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multistanisms · 1 day ago

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Let Our Circle Be Unbroken Ch. 6 || Multi-Group

FANDOM: NCT [other groups will be featured/mentioned]

PAIRING: Jaehyun x Taeyong, Yuta x OC

WORD COUNT: 3,121

RATING: PG-13

POTENTIAL TRIGGERS: N/A

SUMMARY: Surviving a near death experience comes with a lot of surprises when warlock Jeong Jaehyun finds a dragon in a place that holds tragic memories for him. Nothing is as whirlwind, though, as when Jaehyun begins to meet the little clan of misfits Taeyong has gathered over the years and a mystery is revealed.

TAGLIST: @no1likemybbgcharlie, @spookidema

Previous || Masterlist || Next

Author's Note: To all of my lovely dearies still interested in this mayhem, things are going to start developing soon. We've almost reached the beginning of the first arc I have planned, so bear with me for one more chapter, yeah?

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Chapter Six

The days kind of blurred together as Jaehyun continued his recovery, interacting and observing everyone as it came around. He still struggled with names, but the number of people roaming the manor and grounds had also grown a great deal. There were some that weren't particularly social with him, but he knew not to be offended. From those who were sociable with him, he began to learn more about those around him. He discovered that Yeosang and Geonhak were newly mated, that Seonghwa was both mate and familiar to Hongjoong, and that the small fox Dongju had lost his mate a decade prior. As he and Arashi got back to normal, Jaehyun found the occasional heaviness of dread encasing him. He wasn't sure where it came from, but it seemed to get worse the better he got. He chose not to divulge the situation to any of the others, letting the moments pass on their own even when they lingered.

“Jaehyun?”

The voice shattered the current moment of feeling frozen in place, and Jaehyun blinked rapidly for a second before turning towards the voice to find Taeyong watching him in concern. “I'm sorry, Taeyong. I must have turned out for a moment.”

“It's okay. I was just asking if you were alright.”

“Why wouldn't I be?”

Taeyong seemed to mull over how he wanted to word the next sentence. “I've noticed you've started…mentally disappearing on us randomly and it's been increasing in frequency.” He replied. “Do you need Arashi to look you over again?”

“Her magic is finally back to normal, Taeyong.” Jaehyun protested, looking to where Arashi was at one of the picnic tables in the yard with Yuta, Johnny and Jisung. “I'm sure I'm just fine.��

Taeyong doesn't seem convinced, but he nodded regardless. “How are your wards? I know you recently checked up on them again.”

“They're well.” Jaehyun began, grateful for the change of topic. “Remi and her kids will be vacating soon, the paperwork for their new home is complete. They'll be safe with connections lined up to get them back on their feet. She was particularly upset when I first contacted them after waking up.” He chuckled a little at the memory, moving to sit on the nearby porch swing. Day was fading to night, and a faint chill had started settling in; fall giving way to winter.

“And you set everything up for them while they're in the safe houses?”

Jaehyun looked at where Taeyong stood to the side of the swing, head tilting curiously. “How did you know that?”

“I overheard you explaining it to Hwanwoong the other day.” Taeyong replied with a shrug of one shoulder. “You go through great links to help people in need, you even have a superbly set up network of hosts and opportunities.”

“It's really not so different from how you've been helping me.”

“But it is different.” Taeyong replied. “You help these people in their worst hours, give them hope and find them jobs, homes, new lives from whatever they've decided to leave behind. You give them their lives back.”

“How is that different from how you've helped me, or when you helped any of your clan members?”

“I help people who only need help in the moment.” Taeyong replied. “They show up and I do whatever I can to help. They already have resources of their own, y’know?”

“That does not change who you are, Taeyong.” Jaehyun countereded. “How many of your clan have chosen to stay because of how you've helped or treated them in those moments?”

Taeyong looked up, eyes a fraction wider than usual as Jaehyun spoke. “Well…” he stopped to think, brow furrowed as he concentrated. “Most of them, actually.”

“It's the same concept, but….in a different font, as humans would say today.” Jaehyun replied. “We both help people in need, but in our own ways. You connect people into a family. All your Neos, Arashi, the clans of her familiars? Taeyong, that connection is because of you. That connection stays, builds and strengthens. Once my wards phase out into their new lives, I hear from them maybe once or twice a year. I'm a grateful memory for them, fleeting as it is, but just a memory.”

“I'm sure you mean more to them than that, Jae.”

“I've lived long enough not to expect more.” Jaehyun replied. “Your clan directly links back to you at all times. You're their leader.”

“I know, even when everyone drifts now and again.” Taeyong took a moment to look towards the sky from where he stood.

“Does the drifting bother you?”

“From time to time, mainly when it's just me for a while.” Taeyong admitted. “But typically when it starts to bother me too much, they somehow all seem to drift back home.”

“You sound like a mother hen.” Jaehyun teased. “Surely you have a lover or something. A mate, even.” His face turned to surprise when Taeyong shook his head. “Never?”

“Oh, I've had plenty of lovers over the years.” Taeyong assured. “But with rebuilding the manor and everything else going on with the clan, romance hasn't been a priority to me. Just don't let Johnny or Lucas find out.”

“Are they the attempted match makers Yuta and Jisung mentioned?”

Taeyong giggled at the wording. “Attempted is very accurate, though the matches are not always a disaster. They want me to be happy, all of them do, but honestly, I've been focused on the clan more than anything in recent years.”

“I understand that feeling. My cafe, my wards, they have been given a hundred and fifty percent of my focus, romance has just been on a back burner.”

“Romance is difficult enough for a nonhuman.” Taeyong agreed. “It becomes harder when our mates are human.”

“Speaking from experience?”

Taeyong shook his head, rainbow tresses shifting with the movement before he ran a hand through his hair. “I've never found my mate, but I've seen what it can do. Two of my clan members had humans for mates; one outright rejected them and the other died before they could be told. Dongju’s brother has a human mate who’s fighting cancer. It can be difficult, given our much longer lifespans, but there are those who make it work.”

“You're a wonderful leader, taking care of so many.”

Taeyong laughed a little at the observation. “I'm a dragon, Jaehyun. My clan pales in comparison to the hundreds in my birth clan, even when taking the Aurora and Moon clans into account.” His attention was taken to the doorway as one of said underlings, Kun, if Jaehyun remembered right, poked his head around the doorway to let them know dinner would be done soon. “I'll let those out here know, Kun. Thank you.”

“So many chefs.” Jaehyun mused.

“It helps keep the menu interesting, that's for sure.” Taeyong replied. “It’s nice to finally have the house full of sound.”

“I'm glad everyone gets along at least a little.” Jaehyun replied.

“There are some weak points, but yes. In particular, Mark is coming around, albeit slowly.” Taeyong answered with a sigh and shook his head. “He understands but doesn't at the same time. He's still relatively young for his species, as I'm sure you've realized by now.”

“Taeyong…what happened exactly? If it's okay to ask.”

“I would answer that, but I feel like that's something you should talk to Yuta or Mark about.” Taeyong replied, sighing. “Arashi doesn't particularly like talking about it, and I don't blame her, honestly. Mark really made it difficult for her early on, so I'm surprised she's so amicable with Donghyuck.” He paused for a moment, looking at Jaehyun pointedly. “Don’t think diverting the subject is going to get you off the hook about whatever is bothering you.”

“I'm sure it's just that I'm getting used to this place not being what it was.” Jaehyun attempted to brush it off. Taeyong still doesn't seem appeased by the newest answer, but doesn't press. Jaehyun found he doesn't know if he approved of it, even if he understood Taeyong respecting his choice to not disclose. He got through the evening well enough, turning in when most of the others do, still sleeping in the room he originally woke up in.

The night was relatively quiet, a few distant snores and house noises, when Jaehyun startled awake, frozen in his bed.

“Pesky little beast.” A voice croaked from one side of the room, and Jaehyun didn't need to look to know the attached body. The voice alone was etched into his memory like a cancer. His pulse jumped in rhythm, eyes staying shut as he willed it away. “So troublesome, causing problems left and right.”

Jaehyun was rigid in the bed, stiffening as there was suddenly an overbearing presence lingering next to the bed that felt like it was flickering. Breath came in uneven pants, trying to fight the urge to tremble in the woman's presence. ‘She isn't real. She's not.’ he repeated like a mantra in his mind.

“Look at me, you whelp.”

Jaehyun refused to move, feigning sleep before a clawed hand gripped his throat with an accompanied growl. He crashed to the floor, flailing with a shout and reached to grab at the arm attached to the hand. The moment he made contact, his eyes flew open, meeting a pair of glowing ruby eyes and a mouth of fangs framed by silvery-blue tresses. “Mana.” he gasped out, pressure at his throat making his head spin from lack of air.

“Who do you think you are, coming back here?” The woman hissed as Jaehyun’s claws elongated and he tried to rip himself from her grasp, the sides of his vision darkening the longer he remained trapped in her grip. “Don't you know the hell you caused?! The blood on your hands?!” There was the sound of a door slamming and suddenly the pressure vanished, allowing Jaehyun to roll to his side and gasp in lungfuls of air while simultaneously coughing, hearing distorted as he regained his senses.

“Jae?” a voice was near and Jaehyun recoiled when a hand touched his arm, scrambling from the contact with a whimper as tears pricked at his eyes.

“No, no, no, no, no.” Jaehyun panted, tears turning to sobs as panic set in. “It isn't real. It's not real.” He was little more than a broken child, coughing between sobs with his hands grabbing fistfuls of his hair.

“Jaehyun, it's okay, it's me.” The voice registered again, softer, but no touch was attempted this time. Jaehyun was aware of them sitting near him, their presence not dangerous but still unnerving for him in his current state. “I need you to open your eyes for me, okay, Jaehyun? I need you to look at me.”

Jaehyun frantically shook his head, claws beginning to dig into his palms. When something touched his wrist, he lashed out with a low hiss, only to have everything suddenly stand still, including his breath. The presence withdrew carefully, and Jaehyun found his breath beginning to regulate once he was safely alone. He remained curled in the fetal position on his floor as the tears and coughing eased into sniffles and exhaustion. In the aftermath of whatever had visited him, Jaehyun was vaguely aware of the faintest hint of copper, but his body was too heavy to move and figure it out.

He woke in his bed with a gasp of consciousness, sitting bolt upright, which sent a now warm rag falling from his forehead into his lap. Looking around for some sign of what had occurred, he found nothing was out of place. He was still in bed, perfectly covered as if it had been little more than a vivid nightmare. He sat still, running his hand through his hair. He was confused and disoriented, beginning to convince himself that it really had just been a nightmare, when there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”

Taeyong appeared wearing a pink and black tank top and black sweatpants. “How are you feeling?”

“Feeling?” Jaehyun frowned. “I feel like I was hit by a bus.”

“Are your hands okay?”

“... my hands?” Jaehyun turned his hands over to find the telltale marks left by his claws. His eyes widened at the sight. “How did-” he cut himself off when he looked up and registered the bandage wrapped around the length of Taeyong's forearm.

A bandage with traces of blood having seeped through.

Jaehyun felt the blood drain from his face. “Taeyong…” his voice broke, a sudden wave of emotion hitting him at the sight, even though he didn't understand why. “What happened?”

“Hm?” Taeyong tilted his head, but when he realized where Jaehyun was looking, he moved so his arms were behind his back. “Nothing serious, it’ll be fine in a day or two.” His tone feigned nonchalance, but Jaehyun could sense there was more to it and spotted the flash of pain when Taeyong moved his arm. “Joong and Arashi already handled it.”

“Taeyong.”

“I came up to let you know breakfast is going to be done soon, but Arashi is making waffles and she wanted to know what kind of ingredients you wanted.”

“Taeyong.”

“She has like seven bowls of batter mixes at this point. Blueberries, strawberries, bananas-”

“Taeyong!” Jaehyun said, sharper than he intended. It caught the dragon’s attention, though, and Jaehyun stood up to walk over. Taeyong didn’t move as the warlock closed the distance between them, eyes never leaving the other man. “Let me see.”

“It’s really nothing, Jae.” Taeyong insisted, although he didn’t move away. He was opening his mouth - no doubt to give another reassurance - when Jaehyun reached around to take his wrist and gently moved his arm back to his front. A low hiss of pain escaped him as Jaehyun held his bandaged arm between them.

“What. Happened.” Jaehyun pressed firmly. He and Taeyong merely stared at each other for a long moment, until the latter let his facade drop.

“I don’t know. What did happen, exactly, Jaehyun?”

Hearing the words confirmed what Jaehyun had feared, and the warlock released Taeyong’s wrist as if he’d been burned. “I…did this?”

“I think it was my fault, technically.” Taeyong began. “I don’t know what was happening, but you were freaking out. I only wanted to help, but I guess in that state any touch was deemed a threat.” He stayed near the door as Jaehyun returned to the bed, almost collapsing onto it.

“Mana.”

“Who?”

“So you didn’t see her?”

“Jaehyun, the only people in here were us.” Taeyong answered. “Does this have anything to do with what’s been going on with you?”

Jaehyun shook his head, letting it fall into his hands. “No, or…” he paused, sighing heavily. “I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Maybe talking about it will help?”

“How am I supposed to talk about something I don’t even understand, let alone know how to explain?”

Taeyong took a small step closer, motioning to the bed. “May I?” he asked.

Jaehyun paused at the question, taken back. It's subtle, but it's also such a sudden change to how casual - how comfortable - they'd become with each other that his heart sank. A glance at Taeyong's arm reminded him, however, that the caution with boundary wasn't necessarily unwarranted. “Please,” he offered, the faintest nod moving his head.

“Start with what happened last night.” Taeyong walked over as he spoke, sitting beside Jaehyun.

“I’m not certain that's the best idea.” Jaehyun replied, his tone ashamed as he briefly pointed at the bandaged arm.

“Jaehyun, really, I'm okay. Thanks to Hongjoong and Arashi, it's not that bad.”

Jaehyun lifted his eyes to look at Taeyong drolly. “The blood seeping through the bandage says otherwise.”

Taeyong arched a brow, head tilting just slightly. “Is it the blood or the venom that's worrying you so much?” He asked, one hand reaching to unhook the clips that held the bandage closed as he began to reveal his arm.

Jaehyun panicked, his voice pitching as the bandage came off, but the dragon continued until the layered gauze beneath was revealed.

With so many people around, do you really think we won’t have special antidotes to counteract venoms?” Taeyong teased, gently pulling the gauze back to reveal one end of the gashes along his arm so Jaehyun could examine it. The warlock seemed floored as he looked at the wound.

“How is it so clean?”

“Hongjoong has a decent array of venom antidotes. That knowledge comes in handy considering where the Aurora clan resides. He and Arashi are also skilled healers to boot.” Taeyong laid the gauze back down, letting Jaehyun help him rewrap the ace bandage around his arm. He rested his free hand on Jaehyun's shoulder as he placed the clips to secure the bandage. “The point is that I will be fine, so you can stop freaking out. Now will you talk to me?”

Jaehyun pulled his hands into his lap, looking down at them for a moment. “When my magic first started recovering, that's when I noticed it. It was just a kind of flash of sensation, I guess, like when you get too close to a residual energy. I ignored it, but it's just been gathering strength.”

“Is that why you've been zoning out on occasion?”

Jaehyun nodded. “I was hoping it would stop on its own, but obviously that isn't the case.”

“And last night?”

“I saw - or I thought I saw - the old headmistress, Mana. She attacked me, or it seemed that way, but you said she wasn't there.”

“She had to have been a spirit of some kind,although I haven't heard of one only being visible or sensed by one person.” Taeyong hummed thoughtfully for a moment, lifting a hand to tap his finger at his chin. “I suppose we'll need to speak with Hongjoong and Seonghwa, then.”

“What do you mean?”

“They have more experience when it comes to trapped spirits and the like. If anyone can place what we're dealing with, it's them.” Taeyong replied, standing. “Let's get breakfast and then we'll talk to the mated leaders.”

“Is that going to be okay?”

“The only ones who know the exact details are Yuta, Arashi, Hongjoong, Seonghwa and us. I can promise you that none of them will utter a word about it.” His eyes remained fixed on Jaehyun, watching as the other male hesitated before sighing and rising to his feet.

“I'm so sorry I hurt you, Taeyong.”

Taeyong reached out, resting his hand on Jaehyun’s knee, in a gesture of comfort. “Don't apologize for what you were going through, Jae. Let's get you fed and then we'll talk to the boys.”

#making a fantasy…a beautiful galaxy ✾ my fics #nct fanfiction #ateez fanfiction #jaehyun x taeyong #yuta x oc #wooyoung x san x hyunjin #seonghwa x hongjoong #LOCBU #Let Our Circle Be Unbroken #NCT #Ateez #OneUs #this is what we call style ✭ queue

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mxnaluv · 1 year ago

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Hi!! Can I get a blind date for ur jjk event please? :) (male please❤️) . So to start of about me, my name is Lolita I’m 165cm tall and I have dark brown 3b curly hair that reaches up to my chest. I have brown eyes. Some hobbies I do are drawing, singing, reading and cleaning 😭 I’m an Enfp ✨ my friends often refer me as really childish or crazy 💀 usually when I meet people they think I’m nice. I like to be nice with new people I meet but when I get comfortable with my friends I get so energetic 😭 I often enjoy socialising and playing with my friends I enjoy making them laugh 😍🤞

my likes are: food, friends & family, laughing and joking, nature, having fun, animals, sunny or rainy days and hugs.

My dislikes are : mean people or when people talk badly about other people and pain

When I look for a partner I always look for loyalty and their kindness. I’d like someone who gives me attention as well and plenty of hugs. As long as they have a good personality I’m fine 🤟

My love language as well is physical touch and quality time 🤞

Thank you!

JJK Blind Date

I pair you with Yuta! Thank you so much for the submission!

Yuta is very friendly despite how serious he can be sometimes. His kindness would definitely stick out, and definitely he can be loyal with how he is with Rika

He would also admire your like for things that are generally positive and love the fact that you have a kind heart as you like when things are more fun and that you don't like when people put others down.

Yuta would also be open to physical affection! He would love to play with your hair while he cuddled you and talk about how pretty you are

The perfect date I could see you two being on is an amusement park date!

--------------

Yuta tried throwing the darts at the balloon. He's tried to win you a big stuffed bear like in the movies, but he underestimated how hard it was to pop the balloon.

His patience was running out a little but you cold see his determination to try to make you happy. You then offered to try it yourself and Yuta let you with a smile. You took the dart, then threw it and got the balloon perfectly. Yuta's frustration immediately went away when he saw you make the balloon that he's been aimlessly trying to get for the past 10 minutes.

In a fit of happiness, Yuta hugged you tightly while he was ecstatic "You did it!" he then pulled away and kissed you on the cheek, then took the bear and gave it to you, "Here, you deserve it."

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i-write-some-stuff · 2 years ago

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Overwhelmed - nyt

Pairing: Yuta x gn/enby OC (Kye) Contents: When the party gets too rowdy, Kye thought they had escaped the others by getting outside. They thought wrong. Warnings: overwhelmed oc, weed consuption, beer drinking Word count: 1.2k

A/N: Alright so I hated the original one so I took it down and rewrote it. I think this one is much better and I hope you guys like it too! Also I know I promised a masterpost for this series, it's coming, things just got out of hand lately but we're (hopefully) back on track

*This is purely a work of fiction. It is in no way meant to represent any idol in any way, shape or form.

Voices became louder, and Kye turned around, trying to see what was going on. Johnny was nowhere to be found, and Haechan and Mark had run off who knows where, leaving Kye alone with their thoughts in the middle of the very crowded living room. Doing their best to not bump into everyone, Kye tried to make their way out of the crowd and into the kitchen, where they figured they could have a moment for themself. Everyone else seemed to be going the opposite way, trying to peak at whatever was happening over there. Mumbling ‘sorry’s and ‘excuse me’s, Kye pushed through, ignoring as much as they could the loud and repetitive beat of the music.

A glass bottle broke, startling Kye, who spun around, spilling their drink all over someone’s shoes. Apologizing profusely, Kye kept backing up, abandoning the empty cup on their way. With the kitchen finally in sight, Kye cursed, seeing that it was just as crowded as everywhere else. The backdoor seemed like their best bet. When they got outside, they threw themself against the wall, out of breath.

“Kye? You alright?” Turning towards the voice, Kye saw Yuta, sitting on the concrete bench a bit further from the door. Kye nodded.

“In a minute,” they mumbled, but Yuta seemed to hear, since he didn’t push further. Closing their eyes, Kye tried to focus on their breathing.

If they were completly honest, Kye would have wanted any other frat brother out there right now. They didn’t have anything against Yuta, but they found him slightly intimidating. They had never really talked either, as Yuta was usually at work whenever Kye and Johnny met to work on their project. They were surprised Yuta even knew their name, given that the both of them had barely ever talked.

“Are you gonna be sick?" Yuta asked, and Kye shook their head. "You should probably sit down, then," he replied, patting the seat next to him. "I don't bite," he added, and Kye smiled, giving in.They went to sit with him, and he leaned back against the wall, bringing a joint to his lips. He really was beautiful, Kye thought. In the dim light from the patio's string lights, he looked like he was straight out of a movie. After all, his nickname was the Prince, and Kye thought whoever gave him that nickname were very right. Yuta glanced at them, and Kye looked away, feeling the heat burn their face. Fortunately for them, Yuta misread their reaction.

“Want a smoke?” He asked, stretching his arm towards them.

“Thanks,” Kye replied, taking a long drag, then very slowly blowing it out.

“Someone’s used to this,” Yuta joked.

“It’s one of the few things that help my overthinking brain to shut up sometimes,” Kye explained, and Yuta nodded.

“I get that. Do you feel better now, though? I can go and get you water."

“No, no, I’m good,” Kye paused, “and honestly… I’d rather not be alone right now. If you don’t mind,” Kye said quietly.

“I shall not leave your side, then,” Yuta said, and Kye smiled.

They sat in silence for a moment, the joint going back and forth between them. Yuta noticed how Kye was fidgeting with a strand of their ripped jeans, and Yuta handed them the joint again, then took off one of his necklaces, letting it dangle in front of Kye. It was a simple chain with a small feather carved in a black stone. Kye gave him a questioning look. “To play with. In stead of destroying your jeans. And your skin,” he said, noticing the raw skin around Key’s nails. Kye hesitantly took the necklace, running their fingers along the feather. It felt cool and soft, and their focus fully on the piece of jewelry for a moment, examining every side and smooth curve on the little object. Yuta watched them, a fond smile on his lips.

“Do you like it?” He asked, and Kye nodded. He thought they looked very cute, staring at his necklace as if it was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen, analyzing every single part of it. He almost let himself tell them to keep it, but he cleared his throat instead. “So what was happening back there?”

“No idea. Everyone got loud and started pushing around to get a better view so I just dipped,” Kye explained.

“Hmm. Probably just Haechan doing a keg stand or something.”

“That would add up, yeah,” Kye laughed. “What are you doing smoking all alone out here?”

“Couldn’t find anyone to come with me.”

“In a frat house full of partying uni students? Yeah right." A beat passed. "You didn’t ask me,” Kye stated, eyes glued to the feather.

“I didn’t know you smoke. In fact, I don’t know you at all. Other than your name, of course.”

“What do you mean you don’t know me? We see each other all the time!” Kye said, falsely offended.

“Yeah, like half a second.”

“That’s on you, really,” Kye said, and Yuta laughed, happy to see them more comfortable.

“Hey, I don’t choose my hours. If anything, you should plan your visits around my schedule.”

“I don’t know your schedule.”

“I can text it to you.”

“Smooth. Do you always get people's numbers like that?” Kye asked, finally looking up from the feather to look at him.

“First time, actually. Did it work?” They stared at each other for a second, then Kye sighed.

“Gimme your phone before I change my mind,” Kye said. Yuta had a cocky smirk, handing it to them.

The back door opened rather violently, and Kye jumped at the sudden snap, instinctively scooting closer to Yuta. His arm went across them, hand falling on their thigh in a protective stance as they both checked to see who was coming out.

An angry Jaehyun made his way through the yard, Jamie not far behind him, calling out his name. Yuta and Kye shared a look, Yuta noticing his position and moving his hand away.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“That’s okay-“

“Leave them alone for once, will you?” Johnny’s voice caught their attention, and they saw him holding Haechan back, keeping him from running after the two others. Haechan turned around to protest, but his eyes fell on Yuta and Kye, and his target suddenly changed.

“Since when do you two know each other?”

“They’re a regular at the cafe,” Yuta lied right away, and Kye nodded. Kye shared a look with Johnny, who knew that was a lie, but strangely refrained from commenting. His eyes fell on Kye’s lap, where the feather necklace and Yuta’s phone now laid, and he smirked.

“Come on,” he told Haechan, dragging the younger boy back inside. Poking his head out the door, he added “They’ve calmed down, by the way.” Kye smiled, thanking Johnny as he disappeared, yelling some non-sense as he did.

“Do you wanna go back inside?” Yuta asked, and Kye took a deep breath.

“I’ll stay a little longer. But you don’t have to wait for me,” Kye said, handing Yuta his phone back.

“I’m good,” he said, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the wall. A few minutes later, a sort of chant rose from inside, and Yuta sighed.

“See, this time it’s really Haechan doing a keg stand,” he said, and Kye laughed, mindlessly playing with the feather in their lap.

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kv4z4r3 · 2 years ago

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Me with Yuta

(I love him so much)

(Yes i am catgirl curse and what)

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jujutsu kaisen oc #oc x canon #jujutsu kaisen self #jjk oc #yuta okkotsu #yuta x oc #yuta okkotsu x oc

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honney-pies · 1 year ago

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Ma Cherie❤︎

Chapter iv: Bona Fide

Pairing: Inuokku/ F! OC

Summary: Sometimes it’s hard to bare the genuine, real parts of your soul, but the more you do, the easier it can be.

Content Warning: major character death, slight gore, ya girl really tried to be descriptive during a fight scene, use of blades, stabbing, ripping limbs off, etc., gay people, Kanae having sad thoughts about life and people who have died, no-no words, spoilers for jjk season two, and jjk0, lmk if I’ve missed anything and I’ll add it!

Length: 5.5k

A/n: so this chapter mainly evolves around kanae and the tail end of jjk 0. I know it’s a lot shorter than the previous chapter, but their wasn’t a lot left to write lol. I wanted to end it on a happier note cause i need some fluff after the leaks cause wtf gege???? How could you do this to me???? And finally seeing Gojo’s episode in Shibuya (I won’t go into detail cause it only came out two days ago, but you know the one) has devastated me to my core and has left me in shambles. Also it has come to my attention that I’ve been spelling Yuta’s name wrong this whole time so I’m sorry. 😭Anyway, please enjoy!

Ma Cherie master list

Bona Fide -genuine, real, to be in good faith

─── ⋆⋅ December 2017 ⋅⋆ ──

When Kanae wakes up, she’s in a tangled mess of her lover, and future lover’s, limbs. She opened her eyes to see Satoru standing above her, bandages off as he smiles down at her.

“C’mon, let’s get breakfast. Megumi-chan is waiting for us at the front,” he whispers. She reaches up and grasps his hand, but the boys’ arms are wrapped tightly around her. She huffs, but she still smiles.

“Gimme a sec, Toru-nii.” He looks down at the girl, a knowing smile on his lips before quietly leaving the room. Kanae continues to struggle as she tries to make her way out of the mess of bodies. However, neither boy lets her leave, their arms pulling her closer to their bodies.

‘Shit, this is really nice.’

“Toge, Yuta, I need to leave,” she whispers softly. Yuta grumbles before scooting closer to her. Kanae feels slightly annoyed at her family for making her leave such a cozy place, but she still knew Satoru wouldn’t have gotten her up if he didn’t need to be near her for his own peace of mind.

When she finally made her way from her bed, she got to see Yuta and Inumaki tangle themselves together, she snapped a couple photos, some on her first phone where she held the people she cares about the most, on her current phone, and a polaroid. After Suguru left Kanae made it a point to take as many pictures as possible, in order to keep as many memories alive as possible.

‘ 12/20/17 - first sleepover together’ Kanae smiles softly as she wrote, before getting dressed and slipping out the door. She quickly made her way to the front of the school, spotting her little brother and her dad bickering.

“She doesn’t have two boyfriends, Gojo.”

“She does, Megumi, you need to get over it.” Megumi looks over and spots his older sister and begins walking over to her.

“Do you have two boyfriends, nee-san?” She shakes her head and laughs at Megumi’s victorious ‘ha.’

“No, but we’re slowly getting there.” Megumi whips his head around so fast, Kanae nearly got whiplash.

“What?” She laughs again and reaches up and messes up his hair. He grumbles and swats at her hands.

“How did you get two boyfriends before I even got one?” She smirks at the boy.

“I’m awesome, have an amazing personality, and I’m hot. Who wouldn’t want me, ‘gumi?” He groans and shoves her away.

“Where do you want to go for breakfast, Megumi-chan?” Megumi looks at Satoru and thinks before shrugging his shoulders. The three of them wander around before finding a small place to eat. It has been a couple weeks since they all went out and Megumi talks about the latest documentary he watched before getting up and going to the bathroom. Satoru uses this opportunity to turn to Kanae.

“I don’t want you in Tokyo.” Kanae looks up at him, confused.

“Chances are Suguru will be in Tokyo, I don’t want you seeing him like that. I’ve already made arrangements for Utahime to watch over you in Kyoto.” Kanae watches her dad’s face closely and notices a slight twitch.

“You’re… you’re gonna kill him, aren’t you?” Satoru looks up at the ceiling, letting out a heavy sigh. He reaches out and grabs her hand, holding it tightly.

“I don’t have a choice anymore, Kanae. He’s… he’s hurt too many people, killed too many people. I’ve spent so many years waiting around for him to come back, but you and I both know he won’t. I don’t want you to see that.” Kanae frowns at him before kicking his shin to make him look at her.

“I have the right to see him. I have the right to say goodbye. No, I don’t want to see him die, but I at least want to be there to make sure he goes with the people he loves. I’ll go to Kyoto, but I’m going to be there to say bye. No one will take that away from me.” Satoru sighs loudly before nodding his head.

“Fine, but I still don’t think you should.”

“I know, but I want to.” Megumi comes back to the booth and quickly notices the tense atmosphere. When he goes to question it, Kanae shakes her head.

“What do you want for your birthday ‘gumi?” He looks thoughtful for a moment before stating he wants more books. Kanae smiles and tells him she’ll make sure to get him some.

“What do you want nee-san?” She ‘hmm’s before smiling brightly.

“Toru-nii to not give homework!” Satoru looks extremely offended at the very thoughtt.

“I never assign homework in general!”

“Oh right, uh, well… I guess I don’t really know what I want.” Megumi groans in response. You see, Kanae has a lot of things she wants, but she chooses not to say what it is. It’s infuriating and it ends with Satoru closing down a mall and letting her run wild. Some may think that’s an unwise choice financially speaking, but it’s not as bad as when he let her get whatever she wanted from a book store. Now that was a taxing trip.

Satoru makes sure to get them things on Christmas and on their birthdays and the two get spoiled endlessly, unfortunately some habits are a little tougher to break when it comes to asking for what you want or need.

While the family began the walk back to school. Megumi was a little more talkative than normal, not that anyone was complaining. It was really nice to hear him be that free when it came to spending time with them, especially since he’s been extra quiet since Tsumiki was not an active member of the family for the time being.

When they were younger, Megumi had a harder time adjusting than Tsumiki. The two girls were close in age and got along rather easily. However, it took years for Megumi to open up and shortly before Tsumiki was cursed did he begin to call Kanae his older sister.

─── ⋆⋅ March 2016 ⋅⋆ ───

Tsumiki and Kanae were both walking around their middle school to go bother, to check on Megumi. Before they could turn down the second year hall, some boys blocked the hall and began to get in their faces.

“Wow look at this, some pretty girls came to say hello.”

“Wanna go out with me?”

“I bet she’s a freak, the quiet ones always are.” The two girls have had to deal with these comments for years, but that didn’t mean they would tolerate it.

“The fact you think you even have a chance with either of us makes me sick. Move.” The boys still didn’t budge.

“Oh~ I love them feisty! Keeps me interested.” Kanae then made her way in front of Tsumiki.

“I’m not asking, move.” One of them scoffed at her, rolling his eyes, “Or what?” Kanae went to shove her way past them, and maybe break their micropenis’, with Tsumiki, but before she could, the guy’s face was smashed into the wall with a very angry boy behind him.

“Do you not have basic manners? When someone says no, or implies no, it means no. Go back to kindergarten if you’ve forgotten. And don’t you ever go near my sisters again, if you do I’ll tear you to shreds.” The three boys run off, clearly embarrassed, as one of their noses bled.

“Aw, ‘gumi!” The dark haired boy turned around.

“What?” Kanae and Tsumiki giggled quietly.

“Megumi, you called us your sisters.” The poor boy turned red, becoming uncharacteristically shy. He quickly turned around, making his way back to class to finish his after school necessities.

“Ya hear that Tsumi? I’ve officially become an older sister!” Tsumiki smiled.

“He’s thought of you as his sister for a while now.” Kanae hummed.

“I know, he’s been acting like I am. It just feels different now that he’s actually said it.” The two continued their walk to Megumi’s classroom, Tsumiki listening as Kanae told her all the latest gossip.

─── ⋆⋅ December 2017 ⋅⋆ ───

Kanae and Satoru had just dropped Megumi off at home and are now making their way back to the school when Kanae grabs Satoru’s hand with her own, swinging it gently.

“Hey dad?” Satoru’s hand twitches slightly by his side as he turns his head towards her, letting out a small hum in acknowledgment.

“You know that I’ve pretty much always thought of you as my dad right? ‘Gumi does too.” Satoru smiles softly at her, giving her hand a small squeeze.

“I know. I’ve always thought of you as my kid… Megumi-chan and Tsumiki-chan too, but you’ll always be my first.” Kanae smiles widely before pulling Satoru into a hug. He chuckles and wraps his arms around her.

“Thank you for taking me in when you didn’t need to. When you get gross and old I’ll do the same for you.” Satoru gently shoves her away, gasping loudly.

“How dare you? I’m never getting gross, I’ll be this hot forever!” The two laugh as they walk around in search of a good sweet shop, plans of returning long forgotten with the amazing, stunning, magnificent idea of eating junk food and gossiping. Although neither one really had anything to talk about, so they decided to make fun of the people walking by them when they pass a sunglasses shop.

“No! You can’t come with me, that defeats the point of me getting anything! Wait, don't go yet, gimme your card first.”

While Kanae walks around the shop she finds a nice pair of blackout sunglasses, rectangle purple frames she thinks would look good on Maki. As she made her way to the cashier, she notices an… interesting pair of sunglasses that she just knew she had to get.

‘If I don’t get them, the world just might end.’ Kanae grins so brightly as she walks out, Satoru just grabs the bags and doesn't try to peek at what was inside them.

‘I’m such a great father.’

The two finally made the trek back to the school, deciding not to teleport in order to spend as much time together even though Kanae regretted that decision immensely about ten minutes into the walk.

“Toru-nii, carry me,” she said, drawing out the ‘e’.

“Nope.” Kanae groans loudly before pulling out her phone.

“Who’re you texting?” She positions her screen away from Satoru.

“No one.” Satoru then felt a buzz in his pocket.

‘Incoming call from Muscle Man’

“Ah, hel-”

“Satoru! Stop abusing the child! God Damn!” That was all that was said before Yaga promptly hung up. When Satoru looks over, Kanae’s trying her best to hold in her laughter before Satoru picks her up and begins to carry her.

“I feel like I’m five again.”

“You sure as hell don’t feel like it.” Kanae smacks him in the head. When Kanae and Satoru were younger, Satoru made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t use infinity when he was around her. Of course there are exceptions to this, like if they’re on a mission, or something like that. About fifteen minutes later Kanae got down and continues walking, although she nearly fell over when Satoru tried to jump on her back.

“Satoru, no!”

“Satoru, yes!”

Kanae, for a short period of time at least, felt as if she was a normal teenager. That’s something Satoru has always worked hard to do for all his kids, students and family alike.

“It’s unforgivable to steal the youth away from kids.”

Kanae has always appreciated that about him. When they finally made it back, Nanami was waiting for them at the front of the school. The poor man had been sent to make sure Satoru attends more meetings. Kanae had been “trained” to start and prolong conversions for as long as possible if this were to happen.

“Hi, Nanamin! How are you today?” Nanami, who had only recently come back into Kanae’s life after years of trying to distance himself, has always had a sweet spot for the young girl.

“I’m fine, how are you Kanae-kun?” Kanae then pointed at Satoru, who had somehow managed to carry an obscene amount of bags the whole way home.

“I went shopping and we found this really cute place for lunch. Are there more meetings you guys need to go to?” Nanami shook his head.

“Only Gojo-san. I’m done for the day.” Satoru groans before handing the bags to Nanami, telling him not to break anything. Satoru ruffles Kanae’s hair and drags his feet to the campus.

“I hear you might be getting another boyfriend soon, the Okkotsu boy.” He watches as her cheeks turn a light shade of pink, letting him know that this was indeed the case. Kanae quickly turned on her heel and began speed walking to her dorm room. Nanami sighed and started to walk. He, the tall fucker he is, only had to speed up ever so slightly to keep up with her.

“Kanae, how are you doing?” Nanami once again watches in the corner of her eyes as she deflates. Kanae looks up at the sky. Seeing Kanae act like this made him remember how much, how long, Satoru’s raised her. The two are incredibly similar when it comes to their mannerisms, attitude, and ideology, but none of these similarities make them any less their own person.

“Do… Do you think that things would be for the better if ‘bara didn’t die? I mean I know they would, but just how different? Would you be happy? Would Toru-nii and Sugu-nii be happy? Would I be happy? Don’t get me wrong, I am, but it’s different. Seeing him again, after so many years hurt. I can only imagine what it was like for others, for Toru.” Nanami knew where the girl was coming from. He had seen how Suguru broke when Haibara died. He had seen the way he broke himself.

Haibara was Nanami’s first love, and he thinks he’ll be his last as well. He remembered the feeling of his heart breaking, the feeling of his limp body, becoming a lifeless one in his arms. After his death, Nanami refused to go on missions, finished his education, and left the shaman world. He remembers the solemn look on Kanae’s face, even at the age of eight she understood why the recent graduate needed to leave. The two didn’t keep in touch all that well, Nanami only picking her up from school on the rare occasion Satoru couldn’t. Not too long ago Nanami had joined the shaman world again, and Kanae had welcomed him with open arms just as she had when she found out of Haibara’s death.

Nanami can only imagine how many people she’s offered her comfort to after the death of a loved one, and he feels guilty for making her go through it continuously even though he’s not the direct cause.

When the two finally reach her room, they hear soft voices on the other side.

“Do you know when she’ll be back?”

“I know, I know, but I still feel like she might need or want some hugs or something!” Nanami, again, watches Kanae smile softly. Before she could open the door, Nanami quietly set down the bags and wrapped his arms around the girl. He may not see her as a daughter, or a sister, but he still cares quite deeply for Kanae.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers softly. She digs her hands into his blazer and lets out a shaky breath.

“I’m sorry, too.” The two stay like that for a minute before separating. Nanami picks up the bags and Kanae opens the door to see the two boys wrapped up beneath her sheets, cuddling. She smiles brightly before flopping herself on the bed, stretching out. Nanami sets down the bags in the corner of her room.

“Thanks, Nanamin!” Nanami nods his head, gives the boys a once over, and closes the door behind him. He pulls out his phone, sending Satouru a text letting him know she’s safe in her room.

Kanae feels a slight nudge on her hip and she looks up to see Inumaki casting a glance at Yuta. The poor boy’s face took on a bright shade of pink. Kanae smiles before crawling up to the top of her bed, settling down behind him.

“Aw, Yuta! Are you embarrassed?” The boy vehemently shakes his head before looking at her.

“Oh, are you shy?” He nods his head slowly. Kanae snuggles a little closer and wraps one arm around Yuta, playing with Inumaki’s fingers.

“That was Nanami. He used to go to school here, I guess he was also my babysitter.” Yuta lets out a soft ‘oh’.

“Are you both not shy,” he prods gently. Inumaki shakes his head, before resting it on Yuta’s shoulder.

“No, we’re not. You could say the two of us are used to people constantly barging in. Toru-nii and ‘gumi still do it all the time. It’s super annoying when we’re watching a movie or something.” Yuta nods his head, resting it gently atop Inumaki’s.

The three spent the rest of the night like that, cuddling and enjoying one another’s company until the sun came up and they could no longer ignore the impending events that would forever change the world as they knew it.

—————————-

December 24, 2017 - the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons - the death of Geto Suguru

Kanae wakes that day with no one beside her, leaving her bed feeling empty and cold. She spent the night agonizing over every little thing, preparing herself for the loss of shaman that would be bound to come later in the day.

When it came time to go to Kyoto, Kanae said her goodbye’s to everyone, not knowing if she would see them when morning came. Satoru accompanied her all the way to Kyoto, not wanting her to be lonely. The two spend the car ride in relative silence, not knowing what to say to make the other feel better.

Ijichi comes to a halt after some time, signaling that they have arrived. Satoru got out of the car first, opening the door for Kanae. Stepping out, she could see most of the Kyoto school waiting on the other side, slightly unnerving her, but she ignored it. As she surveys the crowd, Kanae sees plenty of familiar faces, all somber, looking at the both of them with pity. Very few people in the shaman world didn’t know of the tragic story of their small family. Utahime was the first person who stepped forward, greeting the girl. The rest begin to follow shortly.

After the teachers had a small discussion to the side, far enough out of earshot, Satoru decides it’s time to take his leave. Kanae gives him a small hug before he goes.

“You’ll come get me right?”

“I promised, didn’t I? Be safe.”

“You too.” Noritoshi rests a small, light touch on her shoulder as she watches as his car becomes nothing more than a speck on the horizon. Kanae sighs softly before smiles brightly, a fake one that doesn’t reach her eyes, not by a long shot, and begins to make her way to the school.

“All right, let's get this shit show over with.”

————————————-

The students were in charge of clearing out the curses as much as possible and containing them to their designated area, which resulted in them being in the semi front lines. Foolish, I know, but unfortunately Gege is a sadist.

Noritoshi has never seen Kanae fight a curse before, and he’s frankly a little frightened by his little sister. She has a malice dripping grin on her face, several cuts bleeding profusely, and a rusty kitchen knife defying the laws of physics.

He watches as she accidentally drops the knife while a curse runs towards her, mumbling a small ‘fuck,’ before twisting her body so her right side’s facing it. He watches in fascination and mild disgust when she moves efficiently, shoving her right foot near its feet, jamming her right side into its chest area, grabbing its limb, and rips the limb from its body. Kanae then quickly maneuvers her body to shove the limb down its mouth with so much force, the back of the head is left with a gaping hole.

“Now that’s a pretty extreme take on fisting, if I do say so myself.” Noritoshi doesn’t know how she can continue to make jokes at a time like this, much less where the energy comes from, but if he has to guess he’d say it was from Satoru. Kanae rushes over to her knife and picks it up, but not before another hoard of curses charge towards her.

She makes quick work of them, jumping up and landing on a curse. Kanae uses that moment of confusion to dig her knife into one’s face and drag it out the side of its face. She uses the curse as a stepping stone to make her way onto the back of the next one. Kanae takes her left hand to jam the knife in the right side of its neck, yanking it through the left. The next one gets a little too close for comfort, right when Noritoshi was going to shoot an arrow, he sees the knife leave her hand and quickly shoot itself through the chest of the curse. The knife was covered in blood, Kanae’s and curses alike. It continues in its conquest to protect its wielder while Kanae grabs the head of another and forces it clean off of the rest of its body. However, she doesn’t drop the head, she swings her arm to backhand the curse coming up from behind. The curse doesn’t go flying, but it does stagger a couple steps back, far enough away that Kanae grabs hold of her knife, ramming it in its legs. She drives the blade through the curse’s limbs. Her face has a little splatter of its blood. Kanae reaches up and wipes it away with her thumb.

“Gross.”

He watches her closely, not quite able to shake the dread of something potentially happening to the girl. He watches as she moves precisely and lodges the blade into the creature's eye, killing it, before throwing the knife, which scares the daylights out of him when it whizzes right past his head, and into a curse getting too close to Nishimiya's broom. She makes a slight pulling motion with her hand, causing the weapon to return to her.

He watches as she throws herself in front of Mai, effectively blocking an attack. He watches as she practically flies from curse to curse, annihilating everything in her way. Again, it terrifies him to see a usually collected and care free girl attack so gracefully and primal all at once.

Kanae feels something grabbing at her leg and sees it’s a curse. Before she could even take the time to angle herself in a harmful manner, Miwa slices through the limb. Kanae smiles at the girl, voicing a breathless ‘thanks,’ before continuing to move. Noritoshi sighs softly and makes his way to his next target.

Some time later when the battle is almost over, he sees a trail of carnage, Kanae at the front, leading the destruction. He knows she can hold her own, hell he’s seen it with his own eyes and Kanae is in the process of evaluation to become a grade one shaman after all, but he’s still surprised at how powerful she is when she doesn’t put herself unnecessarily in harm's way. Though he thinks that maybe that makes her even more powerful at times.

“You’re a force to be reckoned with, aren’t you?” Kanae looks over her shoulder, giving him a tired smile.

“Red Velvet is having a Christmas special tonight, I’m not going to miss it.” Noritoshi groans as Todo makes a sound of approval.

“Takada-chan is too.” Kanae nods her head.

“See, even the jackass gets it!” This time, Noritoshi isn’t the only one that groans.

—————

When the battle finally reaches its conclusion, everyone is extremely tired and sits on a curb, trying to get any ounce of rest possible before they’re undoubtedly drawn into another fight. A small blue speck begins to grow in front of them, and they all quickly rise to their feet, prepared to fight once again. However, none other than Satoru Gojo appears. His bandages are around his neck. Satoru does a quick once over of all the students before looking at Kanae.

“C’mon, it’s time to say our goodbyes.” She bows slightly to the others, thanking them for their help, before joining her dad’s side, disappearing from view.

“Okay… is it just me, or does she kind of seem inhuman when she fights, like an animal? Also why are his eyes so bright?” The children let out a small laugh at Mai’s comment and begin the walk to the rest of the shaman.

——————-

There’s a weird sense of deja vu when Kanae steps back into the school grounds. She sees a figure, fatally injured, making their way to them. Even with all the blood, Kanae can tell it’s her brother. He looks up at the two as he slides down the wall, not surprised by their arrival.

“You’re late, Satoru.” Without glancing at the man, Kanae knows he has a desolate expression, a pained smile gracing Sugurus face.

“To think you both would be the ones here at my end. Is my family safe?” Kanae’s heart hurts hearing those words, but her heart aches at the sight of her brother grasping an arm that is no longer there.

“Every last one of them managed to escape. The ones in Kyoto were under your orders, too, right?” Suguru turns his head away from the two, resting his head against the cool bricks.

“Yeah,” his voice laced with pain, “Unlike you I’m a kind man.” Kanae huffs out a small laugh, tears forming on her waterline. Satoru stays motionless, no emotions on his face.

“You sent those two assuming that O’d defeat them, didn’t you? To set Okkotsu off.” Kanae sends a questioning glance at Satoru, who wouldn’t take his eyes off of his lover. Even after all this time apart, Kanae knew of very few words to describe the two other than that.

“I trusted you,” those simple words broke something in her. She’s seen first hand the love the two held, hold, for one another, “ Trusted that a man as principled as you wouldn’t kill off young shamans without a reason.” Another creeps its way up Suguru’s lips.

“Trust, huh? I didn’t think I still had any of that left.” He says it more to himself than anything. Suguru releases his shoulder for a second to throw a card at Satoru, but quickly grabs it once again. Kanae quickly glances at the card and sees Yuta’s name.

“Was the elementary school your doing, too?” Kanae looks at Suguru, a smile still present.

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe you,” Satoru whispers, “ Do you have any last words?” Kanae’s breath hitches and she quickly makes her way over to Suguru, sitting on his right side, placing a land on top of his. He looks at the hand, noticing a few familiar beads.

“I see you’re wearing my old bracelet, it suits you.” Kanae’s lower lip wobbles, three words dancing on her tongue, but fear of what might happen prevents her from saying them. Suguru moves his head to look at Satoru.

“No matter what anyone says, I hate those monkeys,” his grip tightening on his arm, or lack thereof, “But I never held any hatred for those in Jujutsu High. I just couldn’t wear a heartfelt smile in this world.” Satoru takes a few steps forward, squatting down in front of them.

“Suguru,” the said man rolls his head to look at his other half, no energy in his movements anymore, “we’ll meet again.” Suguru’s eyes widen before he lets out a soft laugh, his soft laugh.

“At least hit me with some curses at my end.” Kanae’s tears freely stream down her face, but she still keeps her mouth closed. She whispers a barely audible, ‘I love you, Sugu-nii’ and gives him a hug, which he returns, before standing up and taking her place at Satoru’s side. She closes her eyes, not wanting to see his death, and hears the sound of flesh tearing. No heartbeat coming from his body. She makes a fist in Satoru’s jacket, scared that if she were to open her eyes, he would not be there. Satoru places a hand on her head, bringing his little girl into a hug. Kanae couldn’t breathe without sobs racking her body. She feels his hand on her arms, along a tear in her uniform where she had gotten hurt, warmth spreading across her body. He guides her away from Suguru’s body.

Rubble surrounding a body, slowly decaying, blood gushing everywhere, staining everything it touches, a last desperate plea of I love you,’ life fading from a brother, but this time, they’re not going to come back like before.

Or will he?

When Kanae finally has the strength to open her eyes, Satoru still keeps an arm around her shoulders. No words are exchanged between the two, but none are needed. She rubs her eyes until they’re raw. The dad and daughter make their way to the others, seeing Rika turn into her human form. An adorable little girl, really.

Satoru removes his arm from Kanae and claps, Kanae, not knowing what was going on, just claps along with him.

“Congratulations! You managed to break the curse.” The four first years look confused.

“Who are you?” Kanae chuckles softly, Satoru deadpans.

“Your good looking teacher, Gojo Satoru. I thought the theory Yuta came up with sounded Interesting, so I requested an investigation into their families. The investigation of Rita’s was finished quite a long time ago, but Yuta’s was full of holes at best. So then it came to light. You’re the descendant of Sugawara Michizane! That makes us super, super, super distant relatives!” Kanae gasps, amazed, and laughs at Satoru’s pose.

“Woah, no way!” Yuta looks confused.

“Uh, who?” Satoru is now dancing.

“One of Japan’s three great apparitions!” Satoru is still dancing. “He’s a super big shot shaman.” Kanae slightly jabs her elbow into Satoru’s ribs.

“You were right, Yuta. Rika didn’t place a curse on you. You placed a curse on Rika. Now the one who placed the curse has canceled the bond. So long as the one who was cursed doesn’t seek any penalty, it’s fully broken now. Of course, that much is obvious after seeing her in that form.” Yuta falls to the ground, tears flowing onto the cracked cement beneath him. Kanae, while wanting to comfort the boy, stays in place, knowing how overwhelming it can be to have people surround you when you need space to breathe.

“It was all my fault, wasn’t it? I turned you into that form, I hurt all those people, and I nearly caused everyone to die when Geto came after me!” Kanae feels Satoru tense at her side, she does too. Even after all this time it still catches her off guard when people mention her brother and speak of him like that. Even if they’re mostly correct. Yuta’s hands dig themselves into his hair.

“It’s all… It’s all my…” Kanae watches as Rika makes her way in front of Yuta. She hugs him tightly. “Yuta, thank you… for giving me more time and letting me stay by your side. These past six years, I’ve been happier than I ever was while alive.” Yuta continues to cry, only looking up when Rika lets go and stands up. She backs away from him.

“Bye-bye. Take care. And don’t come over here too soon, okay?” Everyone watches as she fades away, officially beginning to rest.

“Woah… I didn’t know death could be that sparkly or…bubbly,” Kanae whispers. Satoru snorts quietly.

——————

Everyone’s standing at the school entrance, waiting for Yuta to show up.

“Did you really call Rika’s death bubbly?” Kanae sighed exasperatingly.

“She literally turned into bubbles, like that one witch from the wizard of oz! How else do I describe it? There was glitter in the air.” Inumaki chuckles, holding Kanae’s hand. The two girls continue their small argument, even though everyone knows Maki laughed when hearing the comment.

In the distance, they could see Yuta and Satoru walking over to them.

“Come on, Yuta! How long are you gonna keep us waiting? Let’s go!” Yuta makes his way over, standing shoulder to shoulder with Kanae.

———

A new chapter of their lives would begin that day. Kanae would struggle with the loss of her brother and all the emotions that come with it. Yuta would struggle with accepting the love he deserves, but the three of them would learn together. Inumaki, Kanae, and Yuta would slowly start dating and live happily ever after. Well… at least until the entirety of the Shibuya arc gets animated because your darling author doesn’t want to spoil anyone before then, seeing as she deeply regrets reading the manga after seeing season one of the show.

—————

Thank you so much for reading! The next chapter, ‘purple Lilac blooms,’ will be a 5+1 fic. It should be posted next Saturday 9/30. As always, there is a self insert on my blog and this can be found on ao3. See you later, honney bears!

-honney

#jjk #honney-pies #jujutsu kaisen #inumaki toge #ma cherie #okkotsu yuuta #inuokku x oc #inumaki x okkotsu #inuokko #inumaki x oc #yuta okkotsu #Yuta x oc

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rinrinart · 2 months ago

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Snow day doodles pt.2

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sonotpattismith · 5 months ago

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My Lost, Fearless Leader. (yuta okkotsu x reader)

As the men masqueraded, I hoped you’d return with your feet on the ground, tell me all that you’d learned, because love’s never lost once perspective is earned.

word count: 9k warnings: angst, me never making it easy for poor Yuta a/n: inspired by Peter by Taylor Swift. Lowkey a self-insert as I too am a therapist, tee hee. I hope y’all enjoy it, I absolutely love writing for Yuta even though I make him suffer every time 🥹🫶🏻

masterlist.

Dear Okkotsu,

I know you only landed last week, but you left me with so many questions when you said goodbye. At the risk of sounding too forward, I thought for a moment that you would kiss me before you left. You had a look in your eye, one I’d never seen before, and I even thought I saw you square your shoulders like you were about to charge into battle.

Inumaki offered to give me your number when I asked about you, but I feared too quick of a response if I were to text you. After all, I love to torture myself. Somehow a letter felt safer, more disconnected. Still, I hope you have the time to write back to me while you’re out there growing as you so desperately wanted to.

You still have me in your corner here in Tokyo.

With kind regards,

L/N.

Dear L/N,

I hope this letter gets to you soon, though I know it has some way to go— I don’t want to leave you waiting again. I wondered if I should just text you, but you’re right, maybe this is best for wimps like me who were too scared to kiss the girl they like before traveling oceans away. There’s more courage in me hiding behind a pen than I ever had standing in front of you.

No matter how badly I wanted to show you how I felt, I didn’t feel worthy enough when I looked at that scar on your face— one I should have been able to prevent. There’s so much for me to learn about this world, and Gojo-Sensei says Kenya is where I need to be. I trust him implicitly, and I only hope here I’ll be able to grow into someone worthy of coming back to all of you at Jujutsu High. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but I hope to become someone worthy enough to indulge myself in you as well.

I hope you can find it in you to wait for me all the way in your corner of Tokyo.

Respectfully,

Okkotsu.

Dear Okkotsu,

You were right, your letter did travel far, and after two weeks, I feared I may not ever hear back from you.

What happened with Geto Suguru wasn’t your fault, and, if I remember correctly, you were the one that saved all of us that night. It breaks my heart that you feel you don’t have a place here with us. I never thought you needed to prove yourself, and if that’s the only reason you went thousands of miles away— then you should board the next flight back over.

If I had known it was the scar on my face that stopped you, I would have covered it just for you. No one else around here is willing to take the blame for me when I break one of Maki’s spears— that alone should earn you a spot right beside me over here. Speaking of, I hope the bump on your forehead has gone down.

Luckily for the both of us, patience is my best virtue, but I do hope you don’t make me wait terribly long. You don’t have to be the strongest.

Holding my breath,

Y/N.

Dear L/N,

Maybe eventually I’ll work up the courage to call you, but our weeks of waiting in between will just have to do for now.

I think you’re beautiful— regardless of your scar, and I hope I didn’t send the wrong message when I said it’s what stopped me. I only meant that it reminded me of the kind of guy that deserves your attention, one that has brought about more good than he has bad in his life.

I’ve hurt so many people, and it wouldn’t be right of me not to try to make up for the wrongs I’ve caused. It’s only been a month, but Miguel has taught me so much, and I’ve seen so many wonderful things. I’m not sure if you’re interested, but I’m sending you some pictures of all my favorite parts.

I hope Maki has been merciful to you, and, yes, my bump is gone. Still, the little scar there reminds me of you each time I see it. So, I suppose I should thank her.

We’ve been talking so much about me, but I want to hear how you’re doing back in your corner of the world. How have your classes been going? I almost miss hearing everyone arguing with Gojo-Sensei every morning.

I don’t want to be the strongest, but I want to be strong enough to be worthy of you. The last thing I want is to keep you waiting too long, but however long it takes for me to be able to make a mark on those who have shown such faith in me.

Thinking of you,

Okkotsu.

Dear Yuta,

Surely that’s not you in that picture beside the giraffe? It’s only been two months— what are they feeding you over there? I had to do a triple take. You look well, Okkotsu.

I’m starting to wonder if it’s really you behind that ink. You were never so bold when you were here. Do you have a ghostwriter? I have my doubts, but I still hope all those thoughtful words really are coming from you.

I can see how hard you’ve been working, and I hope you’re beginning to find in yourself the pride I and all us here at home have always had in you. I don’t think anyone blames you for the unfairness that’s clung to you thus far, and no one expects you to make up for any of it— at least I know I don’t. If you really insist on doing so though, maybe you can start by giving me a call every once and a while? I’m sure you're busy, but I’d love to hear your voice again.

Classes have been going well. We’re almost going into our second year now, and everyone still talks so fondly of you. We wish you were here to start the year with us. I certainly miss having someone who was equally as clueless when it came to this world— it felt like you were the last shred of normalcy I was hanging onto. It’s okay though, I suppose I have some growing to do too.

Also, you don’t need to be so formal with me, I think you’ve earned the first name basis. Unless of course, you need to build up the courage for that, too.

I only felt it was fair to send some pictures of all of us here as well— though they’re nowhere near as badass as your safari photos. Please keep sending them— I’ll cherish the ones I have here for now though.

Still waiting for you,

Y/N.

Three months following Yuta’s departure from Tokyo, you first received an actual call from him. You had just turned in for the night, muscles aching from the mission you and Maki had just returned from only an hour or two prior. Truthfully, you were having a difficult time with the added responsibility that was accompanying your new year at Jujutsu High.

Last year, at the very least, you had Yuta there who seemed on a fairly level playing field with you. Still, he held more of a determination to move forward in his life as a sorcerer than you did. After your encounter with Geto Suguru that had left you partially blinded in your right eye, it was difficult for you to find that gusto you had when you first arrived.

The deep lulls of slumber had just begun to penetrate your exhausted mind, and you could swear a more pleasant dream was just beyond your reach. When your phone began vibrating underneath your still cool pillow, your brows furrowed at the intrusion. The sound caused an electric-like jolt in your body that had you shooting up as if someone had just pulled the fire alarm. Calming your racing heart, you reached down to snatch the device up. Your eyes squinted to adjust to the blue light emitting from the screen, and you saw a number you didn’t recognize. Under the caller location though, it indicated that it was coming from Kenya.

Sitting up with a gasp, you gaped down at the device, uncertain excitement bubbling in your stomach and up your chest. Without a second thought, you swiped to answer the call. Amidst your anticipation of who you thought might be on the other line, you forgot to greet the caller.

“Um… uh- hello?”

A smile spread across your cheeks at the sound of his timid voice.

“A call from Kenya,” You began teasingly, your voice still hoarse from sleep. “I wonder who it could be.”

There was an abrupt shuffling on the other line, and you could already picture him pacing around whatever space he was currently occupying.

“You got me!” Yuta quipped nervously, quickly checking the time on his phone upon hearing the sleepy tone that laced your voice. It wasn’t too late over in Tokyo, and he figured if he didn’t call you now while he still had the nerve to do it, he never would. Okkotsu had determined during his time in Kenya that his confidence somehow peaked right after a successful mission. Naturally, this was when he calculated it would be the best time to call you with the lowest possibility of making a stuttering fool of himself. “Di-Did I wake you? I can call back another-”

“After you took three months to gather all that courage up?” You joked with a fond smile, reaching down to toy with the corner of your pillow. Despite the fact that he couldn’t see you, you shook your head. “I think I can stay up for a few minutes.”

He was grateful, so eternally grateful that you couldn’t see the way the blood rushed up his neck and into his face. Pressing a cool hand against his cheek as if it would make the heat die down, he forced himself to sit on the edge of his bed, bottom lip caught between his teeth. It had been too long already since he last spoke, and the silence on the call was becoming overbearing as he thought of anything to say.

“You there, Yuta?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m, uh-- still here.” The boy chuckled pathetically, pounding his balled up fist against his thigh, willing himself to quit being such a loser. Shooting up to begin his short trek around his room once again, he took a deep breath. “I-I wanted to thank you. You know, for writing to me the past few months. I think they’ve been kind of motivating me, actually.”

“Yeah?” You smiled, lying back down on your pillow to stare stupidly up at the ceiling of your dorm. In hearing that shy voice that you had been missing for so long, you had forgotten about the aching, abused muscles that had been assaulting you just minutes prior. In its place was the rushing endorphins of your child-like crush on the boy on the other line. “So, when you come back strong enough to beat Sensei’s ass, I can take partial credit, right?”

His soft laugh filled your once silent room, inciting the overwhelming butterflies in your stomach to erupt in a fluttering haze.

“It’ll all be you.” Yuta joked halfheartedly, rubbing the back of his neck in relief that he’d gotten past the awkward silence unscathed. He flopped back down onto his bed and looked out the window at the slowly setting sun. “Uh… speaking of Sensei, how is everything over there? The exchange event is coming up soon, right?”

This made your smile slowly wane.

“Yeah, it’s next month. There was some drama with the first years, but everyone else seems to be pretty excited.”

“Everyone else? It sounds like you’re not including yourself in there.”

You sighed gently. Yuta was always so determined about growing as a sorcerer, so these types of events were always right up his alley. Not to mention the manner in which he absolutely wiped out the sister school at last year’s event. It actually caused a bit of second-hand embarrassment to watch the whole ordeal play out— no matter how quickly it concluded. After the atrocities of the past few months though, you couldn’t find it within yourself to be excited for the goodwill event.

It wasn’t that long ago that you watched all your friends meet near death at the hands of Suguru Geto, and you weren’t too far behind. They had all seemingly moved on from it all so fast— all of them except for Yuta Okkotsu. It seemed that all it had done was given him more ammunition to spark his journey of self discovery. You wished it had had the same effect on you. In truth though, all it sparked was a fear that your life, along with your friends, was constantly at the mercy of a crueler fate than most your age would be subjected to.

It felt wrong. Yuta shouldn’t have felt the need to bear the weight of you and your friends’ injuries all on his own. He shouldn’t have needed to go off to search for some unknown answer to all the insecurities his grueling life had thrust upon him. Still, it was so important to him. You could see the way it gave him purpose, a will to keep going despite all that he’d been through. It wasn’t his fault, but you always wished you could have found that same purpose within slaying curses and putting your life on the line.

A soft call of your name on the other line pulled you from your self-depricating thoughts. Shaking your head, you attempted to lighten the mood.

“Last name again? So formal. I thought we were past that, Okkotsu.”

“Oh-- right, sorry.” He stammered out before trying your first name out on his lips. It was delicate in the way it rolled off his tongue, sending warmth straight through your chest. Recalling your sudden silence once his nerves subsided, his lips pulled pensively into a thin line. “Um, have you been doing okay? You know, since…”

Brows rising just a hair, you were shocked at how easily he read through your sudden change in tone. Your lip quivered into a slight frown. A deep breath was suddenly pushing down that biting urge you had to tear up.

“Yeah, I’ve been okay. Just… wish you were still here is all.” You confessed into the dark, lonely dorm room. “I think you were the only one who understood how overwhelming this all was.”

Yuta felt his chest constrict at your earnest confession. Part of him felt guilty for not being there, but he knew deep down that he was doing the right thing by building himself up before he allowed himself to come back— especially to you. Still, the boy knew where you were coming from. It wasn’t easy being the newcomer in a world where your peers had a fifteen year head start on.

The two of you understood each other—empathized with one another. You both strived to make sure the other was doing okay; whether that be sneaking out late at night to practice with one another in hopes you both wouldn’t make fools of yourselves in training the next day, or just being someone that the other could glance knowingly at when one of your classmates mentioned something it seemed that everyone else was privy to, except you two.

“I’m getting stronger everyday.” Yuta offered earnestly, a soft, empathetic smile playing on his lips— the kind you could just hear through his gentle tone. “And I know you are too. We’re gonna kick some major butt one day, y’know?”

The boy was relieved when your glittering laugh filled his speakers, and he found himself laughing along with you. A comfortable silence blanketed over you two, and for a moment it felt as though you were laying right beside him, your gentle breaths lighting a fire within his soul. The courage that he thought he had lost upon hearing your voice for the first time in months was slowly flooding back to him, and he began pensively rolling his bottom lip between his fingers.

“Hey,” Okkotsu called out feebly, resting his hand down on his chest and feeling his heart pounding against his fingers. Reaching down to your discarded letter beside him, he picked up the picture you’d sent along with it. It was of all the second years, and he wondered with a smile if you had Gojo-Sensei take it for you all, and, if so, how much he complained about not being included.

You stood in the middle of Inumaki and Maki, Panda standing proudly and towering behind you. His thumb reached out to graze softly over your face. In the photo, one of your hands was teasingly covering your right eye, and he blushed as he remembered your earlier conversation about that scar. You hummed in acknowledgment on the other line. “Did you mean it? You know… when you said you’d wait for me?”

“Did you mean it when you said you were gonna come back for me?” You countered quickly.

Yuta exhaled nervously, the churning in his chest making him feel as though he might pass out. Staring back at your smiling face in the photo, he nodded breathlessly.

“Of course, I meant it. I meant every word.”

“Then so did I.”

Yuta Okkotsu’s reassuring promise helped ground you in your studies of jujutsu for a while longer, but you could still feel the aching insistence in the back of your mind that told you this wasn’t where you were meant to be. Your friendship with the sorcerer continued to grow even over the thousands of miles that separated you.

He’d call you whenever he had the chance to, and you’d text him about updates on what all his friends had been up to without him. Although both Inumaki and Maki kept up with him regularly, he allowed you to retell stories he’d more often than not already heard from them.

He could tell that you were struggling to find and hold your place as a sorcerer. You always listened enthusiastically when he’d tell you about the new techniques he was learning or the missions he’d been sent on, nodding along on the other line and hanging onto every word he said. Still, when he’d await to hear the progress of your training or how your latest mission had gone, you didn’t have the same enthusiasm in your tone.

It had been almost a year since he’d been gone. The two of you had never implicitly discussed the nature of your relationship, but your lingering promise to each other seemed to be enough to keep your hearts locked safely away for the other’s return. As the months dragged on though, you couldn’t help but wonder if it was worth staying in the world of jujutsu that seemed to so expertly traumatize you and your peers.

You insisted on video calling him for once, eager to once again put a face to the voice that had been filling your every night for the past few months. Maybe, you thought to yourself, if you saw those warm, inviting eyes again paired with that timid smile, you’d find it in you to hold out just a bit longer.

“Ca-Can you see me?” Yuta’s ever anxious voice filled your quiet room once again. The palm of his hand briefly covered the camera before it was moved away, and it appeared as though he had propped you up on a dresser of some sort. He stepped back, hunching over so his face was still in the frame, staring hesitantly into the screen.

A brief exhale of disbelief left you at the sight of him. He had changed so much over the past year; from the inches he’d sprouted up, to the new broadness of his lean shoulders, right down to his more maturely parted hair as it swayed in his face.

His features appeared sharper than when you’d last seen him, a testament to how much he’d grown physically as well as mentally. The dark circles you remember being everpresent under his long, midnight-blue eyes seemed even more pronounced now, and you wondered just how hard this Miguel character had been working him. Despite his apparent lack of sleep though, he grinned cheerfully upon seeing your face.

Forgoing your previous concern, an ecstatic smile of your own lit up your face as you took him in. You had always thought he had a sort of innocent, gentle cuteness to him, but time and knowledge seemed to have morphed those characteristics into the sharp, hauntingly striking ghost of the boy you once knew presented before you. For the first time since knowing him, you thought you felt more nervous than he did at the moment.

“Wow! You look--” He paused, a slight flush filling his face, and suddenly he was that timid boy again, staring down at you with the false promise of a kiss. Your heart melted at the sight. Yuta was still looking nervously back at you, mouth hanging open as if his mind was running faster than his tongue could process. You raised your brows expectantly at him, hiding your amused smile. “Uh—pretty! You— you look really pretty.”

A soft blush fell across your cheeks.

“Thanks, Yuta.” You laughed softly, eyes fluttering across his face admiringly. “You look like you’ve… grown.”

“Oh, me?” He laughed skittishly, hand coming up to rustle through his jet black locks. His brows were furrowed slightly as he looked down at his own appearance as if he was only just now noticing the growth spurt he’d had in the past year. “Yeah! I guess—”

“Is that blood on your shirt?” You suddenly noticed, leaning forward so your squinting eyes could get a better look at the dark matter that clung to his white top. His eyes shot up to meet yours, and in an instant, his fumbling hands were working to unbutton his uniform shirt. It was no use though, the white t-shirt underneath was also stained through.

“Sorry, I just got back from a mission.” He admitted dejectedly, grabbing the phone and sitting on the floor, resting his back against the bed behind him. “I would’ve showered, but I didn’t want to keep you up too late.”

You sat back against your headboard tentatively. It was incredible to you how he was never phased by the violence and bloodshed that shrouded this lifestyle. There were so many nights that you lay awake, eyes unblinking as you tried to forget the horrors you’d witnessed just long enough to get some sleep.

“How do you do it, Yu?” You asked timidly.

Yuta took in the way your wide eyes glimmered with the threat of unspilled tears. There it was again— that underlying fear in your tone and demeanor that told him that something wasn’t quite right, and it hadn’t been right since you came so close to death.

“What do you mean, love?” He wasn’t sure where that term of endearment came from, maybe from the concern that had been pooling in him for months and had now suddenly burst upon seeing that broken look in your eyes. Either way, it was too late to take it back now.

“Act like everything’s normal when you come home covered in blood and guts and watch people die— watch your friends—”

“I’m doing this for my friends.” His response had a defensive edge to it, but his wide eyes were gentle, taking in your vulnerable state carefully. “And for the people I’ve had to watch die. Bad things will happen whether I’m a part of them or not. How can I sit back and do nothing when that’s all I’ve done my entire life?”

You suddenly felt small in your corner of the world. He was selfless, fearless, purposeful in his mission as a sorcerer, and you couldn’t fault him for it. Moreso, you faulted yourself for lacking that same drive.

“I just– sometimes I feel like this isn’t for me. I’m not like you, Yuta. I don’t think I’m strong enough for this. I’m not strong enough for this.”

Yuta continued to insist upon believing in your growth, just as you had believed in his. His persistence in your strength of character only served to break your heart more. You knew the deeper his faith in you ran, the more crushing his disappointment would be when you inevitably let him down.

In the weeks following your dismayed conversation with him, you weren’t answering his calls as often, afraid he would be on the other line hoping to hear of your growth and the things you’d overcome— but you had none to show for. You usually texted him with false excuses that you were on a mission, or that you were simply too tired to talk that night. No matter how hard you tried to pride yourself in your little victories, your faith in your abilities as a sorcerer was waning quickly before your eyes.

He had always said that he was the one undeserving of his place in this world— of his place beside you. The stronger he grew though, the more you only noticed the opposite.

It was a month after your phone call that you received a small package from Kenya, recognizing the stamp immediately as one of the various animal themed ones Yuta seemed to keep stockpiled just for you. Chewing at your bottom lip, a sense of guilt washed over you, knowing you hadn’t been keeping up with him as much as you once did. Despite this, he continued to try, desperate to get through to you somehow before you slipped from between his fingers all together.

Ripping open the orange, padded envelope, you overturned the contents onto your bed. The wooden beads of a bracelet clacked softly against one another as they fell upon the comforter, a letter landing gently atop it. You ran your fingers along the thin bracelet, thinking maybe if you concentrated long enough, you’d be able to feel the warmth of his fingers lingering from when he’d carefully placed it into the envelope for you. You picked up the accompanying letter.

Dear Y/N,

It seems like they’ve been keeping you really busy over there in your corner of the world! I had so much I wanted to tell you, but I thought maybe it’d be best to put it all into a letter so you could read it at a time that’s best for you.

Gojo-Sensei says that I’ll probably be coming back soon, maybe in the next couple of months even. If all goes well, I hope to be joining everyone for our final year. It’d be nice to all be together again. It’d be nice to actually see you again.

You don’t have to tell me everything, but I know you’ve been going through a hard time recently, and I’m sorry I’m not there to help you. You were wrong the other night on the phone— you are stronger than you think. This life isn’t easy, and I don’t want you to feel like you’re not fit for it just because it hurts you right now.

When I felt I had no strength left in me to keep going, it was you who lent me some of yours until I could stand again. I’m sending it back to you now, so please use it to keep moving forward until I can lend you some of mine. Please, keep waiting for me.

The beads on the bracelet I sent you represent all the things I wish for you. The red represent bravery and strength, the kind I know you have in you still. Until you find them though, let these be a reminder. The yellow are for growth, and until you can see it coming your way, let these motivate you.

I got one just like it for myself, so I can be reminded everyday of the things I love about you. I’ll keep it on me always, and I hope as you’re waiting that you’ll do the same.

Still yours,

Yuta.

Tears were streaming freely down your cheeks and staining the precious letter before you. With wobbling lips, you bit back a quiet sob as you carefully slipped the thin bracelet onto your wrist. Strength. Bravery. Growth. They were all pillars that seemed so far away from you, but Yuta was convinced you held them just within your grasp. If anything, the beads would serve as a reminder that someone important was counting on you, and you’d rather suffer the uphill battle than disappoint him.

The next morning, you woke early to speak with Gojo. He was lounging lazily in his large, plush chair, laptop sat carelessly on his lap when you came in. As if expecting you all along, he looked up from his bored typing to offer a sly smile— the type that told you he was always steps ahead of you.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Gojo greeted, closing his laptop and setting it haphazardly on his desk. Leaning back, he laced his fingers casually in his lap, jutting his chin toward the seat in front of him.

Hesitantly, you sat down. Your posture was rigid as you stared back at his half-covered face. Although your sensei had never given you a reason to fear him, you couldn’t help but feel anxious at the thought of how he might react to your request.

“I… I don’t know how to say this.”

He stayed silent, allowing you to collect your thoughts. The small smile tugging at his lips said he already knew what was plaguing your mind. Fiddling with the bracelet on your wrist, you were reminded of the importance that you stand your ground here.

“I’m not sure I’m cut out for being a sorcerer.” It was out there, and it hung heavily in the air around you. Looking down at your twiddling fingers, you felt that familiar lump building in your throat. Your sensei was silent before you. Glancing up at him through tear soaked eyes, you shrugged your shoulders in defeat. “I’m not like the others. I can’t bounce back like they do. It scares me; the death, the fighting, the loss— it terrifies me, Gojo. I can’t do it anymore. I-I just—”

“You’ve been struggling for a while now, haven’t you?” It was more of a statement than a question— an observation he’d been holding onto for some time. The older man wasn’t oblivious, he could see when his students were beginning to slip away; physically and mentally.

“How did you know?” You briefly wondered if Yuta had mentioned something to him during their regular check in calls, but you doubted it.

Standing abruptly from his chair, he strolled leisurely around the room, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

“You remind me of someone, is all.” Gojo’s cryptic message left more questions than answers. Though you had grown used to his dodgy answers and coded messages, now was really not the time. Before you could express your annoyance, he continued. “You’re not stuck, you know.”

Your mouth hung open as you stared at him in disbelief. Standing up to face him as he stared out the window, your mind was racing at the possibilities.

“You mean— I could leave? Just like that?”

“Just like that. I’d talk to the higher ups today for you if that’s really what you want.” Still, the edge in his tone indicated that he wasn’t about to let you off that easily. As if sensing your apprehension, he tilted his head playfully toward you, a fond smile on his face. “I’ve seen what this gig can do to people. I don’t need to see you fall victim to it too.”

“I mean— I…” You were stumbling over your words. For the past few years, you were sure that your future was set for you— one you were apprehensive about living, but one that was secure nonetheless. Where would you go from here?

Gojo hummed pensively— invitingly. God, how you wished he would just spit out what he clearly wanted so desperately to say. Of course, he always wanted his students to come to their own conclusions, set their own fates.

“The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.” The sensei announced dramatically, taking another lap around the room. You shivered at the mention of that night. He leaned toward you with a raised brow. “That’s when this all started, am I right? You almost died, if I remember correctly.”

“I would have if it hadn’t been for—”

“Yuta Okkotsu.” He cut you off, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips, and for a moment you thought you saw his head tilt down as if to look at the bracelet you were currently rolling between your fingers. Nodding softly, he continued. “Still, you cut it pretty close. Must have been traumatizing. Partially lost your sight, almost lost your friends, your life.”

You nodded silently, unsure of where he was going with this long winded rant. Of course, him giving you a simple out was just too easy for Gojo-Sensei’s ‘everything is a life lesson’ style of teaching.

“Tell you what, why don’t I set up a meeting for you to meet with a counselor? Someone who specializes in all our creepy-crawly problems?”

“Like… like therapy?” You questioned with furrowed brows. A therapist for sorcerers? You didn’t even know such a thing existed. Still, the prospect sparked a certain hope in your chest, one that the six eyes saw instantly. He didn’t bother to conceal his victorious smile.

“Yup. Nice, comfy couch and everything.” He advertised as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. His long fingers began typing purposefully against the screen before he looked up at you again. “Of course, she’s kind of running a one-man show, so her schedule is pretty tight. I can pull a few strings for you though.” His words rang in your mind with a faint echo. That suggestive, underlying tone in his voice, it was beginning to seep through, and your gut was telling you his suggestion was a lot more calculated than you would ever give him credit for. “That kind of work is in high demand, you know— what with all the new curses popping up since Itadori came along.”

Gojo was continuing to drop hints, but you had already heard him loud and clear. This was something he thought you could do— somewhere he knew you would fit within this hectic world. As a teacher, it was his job to train the up and coming sorcerers for the perils that lay ahead of them. In the same prospect though, he had also become incredibly adept at discovering their potential and nudging them toward it— even if it wasn’t as gently as he thought.

The following week you met with the therapist Gojo had supposedly pulled so many strings to get you in to see. She had a small office just minutes away from the school, and you wondered why she wasn’t on campus. She hadn’t suggested it to you first, though she was well aware of what Gojo was trying to do when he set up this meeting.

So, amidst your explanation of everything you had been experiencing since that night, you dropped in questions. How did she know this was the right path for her— how closely did she work with Jujutsu High— how did she get where she was?

By the gentle and encouraging manner in which she answered all of your questions, you had a gut feeling once again that Gojo had already been three steps ahead of you. You were set to transfer out of Jujutsu High the following week.

Your sensei funded your education through an outside university, who’s higher ups had connections with the school. Kaori, the god-sent sorcerer counselor who’d seemingly fallen from the heavens right when you needed her, was more than happy to take you under her wing as well. In truth, she was relieved to have some help around the office given the influx of referrals she’d been receiving recently.

Everything had been falling into place, yet there was still one last loose end you had yet to tie up from your life as a sorcerer. You looked down at the box of letters you’d kept over the past year or so from Yuta.

Following his last letter, and how determined he seemed to be that you would make it as a sorcerer— you couldn’t bring yourself to tell him that you had given up. After everything he’d done to grow himself into the man he was now, a fearless and loyal sword to his friends and the innocent— and you had given up. In the end, despite his insistence that it was him not worthy enough to stick around, you realized it had been you all along.

You weren’t worthy of Yuta Okkotsu.

Your trembling finger hovered over his contact, but you couldn’t do it. Clicking your phone off, you stared up at the ceiling of your now empty dorm room and allowed the hot tears to burn your cheeks, dripping down your neck and into the hem of your shirt. He was still finishing up his training, growing into a man he could be proud of, experiencing the things that made him feel alive. It would be selfish of you to drop this on him now.

Setting down the box on your desk, you pulled out a spare sheet of paper and sat down to draft your last prose to Yuta Okkotsu.

Dear Yuta,

By the time you’re reading this, I’m sure you will have already heard about my departure from Jujutsu High. I wanted to call you and tell you everything that’s been on my mind, to give you a proper goodbye, but I didn’t want to interrupt your progress overseas.

I wanted to thank you for the kindness you’ve shown me over the years. I’ll cherish each bit of it as long as I live. You kept me holding on through my lowest points, even if it wasn’t the life of sorcery that I was holding onto.

I know I’m cowardly, but I just couldn’t look you in the eyes and tell you that I had given up. You’ve worked so hard and sacrificed so much to hold your place here, and I suppose a part of me feels foolish for giving mine up so easily.

Your passion for undoing the wrongs in this world is so beautiful, and although I couldn’t share it with you, it only ever made me love you more. Please never take it for granted. Continue to fight to hold your place here, because you hold more power than you could ever come to know. I can feel it, even when you’re not here.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t wait for you.

Forever yours,

Y/N

When Yuta Okkotsu arrived back at Jujutsu High three months later, he had already been sitting on the news of your departure for two weeks. His friends thought it best to at least prepare him for when he returned, but he figured so much when you stopped responding to his calls and messages. No amount of preparation could have stopped the hole from opening up in his chest upon reading the letter you’d left in his dorm room. It sat neatly on his untouched pillow— a ghost that haunted him the second he stepped in.

He tried with fervor to be excited for his return, smiling along half heartedly when his friends shoved a party hat on his head and insisted upon celebrating all the birthdays they’d missed. Those haunting blue eyes only stared lifelessly at the cake before him, his soul still sat on the edge of his bed where he’d read your letter.

Forever yours.

Yuta wondered if those simple two words meant the door was open for him to swing in and come find you as he so ardently promised he would. Gojo-Sensei said you were happy though— working toward your place in the world. It was one he no longer felt he had a place in— not when his life consisted so wholly of the very things you were running from.

Months passed, and the both of you tried so desperately to move on. Despite being content in the roots your lives had sprouted, there was always a missing piece that stopped the both of you from blossoming. You always held your breath in hopes he’d come back to you like he said he would, and he always hoped you were still waiting for him despite his insistence that you were happier without him. The both of you were only kids when you’d carelessly thrown out such a vow, after all.

Gojo felt whole-heartedly confident in his whim to have Kaori train you. There was a spark in you, one that wanted to heal those that this world had so carelessly wounded, even if that meant you having to heal yourself first. In the end, it was the right decision, and he prided himself in the fact that there was a happy medium to keep your talents within the jujutsu world still while also fulfilling your purpose. There was a missing piece of the puzzle that lingered ever present though, and that was the infuriating case of you and Yuta Okkotsu.

It was getting depressing— watching the boy mope around pretending to not have the very obvious chip on his shoulder all the damn time. Your old sensei still kept up with you and your progress often, seeing as the school worked closely with Kaori to refer in need sorcerers on a regular basis.

Each time he’d pop in for a visit or called unexpectedly, you’d always ask how everyone back at the school was doing. Sure, you really did hope your old friends were doing okay, but you were really holding your breath for when he’d mention Yuta. Gojo always spoke of him so highly, and you couldn’t help but smile fondly each time, thinking of how proud you were at how much he’d accomplished— just as he said he would. Still, the six eyes never missed that morose glimmer in your eye as you’d nod along to his stories.

“Have you ever tried sleeping at night, or are those dark circles just a part of you now?”

Yuta was snapped from his stupor when his sensei dropped unceremoniously beside him as he looked on at his friends ahead of him. As if having just been reminded of his perpetual exhaustion, he reached up subconsciously to rub at those aforementioned dark eyes.

“Oh, haha,” Yuta’s halfhearted attempt at a laugh only served to drive Gojo’s purpose right home. “Yeah, guess my sleep schedule never really adjusted back to normal, huh?”

“You aren’t performing like you should be, Okkotsu.”

He gaped exasperatedly at his sensei, blinking a few times as if maybe he just hadn’t heard him correctly. Frankly, he had been kicking ass lately, and everyone around him knew it too. Still, if Gojo-Sensei was telling him he was falling behind, it was seemingly the only opinion that mattered. Even if it wore him down till only his skeleton remained, he would keep getting better until he could prove himself to the man who took a chance on him.

Already picking up on the look of determination on the boy’s face, Gojo put out a solemn ‘slow your roll’ hand in front of him. Sighing in amusement, the sensei thought the boy would crush a semi-truck between his hands if it’d make him grow— meant he could prove himself.

“Your mind isn’t here. Hasn’t been since you got back. I can tell, you know.”

Okkotsu’s shoulders slumped dejectedly. No matter how much he worked to train physically, to learn to control his cursed energy and techniques, there was always that one lingering barrier that seemed to keep him from reaching his potential. Of course, he knew he had been more distracted since your departure, but he figured— hoped— it would pass eventually. He thought maybe if he ignored it long enough, pushed down that frenzy to rip his hair out by the roots and bellow out every frustration he’d held in for allowing you to slip away, each day as the urge melted away into dreams of you at night that woke him with a crater in his chest— maybe eventually it would fade just as you did.

“Try to get some rest, clear your mind. Do what you gotta do.” Gojo emphasized, leaning down to tower over his apprehensive prodigy with a knowing smile. His covered eyes flicked down to where Yuta’s fingers were rolling the beads of his colorful bracelet pensively. He hummed in amusement. “You know, I know someone who has that same bracelet.”

His student perked up ever so subtly upon hearing this. The prying man quickly moved to grasp his wrist and inspect the bracelet closer. It made Yuta feel exposed, wanting to crawl under his covers and not come out again if it meant no one else would lay their eyes on the one connection he still had to you. Gulping thickly, he snatched his wrist back, covering the wooden jewelry protectively under his other hand.

“Oh, you know her, don’t you?” Satoru feigned remembrance, snapping his fingers dramatically. “She used to go here.”

The stunned boy stammered out your name in question. It still felt so natural, so effortless rolling off of his tongue despite the prolonged period that had passed since he’d uttered those syllables.

“Yeah! Saw it on her just last week.”

All the blood seemed to drain from Yuta Okkotsu’s face. His wide, haunting eyes suddenly transfixed hazily on the smiling man before him in a manner that would have been terrifying had it been directed at a stranger. You still wore the bracelet he got you? The prospect had his mind spinning, and his stomach churning anxiously. The poor guy looked as though he would short circuit at any moment; brows twitching into a deep furrow, the corners of his lips fluttering in uncertainty. He blinked a few times before looking up at his sensei with a new sense of determination clouding his eyes.

“Where did you say she went?”

Bingo!

The clock’s ticking mocked you menacing as you raced to finish your assessment notes within the hour. Kaori was always merciful with you, understanding that you were still learning and would likely take more time with things, but you couldn’t help but urge yourself to do better.

It had been almost a year that you had been studying while working alongside the counselor, and you had blossomed in a way you never thought would have been possible. Granted, you weren’t able to do any of what you had lovingly labeled as ‘the fun stuff’ yet, you had adjusted surprisingly well to the countless intake assessments and documentation your mentor had entrusted you with. Of course, it wasn’t the same as having a second counselor there with her, but anything helped ease the weight of her overwhelming caseload. She knew it was good experience for you too.

Despite her hectic schedule, Kaori still found time to meet with you often to check in regarding the struggles that brought you to her in the first place, insisting it would be a crucial step in your training as well. Slowly but surely, you were beginning to rebuild that confidence in yourself and your own purpose in this monstrous world. It felt cathartic, being a part of the process of healing for those torn down by the very things that hurt you so long ago as well. It was meaningful— fulfilling.

You wondered if this was how Yuta felt when he was out there, helping people as well, just in his own way. A sharp pang struck you each time your mind wandered too far though, and you were always quick to reel it back in.

Your bottom lip was caught ruthlessly between your teeth, and it seemed the clacking of your keyboard was fighting against the ticking of the clock for dominance. A small spark of defeat struck you as you heard the door of the office creak open. Looking up at the time, your brows furrowed in confusion. You were sure that you had already completed the last intake Kaori had scheduled for you today. Scrambling into the drawer beside you to pull out a new form, you hoped you would at least look somewhat prepared whenever the unexpected patient came to your desk.

“Hi, there!” You called out from your tucked away cubicle, fumbling to save the document you were working on. “I’m back here, you can come on in.”

Slow footsteps approached closer and closer before pausing in front of your desk. Pushing the hair from your eyes, you looked up with a warm, inviting smile.

Oh.

The smile on your face slowly faded as Yuta Okkotsu towered over your desk. It wasn’t the version of him you once knew; this one was taller, more refined, more calculated with the manner in which he held himself. His wide, midnight-blue eyes regarded you carefully, but his face revealed nothing. Your mouth opened and closed pathetically, your mind desperately trying to catch up with the way your day had suddenly progressed. Stepping forward, he calmly sank down into the chair in front of you, hands gripping the arms casually.

“Yu—”

“I heard you offer counseling for sorcerers, right?” He was suddenly smiling sweetly at you, but there was a controlled glint in his eyes— holding him back. Not allowing you to respond, he continued. “Well, I have some things to get off my chest, so it’s lucky I found you, huh?”

You sank back into your chair, allowing the papers in your hands to slip from your fingers and swoosh softly onto the desk. Nodding gently, you urged him to go on, anxiety balling up in the pit of your stomach. He launched off on a long-winded story, one you already knew like the back of your hand— you lived it, after all. Your already knowing the climax didn’t stop the furious blush that overtook you as he recalled the letter he’d found in his dorm upon his arrival back to Tokyo.

“She always had this sweet way of signing off all her letters to me.” Yuta recounted with a soft smile, eyes glimmering as they looked back at you. Yours, on the other hand, were holding back the dam of tears that had been building up for countless months. As the first tear slipped down your cheek, you saw his resolve start to crumble, gaze chasing the drop as it raced down your skin. His bottom lip trembled. “She signed that last one— she signed it off ‘forever yours’, but I never saw her again.”

“Yuta—”

“Why didn’t you just tell me you weren’t happy?” He finally snapped, his own tears swimming in his eyes. Bracing his hands on the desk, he leaned forward desperately. “I would’ve understood, I would’ve—”

“I tried! I tried to tell you, but you were so sure that I was going to get through it. How was I supposed to look you in the eyes after you gave up so much of your life to train to be better? How was I supposed to tell you I was giving up?”

“You promised me!” His cry rang out in the quiet office, shoving his chair back to stand over you once again. You heard Kaori’s office door open abruptly, likely startled by the perceived altercation. Despite his dominating presence and lingering stance, you couldn’t find it in you to be intimidated by him. You shook your head softly toward your mentor, letting her know you were fine. As the door hesitantly shut once again, Yuta was sinking closer to you despairingly. “I would’ve come back for you— I wouldn’t have cared where I had to look, okay? I wouldn’t have cared that you left everything— but you weren’t supposed to leave me.”

His wounded tone finally caught up to you, and you let your head fall down onto your crumpled hands as you cried. Yuta sighed softly, almost regretting his stinging confession. Quickly looping around the desk, he settled down on his knees in front of you and turned you to face him.

“I’m sorry, Yuta.” You cried, falling into him as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you from your chair. He was stronger than you last remembered him being, but his touch was just as delicate. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. Hey, it’s okay. We’re here now, right?” He assured gently, pulling you away from his chest so he could look at you with a smile, tears still clinging to his lashes. His cool hand ran down from your shoulder to your wrist, and he traced the bracelet that hadn’t come off your wrist since you received it. A soft flush covered his cheeks. “You kept it, huh?”

“You kept yours, too.” You laughed breathlessly, wiping at your cheeks with one hand and grasping his bracelet with the other.

“I told you, I always meant everything I said to you. I still do.” His words almost made you break down again, but you worried if you started boo-hoo crying again that Kaori might just burst through the door with more determination than she had last time.

So instead, you took a moment to glance over his matured face, shaking your head in amusement upon seeing those familiar dark circles still hanging under his eyes. Your heart clenched as your eyes ran across the small scar that Maki left on his forehead. When you met his gaze once again, it gave you pause. Yuta had that look in his eyes— the same one he had all those years ago before he left for Kenya. The rapid patter of your heart could be felt in your throat.

Despite your nerves, your lips twitched up into a knowing smile. You reached up tentatively to place a hand over your right eye, covering the scar that had stopped him all those years ago. He pursed his lips at this action and shook his head. In an instant, his long fingers were wrapping around your wrist to pull your hand away from your face.

“Don’t.” Yuta said simply before leaning down to capture your lips in his, more assuredly than his sixteen year old self ever could have dared to, but just as sweetly as the boy who promised to come back to you would have.

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pfpanimes · 1 year ago

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⌕ jujutsu kaisen - yuta okkotsu.

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asdfghjklmals · 2 years ago

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THE CURSED CHILD: YUTA OKKOTSU✩༶‧˚

GENRE + T/W: sfw, fluff, angst. mentions of unaliving from jjk0. WORD COUNT: 2.6k words. TAGS: satoru gojo x fem!oc, established couple. student!yuta x sensei!oc, strictly student and sensei, nothing innappropriate.

SYNOPSIS: oc gojo girlfriend and satoru save a student from a secret execution, and his name is yuta okkotsu. AUTHOR'S NOTE: my take on how oc gojo girlfriend would've met yuta and how yuta sees her. this is the start of a new mini series called the cursed child(ren), and it's basically how oc gojo girlfriend meets satoru's students. REMINDER: if you want to imagine yourself in oc gojo girlfriend's character descriptions instead, please do!

it was your lunch hour at jujutsu high, and satoru was hiding in your office. and when you say hiding, you meant that he was avoiding his sensei duties.

“you can’t stay in here, i have to leave soon.”

you sat in satoru’s lap as he brushed your black hair behind your ear, “where are you going?” he asked curiously.

“the school directors said that there’s an issue at one of the public high schools. i’m guessing a curse they need someone higher than a grade one sorcerer for.” you muttered. you wondered why the other sorcerers couldn’t handle the issue. you rarely went on missions nowadays.

“i can go with you if you want.” satoru suggested.

you looked at him and glared, “you promised maki that you’d help her with her close combat, so no.” satoru had three first year students this year: maki zen’nin, toge inumaki, and panda.

“we haven’t been on a mission together in awhile haven’t we?” satoru reminisced, “we used to have so much fun when we were students, don’t you think?”

you thought about yours and satoru’s routine when you were younger. you would drop off megumi and tsumiki at their elementary school, grab lunch at your favorite cafe in shinjuku, complete your mission, and then grab dessert. those were the times. (read 'seeing red' here)

“unfortunately we’re adults and have real responsibilities now. like looking after the students and raising teenagers.” you chuckled, “i have to go, sweetheart.”

you caressed satoru’s cheek with your left hand and kissed him goodbye. he pulled you closer before you started to giggle, “satoru! i have to go now!”

the sly sorcerer snuck two more kisses before letting you go. you blew him a kiss before shutting your office door behind you, leaving him with his signature shit-eating grin.

the school directors’ meeting room

“so you want me to go find a child? for a secret execution?” you couldn’t believe your ears. how could these rude, old school directors expect you to bring a child back for them to execute? your motherly instincts started to kick in. you could never imagine executing a child the age of megumi and tsumiki.

"there are reports that there is child by the name of yuta okkotsu that is harboring a special grade cursed apparition by the name of rika orimoto." the school director stated.

another school director added, "he's already injured four of the high school students, three grade two sorcerers, and a grade one sorcerer."

"and you're asking me to retrieve the child because the grade one sorcerer couldn't do it?" you asked, annoyance in your tone. you were rarely ever summoned for missions due to the fact that you could heal. healers were important to the jujutsu community, so they were usually the last ones summoned.

"precisely. bring him back to us."

you left the directors' meeting room and rolled your eyes. throughout the years of being a special grade sorcerer, you and satoru shared one thing in common: your hatred for the directors and their old school way of thinking. you were glad yours and satoru's grandparents weren't so old-fashioned.

the only reason why the directors didn't turn to satoru is because they wanted a secret execution. if satoru knew about this, he would've intervened as the gojo clan's influence would allow him to do so. you didn't agree with the secret execution either, but you knew that they turned to you instead of satoru because they hated to ask that man for anything. you would tell satoru as soon as you got back.

sugisawa third high school

akari drove you to the school that yuta okkotsu was held up at. as you pulled into the parking lot, you felt the cursed energy radiating from inside the school. it was a vast amount, something that you haven't felt in a very long time. it also felt familiar, similar to satoru's.

"that's not a good feeling", akari said from the front of the car, shuddering as she sensed the cursed energy as well, "you sure you'll be okay? does gojo know you're here?"

"it's fine, akari. i can handle it. satoru is busy with his firsts years right now."

"be safe, (y/n)." akari said as she saluted you.

you nodded to her and set the veil, raising your two fingers, "emerge from darkness, blacker still. purify that which is impure."

a veil started to surround the school. you summoned your shikigami spirit birds. they flew around for a moment as their feathers started to ruffle. that meant that they sensed danger. they flew a few feet ahead of you as you summoned 24 ice shards, circling you. (a/n: did anyone notice that oc gojo girlfriend can now summon 24 shards compared to 12 when she was younger in older fics? she's even stronger in the present.)

you walked into the school and could sense intense cursed energy coming from the classroom that yuta was supposedly in. you opened the door to see him. he was having a complete mental breakdown. his hands enclosed his face, body crouched in a corner, hyperventilating. you waved away your ice shards as they melted into thin air. he was not a threat to you.

"are you yuta okkotsu?" you asked him.

he looked up and shouted, "stay away!"

you stayed calm as force was not going to be helpful here, "yuta, my name is (y/n) (l/n). i'm here to help you." you reached out to him.

yuta's eyes filled with tears, begging. "stay away. i don't want to hurt anyone. everyone that was sent here was hurt because of me."

"don't worry. you can't hurt me, yuta." you said as you crept closer to him. he winced as if he was anticipating something to hurt you. you summoned your water veil, enclosing yourself in a ball of water that made you untouchable to most curses and cursed techniques.

you reached your hand out of your veil of water, "come with me, yuta. there's someone i want you to meet, his name is satoru gojo. we can help you control this curse and help people with it. you won't have to hurt anyone anymore."

yuta looked up at you reluctantly, he slowly reached out to grab your hand. you quickly pushed into his pressure points on his forehead and knocked him out. (a/n: yup, just like satoru did to yuji) you summoned a water veil around him. before you took yuta out of the classroom, you noticed a knife that was turned into a tangled and twisted dagger.

"spirit birds... take that knife. bring it back to satoru."

your spirit birds took the knife and stored it in their shadows. they loved satoru, so they were happy to bring him a gift. you started to think your spirit birds liked him more than they liked you.

you drew the veil down as you walked towards the car.

"akari, call satoru right now. have him meet me in the dungeon."

"got it."

at the jujutsu high dungeon

satoru examined the knife that your spirit birds had brought back to him, "so, the elders went behind my back and asked my own girlfriend to bring them a child to execute?"

you ignored his recap of your story, "we have to save him, satoru."

"of course i'll save him. he's only 16 and underage. who do those damn higher ups think they are?" he said angrily.

you suggested to him, "we can teach him how to control this curse. i'm sure of it. there's no reason to execute him. what do you think about him joining maki, panda, and toge?"

"i think it would be a good idea."

"he's been through a lot," you sighed as you looked at the student who was sitting in the chair, tied up, and out cold. ofudas and different jujutsu seals were painted all over this dungeon.

satoru patted your shoulder, comforting you while you both looked at yuta. you rested your head against satoru's arm as you held his hand.

"did you sense the cursed apparition while you were at the school?" he asked curiously.

"i just sensed what you're sensing right now. the cursed apparition didn't appear when i got to him."

"i see. i'll take care of things, babe. just leave it to me."

the next day

satoru had met with the school directors right after you told him about yuta. and of course, he was able to get yuta's execution suspended. in return, he would have to take him in as a student so that jujutsu high could learn more about the special grade curse that attached itself yuta.

you made sure that yuta had his dorm room accommodations, that his student id card was made, and that he had a uniform ready to go for his first day.

"you really want to give him a white uniform?" you frowned. you thought that white uniforms were ostracizing. white meant that your powers were unstable, and it was something that you had to wear briefly when you first joined jujutsu high over ten years ago.

"he'll get out of the white uniforms in no time." satoru said confidently, "i know you hate putting the kids in white uniforms because it reminds you of when we were students." he kissed your temple.

you handed him a packet of all of yuta's paperwork and his student id.

"he's a special grade." you said to satoru as you looked at yuta's student id card.

"just like you and me." satoru grinned.

"should we go escort him from the dorms?" you asked your boyfriend. he smiled at you and looped your arms around his, clasping his palms together to teleport you both to the courtyard.

*********************************

yuta's first day of school was eye opening for him. satoru mentioned that he assigned yuta on a mission with maki. he was able to save the two missing children at the elementary school and an injured maki, and exorcise the curse by summoning rika orimoto (satoru got an earful for that one).

it was the moment where maki asked yuta why he enrolled at jujutsu high where yuta realized what he wanted to do. he didn't want to hurt anyone anymore. originally, he had wanted to run away and disappear forever, but satoru had told him that he would be lonely if he did that.

yuta wanted to be surrounded by people, he wanted to be relied on by others, and he wanted to believe that it was okay for him to keep living.

three months later

yours and satoru's main goal in life now that you two were older? it was to create a supportive environment to raise intelligent allies. both of you promised to protect the up and coming generation of jujutsu sorcerers, making sure that they would never have their youth taken away like satoru's was taken from him. (read 'learn to love' here)

the past three months, yuta had made tremendous progress as a sorcerer. he trained hard every day. he was even able to defeat suguru geto during the night parade of a thousand demons...

today, you were having your quarterly meeting with the students at tokyo jujutsu high. this meeting was a review of the quarter, a chance to catch up with the students to see how they were doing, and to see what they needed to do to be on track for high school graduation and their promotions to the next grade of sorcerer. (read ‘graduation’ here)

yuta knocked on your office door. he was right on time for his 1pm appointment.

"come in." you called out. putting his folder at the top of the stack of folders you had on your desk.

"hi (y/n)-sensei." he said with a smile.

you smiled back at him, "hi yuta. how are you doing?"

"i'm doing fine. is gojo-sensei doing okay?" he asked with concern. satoru had taken some time for himself after the incident with suguru last week. you knew he was at home collecting his thoughts and deciding how to be present for his students after losing his bestfriend for a second time. (read 'to be present' here)

"he's having a hard time, but he will be okay." you reassured him, "yuta, satoru wanted me to ask you if you would like to do some private training in africa."

"africa? that's pretty far." yuta said, "and that would mean that i would have to leave maki, inumaki, and panda..." he sounded sad when he mentioned his friends.

you related with him, seeing that it was going to be a hard decision for him, "i understand if you don't want to go. all your friends are here. i would've felt the same if i had to leave satoru and shoko."

"would i get stronger if i went, (y/n)-sensei...?" yuta asked quietly.

you watched yuta as he shifted in his chair, he was looking down at his feet.

"you would gain valuable experience by going. yuta, you're going to be such a strong sorcerer when you get older. hell, you're already so strong compared to most sorcerers your age. i know even megumi looks up to you." you said to him.

"if i can get stronger and protect the people i love, i'll do it." he confidently said.

"well... that didn't take much convincing." you chuckled as yuta blushed. "you can always come home whenever you want too. don't worry about the finances and lodging, i'll take care of everything for you." you smiled at him.

"you really are the best, (y/n)-sensei..." yuta said softly with a smile, "so, who's going to be training me while i'm there?"

you grinned from ear to ear as you remembered interrogating a specific sorcerer with satoru, threatening him to train yuta or else.

"miguel."

EXTRA:

"yuta, if anything happens to me, i need you to take care of the current first and second year students," satoru said, "i've got a bad feeling. i'm especially concerned about the first year, yuji itadori. just like you, he was up for a secret execution. if you could watch over him, i'd appreciate it."

"if anything happens? like you getting a girlfriend?" yuta asked, no jokes aside.

“oh, you're a comedian now, huh?” satoru retorted.

"well, i can't imagine anything else that would happen to you." yuta chirped as he walked side by side with his sensei.

"and for your information, i do have a girlfriend."

yuta asked curiously, "the sensei with the black hair and green eyes?"

"how did you know?" satoru asked. he never told his students about you. he liked to keep them guessing and let them find out on their own.

"just had a feeling." yuta said with a smile.

you were the one that had gotten yuta's paperwork ready when satoru suggested for him to train with miguel in africa. you were also the one who made sure he had somewhere to stay and that his finances were taken care of while he was away. miguel always preferred to talk to you instead of satoru in regards to anything that concerned yuta.

your job at tokyo jujutsu high was more than just administrational, you took care of every student, just like a mother.

yuta had a hunch that you were the woman that kept his childish sensei in check. there was something about the way gojo-sensei would mention your name in such an endearing manner, the way he looked at you when you would come into his classroom to give him paperwork while you flashed your signature cheeky smile at him, and of course, the way he was always quick to end a lesson or spar so that he could sneak away to your office to "speak with administration."

"i know what you're thinking, sensei." yuta said out loud, "i'll take care of (y/n)-sensei too."

satoru scoffed in surprise. he knew you would be able to take care of yourself, but he was grateful. grateful that his students loved you just as much as he did.

"thanks, yuta. i appreciate it."

DIVIDERS PROVIDED BY @/ANLIAN-AISHANG

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achildofaphrodite · 4 months ago

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hello! sharing with you some commissions i did ! below are choso, nanamin, and yuta in shiparts with my clients ocs!

if you are interested in getting something similar, these are available for 5 USD (2 characters included)

thank you so much! 🥰❤️

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arbiterofsecrets · 9 months ago

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we finished our banquet around 2 days ago <3

this is a lil drabble of what i think the characters after the text did with you/your oc during prom (inspired heavily by me and my gf's moments during the banquet)

warning(s): tooth rotting fluff, words, a lot of 'em, reader x character, oc x character, not edited, i did this at 1AM, CHARACTERS ARE BELOW THE LAST DIVIDER

panic sets in at the thought of your partner not being able to make it in time for the entrance. that's when they walk in the lobby with the biggest dorkiest smile, their steps light and swift. their goal was to get to you first, to ease the panic that they knew has wafted throughout your body, through your hand that has been relentlessly checking your phone that's expecting a message from them, and through your anxious tapping foot.

you scold them lightly for arriving at such a time, and they could only chuckle and smile while apologizing. it took no effort to forgive them, of course. not when they looked splendid. their clothing perfectly tailored onto them. it didn't matter if they rented, had it adjusted, or made it themselves. they looked wonderful, they stole the lingering stares, just like they stole yours. they held your hand, theirs warm and comforting your cold, numb one.

here comes the cotillion. you two dance with practiced steps along with your other partnered friends and batchmates. funny how you gaze at each other with knowing smiles, yet turn to face opposite directions out of the fluttering feeling lingering in both your chests. there were a few wrinkled steps that could have been executed better, but you were both having fun nonetheless.

the floor was free to dance for couples of both the juniors and seniors. your batch specifically announcing the songs, and encouraging anyone and everyone to reach the dance floor with a partner.

with newfound confidence, you stand up. your hand reached out to your partner, a soft toothy grin plastered on your face. as if expected, they grab your hand with firm assurance and haste.

your acquainted batchmates and familiar friends of your relationship woo's and wow's were heard and echoed throughout the banquet hall. the teachers only smirk at the nearby table with a, "i knew it" face.

your arm wrapped around them, their's around yours. you both hug each other's body. the coldness of the air conditioning slowly fading with the ribboning warmth circling around your bodies. each step made was simple as you turn and swirl. the monitor in the middle of the hall taking a favorite in you two as whoever is handling the camera keeps switching to you both every other second.

the music seeps into both your ears, the familiar native language turns into honey as you hear the words that you start to quietly sing to the sweetheart view in front of you. the lyrics of the want and need to dance with your partner slowly, and even until the music stops, you would sing acapella into their ear.

at the time of rest, you hold each other's hands. laughing and smiling—the glimmer in the eyes of you two viewed by outsiders are like strips of the milky way painting itself in. as the others look at you both, you only see each other.

with each love song that plays, another dance is ignited between you two. as a promise was kept the first night you two had confessed, "every love song is a confession from me to you."

character(s): shoto todoroki, izuku midoriya, eijirou kirishima, yaoyorozu momo, hanta sero, hitoshi shinsou—bnha; yuuji itadori, yuuta okkotsu—jjk; sal fisher—sally face; miles morales, gwen stacy, pavitr prabhakar—atsv; koshi sugawara, atsumu miya—hq

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multistanisms · 29 days ago

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Let Our Circle Be Unbroken; Ch. 5 || Multi-Group

FANDOM: NCT [other groups will be featured/mentioned]

PAIRING: Jaehyun x Taeyong, Yuta x OC

WORD COUNT: 4,668

RATING: PG-13

POTENTIAL TRIGGERS: N/A

TAGLIST: @no1likemybbgcharlie, @spookidema

Previous || Masterlist || Next

☼ ☽ ☆ ⁑ ☼ ☽ ☆ ⁑ ☼ ☽ ☆ ⁑ ☼ ☽ ☆ ⁑ ☼ ☽ ☆ ⁑

Jaehyun woke to the sound of muffled music, voices and the smell of food. Blinking, he found himself staring at the high ceiling of the living room, apparently having fallen asleep on the couch after opting to watch some tv after dinner had been served and most of the guests had gone to their rooms. He groaned, reaching to rub at a temple, hoping it would diminish some of the throbbing in his head. He isn't surprised to wake up on the couch; he was certain he hadn't fallen asleep until the earliest of morning hours. What does surprise him is both his lying position and the blanket draped over him, the colorful pumpkin pattern a soft plush. He sits up, glancing around to find a couple of the others are still asleep in the living room; the baby of Youngjo's clan, Dongju, if Jaehyun remembered correctly, and Jungwoo, one of Taeyong's underlings, were curled on the massive bean bag chair, a large navy blanket covering them as they slept. It was adorable, reminding Jaehyun of the family he had in one of his safe houses. The mother he was keeping safe had panicked when he finally managed to call her, but he had calmed her down and let her know she was safe, as were the three children. He got up from the couch, draping the blanket over the back of the couch before making his way towards the kitchen, pausing when he found a sliding door closing the kitchen off from the living room area. Getting closer lends him a better understanding of the muffled voices.

“Oi, Wooyoung! Why did you mess up the eggs?” San questioned as Jaehyun approached the door.

“Just scramble them, you picky cat.” Wooyoung countered with a teasing tone.

“We aren't cooking for everyone, we don't need to scramble them!” San argued, a pout in his voice that made Jaehyun chuckle as he reached to open the door.

“Boys, behave or I will ground you both and tell Hongjoong.” Arashi's voice sent a wave of relief over Jaehyun as he slid the door open.

Despite much reassurance from the others, he was exceedingly worried about her recovering. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him so as to not disturb the ones still asleep before turning to look around. San and Wooyoung were at the stove while Youngjo was washing prep dishes, everyone seemingly content in the routine.

“Well well well, look who's risen to join us.” Yuta's voice caught Jaehyun's attention, the warlock's eyes finding where the vampire sat at the table. Arashi was perched next to him, head on his shoulder as he spoke. “Did we wake you up?”

Jaehyun shook his head. “That would be the headache I seem to have gotten while I slept.”

“Some medicine and tea and you'll be fine. I need some more tea myself.” Arashi replied, righting herself to get up. Her multicolored hair is clipped back with a gemmed barrette, and she paused for a moment as she stood - Yuta reaching to steady her with a hand at the small of her back - before she started towards the counter. “Lady Grey, correct?” She confirmed, Jaehyun nodding as he walked to join her at the counter.

“Sit down.” Youngjo told Arashi softly without looking at her. “We can make more for you and one for him.”

“Youngjo, I'm not helpless. I can handle pushing a few buttons on a machine, for crying out loud.” Arashi rolled her eyes, waving a hand at her familiar dismissively. “Just hand me a mug from the second shelf of that cabinet.” Youngjo sighed, shaking his head, but complied with the command, handing a mug with sunflowers on it to her as she set up the Keurig on the counter. She pulled a glass jar over and popped open the spring lid, taking a moment to breathe in the scent inside the jar with a faint smile. Pulling out a small tea bag, she set one in the new mug while lifting her own to empty the remnants. “You're a brood of mother hens, I swear.”

“How are you feeling?” Jaehyun asked, standing at the end of the counter so that Arashi was still in eyeline of where Yuta sat.

“A little weak, but that'll be fixed once I eat some food instead of sleeping.” Arashi assured. “I was going to make breakfast, but the boys here were obviously not having it.” She motioned her head towards the three currently cooking and cleaning. “They wouldn't even let Yuta help.”

“Look here, Missy, one of us needs to keep an eye on you.” Wooyoung huffed, turning to point a spatula at her.

“Wooyoung, I am fine.” Arashi insisted, shaking her head slightly.

“I'm just glad you're awake. I know the others said you'd be fine, but I was still concerned. I caused-” Jaehyun is cut off as Arashi lifted a hand to stop him.

“First of all, do not apologize. I can tell that's where that was headed.” Arashi stated. “Secondly, I am a healer, I did my job.”

“But-”

“Don't bother trying to argue.” San warned. “Arashi is stubborn as a mule.”

“I can still smack you, Choi San.” Arashi countered, twisting just enough to look at him with a playful smirk. San grinned back, the smile just a tad too wide for a human before turning back to his task at hand. Rolling her eyes, she moved to hand the mug to Jaehyun before placing her own and starting the machine again, setting a teabag in her mug. “ Sugar is on the counter, cream and such is in the fridge.” She let Jaehyun make the tea to his liking before dipping the spoon in a small glass of water to rinse it off. “We came down and saw you, Jungwoo and Dongju sleeping. I didn't want to wake everyone up and cause chaos, so I shut the kitchen door for now.”

“That's very considerate of you, especially having just come back to everyone.” Jaehyun mused, sipping from his cup.

“Being one of the few females in this giant ass clan of puzzle pieces, you learn to remind everyone about manners on occasion.” Arashi laughed softly.

“We’re not that bad, Arashi.” Wooyoung argued.

“Not anymore.” Yuta interjected, chuckling when Wooyoung pouted at him.

“Like you never had a moment-”

“He very likely didn't, Woo. He was raised as a noble.” San countered, reminding his mate.

“Noble?” Jaehyun looked at the vampire, surprise written on his face. “You're a royal vampire?”

“Prince and heir apparent of the Osaka clan leader.” Yuta says, though there's no pride in his voice. If anything, he seems bothered by the fact.

Jaehyun recalled Yuta mentioning that he left home for good reason, and it showed that the story behind that decision still affected him. “I didn't mean to pry.”

“It's actually common knowledge between the clans, it's not like you put a gun to anyone's head.” Yuta countered, reaching for his coffee. “I just prefer not to have anyone think I'm superior to them.”

Arashi was at his side in a few strides, reaching to thread her fingers through his hair. She leaned down, murmuring in a language Jaehyun doesn't immediately recognize due to her soft tone. It's only when Yuta replied back, just slightly louder, that he realized they were speaking in Japanese. Where Yuta spoke in a relaxed manner, Arashi wasn't quite as calm - obviously speaking a learned language despite a strong fluidity in her pronunciation. Although it’s a sweet moment, something about it was intimate to witness. Jaehyun looked away from the couple, startled when he found Wooyoung next to him.

“Sausage or bacon?” The fox inquired, crowded next to Jaehyun as if there wasn't a massive kitchen around them.

“What?”

Wooyoung rolls his eyes. “Which do you want, sausage or bacon?”

“Bacon is fine?” Jaehyun asked more than stated. “You guys don't have to make me anything, this seems like a private-”

“Please don't argue with him. He's more stubborn than I can be.” Arashi's voice chimed in. “Is Jaehyun banished to the table as well, or can he help cook?”

“I really feel like this should be for you guys to have a meal together.” Jaehyun protested. “I don’t want to impose.”

“Once Wooyoung makes up his mind about feeding someone, he won't take no for an answer.” Youngjo explained.

“You're also still recovering, Jaehyun.” Arashi added. “Please, come sit at least. Let the gremlins do their thing.”

“Gremlins?” Youngjo feigned offense as he began mixing batter for pancakes.

“I said what I said.” Arashi mused, lifting her mug to take a sip. The atmosphere is relaxed and playful, and Jaehyun finds he's actually beginning to feel comfortable for the first time since his return. Whether it's the people, the changes in layout, or some combination of the two, he wasn't sure. As food was made, the familiars made sure Arashi and Jaehyun eat first, then Yuta and San before eating themselves. The group was gathered at one end of the table, plates emptied, when the door opened to reveal Taeyong.

“Look who's awake.” The dragon grinned sleepily as he walked in. “Welcome back, little storm.” He goes to get a cup of coffee, still sluggish as he worked. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm good, I promise.” Arashi replied. “I may need a sparring match or two, loosen up after being out for so long.”

“Oo, sparring?” San perked up. “Can I spar with you?”

“I don't mind.”

“You guys fight?” Jaehyun asked. “For fun?”

“You learn to defend yourself young when you aren't human.” San replied. “We spar so we can keep sharp on our reflexes and such.”

“But…Arashi, aren't you at a disadvantage, being a witch?” Jaehyun inquired next. “Our kind don’t typically have the reflexes and such to handle a fight with other nonhumans.”

“Arashi will be fine. She's a damn good fighter, especially with her magic.” Taeyong yawned as he spoke.

“I still need to work on my hand to hand. Yuta and Johnny typically help me with that.” Arashi half laughed knowingly, sipping at her tea again.“But to answer your question, Jae, my siblings made sure I knew the basics of how to fight; to defend myself if nothing else.”

“Would you mind terribly if I tried my hand a time or two?” Jaehyun inquired.

“Oo, I could use another magic user to spar with. The only other pure magic wielder is Joong.” Arashi perked up a bit.

“No magic sparring for a few days, let your magic get back its strength.” Youngjo cautioned, scowling as Wooyoung elbowed him sharply in his side. “Ow, what, fox?”

“Watch it, will ya?” Wooyoung warned with a hiss.

“Oh, you two stop it. I'm already well aware of the tiff Yuta and Youngjo had.” Arashi silenced her familiars, looking over her lifted mug at them before taking another drink. “We’ll discuss it later. In the meantime…Wooyoung, I need you to relax, okay? Youngjo, I need you to not be so tense. Got it?” The two familiars looked at each other, then Yuta and then Arashi before each nodded in turn. “Everything is fine, so stop walking on eggshells.”

The table slowly came back to life as Taeyong joined with his own coffee, perching across from Jaehyun, between San and Youngjo. The little group talked and caught Arashi up on the activities that happened since she went under, the sun gradually lighting more of the room as it rose further. The day passed fairly casually, and by the time the remaining members were awake, everyone had made their way out into the massive yard in the afternoon warmth. A soccer game had started, and those playing were laughing and teasing each other. Jaehyun had gone to get a cold drink, returning to find Arashi on one of the porch swings, fiddling with the pendant of her necklace as she swayed the swing back and forth slowly.

“Are you sure you're okay?” He greeted with concern, head tilting as Arashi blinked and looked up at him.

“I promise that I'm fine, it typically takes a day or two for my magic to recover. I just don't like not having my usual awareness.” Arashi explained. “It makes me feel kind of helpless, and I don't want Yuta having to worry extra about me.”

“I'm sure he'd worry regardless, Arashi. You are mates, y’know.” Jaehyun countered, sipping from his glass. “What's that, if I may?” He pointed at her hand where her thumb and pointer finger held the charm, making her look down.

“Yuta had it designed for me.” Arashi smiles fondly, moving her pointer finger to reveal the delicately shaped rose gold Sakura blossom, the center a beautiful gemstone. “All the women of his family have a different Sakura pendant, the symbol of his family, and since I'm his mate, he wanted to make sure I was included.”

“It's gorgeous.” Jaehyun commented. “Why the gemstone?”

“The gem for the month we met.” Arashi answered. “I never take it off.”

“I can tell you two have a pure, unfiltered love. It's magic in its own right.” He paused for a moment to look out at where the others were playing their soccer game, head tilting before he spoke again. “You know, I've seen several different mated bonds in my life, but I've actually never known the feeling.”

“You've never had a mate?” Arashi’s face fell, but not in pity. “Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry.” She sounded sad as she spoke, her legs stopping the swing. “Maybe you'll experience it soon? Our clan is big enough, even without my familiars' clans.”

“I doubt that's why I'm here, Arashi.” Jaehyun mused, chuckling. “And I'm not sure I even have a mate. After over three hundred years, you learn not to be too expectant.”

“Maybe it wasn't a swipe right moment, but I have learned that people don't just show up randomly for this clan. I like to think we'll figure out why you're here in time.” Arashi countered, unbothered by Jaehyun revealing his age. “To change the subject, though, I am curious about something. At least if the topic isn't too troubling?”

Dark eyes found Arashi's as Jaehyun looked at her. “What is it?”

“This was your home before we found it and made it anew, right?”

“You could say that.” Jaehyun scoffed a little as he spoke, going to lean his back against the railing. He let his eyes wander the porch. “All of you moved here, fixed up the broken floor boards and awful paint, but I can still feel the ghosts, expect to turn a corner and actually see one.” His left hand lifted to brush his fingers over the smooth surface of elegantly carved wood that captured a wolf’s image. “These were just ugly blocks with awful splinters, the rooms were cramped, the yard bare of color and the food was shitty.”

“An orphanage?”

“A poor excuse for one. Although most of the kids I grew up with weren't orphans in the traditional sense.”

“You were sold.” Arashi stated, matter of fact in her tone.

Jaehyun could sense her eyes on him and he nodded. “When I was a child, my kind were hard to come by. Especially my specific breeding.”

“You have reptile eyes…are they not from your demon parent?”

The question was one Jaehyun had never entertained, really, but it did make him wonder, if only for a moment. “I'm not sure. Neither of my parents were - are, I suppose - human.” he answered. “Supposedly it makes me stronger than the normal warlock. I wouldn't know. My mother sold me off as soon as I could speak well, so I don’t really remember anything about her. This place was where I lived until I ran away as a teenager and never looked back.”

“I'm sorry, Jaehyun. That sounds terrible.”

“Painful memories make us who we are, do they not?” Jaehyun mused, his own words inflected with bittersweetness. “I really, truly thought I would never lay eyes on this place again. But…in a way, I guess I didn't.”

“What do you mean?”

“The inside is remodeled, more spacious on the ground floor. The bedrooms are bigger, even without magic, and even the porch is different. There's a welcoming feeling here now where I once felt dread and horror.” Jaehyun let his hand fall back to his side. “I never knew there was such pretty wood underneath that hideous green paint. Or that something so ornate and elegant could be hiding beneath the surface.”

“That's all Chittapon, he's a regular Da Vinci.” Arashi replied. “Each pillar for the porch represents a different member of the clan, and we still have ones that we just sanded down because the manor is so big.”

“A different member?”

Arashi nodded, pointing to the pillars that bordered the stairs leading to the side yard. One was a large dragon, the other a humanoid form with a katana. “Yongie, Yuta,” she then pointed at the wolf Jaehyun had admired. “That one represents Johnny, the other second for our clan.”

“You can recognize each one?”

“More or less. Chittapon gave little nuances to the members that are similar species.” Arashi giggled a little. “Also, Johnny's is the first where he worked on creating fur with wood, so it's a little rougher in design. Took him over a month, but he still wasn't happy with it, even though it's gorgeous.”

Jaehyun couldn't help but laugh quietly with her. “Like I said, maybe I didn't lay eyes on the place in my past. I may be standing somewhere I once did as far as location, but that place is just…not visible. All of you have transformed it.”

“Beauty can sometimes hide in darkness.” Arashi answered, leaning back as she began to work the swing back and forth again. “I wish I could forget my past sometimes, but it's made me a better healer.”

“Healing magic is a beautiful gift, you know.”

“Doesn't do much good in a fight, though.” Arashi countered with a deprecating laugh. “Joong is the one who helped me learn how to fight with my magic instead of being solely defensive with it.”

“But Tae said-”

“Believe me, I was terrible at first, but that was years ago. Being bonded helps, too.”

“Do you share your abilities with Yuta?”

“Sort of, but not in the way I think you're imagining.” Arashi replied. “My senses are a little stronger than a regular witch, but mostly I have a boost in my stamina, which helps in cases of prolonged magic use. Yuta has acute abilities from me as well." She lifted her cup from the cup holder in the arm of the swing, taking a sip from her straw.

“Prolonged…Arashi, how long should you have been awake after helping me?”

“Hmm?” Arashi blinked, tilting her head a little as she thought. “You know…I don't really have an answer for that.” She mused. “In theory, I probably should have been out before you even woke up? It's hard to say since Yuta and I have been bonded for a while. I don't really remember much about the magic wear before we found each other.”

“So I could have killed you by overusing your magic if you weren't bonded?”

“I mean, you were basically in death's arms by the time we got here, if that consoles you at all.” Arashi countered. “But the majority of my overuse was the comatose spell so you didn't rip your stitches or anything. That spell takes a serious toll on any caster.”

“I almost killed you?!” Jaehyun's voice raised a bit, staring at the witch.

“Will you calm down? There's no need to be so dramatic.” Arashi countered, laughing a little before shaking her head. Her tone turned softer as she spoke again. “Please, don't go stressing yourself out on my account, Jaehyun. Had I been anywhere close to that point, Yuta would have been far more protective and way more reckless.”

“You two seem oddly laid back given the circumstances.”

“Rather than being what, exactly?”

Jaehyun jumped as Yuta appeared with the question, walking up from the current game in the yard. His eyes flashed their natural color as he looked at the vampire a moment longer than necessary as he gathered his thoughts. “I just mean that most interbred bonds can be volatile when any danger is presented.”

“Are you supposed to be dangerous?” Yuta asked him, moving to pluck Arashi's glass from her hands to take a drink even as she pouted playfully up at him.

“Surely not in my current state, but I am still a stranger to your clan, Yuta.”

“You were also in grave danger when you came to us.” Yuta remarked. “Most creatures show gratitude for such an endeavor as what we took on in saving you.” He arched a brow, the slightest curve of amusement on his lips as he spoke. “And you've been here almost a week since waking and haven't tried anything dangerous.”

“I…”

“That level of protectiveness is for danger that expresses itself, or when a fight occurs or is about to begin. It's a primal instinct to protect that which we love, especially for the predator breeds.” Yuta continued, moving to stop the swing so he can kiss Arashi’s head, one hand brushing the back of his fingers over Arashi's cheek as he handed her glass back. “We protect our family, our home, when danger presents itself, not because a wounded stranger asks for help.”

“Oi, Yuta! Get back here!” Hwanwoong called, waving his arm. “We've got a game to finish!”

“Scared you can't win without me, foxy?” Yuta called back with a grin, laughing when Arashi smacked at his leg.

“Go, oh great protector, we're fine.” Arashi teased, rolling her eyes before Yuta leaned to steal a proper kiss and head back.

“Y’know…you guys are a good bunch. All of you. I'm glad it's you who found this place.” Jaehyun maneuvered to sit on the rail across from the swing, turning so he can lean back against the wolf shaped pillar.

Arashi smiled fondly, more maternal in the gesture, as she looked out at where the game had continued. “My clan, this family, is full of life from so many walks of it. And this land, this manor, is good to further nurture that. Fate, or whatever you choose to believe in, directed us all together when we needed it, after all. Or that's how I feel about it.” A howl echoed suddenly across the open field and Arashi looked towards the front of the house, even though the porch wrapping around had no full view. “It would appear we have more guests for you to meet.” She chuckled, but didn't move to stand.

“Shifters?”

“And a werewolf.” Arashi chuckled. Moments later, there was a commotion in the house before a tall male opened the kitchen door and looked around. Shoulder length, golden blonde hair peeked from under a beanie as he spotted Arashi.

“The little witch lives!” He cheered, going over to scoop Arashi up into his arms, sending the swing flailing off balance for a moment.

Arashi squealed with laughter as she was spun, hiding her face in the man's neck before smacking at his shoulder. “Johnny, put me down!” she scolded, a playful pout on her lips.

“Arashi!” A young voice cried out as the taller male - Johnny - obeyed and set Arashi on her feet, wandering off to the yard with a call of Yuta's name. A young man appeared as Arashi ran a hand through her hair, his own platinum hair bouncing as he rushed to hug her, eyes a rich color akin to whiskey. “Thank goodness you're okay.”

“Oh, my baby fox.” Arashi hugged back tightly, nuzzling at his shoulder before pulling back to look at him. “I'm so sorry I worried you. Did you finish your trip at least?”

“There wasn't much left of it. Besides, the others understood the urgency here.” Jisung replied before his eyes found Jaehyun and a distinctive air of protectiveness surrounded him. “Who are you?”

“My name is Jaehyun. A newcomer, if you will.” Jaehyun responded with a mix between a small bow and a nod. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“He's a friend, Jisung.” Arashi replied, unaware of the stunned look on Jaehyun's face as she speaks to the young man standing in front of her. “He's fine, I promise. Stand down.”

“Jisung, you didn't need to leave your trip early, we had everything under control.” Taeyong interrupted as he walked up the steps.

“Of course I did, my mom was sick.” Jisung countered, pouting at Taeyong. “Plus, it's been two years, we weren't going to be gone much longer anyway.”

“If anything that bad had happened, you know your dad would have come to get you? Or one of Arashi’s familiars?” Taeyong countered.

“It's fine, Uncle Tae.” Jisung groaned, but his tone was hard to read. “Right now, I'm home ‘cause my family needed me. I'll talk about the trip later.” He turned to give Arashi another hug before darting out into the yard towards Yuta in a blur of white. The vampire spotted and caught him in a hug with barely a stumble and a grin.

“I can't believe-”

“Yongie, don't.” Arashi cut the dragon off, brow furrowed as she spoke. “He obviously needed to come home.”

“But he was so happy when you two told him he could go.” Taeyong offered.

“I’m aware. But for whatever reason, he found he needed to be home more. Yuta and I will talk to him when he's ready. Right now, let's just be happy that he's okay, yeah?” She gave Taeyong a look as she leaned on the railing to watch Jisung interact with Yuta and Wooyoung. Taeyong shook his head with a sigh, but turned to go inside.

“Mom, huh?” Jaehyun asked, looking at Arashi's profile.

“Jisung lost his family in a fire when he was little more than a pup. Yuta happened to find him and essentially adopted him before he found me. Jisung was reluctant to get close at first, but he warmed up to me. Especially once he realized I was Yuta's mate.” Arashi explained. “He doesn't call us his parents often, but he definitely sees us that way.”

Jaehyun made an intrigued noise. “This clan is full of surprises.”

“You don't know half of it.” Arashi laughed a little. “If you stick around, you'll learn the whole backstory in time.”

“I'm not sure about that.” Jaehyun replied. “I've never been in a family environment, Arashi. At least not a good one. I don't want to overstay my welcome or disturb something that's already good.”

Arashi tilted her head as she watched him. “You're a good person, Jaehyun.” she stated. “Whatever is in your past, you overcame it. You run a network of safe houses, for crying out loud. How would you possibly disturb our dynamic?” She let him sit there a long moment, the two of them merely watching each other. “Don’t dismiss it because it's scary.”

“I'm not scared.” Jaehyun defended far too quickly to be believable.

“Then don't do it because it's unfamiliar. Do you think any of us were so easily endeared to each other outside of mates?”

“I reckon it hasn't always been pleasant.”

“Nope. It gets tense, it gets awkward, but that's part of belonging to a family.”

“Arashi, I'm not sure I even know what family is.”

“I didn't either, for a long time. But I figured it out, and something tells me you're figuring it out, too.” Arashi countered.

Jaehyun was silent in response, averting his gaze to the yard for a long time. When he braved to look back, Arashi was gone, and he's now alone on the porch. A sigh parted his lips as he lifted his eyes up to the sky, the faintest tinge of orange beginning to lap at the horizon.

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vad-hander · 6 months ago

Text

LET’S KEEP IT SECRET Pt.5

pairing: Jaehyun x reader x Yuta

others: SM Rookies, multiple SM and JYP idols

words: 7k

side note: as usual, I'll appreciate all your feedback and thoughts!

Your hand raised immediately to cover your opened mouth. Fuck. Yuta’s outside. Yuta came here to see you. After months of silence, he shows up so randomly?! You were almost mad how unprepared you were for this meeting.

Like, not even mentally, your appearance was fucking awkward. You danced for the past 5 hours in a room with barely any venting system. You sweated so badly your hair now looked like you didn’t wash it for a week, you were procrastinating in your bed aka waiting for your turn in the shower - because with the number of people on the floor two bathrooms were just not it, you literally had to wait in a queue to shower - so you were in your training sweats and shirt. Ah, you panicked. Your hands automatically reached for your brush - at least you’d braid the mess on your head and not make it too obvious you were fresh out of practice. You roughly ran the brush through your hair, the silent room now filled with you ripping through your hair and awkwardly enough - attracting everyone’s attention to you. How the hell were you supposed to make yourself look presentable without people questioning why you’re acting that way? You braided your hair quickly, trying not to pay too much attention to the curious eyes. You are, at the end of the day, planning to be famous - you have to be used to people watching you, tho its not really the same, but it should be the same in your head in order for you to not flip out. You found your lip balm and hid it in the pocket to not put it on so openly and ran out of the room in pure silence only to return a second after. “I-, ahem, I’m going to the CU, does anyone need anything?“

“Yeah, no.“ Jiwon gave you a weird look, crossing eyes with Sieun. Well, okay.

You didn’t have a second to think if you wanted to slow down or speed up or what you were going to say, you just ran out of the building without any thoughts. You just really wanted to see Yuta with your eyes. Just have him before you no matter how awkward this might be, just look at him. God, why did you not see him?! Your eyes ran across the entrance of the building one time and once again, because there wasn’t anyone. You walked off further into the street, turning the corner of the building, immediately meeting with Yuta’s eyes. You jumped in place and stopped. You weren’t sure if you should sprint off and hug him or let him take the lead. Yuta took a step towards you and you did so too automatically, meeting somewhere in-between. Yuta stared at you and his eyes were trying to drink in every feature on your face, while you were doing the same. You were trying to see if anything changed, if anything was different and it seemed like everything was not the same but at the same time he was just who you remembered him to be. It felt so weird, like some fever dream turn into live or more like a brimmed with romance k-drama moment where two leads finally meet each other after years of separation. The street lights and autumn breeze was adding up to the feeling. You blinked silently at the man like amoeba, not knowing what was the reason behind him coming here, what did he think of you and what you should be acting like in front of him now. What were you? Should you just ask him in the face? You seriously considered, since he watched you without saying a thing.

“I would say that I’m so happy you texted, but if I’m completely honest, I’m so confused at this point.“ you surprised Yuta by breaking the silence.

“Jaehyun told me you two were discussing… us?“ Ugh, he did? You recalled saying something to him along the lines of maybe you can ask him and tell me, but you didn’t expect him go out of his way and actually do it. One more UGH for Jeong Jaehyun. You were beyond conscious of what he might’ve said or discussed with Yuta.

“That’s pretty exaggerated.“ You weren’t discussing your relationship, you literally cut him off in like two sentences and continued with your exchange of random things that happened in your life in the time being you avoided him.

“Anyway.“ what was they sigh and the undertone of that word. Was he…pissed off? The tone of his voice was giving something between slight indifference and irritation.

“Yes, anyway.“ You felt a little more worked up just from the look he gave you. That’s very much not how you imagined the reunion with your boyfriend, or more likely ex-boyfriend by now. “So Jaehyun is the only reason you reached out after months of silence?“

“Yes and no. He told me about seeing you and I realised that I would’ve liked it for myself too. To see you, talk to you and everything else.“ Everything else is what…? Touching, hugging, kissing and …? You needed elaboration on this uncertainty.

“Okay.“ You gave him a nod, very much flabbergasted at the prospect of possibly kissing Yuta.

“Do you hate me? For leaving you to hang on for this long?“ his eyes pierced through yours. “I reckoned you’ll need a lot of time to process the transfer and new life and new people and I tried to give you space to work everything out. My own debuted and other things got in the way. I took too long and then was just scared and awkward to reach out.“

“But I messaged you. You could’ve said literally anything back.“

“I’m sorry.“ He did sound full of remorse, you’d give him that.

“Well at least you had more than enough time to think everything through.“ You cackled, not able to hold yourself back from coming at him.

“Right.“

“So… I guess you came here to give me the verdict?“

“I came here to tell you that I’ve been missing you so fucking bad. That I really badly want to talk to you and hug you again and kiss you again. I want to know everything that’s been happening to you recently. I texted you to see if you’d be able to forgive me for taking so long. So…will you forgive me? Are we still on the same page?“ He crushed the words at you like a cannon ball. They were things you wanted to hear, but somehow at the same time you were feeling uneasy at the confession. You had to tell him first thing that came into your mind otherwise the silence felt too deafening. Yuta gripped your palm as proof of what he felt.

“My company…. We have a very strict no dating policy. We’re not even allowed to have a simple crush. Literally anything relationship related is strictly prohibited.“

“You know that SM have all the same rules.“

“No-, like gawking over someone gets you to pack your bags and leave, Yuta.“

“Okay?“ He couldn’t understand where you led him, neither did you.

“And you’re a whole damn man, that comes to see me at night.“

“That’s why I didn’t come to the entrance where all those CCTV cams could see us.“

“Yeah.“ You gave him a nod but clearly didn’t acknowledge what he said properly, continuing on with what you were saying “Not even a year ago one of the guys at the company got his contract terminated because he was allegedly breaking the no dating rule. Our producer is very strict with those rules, he says it has to be at least 5 years before we should even think of dating. Otherwise we’re not dedicated enough.“ you paused because you would love to feel Yuta’s grip on your fingers. If he touched you, you would’ve stopped to crash these things at him.

“I see, you’re trying to refuse me.“ How would he make a conclusion like that when you didn’t even know yourself, what you were trying to do.

“No. I’m just stating facts. For you… to consider.“

“I have considered all those things. Nothing’s changed for me. I still find you very beautiful, I’m still deeply attracted to you.“ You felt a butterfly flop inside your chest. This was such a relief to hear - Yuta still wanted you.

“Me too.“ You half whispered, you really didn’t want to admit something like that out loud where people could see and hear you. You suddenly felt a little conscious doing these things in front of your literal dorm, where you didn’t have friends, but a whole damn building of people that would happily sneak on you to free one more spot in the competition, but the man in front of you didn’t feel the same way. Yuta moved his foot a step forward, knocking it against your shoe. His fingers laced through yours once again in such electrifying movement you almost lost all your consciousness and leaned in to kiss him. Yuta pulled you towards him, taking a couple steps back from the lit up pavement, to the more dark and private space under a tree.

“Fuck, I really missed even simply holding on to your fingers.“ Yuta sighed miserably. He squeezed your hands like he regretted every previous decision he made and you believed the boy that stood right in front of you. You believed because despite not making a lot of moves to reunite yourself, you longed and waited and held that little something you had between you close to your heart. You believed you were loving him, because you couldn’t say you knew for sure, you didn’t know much about love enough to state it. You loved your dad, because he was your parent, he took care of you, understood you, listened to you, helped you through hardships, took your side when everyone - or more accurately your mom - were against you. You loved Jaehyun, because he was the first person in your life that could understand you. With no mockery, jealousy or humiliation. He reached for the same goals and understood you completely. In addition to that, he knew how to make you smile, how to make you feel better, when you were down. He seemed to genuinely care for you and who you were, he cared for every little thing you told him or showed him. You loved him because his ways of being your friend helped you become a good one for him, or at least, you were hoping you were still in the process to become one. You loved him just because he was Jaehyun, your best friend, your first friend in SM and your first best friend in the whole wide world.

But Yuta… you felt like you loved him because when he kissed you that first time, your whole being flipped. You don’t remember how or why you existed before that. At first you were obviously, clearly very much shocked at the action. A) you were a baby back then, you didn’t really think of anything like that; b) you were scared of anything related to attraction to other people since something like that would clearly take a toll on your success and debut - and maybe it already did - and you just didn’t want to admit. You were loving Yuta in a completely different way - in a way what you considered a grown woman love a grown man. Not sure if the type together forever kind of love, but together for a long time type of way. You were feeling that heaviness of excitement in your chest now that Yuta was staring at you like that. Your feelings might’ve started to feel like nothing in the past weeks, because you were busy and alone and maybe a little hopeless, but him being here right now made it overwhelming.

“Me too.“ You meowed in his hold. You weren’t able to talk properly, to stand your ground - no way at all. You were mushy in his hold, if he’d pull your hands down, you’d fold right before him in a second.

“I still am very much in love with you.“ He leaned in and brushed his lips over your cheek. You felt heated in a nano-second, squeezing Yuta’s fingers tighter in your hold. You tried to free one of your hands to hug his waist, but his fingers felt like claws over yours.

“Me too.“ You whispered breathlessly as your mouth tried to find Yuta’s, lick into it even for the briefest moment and then do whatever the hell he would want to, but he moved away and you found it in yourself to talk. “I have to be honest. This company, it really can’t be compared to SM, everything is different and I’m scared. Of how this is going to go, I’m scared that someone is possibly watching us right now and I’m going to get kicked out tomorrow. I am so scared that following what my heart wants in love department will ruin what I want to have in my career. I fear that having a boyfriend is going to end things for me. Maybe for you too. We’re risking a lot. So much, Yuta.“

“It’s fine.“ Hm? What does he mean it’s fine…? “Just don’t tell them I’m your boyfriend, just a guy friend from way back. We won’t put a label on it for everyone to see. There’s Jaehyun and there’s me, no difference for everyone else. No one should care about what we’re doing in privacy, when being with each other. Who would care to find out that the difference between me and Jaehyun is that I’m desperately in love with you? Well, huh, wait.“ Yuta paused, smirked and raised an brow at you with his signature playful smile. “How does that make me any different from Jaehyun then?“ Yuta smarted quickly, full on beaming so proud of his own joke. You punched his shoulder playfully, finally being able to get away from his grip. Now that he made jokes about Jaehyun, it almost felt like nothing at all changed.

“Congratulations, boo.“ Jaehyun shoved a bouquet in your face. You smiled, taking the flowers from his grip, giving them barely a glance as your hand turned them facing down. Your eyes darted from one corner to the other, not focusing on Jaehyun even for the slightest second. If you did though, you would’ve noticed how his smile turned downwards as his eyes soaked in your indifference. You were thankful that he came, you were so happy he came for you, but there was a main question that needed to be asked.

“Where’s Yuta?“ You asked impatiently. Jaehyun’s eyes, that lit up upon your attention on him extinct as he heard your question.

“Don’t know.“ He had to clear his throat before replying.

“Don’t you live together?“ You scrutinised Jaehyun, almost too accusatory for such a public instance.

“I’m sorry.“ Jaehyun lowered his gaze to the ground, hitting your heart with a pang and maybe finally bringing you back to your senses. You smiled apologetically, almost poking his cheek at how terribly cute he looked with his head down, apologising for not knowing whereabouts of your not-boyfriend-boyfriend. You pressed Jaehyun’s bouquet to his chest and he jerked his head up in fear at first, relaxing as he saw your soft face expression. Did he think you were going to throw those flowers at him? You almost felt hurt that your best friend thought you were a bitch.

“You have nothing to apologise for. You came to my graduation despite being a very busy boy.“ You murmured as softly as possible being surrounded by hundreds of other school graduates. Jaehyun showed you his dimples and you took a step forward, keeping the flowers to his chest. “You’re the very best, as usual.“ Jaehyun chuckled and tapped the top of your head.

“Don’t“ he beamed, pleased.

“And very sweet, you didn’t have to buy me peonies.“ You ogled properly the flowers, to not ogle over Jaehyun. His hand on the top of your hair felt like lava dripped down from where he touched you. It felt too hot, despite it being very early February. You found his hand with your free one, touching his palm with yours and making sure it wasn’t even hot, it was your body having thermoregulations issues.

“You came to my graduation, I came to yours. That’s what best friends do, boo.“ Jaehyun wiggled your fingers in his hold, making you emotional. That’s what best friends do, then what the f is the boyfriend doing - not coming to one important thing in your life.

“I think ‘boo’ has romantic under text, Jaehyun.“ you chuckled, processing what he called you. “Someone might overhear us and think we’re romantically involved.“ You chuckled at the thought, it seemed a little funny to you, when your eyes still searched for Yuta with peripheral vision.

“It’s only romantic if you make it sound this way. I was envisioning boo like a ghost, because you’ve been more of a ghost in my life for the past half a year. You’ve been ghosting me, boo.“ He smirked as he smarted his last sentence, and you swallowed a chuckle, moving your head disapprovingly. You hugged him instead of an answer, squeezing the flowers between your bodies because you felt weird and thought it’d be a great shield from direct contact with his body. “Love you.“ Jaehyun whispered lowly above your ear, his arm squeezing your shoulders, the other one patting your back. “Not romantically, in case you’ve started to imagine things.“ He chuckled and you couldn’t stop yourself from pinching his side.

“Shut up.“ You tried to wiggle out of the hug, Jaehyun’s fingers only gripping tighter onto your shoulder. “I love you, too.“

“I hope no one’s taking pics, huh.“ Jaehyun immediately let go of you, pulling back up the face mask on his face, as if the past 10 minutes weren’t enough to recognise him for whoever wanted to recognise him.

“I’m here for Jungkook’s graduation.“ he pushed the flowers against your chest once again and took a very big step back. “I don’t even know you. Who are you, again?“ He squeezed his eyes like he couldn’t see you and you shrugged. He was talking at least two times louder, like he couldn’t hear you through the crowd and you needed to keep up with him.

“Don’t know you either… are you sure you’re Jungkook’s friend? I don’t think he ever mentioned you.“ Your pointing finger made a zigzag in the air, like it could help you remember something. “Do you even see him?“ You smirked because Jaehyun have not stepped a foot away from you since the moment he arrived and it didn’t seem like he was trying to look for anyone else.

“Just lost him out of my sight.“ Jaehyun scratched his forehead like he tried to remember which direction his friend went.

“I see.“ You nodded, smiling because Jaehyun couldn’t keep his face straight. He shoved the flowers against your face to hide you from him.

“Oh! Jaehyunie!“ You heard an exclamation from behind.

“My princess!“ You jumped in place, quickly turning to find the source of that sound, finally training your eyes on the man that tried to crawl through all students and families.

“Dad!“ You exclaimed and lost yourself in a hug.

“Congratulations, I’m so proud of you.“ Your dad kissed both your cheeks, before one more bouquet appeared before your eyes.

“Thank you.“ You smiled and kissed your fathers cheek in return.

“Come here, greet your mother.“ Your mom called for you, somehow her hand settled on Jaehyun’s wrist, the deadly grip making it impossible for him to disappear. You gave your mom a quick hug, and allowed her to kiss your cheek. “We should take a photo together. Jaehyun, take one for us.“

“Of course, ma’am.“ Jaehyun bowed like a well-trained puppy and showed you his dimples for encouragement. Your mum forced the face mask off his face somewhere in the process, you laughed.

“One, two, say kimchi.“ He pressed onto the cameras button and the sound of shutter let you know the photo was taken.

“Now with your mom only.“ Your father pressed you into your mothers side and forced you to smile, taking the camera out of Jaehyun’s grip. He stood there awkwardly, next to your dad like he was next in line for something. Another sound of shutter. “Now with me only.“ Your dad took the spot next to you and you tried to pose more enthusiastically than before. Click and the pic is done. Jaehyun blinked quietly, when it felt like a perfect que for him to exit the scene, your dad made it impossible “With Jaehyun now, too!“

“It’s fine.“ Your friend protested as he read confusion on your face. It wasn’t even confusion, you just wanted a picture with Yuta on your graduation day and you were not getting one and you were hurt. You would trade a photo with Jaehyun in a heartbeat to one with Yuta. You anyway had hundreds of pics with Jaehyun, it wouldn’t hurt if you had one less.

“No, come here, Jungkook’s friend.“ you gestured for him to get to you.

“Okay, princess.“ He mocked, making the tone of his voice funny trying to impersonate your dad. You rolled your eyes in fake annoyance, immediately being gagged by your own body when Jaehyun’s arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you into his side. Your head turned to see Jaehyun, because you were flabbergasted all of a sudden and needed to see if he felt any of that. Seemed like he didn’t, he cracked a smile, showing off his dimples, fingers of his free hand forming a V. Sound of shutter and there you have a picture of you staring up at Jaehyun. “One more!“ You shout before anyone could move from their place.

Jaehyun, thank god, moved his hand off your waist to drop it on top of your head and smiled once again. You smiled too, snugging an arm over his waist this time.

“One, two, three, kimchi!“ Your dad announced loudly and you tickled Jaehyun’s side, forcing a chuckle out his throat. It sounded so unusually low you needed a second to process what that was, because he suddenly make your insides tremble with how low that sound was. You stole a quick glance at Jaehyun, seeing how that tickle made his whiskers appear, you prayed he’d have them visible in the photo too.

You unglued yourself from your best friend when the two of you stood too close for too long.

“Who’s Jungkook?“ Your mom wondered.

“Jaehyun’s friend that graduates today too.“ You stated the simple truth.

“Do you know him?“ What did she mean by that? Why did she care? Oh god.

“Jaehyun, do you want to join us for celebratory lunch? Of course, if only your schedule allows you to join us.“ Your dad slightly bowed like Jaehyun was some sort of serious politician, sportsman or at least a senior to him.

“He’s a celebrity now! Of course he doesn’t have time to dine with us!“ Your mom waved off your father at the silly suggestion.

“No, no, mr and missis y/l/n, I would gladly join your lunch to celebrate graduation of your daughter.“ Jaehyun almost bowed 90 degrees in deepest reverence for your parents and you had to physically catch his shoulder mid way to stop him at least at 45 degrees.

“Ah! Jaehyunie! The tone of your voice, it’s so deep and charming! I can’t believe it, just last time I saw you it wasn’t like that“ Your mom hid her face in her hands in shock, she acted like a whole different person when it came to Jaehyun, you hated how she couldn’t do the same to Yuta, or you. You really didn’t want to remind her she saw him more than a year ago and that his voice has been this way for a little while.

“It just happened overnight.“ Jaehyun chuckled, his ears suddenly turning pink, as he walked in front of you with your parents. You wondered if you’d trail off the route, how quickly they’d notice you were gone.

“What is this?“ you felt a rush of warmth throughout your body, making your palm immediately sweaty in Yuta’s hold. You don’t know exactly why would you ask the question, when you could see very clearly for yourself the words above the entrance. Motel. And the door was graced with a piece of paper, that read hourly rates applicable. You felt warm rashes through your body every time you read those words and if you continued you most likely would’ve fell on the floor from high blood pressure. The door opened and you tore your hand from Yuta’s hold, hiding your face even more behind the mask and the cap you wore. You had another rash of sweat down your spine as you saw people walk down the stairs, both the man and the lady looked like they had sex just a minute ago, which honestly most likely wasn’t a mistake. It was an hourly motel, at the end of the day.

“A place, where you and I can be one on one with no fear of being seen, disturbed or whatever.“ Yuta found your hand once again and squeezed it.

“It’s an hourly motel.“ You said out loud and felt even more sweat form on your lower back. If Yuta wasn’t able to distinguish your feelings by your face that hid behind clothing, he should’ve definitely felt it in the tone of your voice. You almost lost balance on your two feet as another couple walked past you, this time inside the building and if it wasn’t for Yuta’s grip on you, you would’ve took off away right then and there.

“Yes, it doesn’t matter. Does it? You and me together is the only thing that matters.“

“What if someone sees us?“ Your throat gave up on you as the thought gave you a whiplash.

“Trust me, just trust me. Come on.“ Yuta moved your body in front of his, grabbing your face with his hands. Despite your endless will to trust him, you were having second hand thoughts on the idea. “Do you really want to leave? I promise you, I really tried to pick a good one. Coming in or leaving?“ Yuta asked concerned, now that he was able to see your eyes he could very clearly tell that you were concerned - well who wouldn’t - and tried to make you feel better.

“Coming in.“ your voice sounded weaker than usual. Yuta smiled and kissed your face, where he’d guessed through the mask your mouth was and dragged you behind himself.

“Why are you not taking the mask off?“ Yuta glanced quickly at your unmoving body on the corner of the bed, before continuing with whatever he was doing in his backpack. The thing did seem packed to the brim and you were curious what Yuta had in there, before he brought you to the hourly motel. It did look nice inside, despite the room being small and obviously cheap - it was relatively fresh renovation and almost didn’t look like you rented this thing for 5 hours, though you couldn’t kill the thought of people coming in here to specifically have sex, and you couldn’t stop thinking on the number of people that had sex in this exact room and you couldn’t stop thinking how you most likely are going to end up doing the same thing and what’s even worse than that, you couldn’t stop thinking-

“What if there’s a hidden camera? Or worse… many cameras?“ You couldn’t even lift your hand to reveal your face to possibly hidden viewers in this room.

“What?“ Yuta chuckled at your -ridiculous- suggestion, before swallowing and leaving his backpack alone to stand in front of you. The bed had tall legs, allowing Yuta to not bend too much to be on your level. His fingers squeezed your cheeks and forced the face mask down your face. “I wouldn’t bring you to some weird ass place with sperm sprayed all over the walls.“ Well, good, but still, you would’ve appreciated an actual hotel much more. “I heard good things about this place from my friends… well, because not everyone is Jeong Jaehyun with an apartment in Apgujeong.“ there was no emotion in the tone of his voice, he was just saying things he thought, but it stung so fucking badly how he always had to put Jaehyun in comparison. Even if his family home was in the most expensive district of Seoul, it didn’t mean Yuta was any poor coming here from Japan. He was poor because in the circumstance he was a foreigner with no home and was sent a certain amount by his parents, not because he didn’t have any money at home. It wasn’t about Jaehyun or this place or anything else at all. It was about you and Yuta, but somehow he wanted it to be about someone else too. “Anyway, my friends come here sometimes, it’s not too low class, at least these sheets are clean, okay? Once I have a better option, we won’t have to do it like that.“

“Okay.“ You gave Yuta an unnoticeable nod, his lips brushing the corner of your lips in reply.

“There’s no hidden cam, don’t even think of such things. I wouldn’t bring you to a place like that nor would I risk my very real career for a fuck.“ Very real as if in what you were doing wasn’t that real? Or were you trying to read between the lines too much because you were in a very smitten mood. Almost in a mood where if you weren’t your usual mushy self when it came to Yuta you would’ve stood up and left. Because this was making you feel uncomfortable to an extent you can’t describe. “It’s your birthday, I just wanted us to be together. I have a surprise, close your eyes.“ Yuta smiled at you sweetly, like when he wanted you to do things he wanted and you didn’t. You gave him a smile too, because you were getting all grumpy and unfriendly because whatever this was didn’t meet with your expectations. You pecked his lips and closed your eyes with a smile on your lips that hurt a little, because you were trying really hard not to think of your last birthday, when Jaehyun invited you to that Apgujeong home and made you feel happy.

You listened to Yuta’s shuffling, probably in that backpack of his, finally you felt his knees bump into yours as he got back in front of you and you felt his fingers wrap around yours. “You can open your eyes.“ And you did so on command, met with a view of Yuta in a birthday hat, throwing a spiral confetti in your face. “Happy birthday!“

“Thank you.“ You smiled, flinching as the thrown confetti almost hit your face. Yuta’s now free hand pushed your cap off your head, forcefully putting on a party cone that said birthday girl. You chuckled sincerely, helping Yuta with the elastic band over your chin.

“I love you, birthday girl.“ you beamed because despite what you just thought and felt you loved him too. Yuta leaned in to you a little more making the ring on his necklace visible from his shirt, you didn’t even have a second to think, you just leaned in and kissed his mouth, because there was nothing else to do. The past year have been very tough on the both of you. You started it off badly with your transition and after that long break of not talking to each other you rebuild what you had in a very low-key manner. Too low-key even for your liking, you couldn’t imagine what Yuta felt like. You could quite possibly count on your fingers the number of times the two of you kissed, so kissing him like this felt a little unreal. Just your lips on Yuta’s, being able to move slowly, marking every bit of his mouth with love and need, to be in his arms and continue kissing him like that. You invited Yuta’s tongue in your mouth, as he moved it slowly against your closed lips. He finally grabbed onto your neck, allowing for you to slightly back up against his hold, because it was hard for you to hold your composure. You almost forgot how good of a kisser Yuta was - not that you had anyone to compare it to - your tongue licked against his and as your body leaned back against the mattress, Yuta chased your mouth, not wishing to break the kiss even for a moment, finding balance next to your shoulders. “You’re making it incredibly hard to focus on anything else, my love.“ Yuta found it in him to pull away for a moment, only to lean back in and kiss your cupids bow, pressing his nose against your cheek.

“What were you planning to do, bringing me to an hourly motel?“ You chuckled, not even annoyed anymore, just curious because it did sound a little funny to you.

“We probably spent less than 24 hours together in a whole damn year since your last birthday. Doing anything together is fine. I mean it when I say I miss you.“ Yuta bit onto his lip, staring you down. “I haven’t seen you up close like this probably in a whole fucking year, and you’re my girlfriend. How ridiculous is that?“

“I always think of that time we went to Japan and had a real nice date. That is the sweetest thing anyone ever did to me.“

“Me too, I always think about that night.“ Yuta’s lips kissed your jaw, as his body dropped on the bed next to you, unable to hold his bodyweight with his arms any longer. “When your first vacation comes, first thing we’re doing - a trip anywhere, just you and me.“

“Promise?“ Your heart chirped, that’s exactly a promise you needed from him.

“Yes, love, promise.“ Yuta cosied himself on the mattress, snaking both his hands to lay half of you on top of him.

“What if our schedules don’t ever match up?“ You worried.

“I don’t think it’s possible for us to never match in schedules. Don’t worry, I’ll make it work for you.“ Yuta’s fingers trailed a line from your elbow to the shoulder. You had to swallow, because you really wanted to ask him why would he not make it work for your school graduation when Jaehyun did make it work. Jaehyun, who was a little busier with schedules than Yuta, you needed to be a blind fool to not notice how your friend had side gigs and Yuta didn’t. He had no excuse to not come, the thought been eating you up for months. You had to swallow it once again, because you didn’t want to fight, because maybe not saying a thing about it now, months after, was the best thing for you. Maybe Yuta couldn’t even remember by now, since he never brought it up himself.

You rolled your arms before your body, bouncing slightly on the floor to the beat, as the last beat approached, you counted in your head 1 and 2 and 3 and 4, and stood up gracefully with a turn in the ending pose. After a pause for not longer than 5 seconds you heard intensive clapping and even sounds of encouragement behind you. 5 people in front of you though kept their faces emotionless, but somehow it didn’t faze you anymore. They always tried to keep that mysterious aura, fear everyone to insecurity and plain panic, but if you worked hard they didn’t usually say a bad thing-or more likely you didn’t hear them say bad things to you and others-, well, you developed an ability of turning your brain off as soon as your bum met with the floor and you weren’t sure how things went for others. It’s been a year and you still didn’t make many friends in the company and at this point pretty much gave up and kept everyone as friendly acquaintance. At least they didn’t want to be mean in your face, fake friendliness you could bare with. Everyone clapped and cheered because it’d paint them as supportive friends and good people - more points when it comes to evaluations. You knew the rule and followed it yourself, this clearly wasn’t the place to be not like other girls, but it didn’t change anything.

You bent a little and caught your breath in two heavy breathes, straining your back back at the evaluation committee.

“Good.“ Your choreographer nodded to fellow evaluators. “Questions, notes, grades?“

“Could you share with us why you chose the choreography and the song?“ Mr.Lee, the creative director asks you.

“Theme of this month is hip-hop, we had guest choreographers this month that helped us improve our hip-hop skills. I wanted to do something fresh and relevant, something that would allow for you to see my improvement, but wouldn’t be a copy-paste of things we did in class. Seemed like a perfect choice.“ You noticed a slight nod in the oratory teachers’ head, you breathed in satisfied - you definitely checked off a box in her list.

“Wasn’t the song released on Wednesday? You learned it in one day?“ your choreographer continued with the questions, only to be interrupted by JYP himself.

“You didn’t prepare for the evaluation well? Choosing a song so new is very irresponsible.“ The song was released just a day ago, they were right, but you did prepare for the evaluation thoroughly. You’ve been learning this choreo whenever you had an opportunity to see or hear Yuta, whenever the two of you face timed or very rarely talked in person. You would’ve told them the truth if it didn’t borne more questions and awkward stares. Your only option was to claim you were able to learn it in one glance.

“No, I was preparing GOT7’s Never Ever, but heard the NCT song yesterday and thought how it clearly fits the hip-hop theme better. Changed my choice last minute.“ Yes, you somehow had the crazy idea of doing Cherry Bomb for the monthly evaluation in a day after it was released. You hoped it was believable you were able to learn the dance in a day. They looked at you for a few seconds and you didn’t understand the meaning behind the stare. “I believe I was able to show my own colour while following the choreography flawlessly and be on theme.“ You stated confidently, they tried to push you into insecurity - it was their way of doing things, one of already debuted artists at the company shared the life hack. Stand your ground and talk confidently - they’ll accept any answer as long as they don’t see you flinch at persistence.

“If you learned the choreo that flawlessly in a day it’s impressive.“ Your choreographer smiled at you in a very low-key manner and you bowed, to show your gratitude and hide traces of a smile you swallowed.

“Did you learn the whole dance or just the dance break?“ Your eyes darted back at JYP that seemed curious.

You knew by heart the whole thing through Yuta’s part. The only reason you chose the dance break hid behind the fact that somehow NCT had the most embarrassing dance moves throughout the song and doing all those jumps and weird hand movements in front of all these people on your own would’ve killed you. For real. The dance break plus last chorus including that part where you had to drop on your back for the ending point was the perfect fit for the 60 seconds you were given to perform.

“I learned most of the song, but I enjoyed the dance break and chorus the most, thus decided to show that part.“

“Okay, I have nothing to add. If you’re ready, we can get to singing.“ you nodded and took a step to the mark on the floor.

You had a tingling sensation of nervousness at the back of your neck. It was always advised to not take long to start off, otherwise you could possibly be asked to step away as unprofessional. You took a breath and made a sound with your throat.

“Ah, I heard you took first place in your evaluation group.“ Yeji smiled at you, you gave her a barely noticeable nod as you and a bunch of other people left the elevator. “Cool, that means we’re training in the same group for the upcoming month.“ You stopped midway as you were pulling your mask up, almost automatic move as you were leaving the building.

“You placed first?“ You exclaimed, your voice resonating probably through the whole hall. She gave you an excited nod, and you felt so happy for her. She worked so hard to beat everyone this time and you jumped excitedly, squeezing the girl in front of you excitedly. She clearly was taken aback for a moment, hence the two of you never hugged or had much physical contact in the past year, but you felt happy for her and maybe felt like it was the time to break the wall. You let go of Yeji, grabbing her wrists next and jumping excitedly, making the girl hyped up and jump with you. “Yay! Yeji, I’m so proud of you.“ Your fingers squeezed the life out of her wrists. “They want us to do duet for this month, to see how well we work in smaller teams.“

“Really? I haven’t heard of this months’ theme yet. If you don’t have a partner yet, it’d be such an honour for me to pair up with you.“

“Stop! It’s no honour and I would love to work on something with you.“

“Yay!“ She clapped and her pretty eyes and smile made you so happy. You genuinely felt happy for her, you genuinely felt proud. You felt a little flare up in your chest that you didn’t want it to ignite too much, but the thought crossed your mind anyway. If only we could debut together.

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on-wine-dark-seas · 3 months ago

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Daughter of Disgrace

"Is there any place where Heaven's bastard daughters are welcome?"

🔞 Rating: Explicit [MDNI] ❤️‍🔥 Pairing[s]: Satoru + Sundari || Nadja + Sukuna ⚠️ Warning[s]: Explicit sexual situations, graphic depictions of violence, major character death[s], as well as some toxic relationship elements. Spoilers for the manga. Sukuna is his own warning but there is cannibalism, abuse, body horror, and mild torture in this fic. So canon-typical violence. 🪧 Summary: In the aftermath of Satoru Gojo's sealing, Sundari must choose rebellion in order to free him. Lucky for them both, rebellion has always been her preferred modus operandi. 🎧 [ godslayer principle ] -- Sundari's Playlist

⚠️ Be Advised: This is the sequel to Beast of No Nation. It's recommended that you read that fic first to get the context of this one.

⛩️ AO3 𑁍 FFN 𑁍 Fic Masterlist 𑁍 Parallax OCs 𑁍 Sonder OCs 𑁍 HCs & Meta ⛩️

𓃰 Chapter 12: In Every Lifetime

"An ending, a beginning, an ending, and a beginning. And so it goes; round and round; the great Wheel ever-spinning. The harmony of death and rebirth; sin and salvation; sacred and profane; poison and cure; disgrace and redemption; curse and blessing.The universe is a series of cycles; the most perfect math there is.

Who says our story must end here, my love?"

We all carry within us our places of exile, our crimes, and our ravages. But our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to fight them in ourselves and in others. —Albert Camus

Yuji cups Sukuna’s remnants in his palm. A miasma of crimson smoke swirls above them. Two crimson eyes glare back at him, and half the remains of a mouth sneer in hatred. Yuji seems unbothered by even this last vestige of vitriol his uncle bears for him. In Sundari’s inverted domain, what they have come to understand is not divine mandate, but a Heavenly Summons, their souls are briefly connected, their memories bleeding into one another’s. For a brief instant, they are alive and dead all at once, and Sukuna sees the simplicity of Yuji’s life unfold before his mind’s eye, painful and warm and filled with all the things his own life lacked.

He sees his daughter’s ancient origins, from her birth amidst a clan of strong warrior women, to her ascension as a deified sorceress, protector of women and children, to her sealing after the terrible curse—his curse—finally found its fangs at the throats of the innocent; the painful fracturing of everything she was, the loss of all she knew. He sees too, the life she created for herself, a new version of her, still capable of strong, and ignorant of the cursed markings that give everyone pause. He sees memories of her dying her pink hair to jet black, a cloud of curls just like her damnable, beautiful, self-sacrificing mother. But, Sukuna notes with pride, Sundari’s face is all his: pride, insolence, and confidence in unfathomable spades.

Sundari and Yuji see Sukuna’s soul, fractured and made whole repeatedly over centuries, and the whole cursed story of him unravels itself in their minds, including Kenjaku’s scheme that led to Yuji’s conception. They see all his deeds laid bare, and they see his story with Nadja unravel: love and loss, over and over again, and his determination to find her across the centuries. They feel the terrible emptiness of his unanswered question: why did you leave me? Worst of all, they see Sukuna before he became the force of reckoning he is now. They see the coiled, frightened child with too many arms, eyes, and mouths, and too much power to be controlled. For all of his life, others have sought to control him, and Sukuna has never accepted anyone’s yoke.

At the core, they understand the hunger in him. Ravenous and all-consuming. Insatiable.

This is what happens when two domains do not clash…but overlap, two souls vying not for dominance, but harmony.

Yuji and Sundari’s souls hum on a similar frequency, a sustained note across time and space, heard and felt throughout Heaven and Earth.

“Sukuna,” Yuji’s voice sounds the way a gentle summer breeze feels, and two crimson eyes glare up at him, glittering with malice…and fear. Mortality has never pressed so closely to the King of Curses in all his days.

“Let’s try this again,” Yuji says, and there is a compassion in his tone that cuts deeper than any slash Sukuna has thrown.

“Let’s try living with each other, not to curse one another…”

Sukuna feels the curse in his guts, squirming and wriggling and burning.

“Even if no one accepts you…”

Stop it, brat. Stop it.

“I can live with you.”

Sundari is poised for the kill, but Yuji’s words give her pause and she regards him curiously. Even after all her father has done, all he has sought to do, Yuji still seeks to offer him the benediction of mercy? Sundari knows she should be angry—at the very least, offended—but she cannot find it in her heart to care. She feels scraped and raw and exhausted. She wants to end this cycle, to strip away her father’s curse and free the world of the burden that is him.

But she’s seen his memories, she’s seen what he was, and what he was forced to become.

“Don’t you dare try and play the compassionate card now, brat,” Sukuna sneers. “I am a curse, and you’d do well not to underestimate me.”

“You aren’t a curse, dad,” Sundari says, weariness coloring her voice, blood dripping from her nose. She doesn’t know how much longer she and Yuji can sustain this connection. “Just…you can literally try again. Maybe Yuji’s right: maybe there’s another way. Another path. Anything but more of…this.”

Sukuna’s gaze roils towards his daughter, taking in her appearance. The markings that once limned black into her brown skin are faded, almost more like birthmarks than tattoos. No matter what boon she has won from Heaven, she will bear his markings for all her days. That is how powerful his curse is.

You aren’t a curse.

I’m not a curse. I am cursed.

The realization reverberates through their shared connection, and all at once he gasps.

Sundari and Yuji are suddenly gone, as is the divine presence that had united them. He stands alone in the darkness, but the presence in the void is familiar. He’s been here before.

“Well, well, well,” a voice drawls, drawing his gaze downward. “Didn’t expect to ever see you here, of all people.”

Gojo Estate, Kyoto, December 30, 2018

In the aftermath, Sundari dreams. For once, she is uncertain if what she sees is memory or fabrication, but she pays attention. The visions are disjointed, always in media res as dreams are prone to being, but the recurring symbols and themes are there, and she does recognize some bits of her own memories in the patchwork film reel.

Sundari dreams, and Megumi stands in the darkness Sukuna has left behind, overcome by the sudden silence. He is once again alone with his own thoughts.

But everything is so fuzzy around the edges. His thoughts move with the ponderous, amorphous pace of a lava lamp’s contents, and somehow always just out of his reach. It takes him hours to figure out how to formulate his thoughts into the obvious conclusion: Unlimited Void. This is the ill effect of surviving five waves of Unlimited Void. His thoughts are disjointed and fractured, out of sync and hard to catch.

Ironically, he understands Gojo now more than ever.

His eyes open, and he hears himself gasp, fills his lungs with air, breathes of his own volition for the first time in weeks.

Sukuna is really gone, but Megumi can feel something knotted in his soul; furrows, like a claw marks. The separation should have killed him, but Sundari had a barrier active to protect him from sharing Sukuna’s fate.

Megumi hears himself panting as his thoughts come in a sudden rush, then stretch out again at that damnable pace.

“Fushiguro!” Yuji’s voice shatters the silence, and he sits up suddenly, startled all the way back into his body. His eyes take in the sight of Yuji, clad in his uniform, posing with a box.

Out of the box springs Nobara Kugisaki. Megumi’s eyes go wide. His mouth works but no words come. Kugisaki, sporting a black eyepatch embroidered with a hammer, nails, and rose crest, grins in triumph.

“Sorry I missed the party!” She boasts. “I was getting some much-needed beauty sleep! I heard it was a woman who saved the day!”

Yuji rolls his eyes. “Well, she’s my cousin…technically. Kind of.”

“Okay…are you ever…gonna explain that?” Megumi asks, frustrated with how slow his thought-to-speech reflexes have become. He imagines Gojo is having a good laugh at his expense about this. Megumi gets annoyed at the very thought.

“Look who finally decided to join the land of the living!” Gojo’s voice shatters the quiet, and Megumi becomes annoyed for real. But he’s also relieved to see his sensei alive and well. Gojo is grinning, sporting new scars to match Yuji’s own. Megumi touches his face, is relieved to not feel Sukuna’s features swimming under his skin like a parasite. He can feel the rugged scar tissue where Sukuna’s face had overlain his own. It will be some time before he can look in a mirror comfortably again. He catches Yuji’s gaze, and the boy’s brown eyes are soft with sympathy. If no one else understands, Yuji understands what it is like to be ridden by the curse that is—was—Sukuna.

Over the next few hours, Gojo and Yuji piece together the entire tale of mounting his rescue, from the moment he was taken, to when Sundari freed Gojo, to the final battle. Megumi remembers Nadja’s unexpected sacrifice in more ways than the others, and he looks away at the mention of her name. He had been present for Sukuna’s reunion with her, had born witness to their…relationship. He isn’t sure if Sukuna knew he was aware or if he simply did not care. He isn’t sure how he feels about it, only that he cannot find it in himself to hate Nadja for it. Whatever else there was, love had existed between those two, twisted as it was. And in the end, she’d chosen to save the person who could stop him.

Megumi wonders if Gojo was right about love being the most twisted curse. In the end, it had claimed Nadja and Sukuna both. He looks at Yuji again, wonders if…

“Where is Hikmat-san?” He asks. At the mention of Sundari, Yuji and Gojo exchange glances.

“She’s not awake yet,” Yuji says sadly. “After she dismissed her domain, she collapsed. Gojo-sensei brought her back here with you.”

Megumi looks down at his hands. He remembers being present when Sundari came back for Nadja’s remains. He remembers feeling Sukuna’s uncertainty. His fear. He was afraid of losing everything, including his life. But seeing his own daughter vowing to kill him had broken something in him. Megumi owes her a debt he can never hope to repay, but Sukuna has taken someone he loves as well.

“She’s going to be in recovery a while,” Gojo says in that easy way of his, as if he doesn’t doubt Sundari will be up and about in no time. “But she’ll bounce back. I know my girl.”

“Your girl, sensei?” Nobara asks, waggling her eyebrows. Gojo spreads his hands and sticks out his tongue.

“Yeah, and if I can convince her, she’ll be your sensei too when you bunch officially become third years.”

Yuji and Nobara look excited, their eyes sparkling. Megumi looks somewhat suspicious. He has a feeling there’s more to it than Gojo lets on, but he withholds his suspicions if only because his mind is still fuzzy, like moss has grown over the parts of his brain that are normally so quick to connect the dots. How long will this go on for, he wonders. He supposes he should count himself lucky this is the worst of the side effects.

He should be dead, after all.

Megumi is strong enough to walk on his own, and he dresses while Yuji and Nobara fill the emptiness with mindless chatter and Gojo looks on with a secretive smile, his eyes blindfolded once more. For a moment, it feels like old times. Megumi looks around for a calendar or clock. His phone’s been lost since Sukuna stole his body.

“How long has it been? Since everything happened?” Megumi asks. Gojo grins in a way that makes Megumi regret asking the question just as Nobara answers: “You missed Christmas!”

Yuji frowns and glares at Nobara. “So did you!”

Immediately, she and Yuji break into an argument about whether or not missing Christmas was more important than saving the world. Gojo’s grin softens into a fond smile, and whatever mischief he had planned for his own response is withheld for now.

Megumi does not get an answer to his question either way, and sighs.

By now, he has deduced that they are on the ancestral Gojo Estate, a place he hasn’t been to since he was a small boy still learning to harness his technique. Being trained by Gojo Satoru’s own tutors before matriculating to Jujutsu Tech had made him intimately familiar with the grounds.

He knows where to go, following Sundari’s cursed energy to another room. His classmates trail after him, still bickering, and Gojo walks behind them at a leisurely, long-legged pace.

It’s just like old times, it’s nothing like old times.

Megumi resists the urge to roll his eyes because of course Gojo put Sundari up in his old bedroom. She looked so exhausted, even in her comatose state. Megumi can’t help the stab of guilt that twists in his guts. Yuji places a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s not your fault,” he says, understanding as always. Megumi’s jaw tenses but he can’t ignore how comforting it is to have Yuji touch him again after having Sukuna put them at odds. “She’s gonna wake up soon.”

“Yeah,” Nobara says. “She can’t miss New Year’s!”

“What is it with you and holidays?” Yuji asks irritably. Nobara places her hands on her hips, fixing him with a stare.

“These are important milestones, and it makes sense that the woman who saved your sorry asses would be there to celebrate with us.”

Yuji wants to retort that none of that makes any sense and that it was a team effort that took down Sukuna, but Gojo is brushing past them because Sundari is waking up. They hear her groan tiredly—irritably—before she’s moving.

“Fuck me,” are the first words of the woman who saved the day. Nobara suppresses a snort of laughter, Megumi’s brows go up, and Yuji’s eyes go wide. Only Gojo seems unphased by Sundari’s choice of words.

“Morning, beautiful,” he says to her, and she squints up at him with all four of her eyes. Her pink curls are disheveled, sticking up in all directions, her skin is dry and a little sallow, and there are shadows under her eyes Megumi’s shikigami could hide in.

Satoru has never found her more beautiful because she’s still here. Alive.

“What fuckin’ year is it?” Sundari asks, rubbing her face with both hands and yawning. It’s only when she uncovers her face that she notices the trio of students crowding the doorway.

“Oh,” she says. “Sorry. Uh…come on in, kids!” She glares at Satoru, who is grinning. “What the fuck, man?” She mouths and he blows a kiss in response. Sundari does her best to fix her face as Yuji and Megumi join her. She takes a look at Megumi’s face, notes the scars in the places where her father’s face once was. He’ll bear those scars for all his days. She looks down at her hands, notes the scars of innumerable slash marks, like macabre tiger stripes. Also a mark from her father.

The tattoos are still there, black again, no longer faded. Whatever else she got from the boon she demanded, Heaven still sees fit to remind her of her origins. No matter, she will carry the scars and the ink with pride. Let the world see how Sukuna’s daughter treats with sorcerers.

You can prove them wrong.

Sundari looks at Yuji, who smiles at her, but there’s a blush in his cheeks that wasn’t there before.

Cousins. She wants to laugh. What the fuck was Kenjaku’s problem? Ah well, at least she can say she’s got some semblance of family left to her. Yuji isn’t so bad, after all.

“So,” she says. “I’d like to formally apologize for my dad being such a dick. Uh…Yuji, you’re still gross for just eating his Finger like that, but sorry for everything that came after. On the plus side, I got my memories and powers back. On the other plus side, my dad’s dead! Satoru, I’m starving…is there pizza?”

Satoru laughs despite himself. “Whatever you want, babe. I think Shoko’s going to be by later for a physical.”

Sundari swings her legs out of the bed and stands. She feels a slight rush that makes her momentarily lightheaded, and feels Satoru’s strong grip on her arm, steadying her. She meets his gaze, and they share a smile.

Nobara gags.

“I cannot believe Gojo-sensei got a girlfriend before I got a boyfriend,” she grouses. Yuji glares at her.

“How is that hard to believe? I had to watch you get your literal brains blown out!”

Nobara grins, her remaining eye glimmering. “I know. Wasn’t it fucking cool?”

Yuji makes a face. “It was horrifying! I thought you were dead!”

“As if some punk ass cursed spirit could drop me! I’m the Girl of Steel!”

The bickering begins anew, and Megumi lets out a long-suffering sigh. Sundari decides she likes Nobara immediately. Maybe she’ll consider Satoru’s not-so-subtle requests that she look into teaching.

“Gojo-sensei,” Megumi says. “Can I talk to you alone for a minute?”

Satoru presses a kiss to Sundari’s temple, giving her a gentle squeeze before excusing himself to the hall with Megumi. Satoru knows there’s a few things he owes to Megumi, but he’s surprised when the door shuts and Megumi immediately throws his arms around Satoru.

It startles both of them.

Satoru’s arms come up and he places them around Megumi with a gentle smile. Neither one of them question the moisture soaking his jacket as Megumi simply clings to him.

“I’m sorry, Megumi,” Satoru says, and means it. “When I took you in all those years ago, this wasn’t what I envisioned for you. I should have prepared you better, but none of us could have—”

“It’s fine,” Megumi mumbles, taking a deep, shuddering breath. It’s not fine. Not right now. It probably won’t be for some time. “I just…I thought I was going to lose everything I ever cared about. When he…”

There’s a lot.

Satoru pulls Megumi back to look at him.

“Do you want to talk about it right now? Are you ready to?” He asks, none of the usual playfulness in his voice. Megumi swallows, wipes his face hastily.

“No,” he says softly. “Not right now. It’s too…fresh. My thoughts are still jumbled. I just needed to see that you’re real is all. I thought…when Sukuna figured out how to bypass infinity…”

Satoru’s brows go up in surprise, a piece of the puzzle clicking into place. So that was why Nadja had intervened. She knew what Sukuna was using the Ten Shadows for. Satoru frowns. Why hadn’t she warned him ahead of time? Likely she counted on Sukuna wanting to counter her in the event of her betrayal. She had been playing against him, and Satoru had just been another piece on the board. No one had counted on her sacrificing her life to save Satoru. He remembers Sukuna’s shocked expression as Nadja countered his World Cutting Slash with her Executioner Blade. He remembers it shattering in her hands and seeing Sukuna’s technique broken in two. He’ll never forget that as long as he lives.

He wishes he could commend her. He decided he will tell Sundari where Sukuna’s half of Nadja’s ashes are kept, since her own urn was destroyed in the final battle.

“I’m the Strongest, remember?” He assures Megumi with a grin. Megumi doesn’t look convinced, and Satoru is worried about the state of his ward’s mind. He makes a note to hold Megumi back from missions until he’s been fully evaluated. And to ask if he still wants to be a sorcerer at all given all that has happened to him.

“Why did you take me in…all those years ago?” Megumi asks. “Was it because of my technique?”

Satoru hesitates. He’s been bracing himself for this conversation for a long time, but he hadn’t expected to survive his encounter with Sukuna. He’d had a letter prepared in case anything happened to him! Now he has to actually tell the whole gory story.

Damnit, Nadja.

“Well,” Satoru says. “It was your father’s dying wish, actually.”

Megumi’s eyes go wide. “What?”

Satoru chuckles, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s a funny story, in retrospect. A little ironic, really. Like I didn’t even know he had a kid, and then when I saw you it was like—well of course his kid would have fucking Ten Shadows, right?”

“Gojo! You’re rambling. What do you mean it was my father’s dying wish? You knew him?”

Satoru sighs. “Briefly, and it wasn’t a happy acquaintance. He tried to kill me, actually. Almost succeeded too. Look, one of these days I’m gonna sit you down and tell you the whole ugly story, and then you can summon Mahoraga or something and we can have it out, if you want.”

“You killed him, didn’t you?”

The words are like a guillotine blade, cutting all the life out of the small space between them. Satoru blinks, takes a deep breath, and slowly reanimates on his next exhale.

“Yeah,” he says quietly. “I did. His final words were for me to keep you from being sold to the Zenins. From my understanding your dad was a gambling man, and his final bet was on you, Megumi.”

Megumi stares at Satoru, his expression caught in a crossroads of too many things to name. For much of his life, he assumed his father had simply sold him off and had been living a charmed life off the money these last few years. For much of his life, Gojo Satoru allowed him to believe this.

“I tried to tell you when we met,” Satoru says, as if reading his thoughts. “But you said you didn’t care to know what your dad was up to; I can respect that, and you’ve always known your own mind. I figured if you ever changed your mind, you’d ask. I admit my delivery of the news wasn’t the best. This isn’t much better. But the bottom line is he believed in you, Megumi. It’s the one thing he and I have in common.”

Megumi’s throat bobs in a heavy swallow, and he looks away.

“And then I got my entire body hijacked by Sukuna, killed my sister—”

“You didn’t kill her,” Satoru says sternly, eyes flashing like blue fire. “Sukuna killed her, and he did it deliberately to hurt you. That death is not on you.”

“You don’t know that!” Megumi says. “How could anyone know that?”

Satoru snorts. “Actually, there’s one guy I can say who does know that. His whole technique revolves around shit like this, actually.”

Megumi’s brow furrows and he makes the connection in his mind.

“Higuruma-sama? Yeah…he trapped Yuji in his domain once. Put him on trial.”

Satoru grins. “That’s him! He agreed to work as a sorcerer without question. He’s absolutely batshit, perfect for the job. Anyway, if you ever wanna know what you’re actually guilty of, just ask him to pull you into his domain. But be careful, if you’re guilty of something really bad, he’ll be obligated to kill you.”

“What? Why would you tell me that?”

Satoru rolls his eyes. “Because you’re blaming yourself for shit that wasn’t your fault, Megumi. And since you won’t believe me—your gorgeous, twice-blessed sensei—when I tell you you’re good, then I guess we can see if Higuruma has to, you know…” Satoru makes a quick slicing motion across his neck. Megumi stares at him impassively.

“Never mind,” Satoru says. “You aren’t…you’re taking this remarkably well.”

Megumi’s gaze is distant, as if he’s looking into the past and a soft smile crosses his face.

Hey kid…what’s your name?

Fushiguro.

Not Zenin? I’m so glad.

“What?” Satoru asks. “Don’t keep me in suspense, kid.”

Megumi blinks like a waking dreamer and meets Satoru’s gaze.

“Nothing, just remembering something from Shibuya, is all.” he says with a secretive smile. Satoru smiles back. He knows all about nothing. Satoru’s smile fades in the next instant, however.

“Wait, why Shibuya? Megumi, I can’t even mention Shibuya without three sorcerers cowering in a corner in tears over it. Why are you smiling about that?”

Over the next several weeks, they piece together the massive puzzle of chaos left in the wake of Sukuna’s devastation, and Kenjaku’s schemes. Sundari learns from the memories she and Yuji shared with Sukuna that Sukuna devoured Tengen whole and absorbed her into himself. As a result, his remains must be preserved in order to maintain the barriers Tengen has been strengthening and maintaining for countless centuries.

Sundari also knows that Tengen is partially responsible for what Sukuna became. She and Yuji discuss it in private, agreeing to only share the knowledge they’ve gleaned from Sukuna’s memories with Satoru. It means a major power imbalance in favor of the Gojo Clan, but better them than Kamo. There’s also the dilemma of Choso, who bears the Kamo clan’s hereditary technique, but being what he is, will never ever be formally recognized by the clan. Yuji and Sundari take Choso in without question. The Kamo Clan raises no fuss about it, so long as the abomination of their clan’s shame makes no claims for power. Choso himself has no interest in clan politics, preferring to remain with his younger brother, Yuji, who continues his training in the art of Blood Manipulation in earnest.

Sundari decides she will unpack the strangeness of their family tree at a later date. That Yuji hasn’t freaked out about a single reveal is a testament to his steely nerves, but Sundari thinks it’s because Yuji prefers a more simplistic view on his life and doesn’t overthink the minutiae. Sundari, however, has a millennium of experience under her belt and still nothing has floored her quite like the revelation of her father’s side of the family. Yeah, Sundari tucks that away for later…maybe they’ll recruit a jujutsu therapist they can all talk to one day.

Aside, there is still the matter of the higher ups being decimated. No one knows who is responsible, and yet there can be no other answer. But who will dare come forward to accuse the Honored One, who is responsible for Sukuna’s defeat and helping return balance back to jujutsu society?

Sundari has to commend Satoru for his political cunning. He’s consolidated enough power to execute his dream bloodlessly, but that still leaves the problem of jujutsu sorcerers being short staffed year-round.

There are still curse users out there, and a missing armory from the Zenin Estate that no doubt is finding its way to the black market for exorbitant prices. The work of a sorcerer is unending, and Sundari joins Satoru on his investigations and missions, acclimating to life as a modern-day powerhouse, feared, scorned, and respected all at once.

So it goes, round and round.

Time seemed to slip through their fingers like water. The work of fixing Tokyo, of chasing curses new and old, of rebuilding the parts of Tokyo ruined by Sukuna alone…it is exhausting, and it is bitter. But it must get done. Even Nanami, injured as he is, finds a way to contribute in other ways, lending his expertise to the less experienced sorcerers, ensuring they have what it takes to survive in a field as chaotic as this one.

Little by little, jujutsu society finds a way to limp back to life.

And Satoru finally does the one thing he has been wanting to do since before this whole mess began: he buries Suguru.

Once, he might have seen to this task alone, but he calls Shoko, tells her his intentions, and she meets him at the chosen location without any questions asked.

Watching Suguru’s pyre burn feels like he is burning an old version of himself. Satoru cannot quantify what this moment will mean when he looks back on it later on in his life, when the grievous wounds have finally been balmed to oily scar tissue. He just knows that the version of him that loved a version of Suguru that died long before his body, no longer exists. As Suguru’s remains burn, and he and Shoko pick the bones from the ashes and place the ashes in an urn, Satoru lets himself weep for the first time.

Shoko watches the strongest sorcerer alive curl up and weep, and she takes him in her arms and lets him. Satoru weeps for all that he has lost, all that was denied him, and all that Suguru could never become because his Six Eyes couldn’t tell him what was wrong before it was too late. He weeps and mourns at last—at long last—and purges his heart of everything. Suguru should have been here. This dream was because of him, and he should have been here. But Satoru knows he must let that regret go too, if he wants to succeed at all, he has to let it go. And after a while, the tears run dry, and his body feels soft and pliant in Shoko’s embrace. He sees the silent trail of tears down her cheeks and knows that they both needed to be here for this.

It feels like a chapter being closed for both of them, and an unspoken apology for their own culpability in the wounds both of them bear from it.

But there is no more room for guilt and self-flagellation.

Satoru gives himself three days of quiet reflection in the aftermath, running the gamut of grief in all its ugliness and beauty and catharsis, and then he returns to the searing present. He returns to the realization of his dream.

He finds his phone, sends a text to Sundari.

Satoru resists the urge to point out the joke about too many appendages and organs, considering Sundari’s appearance. If he intends to get any affection tonight, he must behave. He still laughs, though.

Satoru smiles to himself at her reply. It’s sweet of her, really, to give him space to grieve. Still, funnel cake sounds good, and he misses her. With everything returning to some semblance of normalcy, Sundari returned to her apartment, which didn’t surprise him in the least that it’s in Ginza. He makes a note to tease her about it later. Apparently, Nadja left everything to Sundari in her living will should anything happen to her. Satoru finds that ironic, as well. Still, it’s left Sundari nearly as wealthy—if not wealthier—than he is.

Satoru considers it. He likes her apartment. It’s a quaint, earthy place with a vibe that reminds him of a rainforest in the middle of the city. Sundari keeps so much green, growing stuff in her home that the very air feels different.

Satoru can already hear Sundari’s laughter in his head.

Satoru is glad no one is around to hear his veritable squeal of glee. He needs to tell Nanami to get a girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever he’s into. Having one is actually amazing. He wastes no time, packing a bag and taking a cab to Sundari’s mid-rise apartment building. It’s an older building in a more solid style, and far more spacious than newer buildings tend to be. Satoru can make out her balcony, crawling with pothos and wisteria. Smirking and glancing around, he teleports into the air, floating over her balcony railing. Sundari just happens to be walking by when she spots him. Satoru grins when he sees her four eyes go wide, and she lets out a startled shriek before calming down to let him in.

“What is your fucking problem?” She demands, but there’s no heat in her tone. Satoru closes the distance between them, wrapping her in his embrace and kissing her soundly.

Sundari forgets his unorthodox entrance in favor of the kissing. By the time Satoru pulls away, his cheeks and hers are flushed, both of them heavy-lidded and half-drunk from the contact.

“Oh,” Sundari sighs, a drunken smile slipping onto her face before she lets out an involuntary giggle. Satoru grins. It pleases him that he can fluster her and make her soft when the rest of the world must experience her so harshly.

“You hungry?” Sundari asks. “I can order something or cook.”

“I came here to eat you,” Satoru says easily as he removes his shoes before entering the apartment proper. Sundari glances at him with a smirk over her shoulder. She doesn’t fluster from his declaration, not after everything they’ve been through, and she doesn’t take his desire for granted.

“Is that why you’re here, pretty boy?” She asks in that tone that makes Satoru shiver and smile. Yes, he’s her pretty boy. He wants to be her pretty boy. Hers and hers alone.

“Yeah,” he says and without warning, he activates his technique. Sundari yelps as she’s suddenly drawn to him by an unseen force. Satoru catches her in his arms, and then he’s kissing her again, this time leaving his marks on her jawline and neck, breathing in deeply to imprint her scent on his very soul. Sundari makes small noises of pleasure, letting out a whimper when she feels the soft, wet muscle of his tongue trace patterns on her neck, tasting the salt of her skin.

“I missed you,” Satoru murmurs into her skin. “I’m so happy I found you.”

Sundari doesn’t know why her eyes suddenly sting with the threat of tears, and she has to catch her breath and blink several times.

“I missed you too, Toru,” she whispers, and then lifts his head to look at him, staring into the pieces of Heaven he calls his eyes. “And I’m happy you found me too. More than.”

It’s simple physics after that.

Satoru and Sundari make their way to the bedroom, stripping as they go. She loves getting him out of his teacher’s uniform at the end of the day, and Satoru loves undressing her in general. Sometimes what she wears leaves little to the imagination [which he appreciates], but tonight she’s clad in clothes for lounging: a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top that has clearly seen too many wash cycles. Satoru helps her out of all of it, until she’s bare and laying back against the pillows on her bed, looking like some goddess out of a myth.

As far as Satoru’s concerned, she might as well be. His goddess, at any rate. And he will pray to her in a way that only he can.

For a moment, they take one another in, blissfully naked. There’s no skylight above Sundari’s bed, but there is a lantern that throws mandala patterns against the walls, dancing through the leaves of her massive monstera that crawls across her ceiling, making everything look wild and erotic and dreamlike. Satoru reaches out, traces the cursed markings on her body: the concentric rings on her strong shoulders; the black bands on her arms, wrists, thighs, and ankles; the ones on her face; the ones on her chest, following the swell of her high and proud breasts. He grins when she gasps as his thumb and forefinger capture and roll a nipple between them. He watches her legs part a little, eager. His eyes drift down, catch the sight of the mandala pattern illuminating the slick on her inner thighs, dripping from her cunt.

His eyes travel back up to her face, framed by blush-pink curls. Four ruby eyes gaze back, guileless and expectant.

“You are so fucking beautiful, Sundari,” Satoru whispers reverently. “I could look at you forever.”

Sundari’s cheeks bloom with heat and she bites her lip, suddenly feeling bashful. She knows she is beautiful, but it makes her stomach go into freefall whenever Satoru tells her. Her heart flutters in her chest.

“You’re beautiful too,” she whispers, holding out a hand and beckoning him closer. Satoru goes to her, crawling between her spread legs, his cock hard and heavy between his thighs. Sundari’s hand lowers, her fingers wrapping around it and making Satoru hiss in surprise and then pleasure as she swipes her thumb over the head, smearing the droplets of his seed forming at the tip.

“My pretty boy,” she whispers, her voice husky with desire. Satoru leans in, makes a whining sound as she squeezes his cock and nips his glossy, pink lips. “Mine.”

“Yours,” Satoru says in a rush of breath as she strokes his cock with the tender firmness of one who knows he’s hers. It’s true, and his fingers curl into the sheets as he fights the pressure building in the base of his spine.

“Sundari…” Her name comes out as a strained and hoarse gasp. Sundari smiles at him knowingly, and he sees the tender cruelty in it.

“Yes, baby?” She asks, slowing her stroking. Satoru’s hips thrust involuntarily, seeking more of it. He wants to be inside of her—needs it, actually. He wants to envelop himself in the tight, wet confines of her cunt and never leave. He wants to fuck her until she dissolves like spun sugar in his mouth.

“Oh?” Sundari’s smile becomes a grin. “Is that what you want, pretty boy?”

Fuck. Had he said all that shit out loud?

Satoru is silent for a moment, his cock hard as stone in her hand. He’s not the strongest sorcerer for nothing.

“Yeah,” he says, his tone suddenly harder than before. “I do.”

The equation between them shifts as Sundari’s eyes light up in excitement and Satoru pounces on her before she can react to the shift in the air between them. They struggle for dominance, of course, mindful of their strength for the sake of the bed itself rather than one another. Satoru still thinks fondly of the crater left by their coupling in his yard.

This is different, though. There is no adrenaline from battle to fuel them: only the need and want for one another.

And love too.

Satoru is so sure this is love because he has tried being without her and he can’t.

Don’t leave me baby, I just found you.

Eventually, Satoru pins Sundari, grasping her legs to place over his shoulders. He pushes her legs back, exposing her cunt, which opens like a beautiful flower, petals glistening and dripping with dew for his mouth.

Satoru grins, his eyes glowing in the dim light, and spits directly into her pussy.

Sundari moans and writhes in response at the obscenity of it all, and then Satoru leans down and meets her dripping cunt in an open-mouthed kiss. He does as he said he would: he eats her. Satoru’s jaw will ache, his tongue will ache, but Sundari will be thoroughly and unerringly sated. He makes sure of it.

His lips wrap around her clit, sucking hard, moaning as if she is the best meal he’s had in ages. Sundari reaches for him, legs spread, and his hands find hers, linking their fingers while he gets lost in the slippery, wet heat of her, eyes closed in private bliss.

“Ngh…Satoru…” She moans and he makes an inquisitive sound, looking up at her through heavy-lidded cerulean eyes, glowing brighter than a galaxy’s heart. Sundari keeps moaning his name, dragging out the vowels and hissing out the consonants as he works her clit until tears spring to her eyes and she’s panting and flushed and quivering with the desperate need for release.

He pulls away just before she can come, and she lets out a frustrated sound.

“No,” he says, his voice hoarse; chin, cheeks, and lips glistening with her juices. “No, baby. I want you to come on my cock. I want to feel this pretty pussy squeezing me when you lose your mind.”

Sundari, so desperate to climax, nods and agrees. Satoru leans up, sitting back on his heels and dragging her by the hips into his lap, keeping her comfortably laying on the bed. His cock seems eager too, straining and hot against her went cunt. Satoru bites his lip before reaching down to grasp his cock in one fist, stroking himself before pushing the head inside of her. Just the tip.

“Satoru!” Sundari hisses, and her eyes flash dangerously even as he rewards her with a smug smirk, teasing her by sliding the head of his cock up and down her slit.

“Yeah?” He breathes. “Just testing the waters, baby, don’t worry.”

And then he slips inside of her, relishing the guttural moan that spirals up from her as he sinks down to the hilt inside of her. For a moment he holds her hips, and it very still. He looks down at where they’re joined, the soft white hairs of his pubes rubbing against her clit and making her shiver. He bites his lip again when he feels her walls constrict around him. He’d almost forgotten about her conscious muscle control. But he’s ready, this time.

“Mmm,” Satoru groans, tightening his grip on her thighs. “Ask nicely, Sundari.”

Four crimson eyes narrow at him, and he rewards her with a blade-ready smirk, eyes flashing like stars in the dusky twilight of her bedroom.

“You come into my home to make me beg?” She demands, moaning in frustration and indignation and pleasure alike as Satoru moves his hips just so, giving her just enough friction to make her pulse leap in her veins, but stopping just short of satisfaction. He can do this all damn night. He can do this until the world crumbles to dust.

“No,” Satoru says. “I came into your home to make you come, but I want you to ask me, Sundari. I want you to ask me to make you come.”

Sundari glares up at him and Satoru can’t help it: he laughs. She looks so much like Sukuna, down to the way her nose wrinkles to show her displeasure. Sundari bares her fangs.

“Something funny, Six Eyes?” She growls, and Satoru feels her strength returning, legs pushing against his grip as her ankles lock behind his back. He’s still buried nine inches inside of her, but the way she’s focused you wouldn’t know it. Satoru reaches down, makes her watch as he swipes a thumb against her swollen clit.

Sundari lets out a choked sound, her control momentarily slipping. Satoru teases her clit with light, tight circles, and her eyelids flutter. The lower ones even close.

“That’s it,” Satoru purrs, watching her as he feels her pussy grow wetter around him with each stroke against her clit. He contemplates making her come without having to move his hips, but he craves movement as much as she does. It’s a contest of wills at this point, and unlike battles involving jujutsu, the flesh is far less durable during sex. He can only stem the tide of his own climax for so long.

“S-Satoru…” Sundari’s voice comes out as a stammering whimper, and she pulls with her crossed legs, trying to force him to start moving. He sits there, stroking her clit idly, and there’s an almost cold wintery expression on his face, as if he’s the god and she’s the supplicant.

The Honored One grins as his goddess opens her mouth and begins to beg him.

The words come first as a stammering trickle, then a sultry, moaning torrent. She begs him and as she does, he increases the pace of his stroking thumb, spreading her slick over her clit, noting with pleasure when he sees his cock glistening with her fluids in the soft, golden light.

“Come for me,” he murmurs and Sundari does. Satoru hisses as her walls flutter around him, and he holds her steady, stroking her clit through the orgasm that has her writhing and calling his name. It’s only when she’s about to settle down that Satoru gives in and begins to move his hips. He has been nice enough, and his goddess is strong. He fucks her.

Sundari’s hands claw for purchase, one fisted in the sheets, the other going to her headboard to grip it tightly or risk getting her head knocked through the wall. Satoru doesn’t give her time to adjust because he’s indulged her pleasure. It’s his turn to chase that glittering edge, and he wants her to take it. God, she has done so much in the short time since her unsealing, he just needs her to take his cock right now.

For a long stretch of time there is only the sound of Sundari’s short staccato gasps, Satoru’s labored groans, and the heavy, wet sound of skin meeting skin as Satoru attempts to nail her to the mattress. Sundari can’t think straight, and she knows that’s exactly how he likes it, gripping her hips and lifting her halfway off the bed to pull her along his cock. She throws her head back, screaming his name, begging him not to stop, begging him to come inside of her.

Satoru plans to grant all of these requests in due time, but right now he wants her in every way he can have her. He stops his rhythm to pull her up. Without needing to be told, Sundari tangles her limbs around him: four arms pull him close and together they situate themselves into the Lotus position, face to face, heart to heart, body to body.

“Hey you,” Satoru murmurs, nipping her lower lip with a smile. Sundari meets his gaze with heavy-lidded eyes, the concentric circles within them swirling. The curse she carries is gone, but the brand of her lineage remains. She is terrifying and beautiful and wild and he lovesherlovesherlovesher.

“Hey you,” she replies, her voice sultry and husky.

This time, they move as one, surging with one another’s breaths, cresting and falling into the troughs of one another’s respective rhythm, and finding harmony. Somehow the pleasure is insurmountable this way, and both of them become exceedingly aware that this is different.

“Satoru…” Sundari breathes, and she can’t seem to fill her lungs fast enough as she clings tightly to him, nails scraping his back as she moves. “Satoru…I…”

“I know, baby, I know,” Satoru murmurs, kissing her tenderly, open-mouthed and saturated, wanting to share her very breath in this moment. “I feel it too.”

That bright and terrible presence from her domain inversion is watching them. The universe itself is sanctioning this union, and by doing so, redressing an imbalance for which their stars were written.

The pleasure is beyond flesh, now. Sundari moves her body without thought and Satoru maps the contours of her back with his hands, sliding them up and up against her. He chants her name, kissing her temple, her cheeks, her neck, and taking her earlobe between his teeth just to feel her shiver in delight.

In this space there are no demands made of the other, no commands, and no roles. There’s only the frequency of pleasure they have found, reverberating through both their souls like some primordial note sung long ago, and sustained through every cosmic union so heavily soaked in fate and destiny.

When Satoru comes, he realizes that this is exactly how he felt when he was on the edge of death twelve years prior. And Sundari tumbles after him, clinging to him tightly as their thoughts and their very souls seem to touch like two exposed wires, sending sparks to spangling in their blood.

The bright presence recedes like an ancient wave, and as they return to the skin and bone of their bodies, sweat-slick and panting, they realize that the only presence in the room now is their own.

“Holy shit…” Satoru breathes, burying his face in Sundari’s neck. “That was…I think that’s the best sex I’ve ever had in my fucking life.”

Sundari smirks, turning her head to nuzzle him with an almost feral purr.

“Yeah,” Sundari agrees, her voice quiet and mystified. “Same. Do you think…what did it mean?”

Satoru raises his head, his eyes swirling with a steady rotation of what Sundari swears are clouds this close. She blinks before the side-effects can start setting in: dizziness, vertigo, and dissociation. Satoru explained it like microdosing Unlimited Void.

“I have a theory, but let’s talk about it in the morning. Tonight is for fucking.”

Sundari’s laughter rings in the air like temple bells.

Winter gives way to the tentative thaw of early spring. Most of the curses have been cleaned up, and Tokyo is almost back to her old self: hustling, bustling, busy, busy, busy. The rhythm of the city returns, and sorcerers resume their work of managing the cursed energy of an entire people. There are changes, however.

The pay is better, for one. Satoru consulted with Mei Mei for that particular bit, and called a meeting of the clan heads, large and small, as well as elders in the community, and representatives of independent factions in order to oversee the drawing up of a new charter. It took several months, and there was dissent, but the basis of the new charter was laid, and Satoru sees part of his dream brought into reality. Just like infinity.

Satoru’s snide remarks to Gakuganji the previous summer turned out to not be in jest or even in spite: his birth did herald a shift in the jujutsu world, and the biggest change is the number of sorcerers being born and those recently awakened to their abilities. Satoru helps delegate the task of assessing these new sorcerers and offering them a chance to study at Jujutsu Tech. He has been consulting with his colleagues and they came to the agreement that they can no longer feasibly pull only from high school aged students, especially since Kenjaku’s awakened sorcerers need guidance.

Thus, Jujutsu Tech becomes open to all sorcerers for study, regardless of background or nationality. Satoru knows the biggest blind spot they had with regards to Kenjaku’s scheme was their obsession with secrecy, even from one another. He vows not to make such a mistake again.

The changes are met with varying degrees of excitement and disdain. The students currently enrolled are thrilled to welcome more classmates, and sorcerers working for Jujutsu Headquarters begrudgingly welcome the extra hands.

Despite all this, it is Sundari’s presence that polarizes jujutsu society. Sundari herself has known that it would be this way, but when she receives the first, crisp press of her new Jujutsu Tech instructor uniform, she knows that Satoru has fought a hard battle to approve her for training.

The uniform itself is splendid: all black, of course, a tailor-cut jacket, with the gold swirl buttons representing Jujutsu Tech, a black mock-neck sleeveless top, and a black form-fitting mid-length skirt, slit up both sides for ease of movement. Her choice of footwear is a pair of black, platform boots. Sundari notes that the jacket itself has the trishula symbol embroidered in red on the back, to match the marking that adorn her and Sukuna’s brow. She smirks, knowing that it was Satoru who likely had a hand in that particular design choice.

These don’t have to be a curse.

Sundari observes herself in the mirror with a hint of pride. Her pink curls are styled into two puffs atop her head, and she blinks all four of her eyes and for a moment she thinks she sees her father’s reflection instead of her own. She traces her face markings, and then smiles.

“Well dad,” she murmurs to herself. “Here’s to a better way.”

Sugisawa Municipal High School, Sendai City, April 4, 2019

The sun is shining when the car winds through the hills toward Yuji’s former high school. Ijichi is silent but occasionally glances at Yuji and Sundari, who sit in the back seat, each peering out their respective windows. The radio is turned to a news station, and they listen with half an ear as reports of Tokyo’s continued recovery from the Culling Games. Of all the barriers that had trapped players inside, Sendai’s region had been the most violent, and the scars of that war—invisible to non-sorcerers—are clear as day as they pull up to the high school.

“Are you sure about this?” Ijichi asks as they step out of the car. Yuji and Sundari share a look, and Yuji nods.

“It’ll be fine, Ijichi-san,” Yuji says brightly with his characteristic grin. The scars of Sukuna’s domain are faded, leaving only the slash he received from Mahito, and the scar at the corner of his mouth. Sundari’s own scars from Malevolent Shrine are faint, looking more like tiger stripes than anything else, and nothing can compete with the stark black lines of cursed ink.

“Alright, I’ll defer to your judgement, Itadori-kun, Hikmat-san,” Ijichi executes a perfunctory and crisp bow. “I’ll be here when you’re ready to go.”

Yuji and Sundari head toward the school. Since the Culling Games Sendai has been quieter, mostly because the residents are still frightened of the curses that sprung up over the winter like mold. Sundari’s cursed presence alone is enough to send any lesser curses scattering. They are like shy animals, crowding up against the borders of humanity, eager to taste the very people who feed their existence.

They cross onto the football field and Sundari’s brows furrow.

“Is there a dead body buried out here or something?” She asks. Yuji glances at her, eyes wide.

“Wait, so the rumors were true?!” He asks back. Sundari blinks several times, staring at him. She decides not to press the matter further as Yuji leads her to the Stevenson screen further outside of the football field’s endzone. Yuji fishes an ornate, silk-wrapped box from his pocket. The inside is lined with red silk, and sitting there is a mummified finger belonging to Sundari’s father…and Yuji’s uncle.

“And we’re sure this is the last one?” Sundari asks. Yuji gives her a knowing look.

“Yeah!” He says. “Since he can’t come back through the Fingers anymore, the energy can ward off evil. A good talisman, don’t you think?”

Sundari looks down at the box, and it’s not lost on her that both her parents have been reduced to such small talismans. Her mother’s ashes sit on her dresser, and her father’s remaining Finger will now ward off evil. She makes a mental note to come back and see about purifying the energy of this place because she is pretty sure there’s a dead body buried around here.

Yuji places the box within the screen and shuts the door. Both he and Sundari press their palms together in prayer. For a moment the air is charged with the scent of burnt ozone or burnt sugar. Their cursed energy blooms like a lotus in tandem, the power of their jujutsu sealing the deal, as it were.

When it is done, the air seems to return to normal, and the sun shines a little brighter. Sundari feels as if her heart is lighter, and there’s a warm feeling in her chest. She bites her lip as tears prick her vision. She never thought she’d feel a modicum of anything for her father. He’d been nothing short of horrible to her in the brief time she knew him.

And yet…

He’d loved her mother once. Loved her enough to beg for Sundari’s existence. Loved her enough to stay his hand from killing her. Loved her enough to call Sundari’s existence a miracle.

Maybe he’d loved Sundari a little bit too.

“Hey,” Yuji says, glancing at her. “You okay?”

Sundari blinks away the tears and nods.

“Yeah…just…taking in the moment. Thanks for doing this, Yuji. It was a brilliant suggestion.” She smiles at him, and he beams with pride, and for a moment he doesn’t look like a war-scarred sorcerer. Just a boy of sixteen with a strange family tree and a new lease on life. Sundari turns away from the Stevenson screen, away from the last vestige of her father.

“Let’s go,” she says. “I promised Satoru I’d grab some kikufuku for him on our way back. And I’ve apparently got more teacher training.”

Yuji and Sundari walk back across the football field, back toward Ijichi and the car, chatting about what kind of kikufuku to get, and Yuji offers to show Sundari around Sendai, claiming he’d already given Sukuna a tour, but he wasn’t as excited about it. Their voices fade across the field as the sun crawls across the sky, its light shifting the shadows in the trees.

Unnamed Shore, Unnamed Time

“Well, well. What’s this, our second conversation?”

Sukuna stares down at the cursed spirit, who leers up at him with that oil-slick grin and mismatched eyes.

“Something like that,” Mahito says, recalling that none of the so-called “conversations” had been pleasant ones. He stands to his full height, but even that is nothing compared to the overwhelming height of the King of Curses. “My ability has to do with reshaping the soul, so I guess it makes sense that I wound up in this place.” But something about Sukuna is different…

“Hey,” he says. Fuck it, there’s not much the King of Curses can do to him in this place. Sukuna raises his brow in response. “Something I meant to ask you. You were lying before, weren’t you? About living according to your nature. You weren’t acting in accordance with your nature at all, were you? You were taking vengeance for what was done to you.”

Sukuna stares at the cursed spirit and for a moment Mahito thinks he’s fucked up again.

Instead, Sukuna lets out a laugh that sounds almost amused and self-assured.

“What difference does it make?” He asks. “I lived how I knew how to go on. I…” He thinks, shuts his eyes a moment, remembering. “Well, not entirely true. I was afraid my own curse would burn me up, so I could only spit out the curses writhing in my guts. I had two paths open to me, and I chose.”

He doesn’t need to look to feel the familiar chill of Uraume by his side. They are quiet, eyes downcast, but Sukuna can see the tears glimmering on their cheeks. He places an arm around them, giving their slight shoulders an affectionate squeeze. The shiver that runs through them is one of relief and despair. Sukuna looks away from them, his eyes searching.

“Looking for her?” Mahito asks, his tone taunting. Sukuna’s crimson gaze cuts to the cursed spirit sharply for a moment, questioning without a word. Mahito wonders how far he can press his luck before Sukuna makes good to kill him once and for all.

“She passed through here not too long ago, we chatted for a bit,” Mahito places a finger on his lips. “Unfortunately, I don’t think her bosses took kindly to her loitering. She’s mortal now, after all. Can’t be caught holding up the cycle!”

Sukuna’s expression hardens, and the wheels of his mind turn quickly. Where was she, then? If she passed through this place, then her soul must already be on its way to rebirth.

Two choices.

In every lifetime, I will probably love you.

Sukuna shuts his eyes.

“I see,” he says quietly. “Then if there is a next time, I think it would be nice to walk a different path.”

“Do you think you’ll find her?” Mahito asks, grinning his malicious grin. Sukuna does not spare the curse a second glance as he takes Uraume’s hand and begins to walk, toward the darkness, toward the light.

“You’ve gone soft, old bastard!” Mahito grouses. “Chasing after love! Blegh!”

Sukuna laughs. “Of course I have,” he says. “I lost, after all.”

Uraume looks up at Sukuna, a rare breach of their unspoken decorum, a question writ in their lilac gaze.

“We’ll find her,” Sukuna says. “No matter how many times the Wheel spins, she was made for me. We’ll find her.”

Fin. Masterpost 𑁍 Previous Chapter

Author's Final Note: So, here we are at the end of a journey. I don't know if anyone is out there, silently reading my words and bobbing their head to the playlists, but to everyone putting eyes on this story and ears on the soundtrack: thank you! And to the folks who have been commenting on the chapters, or sharing my stories in the fandom: thank you! What initially began as a thought experiment of "what if Sukuna had a daughter with an immortal" became so much more, and I'd like to thank Gege Akutami for giving us Jujutsu Kaisen. I really haven't been this inspired to write for fandom for almost a decade, and I decided to check out this manga/anime and I've been obsessed ever since. It makes me so happy to write stories in such a fascinating world with such intriguing and fun characters.

Even though the manga is over, I'm holding out for an amazing anime adaptation going forward, and JJK is honestly a classic for me that I know I'll love revisiting it for years to come. I have other fanfic for JJK for those of you who are down to hangout at the Parallax Afterparty where I'll be posting stray stories, scenes that didn't leave the cutting room floor, character studies, and other cool lore that doesn't fit into the fics! Or, if you're really fucking with my galaxy-brain OC x Canon agenda, head on over to Lost Worlds & Endless Nights for the Parallax AUs. Or if you want different leads in other universes, head over to my series Sonder! I don't intend to leave the fandom, so for any holdouts: come get ya fanfic, here, hot off the presses! I'll be churning out these puppies for at least another six months to a year.

Again: thanks for reading. Talk to me in the comments or come holler at me on my other socials [if you got 'em] if you've got questions or wanna yell or whatever.

𑁍𑁍𑁍𑁍𑁍 Muse 𑁍𑁍𑁍𑁍𑁍

© 2024 Hajara Asiri. Do NOT copy, translate, plagiarize, repost anywhere without permission [reblogging posts is okay]. This includes copying my masterlist format or feeding ANY of my writing to the uninspired AI garbage machines. I only upload on Tumblr, AO3, and FFN. Title and footer banners by me. Dividers and support by @cafekitsune.

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