and polishing the wine glasses that literally nobody uses. You decide to go with your first task– there was something about ruffling the feather duster that was oddly satisfying to you. Or maybe you were just going stir-crazy in this place, who knows. 

“Oh- sorry.” You mutter after realizing you had just intruded in on one of Sukuna's meetings. He usually has them in his office, not the entertainment room. 

“It’s fine.” He dryly mutters, not bothering to spare a glance towards you. “You can continue.” 

You nod in response before making your way to the corner shelf. The only good thing about him was that he generally didn’t berate his workers in front of others unless it was called for, which was great since his actions usually set the precedent for how his guests treated them.

Aside from the frequent blood spillage, the mansion was honestly pretty clean, so you didn’t have to put that much work into tasks like dusting. You doubt there was any dust on the shelf or the items on it to begin with, so you worked quickly but quietly– drowning out the voices that filled the room until they morphed into muffled sounds in your focused state. It was almost kind of nice, until one of the men in the room directed his attention toward you.

“I think you missed a spot sweetheart.” He says. You’ve witnessed enough of these meetings to know that he’s not one of the big guys in charge– most likely a newbie, a little henchman. 

Even if he was a new face, you still weren’t used to any of them directly speaking to you, so you stopped and looked up at Sukuna. It wasn’t an act of defiance this time, you were more so just looking at him for direction. 

"Keep cleaning." Sukuna murmurs, still not bothering looking your way. He decides to ignore the whole thing, hoping that was just a one and done comment. He trusts Akiro will deal with his little recruit later, just not now when they’re trying to handle some business. 

But sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to, even he isn’t prone to situations like this. 

“Nope– still haven’t quite gotten it, maybe you should bend over a little bit more, I’m sure that’ll help.” He smirks and comments again, because that’s how untrained dogs are, they continue their bad behavior until you correct them. 

You don’t even look at Sukuna this time and continue to clean despite how shaky your hands start to become. Anger begins to slowly boil up in your chest. It was like being back with the Zenin’s all over again— the harassment, the small degrading comments. 

Sukuna notices that– he also notices how the little fucker won’t stop eyeing you up and down, eye-fucking you, thinking about you in ways that he shouldn’t. Doesn’t matter if you’re not with Sukuna romantically, you’re still his– you belong to him. 

As fucked up as it may sound, only he’s allowed to do that to you. And even then, he doesn’t.

Since Akiro refuses to train his new dog, he figures it’s his job to do so, which is why he takes it upon himself to grab the nearest vase and breaks it over the kids head. Before anyone could blink, there were shards scattered all across the floor. Around everyone's feet and just inches away from where you were standing.

Everyone of course flinches, because he did that shit without a warning, not even changing the bored expression on his face once. It’s that one quality that’s made him so successful in his line of work– his unpredictability. There’s no point in guessing what he’d do, you just pray he’s not feeling extra self-indulgent that day. He’s a glutton for violence and enjoys what he does– worse than his father who just wanted to get the job done. 

No one in the room makes a sound– especially not you. You stand still in place, watching the blood begin to trickle down the guy's forehead as he laid over the shards, groaning over the pain that began to kick in. His head stung more and more with each second that passed, he needed a vicodin or something the moment he got home. 

That’s if he even makes it home. 

Sukuna cuts the tension by directing his attention back to Akiro, who can’t help but bow his head down, out of fear of being next. “Why did you bring him here?” 

“Just moved up in the ranks, Sir. We made the mistake of promoting him.” Akiro’s quick to take responsibility for the decision. Taking accountability like that will more likely increase his chances of getting out of here unscathed.

Sukuna lets out a low laugh, an insulting one. “Recruiting him was the real mistake. My men would still be standing if I busted a vase over their heads.” He then turns to the half-conscious man on the ground. He stands over his body and without bothering to kneel down, says “Apologize to her.”

He forces himself to get up, which takes a good amount of effort, and bows before Sukuna instead. He expresses his deepest apologies for acting out of line, and everything else you’d expect someone to say towards a man with a murder count that was unmatched. The words have no meaning to Sukuna, but his lips do quirk up for a split second, he loves it when people bow down to him. But it wasn’t about him this time, it was about you. 

“No.” Sukuna finally says after letting the guy ramble for what seems like forever. “Apologize to her.” 

He then reluctantly turns to you, with his eyes glued to the ground, and mutters an apology that was half of the one he gave to Sukuna. He didn’t like that and kicks the kid in the stomach. “I didn’t hear you. Again.”

“I-I’m sorry.” The boy heaves. “I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t have done that.”

You don’t acknowledge it and continue to clean. He didn’t mean it, you wouldn’t even be surprised if he wished you were dead right now since he couldn’t get away with being a fucking pervent towards you. 

“Now get out.” Sukuna harshly orders. He watches the man get up from the ground and stumble out of the room with his head down, with the rest of the men following suit. You wait a bit for them to leave before making your exit as well, wanting to avoid them when you finally do so. 

“I didn’t say you could leave.” Sukuna mutters, pouring himself a glass of scotch. 

“Right.” You say in response, slightly shaken up from the scene you had just witnessed, it never gets easier. You watch as he slowly fills his glass, unable to tell what he was thinking right now. 

“You okay?” He finally asks, putting the crystal decanter back down onto the mini bar.

“Uhh– yeah.” You usually have something smart to say in response, but you’re kind of at a loss for words right now over why he did that. “Not that big of a deal. His words I mean. Not that disrespecting you is okay, but I’m not– sorry, I’m fine.” 

For once he patiently listens to you as you struggle to come up with a response, more so because he’s pretty sure you’re scared of offending him right. He surprisingly doesn’t want you to feel that way right now. 

“Alright.” He shrugs, taking a sip from his glass. He’s honestly starting to feel bad right now, it’s bothering him. He’s quick to cut off the thoughts brewing in his head and gestures at the shards sprinkled all over the floor, “Clean this up and go take the rest of the day off.” He orders, but his tone’s softer, less demanding than the last one he just gave to the group of men.

You nod, “Alright. Yeah– I can do that.” 

Without another word or taking another look at you, he walks out, leaving you to clean up his mess once again. 

You slept earlier than usual tonight. 

If you had to be honest with yourself, aside from reading the books that Sukuna had randomly gotten you, sleep was the one thing you looked forward to the most. It was quiet, away from everyone else. 

You try to get the most out of your sleep, it’s how Sukuna’s able to get away with sneaking into your room tonight without getting caught. He just wanted to see how you were doing, but you fell asleep before he got the chance to.

So now he's here, sitting at the edge of the shitty bed he’s been forcing you to sleep on for months. Gaze fixed on your form, listening to the sounds of your shallow breathing. He’s never really gotten the chance to see you like this, for the most part you have a distressed look on your face whenever he’s around, it makes him wonder if this was how everyone else saw you.

He also wonders why he’s even sitting next to you now, watching you. He wasn’t going to sugarcoat it, it was creepy, he felt like a fucking weirdo. But he pushes that thought aside– not like he was going to do anything to you anyways. You’re safer with him more than you’d ever know, maybe that’s why he ended up feeling bad over the way you were scared of saying the wrong thing to him earlier. 

But he couldn’t lie, the longer he sat there and stared at you, the more he wondered what it would be like if he just… reached out? Ran the back of his knuckle down your cheek or something? 

No, that’s weird as fuck, don’t do that. 

He keeps his hands to himself as he continues to get lost in his thoughts, letting them take a darker turn. He could end this– end you, if he wanted. But he doesn’t feel like it, nor does he feel like setting you free so you can go back to living a normal, relatively safe life. How shitty of him. Even as you sleep, you still don’t look at peace. Maybe his mistake all along was not killing you that night. 

But just as quickly as the foreign feelings came, they vanish, making him wonder what the fuck he was even doing with his life right now. He could be getting drunk, or better yet, getting laid right now. But he’s here, watching a girl that loathes him sleep. 

Sukuna exhales slowly and quietly gets up from the creaky bed, the last thing he needs right now is you waking up and freaking out– you already hate him enough as is.

He successfully does so and leaves your room, gently closing the door as well. 

Which easily became another regret after realizing he’s never closed a door so carefully in his life.

—

Things between you two went back to “normal” after that. Normal as in, annoying you at every chance he gets and calling out for you whenever he needs something cleaned. Eventually he summons you back into the abyss of sorrow and despair– his office. 

As always, he’s waiting for you, ready to mentally torment you for however long he pleases. 

“How can I help you?” You sigh and ask. 

He just gestures towards the seat in front of him in response. Once you finally sit down, he takes a second before speaking, using that time to get a good look at you. 

When it comes to him, getting a good look at you means just that. He’ll look you dead in the eye and try to gauge how much you’re hating your life at the moment. Sometimes his gaze will drift to your lips or your hair, but that’s about it. Even then, you don’t feel like it’s in a predatory way.

“Did you finish your work in the sunroom?” He asks. 

“I did.”

“Good.”

“Mhm.” Is all you have to offer, your mind’s more on what he wants because you know he didn’t summon you just to ask that.  

He leans back in his chair. “Have you gone through that collection of books I got you yet?”

“I did. Finished the 5th a couple days ago.”

“Good to know.” He leans to the side to pick up another box and sets them down on the desk. “I heard Murakami books were a good read.”

You look at the collection, this time it’s a set of four rather than five. “Who’d you hear that from?”

“Google.” He mutters. 

“I see.” You want to laugh, but receiving a second set of books makes you feel just as unsettled as it did the first time around. 

You slowly reach for them, but in his typical asshole fashion, he nudges them back.

“Say, ‘Thank you, Lord Sukuna.’” He laughs as he poorly mimics your voice, he sounds like an idiot and you hate that you can’t make fun of him for it right now. 

You just stare at him in return because you’d rather not call him that and he starts to become visibly annoyed. If you weren’t so scared of him deep down, you’d think watching his demeanor shift is hilarious. It’s a silent tantrum. His lips thin, his pupils shrink, a vein or two pop out because of the way he holds his breath. 

“Tell me, do you like having a tongue?” He eventually asks, since you won’t say anything. 

“Can’t put it to full use anymore, but yeah I guess.” 

“Yeah, I fuckin’ thought so– wait what did you just say to me?!” He’s stunned and honestly, so are you. You honestly don’t know why you said that, it’s probably just from the months of pent up frustration. You obviously didn't have the best life, but you could’ve fucked more people– the past 8 months have made you realize that. 

Now you don’t have that choice because you’re stuck here, with a “boss” that pisses you off every waking moment and “coworkers” that follow him like he’s some sort of prophet. 

“I said I like having a tongue, please don’t cut it out.” You respond, hoping he just leaves it at that. 

“I never said I was gonna cut it out.” He quickly says, still looking at you like you’re the crazy one. 

“Then why did you bring up my tongue?”

“Are you actually talking back to me right now?” He scoffs before pointing at that door, “Outta my sight. You don’t deserve my attention right now.” 

You stare at him a little longer and notice he’s holding back that annoying smile of his. Who knew talking like that would actually get the man to leave you alone. 

“Don’t forget your books too, you little nerd.” He barks out right before you walk out of the room. 

You want the books, so you turn around to grab them. His head’s cocked to the side while he watches you walk back in amusement. 

You're not sure why he even excused you in the first place. He’s not done toying with you, that much is known when he nearly slams his hand down onto the stack of books and moves them a little closer to him. Sukuna looks quite pleased with himself when you don’t bother hiding your emotions this time and look at him with pure disgust. 

“What’s that little look for?” He purrs, voice dropping an octave. 

“You’d hold anything hostage.” You answer truthfully, watching his finger lightly tap on the cover. His nails are painted black today, he usually does that whenever the blood stains are too stubborn to be scrubbed out. 

“I know.” He’s not afraid to admit, he sounds neither proud nor ashamed to say it. “Doesn’t mean you can’t read in the backyard or sunroom, probably better than your room.”

“I would but I’d rather not spend my leisure time in an area where someone’s probably died.”

He chuckles, “I’m surprised you went this whole time thinking nobody has ever died in your room before.”

“Didn’t have to tell me that.” You murmur. 

“My bad.” He finally slides the books over to you. “Sunroom’s safe though.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” That piece of information does nothing to help your new fear of your room being fucking haunted. “They didn’t die in my bed, right?” 

“The mattress was replaced right after.” 

“So they kind of did?”

“No more questions.” He hates when people ask too many questions, it’s annoying and he’d like to keep this interaction as light-hearted as it is.

“Fine.” You finally take the books and he doesn’t stop you this time. “Thanks.” 

“Yeah.” He’s not really sure what to say, never been much of a ‘you’re welcome’ guy. At least he didn’t bother making you repeat yourself, even though you said it as quietly as last time. 

—-

“Shoulda suggested this place to you sooner since you use it so much.” He walks in with his usual glass of whiskey, interrupting your reading time. You really should’ve gone to bed hours ago, the clock on the wall says 3:14 AM. “Or are you scared of being in your room now?” 

You avoid the question because it’s true and you’d rather not have him make fun of you for it right now. You’ve been here every night until you can barely keep your eyes open since he suggested it.

“Have you been spying on me or something?” 

“Or something.” He smirks and takes a sip. You’re not sure if ‘friendlier’ is the best word to describe him when he’s having a drink, but there’s for sure a change. “Kinda hard to miss when I gotta walk by after getting home.” 

“Never noticed.” You fold the corner of the page you were on and set the book down. 

“That’s ‘cause I'm as light as a feather.” The dry humor starts and you struggle to keep a straight face from how ridiculous that statement sounds coming from him. 

You bring your knees up to hold and to lean your head against, before humoring him just a little. “I’m sure you are.” 

“That’s all? You’re allowed to laugh y’know.” 

“Ha-ha” You say in a monotone voice.

Instead it’s him that bursts out laughing, maybe harder than he should from his little drink. You actually end up laughing a little from that though, it’s contagious when it’s not an evil or manic one.

“There she is.” He husks out. There’s a moment of silence after you two finally settle down, with reality inevitably settling in for the both of you. 

Aside from making jokes and picking on you, there’s nothing to talk about. What’s there to be said to someone who’s life was ruined by him? The world thinks you're dead, it went on without you. 

You know that, he knows that too. 

But he’d still like to try to talk to you, even if it is the alcohol speaking. Though he doubts it, he feels this way when he’s dead sober. It’s kinda why he pushes your buttons to the point where you begin to consider if telling him off is worth losing your life over. 

“Sputnik Sweetheart.” He reads the title of the book out loud. “Weird name. What’s it about?”

“It’s about this guy who’s in love with a girl, but she doesn’t love him back because she’s a lesbian and is in love with an older woman. But the older woman doesn’t love her back either.” 

“So what is it, like a reverse love triangle?” 

“No— maybe. I don’t even know if that’s a thing.” You end up laughing with him, more so because he sounded like a fucking frat boy asking that. He probably would’ve been one too in another life, a less violent one.

He nods at the pen next to the book, ignoring the fact that he’s never supplied you with one before. “You taking notes or something?”

“Here and there, only on the parts I like.” 

“Let me see.” His eyes drift back to you, looking extremely defensive. “Oh c’mon, you act like I’m gonna go off and tell someone.” 

“Fine.” You nudge the book towards him. 

He figures you fold the top of the page to mark where you left off and the bottom folds are the pages where you’ve written them. He picks a random page and reads to himself what’s been underlined. 

“If they invent a car that runs on stupid jokes, you could go far.” The note for that one is simply “sukuna”. 

He ignores that one and goes to a different page. 

“After all this, I won't start to hate you.” The note? “Easy for you to say.” 

He almost laughs at that. 

“Sometimes I feel so- I don’t know - lonely. The kind of helpless feeling when everything you’re used to has been ripped away.” No note. 

That’s.. sobering.

He looks to you after reading that part to find you’re no longer paying attention to him. The moon’s shining bright tonight, it allows you to look at the perfectly manicured backyard through the glass wall. What were you thinking about? Were you even thinking about anything at all? Just looking at you right now makes you seem like the type of person that allows their mind to take a break. He wonders what that’s like.

“Are you done?” You ask after eventually realizing that he’s staring. 

“Yeah.” He slides the book back to you. If you didn’t know any better, he looks a little remorseful right now. You mostly underlined things on the sadder side, so maybe that’s why. 

“Nice to know that you bleed like the rest of us.” You say in almost a whisper, but he catches it. 

He takes another sip from his glass, acting like he didn’t hear that. Sukuna will always have his own issues, but the last person that should be humanizing him right now is you. 

He yawns and looks at the clock, realizing he definitely needed to go to sleep. You really should too since you have shelves to dust tomorrow, but he wasn’t going to kill the mood by saying that. Staying up to read hasn’t messed with your schedule so far.. not that he knows of. 

“M’gonna call it night.” His voice is raspier than usual, he sounds like he needs the sleep from whatever kind of a day he’s had. 

“G’night.”

—

A month’s gone by and Sukuna catching you reading in the dead of night has become a part of your routine. Sometimes he has a glass of liquor with him, sometimes he doesn’t, but he’s surprisingly respectful each time. 

Over that course of time you’ve grown a little more comfortable with him. Not to the point where you’d consider him a friend, but enough to where you can bring yourself to have a conversation with him without having the searing urge to leave. 

He doesn’t care to read, saying he gets a headache after a while, but he seems to like it whenever you summarize chapters for him. You tried suggesting audiobooks, but that sounded so much worse than actual reading to him.

What he enjoys the most is reading through your notes, that may or may not have gotten more dramatic just to fuck with him. 

It’s the only way you could get back at him, even if he does find a majority of them laughable. 

Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart. “no shit”

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. “i can promise you that this was not optional.”

He ends up closing the book after that, you sound like you’re arguing with the author at this point. 

“This is the last one, huh?” 

“Yeah.” You take a sip from the glass of scotch you two have been sharing. “I finished it a couple days ago, I’ve just been rereading it.” 

“Coulda gotten you more by now if you said something.” He says, taking the glass out of your hand, brushing his fingers over yours. 

You’re starting to think it's not a coincidence anymore. Not when it’s been enough times to know his hands are as rough as they look. Always the one wanting to do the dirty work, his skin’s gotten tough over time because of it. 

“I’m saying something now.” You rest your head on the palm of your hand as you watch him finish the very last of the drink. It’s better that he finished it, even with the small sips you took, you still felt it more than you should’ve from how long you’ve gone without drinking. 

Almost a whole year. 

9 months to be exact since you’ve been cut off from the world. You try not to think about it too much anymore, especially with how friendly you’ve become with your captor. Who knew the guy that pointed a gun to your head and forced you to get in a van would eventually become the same person you would look forward to having nightly talks with. His eyes have begun to soften whenever he looks at you, even during the day when you both play your roles. The tone of voice he uses when he’s asking something of you makes the request sound more like an apology, it’s sincere, hesitant almost.

“Got any requests?” He asks, setting the glass down. 

“I’m sure I do, just can’t remember any right now. Do you think you’ll let me come back with a list tomorrow when you’re grumpy and sober again?” You ask, watching a little smile form on his lips. Sometimes you wonder what those feel like, can’t be rougher than his hands. 

“You think I’m grumpy when I’m sober?”

You shrug, “I’m sure Ino thinks so with the way you had him shaking from just shooting him a glare.”

“Fuck Ino.” He clicks his tongue and knocks his knee against yours. “M’not grumpy with you– what are you rubbing your knee for? That did not hurt.”

“Maybe not for you.” You continue to complain, rubbing the spot he hit even though he was right, it didn’t hurt. You just wanted to mess with him. “My bad, you’re not grumpy, you’re just mean.”

“Damn, even after I offered to get you books of your choice?” He plays along.

“Mhm.” You try to ignore the way he leans forward and places a hand on your knee– rubbing a little circle with his thumb, looking at you as if he were listening to you pour your heart out. “You’ll probably just ask google which books are better too.”

He chuckles, “you wound me sweetheart.”

“Clearly not enough if you’re rubbing on my leg like this.”

“Nothing wrong with trying to make it feel better.” He brushes you off and keeps going, inching his hand up a little higher. He leans in closer, you can smell the liquor on him, he can probably smell it on you too. “I’d say I’m pretty nice– right now at least. Want me to stop?”

“I’d probably hate you even more if you stopped being nice to me.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were actually starting to kinda like me.”

“I think you’re just delusional, Sukuna.” You giggle and he rests his forehead against yours. He’s too far into this to try to back track now, so he lets himself be a little more delusional by pressing his lips against yours. 

They’re soft. Too soft for someone who spews the harshest words. He’s gentle too, even when he’s grabbing the back of your neck to pull you in closer, deepening it. Swiping his tongue across your bottom lip until you let him in. If warmth had a taste, this would be it. You let out a little hum when he swirls his tongue around yours and it makes his blood start to rush, his loose sweats suddenly start to feel tight. 

What a sweet sound. He’s sure everything else is sweet too. 

He feels you start to pull back and he lets you, loosening his grip on the back of your neck, but not letting go. There's a thin string of saliva connecting you two. 

For someone so evil, Sukuna looks almost angelic right now— warm pink brushed over his cheeks, lips slightly swollen, eyes searching for more than what you’ve given him so far. 

“Did you like that?” He asks. 

The way he looks at you almost puts you in a trance. At a loss for words, you slowly nod. 

“Want more?”

“For tonight, yeah.” You whisper, letting him pick you up and take you to the master bedroom on a select few can enter. 

There’s clothes scattered throughout the floor from you two taking your time getting them off of each other. There’s kisses in between each piece that comes off– all over his neck, all over your chest, trailing down to your exposed breasts. Your nipples harden from the cool air in the room, the way he swirls his tongue around them gives you relief, until he pulls away and the saliva he left begins to cools down with the room. 

He fully lays you down and shows some impatience when he gets to your pants, removing them along with your panties in one go.

“So fuckin’ wet.” He says in awe, slowly running the backs of his fingers up your slit. You squirm a little when they glide over your clit. He looks up and watches the way your eyes glaze over from just that. “Sensitive aren’t you?”

It doesn’t help that he adds some pressure with his thumb and slowly rubs in a small circle. 

“A little.” You mumble, holding back a little moan. 

“I can tell,” he chuckles and throws your legs over his broad shoulders. “Gonna make you cum so fuckin’ much.”

He’s not so gentle anymore when he suddenly grabs onto your hips and begins to lap at you like he was starved. He didn’t give you a chance to work up to it, you find yourself immediately gasping from the way he just attacks you in all the right places. You can feel him groaning from how good you taste when he sucks on your clit, letting out a lewd pop! when he pulls away.

He lifts your hips up and grinds you against his mouth while he goes to fucking work with you, like he was trying to make you cum as fast as he could. And at this point, it was going to be the fastest you ever have. The orgasm that's quickly brewing inside of you makes you grab onto the sheets with both hands because it’s all you really can do, he wasn’t letting go of you anytime soon. You tasted too good and the sounds you were making just made his cock throb even harder. 

“Ohmygod– fuck– w-wait.” You gasp out. This can’t be fucking happen, you don’t how this even possible. 

And Sukuna doesn’t wait, he fucking speeds up. 

He even slides two of his thick fingers into your cunt and starts curling them in, finding your weak spots immediately and still lapping your clit. It was obscene, you’ve never been this wet before and the clicking sounds he was able to make from pumping his fingers in and out of you was the proof. 

“Gonna cum for me?” He asks after feeling you squeeze around his fingers even more than you already were. 

You nod, but it’s not enough for him. 

“What’s that mean?” He laughs from how he’s able to render you speechless. “C’mon baby let me hear it.”

He goes even faster and it’s impossible to hold back anymore. You try to pull away but he just holds you down, not allowing you to run away from what he’s giving you. 

“Fuck, fuck, f-fuuck!” It’s all that comes out, you sound like a broken record, just how he likes it. You’re squealing, damnear crying from how overwhelming it is. He coos at you and tells you to just let go, but you’re honestly scared to at this point. Nobody has ever made you feel this good before.

He sticks his head up from in between your legs, still finger fucking you with precision. There’s a grin on his face from how much you're struggling to take it and let it happen. He has an idea and places a hand on your lower stomach. You already know what he’s trying to do and close your legs without a thought, but it’s already too late. He’s pressing down, his fingers that are deep inside of you press up. Your ears start to ring as the orgasm completely rips through you, you couldn’t even hear the noises that came out of you when you began to completely gush around his fingers. 

Your brain even blocked out whatever the fuck he was saying to you. You just know he’s laughing at you, probably taunting you for how much a mess you made even though it was his fault. 

You finally come to when he’s pushing your knees up to your chest, getting ready to split you open with the huge cock you figured he had. Your eyes widen at the length and girth, it’s no wonder why he looked down on most men. 

“So big,” you almost sound like you’re complaining, barely hearing the cocky ‘I know’ coming out of Sukuna. “Go slow.”

“I will, baby.” He purrs, running his tip through your wet folds. You’re even more sensitive now and nearly flinch the first couple times he slaps it against your puffy clit. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” You feebly respond, looking down at where your body’s connect and watching him slowly push into you. He doesn’t hold back on making noise, he even starts talking you through it. 

It seems like it’s more so to himself at this point from how tight of squeeze you have around him. His fingers did no justice in terms of working you open, he begins slowly rocking back and forth– bottoming out in one go was not it tonight. 

“Relax a little.” He advises as he repositions your legs, spreading them out a little more so he can bend down and cage you in with his arms.

“I’m trying.” It doesn’t hurt, you just feel full. You have know idea how he’s going to fit it all inside of you. 

He makes it happen, all from sweetly whispering filthy things in your ears while rolling his hips. He fully drags his cock out of you before pushing it back in, fucking you slowly while telling you how good your pussy feels and how he couldn’t wait to have you crying over him again. Some of the things were borderline threats, yet your walls still fluttered around him. 

“Better not run from it too.” He whispers in the shell of your ear as he begins to snap his hips against you. The tip of his cock begins hitting your fucking cervix and you’re already seeing stars. The sounds of squelching and slapping begin to pick up, he makes you look him in the eye and you already know he was fully ready to ruin you. 

Before you know it, he has your legs thrown over his shoulders as he fucks the shit out of you.

His nails sink into your hips while pulling you in, making you meet each and every single one of his powerful thrusts. He pounds every single inch into you without a care in the world, not even bothering to hide his own moans, convinced there’s nothing better than this. 

Having you under him, crying and begging for more as he aggressively works an orgasm out of you. He effortlessly hits every spot that drives you crazy and you’re a mess because of it, the pressure starts to build up again and you’re clawing at his back from it all. He groans at the scratches, encouraging you to keep going like the masochist he is.

“I’m gonna– nghh– c-cum.” You whine, clawing even more– he swears you’re gonna draw blood and he hopes you do. 

He's slamming into you harder, chasing after something that could only be found deep inside of you. “Fuckin’ do it– cum all over my cock. Bet nobody else has ever fucked you this good, huh?”

“No. J-just you.” you practically gasp out, bracing yourself for the second orgasm of the night. “Oh my fu– ohmygod— so close, m’so fucking close.”

He eventually presses his palm down onto your lower stomach again, you don’t even try to fight it again. He slows down but still gives you the deepest strokes— rolling his hips into you, hitting the spots that make you weak. It doesn’t take long before your toes curl and vision goes white again– falling apart on his cock and crying out his name in choked moans. 

Your positions eventually switch and you end up being bounced on his cock, Sukuna has the time of his life because of it. One hand’s slamming you up and down all 10 inches while the other rubs at your clit. He’s made you cum so much that he just slips right in. At some point he slips right out, you both just laugh and he shoves it right back in until the laughter turns into moans of pure pleasure once again. 

He makes you feel everything and nothing at the same time. Reality starts to slip away, but then you get pulled right back after he hits your sweet spot in a way that you love. It’s fucking amazing, the way he’s figured out your body, the way pushes it to its fullest extent.

-

You hardly remember falling asleep, you just remember him finishing on your back and telling you he’d take care of it. 

It’s not until the morning when you realize just how bad of an idea that was. 

You wake up slightly confused, but comfortable since his sheets are better than the ones he provided you. Then you hear light sounds of tapping, they eventually pull you out of your slumber, looking to the side and seeing the view of messy pink hair. 

Your heart drops at the same time he looks up from the phone and turns to you. He was already expecting to see the look of regret on your face, he wasn’t even sure what to say about it. 

He enjoyed last night, he’s also enjoyed all the other nights he’s spent with you where you two just spoke.

He enjoys being around you. 

It’s why he doesn’t talk about it, pulls you into his chest, and starts talking about something else. You follow his lead like he hoped you would, you didn’t wanna talk about it either. 

You two turn into something. 

Neither of you put a label on it, not when you already had the label as his captive— his property. You don’t even want to ask what would happen if you two didn’t work out. He’s glad you never do, the answer’s obvious. 

But even with that unspoken rule of not talking about the past or future, you two are happy. You no longer have to clean up the messes he makes. Instead, you spend your days lounging around the mansion. He’s allowed you to turn the sunroom into a recreation room, where you spend your time painting, reading, or sometimes even just napping. You no longer have to wear a uniform anymore either. He had you order whatever clothes you wanted online. You opted for simple, comfortable ones since you weren’t planning on stepping out of the house anytime soon. 

You never ask why he stands behind you or next to you whenever you do, you already know it’s to keep you from going on facebook or something to ask for help. You thought about telling him that he could trust you once, but that wouldn’t have made a difference. 

Sukuna is kind to you.

It doesn’t matter how bad of a day he’s had, it never stops him from greeting you with a soft kiss and smile. He holds your face in his hands when you tell him all about your day, the same hands that have been used to abuse others just hours prior. But he’d never abuse you, you can see it in the way he looks at you. Your days are boring, but he still cares, he still wants to hear you summarize the chapters you’ve read in a book that day. 

You two have grown so close yet still know nothing of each other. 

You don’t tell him about your family, friends or your time spent in school. There was no point, it’s not like you were going back to any of it. 

He doesn’t tell you about his friends, family or his life outside the mansion doors either. He wanted you to love him. You know enough about what he does– you’ve seen it, you’ve experienced it, it’s all you need to know.

He’s lucky enough that you’re willing to turn a blind eye, live in your own little world.

Yet there's that thought that gnaws away at him, you weren't willing to turn a blind eye. You were forced to.

-

You’re abruptly woken up one night and had your mouth covered before you could scream. It was fast, thinking about the way you were tied up, blindfolded, and thrown into the back of a van almost doesn’t seem real.

You finally stop fighting back an hour into the drive. After 2 more, the van finally stops and a strong arm pulls you out. Despite having a blindfold on, you can tell the suns just started to rise. There’s a light breeze and birds are chirping in the background. 

You’re going to die here. 

Why else would they bring you to an open space? Soon, you’ll hear a little click and feel a gun pressed on to the back of your head. 

Thoughts like that begin to swirl all around you. You do your best to stay calm, an ending like this was inevitable- but it’s impossible. You think about the life you’ve had, your friends and family that’ll eventually hear the news after nearly two years of having no closure. 

Lastly, you think about Sukuna, who’s most likely long gone. That’s the only way people were able to break in and grab you. You hope that it was quick, you know him though. There’s people out there that pray for his demise, and that it’d be anything he’s ever done look like a walk in the park. 

The man who has a hold on your arm finally lets go and speaks.

“I’m sure you won’t, but I have to say it anyway.” 

“Sukuna?” 

He doesn’t respond to that and begins listing demands. “Don’t look for me, don’t talk about me or about your time working for me—“

“What are y—“

“And do not even think about turning me in, I’ll find you so fuckin’ fast and snap that neck of yours.” 

The knot in the pit of your stomach tightens, this is the same exact tone he used with you when you first met.

“Why would I do that? Why did you even bring me here?” You begin to frantically ask. 

“You’re going home.” He responds coldly.

To abruptly end things on such a sour note is expected when it comes to people like him, but it doesn’t make it any less painful knowing that fact. 

He told you he loved you for the first time last night.

You told him you loved him too.

“You’re seriously gonna send me off like this? Throw me out like I’m a piece of trash?” Your voice begins to tremble, it makes him snap. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! Like actually, what the fuck is wrong with you?! You spent months wanting— wishing— to go back to your life and the moment I give you that opportunity, you're not taking it?!” 

“It's not that I- you ripped me out of my sleep and brought me here!” You power through the lump in your throat. “You didn’t even tell me about any of this!”

“Because I knew you’d try to fucking stay! I knew you would, look at you! Crying, whining.”

“I don’t—“ you inhale sharply, your hearts pounding and nothing’s  helping. “You haven’t even bothered taking the blindfold off. You won’t even let me look you in the eyes, Kuna.”

“Don’t call me that.” He warns you. “Don’t ever think you got close enough to be able to come up with some stupid nickname. You sound so fucking dumb right now.” 

“Don’t call me that.” 

“I’ll call you whatever I want.” 

You yell back in frustration. “Don’t fucking call me that!” 

“Then don’t fucking act like it!” He yells even louder. 

“So what? You’re just gonna throw me out into the middle of nowhere?” 

He laughs, “glad you’re finally starting to put that brain of yours to use.”

“You’re gonna leave me and spend the whole drive wondering which direction I went off in.” 

“Yeah, I'm sure that’ll happen.” He says rudely. 

“I don’t even have a phone. Even if you somehow find it in your heart to turn around, I wouldn’t be where you left me. You’ll start to look for me and after about 10 minutes the panic will start to kick in.” 

He scoffs, you continue. 

“You’ll give up after a while, maybe even convince yourself that what you did was the right thing to do. I bet you’ll start to doubt that too when you struggle to fall asleep, because it’s the first night I won’t be under your roof, under your watch. You won’t even know if I’m safe. You won’t know anything about me the moment you get in that fucking van and drive off.” 

He suddenly grabs the blindfold, pulls it down, and yanks in towards him— you obviously hit a nerve with the way he’s looking at you.

“I should’ve killed you that night.” He mutters, eyes blazing with pure anger. 

“You already did.” You spit back. “I had a chance to go back out there and be normal again, but you woke up this morning deciding that you were going to twist the knife and fucking gut me.” 

“WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?!” He yells again, getting dangerously close to your face.

“I don’t KNOW.” You try to take a step back but you don’t get far. “It’s too late now, just let go of me. Gonna be a longer day for me than it will be for you.” You say coldly. “Untie me.”

He grudgingly lets go of the blindfold and pulls out a knife, choosing to cut the rope instead. You begin to relax after your hands are fully unbound— they were tight enough to begin with, but something about arguing with him made it feel like you were losing circulation.

He’s still standing right behind you, probably with his head down, waiting for you to walk off so he knows you wouldn’t turn around and try to attack him. 

You won’t. 

Saying anything at this point would’ve been a waste of energy, he’s clearly made up his mind. But you can’t help it.

“I know you heard me when I said it, but I take it back. You don’t bleed like the rest of us, your blood’s cold, that's not something to be proud about. To think that you have the ability to truly act like you cared about me just makes me feel sorry for you, Sukuna.” 

You can only hope that people like him stay far away from you. It’ll probably be your main goal in life after this too. Even if that meant judging people a little too soon, but you're sure it's better to be a little lonely.

“I’m sorry.” His voice finally cracks. You turn around and his eyes are red, there’s tears streaming down his cheeks, he can barely look at you.  “Every time I look at you, I see what could’ve been. I can’t fuckin’ do it anymore, I can’t. I wish I met you somewhere else, at school or at some coffee shop before I start my 9-5, and that’s not possible for me. I’ll never get to have that.” 

He ends up having to cover his face after that, saying it out loud is more painful than all the times he’s thought about it. His path in life was already determined for him by his father before he was even born. He never had a chance. 

He feels your arms suddenly wrap around him, it encourages him to keep going.

“If things were different, I know I still would've found you. Even if I saw you walking on the other side of traffic, I would’ve ran across the street just to ask for your name. Just not in this life.” He holds you tightly as he says it, droplets start to fall on your shoulder. “I swear I love you, but I can’t keep you around like this.” 

“I know.” You say with a heavy heart, the tears begin to flow back. “I’m gonna miss you.” 

His life has always been undoubtedly cruel, having to spend the rest of it missing you too is further proof. 

“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” ― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

a/n: why did I do that I got a lump in my throat now lol phew. anyways, there will be no pt 2 but i'm down to answer some q's about lore

He was aware that he’d really fucked things up with you in high school - mainly because he hadn’t quite comprehended the idea that someone else would stake a claim on you before he could find the chance to do so himself. 

In his mind, his affection for you had been obvious, and yet, Ryu still decided to get in the way. 

He couldn’t really blame you for basking in the attention that Ryu provided you with back then - not when he’d overheard you explain your reasoning to your friends. You hadn’t believed that Sukuna was serious, had thought that he was just playing with your heart with the intention of one day breaking it. 

Like he’d ever do such a thing. 

So you’d settled for the next best thing, someone who was clear about their intentions, someone who had offered you more than noncommittal flirting. And while Sukuna understood that, he was by no means willing to sit idly by and let Ryu have you. 

He’d spent weeks planning it out - picking the perfect night, the perfect weapon, the perfect words to say as Ryu bled out on the floor. He’d pictured himself as the caring friend, a shoulder to cry on when you discovered your boyfriend laying dead in the garage. 

What actually transpired that night wasn’t really what he’d planned. 

He’d killed Ryu just as he’d intended to, but after he’d cleaned himself up and gone to find you amongst all the bodies at that party, he discovered you in a state of total despair. Apparently your boyfriend, the boyfriend that was lying dead in the garage, had cheated on you. 

With Yorozu no less. 

Your distressed state changed things. You were already clinging to him, more malleable than he was used to you being, clearly a little drunk and sobbing about how you weren’t good enough. It wasn’t an opportunity that he could pass up, forgetting the murder he’d committed in favor of placating you, purring all the right words in your ear until you were putty in his hands. 

He had you in that bathroom without a single thought to how it might complicate the discovery that would be coming your way later in the night. It was short-sighted, he understood that now - a little more patience could’ve earned him four years of bliss with you.

Instead, he had to suffer you avoiding him like the plague all because of your misplaced guilt. If only you could understand that you didn’t technically cheat on your boyfriend, since he was already dead by the time Sukuna sunk into you. 

Not that he could ever tell you that. 

He’d killed Yorozu for the part that she played in the whole mess. If she hadn't thrown a spanner in the works, Sukuna’s plan would’ve played out just as he’d intended, and you wouldn’t be so anxious and cautious around him like you were now. That woman always seemed to find a way to make Sukuna’s life difficult, and he didn’t want to risk any more hiccups when it came to you. 

Besides, he’d seen the way Yorozu spoke to you, you’d probably be happy if she simply disappeared from the world. He did you a favour. The same was true of Ryu’s death - you deserved better than someone who would cheat on you. Sukuna would worship the very ground that you walked on - why couldn’t you understand that already?

But as frustrating as it was, he knew that he just needed to be patient. 

Now that you were back in town he wasn’t going to pass up his chance. Even through all your guilt and your weak protests about some boyfriend back in the city, there was nothing that would stand in his way this time. 

You were always meant to be his, and he knew that you wanted it just as much as he did - you just weren’t quite ready to admit to it yet. But that was okay, Sukuna was more than happy to help nudge you in the right direction. 

First and foremost, he needed to make sure that something was done about that boyfriend of yours or he’d get nowhere - not now you were so touchy about the idea of cheating. 

The day after Toji’s party, Sukuna found himself at the door of the office trailer on the construction site, knocking on it softly and waiting until he heard your soft voice calling out for him to enter. 

It was fortunate that he had such a clear line of access to you, able to apologise face to face rather than waiting for things to be on your terms. He was sure that you’d chalked it up to pure luck that he happened to work for your father, but there was no luck involved - he’d chosen that job out of desperation, hoping that it might one day open an avenue to you.

He just hadn’t anticipated how excellent an avenue that would be.

Likewise, he imagined that it looked like pure chance that he’d cut his hand on some glass the day before, happening to run into you in some kind of meet cute scenario that neither of you could’ve foreseen. Unfortunately, that was all artificial too. Once he’d found out that you were working in the office, he’d cut across his palm with a knife to give himself a reason to go in there and see you. 

It had all worked out great, considering how tenderly you’d held his hand in yours, patching him up like some kind of cute little nurse. 

He’d almost thought things would be easy after that. He’d heard the tremor in your voice, seen the flush on your cheeks, and had figured that you’d succumb to him immediately. But the way you’d reacted at Toji’s party had really put a damper on things. 

Hitting him with an outright rejection all because of fucking Ryu and this new guy was not what he’d been anticipating.

He bet that those damn friends of yours had something to do with it. Yuki had always hated him, taking steps to make sure that he got nowhere near you as long as she was around. He was itching to ensure that she meet the same fate as Ryu, but he was smarter than that - he couldn’t go killing people that you knew indiscriminately or you’d start to suspect something.

Unless Yuki became an insurmountable barrier to the success of your relationship he’d let her live. 

Besides, it was probably better that he avoid putting you in a position where you’d become overwhelmed with grief and trauma - that just wasn’t conducive to a healthy relationship. 

Dealing with your emotional state after Ryu’s death was hard enough as it was. 

Pushing his way into the trailer, he picked up on the way your eyes widened in surprise for a second before you took control over your expression. You looked cute, propped up on a comfy swivel chair, wearing some oversized baggy hoodie that he wished was his. The idea of you wearing his clothes sent him into overdrive. 

There were dark shadows under your eyes, unsurprising considering how late it was by the time you ditched him in the garden the night before. 

“Cut yourself on some more glass?” You asked cautiously. 

He wasn’t quite sure if you knew that he’d been lying about the nature of yesterday’s incident. He didn’t think so - you’d always struck him as mostly naive, opting to see the good in people and believe that they were generally telling the truth. It was a feature that he admired about you, a worldview that differed so significantly to his cynical mindset. 

“Not yet. Maybe later though.” 

He wasn’t going to shut down the opportunity to have you bandage him up again if he could get away with it. 

You pursed your lips. “Why are you here then?” 

“I wanted to apologise.” He had to bite down on his lip a little to stop himself from grinning at the way that your eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting him to say anything akin to that. To really sell his words, he ran a hand through his hair, almost bashfully, acting all embarrassed to be showing up and saying such things. 

He wasn’t embarrassed - he wasn’t even really sorry, but you didn’t need to know that. 

“You were right, what we did that night was wrong. It shouldn’t have happened, not like that at least. Ryu deserved more respect - I just liked- like you so much, and I got carried away, both then and last night. Sorry.” 

The majority of what he was saying was a lie, outside of the part where he said that he liked you. It was what you wanted to hear though - if he was going to disarm you he had to placate you first, tell you all the sweet things that would bring him back into your good graces. He certainly couldn’t go around telling you the truth, which was that he had no interest in showing Ryu any respect - before or after his death. 

In fact, knowing that Ryu was dead in that garage, picked apart by Sukuna’s own hands, had probably turned him on even more than usual on that fateful night. 

Maybe one day you’d be receptive to hearing such a thing, after he’d corrected certain flaws in your manner of thinking, but that was a long way off. He needed to take it one step at a time and eventually he’d get everything he’d ever wanted. 

“Oh. Uh- thanks, I appreciate that.” 

You were fidgeting with your hands, eyes darting about as if you were too nervous to look at him properly. It was annoying, because he’d spent so much time in high school working on your relationship, building your confidence up until you finally slept with him. Now here you were back at square one, avoiding eye contact with him just like you had when you’d first met. 

“We should start over,” he said, placing a hand down on your desk, encouraging you to acknowledge him. “Let me take you to lunch today.” 

“I don’t know-” 

“As friends. I’ll pay, as an apology for last night.” 

You glanced up at him then, an almost defensive look in your pretty eyes. He’d come on too strongly yesterday and it had really put your guard up around him. It was his own fault - he should’ve taken a more lowkey approach, but knowing you were back in town after years apart had him acting a bit crazy. 

“Just as friends?” You confirmed, the words coming out slow. 

“Yeah. I’ll get you those pancakes that you like at Doug’s and you can tell me all about that little boyfriend of yours.” 

—

Kashimo was mind-numbingly boring. 

You’d been talking about your boyfriend, if he could even be called that, for about five minutes now, and there wasn’t a single thing about him that convinced Sukuna he was even remotely deserving of your time. 

Sitting across from you in a comfy booth at the back of the diner just felt right, and from the way that you were speaking about Kashimo, he couldn’t really imagine that man is his position right now, gazing at you affectionately as you scoffed down your pancakes. There was no way your new boyfriend would appreciate it, appreciate you, in the way that Sukuna did. 

The only reason that he hadn’t voiced that opinion aloud was because he wanted you to keep talking. This was the most he’d heard you speak in a long time without your tone affected by an edge of caution, and he was enjoying hearing the angelic timbre of your voice - even if he was less than moved by the content itself.

From what he could figure, you weren’t really that interested in Kashimo yourself. He’d heard you speak more excitedly about Ryu than you currently were about this university fling of yours. It all sounded very safe and nice - the usual story of meeting in some elective class, with him asking you out on a couple of dates, which you of course said yes to because you’d never been very good at saying no. 

It wasn’t like things got more exciting from there. He took you on the classic dates to independent coffee shops and artsy cinemas, trying to impress you and trick you into believing that he was some deep, free thinker - as if every other university boy wasn’t doing the exact same thing. 

There was no passion in your voice, nothing that moved Sukuna to believe that Kashimo was a genuine threat in the way Ryu had been. As far as he could tell, you were only dragging the whole thing out because it was comfortable, and perhaps out of fear of having to turn the boy down. 

Sad really, how unwilling you were to chase after your own happiness when it was right there in front of you - content to settle for mediocrity just to make some irrelevant person happy. That was another trait of yours that he desperately needed to correct one day. 

“So, what do you actually like about him?” Sukuna asked, interrupting your spiel about some music charity that Kashimo was currently working for.

He’d noticed that you were talking a lot about Kashimo’s jobs and hobbies, and saying very little about your actual relationship. Your descriptions of Kashimo sounded more like you were reading off a wikipedia page rather than dating the guy.

You blinked a couple of times, as if caught off guard by his question. “Oh- uh- well, he’s really nice. Like, such a genuinely kind person.” 

Sukuna frowned. “Nice? Come on, that’s the first thing you thought of? There’s gotta be something more than that, right? Is he good in bed or something?”

“I’m not gonna talk about that,” you said defensively, cheeks warming. To Sukuna, that response was a pretty conclusive no - if he was something special then you’d probably be willing to discuss it. “I mean, I admire how creative he is. He’s the lead singer in a band and he’s really good. Plus I like how dedicated he is to his work and stuff…”

It wasn’t convincing, he was pretty sure that you weren’t even that convinced. You still hadn’t mentioned anything about how he made you feel, or the things he did for you. Everything just felt impersonal.

“Right. So are you guys gonna get serious then?” He asked, enjoying the way that you grew noticeably frazzled, taking a long sip from your cup of coffee to buy yourself some time before responding. 

“I don’t know. We live so far apart now, and he’s always busy with stuff, we’re not even uh- super official so, yeah… I don’t know.” 

Sukuna grinned, glad that you’d finally come clean about the status of your relationship, or perhaps situationship, just as he’d suspected it to be from the start. That made things simpler, how hard would it be to break you up with someone that wasn’t even really your boyfriend? 

“It kinda sounds like he’s stringing you along.” 

You giggled softly and shook your head. “More like I’m stringing him along. He asked me to move in with him when I left town but- yeah, I don’t know. After everything with Ryu, and some other stuff, I just don’t feel like I’m ready for something that serious.” 

Sukuna hummed. He suspected that the ‘other stuff’ that you referred to had something to do with him. It wasn’t like you were doing a good job of hiding your desire for him, putting up something of a fight whenever he’d approach you but ultimately faltering under the smallest amount of pressure. He knew that you still wanted him, held back only by your own morals and guilt. 

There was a reason that you still agreed to go out to lunch with him, and it wasn’t really because you just wanted to be friends. You were no better at resisting him than he was at resisting you - you were just better at pretending. 

“That’s fair enough. It’s smart to take some time to think about what you want, no point rushing into anything.” 

Unless you were rushing into his arms, of course. 

“Exactly,” you said with a smile, turning your focus back to the plate in front of you and scooping up the final few mouthfuls of pancake, smearing syrup over the corner of your mouth in the process.

Sukuna couldn’t help but think how sweet you looked. He’d love to lean over the table and lick the mess from your face, taste the sugariness of the syrup paired with your enticing lip gloss. Though he assumed you probably wouldn’t appreciate such an action, not right now, at least. Instead, he pointed to the corner of his own lips, alerting you to the presence of the sticky substance. 

Your tongue darted out to clean it, failing miserably. Rather than allowing you a second attempt, Sukuna picked up his napkin and reached over to you, softly dabbing up the liquid. You froze beneath his touch, watching him cautiously, your shoulders only relaxing when he pulled back without further incident. 

“There you go,” he said with a smile.

“Thanks.” It was a shy, bashful response, leaving your cheeks ever so slightly flushed. A heavy silence hung in the air between you for a few seconds before Sukuna decided to fill it with more of his bullshit apology, now that you were done with all the Kashimo talk. 

“I really am sorry, you know. For what happened that night with Ryu, and for coming on too strong lately. I get that you have a boyfriend, and still feel guilty about what we did. I respect that you can’t just move on and pretend like nothing happened.” 

You offered him a small smile, nodding along at his apology. “It was just- that was the worst night of my life, you know? I can’t look at you and not think about it.” 

“I know, I get it.” 

“Maybe one day, maybe after a bit more time, but right now I still find it hard to live with myself.” 

The sad little smile marring your pretty face didn’t sit well with him. You were such a good, kind person, always worrying about how your actions affected others. It wasn’t like you were responsible for Ryu’s death - no one was, with the exception of Sukuna alone. Besides, Ryu had cheated on you first, you deserved to get your own back for that. 

“I’m not saying this just to get my way, but you know that it wasn’t your fault, right?” 

“I know that, I just-” 

“I get that you can’t really see it, I just wish that a horrible coincidence wasn’t the thing that stopped…this.” He gestured vaguely between the two of you, mirroring the sad nature of your smile. 

“Me too.” He barely heard you, your voice a whisper. He watched the way your fingers twitched nervously, as if contemplating whether you should be having this conversation with him at all. 

“To be honest, I’m just still kind of angry with myself. I wish I’d told you how I felt before Ryu did. Or at least, I wish we hadn’t had sex that night, maybe that way I wouldn’t be tainted for you? I know you’re with Kashimo now, and I’ll respect that, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t wish we could be together.” 

He was putting on his best ‘I’m so sad and I’m so sorry’ face and hoping that you’d eat it up. You were the type of girl who had infinite empathy for those around her, the kind of girl who would cry when an animal died in a movie. He was sure that you’d be easily moved by his sorrowful expression. 

“Sometimes I wish that too,” you said honestly, eyes flitting between him and the table. “Everything just ended up getting too fucked up - maybe we just weren’t meant to be.” 

“Maybe,” he hummed in agreement, despite his brain screaming about how you were dead wrong on that front. “But who knows what life holds. I think that if we were meant to be, one day we’ll find a way to each other. Just like how we stumbled across each other again working for your dad, nothing is certain.” 

Boldly, he reached out across the table, his fingers grazing the back of your hand. You didn’t pull away, eyes dropping down to his fingers but making no further acknowledgement of the action as you raised your head once more, staring evenly back at him. 

“Yeah. Maybe.” 

He wished he could read your mind, eager to pick apart what you were thinking. Were you moved by his desire to be with you? How much pushing would it take for you to give in? You’d literally said that sometimes you wished you were with him too, how hard would it be to get you to take the leap? 

Once again the silence felt heavy, gazes focussed on each other. You were fixing him with an odd sort of look, lips parted like you wanted to say something but couldn’t quite get the words out. He wondered if there was a part of you calculating what would happen if you were to throw caution to the wind and give him what he wanted.

He certainly hoped so. 

But you seemed to realise your mistake before you could quite get there, swiftly scrambling to fill the silence, pulling your hand away gently and turning the conversation back around to Kashimo, as if that would obscure your flustered reaction to his touch. “My- my boyfriend is coming to visit in a few weeks.” 

Sukuna’s gaze darkened in annoyance for half a second, frustrated to be shut out again, only to quickly conceal it. He needed to stop viewing this as a short term game - if he started getting angry that you weren’t being more receptive more quickly, he’d be at risk of getting shut out completely. He couldn’t act like some needy incel, he needed to act like your genuine friend and wait until the perfect opportunity arose to pull you to his side. 

Besides, Kashimo’s presence could be a good thing - he could use it as an opportunity to sabotage your relationship, to make that man look bad and make himself look good. If push came to shove, he could use it as an opportunity to deal with Kashimo in the same manner that he dealt with Ryu. 

“Oh yeah? You should introduce us.” He offered, as if he hadn’t been telling you how much he wanted to be with you just moments prior. 

You bit down on your lip, folding your hands carefully beneath the table, firmly out of his reach, as if recovering from the spell you’d temporarily been under. “I- um- don’t know if that’s a good idea.” 

“Aw, come on.” He leaned forward, propping his chin up on his hand. “We’re starting fresh, remember? I won’t mention any shit from the past, we’re just friends. I can be perfectly civil with him, just like I always was with Ryu.” 

That wasn’t a lie - he’d be outwardly friendly and he wouldn’t outright mention your past entanglements because it wouldn’t serve him well to do so. 

Should you let him meet Kashimo? Probably not, because he was certainly going to venture out of his way to twist the situation in his favour, but you’d absolutely never know that. You’d always been far too trusting. 

As far as you’d see any interaction between them, Sukuna would be the perfect friend, displaying kindness and interest with absolutely no ulterior motives at all. He’d been good at acting that way with Ryu, and he was certain he’d find Kashimo just as easy. 

People really weren’t all that complex. 

“He’s coming just in time for the reunion, so you’ll probably see him anyway,” you said with resignation, as if you’d spent the previous few seconds considering all the ways that the meeting could fall apart. 

Sukuna practically beamed. “Great. Can’t wait to meet him.” 

—

In the weeks leading up to Kashimo’s visit, Sukuna made sure to utilise his time to the fullest extent, preparing for what he knew would be his best shot at effectively drawing you to his side. 

Part one of his plan went off without a hitch, as it involved maximising the time spent with you over those weeks. That had been pretty easy considering your shared employment - he’d eat lunch with you every day without fail, be it in your office trailer or out at Doug’s. At first you’d shown something of a reluctance towards those daily meetings, but it only took around a week for you to come around. 

You’d always been at least a little fickle where he was involved - he just needed to push the tiniest amount for you to be all pliable, even if you desperately wanted to pretend that wasn’t the case. 

So by the time Kashimo arrived, you and Sukuna seemed to be the best of friends. You’d opened up to him significantly, giggling freely at his jokes, openly seeking him out for your lunchtime hangouts, and even letting slip vital information surrounding your true reservations about your relationship. 

It was ideal for him, it felt almost like how you’d act with him back in high school - back when you’d go running to him to complain whenever Ryu would upset you, as if he wasn’t supposed to take that as a sign of how much happier you’d be with him. 

You’d confided that you weren’t passionate about Kashimo - you were sitting on the fence, wondering if you’d ever feel genuine love for him beyond simple comfort. Words that came as music to Sukuna’s ears - even if he was sure to hide how happy it made him. 

In his time with you he’d done an excellent job of playing friend, and with the exception of your first lunch together, he didn’t bring up his love for you again. He needed it to look like he had your best interest at heart whether it involved him or not. Otherwise it would be hard for him to seem genuine when all his scheming came to fruition at that stupid reunion. 

So, dealing with you he had down - he was proud of it, it felt like he was halfway to success. However, the second aspect of his plan, which had little to do with you, was a little trickier to pull off in the way he was hoping. 

His original idea had been to dig up dirt on Kashimo, figuring that most people had at least some skeletons in their closet - Sukuna certainly did after all, though likely in a more literal sense than most. 

Subsequently, he’d gone online and stalked the guy to the greatest extent possible, which was minimal, because Kashimo had one of those stupid private Myspace profiles where only friends were able to see your stuff. That was annoying, and led to Sukuna making a fake account, with some stolen picture of a hot girl. 

Kashimo accepted the friend request from ‘her’, which meant Sukuna had access to his posts and photos, but was dismayed to find nothing sinister at all. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, considering that Kashimo had you as a friend on the platform - if he was up to anything weird, he probably wouldn’t be sharing it in such a public place. 

That led Sukuna to make an attempt at chatting with Kashimo online, figuring that he could send a few flirty messages and have the man gagging for the fake woman that he’d so painstakingly created - spending an ungodly amount of time curating her profile to make her seem so real and interesting, all artsy like the type of girls he’d imagine Kashimo to be ideally into. 

And yet, that asshole shut things down instantly, replying to messages with cool responses, even pushing back with an ‘I have a girlfriend’ message when Sukuna started to come on too strong. Unlike you, Kashimo seemed steady in his affection for you, already loyal to a fault, which was really fucking annoying. 

Since the guy wasn’t engaging with anything obviously shady, and was unwilling to be pushed to cheat, which would’ve provided clear evidence of the man’s rotten nature for him to share with you, Sukuna decided that he needed to take matters into his own hands. 

If Kashimo wasn’t going to do it himself, Sukuna would do it for him. 

Wasn’t he fortunate to have a friend that was so good with photoshop? 

“Alright.” Satoru said, flicking through the pictures on his computer screen, scrutinising each incriminating image of Kashimo that he’d so painstakingly edited. He was sitting cross-legged on his swivel chair, while Sukuna lounged on his bed, waiting for him to finish up before passing judgement on his creations. “This’ll probably work.” 

Sukuna sat up, peering over Satoru’s shoulder at the screen, grin widening with each image that he observed. Satoru had really put his graphic design degree to good use, because Sukuna totally bought that the images were real. So many of them were awful for Kashimo, displaying him engaging in all manners of debauchery: snorting coke, getting in fights, touching girls who certainly weren’t you. 

Perfect. 

This was one of those rare times where he was actually grateful that he had Satoru as a friend, and he was equally grateful that the man had such a low moral compass for most things. Some friends would stop their buddies from trying to sabotage the relationship of a girl they liked - not Satoru though. 

He’d known for years how much Sukuna was into you, and was more than happy to help the relationship along for the sake of the boy he’d been friends with since birth. 

Obviously, Satoru didn’t know everything. The murders were something that Sukuna would be keeping to himself, since he wasn’t sure that his friend would be as willing to abide by that. But what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. 

“So, what’re we doing with the pictures now?” Satoru asked, twisting around to look up at Sukuna.

That part of his plan wasn’t really in place yet. He knew that he wanted to dig up dirt on Kashimo, or in this case - invent it, but he wasn’t sure how to go about presenting it all to you without him looking bad. You couldn’t see him as having any nefarious intent or the whole thing would collapse. 

“I guess I just show them to her after the reunion? Tell her Kashimo confided in me or some shit. Tell her he added me as a friend on that private Myspace we’re making for him, I don’t know.” 

Satoru frowned. “No, no, no - it can’t be you telling her dude, do you think she’s stupid? She knows that you’re into her and she also knows that you’re kinda a jerk. If you show up with a load of printed images of her boyfriend she’ll smell bullshit from a mile away.”

He had a point. 

“Then what? I play the long game? Pretend to make friends with the dude and then bring out the photos when she wouldn’t be expecting it?” 

Satoru hummed, scratching his chin as he stared up at the ceiling. For a moment, Sukuna thought he’d zoned out entirely, gaze fixed on the plastic stars that had decorated his room since childhood. Sukuna had spent many a sleepover staring at those stars, wishing that he lived in a house as nice as Satoru’s. 

“What if I tell her?” Satoru suggested. 

“Huh?” 

Sukuna didn’t love the idea of Satoru talking to you. Despite the fact that the two of them had been best friends their entire life, it didn’t prevent jealousy from taking root where you were involved. He knew that Satoru was handsome and charming, knew that girls tended to like him. Sukuna didn’t want you falling for that trap off the back of Satoru revealing your boyfriend to be rotten.

Satoru rolled his eyes, well aware of Sukuna’s tendency to be possessive. “Its more real if it comes from someone other than you. She can hear it from me and then go running into your arms for comfort later, and you can be all clueless. Isn’t that your ideal scenario?” 

It was. 

“I can go up to her, and talk about how I think I’ve seen her boyfriend before. I can ask her if he was at- what gig was it that we saw on the website for his charity? Green Clover? I can ask if he went to a Green Clover gig lately and when she says yes, I can act all weird until she asks me what’s up.”

“Act weird?” Sukuna asked. 

“Yeah, I can act like I just realised something that I feel a bit awkward to say, then when she pushes, I can spill that I saw him doing some unsavory things, and that I have him on a private Myspace account where he posts all of his partying stuff. Oh! On the fake Myspace profile we created, let's make some phoney emails from escorts and stuff!” 

“Sure.” Sukuna liked that idea. He wasn’t great at this side of things - he barely bothered with technology himself, and couldn’t profess to understand it. His flip phone was mainly used for the sake of texting you and his friends, he wasn’t bothered with all the new online shit like Myspace - making a fake account to befriend Kashimo had been pushing the extent of his skills. If Satoru hadn’t been willing to help, perhaps he just would’ve jumped straight to dealing with Kashimo the old fashioned way, which probably would’ve backfired significantly. 

All this build up was necessary. Your view on the man needed to be shifted before anything unfortunate could befall him. 

“Cool, I’ll start on that now. Man, this is so fun, I wanna build more fake profiles. Maybe your girl will get another boyfriend after this one and we’ll get to do this all over again!” Satoru’s voice was cheerful, and it was fortunate for his mood that his blue eyes were fixed on the screen again and not on Sukuna, who was positively glowering at that statement. 

“Don’t even joke about that shit,” he snarled. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Satoru dismissed him with a wave. “You guys are destined or whatever, I’ve heard it all before. Let me focus. Once I’ve done this we can go over all the details to make sure there’s no holes in the story.” 

Sukuna nodded, laying back down on the bed, shoving several of Satoru’s plushed animals to the side. He couldn’t understand why the man had so many, he was in his twenties for fuck’s sake, did he really need thirty teddy bears to cling to at night? 

“One thing I’m concerned about,” Satoru said after a bit of silence, “what if, after I tell her, she straight up confronts Kashimo and he denies everything?”

Sukuna shrugged. “You say he’s just lying to save his skin. We’ve got proof after all.” 

“Not really though.” 

“I’m not worried about that part.” Sukuna said honestly. “She hates attention, so I don’t think she’d confront him at the reunion, plus she said he had to head home right after. Besides, she’s the type of girl who likes to think things through - especially after everything with Ryu - it's more likely that she’ll shut down and give it some thought before confronting him at a later date. She might want to wait until after she’s had a chance to see your evidence too.” 

Satoru hummed. “That doesn’t solve the issue though, does it? She’ll still confront him eventually.” 

A smile curved up on Sukuna’s lips, one that Satoru didn’t quite catch, his focus still fixed on the glow of the computer screen. 

“You just work on getting these fakes right. Let me worry about the rest.” 

—

The reunion was being held in the gymnasium of the high school, all set up with dozens of big tables, with a massive banner in school colours reading ‘welcome back, class of 2003’. It didn’t look unlike various school dances that Sukuna had attended during his time as a student, albeit there were bottles of wine on the table at this particular function, and the attendees all looked significantly more grown up than they had back then. 

He supposed he’d probably changed too - although he’d always been big, and he’d gotten the first of his many tattoos at sixteen, so perhaps his transformation hadn’t been as significant as other people’s. 

The room was already filled with people, some sitting at tables while others mingled around the room, holding glasses of wine or bottles of beer. He’d arrived fashionably late, not the least bit eager to be one of the first ones at the event, only really attending at all because he knew that you would be here. 

He couldn’t care less about most of these people, didn’t even know half of them - a reunion was something that he was wholly uninterested in. He couldn’t give less of a shit if Kusakabe was married now, or if Nanami had started up his own business in the city - the only person who mattered was you. 

It was easy enough to spot you as he pushed through the sea of people. You were sitting at a table towards the edge of the room, with Shoko and Yuki to the right of you. The three of you were giggling about something or other, and he felt his heart pick up with joy at the sight of you. Your smile was so radiant - he loved the way that it lit up your whole face, crinkling the corners of your eyes. 

If only you could smile at him like that everyday. Waking up to that sight each morning would probably send him straight up to heaven. 

You were his angel. 

Thoughts of your beauty almost had him forgetting his current situation, only brought back down to earth as he scanned over to your right, all of his joy quickly dissipating at the sight of the man sitting beside you. 

He’d spent enough time stalking the guy and forging imagery to recognise Kashimo on sight, with those shiny cerulean eyes of his and obnoxiously dyed hair styled in a stupid half bun. He looked even more ridiculous in person than he did in his pictures - what you saw in the guy was absolutely beyond him. 

Much to his chagrin, Kashimo seemed to be chatting away to Choso, who was supposed to be Sukuna’s friend. He was going to keep that betrayal tucked away in the back of his mind for the future, but he supposed Choso probably didn’t have much choice - Yuki had no doubt encouraged him to play nice, and the boy had no backbone when it came to her. 

She really was the worst. 

Either way, there was no point in contemplating things. He was prepared for all this - of course he was going to see you and Kashimo together, that was normal, you’d come here together, he just needed some time for the reunion to get rolling, then Satoru would swoop in and kick things into motion. 

But first, he needed to make himself as friendly as possible. 

“Got space for me here?” His crimson eyes were fixed on you as he approached the table. “You guys are the first people I’ve seen that I actually know, I mean, did these people even go to our high school?” He jabbed a thumb in the general direction of the other tables. 

“I’m certain you have other friends you can sit with.” Yuki deadpanned, her expression less than pleased with his presence. He’d anticipated such a response, so he ignored her entirely, keeping his gaze set on you. 

You wouldn’t cast him aside, not after all the time you’d been spending together over the last few weeks. You were friends, and what kind of person would turn away a friend? Definitely not a kind soul like you. 

“Of course you can sit with us.” You chirped with a smile, gesturing to the empty seat next to Choso. “We were just talking about that time that Gojo got really drunk before a school dance and then got up on the stage and confessed his love to Shoko.” 

“Humiliating.” Shoko said, covering her eyes, “I still get nightmares about it.”

“I think Satoru does too.” Sukuna said with a laugh. 

He could remember that night well - him and Satoru had drunk a shit ton of absinthe before the dance, and unlike Sukuna, Satoru had no skill at all in holding his liquor. Shoko had tried to help get him in a car and safely home, only for him to escape her grip and tell her that he loved her. 

He couldn’t remember anything the next day, and considering that he’d been dating some other girl at the time, she wasn’t best pleased at hearing her boyfriend profess his love for someone else. 

It was really funny though. Even Satoru could laugh about it now that the humiliation had worn off a little. 

“Oh, Sukuna, this is Kashimo by the way,” you said as the laughter died down. “Kashimo, this is Sukuna, he’s an old friend of mine.” 

“Hey man,” Sukuna said politely, holding a hand out for Kashimo to shake. He ensured that his grip was strong, almost testing the other man’s strength and finding him to be inferior, just as Sukuna had expected. 

“Damn, you’re pretty bulky. Do you live at the gym?” Kashimo asked, pulling his hand back and shaking it ever so slightly, as if trying to hide the extent to which the handshake had bruised him. 

“Something like that. Working construction keeps me strong.” 

“Oh, do you guys work together?” Kashimo asked, glancing between the two of you. 

“Kinda.” You shrugged non-comittally. “I mostly work alone because I’m inside the office all day while he’s out doing the actual work.” 

Sukuna sucked on his lower lip, very interested in the way that you’d effectively just lied. Considering that Sukuna was in your trailer every day without fail, your response didn’t make a whole lot of sense - it was clear that you didn’t want Kashimo to know how close the two of you actually were. 

That was fine. It just reassured him that you definitely still had feelings for him. If you had nothing to hide, you’d be more upfront about your friendship. 

“What do you do Kashimo? Something creative? You’ve got that cool look about you,”

Kashimo practically beamed at the praise, completely disarmed as he launched into a whole spiel about his music charity thing, which Sukuna had no interest in listening to because he’d already heard it all from you. Not to mention, he could probably recite that man’s whole life story after all the internet stalking he and Satoru had engaged in. 

Some people were just so easy to play - give them the smallest compliment and they were really ready to believe that someone had their best interest at heart. Thank god for fools like him making Sukuna’s life so much easier. 

Largely zoning out Kashimo’s words while he droned on and on, Sukuna’s gaze flickered momentarily over to you, satisfied at the realisation that you were already staring at him with wide eyes. It was almost like you were seeing him for the first time, comparing him to the man at your side and finding yourself captivated by your old flame. 

He offered you a smug smile, meant only for you, appearing and disappearing in the span of a couple of seconds. He then turned his attention back to Kashimo, and proceeded to slip into his role. Until Satoru came to drop his bombshell, Sukuna would be nothing less than perfect. 

It was after food had been served out on the tables that the part of the plan he’d been awaiting finally fell into place. 

Sukuna had headed away from the table for a while, under the guise of wanting to speak with Toji, but really because he wanted to give Satoru a window to speak with you without him being there. 

They’d discussed it beforehand - Satoru was to wait for Sukuna to leave the table and that was his cue to go and deliver the news to you. 

Away from Kashimo, of course. 

And his blue-eyed friend seemed to play the role perfectly, heading up to your table and engaging in excitable small talk just like he always would, making all the girls laugh raucously. He spent almost five minutes building rapport at the table, before turning to you and saying something with a serious expression, having you follow him over to a more secluded part of the room. 

From there, you were out of Sukuna’s line of vision, and he just had to hope that Satoru would deliver the message like he was supposed to. He should really have more faith in the man, but he felt jittery about the idea of anything going wrong. He’d already destroyed one chance with you and it had cost him four years of time at your side. 

He didn’t want to fuck this chance up. 

“Hey, who's the hot guy at your table?” 

He’d been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Uro sidling up to him, swirling wine in her glass. Her eyes were fixed on Kashimo, who was still locked in conversation with Choso.

Shrugging, he mumbled an answer about how Kashimo was your boyfriend, uninterested in really engaging in conversation with someone as annoying as Uro.

“Really? He’s so hot, better looking than Ryu. How does she even get these guys?”

Sukuna was moments away from telling her to fuck off, potentially proceeded by a long rant about how Uro couldn’t even begin to compare to your level of beauty, but he held himself back as a sudden thought popped into his head. 

How would you feel if you came back from your harrowing conversation with Satoru, only to see your boyfriend chatting with Uro? 

He shrugged. “Dunno. I’ve heard this guy is rich as fuck too. Apparently he gets into all the best clubs in the city. He’s a real catch. I feel like he’s probably on the fence about their relationship too right now.” 

Shooting a sidelong glance at Uro, he caught the way that her eyes practically lit up at his words. It was an insane reaction since she was currently dating Toji, who was only two metres away, but she’d always been a shameless little golddigger. 

She ran a hand through her long pink hair, pulling a compact mirror from her purse and quickly applying a new layer of lip gloss before making off in the direction of the table, swinging her hips seductively as she walked. Sukuna wanted to roll his eyes at the corniness of the display, but he wasn’t going to deny that Uro was effectively doing him a favour, so he wouldn’t ridicule her too much. 

Taking another sip of his drink, he watched the scene play out. Uro pulled out a chair next to Kashimo, giggling and leaning in close as she introduced herself. Her body language couldn’t be more obvious, but Kashimo seemed to indulge her all the same, clearly giving her the same speech that he’d given Sukuna, as if she was there with friendly intent. 

You clearly didn’t take it that way, because as you stumbled back into Sukuna’s field of vision, your expression already stormy, you stumbled to a halt mere paces away from your table, lips parting in shock at the sight. 

Uro had moved on to touching Kashimo’s shoulder when she laughed, and that happened to be the position they were in when you saw them. Sukuna watched the hurt and betrayal cross your pretty face, eyes shimmering with tears as you turned away silently, walking off down the hall and abandoning Kashimo to his conversation. 

Perfect. 

Things literally couldn’t have been working out any more perfectly than they were. 

He gave it a couple of minutes to not make things look obvious before heading down the hallway after you, pushing through the double doors and into the dark corridor beyond, heading to where the toilets were located. He hoped that was where you were, it would be annoying if you’d just up and left, but he supposed he could always drop by your house in that case. 

About ten minutes elapsed before he started to get fidgety, wondering if he should go and look for your car outside. Fortunately, the bathroom door swung open before he could make the decision to leave. 

You stumbled out into the hallway, your eyes and cheeks red from crying, eyes widening in surprise as you practically stumbled into him, steadied by his hands gently gripping your shoulders. 

“You okay?” He asked, eyes taking in your disheveled form. You still looked beautiful, even with your dress all crumpled, your make-up smeared every so slightly. 

“Yep. Peachy!” You said with a shuddering breath, fresh tears gathering at the corner of your eyes. 

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” He asked, hands soothing your shoulders softly, playing the perfect role of concerned friend as if he didn’t already know everything you were about to tell him. 

“It's nothing, just stupid stuff. I think I’m just gonna go home. I just realised that high school actually sucked for me so I don’t know why I thought it would be fun to be reminded of it.” 

Sukuna tilted his head sympathetically, thumbs rubbing circles into your soft skin. “Is this about Uro?” 

You barked out a humourless laugh. “So you saw then? I bet everyone did.” 

“Yeah, she’s pretty shameless.” 

“It wasn’t like he was stopping it either,” you shot back, lip wobbling ever so slightly. “I’m not really surprised after everything I heard from Gojo earlier, but I feel like I just got overloaded with information and its fucking me up. I feel like I’m sixteen again finding out that Ryu fucked Yorozu.” 

“Everything you heard from Gojo?” He pressed, his face a practiced picture of confusion. 

You shook your head. “Don’t get me started. Turns out Kashimo wasn’t really who I thought he was, so now I just feel like a big idiot.” He could feel you shaking beneath his grip, completely blindsided by everything that was happening so quickly. 

He hummed, pretending to think that over, before dropping a hand down to your wrist. “Come on, let's get you some fresh air. Sounds like you need it.” He softly tugged you down the corridor, and you followed with little resistance, letting him keep your wrist firmly in his grip as he led you out the back of the school. 

The two of you ended up on the field out the back of the building, and Sukuna dragged you over to a bench, sitting you down and making it clear that you had his rapt attention. 

“Tell me what happened, I feel like everything’s a bit too fragmented for me to piece together.” 

“Gojo knows Kashimo. He met him at one of those gigs that Kashimo runs. He said he saw him doing drugs and publicly touching other women.” You took a deep breath. “I know we aren’t exclusive, I chose that, but Kashimo was always telling me that he wanted to be exclusive, that I was the only one he was seeing. He always said he never did any of that partying stuff too. Guess it was all lies.” 

Sukuna stayed silent for a moment, red eyes fixed on the field before him as he contemplated what to say next. He figured that to really put himself in your good graces, he might as well take a gamble. 

“Are you sure? Maybe Satoru was talking about someone else.” 

You shook your head, offering Sukuna a little smile as thanks for his optimism. “I don’t see why Gojo would bother to lie about it. It's not like Kashimo is easily mistaken for someone else, and this happened at a gig for one of the bands that Kashimo manages - there’s no mistaking it. Satoru said he could show me some private Myspace profile Kashimo has, but to be honest, I’m not sure I even want to see.” 

Your lack of interest would spell a serious waste of several hours of Sukuna and Satoru’s time, but he supposed he could live with that. 

“Seeing Uro all over him kinda just affirmed everything Gojo had to say. I was on the fence about him anyway, so this is just a sign I guess.” 

“Mmm.” Sukuna started down at the daisies surrounding his feet, giving you the space to continue if you wished to. When you offered him nothing but silence, he opted to fill it. “If you were on the fence anyway, why do you seem so upset?” 

His question was tender, expression soft as he gazed into your teary eyes. Instinctively one of his hands found its way to your cheek, carefully wiping away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb. You let him do it, taking another deep shuddering breath. 

“It's not really about Kashimo, I guess.” 

“Then what’s it about?” 

You shrugged. “I don’t know. I just- I feel like this is how it always goes for me. Guys who seem nice make me think I can trust them, only for the rug to be pulled out from under me. Ryu seemed lovely until he fucked Yorozu, Kashimo seemed perfect until I found out he was doing all this shit behind my back. Do I just have a terrible judge of character?” 

“Maybe.” He hummed, a soft smile spreading over his face at the way you pouted up at him, clearly not in the mood for jokes. “Men tend to be pigs.” 

“You included?” You asked. 

Oh, definitely.

“I mean, I took the chance to sleep with you the second things went wrong with Ryu, so yeah, I guess it includes me. I’d never pull any of the shit they pulled with you though, I can guarantee that.” 

You nodded thoughtfully, eyes glancing down at your hands in your lap. Sukuna’s hand was still gently caressing your face, stilling tears in their path. He wasn’t sure why you hadn’t pulled back yet, but he’d gladly push his luck as far as it would go. 

“If Uro so much as looked at me I’d tell her to fuck off. Yorozu too. Any woman, actually.” 

You huffed softly. “I believe that.” 

“Yeah?” He’d almost thought that you’d hit back and call him just as bad as everyone else that you’d dated. He was arguably worse - not in his treatment of you of course, but fundamentally as a human being. 

“Yeah, I saw how you treated Yorozu back in high school. You never gave her the time of day.” 

He scrunched up his nose. “Obviously not. She’s annoying as hell. I’m glad she disappeared.” 

“Me too.” 

That caught him off guard, because he’d always thought that you were just too kind to really admit to such a thing out loud. Apparently not. That was a good sign, it meant that one day, in the distant, distant future, you might be receptive to hearing about all he’d done to have you at his side. 

“Honestly, I wish Uro would just disappear too,” you added. 

“Never say never. Maybe she’ll fuck off to be a star too.” 

“Maybe.” You said with a soft giggle. 

If only you knew how willing Sukuna was to make such a thing happen if you really wanted it. For now he was keen to keep Uro alive, because she could certainly serve a purpose just like she had today, but perhaps one day, when he could be more honest with you about his actions, he could kill her for you as a big profession of love. 

Wouldn’t that be romantic? 

“I’m being serious though, you know. I’d never do anything but treat you with the reverence you deserve.” Slowly he pulled his hand back from your face, before sliding his arm around your shoulders. It was a cautious action, allowing you ample time to shuffle away. But you stayed perfectly still - just like all the other times he’s reached for you. 

Your lips parted in surprise, a soft smile gracing your features as you nodded, leaning into his side ever so slightly. “Noted.” 

“I know you’ve got all these reservations about us - the guilt and all that shit. But twice now your choices have failed you. Perhaps it's time to start doing the opposite of what you believe the best path to be.” 

He wasn’t sure what to think of the way that you giggled.

“You really want me huh?” You wiped tears from your cheeks as you gazed up at him, a mischievous sparkle in your eyes. “Spouting all this deep thought nonsense just to try and make me give you a chance.” 

He smirked down at you, giving your shoulder a squeeze. He could’ve backed down, argued that everything he was saying was genuine, but you didn’t seem unhappy, so he figured it was best to go along with the flow. 

“Yeah, you got me. But I don’t think you’re opposed to it. I can see it in the way you look at me when you think I’m not watching.” 

The way that you bit on your lower lip was painfully sexy. You made no effort to deny his words, and that might as well have been an admission of love in his eyes. 

“You’re so infuriating,” you said.

“So I’ve heard.”

“And incredibly persistent.” 

“Some would see that as a positive,” he pointed out with a smile. You seemed more at ease now, your tears having stopped entirely. You shook your head with amusement, his heart fluttering in his chest at the action. 

“Look, I’m not having this conversation right now, outside of some stupid reunion where I’ve just found out my boyfriend has been lying to me for months.” 

“So you’re saying you’d be willing to have this conversation another time?” 

You rolled your eyes, shooting him an incredulous look. “You have really selective hearing.” 

“That’s not a no.” 

You snorted. “You’re right, it's not. I just need some time, gotta deal with this Kashimo thing, and figure out if I could even forgive myself for what we did all those years again. Then maybe we can have this conversation.” 

“Mmm, so you do really like me, huh?” 

Letting out a deep sigh, you slipped out from under his arm and stood up, stretching a little. “If Ryu hadn’t died that night…I don’t know. Things might be different - I guess they still could be. Of course I like you, I’ve always liked you.” 

“Me too-” 

“But, like I said, that’s a conversation for another time. I’ve been running from those feelings for four years and I’m not going to jump into your arms the same night that I find out my boyfriend’s been fucking me over. Be patient and maybe good things will come your way.” 

His eyes were shiny with joy, staring up at you eagerly. He sort of enjoyed the way that you were tugging at his leash, laying down the law with him. It was the most you’d ever given him outside of that night that Ryu died. 

He was fucking ecstatic. 

“For now, I’m gonna go back inside, I’m gonna tell Kashimo I feel ill and get the fuck out of here. Then I’m gonna berate him over text message and tell him we’re done.” The initial shock of the situation seemed to have worn off for you, tearful expression giving way for something more hardened. 

You’d grown up a lot from the girl who’d crumbled upon finding out about Ryu’s cheating. 

“And you’re gonna wipe that stupid smirk off your face and go back in there, and you’re gonna act like none of this happened. When I’m ready to talk to you about what I feel for you, I’m gonna let you know. Is that acceptable?” 

He was really struggling to wipe the grin off his face, such an action wasn’t inherently in his nature. But he did give you an affirmative nod - he’d take a few moments before rejoining the reunion to try and stop himself from looking too excited. 

It wouldn’t do to have Kashimo suspecting anything. 

“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” he purred.

You stared down at him for a moment, nibbling on your lip for a second before leaning down and planting a quick kiss on his lips. It happened so fast that he hardly had time to register it, failing to kiss you back in any capacity. That was probably for the best, because if he’d had time to do anything, he would’ve pulled you into his lap and kept you there. 

Before he could speak, you were gone, stalking back towards the doors to the school, a slight blush warming your cheeks. He was practically frozen, basking in the feeling of affection that overcame him at the contact, savouring the taste of your lipgloss. 

He needed more of that.

And soon he’d get it. 

—

The rest of the reunion passed without issue. You disappeared off home, and Kashimo stayed for about half an hour before calling it quits himself. 

Sukuna couldn’t quite decide if Kashimo sensed something amiss with your behaviour when you stopped by his table to say goodbye. He didn’t think that it really mattered. As far as he was concerned, his gambit had paid off and his position with you was finalised. You were going to break up with Kashimo and everything would work out in Sukuna’s favour. 

And to make sure there was no chance of anything getting in his way, Sukuna had some matters to take into his own hands. 

He needed to make sure that you and Kashimo had no opportunity to talk about the accusations, and that meant dealing with Kashimo, before he could start asking questions around the specifics of why he was being broken up with. 

He’d be more careful than he was with Ryu, he’d learned from that experience. You couldn’t find out that Kashimo was dead - this time Sukuna was going to make sure that the man disappeared. You already believed that he was a piece of shit who’d been cheating behind your back, it wouldn’t be too far a reach for you to believe he’d simply gotten tired of you and ghosted. 

It would be even easier for you to believe if Kashimo were to send you a shitty text from his phone. 

Yeah, Sukuna would do this in a much better manner than he did with Ryu. There was no space for sloppiness this time around. 

“Car trouble?” 

Sukuna had pulled his car up next to Kashimo's, leaning out the window as he observed the blue-haired man. Your boyfriend was pulled over just outside of town, the hood of his car open, with him bent over it with a look of defeat creasing his brow. 

A flicker of relief registered in his blue eyes at the sight of Sukuna, grinning at him from his own perfectly functioning truck.

“Yeah, something’s fried. Don’t know what. I only took this thing to the garage recently, can’t believe it's breaking down on me already.” 

“I can take a look, I’m pretty good with cars,” Sukuna said with a friendly smile. 

“That would be a big help.” 

Sukuna shut off his truck and leapt out, rounding the car to take a look at the engine. He wasn’t really looking at it, since he was already well aware of what the issue was, having caused it himself. It was easy to sneak into the carpark during the reunion when no one was around, giving him ample opportunity to fuck with Kashimo’s shitty little car. 

“Alternator’s clearly fucked,” he said finally. “I could hit it with a hammer and you might get a few more miles out of her, but you’re gonna need to get that shit replaced as soon as possible.”

“Think it would manage seventy miles?” Kashimo asked, sounding defeated. 

“Doubtful.”

“Shit.” 

“My dad’s got a garage though, I could go and see if he can help out? I should even be able to get you the friends and family discount, although he’s a stingy asshole so we’ll have to see what mood he’s in.” Sukuna stepped back, slamming the hood of the car closed and walking back to his own truck. 

So far this was going exactly as he’d hoped - part of him had been worried that the alternator would hang on for longer than he ideally wanted, and he’d have to follow the fucker halfway home. Running into him out on the highway would be much harder to explain than meeting him just outside of town.

It seemed like it was his lucky day. 

“Hop in, you might as well come with me rather than hanging out around here. There’s weird folk about.” He had to bite down on his lower lip to not chuckle at the irony of his statement, since Kashimo would be far safer if he remained in his car. 

Kashimo gave him a grateful smile, clearly sensing nothing amiss. He rummaged around in his car for a few moments and grabbed his backpack before jumping into the passenger side of Sukuna’s truck. “Thanks man, I owe you one. You’re a good guy, can see why my girl gets along with you.” 

“Yeah?” 

He started up the engine, taking a glance over his shoulder before doing a U-Turn and heading back towards town. He imagined that most people would feel stressed if they were in his position, going back and forth in their minds about whether they should go through with their plan. Perhaps their hearts would be thumping, blood rushing in their ears. 

Sukuna felt none of that. He was completely calm, his heart rate steady, his mind clear. Now that he had Kashimo in his car he felt secure, because he knew with certainty that he could carry out the next bit with flawless efficiency. 

He’d done it before - more than once. In this sort of field, that practically made someone a professional. 

All he’d felt when he’d killed Ryu was satisfaction. The same when he bashed Yorozu’s head in. He’d feel no more remorse over Kashimo. He’d do anything if it meant that he could be at your side, with all potential threats thoroughly eliminated. 

Could anyone really blame him for doing such a thing? He was in love.

“Yeah, not many people would bother helping some guy they barely know - I’m just the new boyfriend of your buddy, it's not like you have any obligation!” Kashimo said fondly. Sukuna had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at how thickly the man was laying on the praise. “You’re a pretty cool dude, y’know?” 

Sukuna chuckled, eyes locked on the road ahead of him. 

“Don’t sweat it. I’m really just doing her a favour.” 

a/n: reader be folding for him so easily :(

hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for the support! comments and reblogs are appreciated as always! <3

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Your fingers curled on the door handle and you twisted it slowly, the lock clicking under your command. The air outside felt humid— no, hot even. It felt like the sun had decided to come a little bit closer.

And it smells . . . Awful. Utterly, awful. It smells like charcoal. Were the kids burning wood again? The second your foot stepped out, you were on the ground. Someone had sped past you frantically, screaming bloody murder, and hence, you decided that this wasn't just Shakkin-tori nor a normal forest bandit visit— this was actually real. And you weren't sure what to make do of the lack of information.

"Hello—" Your voice was futile, drowned under the crackles of wood and the mix of agony wafting around.

Your head turned frantically, hoping for anyone, anyone to just notice you this one time. But to no avail, nobody came to your aid as they were also busy with themselves. Families running, clutching onto their little ones as they fled the village only to be a cluttered, lifeless mess the second they try to escape any further.

The smell of metal whiffed into your nostrils, it doesn’t take two and two to conclude that it was blood that you were currently smelling. Especially with this whole fiesta, you’d think blood might have been the first thing you could smell instead of burning wood.

You could make out kids crying beneath all the terrified screams and crackles of burning wood growing louder. It was bound to happen to your safe haven so you stopped yourself from getting back inside— navigating your way outside all based on pure memories and instinct. Your movements were ran by adrenaline at this point, and you disregard the bumping made to the corner of your shoulders, refusing to let it push you down this time.

“Anyone?” You call out, your fingers grasping the air, quietly hoping for someone’s hand to hold yours and bring you to safety.

But nothing came. And you were left to be alone, walking down with your arms stretched out, you felt like a fool.

You stumbled over the hem of your kimono slightly and cursed under your breath, using one hand to grip the fabric and pulling it up slightly so you could step better. However, the lack of stretched arms to navigate your way only allowed you to crash into a wall— no, it sure felt like a wall, but you aren’t stupid enough to know that walls don’t make noises.

“Hello?” Your voice comes out meek and careful, a bit relieved that this was someone you could ask for help from, “What is happening? Hello?”

“Uraume.”

Who is Uraume? You don’t recognize that name anywhere and you surely don’t recognize anyone with that name inside the village. You staggered back, they must be the perpetrators. You turned on your heels and tried to rush away, only for a force to tug you back by your forearm.

“My Lord?”

“Seize her.”

Seize? You try to pull your arm away— keyword: try. When it failed under the touch of the person named “Uraume”, you reason out, “I’m afraid I do not understand what that means, what is happening right now?”

“My Lord, she lacks the knowledge of seizing. She is quite unlettered,” your jaw dropped in offense at the words strewn about you, “shall I discard her away and search for a different woman for you—?”

“I am not unlettered! Forgive me for lacking the vision to see what is revolving around me right now,” you muttered under your breath.

“Seize her. Drag her back to the shrine.”

“Ow,” you wince out, your hair pulled back roughly.

“Hold still,” you didn’t dare move at the annoyance lacing in her tone— you still have yet to know what was happening and who “Uraume” and “My Lord” is.

They had dragged you here without much fight from you. As much as you tried to stop them, their touch roughly screamed out strong and you weren’t brave enough to fight back. Not currently, to keep it short, “Uraume” had commanded a woman to hurl you into a quick bath so you’d look presentable.

“Why have they decided to bring in a blind girl? This is so troublesome,” she spat out, despite that, her fingers worked inside your hair, scrubbing it roughly, pulling the strands back.

Your wince and hisses of pain had gone unbothered by her. And you’d assume she worked under “Uraume” and “My Lord”. By her complaints, she’d rather be doing something else rather than bathing you. Mind you, you had the ability to clean yourself without help!

Don’t even start with the drying. She had used a rough fabric you couldn’t make out, it prickled your skin like needles; you try not to rip the fabric out of her grasp to do it yourself, but the curses she spat under her breath made you endure it. She had dressed you in a kimono, you assumed. The process equaled to the one you do everyday.

Although she had pulled the obijime tighter than how you do it, deliberately cutting the air slightly that you struggled to walk.

She pulled you along. No, she dragged you along her side and you complied. Before then, you’d stumble over wooden stairs she doesn’t inform you of until the sound the traditional shoji door sliding made you shudder. Once the door opened, the aura from the other side made your body felt lightweight.

The woman, you assumed, dragged you inside the room. Her hand lands on the top of your head, pushing it down. Your forehead kissed the rough tatami mat harshly at the force, and she murmurs under her breath; all hostility from before dissipating into one of fear and caution, “My Lord, she has been cleaned up like you assigned.”

“You may leave.”

Her hand disappeared from the top of your head and the footsteps fled, you internally screamed for her to bring you along. But, she doesn’t. The shoji door slid shut and you were left inside the room, on your knees. Slowly you brought your head back up from the mat, palms growing clammy at the silence.

“What is happening—?” Your question doesn’t vary from when they had found you roaming around like headless chicken.

“Silence. You are as of to shut your mouth when not given the permission,” someone solicited.

Again. You were offended. Surely they could have said it in a nicer manner, you fisted your hands on top of your lap. First, they had dragged you here. Second, made you shower with a woman who clearly doesn’t want to do it. Third, tell you to shut it when you needed closure.

“I have been stolen against my will,” you told in a matter of fact tone.

“Kidnap, I believe is the right term.”

“Yes. This is a crime. A felony. You will be severely punished for this,” you mutter under your breath, furrowing your brows, “they will put your head up on spikes and present it to the whole village!”

“Surely they wouldn’t go against someone who had vaporized your village,” you gasped in surprise, “and I made sure to leave the adults choked on their own blood. Who will have whose heads on spikes? I’d say not the adults.”

“I can’t tell if your naivety is laughable or pathetic,” the new voice, deeper, and hoarse made your head cast down slowly, “why so scared now? Where has that courage gone off to?”

The words were blown out of your mind. Whoever this was right in front of you smells of great danger and you weren't ready to deal with this until you've gotten your way around. A low chuckle escaped his lips at the sight of you so meek, "Uraume, show her the chambers."

Chambers? Your head snapped up, "Chambers? I will be detained?"

"Sleeping chambers," Uraume clarify.

You felt Uraume brush against you as they walked, you stood up slowly, trying to follow their footsteps; only to plant your face into the shoji door. A heads up would have been wonderful, you mumbled to yourself internally. Uraume kept his silence, watching you struggle with the fact that the Shoji door was on your way— they pushed the door wider for you to step out, and you did. our foot caught onto the sill of the door and your body jolted forwards slightly.

You would think that Uraume at least had the basic decency to guide you to follow them, but they had took a few steps ahead. No worries, you'd rely on your hearing for so long that you have grown accustomed to this kind of behavior. Your fingers laced against each other, following their steps and making sure that you hadn't lost them along the way.

"When you address him by 'My Lord', what is he? King of the forest? Head of village? Owner of a shrine?" You questioned in confusion, "And who was that lady? She could have been nicer to my hair."

"We do not do nice here. Be glad that My Lord has decided to spare your measly life unlike the adults there . . ." Uraume muttered back, turning around the corner.

Which you didn't hear. Hence, the loud 'thud' your body made as you fell off the end of the engawa, unknown about the sharp corner. Your palm dug onto the ground, little pebbles irritated the surface of your skin, digging into your flesh. A loud hiss escaped your lips at the sting and Uraume's footsteps close in, "This is quite troublesome."

"It would not have been if you had told me about that corner, Waraume."

"Uraume," they corrected.

"Uraume," you fixed.

They didn't help you up. You kept yourself stranded on the ground, one of the zori sandals you wore came off when you took a tumble and you had no idea where it had landed. After seconds, you brushed your palms onto the fabric of the kimono, tapping the ground to find the missing piece of footwear. This is humiliating.

When your fingertips grazed over it, you cheered internally, placing it upright. Uraume grunted, "Be quick, I do not have all the time in this world to wait for your tardiness."

"Tardiness? I am not being tardy. I need help, and nobody is willing to give me the help I needed," you grumbled under your breath, putting the sandal back on begrudgingly.

Uraume shuffled back onto the engawa, letting you climb back on yourself. This time, you try to keep quiet and put all ears up to listen to their footsteps, and you did. Horribly.

Uraume stopped right in front of a shoji door. Their fingers gripped onto the back of your obi, pulling you into a halt. They slid the door open widely this time, "This is where you will reside. You are to consume three meals a day —breakfast, lunch, and dinner— in the Ooku with the other concubines. They can be . . . distasteful, so keep your mouth shut at all times."

You stood there, "Ooku? Concubines? Surely your Lord wouldn't want a blind concubine, no?"

"He has not said anything about you being a concubine, a command is a command."

Uraume ushered you inside the chamber, "But I do not know when breakfast, lunch, or dinner is," your voice was timid, but Uraume isn't there anymore— They had walked away the moment you stepped inside the chamber, with your arms stretched out, you try to find your way around the room. It was spacious, maybe even bigger than your house in the village.

There is the cabinet. A dresser. A few tokonoma hung on the walls. An ikebana vase rested on the cabinet gingerly, and you hummed. Your fingers touched a circular handle and you slid it open— the oshiire, this was where the fluffy futon was tucked inside. And you touched the soft cotton based bedding, this was better than the thin mattress you used back at home.

Walking around the room, your shin bumped onto a small desk by the corner, a loud groan escaped in between your lips and you rubbed the area in the middle of your leg, "Who puts a table in the corner?" What a poor planning.

Like the usual, you only recognized it is nightfall by the time an owl began hooting right outside your chamber. The gargling in your stomach made you huddle down in pain, when was dinner? Right as you began laying down on the tatami, the door slid open.

"You are late for dinner."

"I don't know what is night. Or day. Or time at all. For one, the owls have been my night radar for . . . ever now," you muttered out, clutching on your stomach, "and I have no sense of direction. I do not know where the Ooku lays beneath all these walls and engawa. Nor do I know where the engawa ends," the reminder of the fall you took earlier made you grow annoyed.

Uraume blow out a soft sigh, they walked inside and lit the lantern by the corner of the room, "My Lord is requesting for your presence. The other concubines are not allowed to eat unless your presence is there."

"Is he supposed to eat with the concubines?"

" . . . Not usually," Uraume grappled onto your bicep, tugging you up, "it is an exception just for today."

"Why isn't he dining with his empress—"

"My Lord has no empress."

"Consorts?"

"No."

The walk to the Ooku is quiet. Uraume walked with purpose, often stopping to make sure you hadn't fall off the engawa like earlier— every time you fall back, Uraume stepped their foot once to notify his presence. You followed them down. And when the two of you reached the Ooku, Uraume took a good look at you.

"Make yourself look presentable."

"Do I not look presentable?"

"You look a mess."

"I am still presentable, am I not here to dine? I have no wants to woo your Lord," you smooth down the fabric of your kimono, puckering your lips slightly at how harsh their words are, "I am starving. I hope you served deer meat."

"Fish."

"Fish is delicious as well."

Uraume pulled the shoji door open, and the smell of food immediately caressed your nostrils. The smell made your stomach gargle even more, but you don't dare step inside— not when the whispers of the concubines made your stomach drop in a way not even the dread from the village did. You swallowed the lump in your throat, waiting for Uraume's next command.

"Step inside."

"Where?" Your whisper made Uraume grunt, they slowly grip the corner of your fingers, dragging you along the room. The tatami mat seemed to dig under your foot more as you walked. Before you could process it, they had helped you sit on the fluffy zabuton, right behind the table full of plates and bowls.

Sukuna's eyes watched you cautiously. He kept his mouth sealed, eyeing the way you sat on your knees on top of the zabuton, tucked to the right where a high ranked concubine should have been sitting. Instead, he had requested for you today. And his request was accepted in begrudging acceptance from the concubines.

Inside the Ooku, you sat there awkwardly. The whispers continue and you grumbled under your breath, you just wanted to dine in peace. A low voice came from your left side, "Eat."

The same voice you heard before. 'My Lord', you mumbled inside your mind. Bowls clanked, and you look around, tapping the table in search of your utensils. This was already humiliating as it is, but the fact that all these people have to wait for you to finish eating before being able to leave was even more humiliating— you end up discarding a lot of food just to make it all stop.

Uraume guided you back to your chambers under Sukuna's command.

You guessed a month passed by in a whim. You kept track of it, every single time the owls made their noise, you try to carve the walls of the chambers with a piece of sharp wood. The deep carve helped you counted the days you have been sitting here inside the chambers. It was ridiculous— the days passed by and every single thing in a day was always the same. Wake up, try to fold the futon, shove it back inside the oshiire as much as it could fit, shut the door and hope it doesn't bust, wait for Uraume to bring you to the Ooku for breakfast, bathe, dilly-dally, lunch, more dilly-dallying, dinner, bathe, bed.

"Dinner is served."

The walk to the Ooku was no longer awkward, you had accepted the fact that this will be your life from now on. 'My Lord'— or Sukuna Ryomen, you heard has made no attempt to talk to you at all, and you were glad. He was clearly occupied with the higher rank concubines, or that's what you assumed.

Exception for tonight, Uraume said. And Sukuna had been dining in the Ooku since you arrived here. Also, that explains why these ladies haven't been the nicest to you. By all means. Bath time was the worst, you wouldn't be surprised when one of your kimono pieces go missing, or your sandals, your socks. Even the soap. Or the wooden bucket you use frequently for water.

The constant bumps on your shoulder when you walked by the engawa, or the way you constantly trip on someone's foot as you walked by. They were doing a pretty damn good job at making you feel like chopped liver, not that you feel at home here anyways. You had no plan to get them to stop, nor do you want to be involved with the higher ranked concubines.

"Eat," Sukuna muttered like the usual.

Your fingers grasped the wooden chopsticks. You weren't a food connoisseur, but the cooks seemed to be in a mood to get married today— the salt made your throat ache, but you swallowed it nonetheless. At least the rice was delicious and it killed the over salty . . . everything.

"Uraume."

Every movement inside the dining hall collapsed. The silence is deafening and your movements stopped along with the others when Sukuna suddenly piqued out for Uraume, "Yes, My Lord?"

"Call the dokumiyaku."

The woman to your right speaks up, "Is there a problem with the food, My Lord?" her soft voice was wonderful— one of the kind you'd expect from a noble woman, although it would have been nice if her attitude matches the softness of her voice, "I'd say it tastes quite exquisite today."

Uraume went off and hoisted a dokumiyaku into the Ooku; you sat there, ready to shove your face inside the food, but your chopsticks were stolen right from your grasp at the last second, "I had not command you to eat, did I?" Sukuna's voice glowered.

You couldn't see his expression, but you stayed quiet. Sukuna faced the poison taster standing in fear right by the shoji, and he spoke out, "Taste this woman's food," he commanded.

And by woman, he meant yours. Everyone's eyes panned towards your platter of food. The only thing about this was somehow you were the only one unknown of all this, but you waited. You felt a presence right to your side and you scoot away in response.

"My Lord, there seems to be no problem with anything . . . Though," and then it hits you that the man was trying your food, your food. Sukuna had called a poison taster for your food for whatever reason he believed, "it is quite salty. A little more than . . . usual, and too much salt can cause complications to the body—"

"Hence, it is poison?"

" . . . If digested too much, yes."

"Uraume, discard the platter."

"My food," you mumbled, "surely I will be getting another platter, right?"

Sukuna grunts. He took a look at Uraume, gesturing to his platter as a hint to hand it to you, Sukuna hates human food anyways. Uraume complied, moving the platter onto your table. The concubines brows furrowed at the sight of his generosity— this was the first time Sukuna had done something as humane as this. The jealousy that had been brewing inside their heart boiled even more at the sight, the silence was there, but their hearts were noisy; sending knowing glances at each other as if to make sure every single one of them inside that room saw what just happened.

After Sukuna's command to continue eating, everyone continued. You chowed down the better tasting food and finished everything. How come he had notice something was wrong? Were your expressions saying too much?

Deespite that, you were thankful enough to finish the platter. Also, why does he have a poison taster? Aren’t curses immune to them?

A few months passed by slow, the concubines were being miserable. Especially the higher ranked ones, you would have thought mentions of them being pure evil were just myths— but they were right. You had been miserable all these months.

It started off small like a few months ago. Bath time problems. Missing clothing. Then it escalates to tampered foods, light framing. For example, last month, you had gotten framed for breaking one of the concubine's priced jewelry she custom made from one of the rarest gem in all of Japan. You took the judgement like a rock, with pointed fingers at you, you don't bother at all. Sukuna dismissed the problem, he doesn't sound like he cared enough to be bothered by a broken gem.

Or the other time another high ranked concubine told Sukuna about you somehow being a spy sent by your village to put an end to him. Sukuna blatantly shut down the ridiculous statement by saying he had killed every single person in that village and the said concubine was sent to the chamber . . . not for sleeping ones.

Sukuna doesn’t bother with measly troubles as this. Perhaps it’s the fact he was bounded to these women with lust— he has no problem throwing them away when they get too troublesome. Although, he did have to admit, you had done nothing but be troublesome for him.

Yet, you piqued his interest to the brim. Perhaps it is also the fact that you couldn’t see him that you were not spewing out words of disbelief. Most of his concubines fear him, they feared death. But you? You act like this was another trip around the village and lived life to the fullest.

He loathes dining in the Ooku, the concubines there —most of them— acted insufferable. The tone of their voice differ from the way they spoke to people of lower ranks. Now, Sukuna doesn’t bother with how they acted to the shrine maids or the workers, though his ears twitched every time he overhears them talking about you like you were just a hindrance to them.

The first time Sukuna laid his eyes upon your figure, he had been itching to kill you. To just slice you open and watch the crimson paint the ground like he did to every other people in the village that night, it took him by surprise that he had even commanded Uraume to bring you here.

These concubines were chosen by him, personally. Either that or . . . They had rightfully given themselves by their own want. Sukuna fixed his black hakama as he sat down inside his chambers, the darkness consumed him; and the only light were from the lanterns Uraume had forced inside the room.

“Uraume.”

“Have the concubines been giving that woman a hard time?” Sukuna questioned, shutting his eyes, “They will stop at nothing to get rid of that woman from the shrine.”

“Seems like the concubines are a bit . . . Envious.”

“Envy?” Sukuna questioned in amusement, he stared up the ceiling of his chambers, “Of what?”

“You seem to be favoring her.”

“That blind wench? Favoring? I’m just merely toying with her.” He scoffed.

“Mm.”

Sukuna grunted, “There will be time when I get rid of her— she’s utterly irrelevant and useless.”

Uraume hums softly, “She has no manners, no class, is never on time, takes long baths, mismtaches her outfits often, unable to take care of her looks, and is just . . . Terrible to look after. She is quite troublesome, I’d appreciate if you do get rid of that woman,” they finished in annoyance, “she go on about falling off the engawa and blamed it on me. How rude.”

“She lacks the vision.”

“And common sense.”

Sukuna leaned his chin onto one of his knuckles, his thought reeled back to the way you seemed to be all smiles despite the wrong-doings of the other concubines. He was right, you put no mind into the stuff that revolved around you right now and lived life like you always do— clearly, it shows how much you had been through to be able to accept these kinds of doings with open heart.

Uraume grumbled under their breath, “She lacks the knowledge of time. She lacks the knowledge of etiquette. She is quite the messy eater that even the maids get tired of scrubbing her outfits, it is about time that you get rid of her, My Lord.”

“It will come.”

A sliver of smile appeared on Uraume’s lips and they bowed their head down, “I will be waiting.”

You held back a light sneeze, idle on the futon. Your sleepwear tangled lightly, wondering how you were supposed to be sleeping in such complex materials— you thought of discarding them and sleep with just your skin on, but it would be shameful for Uraume to see first thing in the morning if you hadn’t wake up.

Your eyes were wide open, blinking. The darkness that covered your vision felt suffocating, and you breathe in softly and let the air back out loudly. Your back ached as the rough tatami dug into the futon. Today had been a bad day, you had managed to fall off the engawa once more when one of the concubines, you assume, had tripped you while you walked by.

Two, you spilled your grilled fish and didn’t get another one as change. You tried to complain to anyone. And three, someone had taken your obijime during bath time and you had nothing to hold your obi up. So, you walked towards your chambers holding up the piece of clothing your limbs turning into a makeshift obijime.

This was childish, you thought.

You stood up, the kosode faltering a bit and the oversized hakama Uraume gave to you were annoying. Not only were they too big, they had refused to change anything to fit you.

You slowly slid out of the room, tapping on the walls to navigate your way out. In all honesty, you were not supposed to be roaming out after dark. Uraume frequently goes on to check, but they stop after a certain amount of time— you walked down the hall, finding your way turning corners after corners trying to remember the directions to the garden you came across while exploring alone the other month.

“Running away so soon?”

You stumbled over your foot at the sudden voice and fell face first onto the wooden engawa, the pain registering seconds later into your nose and forehead. A hiss escaped your lips as you scoot aside, sitting on your knees, “Who is speaking?”

“Your Lord.”

“Sukuna?” You confirmed.

The no answer was an answer and you sighed, “How may I be as of help, My Lord?” You murmured out, rubbing the tip of your nose.

“You? Think I need help?”

“You might, which is why I am asking,” an amused scoff went past your lips and he raised a brow at your words, nobody dared to say that to him. Not even Uraume, “I was . . . Heading to the restroom.”

“Wrong direction.”

You freeze. He owned this place, of course he knew everything, a nervous laugh rumbled from the deepest part of your body, “Oh, it seems like I have made a mistake. Please, excuse me then, My Lord.”

He drawls out again, “You are quite the bad liar, wench.”

You retaliate, “Excuse me?” Had he just insulted you? Wench? Oh my goodness, if he weren’t so powerful, you would have your fist all the way up his bottom that it shows up when he opens his mouth! “Do not address me as such. I am not a wench.”

He scoffed, “You’re pitiful.”

“I am not.”

“All smiles under peer pressure, my concubines are giving you a hard time, are they not?” He hummed in amusement, adjusting his black colored kosode hanging by his broad shoulders, “I do not know whether you are being brave or foolish. You are a mere toy for me to enjoy, and until that enjoyment ends, I am to keep you alive and breathing.”

“And once it ends?”

“You will be discarded like every other person,” he spoke with such ease that it made vomit pile in your throat, you were kept here for the sake of his amusement while you were trying to stay alive, “nobody would choose a blind wench, not even humans. You would serve as nothing but a toy to anyone out there, surely you’d be appreciative of the royalty I give you?”

You gasped in horrid, “Appreciative? Over this?! You are insufferable, and terrible. Yes, you are terrible and disgusting.”

He barks out a rancid laugh, “That so?”

“Disgusting!”

You lift your hakama to prevent tripping and walked forwards only to step over . . . Nothing. And the tumble sent you face first into the ground below. Damn that engawa!

“Fool.”

Sukuna’s heavy footsteps began echoing as he walked around the corner, leaving you to complain on your own, blaming the hakama over your fall. The soil stuck beneath your nails as you pushed yourself up, holding the hakama in embarrassment. All that talk and you fall after, shame!

You stood there. The tremble in your legs stood you up there for a moment, graveling in your own shame. After a moment, you found yourself climbing back up onto the engawa, sauntering down the hall in continue to find the garden you accidentally came across some time ago.

Unlike the other concubines, you don’t care about that fiend. Fiend is the right word, he is now a fiend since you are a wench to him. How dare he degrade you like that? Even if nobody was there to witness it— still, how terrible of him. Maybe the folklore was right, maybe he is as terrible.

Ugh. You stomp your foot down on the engawa in annoyance. Not only did he manage to foul your already foul mood, you also did not find the garden even after an hour of roaming around endless corners, slowly lowering yourself onto grounds just to pat over the ground seeking for the familiar feeling of the bushes you touched and seeking for the slick rock that stopped you from toppling over the small pond.

You end up tangled under the blankets of your futon, angrily tugging on the warm sheet like your life depends on it. No, actually, you were channeling your anger towards Sukuna to the poor thing, cursing it under your breath as you kicked your legs in annoyance.

Before then, you had fallen asleep in fits of rage. The crease in between your brows deepened in your sleep, Sukuna plaguing your dreams. You woke up early like a fresh bucket of water had dampen you, earlier than usual. You slip out of your room with a towel and a change of kimono the maids had packed in sets so you wouldn’t mix the colors up— a warm bath without any of the concubines up felt like a breath of fresh air, you tied the obijime just right.

No missing sandals. No mismatched socks. You walked back to your chambers, tidying up the futon and shoving it into the oshiire as much as it could fit in. A low rumble of hunger reverberated and you held your tummy, sitting on your knees, waiting for Uraume to come fetch you.

And when they did, they were fairly surprised to see you up and dressed well. You feel their fingers curl around yours, pulling you out of the chambers. You trudged alongside them, entering the Ooku proudly. Chest puffed up, like you hadn’t been loudly cursing the pink haired curse into the sheets of your futon.

Sukuna’s many eyes panned to you, scoffing under his breath when you sat on your usual spot. Already reaching out for the chopsticks, “Had I given permission for you to eat?”

“I do not need anybody’s permission to eat,” yes, that was great, you thought already poking on the white fluffy rice in an attempt to rile him up.

And you sure did.

His brows deepened, “You dare defy me?”

“I dare!”

His concubines gasp in shock, surely Sukuna wouldn’t let you out of this alive. His maids and servants have died for various reasons— even the little ones, his outfit folded in a wrong way. Death. His room slightly dirty. Death. Caught shit talking him. Death.

Sukuna stared down at you, riled up. All while you were blissfully feeding yourself the warm rice. A delightful moan vibrating inside you, “This is delicious rice.”

Uraume blinked their eyes in surprise before actively trying to stop you. However, Sukuna waves one of his hand towards them, “Leave us.”

Uraume wastes no time ushering out the other concubines— some of them stifling laughter of satisfaction knowing you were in deep trouble after your stunt. They walked out elegantly, bowing down to Sukuna. You were blissfully unaware of the tremble on his shoulders, the way his nostrils fumed at your action.

“You dare shame me in front of my people?”

“In no way am I trying to shame you, I was just simply dining and appreciating how delicious this food is,” his arm swerved, hurling his platter of food aside. The loud crash echoed in the dining hall and you froze.

What the fuck just happened?

Your chopsticks hovered over the pickled radish on the side, the air blown out of you at the noise. Sure you were planning to rile him up, not to this extent though. You couldn’t see but the ominous aura he pushed out of him made you shudder in fear, the pressure on your shoulders added tenfold when his hand lands on your nape.

Oh, no. Is this the moment he crushed your neck and you die? Or is the moment he hurled you like he did to that platter? Or—

“You have the guts for someone who lacks the vision,” he spat out in annoyance, tone deep and brooding, “do you understand the position you are in? Know your place.”

“Respect is earned, if you do not respect me, I will not respect you,” you muttered out through gritted teeth, your chopsticks trembled from how hard you were holding it and you breath in heavily, “you dare address me as a wench, you do not know me.”

“I said, know your place.”

“I refuse.”

His hand clamped tighter on your nape, pulling your head back. You widened your eyes, “You dare—?!”

“Shut your mouth.”

You clamped your lips tightly shut at his command, briefly realizing how overpowerful this man is. You weren’t sure even 100 men could go against him. Sukuna leans in, his lips touching your earlobe, “You dare defy me?”

“ . . . No, My Lord.”

“Know your place.”

You stayed silent because you weren’t sure if you were to agree, you’d be able to keep your mouth shut next time. He’d surely have forgotten about this in a bit, no?

No. He doesn’t forget.

Patience and Sukuna don’t make a great pair, he has no time for patience. If he doesn’t like something, he gets rid of it quickly. Including humans, he has no single care for them. For him, they’re useless.

It was unnerving every time meal time rolled in because he has no idea what kind of stunt you’re planning. The concubines were surprised to see you still standing, they had even prepared tear works and nicely arranged compliments after the news of your death pass by. But, it never came.

Much like you did the other day, you continue to test his short string of patient. Sukuna waved at Uraume to drag you out of the dining hall before he takes a leave to blow his own steam off. Gosh, how can one measly human be so infuriating?

You have continuously succeeded in making him a fool out of himself. It was frustrating, at the same time, Sukuna couldn’t kill you. Not now anyways.

Hence the reason why he had arranged your meal time privately with him from today on. The concubines weren’t elated at the fact that Sukuna has yet again retracted back from eating with them— the reason he came in the first place was to keep his eyes on you anyways. None of the concubines mattered to him.

You were guided into his chambers, “Uraume? Are you sure you are guiding me to the dining hall? The walk today feels longer.”

“Shut it.”

“No. This is a felony.”

“What about everything in here is not?” Uraume snaps, sliding the door open and Sukuna was already inside, one leg up and his hand leaned onto his knee

You were sat next to Sukuna, reaching out for the chopsticks. Once again, that devious smile on your face plays out, “You never cease to annoy your Lord.”

“I do not understand you.”

“You are very stupid that you make animals look smart to me,” Sukuna rumbled, he watched you shove rice into your mouth happily in an attempt to rile him up, “you do understand that from now on you are to dine under my watch and my watch only?”

You froze. And he smiled in satisfaction, “Nobody would be there to assist you.”

A few moments pass by and you suddenly scrambled up, only to be tugged back down, one of his hands clamped onto your wrist, the other onto your ankle. They tugged you back ominously slow into a sitting position, you try to calm yourself in that fleeting second, “Why so scared now? Surely the courage is still left there as when you always shame me in front of the concubines?”

“Fiend!”

He rolled his tongue behind his lips in victory, “What is new?”

“Monster!”

“I have heard worse.”

“Ugly!”

“You are blind,” he deliberately copied a yawn out of people, leaning back to relax himself.

“I don’t need to see to be able to judge that you are ugly!” You point your finger accusingly towards him— no, to the space beside him that Sukuna coaxed himself to look at the space you pointed at slowly. A lopsided grin forming onto his lips, “You are wretched!”

One of his lower eyes shifted towards you, unnerving. And even if you couldn’t see, the shudder strikes you down once more, “Please, kill me now.”

“Careful of your wish, little wench.”

“Do it.”

“I’ll be your guest.”

You waited for the pain to hit, shutting your eyes. But it never did, and you looked around, it was still dark everywhere, of course. Had the action been so quick that you couldn’t decipher the pain before dying? Or had he not done it?

“For someone who dare to defy me, you seem pretty intent on dying, huh?”

How dare he! You narrow your eyes, “You are pulling laughter out of this,” he scoffed at your hypocrisy, he was doing what you were doing, “shut your mouth.”

“Or what?”

“Wretched fiend!”

He hums, “I heard you the first time you told me.”

Sukuna wanted to keep you for the fun of it longer, this was amusing.

“Uraume, does Lord Sukuna eat humans for a meal?” You questioned them.

“Yes.”

“ . . . Is blood equivalent to water for him?”

“Yes. Very much so.”

“What a disgusting fiend,” Uraume’s head snapped so fast towards your way that they could only let their jaw clench as they guided you down the hall, towards Sukuna’s chambers.

Nothing had change much for the past few months, you continue to pull at his string and he continues getting angry. But he has made no attempts to kill nor to get rid of you, “My Lord,” Uraume greets softly, sliding the door open for you to walk in.

You no longer fear Sukuna. Sure, he was a menace at times, testing your waters of fear. But strangely, you had gotten used to that practical that it doesn’t bother you anymore— he can try all he wants to be scary, it will never work.

“Tell me, are you a virgin?”

You sputter out the rice towards . . . God knows where. Cheeks warming at the sudden question, “What kind of indecent question is that? I suggest you to shut your mouth this instant,” you scolded in embarrassment.

“I have two. Which one?”

Two!? You would have thought that a curse being not so folklore was shocking enough, but he has two mouths. No wonder he eats humans for a living and slurps blood like a vampire, “That’s . . . Odd. In a very displeasing way.”

Sukuna grunt, “I have four arms.”

“Four!? What else? Two heads and nose?”

“Four eyes.”

“What?”

He grumbled, “You are not deaf, no?”

“So you are a monster,” it wouldn’t have been the first time Sukuna has heard the term, he could care less about it, because he himself agreed to it. He is a monster, what is there to be ashamed of?

“That is right,” he boasts out, chest puffed out.

“You sound proud.”

“I am proud.”

“Nobody would be,” you mumbled, wiping your lips with the sleeve of your kimono in a way that made Sukuna groan out, “what are you groaning about?”

“Even I, a monster, have better manners.”

“I don’t care.”

“You are doing terrific at pulling the end of me,” he tells you, watching you eat your food soundly like another walk around the estate. Your eyes shut in delight as you took a bite out of the grilled fish, Uraume serves them everyday but you don’t seem to be bored of it— unlike the concubines who has the time to complain about it every time Sukuna was not around.

Every single one Sukuna has heard. He doesn’t bother to indulge in it.

“Also.”

His ears twitched, already annoyed, “Speak.”

“Why do you have a poison taster?”

“According to the name—” you cut him off immediately.

“I understand what they do, though, I’m curious because are you not immune to poison?” Sukuna blinked, you were right. He is indeed immune to poisons, he has no idea how long that poison taster has been living inside the estate.

All he knew was that he had one. Apparently, Uraume had hired one to look after the concubines, it would be a nuisance to get rid of every single body all at once.

“I leave Uruaume do the estate handling.”

“So,” you conclude, “you are lazy.”

Sukuna raised a brow, your appearance has trained him patience. Something he has not been fond of for as long as he lived, the way your words nonchalantly flow out as you cocked your head to the side, “No. I simply cannot be bothered to do all that, why should I do such things when I can lay back?”

“Lazy and deluded.”

“Virgin.”

You stammer out, “I did not answer that!”

“You are defensive enough to tell me the truth,” he plays your game, “virgin.”

“Stop saying such things!” You slammed the table, letting the dishes clatter against each other in unison, “And why are we speaking of my sexual experience!?”

“Curiosity.”

You angrily asked, “And if I am not a virgin?”

“No man would want a blind significant other, not only are you a burden— you are too deluded to realize you are a burden,” he points out and you got offended at his words because clearly it hits close to home. Once realizing the effect, he smirks, “and no infant would be honored to grow in that wretched womb of yours.”

You clenched your fists. “If I am such burden, then I should leave. Have a good day, My Lord.”

The lack of “terms of endearment” from you made Sukuna wonder, has he finally pulled your strings? He smiled in victory watching you stumble out of his chambers like a chased fugitive, walking away, even leaving the shoji door open widely. How adorable.

You walked down the engawa in annoyance, the indescribable ache in your heart bloomed even more. No infant would be honored to grow in that wretched womb of yours. How could he say that? If he were to talk about your lack of vision, you would have retaliated because it is something you couldn’t change— but to say something so harsh.

It was to be expected from someone like him. Still, it aches.

A few days pass by. You blatantly refused to come out of your chambers, Uraume doesn’t bother, less work for them to do. You sat there facing the doors, you had been doing some thinking. Maybe if you declined meals, Sukuna would eventually get tired and throw you out. Or even better, end it all for you!

Despite the growing hunger, you kept yourself sane. Sitting on the same spot, dressed in the same kimono, not moving an inch. Days go by, you’d go out every once in a while to fetch water and leftovers to feed inside the privacy of your chambers. Sukuna hasn’t said a thing about the lack of your appearance.

Of course he hasn’t. He’s a monster, he cares of no one but himself! What were you expecting, (Name)? For him to come by, drop to his knees, and start apologizing for his wrongs?

He’s a curse for gosh sake.

You crossed your arms over your chest. And you hear the shoji door to your room slide open, you part your lips, speaking the default sentence you have told Uraume for the past few days, “Uraume, I do not want to—”

“I am not Uraume.”

You blinked, “You don’t sound like them.”

His voice trickles calmly, “You don’t wish to dine in my chambers? As you wish. From today on, we will dine right here in your chambers,” your jaw slacks and clenched over and over at the conclusion he made, “any denial?”

“I refuse. This is my chamber.”

“This is my estate.”

“Still!” You complained like a petulant little brat, “I do not wish to dine with a monster. I wish to dine in this humble abode myself.”

“Denied.”

You gasped, “You selfish—”

“Uraume, dinner,” Sukuna commanded boredly with a yawn, waving one of his arms.”

“Uraume, no dinner!”

Anxiety tightens in your body. He had blatantly ignored your request and you felt assaulted, your safe space was getting bombarded by his ruthless tendency! You stood up, “I command you to leave my chambers this instant,” you point your finger out, body taut.

Sukuna glowered, “You dare command your Lord?”

“You are not my Lord.”

Sukuna stepped towards you, his fingers curled against your wrist into a lock. And your facade falters against his touch, this was back to square one in a flesh— when you had anger him for the first time. The heaviness weighing in your throat grew and then you blow into fits of coughs, all the words caught up in a second. Sukuna pushed your wrist away from pointing at him, “You will dine with me, whether you want it or not. I will force feed you like a bird.”

“No.”

“You are confident the second my touch disappear,” he points out, his hand already hovering right above your throat, ready to pounce, “have the courage to say something with my touch.”

“I can too.”

And his fingers curled over your throat, pressing the sides of it tight enough for you to start gasping for air, “Let me go,” you manage to choke out before he lets go of your throat with a low chuckle, “you are sick in the head, Sukuna.”

“My Lord,” he corrects.

You blurt out, “You are no Lord of mine.”

Sukuna again, chuckles at the answer. Never in his years of life have he ever met someone as stubborn as a mule like you— oddly enough, he couldn’t find the heart to slice you open like he does to anybody else. The heart. What an odd thing to say, he doesn’t have a heart at all.

He’s utter crazy. If crazy had a definition written out, you’d see his name as an example. You stood there before sitting down on your knees. Sukuna sat down next to you; awfully close to you, the musky smell of earth clung onto him, and for once, you wondered if he bathes constantly or if it is just how he smells daily.

No men could smell that good with no bath. Right?

“Are you going to feed yourself or do I need to do the feeding for you?” He questioned, too daring. You know everything that comes out of his mouth was practically something he would do, and you somehow tested the waters once more.

“I am not hungry.”

“I can hear your stomach growling from three rooms away.”

“Do you have four ears too?” You annoyedly asked him, keeping your hands glued onto your lap.

Sukuna shuffled slightly on his spot. He notices the devilish crinkle by the corner of your eyes, as you shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly, “Do I?” He hums softly. Puckering his lips, Sukuna stared down at you.

The way your feet shifted constantly under your weight, the way your fingers curled and uncurled. Or the way your eyelids flutter slowly, lashes batting against your skin. Your lips pucker and pulled back, waiting for his next move.

Gosh, Sukunq has never felt this annoyed. He’s a curse, he shouldn’t have feelings. For a mortal at that— he wiped his palm over his face, sobering himself up from the plaguing thoughts of you, “Eat or I will force it in you.”

“I said, I am not hungry.”

Your lips part to utter more complaints to him, but before the words could leave the tip of your tongue, Sukuna shoved a piece of radish into your mouth. Your jaw clamped shut, and you began crunching on it. The sour sensation bursts in your mouth like an explosion, it’s been days since you took a bite out of the pickled radish.

“It’s . . . Delicious.”

Sukuna scoffed, “Uraume is a good cook.”

“You made them cook?”

“For us. The concubines has too much time to tamper on your food,” he muttered under his breath, “are you going to dine yourself or do I have to feed you?”

“I don’t know,” you tease, “I do not feel like eating myself.”

Sukuna scowled, “You are making a fool out of me.”

“You gave the choice. I answered. You made a fool out of yourself,” you nonchalantly replied, “also, oh no, I struggle with my chopsticks. I think I will need help.”

“Uraume,” Sukuna calls out.

You stopped him, “I can eat by myself, My Lord.”

“I thought so.”

The fact that you’re still alive right now is a miracle. Sukuna had been stuck to your side for ages now— counting 6 months, according to Uraume. Oddly enough, he doesn’t seem to mind your presence at all.

Meals have been more relaxed. The teasing added up (on your side). Sukuna hadn’t let his concubines get away with fucking with you, his four eyes have come in handy with keeping tabs on you. Especially during bath time. He doesn’t follow you in, you had reprimanded him once for trying and he stopped.

Surprise.

From then on, he stood outside the bathe house. Arms crossed, concubines wonder what business he had waiting here. And were quite surprised when they find out you were the one he was waiting for— Sukuna commanded Uraume to get you the finest jewelries from all around, the finest fabrics to tailor into home wear, and the finest dine in experience.

“My Lord, do you not think that you are giving too much attention to that blind bitch?” One of the higher ranked concubines questioned in a sultry tone, her slender fingers rubbing Sukuna’s shoulder in a way he doesn’t enjoy.

In fact, he hasn’t been in bodily contact with any of his concubines even if they had indirectly suggested so. He brushed them off like they don’t matter more than a leaf on the ground, “Dare to repeat that?”

“We are neglected,” the other spoke, red kimono flowing elegantly along the tatami mat, “it is quite unfair for her to receive all your attention, and she isn’t even a concubine. Surely, you wouldn’t want to make love with . . . That.”

The way they spoke of you made his blood boil, but he kept his composure calm. Sitting there with two of them latched by his side, fingers tracing the shape of his chest languidly— their eyes screaming ‘make love to me, My Lord’. However, he paid no interest to them. Their fingers traced lower than he liked them to, and with a simple shrug, they were strewn off.

“I have no interest in making love with any of you.”

“My Lord—”

There was one thing he hates more than humans and that is weak humans like such. With a flick of his hand, the hall was blood filled. No screams of agony were fit in before these women’s lifeless bodies dropped loudly. Sukuna brushed his outfit, the splatter tattered his hakama, eliciting an annoyed grunt.

He wastes no time walking out of the chaos, Uraume eyed the condition of the room and instantly understood, “Get rid of them.”

“Understood, My Lord.”

“Inform me of (Name)’s presence.”

“She’s currently in her chambers, she had requested to be brought to the garden today . . .” Uraume bows his head down, retreating into the bloody hall. It wasn’t the first time they had to clean over Sukuna’s mess, and they know it wouldn’t be the last. To think that his Lord would do such things for a mortal was surprising, even surprising is an understatement.

“I will assist her,” Sukuna grabbed the napking Uraume offered, “get rid of the living concubines as well, I have no need for them anymore.”

“Get rid of them?”

“Kill them all.”

Sukuna took the fabric in between fingers, scrubbing off remnants of blood that etched onto his skin. His thundering footsteps echoed along the hall, the engawa shuddered under his weight as he sauntered down towards your chamber. He cleared his throat, sliding the door open.

There you were, sitting in the middle of the room. On your knees and fingers laced against each one of the other, he huffs at the pitiful sight, “Do you await for Uraume’s presence in that position?”

Hearing his voice made a small smile pop up on your face, your head bobs slowly, “I occasionally bump onto the furnitures here, and it doesn’t leave the most un-painful marks. I would rather sit here and wait.”

“Surely, you could have said something.”

“And bother Uraume? As much as I love bothering them with my constant nagging, I do feel somehow . . . Emphatic,” Sukuna blinked, his bottom pair of eyes looking around the room. Neatly made up, he had commanded Uraume to have the maids clean your room every morning during breakfast, “where is Uraume anyway? They are supposed to be assisting me to the garden.”

“Uraume is caught up in . . . An important matter as of currently,” the lie smoothly rolled out, “so, I will be assisting you today.”

“Really? I do not take you for a garden type of person— curse,” you correct yourself last second with a teasing smile.

Sukuna couldn’t hide the tug of his lips, he cleared his throat, “Shall we then?”

The invitation elicits a question, “Do you have your hand out? Because if I must remind you of the lack of vision once more, I will walk out by myself into the garden.”

“And fall off the engawa again?”

“I haven’t fall off in a long time,” you rolled your eyes, trying to find his hand, “and nobody cared to give me precautions over the estate’s turns. Am I supposed to learn everything by a miracle?”

“I would not let you fall.”

“How can I trust a curse?”

“By letting this curse prove you so,” you hummed when the warmth of his hand engulfed yours, slowly pulling you up onto your feet, “shall we?”

“I am unused to you acting so . . . Humane, it is quite odd,” you whisper out so softly that you couldn’t even hear it, almost.

His hand, so rough. Used to kill, used for the negatives of the world, now felt so little under your touch. The lingering warmth he felt under your fingertips made his chest flutter— he is a curse, he should not be getting attached to a mortal. In a way, he was signing up for heartbreak and heartbreak means weakness.

Sukuna and weakness don’t sit well together.

He averted his gaze out to the greens of his estate, guiding you around the corner, making sure your steps aren’t overlapping each other. Despite the brewing dilemma, he still handled you with care. Care. Odd feeling, his lower pair of eyes discreetly pan towards your form. Your dull eyes staring forward. If he thought about it, somehow be would love to thank your lack of vision.

Sukuna isn’t entirely attractive. To humans, at least. Two pair of eyes, two pair of arms, two mouths? For all he knows, even the concubines spoke ill of his appearance— they fear for their lives, and in his eyes they were just a flock of chicken prying for safety by going with the flow. The disarray look they had when he chose them proved enough. Pathetic.

"We have arrived," he announces out loud, "watch your step."

You took small steps on the wooden stairs leading down into the garden, his fingers curled against yours as guidance, "My Lord."

"Yes?" So soft, so unsuiting. He thought to himself, but the sight of you just made it come out.

"I do not know much about curses and their . . . Bathing schedules, do you not realize that you awfully smell of . . . Blood today?" Ah, yes. He swallowed slowly, his thumb caressed the back of your hand unconsciously, "do not get me wrong, usually you reek off earth and incense. Today however?"

"I heard you the first time, do not elaborate further," he hushed you in annoyance, "I killed the concubines."

You freeze. "Why?"

"That is what I do," he lied again, looking up at the sky. It was already a big blow to his ego that he dissected his concubines because they spoke ill of you— he does not need to elaborate further than that, no?

"I am sensing lies," Sukuna tightened his grip on your hand, "I don't want to pry."

Curse this. "They spoke ill of you," he fessed up, looking around the estate, "nobody speaks ill of you, but me."

"You are weird." So weird.

Sukuna grunt, "Am I now?" The teasing in his voice echoed softly into your ears. This is so unlike him at all that it scares you, the warmth in his voice differs from months before and you inhaled softly.

"I am a bit scared."

"Of me?"

"The new you."

Sukuna watches you step deeper into the garden, his steps followed behind yours slowly. Two pairs of eyes constantly looking left and right for any danger that lurked even in the estate, "Why do you attract yourself to such places as this? Quite boresome."

"It smells nice in here."

"Nice?" The sweet smell of flowers made his throat ache, it us anything but nice in here. But he held himself back from ruining the moment, arms crossed tightly.

You took small steps along the path, limbs stretched out to touch every single thing around the garden. Even if you have been here so many times, you were still one curious being, "Do you know what flower this is? Any knowledge?"

Sukuna spared a glance at the flower, "That is . . . A pink flower," he answered.

"I understand if you do not know the name of it, it has a funny shape," you touched the soft petals of it, and Sukuna's jaw slacked at the shame of not knowing his own flowers, "I like this one. I like this flower. Uraume is also quite clueless about the flowers around the estate. And they get pretty annoyed when I ask about it all the time."

You inhaled close to the flower, "Although I find it odd that it has no particular fragrance like other flowers."

Sukuna watched you from a good distance, the delicate touch against those flowers. And he took a good look at himself, the bloodied hakama, the way he looked. Surely, you wouldn't like how he looks . . . He remembered the shock on your face when he told you about the extra features. Monster. Fiend. Disgusting. It should have not bothered him that much, it didn't back then. But now that he's seen you in a different light, it does bother him to no end.

"My Lord."

"Mm?"

"I am ready to head back now, I think I'll ask Uraume to plant more of these flowers," you mumbled the first part to him and the rest to yourself, trying to find yourself back to him.

Sukuna lets you navigate on your own. And when you grasp his girthy arms, he felt himself relax, "Then we shall head back," he muttered, hiding the lower pair of his arms behind his back.

“Uraume.”

“My Lord?”

Sukuna looks out the window, grunting out softly, “I need a re-decor on that woman’s room, she keeps getting herself into trouble,” he muttered out, his eyes tracking down the birds flying around the estate, “and that pink flower in the garden. Plant more of those.”

Uraume raised their brow, “A re-decor?”

“A re-decor is what I said,” Uraume nods their head, unable to fight back. They had felt the softness that shaped around Sukuna gradually along the months, and as much as Sukuna tries to keep his sharp facade around you, Uruame isn’t stupid. They didn’t need long to put two and two together.

The curse, Sukuna Ryomen is in love with a mortal. Sukuna and love don’t go together, everyone knows that.

“I understand, I will have someone do a re-decor on her room,” they retracted away from Sukuna’s chambers, “and the flowers.”

Uraume lifted their gaze, the estate has been serene. Sukuna has not been furious once ever since you, he has been . . . Patient. Everything Sukuna isn’t— well, he is now. And it’s extremely odd! Swallowing back their words, they walked down the hall, feet slowly bringing themselves towards your chambers.

Following Sukuna’s orders, they had got rid of any living concubines from the estate. So, the estate was void of anyone besides the maids and well . . . You. Though, you were clueless of it. But you do wonder where all the concubines have went since you haven’t been exactly losing anything in particular.

Uraume slid the door open, expecting you inside. However, your chambers void of your figure, usually sat neatly in the middle waiting for them. Uraume furrowed their brows, “(Name)?”

“Uraume?”

Your voice came from outside. They tracked you down immediately, finding your form hunched over a bush, “I have fallen and I need help,” you tell them. Uraume took a good look at you hunched over the thick bush, green leaves stuck to your hair and outfit, you were a mess.

“How long have you been stuck there?” Uraume swallowed back a laugh.

“I do not know,” voice ripe with sheepishness, you wiggled your legs, “I cannot tell, I have lost count of it. I felt the need to guide myself to the garden alone today, but of course, this happens.”

“How have you managed to take a tumble?”

“I have fallen off the edge of the engawa yet again.”

Uraume had wasted no time informing of the matter to Sukuna right after they helped you up, brushed the leaves off your kimono, and made sure you spent a good time in the garden.

“(Name) has taken a tumble.”

Sukuna’s head panned up. He was quiet briefly, “The engawa, again?”

Uraume hums softly. “Yes.”

“Re-decor the whole estate,” he bluntly spoke, surprising Uraume mildly, “as fast as possible.”

So the whole redecorating begins, and as much as the maids and Uraume tries to keep their mouth shut about it. There will come the time when you find out the strongest curse has told the whole estate to shut their mouth about redecorating everything to favor you.

“Uraume,” you call out. Oddly enough, Uraume had moved you to a different chamber, much emptier, futon neatly folded and there weren’t any sharp corners at all. However, they did tell you this would be temporary.

It all started making sense when the maids would announce you about being careful around new things around the estate you do not remember anything of, “Mm?”

“Why has the estate change?”

You started the interrogation slowly, wanting Uraume to think you were this stupid and clueless woman asking innocent questions. Uraume grunted softly, “My Lord thought it needed some . . . Changes.”

“It is very (Name) friendly.”

“There is no point in fooling her anymore, she is not stupid.”

Mustering all the courage, Uraume turns their back to face Sukuna. His black hakama hung loose. Bare body, thundering footsteps, “Fooling me? You have been fooling me?” You gasped dramatically, throwing your hand over your mouth.

Sukuna glances towards Uraume, signaling for them to leave. And so leave they did, rushed footsteps leaving you behind. Sukuna’s hand brushed against the small of your back, guiding you back to your chambers. Your newly re-decorated chambers— very you, very carefully made, “I assumed you have done something to my chamber?”

“You assumed right.”

You blinked, “Tell me what is new.”

Sukuna’s eyes traveled around the new chamber, “Everything is new.”

“Which are . . ?”

A muscle ticks in his jaw before he spoke, “I made them rid of what could have been dangerous for you. Which were everything, the oshiire stays in the same place— I have made the maids search for the finest futon. They installed cabinets right here,” Sukuna’s hand brushed against yours, pulling your hand to touch the cabinet, “the corners are dull, hence, you would not hurt yourself,” he was right, the corners are dull, so dull that it made you stood there in awe.

“I had them move further into the chamber, so you would bump into them less, I hope.”

“You are quite kind.”

“Kind?” He scoffed, only to you.

A hum came from you, less convinced. You began making your way around the chamber, “Why?” Your one word question managed to rent the curse speechless, because he was internally asking himself the same thing, “Why do you go out your way to do this for me?”

“Courtesy.”

“Since when do you care about courtesy?” You questioned slyly, “The Sukuna caring about courtesy? I would think that you are excusing yourself, but truth to be told, I had not expect to still be alive by now.”

“Why would you think as such?”

“You said so, once I put up no use— I am a gone woman.”

The atmosphere shifts, he remembers clear as day. The words. Everything he told you in the past, “I misjudged you then,” he spoke, clearing his throat awkwardly, “it feels odd . . . Doing such things for a mortal. Believe me.”

“I believe you.”

Sukuna lets out a low chuckle, “Fool.”

“The garden has changed as well.”

“I commanded Uraume to plant a lot of the flowers you seem to like,” Sukuna replied, “I have learnt about it. They are called camellia. Do not question where I inherited that information.”

“Where have you inherited that information from, My Lord?” You asked him anyways.

“From the scrolls.”

“You ventured the scrolls for me,” your conclusion made his body jolt. His fingers tightened a fraction around yours, “that is very nice of you.”

Sukuna huffed, “I am a monster, I am not nice.”

“Did they tell you that?”

Sukuna raised a brow, “I announce myself as such,” he dragged his hand up towards your arm, “I am quite glad that you lack the vision to see me. I am hideous.”

“Do you announce yourself as hideous too?”

“The mortals address me as such,” he scoffed, “at least I am powerful.”

Your smile faltered. For a beat, you were quiet, unknown of what to say. But you start parting your lips, “May I touch your face? I’d like to feel what my kind concludes as hideous.”

Sukuna freezes. He contemplates, but at the end, he hunches himself in front of you slightly, “I suppose,” it comes out a timid whisper and you pat down his hair first— the thick strands of his hair, the maids spoke of how thick they are and how beautiful his hair is. It is soft under your touch, and your fingers grazed over his forehead.

“Big forehead,” you bluntly spoke, “people of my village wanted their offspring to have big foreheads because they symbolized high intelligence. I suppose they are right about it.”

Then your fingers grazed over his shut eyes, you remembered his revelation about having four eyes. Two of them smaller than the others and located on a hard structure protruding from the right side of his face . . . A bone? Or wood perhaps, “What color are your eyes?”

“Red.”

“I do not know, but it sounds suiting,” you comment again as bluntly as possible, his warm breath pushed into your palm. And your fingers traced the outlines of his lips slowly— tugged into a frown, typical of him, “I think you should smile,” and the corners of his lips began tugging upwards slightly.

Your hand pats down his face, down to his neck, “Thick neck, okay,” you remind him, “very muscle filled. That’s nice, you must work out a lot.”

Do not even start, his muscles were just wonderful. The outline of his bicep that you trace slowly made your stomach flip, “Are you shirtless?”

“I am always shirtless.”

“Creep.”

“You seem to enjoy touching my muscles,” he teased, letting your fingers traced onto his wrist, “what about my wrist now?”

“Big arms. Signifies strength,” and then you began patting the air around him.

Which for a bit, confused him, “What is it you are seeking for, woman?”

“Four arms.”

Ah. Sukuna tried his best to hide the two pair of arms but now that you had asked for it, he couldn’t help but to help guide your hands onto the bottom pair of arms, “It feels odd, no?” You elicit a giggle out of you, “What is so worthy of a laugh right now?”

“I can only feel two arms.”

Sukuna begrudgingly tucked the collar of your kimono neatly, covering your collarbone, and your hand shoots out to grab his hand, “Three.”

With the last hand, he grabbed your free hand, “Four. It feels disgusting, no?”

“You have an extra pair, where is the problem at that? I’d say you would work faster labor,” you whisper, wiggling your fingers gently as his fingers circled around your wrist, gently stroking your skin like a delicate glass, “I do not find any monstrosity on you, hence, you are not hideous.”

He stares you down. He isn’t hideous to the only human that matters, that is more than anything else. Sukuna swallowed the rest of his unknown insecurities inside. How funny, the curse, proclaimed strongest. Never had he felt insecure about his look until you— a blind mortal decided to drop by out of the blue, all of a sudden everything mattered more than usual.

“That so?”

“Mhm.”

He released your hand, “Then you are blind—” he stops himself, looking down at you. Who currently had a cheshire smile on your face, “Apologies. I seemed to have forgotten.”

“You? Apologized?” Only to you. Only to his woman.

“I did. We speak no more of that.”

“I will speak of it to Uraume.”

“Especially not Uraume.”

“I want to venture beyond the estate.”

Sukuna eyed you incredulously, you were safer behind the gates, right here with him. Why would you choose to venture out straight into the dangers of the world? He has made it clear to everyone that you belonged to him, here you were tucked inside the safety behind his arms, and you were asking such . . . Odd questions.

“Beyond? Elaborate.”

“I want to go outside and have fun,” you spoke out with such happiness that his heart swaggered, “I can take Uraume for precautions. I want to explore the world more, I do not want to be stuck here like a bird in a cage.”

“Why take Uraume when you can take me?”

“Uraume seems more loose on schedule.”

“I do not have schedules.”

You coaxed yourself to look up, “You do not? I would have thought royalty—”

“I am no royal.”

“You are king of curses, that is royalty,” your opinion flows out like an argument, he sighs at your stubborn tone, “victory is mine yet again.”

“Yes, yes. Why would you possibly want to put yourself in danger beyond the estate when you are safer in here?” You were stuck in the belly of his shrine, cringing from how frequent you walked down the engawa that you had remembered every route by now. You wanted more. The thrill of it, the fun, “I am not letting you step foot out of the estate.”

His lower pair of arms curled around your torso, pulling you back onto his chest. You sulked, “It is not the same, you are being selfish.”

“I am protecting you.”

“From what?”

“Humans. Predators. You do not know what is out there,” he spoke, tone laced with impatience, “I do not wish for you to get hurt, is that too hard to understand?”

“I will be fine, I am always fine.”

He should have known you, you have always been a rebel since the first time he commanded Uraume to drag you back here. So, it wasn’t a surprise when Uraume told him that you were not located in your chambers, “Locate her, Uraume. Surely she hasn’t gone too far.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Sukuna stood up, a black haori hanging on his shoulders loosely. He stood up, should have known, you don’t back down. That’s one of the reasons why he had gotten so attached to you, “Prepare to set out, Uraume.”

You had taken a broom out, using the stick as a navigator. So far, you had successfully entered into biomes of trees outside the estate and you couldn’t tell how far you had gotten. The stick of the broom prevented you from bumping into the rough tree barks and tumbling over bushes. Uraume should make a stick like this for you, how could you not think of this?

A soft tune echoed in a form of a hum from you, curious fingers touching every single thing. Burying your nose into different things you could touch, “Mm,” you moaned, plucking the wild flower and shoving it into the obi of your kimono to show Uraume later.

What a vast mistake this is. No sense of direction, you should have brought a maid along with you. Every turn you took seemed the same, trees and bushes. Occasionally wet patches on the ground made your sandals sink slightly. When the owls began sounding their loud horns, a wave of panic washes over you.

The itch on your arms made you groan, fingernails digging to cease the feeling. Your brows pinched together, trying to find anything that could be of help, “Hello?” You call out.

But the trees are endless, every time you call out for anyone, your voice bounced back to you. And you were beginning to grow restless, the feeling of uneasiness creeping into your body. Your kimono felt heavier, and your sandals felt wobbly now. You cursed, you should have listened to Sukuna. You should have asked Uraume to come along to guide you.

On the other hand, Sukuna walks calmly through the trees, Uraume walking ahead. The darkness was his forte, he loves it. But he had lost track of the hours he spent walking around what seemed to be similar places, “Where has that woman off to? I tell her one time that she is safer inside that estate and she flees.”

“There are bandits residing in this forest, we should locate her quickly, My Lord.”

Bandits. Sukuna scoffed, they could never compare to him— but you? You were as defenseless as a newborn calf. And now that it was dark, the bandits were surely on the move to find income. And God knows what they could do to you. Sukuna grunted, crossing his arms.

You ran into the trees. Unknown of what was currently chasing you deeper, the adrenaline striking inside you made you lose your broom and all you could rely on was your limbs. You could make out the crude laughter from . . . People? Or were they animals?

A loud yelp escaped you when your foot dug into what seemed to be a trap, the pain dug into your ankle. No, no, no. You chant, this couldn’t be happening right now, your fingers dug onto the wet soil, trying to find the power to continue running, “There!” Ah, so they were humans.

Bandits. You assume. Back when you lived in the village, bandits frequently dropped by and chaos ensued. But there were so many people fighting back, now? It was just you.

“She’s dressed grand, surely she has a few dimes on her,” one of them spoke, the bushes rustling to your right and you clutch onto your hands in fear. Moving slowly backwards, crawling on the ground hopelessly, “her necklace looks pricy.”

“Just get anything that looks grand. We’ll get a price outta whatever.”

You shook your head, “Please,” your plead fell into deaf ears when you feel someone pull on the necklace Sukuna made for you, the string snapping under the force and you grasp the air, “no, anything but that. It means a lot to me, please.”

Your head snapped to the side, your cheek seared. Had one of them just striked you? You whimpered in pain, muddy hand flying up to touch the burning spot. They laughed. How could they laugh at the expense of you!?

“Get the hairpin. Looks like gold.”

You grabbed it before they could, “No,” you clutched it into your chest, another one of Sukuna’s gift from not too long ago, “this is precious to me.”

“Unfortunately, we do not care.”

The gems ripped into your skin when they forcefully grabbed it. You lunged forwards, grabbing onto whatever belonged to them you could hold onto, “Give that back to me,” you mutter out.

“Let go of me, you blind bitch!”

The hits delivered to you were relentless. Then again, these were bandits, they don’t care about anything but money. You held onto one of them tightly, the pain slowly registering into every place they hit— punches, kicks. One of them tried to wiggle their leg out of your grasp, pulling your hair back in annoyance, “I’ll kill you, you prude!”

And then just like that. Silence ensued.

You felt the leg go limp and you breathe heavily, what was happening? Sukuna emerged from behind the trees, annoyance written on every crease on his face as he approaches you. And the second his eyes landed on your battered figure, he glowered out, grabbing your arm tightly, “Why did you not call for help!?”

The surprise from before lingered, and you stuttered out, “My Lord—”

“Look at this,” he loudly said, clamping your jaw tightly, the cuts on your face registered into his mind, “and this,” he pulled your leg.

“I . . .”

“Shut your mouth.”

Once you were settled back inside the estate, Uraume helped you draw a warm bath. Scrubbing the mud stuck to your hair, your kimono was left for the maids to scrub, your wounds were taken care of quickly. The bandages wrapped around your ankle a constant reminder of your stupidity, and once all of that was settled, Uraume helped you into Sukuna’s chambers.

He was not happy. He was far from that.

The door slid shut softly and Uraume walked away. Sukuna steps closer to you, “I give you everything you wanted. You ask me for a bigger garden, I commanded them to reconstruct it,” he drawls out calmly, his fingers thrusting to your shoulder gently, “you ask me for deer meat and I commanded Uraume to hunt the finest deers. I have complied to you every single time.”

“You ask me for the finest fabrics and I have the maids venture out from village to village to earn it, you ask me for a new hairpin and I have provided, you ask me for everything I have complied,” his voice grew louder, “I ask for one thing. For you to stay inside the estate, in safety, and you chose the danger outside.”

Your head fell in shame, “I just . . .”

“You are stupid.”

Your brows pinched, “I am not . . .”

“You track back on what had happened, is it not caused by your stupidity? You claim to be smarter than a curse and here I am saving you from a scenario you created on your own,” he shook your body in anger, “and if Uraume and I hadn’t been there on time? You would have died!”

You snapped back, “Why do you care!? You are just a curse, you do not have feelings!”

“To hell with that!” He yelled back, “I hate admitting but I do care for you. Only you, haven’t I made it clear?”

“You’ll get rid of me nonetheless!”

“Do not put words into my mouth, woman,” he muttered out, clenching his fists in anger, “don’t you dare say I do not care because every complies I did was for you. I did this for you. I lowered my ego for you. Is that not enough? Tell me then, tell me what makes it enough for you to digest that I, king of curses, Sukuna Ryomen do care for a human.”

You stammered, “I . . . You are lying.”

“I lie occasionally to people, yes. Have I ever lied to you?”

“Probably!”

“Mention it to me,” Sukuna growled, “mention one time I have spat out a lie to you.”

“I . . .” You left the gap open.

And Sukuna filled it in, “You do not know? Because I have never done that to you,” he muttered, releasing your shoulders. His heart burnt in anger, but he kept his mouth shut.

You clenched your fists, your anger turned into tears. The crystals slowly dribbled out and you sniffled, “I just wanted to explore.”

“Alone? You are out of your damn mind.”

“You wouldn’t have agreed.”

Sukuna scoffed loudly, “You have a habit of putting the words into my mouth,” he scowled under his breath, looking down at you. The harder your tears fall, the more he becomes annoyed, “stop crying. I command you to stop crying this instant, your tears won’t stop my fury.”

Sliding your arm over your eyes, you striked a hand blindly towards his presence. Which managed to land along the side of his neck, “You dare strike me?”

“I hate you!”

Sukuna hummed, “You are angry.”

“I will never be able to love someone like you, you are a monster. You do not let me do anything, I feel like a prisoner here,” you sobbed. The feelings were not like that— his words made the ticking time bomb blew and you were pulling at his strings, “I hate you. I loathe you. I wish for you to disappear.”

Sukuna stepped back, his hand hovered over his lips. He wanted to say much, but stopped. And he shuts the conversation down, “Understandable. Get out of my sight.”

As the night draws on. You laid on your futon, your chest heavy, you had been lying awake there since . . . hours ago. Your own words eating you up, knowing they weren’t right. The anger speaking for you, just for the victory because he made you angry. But now it was eating you alive.

Your emotions were divided. One side, you were angry at yourself for saying that. And the other part of you just felt sad that you had pushed him away; to think that you told him he was a monster too. Another tear slipped from your eye, and you sat up.

You brought yourself to the front of his chamber, for a bit you wondered if he was in the mood to see you right now. But, you shook your head, clamping your hand onto the shoji door before sliding it open, “What business do you have in here?”

You try to pinpoint his position. Teeth sinking onto your bottom lip, “I need to apologize.”

“For speaking the truth?”

“For speaking of lies.”

Sukuna grunts, “Does not sound like lies.”

You stomp your foot, “Those are lies, you are not a monster. And I am too immature to realize that you were just protecting me . . . I was too prideful to admit my own mistakes. I do not hate you, I do not loathe you, and I do not wish for you to disappear . . .” Your voice cracked at the end and you pursed your lips tightly.

Sukuna turns to look at you. How pitiful and small you looked right now, “That so? You spoke of not being able to love a monster like me—”

You cut him off, “I still love you anyways. I do not care if people view you as one, I love you. I have always do,” your voice broke into wrecked sobs, fingers dug into your own hakama, “I am so sorry. I am so sorry for saying that.”

Sukuna watches your body tremble from the sobs, one of his hand tugged on your arm and you fell into his lap. He huffs loudly, “Watch your tongue next time.”

You bury your face into the crook of his neck. He lets you have your time, sitting there, unmoving.

Sukuna blows out a sigh, “Are you finished with the waterworks?”

“If it means that you will stop holding me like this, no I am not done,” you muffled out. Sukuna held your nape, peeling you gently away from your hiding spot. Snotty nose, red nose, tear stricken. You looked terrible, he thought, “what?”

He leans in, his tongue stretched out scooping a tear and his lips touched your eyelids. Sukuna shuts his eyes, “You say that but I never stopped you from touching me, do I?” His lips moved against your skin.

“You . . .” You began to say, but he stopped you, lips tracing down your cheek and he stopped right at the corner of your lips, “do not tease me.”

“Your reactions are amusing.”

“It is not,” you whisper in shame, brows already drawn together in embarrassment. Sukuna cuts the embarrassment short, his lips molded into yours slowly— you slowly relaxed under his touch, brows relaxing and you shut your eyes, leaning into the kiss.

For a curse, his movements were gentle. Like he feared that his own hand would hurt you, one of his hand tucked right behind your head gently tangled into your hair as his lips moved against yours slowly. He pulled back briefly, muttering out, “We do not speak of this to Uraume.”

“I will tell them all about it.”

“Is that so?” Sukuna asks, you nodded.

“Then tell them all about this, yes?” He sealed back the kiss, lips moving with fervor that you whimper into his mouth. He swallowed your noises, tongue caressing your plump lips slowly that you couldn’t help but to part them in a trance, his arms held you so close that your chest pressed against his, but Sukuna pulls back the moment he realized you sucking in a breath, “I have gone too far. Apologies. Are you alright?”

You bob your head, covering your face. He used a set of his hands to peel your hands away, “Surely Uraume would not mind the details, no? Or shall I elaborate more?”

“N . . . No, that was enough details.”

Sukuna’s thumb traced over your lips, his iron hands used to do all the wrongs in the world. Now, clasped in sets of velvet gloves, just for you.