Flickering Lights
Chapter 2: A Tall, Pink Haired Man
Chapter (1/3)
True Form Sukuna x Reader
For tags and synopsis, please see Chapter 1!
Bam!
You slam the door shut behind you. Finally you’re home in your small apartment, still thinking about what happened in your office. Sitting down on one of your two chairs, you absentmindedly tap with your key into the surface of your kitchen table.
Tap.Tap.Tap.Tap.
“Who was that?” you mumble to yourself, while your leg is wiggling nervously. “Where and… why? Four eyes and four arms, too?”
A pause.
Tap. Tap.
“HOW?” you blurt out loudly and distort your face in confusion. Your brain is so tired.
Shaking your head, you decide to get up and get a hot shower.
-Monday me- is going to have a huge problem, leaving the office like this.
“This” meaning a broken window, a crack in the floor and the wall. Your computer is for the trashcan, too. A fucking mess.
Motherfucker.
You kind of hope it was a dream, a hallucination or a lightning. Monday you will get back to your same old habit, going to work and writing emails, lists and calculations. And then Tuesday. And then Wednesday. Thursday. Friday.
Sigh.
Rashhhhh
You close the shower curtain in front of your face and turn on the water. Warm steamy drops are tickling your face and calming your nerves. Sleepiness washes over you with the steamy warmth and you’re quick to finish soaping you up. You let out a big yawn, as you turn off the water and step out.
“Time for bed.” you sigh, before you brush your teeth and dry yourself. Taking your phone with you, you carry yourself up the ladder to your elevated sleeping space. The perks of living in tokyo.
Mini studio apartments.
Crawling onto the futon, you pull the blanket up to your nose. A last time you peek onto your phone, before your eyes shut themselves.
- 01:38 a.m. -
“Goodnight...” you mumble, before you fall asleep. “Stranger.”
♫ Up with the sun, gone with the wind, she always said I was lazy-
“The fuck?” you breathe into the darkness, still half asleep, as you peek onto your phone, trying not to get blind from your display brightness.
- 6:00 a.m. -
“Ughhh shut up, Bob.” you groan, as you shut your alarm off. You must have forgotten to adjust the settings in your alarm to workweek only, after you had to get up for an out of schedule meeting last saturday.
But, today is free.
You close your eyes and think about what you want to do today.
Get new earphones perhaps. Get groceries. Find out who…who…
Zzzzz…
After a moment, you send another peek to your phone.
- 10:12 a.m. -
“Good morning sunshine.” you grumble to your sleepy self, before you yawn and stretch. “Sorry Bob, now you can sing.” you mumble and put on Bob Seger’s song that ripped you out of sleep earlier.
-play-
“Travelin maan, love when I caan. Turn loose my hand ‘cause I’m goiingg.” you sing, as you’re making yourself some eggs for breakfast, checking your social media inbetween. You roll your eyes, as you read that there’s some unnecessary discourse over something unimportant AGAIN and you swear to yourself, that you’re going to delete that app sooner or later. It just makes you angry.
Fucking idiots.
Your eggs are ready and you sit down, take a bite and text your bestie Mio.
Oy. Akiba in 45 mins?
👍
Good. Need new headphones. Mine broke last night.
No wonder. Get some real ones.
You huff at her text.
“No way.” you smile, as you’re putting your phone away and shove the last bite of eggs into your mouth. You need to get dressed quickly, in order to catch the next train to Akihabara.
On your trainride, you stare out of the window across from you. Listen to the railway and see the houses passing by, the sun shining onto the roofs, before the train goes underground again. Silhouettes and moving lights run along the window.
Moving lights. Flickering lights.
And suddenly you remember last night.
What happened?
That creature, that… man.
How unusual he looked and how his eyes pierced through your soul.
Uncanny.
You wonder if you should tell Mio about it.
Maybe not…
Maybe it was a dream or a hallucination or a lightning after all.
…That rip in space definitely.
But what if he was not?
“Excuse me, is everything alright?” an elderly woman that’s sitting right next to you asks you.
You must’ve zoned out, looking so concentrated… maybe even, as if you’re constipated or something.
“No, I’m fine. Sorry- I mean, thank you.” you force a smile at her, before you pull out your phone to look busy at least.
And you start to scroll on your socials.
And scroll.
And scroll.
And scroll.
Not thinking anything, just remembering that man’s face. Those tattoos. The nose.
Kinda pretty nose, you think as your lips turn into a pout.
Two slits in his eyebrows.
That mask.
So interesti-
Wait what?
Interesting…?
Sigh.
…He is.
You get out at Suehirocho Station and walk to the next 7-eleven, the point where you’re going to meet with Mio. She’s not there yet, so you decide to walk in and buy an Onigiri.
Only one?
No, two.
For later.
Of course you open the first one immediately and bite into it. The first bite is always the best.
Goddamn.
You love it. Closing your eyes, to savour the taste, you stand in front of the store, enjoying the bliss.
“Oy, peanut!” Mio’s voice comes up behind you. You turn around and nudge your head to her, shooting her a look.
“What’s up?” you say with your mouth full.
“Got one for me, too?” she eyes your Onigiri.
“No.” you bite into it another time.
She cocks her eyebrows at you, probably already knowing that you bought two and that you don’t want to share, before a little pout cracks upon her lips.
“Get your own!” you complain, before she pokes her finger into your arm.
“I’ll get you some snacks later!” she coos.
“Fine!” complain and offer her a bite of your last piece.
“Mwuah hah hah!” she laughs deeply in excitement, before she gulps down the whole remaining Onigiri. “I know you love me.”
“Ehhh.” you sigh, letting your shoulders sink, disappointed that she ate it all.
“Sorry.” she brushes off her hands on her jacket. “Anyway, let’s go, my greedy little peanut.” she says, before she hooks her arm into yours. “Did you cut your hair?”
You laugh her question off, as you both start to walk into the city.
While on the search for new 5000 yen headphones, you both keep bullying each other lovingly, laugh and talk about the week. No matter how exhausting your workweek is, she always manages to distract your mind, makes you feel not as lonely. She really is the light of your week.
You don’t really know how it came to this. To feel like this in this city of millions. You used to go out, to dance and fuck a guy every now and then. But maybe it was just the start of how you feel now. The nights of clubbing grew rare, the nights at the computer and phone listening to music grew more frequent. Because nothing could really satisfy it. This hole in your heart. Listening to music helps. Spending time with Mio helps, but only to a degree. Because you wish for a change in your life. More than work and eat and shower and sleep. More than everyday life.
However, you decide not to tell her about what happened last night. Maybe you’ve gone crazy after all. Even if you’re not, you still feel odd about it. Feel, like it might be the change you yearned for, an adventure.
Feel like it only belongs to you.
Quickly you find some new headphones and earn a mocking joke from the side, while Mio continues to buy herself a new phone case. Huge, pink and with little glittery stones and charms.
So ugly.
“Don’t look at me like that, when you’re the one who walked around with a Hello Kitty phone for the longest time!” she complains.
“At least I wasn’t mistaken for a disco ball.” you sneer at her.
You walk to another store to get your promised snacks and after a while, when the hottest gossip is done being discussed, you catch yourself getting silent inbetween.
Because your mind wanders off.
Because you remember.
Those eyes.
Dangerous.
Sometimes she notices and throws you a glance, but you just wave it off, excuse it with sleepless nights because of work.
And she buys it.
At least you hope she does.
“I need to get home.“ you sigh, as you arrive at the next train-station. “I still need to get some groceries. I’m gonna gonna see you next week?”
She sighs too and stops in her tracks. You turn and look to her, seeing her face turning serious. Suddenly the energy shifts. You halt and frown at her in confusion.
Something’s wrong.
“What?” you ask.
“I need to tell you something.” she looks to the ground and it makes you worried.
“What is it?” you poke her shoulder.
She hesitates.
“You’re gonna hate it…” she mumbles and your heart starts pounding. You hate situations like this. Last time she acted like this, she told you she lost the one pair of very expensive headphones you bought in your life. You hated her for it, but you learned your lesson.
Crossing your arms, you keep staring at her, almost holding your breath, trying to remember what kind of item you possibly could’ve lent her recently.
A pause.
“I’ll be on a work trip.-”
“Jesus.” you complain, as you exhale loudly in relief, rolling your eyes.
“For the next week.” she continues, a smug smirk on her face. So proud, knowing to have you fooled so good. “Coming back on Sunday night.”
You sigh.
“I’ll manage!” you exclaim snobbish into her face, but deep down, you know it’s gonna be hard. You’re not gonna see her for two weeks and you’re gonna miss her. A lot. Next to the fact that you can’t meet up with her next weekend, she’ll be busy too and not be able to text you much during the week either.
She punches your shoulder, before you grab her sleeve.
“Come.” you tug on it. “We gotta wish you a safe travel and return.” you mumble, as you drag her with you.
“Huh?” she exclaims, but gives up and willingly walks down to the underground with you.
“I didn’t go to the Meiji shrine in a while. Let’s hang up an Ema there.” you fiddle with her sleeve, as you’re both sitting next to each other in the train towards Yoyogi Station.
“Is everything alright?” she asks and you notice real concern in her voice.
She knows something’s up.
“I think I need to go out more, Mio.” you mumble. “If you’re not here to cheer me up, I need to see someone else then.”
“Sounds as if you’re already have someone in mind.” she jokes and you feel the heat rising in your ears, feel caught.
“Yeah.” you fake-laugh, before you try to change the topic. “Where are you going next week?”
“We’re going to have some meetings in Gifu. But also team-building events, this sort of stuff.” she says, while fiddling with her new phone case and you nod.
“Never went there.” you respond. “Tell me if it’s nice, yes?”
“Sure, little peanut.” she smiles, before she looks back at you. You smile back before, looking around in the wagon.
“Maybe you should go out while I’m gone.” she says, making you look back at her. “Try to focus less on work and have some fun. Treat yourself.” she punches you in your arm again.
Hard.
“Ow!”
“It’s just work after all.”
“I shall.” you hiss, while you rub your hand over the soon-to-be bruise, as the train stops at Harajuku-Station.
After a short walk, Mio and you arrive at the entrance of the shrine. It’s busy, just like the last time you visited, but as soon as you walk through the Torii, it grows calmer with each second. You might not believe, that in you’re a city of millions, when you walk through the beautiful area around the shrine. Trees and plants seal yourself off the loud noises of the streets.
Quiet.
Maybe I need a vacation.
“I’m thirsty.” Mio longingly says, as you walk past the huge Sake barrels.
You snort at her comment.
“Mio Mio Mioooo.” you squeak like a bird. “You called me greedy.”
“That’s what you are.” she chimes. “I know you still have that second Onigiri in your jacket.”
“Shut your mouth.” you smile, while you look up to see the sunlight shine through the branches of the trees, as a gentle breeze flows against your faces. It’s beautiful at this place, but somehow, a weird feeling grows in your gut.
After a ten minute walk along the shrines nature, you arrive at the camphor trees where the Emas are hanged upon. Mio steps forward, reading some of the wishes that are already hung up. After purchasing a little wooden plate yourself, you tipple to the desks and start writing.
For my lovely Mio.
Please let her have the safest travel, a lot of fun and a more safer return to her little peanut.
You draw a little raccoon in the corner, since that’s her favourite animal and turn around, ready to hang it up, only to notice, that Mio holds a little wooden plate in her own hand as well.
“No! I already got one!” you wiggle it into her direction, before you hang it up.
She steps into the corner of your eyes, hanging her own plate right next to yours. You’re about to complain that she bought an unnecessary one, as your eyes catch what she wrote.
For my lovely y/n.
Please let her have the most fun, good food and a little adventure, until her Mio returns.
“Is this for me?” you ask with wide eyes.
“Bro, it’s your name right there!” she sneers as if you’re stupid, tapping her knuckle loudly against the plate.
Your heart warms up, before you continue in a serious voice.
“You forgot to draw a cat.”
“I cannot draw a cat.”
“Bullshit. Everyone can draw a cat.” you wave her off and turn around, only to see-
Oh shit.
You freeze in your spot, as you see that tall man from last night standing in front of the holy praying area of the shrine. His back is turned to you, but his height, his black cloak and the pink spiky hair is proof enough.
A sinister energy reaches your feet and crawls up your legs.
“What’s up?” Mio asks, as she notices how you froze in your spot, tugging at your sleeve.
Your heart starts pounding.
Badum. Badum. Badum.
In the corner of your eyes, you see Mio catching focus on that man herself.
“I’ve never seen a guy that tall-“
“Me neither.” you mumble, while you keep staring. In the corners of your eye, you see many people walking around the mean, peeking and staring and mumbling about his unusual appearance.
He walks up the stairs, shoving a middle aged woman out of his way. She tipples, looses balance and-
Bam!
falls down the stairs, while he’s stepping closer to the doors that lead to the praying area. The huge doors, that now don’t seem to tall in comparison anymore.
“Disrespectful asshole!” Mio exclaims in disgust, as an appalled gasp is heard from the by-standing people and the feeling in your gut grows into a huge lump. Others rush to the woman to help her back up, and Mio wants to go forward too, but you grab her sleeve, holding her back. You stay silent, as you keep watching the man intensely, seeing him lay his right hand on the wooden surface of the saisen-bako that’s placed inbetween the doors. People start to talk to him, try to get his attention, but he is ignoring them, concentrated on doing what he came to do.
Your eyes are fixated on his hand, a tattooed black ring decorating his wrist. The people around him grow louder and louder, but the sound grows mute in your ears. Almost as if you’re hypnotised, you watch how the wooden surface starts to vibrate, the lines between his hand and the wood start to blur. A deep humming starts to vibrate in your ear, just like last night.
Mio notices your trance and calls you, but you hear without hearing.
Whatever he’s doing, it has you in his grip.
Mio calls you again, louder and snips her fingers in front of your face to wake you from your trance but you keep being fixated on his hand until-
“Hey!” another man loudly exclaims and tugs on his cloak to get his attention. Without even looking, the pink haired man flicks his left hand and suddenly the throat of the other man bursts with blood and his head falls from his shoulders.
Fwip!
Pap.. Pap… pap.
Down the stairs it falls and rolls. Your heart drops and everyone starts to scream, as your eyes widen in horror. Blood splatters everywhere, as the head rolls and comes to a halt next to the woman, coating the holy grounds with red essence.
“Y/N!!” Mio calls your name again, now very loud and clear, making your body finally start moving.
You meet Mio’s eyes and grab her wrist, before you run towards the entrance, already seeing security guards run into the opposite direction. Other people run in panic as well, shoving you out of their way, almost make you stumble. For some reason, shortly before you can run through the huge gate, you need to turn around.
Turn around.
The time slows down.
Exhale.
You look.
Focus.
And he turns around, too. Making your eyes meet his for the split of a second, before you turn back forward again, running through the gate.
Inhale.
Sirens are already howling in the distance, as Mio and you and many other people run through the shrine grounds in order to get back to the entrance you came from. Your heart is pounding in your throat and your throat is as dry as sand, as you finally reach the streets. A glance to Mio and a nod from her confirm that you will not separate your ways right now. She’ll come with you.
Bam!
Zschk Zing!
You lock your front door behind you, as Mio sighs loudly, slumping down on one of your kitchen chairs.
“Jesus.” you sigh under your breath, your hands still lingering on the door-lock, your eyes staring into nothing. The image of that mans head rolling down those stairs keeps replaying in your head.
“Gonna make tea.” Mio says, before she gets up and fills the cattle.
You blink and shake your head, before you turn around and sit down on the other chair on the adjacent corner of the table.
You have seen some bad stuff on the internet before. Multiple times unfortunately. However it’s still different to see such things in real life.
“The police will get him right?” she asks.
“Maybe they shot him on sight.” you mumble. “Most probably.” you try to assure her and yourself.
She hums and the kettle starts to whistle.
Louder and louder.
Louder and louder.
Until Mio takes it from the stove and fills your cups with water.
You take a sip and the warmth flows through your body, making you feel better in an instant.
“I still got no groceries.” you mumble into your cup.
“Let’s just wait a bit. It’ll be safe in a few hours.” she mumbles into hers.
A pause.
And you ponder.
“He wouldn’t have slashed that man, if he let him do his thing in peace.” you sip absentmindedly. “Whatever he was doing.” you add and she glances over to you, cocking an eyebrow.
“If he didn’t shove that woman down the stairs, he wouldn’t have been bothered.” she responds annoyed. “Nothing he was doing can justify this.”
“Yeah.”
Another pause.
“Doesn’t matter now, they probably shot him.” she sighs.
Your eyebrows twitch at the thought. Somehow, you don’t feel like it’s true.
A few silent hours go by, sipping tea, trying to calm down. Both of you avoid to read the news, try to distract you from what just happened, talk about anything, except about what happened at the shrine today.
And somehow, it works. They probably shot him after all.
The sun sets and it grows dark outside. Mio taps on her phone.
- 10:13 p.m. -
“I think I should go now.” she sighs. “Gotta get up early tomorrow.”
You inhale deeply, knowing it’s the last time you’re gonna see her for at least two weeks.
“Alright.” you exhale, as you stand up and walk her to your door. “Text me when you’re at the station, k?”
“Sure, peanut. The police is probably still roaming around. And if not they got him.” she smiles at you and leans in for a tight hug. “Gonna miss you.” she whispers in your ear and it almost makes you tear up.
What today happened was a lot for you and now you have to deal with it alone, if the distraction looses its effect. For two whole weeks.
“Gonna miss you, too!” you sniff into her ear and press her against you, before you separate.
“Stop crying, bitch.” she jokes and boops your nose.
You stick out your tongue and with wet eyes, you unlock your front door.
“Here you go, your Majesty. Please return safely.” you bow, trying to overact your upcoming crying-session and it makes her giggle.
“It’ll be fine.” she waves you off and walks down the hallway. “I’m a big girl.”
“Text me!” you yell after her, before you close and lock up the door.
Zschk Zing!
Silence.
Too silent.
You grab your back and pull out the new headphones you bought. In all the hectic you forgot to properly charge them, but luckily, they always are charged halfway up when you buy them.
You sit down on your kitchen chair and go to your phone’s settings, to connect it via bluetooth with your headphones.
It worked.
You put them on and scroll through your music library, not sure what will give you the right mood for now. If you want more distraction or if you want to cry. Already feeling an empty feeling spreading in your heart, you scroll and scroll and your eyes keep watering.
Maybe crying it is.
Mio didn’t text yet and you hope she’s about to arrive safely at the station. It’s just a short walk anyway. You keep scrolling. Being a person who listens to almost everything, it’s difficult to choose sometimes. Closing your eyes, you tap on shuffle, letting fate decide what song to play.
But right in the moment, when the song is about to start, a loud knocking is heard on your door.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
You quickly look to the door.
Mio?
Maybe she forgot something.
Without turning off the music, you put your headphones on the table and tipple to the front door.
“Mio, is that you?” you call.
No answer.
You frown in suspicion, before looking through the peephole.
And your heart drops into your socks, as you see a deformed fish-eye version of a stranger.
A tall, pink haired man.
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