#yuta x rika

[joestarbuckss]

I am so unwell after the new leaks. Literally everything Yuuta does is for love. He loved Rika in the most pure way and I will never be okay.

Yuuta’s domain expansion is revealed and shocker, he named it Pure Love *slamming my head against the wall*

(if you’ll recall this scene in jjk0 ⬇️ I’m sobbing)

Of course he would dedicate his domain to the love of his life. Not only that, but inside his domain we see ribbons 🪢

The symbolism behind these type of knots has me in tears 😭❤️‍🩹

Marriage and funerals??? He is bound to her in every form. She was his wife and he honors her in everything he does.

Yuuta literally turned his domain into a memorial for Rika I’m so sick. He is the definition of Pure Love! Okkotsu Yuuta the man that you are 😩💞

*TRUST* Yuuta will defeat Sukuna with the power of love 🫶🏼

[sscarletvenus]

something something gojo being unable to cremate and put to rest geto's body and yuta roaming the earth with rika's remains always by his side, before both of them inevitably perish under the weight of their own purpose, the consequences of their existence as the "strongest"...

i'm a miserable person i perceive the cursed bloodline making itself woefully apparent in gojo & geto and yuta & rika and the cycle repeating itself, mobius strip of grief and damnation

[dreamyeuphoricll]

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY ❤️✨

Canon/semi-canon ships🩷

[marcobodtlives]

Jeanmarco but they have the same origin story as Yuta x Rika

(Two sick children meet in a hospital — they get better — they fall in love — they exchange promise rings and agree to marry when they’re older — vehicular tragedy ensues — a curse is born from their promise, binding their souls even after death — the curse protects and serves their one true love, always wearing the promise ring)

[innovativestruggles]

Yuta & Rika - a speculative analysis

Like with basically any fandom out there, I'm about 3 years late with JJK 0 😩 Regardless, I finally watched it yesterday and subsequently really, really needed to discuss this topic before I forget.

As an anime only fan, I only heard of Yuta from bits and pieces in the anime and from the fandom. That would go for Rika too so I never really understood the extent of their relationship until I watched JJK 0. But oh man, when I watched it, these two took my entire heart and soul.

And whilst I do get why Yuta is shipped with Maki or Inumaki, Rika wins it for me. And before I jump into my explanation, I want to say it outright - Yuta and Rika gives me strong Obito and Rin vibes 😳

Anyways let's talk about Rika.

This sweet yet psycho girl is a super side character (much like Rin), but I did a bit more research into her and it explained so so much more about her character and why she is the way she is (both as human and cursed spirit). Rika lost her mother unexpectedly at the age of 5 and then her father during a hiking trip together at the age of 11. There are speculations (by paternal grandmother) that she is involved in the death of both her parents. I cannot say too much about whether a 5 year old would have too much influence over their mother, but I will shelve this for now. I want to focus on Rika and her father. There is an explanation that one of Rika's biggest dislikes is older men. Let me tell you this - an 11 year old child with an adverse dislike for a specific portion of the population (older men) points towards one thing - abuse. This is an educated guess on my end (and if I was given a case in real life about this, I would come to this hypothesis as well), but the trauma Rika endured shaped her personality and how she would end up attaching herself to Yuta. We don't know exactly what sort of trauma Rika went through, but my guess is some form of physical or sexual abuse. The development of a 'manipulative' personality towards adults is a form of a survival mechanism developed to keep herself safe. Rika's father most likely had a role in her abuse and hence the mystery of his disappearance (and how it alluded to the fact that Rika had something to do with it, together with the explanation of her manipulative personality).

Let's come back to Rika's mother. There are two theories/hypothesis to this.

A 5 year would have enough cognitive capacity to understand that they are in an unsafe situation. However, it is unclear whether Rika's mother had any involvement in Rika's abuse. But what I presume is that she did not have a close relationship with her mother. The reason? She gave her mother's wedding ring to Yuta. A child impacted by abuse by one parent and not the other means they would naturally be attached to the safe parent, so anything sentimental attached to the safe parent would give the child a sense of safety. To give something special away like her mother's ring means her mother meant very little to her, so Rika decided to re-symobilise the ring into something new - something for Yuta. And because an 11 year old most likely cannot afford a ring

The second theory would be that Rika had a close and safe relationship with her mother, and the giving away of the ring to Yuta symbolises the safety and security she finds in him. I.e. the element of safety and security she found in her mother has been transferred to Yuta (via the giving of the ring).

Regardless of what theory we go with, there is too little information regarding Rika's relationship with her mother. We don't know what happened to her mother, whether she died of natural causes or was murdered. But all we know is that Rika most likely endured severe abuse by her father (that may or may not involve other older men).

Looking into Rika's personality. Her proposal to Yuta is a dead giveaway of her need to locate a safe space. Yuta is Rika's safety net. They met at a time where both were quite vulnerable - Yuta being unwell and Rika having returned from a mountain climb where her father went missing. Rika's proposal is an indicator of her need for a new life, the idea of marriage is to be permanently attached to her safety net and to have Yuta take her away from whatever she experienced. Of course, 11 year old children do have a basic idea of what marriage is, but it seems like Rika has more of an underlying idea of what she would like to utilise the marriage concept for - that is, to escape and re-establish her safety within the one person she loves and trusts. This explains her personality as a cursed spirit - jealous, overprotective, intense, emotional and childish. Through trauma, Rika learnt ways to ensure she is kept safe emotionally, psychologically and physically. She is always having to survive day by day until she is finally able to manipulate her father out of her life (again this seems a likely scenario, given the very little info readers are provided). When the one person (Yuta) who comes into her life finally allows her to be a child - to play, to have fun and give her the life she should have been having, naturally Rika would be overprotective of Yuta. As I mentioned, Yuta is her safety net, and to have him taken away (by bullies, by another love interest etc), is the decimation of Rika's own safety.

We were given only very small snippets into Rika's life and what she was like as a human. But her personality carried over into her cursed spirit form, and the basic information provided in the character profile, are both more than enough to deduce that Rika's background is incredibly complex with multiple layers of trauma.

One really big thing I would like to point out is Rika's comment before she moved into the afterlife - she was happier accompanying Yuta as a cursed spirit than when she was alive. This is another important piece of information that showed Rika most likely experienced a significant amount of trauma as a human. What would force an 11 year old child to come to such conclusions? The only answer is abuse. As a cursed spirit, Rika is able to escape everything and be by Yuta's side (almost like the prospect of marriage - "take me away from all this and let me be by your side forever")

For Yuta, I can't speak too much about him because his background as a child is essentially a mystery. Not sure about his parents and how he grew up. But judging from his bond and connection with Rika, I presume he grew up quite lonely and friendless. Whether there was trauma, I don't know but it did mention he had to distant himself from his family when Rika became a cursed spirit. Regardless, Yuta's acceptance of her proposal and his happiness at the prospect of being together forever with her as they grow older indicates to me that Yuta may have some complexities in his childhood we don't know about. But it could just be that he genuinely had a normal childhood and Rika was the one and only person outside his family he connected with. However, we don't know whether his timid nature occurred before he met Rika or after she became a cursed spirit. There are too many unexplained parts with Yuta. Anyways, we know Yuta loved Rika immensely (as much as Rika loved him), and his refusing to accept her death is an indicator of his feelings towards her. Their love for each other is pure and innocent because they allowed each other to live in safety and to be children.

And even after releasing her spirit, Yuuta still held onto remnants of Rika. I do love the idea of Yuta being able to move on and give himself to someone else, but I feel Yuta has a lot more unprocessed emotions regarding intimacy - that though he freed Rika, he seems forever bounded by being with her and only her.

So here's my conclusion for this pairing - their background and their pure love is what really made me love them so much. Does all this sound very Obito x Rin to you? Whilst Yuta is able to bounce back from the grief with the help of a mentor and friends, Obito never did. But they both shared an immense amount of grief from the loss of their loved one at an early age.

And yes, I seem to love my tragic rare pairs...dear oh dear.

Anyways, these are all speculations based on canon materials. So if you have any interesting hypothesis, I'd love to hear it!

[owarinaki]

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 - DVD Booklet

[bloombird]

The Cursed Lovers

[comicweek]

[zeherili-ankhein]

This song gives so much Yuta x Rika vibes

Especially this 2 lines-

Bichde bhi ham jo kabhi rasto me to sang sang rahungi sada

Kadmo ki aawaj sun ke chalungi tumhe dhund lungi sada

[specialgradefckr]

Heatwave: Day 2

tw: explicit content. 5k+ words. yuta/reader. female!alpha!reader, alpha!yuta, reader has a knot but also a vag. very barely dubcon, masturbation, fingering. mostly lots of pining. also light curse!rika/reader, but no monsterfucking (yet. curse!rika would 1000% hit it tho)

listen... it's not very smutty but read the fic. just read the fic. you're a tsundere and yuta and his curse girlfriend are smitten with you. it's really cute i promise.

Prompt: An Alpha finds themselves exhibiting omega traits in front of a stronger alpha.

Female alphas were less common than male ones, but they were common enough for there to be stereotypes about them.

Scary girls. Big girls. Strong independent women who didn’t need no men, ate pretty omega boys for breakfast.

There was a certain type of alpha ��� exclusively male, sometimes beta men were like this too – that saw a kind of challenge to it.

These sorts of dudes were obsessed with ‘alpha pussy’, swore it was tighter and hotter than any omega hole ever could be.

Never mind that there were some omegas who couldn’t take large knots without training, and anyone who wasn’t an omega needed a lot of practice before trying to take any knot at all.

It wasn’t about realism with these assholes. It was some weird, self-fellating bullshit about having made another alpha their bitch, being the alpha to another alpha.

Asshole alphas, that’s a good way to put it. A bunch of fuckwads who thought only with their knots and their egos.

Each and every one of them thought they were god’s gift to creation because they were alphas, born special and better than everyone else, all that garbage.

Yuta isn’t an asshole, but he is, shockingly enough, an alpha.

He’s a nice boy – maybe the nicest alpha you’ve ever met.

Makes it all the funnier that you get paired up with him on missions so often; the scary alpha girl and the gentle alpha boy.

You’d doubt his identity, too, if you didn’t know better. But you can smell it on him all the same. Unmistakable. Alpha.

And he’s strong, really strong, probably stronger than you, though the thought rankles.

Special grade, you’d heard – mostly because of the cursed spirit that hangs out with him.

But it’s not the spirit you smell when you sneak a discreet whiff of the scarf he’d left on the bench this one time. It’s an alpha, through and through.

It’s not the spirit that darts into the field on missions before you can, places himself between you and danger without even thinking about it.

Carves destruction with a graceful, brutal blade and then turns back to you with a sheepish smile asking if you’re all right.

He’s so… gentle. Careful. You’re not even sure he can get angry.

The closest you’d ever seen him to it was when a curse popped up behind you on a mission, while he was occupied with a special grade of his own on the other side of the room.

You’d seen a barrier appear in an instant, which must have been his domain expansion, and only a few seconds later the curse he’d been fighting was gone and the curse that ambushed you was impaled on his blade.

Even with blood on his face, he’d smiled at you.

Eyes shut, voice warm with sincerity, but the air was filled with a tense note of danger, barely constrained threat… just not towards you.

Somehow, you want to see more.

-

Prodding at Yuta Okkotsu is no easy task.

He’s about the most mild-mannered person you’ve ever met, and half-terrified that someone mistreating him would get on the bad side of the cursed spirit who hangs around him.

But you’re determined, and there’s not a lot that can stop you when you put your mind to it.

Alphas had a personal bubble – just like everyone else – and when another alpha gets into it, it usually sets them off.

You start to invade Yuta’s space; first, in small ways.

Leaning in when you hand him a soda, sitting a touch too close on a bench, lingering whenever one of you pins the other during sparring.

There’s a flush on his darling face, a tightening of his features as you see him catch your scent and react to your proximity before he represses the reaction completely.

But soon enough, that doesn’t phase him at all.

You've gotta hand it to him. That's some real control.

Soon he’s touching your hand when you pass him things, you can lean against him while you sit next to each other and he doesn’t bat an eye.

Neither does that supposedly scary curse of his, for that matter.

You see her, once, on a mission. A curse sneaking up behind you (it wouldn’t have been able to hurt you anyways) and you catch her, the curse Yuta normally keeps so carefully hidden.

Massive. Magnificent.

It’s not something you’d normally say about a curse but Rika comes with a scent all her own, fresh and woodsy pine, pricking at your senses while a gaping maw of sharp teeth closes around some pitiful lesser creature.

The blood splatters, on the floor, on her ‘face’. She has no eyes you can see, but you feel her gaze on you anyways. Heavy in the midst of the silence, until Yuta’s panicked voice rings out, and she disappears completely.

Pine lingers in your senses.

That’s not what Yuta smells like, though.

He smells so little, actually, so heavily repressed that you’re not surprised most people think he’s a beta. But your senses are better than most, and you can detect it.

Faint. Warm. Almost… oily? Like olive oil, maybe, something humble and smooth, but unexpectedly decadent.

Like the scent of a lone burning candle in an old shrine, not quite dusty, but with a book-like scent that came with ink and paper.

It’s hard to detect. You need to get closer to really pin it down.

Yuta’s physical abilities are weak, after all, so it’s easy to make up excuses to spar with him. More and more, since you can tell he’s no longer uncomfortable with you in his space.

One fine winter morning, you catch the opportunity you want.

A tumble on the ground (he was always so afraid of Rika coming out, but she never did when he fought you), a little scuffle that leaves the adorable gentleman alpha flushed and flustered, and you manage to snag his scarf off of him.

In the pocket of his jacket you leave him something in return; a band not quite large enough to be a scarf that you’d used to tie your hair.

It should have plenty of your scent on it, enough to make him sniff the air once or twice before he figured out it was there.

The thought pleases you. Like you can tease him a little bit at some random moment throughout the day, without even being there.

It’s five whole days before Yuta returns it to you.

His face a touch bashful, even though he must have known full well that you’d slipped it into his coat yourself. Eyes downcast, as if afraid to meet yours; Yuta Okkotsu, the special-grade terror.

He doesn’t ever ask for the scarf back.

Not that you remember it. It’s just sitting on your desk. You barely think about it.

It just happens that it still has his scent on it, but that makes sense.

It would have been in contact with his scent glands every day, wrapped around his neck like a collar. Like a warm embrace.

You don’t touch it, so it still smells like him. Warm and welcoming.

He’s really not much of an alpha.

After you spar, he always compliments you, careful to note any potential weaknesses between bits of lavish praise. His shadowed, dark eyes sparkle a touch when he tells you, a warm smile on his lips.

Yuta’s always doing that, complimenting people. You’ve never known him to disparage anyone. Never a bad word for a single person you’d met.

So kind. What kind of alpha is this sweet?

Somewhere deep down, though, you know. A real leader, someone people trust and rely on, a friend who would cross oceans for you, move mountains, if it would help you out even a little.

Sweet boy, like cotton candy. Comforting like a warm candle on a cold winter night.

So bright even thought Yuta looks like the gloomiest boy alive. Sometimes when you think of him your tongue runs over your lips, like you’re hungry for more.

You push him further.

You don’t avoid him when you’re close to your rut. In fact you make a point to be near him, get into his space.

Sure, you’d invaded it plenty now, but with your scent oozing out of you, pheromones heavy in the air screaming breed, breed, breed, and you figure something in Yuta will crack.

You never stop to think about whether or not you want it to.

-

It’s on a nice, sunny day that it happens. The most embarrassing moment of your entire existence.

Pre-rut is a bit brutal but you’re down to tough it out. Sparring with Yuta always helps, anyways.

You’re especially snarky, too, like you get during your rut, eager to taunt, to get more out of him.

“C’mon Yuta, that’s not all you’ve got, right? Ask your curse girlfriend for help, I’ll bet she knows how to lay it out.” Adrenaline fuels your heated banter as you watch Yuta pointedly avert his gaze, “You’re flinching and I’m barely hitting you.”

“I can do it,” He almost grumbles, but you think you see a shadow behind him, or maybe you just imagine it, lurking and eager to jump out, “And she woul- Rika is strong.”

The hormones are bad, though. Getting your body heavy with sweat and panting, moving around, lashing out at him, striking, grappling…

��That’s more like it!”

“You can take this much? Then - I’ll do even more!”

Who the fuck are you kidding. It’s the most fun you’ve had in weeks.

Yuta’s strong, stronger than almost anyone you know, he’s right in front of you, so close you can smell you can touch you get your hands on him and he on you and you’re rolling, rolling through the grass –

Yuta pins you, heavy breaths breezing over you, carrying the warm rich smell of him in your senses.

Sweat dripping down his forehead, mouth wide open, you can almost taste it (taste what?).

His eyes are dark and deep and beautiful and they look down at you like –

He’s looking at you like –

His lips curl upwards into the sweetest smile you’ve ever seen, your heart skips ten beats and you – you just feel so warm –

underneath him – the comforting weight of his body against yours – that delectable smell dripping over you – his arms around you, holding you –

You cough out a noise you think is a laugh. Yuta tilts his head to the side with fondness written all over his face.

“That was a pretty heavy bout – good job!” He beams down at you, voice is full of praise pouring over you like liquid gold, “Are you alright?”

You open your mouth to tell him you are, and to your horror, you realize the noise you make. You’re purring.

Instantly your face is set on fire.

“I.” oh god. What. What the fuck, “I’m…” Your voice breaks in a rumble.

Oh god this is so weird, alphas don’t purr at other alphas, what’s wrong with you – “Yeah! Fine!”

You say it too loudly and it shows. Yuta’s so close to you there’s no way he can’t tell what’s happening.

Even otherwise, your voice is cracking like some kind of hormonal teenage boy and you just.

Evacuate. Evacuate immediately.

Your hands fly up to Yuta’s chest and you try desperately not to notice how surprisingly well-built he is as you shove him up and off you.

He offers no resistance, stepping up and offering you a hand which you ignore in favor of sprinting off, like a guilty person would do.

Seriously? Seriously? This would go down in history as the day your dignity died.  

Where was your pride as an alpha? Where was your – your anything, to be honest.

Why the fuck had you just?? Gone so completely gooey and melty underneath him when he smiled at you like that?

Even thinking back on it heats your face. Then again, the whole thing was super embarrassing, so your face was hot anyways.

It occurs to you, walking back to your room in great shame, that you weren’t actually worried about anyone finding out about this, just that it had happened.

Alphas don’t usually purr unless they’ve just knotted someone and they want them to feel good.

And omegas would typically only purr at close family members or intended mates; a lazy sign of comfort and peace, and very occasionally, a come-hither-I’m-feeling-frisky signal to their alpha.

Whatever conclusion could be made about you purring at Yuta from underneath him… there was no option that wasn’t utterly humiliating.

But you only had to worry about what Yuta would think.

You knew Yuta wouldn’t breathe a word about this. Probably not even if someone held a knife to his throat (not that they could… special grade and all).

…you start to feel kinda bad now, actually.

No matter how you’d poked or prodded, Yuta Okkotsu hadn’t snapped at you.

Unflinching in his kindness. Eager to help always, with a hand or some friendly advice. Protective and powerful, never hesitating to put himself between you and danger.

You’d been inching into his space. Stealing his things. Taunting him during practice.

Honestly, if someone else acted like this to you, you’d call them a pest. You wouldn’t smile at them. Not like that.

Yuta must’ve been some kind of saint in a past life, if nothing you’ve done bothers him at all.

It’s weird. It’s all weird. Alphas aren’t like this, neither of you should be like this.

-

It gets worse. It all gets worse, so much worse.

Your rut is in full swing now, burning through you, searing holes in every ounce of sanity you ever thought you had. Nothing is sacred anymore, nothing is off-limits. There’s no shame left and no restraint.

The most heinous ideas flit through your mind, little flashes, lewd imagery of holes to fuck into and knots to squeeze, the tight press of flesh on flesh and dark eyes and lips that curve so gently upwards.

A scent that flutters just at the edge of your senses like the well-worn pages of familiar book.

The best you can do is stop yourself from crying out. The images get clearer, until there’s no denying what they are.

Yuta, on his hands and knees.

All spread apart.

Above you.

Below.

Smiling gently. Whispering words into your ear.

His lean form, the sleek musculature you know from so many fits of sparring, finally bared for you to feast your eyes. “Do you like it, alpha?”

Yes. Yes yes yes yes. Every fiber of your being cries out. The throbbing between your legs is unbearable.

“Do you want it?”

Never wanted anything more.

“You’re such a good alpha. I’m glad.”

Just the thought of the words, in his voice, draws a moan from your lips.

You want him. Want want want want WANT you NEED him where is he where can you find him? You’re going to hunt him down and –

The last remaining threads of your sanity grant you a burst of intuition.

A detail you’d never really forgotten:

The scarf on your desk. The one you hadn’t touched, hadn’t made smell like you. It should still smell like him.

Wait. Wait. What are you, some omega jerking off to the scent of your fucking crush –

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Crush. Okkotsu.

But you can’t get yourself to think about how that’s wrong, can’t convince yourself to deny anything when a pulsing, throbbing sensation between your legs screams mate mate my mate all mine –

Stumbling, staggering, all the way to the desk. Arm reaching out while you’re bent over and panting and nearly whining in your need.

Fuck. Pathetic, so pathetic.

And then you hold the scarf to your face, clutched in your hand like a lifeline. The scent of it is faint and inexplicably cozy, pure relief flooding through you.

It brings you to your knees. The ache between your legs demands attention and your other hand rushes to meet it, jerking and rubbing against your sexes while you sniffle and tear up.

Ruts suck when you spend them alone but this is better and worse than anything you’d ever experienced.

Bucking up into your hands, breathing in his scent like you can fill him in your lungs, inhale him like a cigarette and finally get rid of the pounding demand in your brain.

Every breath feels shallow, every grind against your hand only seems to make you hotter and hotter.

The ache in your core feels like being tugged around, demanding jerks of painful pleasure that don’t get you there, don’t get you what you need.

It’s all you can do to whimper and nuzzle into his scarf.

The primitive side of you urges you to pull it between your legs leg him take care of you, good mate, good alpha, let him feel you there, but your arm locks in place so you can keep breathing the scent like a lifeline.

When you finally do cum, you’re more exhausted than anything, spurting pitifully out over your hands and knees, knot bulging uselessly against your lower belly.

It leaks, slowly, painfully, as if to give you time to think about what you’ve done.

You decide you’d really rather not. Sliding a drawer open to pull out a toy, another toy, three of them, even – enough to overstimulate yourself to high hell, to keep every thought of Yuta and his scent out of your brain.

A vibrator in any hole you could fit it in, against anything that throbbed or ached. A fleshlight to fuck into, one a size too small just to make it hurt more.

Way less lubricant than you could have used, but somehow, your cunt leaks more than enough for all of it.

All to just barely stop the fantasies of a dark-haired, dark-eyed boy with a smile and a scent like the sun.

Without a doubt it’s the most miserable rut you’ve ever had.

You’re raw, red, and sore by the end of it and all you can feel is barely concealed rage at your own self for putting you through this shit.

You don’t even know if you’re mad that you fucked up, or that you’re crushing this fucking hard on a really nice dude you’ve been antagonizing for weeks.  

As soon as your rut ends, you steal another one of Yuta’s scarves.

You don’t give him anything in return this time.

-

Yuta likes women; this is something he’s known for a while.

It’s not until recently that he’s come to terms with the fact that he exclusively likes alpha women. He has you and Maki to thank for that.

In retrospect, considering his first love was a strong-willed young girl who proposed to him, it should probably have been more obvious.

Lucky for him, Rika also has a taste for alpha women, and she likes you much better than she liked Maki.

To be perfectly honest, it was Rika who liked you first.

The Rika he knew had passed on. The Rika beside him now is a curse that grew alongside him; in the image of his loved one, distorted and massive in all its malevolent glory.

She listened to him, for the most part, but perhaps because of some baser instincts of his – or perhaps some left-over preferences from Rika herself – she treats you with a particular affection.

You offer him a drink, moving just a touch too close to hand it over, and he feels Rika hum in approval.

His eyes glance over you unwillingly, your scent faint in his nose. It’s not as harsh as another alpha’s scent normally would be, either, which should have been his first warning.

Whenever you get close – too close, so much that it has to be on purpose – it’s almost overwhelming, so many emotions fluttering through him that he swears he can hear Rika giggling.

She likes it, too. You’re like fresh soil, like morning dew, the rainfall on a summer’s day.

He can tell, after one day he catches you right before your rut, wrestling with him, pinned underneath him and purring; you like him, too.

And then, he fucks it all up.

“Hey,” He calls you out by name and you turn back, meeting his eyes and walking back up to him.

The immediate response causes something dark and warm to burst in his chest; Rika purrs invisibly in his mind.

You try not to show it but you’re pleased when he calls out to you. He can smell it on you, happy pheromones that let him know you’re pleased he’s asked for you.

Not unlike an omega, and that thought really sets him going.

All this time you spent playing coy. Teasing him then running away, even from your own feelings.

You want him so bad but you’re so nervous, and seeing someone so strong and beautiful be so anxious about your want for him drives him completely and utterly insane.

It’s not like you’re cowardly, like he could be, sometimes.

You’re strong, you always give him a fight when you spar, you take the losses like a champ –

You would take his knot so so well RIKA PLEASE STOP THAT RIGHT NOW.

Now you’re staring at him, blushing like a schoolgirl, waiting for him to speak to you. So cute. So cute.

He’d caught you stealing his scarf again, you never gave any of it back. Are you building a nest? Do you like his scent like he likes yours?

Licking his lips, Yuta asks, “You’re – you’re an alpha, right?”

Oh. Oh, he should not have said that.

The surprise that flits across your face, and then the outrage, they tell him the same thing –

But his body receives a very different message, cock jumping in his pants at the scent.

All those times you’d sparred with him had trained him to get hard when you got in his space like this. Your scent wasn’t a threat, but a delicacy, and in his chest a rumble stuttered along with Rika.

“What the fuck are you trying to say, Okkotsu?”

Oh. Family name. You were really mad.

He could tell his face had already fallen by how you looked torn between pity and anger.

An apology lurched to stutter out through his lips, but instead –

Instead –

On the tip of his tongue, the edge of his senses –

“Are you… wet?” It sounds like a question, but that’s sheer politeness on his part.

He can smell it on betas as well as omegas, so it made sense that he could smell it on a female alpha, too.

Your face is hot, bright red, and so, so darling.

He can tell Rika is as thrilled to see it as he is, that she longs to reach out with one of her massive claws and clutch around your shapely waist, hold you in place for him to –

“What the fuck? Okkotsu?!”

Oh no. No no no no no no no. No! “Rika! Rika, don’t hurt her!”

She’s not hurting you. She would never hurt you.

This is probably worse.

“Hurt me? Fucking – ff – hng,” Yuta can’t stop the lurch in his gut, the wave of pure arousal that washes over him at the sound you make, “Get her off me, Okkotsu, you – ”

Your face is so red. Your scent. Your scent. It’s perfuse, a strong, tangy thing, delicious, he’d grown addicted to it and wasn’t that your fault?

Didn’t you do this to him, on purpose? Don’t you want him like this?

Slipping him little tastes here and there, shoving it in his face all the time.

Passing him a sample while you sneakily stole his scarf, hoarding his scent like a needy little omega?

Teasing him, getting in his face while you were in rut?

Purring at him when he pinned you underneath him?

Flushing when he called out to you, looking back, running up to him eagerly like an obedient, darling thing?

Yuta thought he liked alpha women, and he does.

But it looks like he especially likes alpha women who go all soft and squishy for him without saying as much, squirming and blustering and making faces like they’d like to eat him as soon as they thought he wasn’t looking.

“Don’t be upset.” His hands roam down to your sides. He doesn’t miss how you jerk at the contact. “I asked so I could help. Are you wet?” He says your name, a dark fire in his eyes.

You watch his tongue dark between his lips. Bite back a whimper. “Help me how? What’s – what’s she doing?”

“Helping me help you.” If you don’t want to tell, he’ll just check for himself.

His hands are cold, though, and you can’t stop the high gasp that escapes you when his hands dig under your waistband.

He murmurs a soft apology and the curse behind you chitters, chilled claws carefully wrapped around your torso.

Yuta drags your shorts and panties down in one motion, cooing softly at you when you shriek, one hand caressing your shoulder while Rika purrs, pressing herself up against your back.

Filling your senses with pine and Yuta’s oil, a scent like fire that burns to behold.

Warms you like sunlight.

“Yuta-” Even you weren’t sure what you were going to say, but his fingers between your legs send your brain for a complete loop. “I – what are you – we’re in – ”

“I put up a veil,” Yuta says, like (he knows) that was your only real objection.

Or maybe he’s lying. Yuta could tell you he was wearing Ryomen Sukuna’s underwear and you’d believe him, as long as he looked at you like that.

The smile you love so much is hungry, now, with those eyes dark with desire, with a curse clawing at you tenderly, like she just can’t let you go for even a second. Churning pleased little noises with every press and flex of her massive fingers around you.

Fingers darting to spread open your folds, even as you squirm. Bared in broad daylight with Yuta right in front of you.

Circling your hole while he looks you in the eyes, pressed close enough to hear you whine.

“I knew you were wet,” He murmurs, in a soft voice that sends liquid heat dripping down your legs, “Could smell it.”

Yuta leans in. He’s so pretty, so handsome, such a dark and darling thing with those heavy, soulful eyes.

He’s so close that when he whispers your name, you feel it on your lips. “You smell so good.”

He didn’t sound this hot even in your daydreams. He’s so close. So close. His breath ghosts over you like a curse hanging on your shoulder.

Your mouth falls open. Watering, like your cunt. Desperate for a taste.

And maybe you’re still an alpha after all, because finally, finally, you dive in and take what you want.

He tastes as rich on your lips as he’s smelled, soft and oiled and coating your senses. Blotting out everything until all you know is him.

Him, teasing over your clit with careful strokes. Growling into the kiss like he’s warning you not to pull back, Rika pressing you forward like you’re two dolls she can’t wait to smash together.

Arms dart out to his shoulders to steady yourself as he dips his fingertips into your entrance. Generous, broad strokes over your folds he spreads your arousal all over, returning to rub at your clit as he pulls away.

It’s good. So good. The oncoming pleasure builds and builds slowly with his ministrations, pooling heavily in your lower half. The urge to buck into it overtakes you, writhing for more friction as sparks begin to fly against your clit, closer, closer –

And then it’s you who can’t look away, locked in place under his gaze. “You’re going to cum for me? Do you want to?”

God it’s so fucking close, tears blot your eyes as you jerk into his fingers, and Yuta doesn’t even try to deny you.

He smiles at you, carefree. He already has his prey in front of him, unable to escape, uninterested in even trying.

You give him a feverish nod. “Will you tell me so? I want to hear you.”

Just a little faster, just a little more, more, “More please, please, make me cum –”

An exhale of a breath you hadn’t known he was holding, diving in towards your neck, nuzzling against your scent. Burying your face in his shoulder where his own was strongest.

It’s that breath that puts you over the edge, fast strokes of his fingers finally igniting the heavy pleasure pent up in your lower belly, the scent of him pouring over you.

You cum with a cry, mouthing at his neck just to soothe yourself, to taste him.

You feel the wetness of his tongue on your own scent glands. Hot. Drooling. He suckles at your taste, soft lips pressed to bare, vulnerable skin, and you let your head roll to the side to give him more.

All you can feel now is warmth. Warmth and Yuta’s familiar scent that makes your insides twist, the aftershocks still shuddering through you, twitching in his hold like some pitiful creature.

Every muscle in your body relaxes, and it’s only Rika’s grasp on you keeping you up. Fortunately, she’s strong. So strong.

Her head nestles into your shoulder, scenting you. Sweet, chilling pine on your sweaty skin. She purrs you through the bliss, cool against your body caught against Yuta’s own.

There’s a hilariously awkward moment where the two of you start catching your breath. Yuta looks flushed, handsome, as lovely as ever.

Still, his eyes find yours. He smiles. He’s always smiling at you, you’ve started to realize.

The thought makes you happy.

You like it. You like it a lot. Like him.

He’s even better than the fantasies.

“I’m going into rut,” Yuta says. “Because of… this.”

You swallow. “Oh. Okay.”

It’s hard to think too much about it, when the heat in your core is still dissipating, face burning up while you have yet to regain control of your limps

And between the two of you, Yuta must be the real alpha, because he’s the one who goes and just says it already.

“Will you spend it with me?”

“Your… your rut?”

“Yes. I want you to spend it with me.” He’s so close. You can feel the heat of his breath between you. "If you want."

A pause. You try, oh lord, do you try, to gather your thoughts for just one moment. “Are you going to try and mark me?”

“Can I?” His eyes are too light, too eager, the words too quick to fall from his lips.

Alphas don’t ask for permission like puppies begging for treats. But Yuta, your Yuta, he’s already pleading with his eyes.

“Maybe you should be more worried about me marking you.”

“Would you?” Barely contained excitement oozes from him, from his pheromones to his bright expression.

You think you hear Rika giggle behind you. Pleased. Razor teeth ghosting over your ear in a little kiss, as if to urge you forth.

It’s working. If you fuck this boy, you’re gonna bite him.

You’re going to sink your teeth into him the first chance you get, make him yours yours all yours forever and have him every way he can bend, mark him up until he fucks you back into submission.

You’ll fuck him and fuck his curse girlfriend, too.

But it would be weird to just say it, right?

“Maybe.”

He laughs at that.

Oh. Yuta’s always been pretty good at reading between the lines, hasn’t he?

Or, you think as he leans in for a kiss, forehead pressed to yours – maybe he was just good at reading you.

[joestarbuckss]

Rika let out a low purr of agreement, and Toge felt it vibrate right through her with a surge of power. Yuuta ran her fingers through Toge’s long locks, relaxing her as Rika became more bold with each stroke of her tongue. A gasp was pulled from Toge’s lungs as Rika breached her entrance and began to map out the walls of her cunt. Her toes curled at the stimulation and her hands were scrambling for purchase. — Yuuta grabbed Toge’s hand in hers, “She’ll fill you right up, darling. If it’s too much, just double tap my wrist, okay?”

excerpt from my latest fem yuuta/rika/toge fic

Toge goes to finally confess her feelings to Yuuta and stumbles on her and Rika being *intimate* - smut and fluff ensue 🫶🏼

[sscarletvenus]

haha... satoru regretting not joining suguru when he was given the chance and choice to, being lonely up until his death, feeling the need to catch up because he was "left behind", even murdering the ones responsible for catalyzing his separation from his one and only VS. yuta apologizing to rika for putting his wedding ring on the wrong hand, for summoning her with his right hand because his left one was sliced off, despite being in a life and death situation, AND if he does die he will do so on the day of rika's death, just like gojo did with geto.... god i hate lover boys they make me sick to my stomach

[sukunaspillow]

"Hes busy rn" Smau part 2

Fushiguro Megumi, Itadori Yuji, Inumaki Toge, Okkotsu Yuta

Part 1

Megumi:

Yuji:

Toge:

Yuta:

[gojobbg]

I’m glad your askbox is back on ♡ may I request something with Yuta and how Rika would behave (would she?) towards someone he has a massive crush on? I feel there will be a Conversation™️ between the two when things get spicier with reader, idk~ ily, have a lovely day!

omg Rika would be soo like possessive but willing. like, she would never go out of turn, but she wouldn't just stand around and let him do whatever without explanation

pairing: reader (f) x crush!Yuta (aged up) ft. Rika

warnings: kissing, touching

a/n: ily2 anon!!! thank u for the req :') happy i turned on my ask right when you wanted to send a req

Rika would never let Yuta live it down.

He, too, never expected that he'd love anyone again the way he did Rika. It was a love so profound that he could not let her go. His soul is forever bonded and imbued with her love, something that has proven to be his biggest strength. But then, there was you.

Yuta's eyes would always follow you whenever you'd train, staring in awe at the way you performed as if fighting were a tango. He'd study you at a distance, sat at a few benches with Toge and Panda. With hands weaved together under his chin, he'd stare at you adoringly. But, Rika would remind him of her existence and lightly push the bench he sat on, forcing all three of the sorcerers to try not to fall forward.

"Huh?" Panda exclaimed, looking over at Toge quizzically. He looked up at the clouds, "the wind can't be that strong, can it?"

Yuta looked over at the confused pair with a sheepish smile, "sorry. Rika was... feeling playful."

Even in the dining hall, Yuta would work up the courage to go sit with you and the other sorcerers. Taking a seat across from you, he'd quietly hum a, "good evening, y/n."

You consciously had to make sure you didn't smile too much at his presence and would give a small bow, "good evening, Okkotsu." Although the both of you were similar in age, he was still Gojo's student, and you had too much respect for him.

When Yuta spoke to you, there were fireworks. His heart felt elated and full just hearing your words, and the way you spoke. How gentle the words came out of your mouth, your tongue flicking right at your enunciations. He could remain like this here, with you, forever. But, as he lifted his spoon full of soup, the spoon immediately shot out of his hand, and straight through the bowl and table, to the ground.

"S-sorry," Yuta hums in embarrassment, immediately letting out a deep sigh before beginning to clean up. But you jumped to your feet to help him, creating a bigger problem in Yuta's heart... and pants.

"No worries, let me help!" You chime.

Finally, with much time and patience, Yuta was able to confess his feelings for you. His dark circles felt as though they cleared when you reciprocated his feelings. But in Yuta's head, he was quite surprised that Rika had yet to react. Little did he know what was to come.

You contently invited Yuta over one night as he finally had some time off. Gojo was grateful for all the missions he had taken up during a short and very needed period. He relieved him of his sorcerer duties for a week, in which Yuta had no plans besides you.

When he entered your apartment, the air immediately went hot. Although the two of you hadn't done anything yet, the sight of you in a little tank top and pajama pants was enough to do things to Yuta. Your chest was bare under that tank top, and the pants were doing your ass wonders.

He'd just stare at you, watching your lips move as you asked about his day. But once you realized he wasn't listening (and he reason why), you immediately went quiet and felt your cheeks warm. Yuta's exhausted eyes lit up, energy returning to his pale skin.

In moments, his hands snake down from your sides to your waist, slowly making its way to your bum. His dark blue eyes hold hesitance, searching for constant reassurance in your own. "Is this okay?" He murmurs, cheeks completely flushed with his bottom lip wedged between his teeth. Once you give him the greenlight, nothing stops Yuta from enjoying you.

Cold lips meet your own, and the two of you finally closed the gap. The usually respectful and patient Yuta was now replaced with the ever hungry beast before you. His tongue dragged mercilessly against your bottom lip, forcing entry to tango with your own. He tasted of green tea and fig.

You could feel his fingers dent into your ass, his force pushing your body into his own. His back meets with the wall, and your body follows suit. He smells so good... feels so good... your hands sneak its way to the top of his pants, tugging teasingly. When you did, Yuta quickly pulled away.

He kept hold of you, staring down at your beautiful face. His heart could explode now from just the way your eyes met his own. They were filled with lust and worry. "m'so sorry to stop us like this... do you think it's okay if I have a moment? With Rika?"

Your cheeks go hotter, but you understood completely. You turn around and gesture the balcony, "go ahead there. I won't disturb you." You were not even an ounce upset, and Yuta couldn't be more grateful. Leaving a peck on your forehead, he calmly walked over to the balcony and slid the door shut behind him.

In the privacy of the outside, Yuta walked over to the ledge of the balcony, propping his forearms over it. He let out a long sigh before looking up to adore the stars. He begins to toy with his ring with an amused smile, "I never realized you could do that, Rika." He referred to the way she had made the ring spin while the two of you were kissing. "I must be pushing your buttons, huh?"

Rika was above him, holding onto the side of the building. Tears began to escape her body, her hand shakily reaching down at Yuta. "Yuta..." she cried, her usual shriek replaced with a calm whimper. Yuta couldn't dare scold her, for her feelings weren't wrong.

Turning around, Yuta looks up at her and smiles, "I know; this isn't fair to you. I would give the world to reverse what happened to you, and have you here with me properly. But that isn't what happened."

Rika remains still, her gaze falling to the door of the balcony, in which you resided on the other side of it.

Yuta continues to smile brightly, "I know you don't like sharing but she... y/n, she's good to me. And I need her like I need you. She keeps me safe like you do." He walks up to her, offering a hand. "Please be kind to her, Rika."

Rika leans down slowly, hesitantly. As she cowers her head, she asks quietly, "love me [still]?"

His hand pats her head gently, "always. That will never change, Rika. I promise." After a few moments, Rika seems to accept and finds comfort in his touch. Before she exits her physical form, she causes Yuta's ring to spin once more. He chuckles, shaking his head, "I know, don't worry."

Yuta joins you back inside, where you quickly jump up and rush to him. "Did everything go well?" You ask in a hush tone.

Yuta nods, "nothing to worry about."

[x-hotoke]

Can you do a yandere Yuta one where he is actually sweet, but slightly cold and possessive?

HEADCANNONS on platonic yandere yuta

Sugar coated words

writer's note: i'll make this a headcannon since i think it fits the request quite well but I'll think about making a oneshot as well! this is a male reader insert btw but you/your pronouns are used.

warnings: yandere themes, possessive themes, stalking, breaking and entering.

You were with Gojo when you first met him, handing back his card. The moment his hand touched yours, he felt a shiver run down his body. After that encounter, he would always hang out with you every single day.

The first time he was introduced to the others, once he stepped foot inside the classroom, you felt the atmosphere changed and everything felt heavy. You shook it off, seeing the rest of them try to attack him.

Whenever he isn't with you, he's probably doing something. At first he doesn't know about his feelings for you but time flies by, he would find himself hanging out with you — ignoring everything.

You labelled his as a sweet, caring friend. He always looks after you even in missions you were tasked with. (He definitely didn't sneak out to join you.)

After a while, you noticed the changes in his behaviour; he was always cold and possessive. He doesn't let anyone near you except Gojo of course but the others will face the consequences even if they were a foot away from you.

His sugar coated words turned cold — he would easily get irritated with you and that's something you didn't like — everything about him turned cold.

You decided that you had enough, talking to him about it. Concerned and off put by how he was acting towards you and the rest.

“You changed, yuta. You're not the same sweet and caring yuta I knew—”

In response to what you said, he got infuriated. He has done everything for you, keeping people who would influence you in a bad way away from you.

You were ungrateful. An ungrateful man. He didn't talk to you for days after that, dodging you every time you would call out to him.

Until one day, he approached you smiling. He bought something for you, your favourite food. He apologized for the way he was acting as you ate the food given to you. Before you can even reply, you felt your eyes drooping — blurry vision. You held onto his shoulder for support as he reassured you that everything would be okay.

Maybe you shouldn't have trusted him in the first place nor even met him. In the past few days he has been avoiding you, he was watching you sleep — stalking you wherever you go. After you wake up from your sleep, everything feels nauseating, the drug in the food you ate was still in effect.

You find yuta, next to the bed you were on with a tray on his hands.

Every time that you refuse to eat, he would forcefully shove the spoon in your mouth with a scowl on his face. He wouldn't do anything besides sit on the edge of the bed, muttering to himself and leaving the room at last; locking it tight.

What about your curse technique? Even if you did manage to get outside, he would hunt you down and if he did; he knew you wouldn't go down without a fight considering you were a first grade.

Despite the huge difference between the two of you, you put up a good fight. You had no chance against him in the first place — with rika of course.

By the time you get to the room he locked you up in; he would throw you inside and isolate you for days as punishment.

Overall; you wouldn't be able to escape him without any help from someone stronger than him and rika combined but the chances are low of you finding someone —maybe Gojo? But you weren't confident he will because days have passed and none of your friends nor teachers has come to save you from yuta's clutches. You are his best friend for as long as both of you live whether you like it or not.

[dee-writes-anime]

Love Me, Let Me Go, Keep Me

FEATURING Yuta Okkotsu x Reader, Toge Inumaki x Reader

SUMMARY Why is it that men only realize what they want when they can't have it?

CONTENT WARNINGS fluff, angst (justice for inumaki), childhood best friends to lovers, yuta being jelly

AUTHORS NOTE enjoy the word vomit I've served you! #justiceforinumaki

It was one of those late afternoons where the sun lingered lazily in the sky, casting a golden hue across the campus of Jujutsu High. The breeze carried the smell of blooming flowers and the distant sound of birds, but Yuta felt none of it. He had just returned from a mission, his body still weary, though his thoughts were full of a different kind of exhaustion.

You had always been his constant—his childhood best friend, the one person who knew him before the darkness, before curses. Your friendship had been the one thing that never changed, no matter how much the world twisted around you both. But lately, something was different. You seemed lighter, like something had shifted in your heart, but Yuta couldn’t quite place what it was.

As he made his way to the courtyard, his eyes scanned the familiar paths, hoping to spot you. He had been looking forward to this moment all day—to hear your laugh, to see the way your eyes crinkled when you teased him. You had been his refuge, his anchor, and he couldn’t wait to spend time with you.

But when he found you, you weren’t alone.

His footsteps faltered as he saw you sitting under a tree, a familiar figure beside you. Inumaki Toge. The two of you sat close, your bodies angled toward each other in a way that made Yuta's heart stutter. Inumaki was speaking in his usual cryptic, yet oddly endearing, speech, and you laughed—a sound that usually warmed Yuta’s chest now felt like a weight pressing down on it.

Yuta watched as Inumaki gently reached out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. The motion was soft, intimate. And the way you smiled at him, that look in your eyes—Yuta had never seen you look at anyone like that. Not even him.

He felt the world tilt.

You were dating him. Inumaki.

His mind tried to piece together every little clue, every moment you had seemed happier, more distracted. He should’ve known. He should’ve seen it. The late-night texts, the quiet giggles, the way you always seemed to light up when Inumaki was around. But he had ignored it, because the idea of you with someone else—especially someone as close as Inumaki—was something he couldn’t bear to face.

Yuta's hands clenched into fists at his sides, his breath catching in his throat as the realization settled in. You were happy. Happier than he had ever seen you. And that should have been enough for him—your happiness. But why did it hurt so much?

He forced himself to take a step back, his shoes scuffing against the pavement. The sound must have caught your attention because you looked up, eyes widening when you saw him. For a moment, your smile faltered, uncertainty flickering in your expression.

“Yuta!” You called out his name, waving him over, your voice full of the same warmth you always had for him. But this time, it felt distant. Like something was standing between you.

Yuta swallowed, forcing a smile as he walked toward you. His heart hammered in his chest, and he prayed that neither of you could see how much this moment was shattering him. “Hey,” he greeted, his voice rougher than usual, but he managed to keep it steady. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Inumaki gave a soft nod, his eyes calm as always, but Yuta could see the subtle way his hand rested on your knee, as if anchoring you to him. As if he knew, too, what this moment meant.

You shifted slightly, clearing your throat, and though you tried to act like everything was normal, Yuta could see the nervousness in your eyes. “No, you’re not interrupting at all,” you said quickly, a little too quickly. “Actually, I was just going to tell you… Toge and I… We’re… We’re dating.”

You said it softly, as if afraid of how Yuta would react. But the words felt like a punch to the gut, knocking the air out of his lungs. He had already known, of course, but hearing it—hearing you say it—was different.

For a moment, Yuta stood there, frozen, as if time itself had stopped. He looked at you, then at Inumaki, and something inside him twisted painfully. He wanted to be happy for you, he really did. But all he could feel was the sharp ache of something breaking inside his chest.

“Wow,” Yuta finally managed, forcing a laugh that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “That’s… That’s great. I’m happy for you.” The lie tasted bitter on his tongue, but he swallowed it down. This wasn’t about him. It was about you, and if being with Inumaki made you happy, then he had to accept that.

You smiled, but there was a flicker of concern in your gaze, as if you could sense the tension in him. “Thanks, Yuta. I wanted to tell you sooner, but… I wasn’t sure how to…”

“It’s fine,” Yuta cut you off gently, not wanting you to feel guilty. He could feel the weight of Inumaki’s eyes on him, steady and knowing, but Yuta couldn’t bring himself to look at him. Not now. “I get it.”

The silence that followed was heavy, filled with all the unspoken words Yuta didn’t know how to say. He wanted to tell you how much you meant to him, how much he wished things were different. But instead, he just stood there, a smile plastered on his face, feeling more distant from you than ever before.

And for the first time, Yuta realized that no matter how much he cared for you, no matter how much he had hoped—he had lost you.

To Inumaki. To your happiness.

And it broke him.

Yuta’s chest tightened as the silence stretched on, and he felt the weight of the moment pressing down on him. He should’ve said something—anything—to fill the void, but the words were caught in his throat, tangled in the emotions he didn’t want to face. Your eyes stayed on him, searching his expression, and he wondered if you could see the cracks forming beneath his careful facade.

Inumaki shifted beside you, subtly straightening as though sensing the undercurrent of tension that rippled between you and Yuta. His usual calm remained, though Yuta noticed the protective way his fingers drummed lightly against your leg, like he was ready to shield you from whatever might come next.

“I guess you guys are spending a lot of time together then, huh?” Yuta asked, his voice sounding strangely distant, even to himself. He tried to keep it casual, but his heart ached with every syllable. He already knew the answer, but asking somehow made it feel more real.

You nodded, a shy smile tugging at your lips as you glanced at Inumaki, and the look you shared sent a sharp pang through Yuta’s chest. “Yeah… It’s been nice. We’ve been keeping it quiet for a while, just to figure things out, you know?”

There it was again—that happiness radiating from you. It should’ve brought Yuta peace, knowing that someone he trusted was the one making you smile like that. But all he could think about was the distance that seemed to grow wider between you with every passing second.

The breeze picked up, rustling the leaves above, and Yuta felt a chill despite the warmth of the setting sun. He forced himself to meet your gaze, though it felt like a herculean effort just to keep his voice steady. “I’m glad… that you’re happy.”

You beamed at him, your expression softening with relief, but Yuta could see the flicker of uncertainty still lingering in your eyes. “Yuta, you’re okay with this, right?” Your voice was gentle, concerned, and the care in it almost undid him.

He wanted to tell you the truth, to let the raw honesty spill out, but he couldn’t. Not when you looked at him like that—with that same kindness you always had. It made him want to be better, stronger. So he nodded, his smile still in place, even as his chest ached with the weight of it. “Of course. You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy.”

The words felt hollow, but they were all he had to give.

You reached out then, your hand brushing his arm, a familiar touch that once brought him comfort. But now it only reminded him of everything that had changed. “You mean so much to me, Yuta,” you said softly, your voice full of sincerity. “I hope you know that.”

Yuta swallowed hard, nodding again as his throat tightened. “Yeah,” he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. “I know.”

Inumaki stood quietly beside you, his presence steady and unintrusive, yet Yuta could feel the unspoken understanding between them. Inumaki wasn’t oblivious to Yuta’s feelings. How could he be? They were too close, too intertwined in each other’s lives for something like this to go unnoticed. But there was no malice in Inumaki’s gaze, no smugness—only quiet empathy.

Yuta appreciated that, even if it didn’t ease the ache in his heart.

He cleared his throat, trying to shake off the heaviness that lingered between them. “Well, I should probably get going,” Yuta said, glancing away as he took a step back. “I’ve still got some things to take care of.”

Your brow furrowed slightly, concern flashing in your eyes. “Already? I thought we could hang out for a bit.”

The offer was tempting. Part of him wanted nothing more than to sit down with you, to pretend that things hadn’t changed, that everything was as it used to be. But he knew better. Being near you, seeing you with Inumaki—it was too much, too raw. He needed space to figure out how to process it all.

“Yeah, I… I just remembered I’ve got some paperwork to finish up for Gojo-sensei,” Yuta lied, hating himself for it. “But we’ll catch up soon, I promise.”

You opened your mouth as if to protest, but then you hesitated, sensing that something was off. Still, you gave a small nod, though your worry was evident. “Okay… But don’t be a stranger, alright?”

Yuta’s smile wavered, but he forced himself to hold it. “Never.”

With that, he turned away, his steps heavy as he walked back toward the school building. Each step felt like it was dragging him further away from the life he had once known. A life where you and he were just Yuta and his best friend. No complications. No heartbreak.

His chest tightened as he made his way through the courtyard, the laughter and distant chatter of other students buzzing around him, though it all seemed to blur into a meaningless hum. The evening light grew dimmer, casting long shadows across the ground, and Yuta felt like one of them—fading, lost in the background.

Once he was far enough from the courtyard, Yuta finally let the smile fall from his face, his expression crumpling as the emotions he had been holding back crashed over him. He leaned against the wall, the cool stone grounding him as he took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm raging inside him.

You were with Inumaki now. That was the reality. And no matter how much Yuta wished things were different, he couldn’t change that.

But as much as it hurt, he knew he had to let you go.

He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the stone as he forced himself to accept the truth. You were happy. And that was all that mattered.

Even if it meant that Yuta had to break a little in the process.

The days following Yuta’s quiet retreat turned into weeks, and soon a month had slipped by. Each day felt like a slow unraveling, the thread of your friendship with Yuta pulling thinner and thinner until it was barely there, frayed at the edges. You tried to pretend things were normal at first, convinced that the growing distance was just a phase—something that would pass once the shock wore off. But it never did.

Yuta was slipping away.

It began subtly, with missed texts and short replies. Where once he would have responded to your messages within minutes, now hours passed before you saw his name pop up on your screen, and when it did, his responses were painfully polite, almost impersonal.

“Hey, Yuta, want to grab dinner later?” “Sorry, I’ve got a lot of work to finish up.”

The excuses piled up like bricks between you, forming a wall that grew higher with each passing day. And the more you tried to reach out, the more Yuta seemed to pull back, always just out of reach.

It wasn’t like him—not the Yuta you knew. The Yuta you grew up with was warm, kind, always ready with a smile or a joke to lift your spirits. You had been each other’s constant, no matter what life threw your way. But now, it felt like he was turning into a ghost, a distant shadow of the friend you once knew.

And it hurt. More than you had expected it to.

In the quiet moments, when you were alone with your thoughts, the hurt festered, leaving you with a heavy ache in your chest that wouldn’t go away. You had Toge, and your relationship with him brought you happiness—real happiness. But Yuta’s absence left a hollow space that nothing else could fill. You missed him—missed his laugh, his voice, the way he could make even the worst days seem bearable just by being there.

But he wasn’t there anymore.

There were moments when you tried to talk to him, to break through the walls he had put up. But every attempt was met with the same empty responses, the same awkward smiles. When you saw him on campus, he avoided eye contact, his gaze sliding past you like you were just another face in the crowd. It felt like a slap every time.

The worst part was not understanding why.

You had thought Yuta would be happy for you—happy that you had found someone who made you smile the way Toge did. But instead, it felt like you had lost your best friend, and the more you tried to figure out why, the more lost you felt.

There was a particular afternoon, nearing the end of the month, when you finally hit your breaking point. It had been another long day, the weight of Yuta’s absence pressing down on you more heavily than ever. The courtyard was quieter than usual, the sky tinged with the deep colors of sunset as you sat on the edge of a stone bench, your phone gripped tightly in your hand.

You stared at the screen, at the last message you had sent Yuta two days ago. No response. Again. The knot in your chest tightened, and without thinking, you pressed his name and waited as the phone rang.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings.

It felt like hours before the call finally clicked, and you heard his voice on the other end, distant and cool. “Hey.”

Just that. Hey. No warmth, no familiar teasing. Just the sound of someone who didn’t want to be on the phone.

“Yuta,” you began, your voice shakier than you intended. You took a deep breath, steeling yourself. “Can we talk? Please? It’s been… it’s been a while.”

There was a long pause on the other end, the silence stretching out so long you almost thought he hung up. Then, finally, he spoke. “I’ve just been really busy.”

“Busy,” you repeated, your frustration rising. “You’re always busy now. You barely even look at me when we pass each other, and I don’t understand why.” Your words spilled out, the hurt you had been holding back for weeks finally bubbling to the surface. “Did I do something wrong? Is it because of Toge? I just—” Your voice broke. “I miss you, Yuta.”

Another silence, this one more painful than the last.

When Yuta finally spoke, his voice was quiet, almost hesitant. “I’m sorry. It’s just… things are different now.”

Different. The word hit you like a punch to the gut. You had known things were different, but hearing him say it out loud made it real, undeniable. The distance between you wasn’t just imagined. It was there, and Yuta was acknowledging it.

“Why does it have to be different?” you asked, your voice trembling. “We’ve been through everything together. I don’t understand why this is any different.”

Yuta sighed, the sound heavy with something you couldn’t quite name—regret, maybe, or something deeper. “I don’t know. It just is.”

Your heart ached at the finality in his tone. This wasn’t the Yuta you knew. The Yuta you knew would have fought for your friendship, would have told you what was wrong, would have let you in. But this Yuta—the one on the other end of the line—felt like a stranger.

The air around you felt colder, the weight of the past month settling heavily on your shoulders. “I just… I miss you,” you repeated, softer this time, your voice almost breaking. “I miss my best friend.”

For a moment, you thought you heard something in Yuta’s voice—something that hinted at the old Yuta, the one who cared, the one who missed you too. But when he spoke again, his words were gentle but distant. “I’m sorry,” he said, and that was all. No promise to make things right, no explanation for why he had pulled away. Just an apology, hollow and empty.

Tears stung your eyes, but you blinked them back, swallowing the lump in your throat. You didn’t want to cry, not now, not when you were still clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, he would come back to you.

But as the silence stretched on, you realized that hope was slipping through your fingers like sand.

“Okay,” you whispered, your voice barely audible. “I guess… I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah,” Yuta murmured, the word hanging in the air like a ghost of what used to be. “See you around.”

The call ended with a soft click, but the echo of his voice stayed with you long after, a reminder of what you had lost.

You sat there for a long time, staring at the phone in your hand, the empty space beside you feeling even more hollow than before. The sun sank lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the courtyard, and you wondered if the Yuta you knew was lost in those shadows too, slipping further and further away from you with every passing day.

And no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t pull him back.

It was raining the day you finally decided you couldn’t take it anymore. The steady downpour mirrored the ache inside you, the weeks of silence, missed calls, and half-hearted excuses building up until you were drowning in them. Yuta’s absence was like a wound that wouldn’t heal, and every day, the distance between you only deepened the cut.

You were done with it. Done waiting for him to come back, done pretending that everything was okay. You needed answers.

The campus was quiet in the rain, students moving quickly to get out of the weather, and you were soaked by the time you found him—leaning against a stone wall outside the training center, staring blankly into the distance. His hair was wet, strands plastered to his forehead, and his uniform clung to his body from the rain. He looked as distant and lost as you felt, but that only fueled the fire in your chest.

He didn’t even notice you approach until you were right in front of him, your heart pounding in your chest, anger, hurt, and confusion swirling together into a storm of emotion that you could no longer hold back.

“Yuta!” you called out, your voice sharp and louder than intended, but you didn’t care. You were done being quiet.

Yuta’s eyes snapped to yours, wide with surprise, and for a brief moment, something flickered across his face—guilt, maybe, or recognition of the pain you’d been carrying. But it was gone just as quickly, replaced by that same guarded look he’d been wearing for weeks.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, his voice cautious, like he wasn’t sure how to handle you being this close.

You didn’t answer right away, your hands balling into fists at your sides as the rain poured down around you, mixing with the tears that were already threatening to spill. You’d spent a month trying to keep it together, trying to understand what had gone wrong, but now that you were here, standing in front of him, the dam broke.

“I can’t do this anymore, Yuta,” you said, your voice trembling with the effort to hold back your emotions. “I can’t pretend like everything’s fine, like we’re still friends when you’ve been avoiding me for weeks.” You took a step closer, your breath shaky. “What happened? What did I do to make you hate me?”

Yuta flinched, the accusation hitting him hard, but he didn’t respond. His eyes dropped to the ground, as though he couldn’t bear to look at you.

“That’s it, huh?” you continued, anger rising in your chest. “You can’t even look at me now. What did I do, Yuta? Why won’t you talk to me? Why did you disappear?” Your voice cracked, and you felt your heart shattering all over again.

The sound of the rain was deafening, filling the space between you, but Yuta still said nothing, his silence only making the knot in your chest tighten. You swallowed hard, your frustration boiling over.

“Is it because of Toge?” you demanded, the words tumbling out before you could stop them. “Is that it? Do you hate me because I’m with him now? Because I chose him?” Your voice shook with desperation as you searched his face for any kind of reaction, but all you saw was the same cold distance. “I didn’t choose him over you, Yuta. I didn’t think I had to!”

Yuta’s jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists at his sides, and you saw the tension in his shoulders, the way his chest rose and fell with uneven breaths. But still, he didn’t speak.

You took a shaky step forward, your voice dropping to a whisper, raw and filled with hurt. “I miss you. I’ve missed you every single day, and I don’t understand why you’re doing this to me. Why are you pushing me away?”

The rain poured harder, the drops pelting against the pavement, but you didn’t care. You were trembling now, soaked to the bone, but the cold was nothing compared to the freezing ache in your chest. You stared at him, pleading with him, waiting for any kind of answer, but when none came, something inside you snapped.

“Say something!” you shouted, your voice breaking with emotion, the tears you’d been holding back finally spilling over. “Anything! Just tell me why!”

That was when Yuta broke.

“Because I can’t stand it!” he yelled, his voice raw and filled with a desperation that matched your own. His eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and pain, and for the first time in weeks, he looked at you—really looked at you. His face was flushed, his chest heaving as he struggled to find the words. “I can’t stand seeing you with him! I can’t stand seeing you with anyone else but me!”

The world seemed to stop for a moment, the rain falling in heavy sheets around you, but all you could hear was the sound of his voice, the truth of his words slamming into you like a wave. Your breath caught in your throat, shock and confusion warring in your chest as you stared at him, trying to process what he had just said.

Yuta ran a hand through his wet hair, his eyes filled with frustration as he turned away, pacing like he was trying to outrun the storm inside him. “I’ve tried, okay? I’ve tried to be okay with it. I’ve tried to be happy for you, but I can’t. I can’t pretend like I’m fine when all I want to do is tear myself apart every time I see you with him.” He stopped, his back to you, his shoulders slumping. “I thought I could handle it. But I can’t.”

You stood there, frozen in place, your heart pounding so loudly you could barely hear the rain. You’d known something was wrong—something had been wrong for weeks—but this… This was something you hadn’t expected.

“Yuta…” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the rain.

He turned back toward you, his face twisted with anguish, his eyes filled with a pain so raw it nearly knocked the wind out of you. “I love you,” he said, the words slipping out like they had been caged inside him for too long. “I’ve loved you for so long, and I didn’t even realize it until it was too late. Until I saw you with him.”

Your heart lurched in your chest, your breath catching as the weight of his confession settled over you. The world seemed to blur around you, the rain, the campus, everything fading into the background as Yuta’s words echoed in your mind.

He loved you.

You didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to respond to the flood of emotions crashing over you. All you could do was stand there, drenched and speechless, as Yuta’s confession hung between you, raw and exposed.

“I thought I could deal with it,” Yuta continued, his voice quieter now, filled with a sadness that cut deep. “I thought I could push it down, bury it, but I couldn’t. And every time I saw you with Toge, it just…” He shook his head, his expression filled with helplessness. “It killed me.”

You stared at him, your heart racing, trying to make sense of everything. You wanted to be angry, wanted to scream at him for leaving you, for pulling away, but all you could feel was the ache of his pain mixing with your own.

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Yuta said, his voice soft, his eyes meeting yours with a vulnerability you hadn’t seen before. “But I couldn’t keep pretending. I couldn’t keep being your friend when all I wanted was to be more than that.”

His words shattered the last of your resolve, and before you could stop yourself, you stepped forward, closing the distance between you. The rain poured down in heavy sheets, but neither of you moved, standing inches apart, your breath mingling in the cold air.

“You could’ve told me,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “You didn’t have to disappear. You didn’t have to leave me alone.”

“I know,” Yuta said, his voice cracking. “I know. I’m sorry.”

The weight of Yuta’s confession hung heavily between you, thick and suffocating, and despite the raw emotion crackling in the air, you couldn’t find the words to respond. Your heart was pounding, the rain plastering your hair to your face, and all you could think about was the boy you had grown up with—the boy who had loved Rika with such devotion, such intensity, that it had shaped him.

How could he say he loved you, too?

Your breath hitched, panic rising in your chest as the reality of the situation began to settle in. This was Yuta—your best friend, the boy who had been by your side through everything, who had carried the memory of Rika with him everywhere he went. How could you even begin to reconcile that? How could you be anything but second in comparison to the ghost of someone who had meant the world to him?

“I… I have to go,” you stammered, your voice barely audible as you took a shaky step back, your mind racing to find an excuse, anything to get away from this overwhelming storm of emotion. “I can’t… I need time. I can’t do this right now.”

Yuta’s eyes widened in alarm, his hand half-reaching for you before he stopped himself, his expression torn between regret and panic. “Wait—”

But you didn’t wait. You couldn’t. The walls were closing in, your heart twisting painfully as you turned and fled, your feet splashing through the puddles on the pavement as you ran blindly away from him, away from the truth you weren’t ready to face.

The rain poured harder, blurring your vision, but it was nothing compared to the torrent of emotions swirling inside you. Yuta’s words echoed in your mind, repeating over and over, leaving you dizzy and disoriented.

I love you. I’ve loved you for so long.

But what about Rika? How could he love you when he had loved her so deeply, so painfully? It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

By the time you reached your dorm, you were soaked through, your clothes clinging to your skin as you collapsed onto your bed, curling into yourself as the tears finally came. You didn’t know how long you stayed like that, your heart aching, your mind racing with thoughts of Yuta, of the way he had looked at you, the pain in his voice as he confessed.

And in the back of your mind, guilt started to fester, creeping into every corner of your thoughts, because you were with Toge. He was the one you should be thinking about right now, the one who had been there for you, who had loved you in his own quiet, tender way.

But it was Yuta’s face that lingered behind your eyes every time you closed them.

Over the next few weeks, everything felt different—heavy, uncertain, like you were walking on a tightrope between the two boys who meant the world to you. Yuta had kept his distance, his usual smiles and greetings replaced by awkward silences and careful glances. And every time you saw him, your heart twisted painfully, his words playing over and over in your mind.

Meanwhile, your relationship with Toge began to unravel.

It wasn’t anything dramatic—no fights, no angry words—but the weight of Yuta’s confession had lodged itself between you and Toge like a splinter you couldn’t remove. You started to notice the way Toge’s gaze would linger on you longer than usual, the silent questions in his eyes as you drifted further and further away from him, lost in your own thoughts. He could tell something was wrong, but you didn’t know how to explain it to him without hurting him more.

It all came to a head one evening, when you were sitting together in your dorm room, the silence between you thicker than usual. Toge had been unusually quiet all day, his notebook and marker resting in his lap, untouched, and you knew—you knew—that something was coming.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Toge picked up his marker and began to write, his movements slow and deliberate, like he was choosing his words carefully. When he finished, he turned the notebook toward you.

I know you love him.

The words hit you like a punch to the chest, stealing the breath from your lungs as you stared at the page, your heart racing. You opened your mouth to protest, to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come. Because deep down, you knew he was right.

Toge didn’t wait for you to respond. He began writing again, and this time, when he held the notebook up, his eyes were filled with a quiet, heartbreaking understanding.

I’ve known for a while. But I was selfish. I didn’t want to let you go. I wanted to believe that I could make you happy, that I could be enough. But I see it every time you look at Yuta. And I can’t stand watching you hurt anymore.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you read his words, your chest tightening with guilt and sorrow. “Toge, I—”

He shook his head, giving you a sad, understanding smile as he wrote one final message.

I love you enough to let you go.

You felt like your heart was being ripped in two, the weight of everything crashing down on you all at once. The tears spilled over, and before you could stop yourself, you leaned forward and wrapped your arms around him, holding him tightly as you sobbed into his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry,” you whispered, your voice breaking. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t know—”

Toge hugged you back, his embrace gentle, forgiving, as he patted your back, comforting you even though you didn’t deserve it. He held you for a long time, letting you cry until the tears finally slowed, until the ache in your chest dulled to a quiet, lingering sorrow.

When you finally pulled away, Toge smiled at you—sad, but kind—and you knew that this was the end. He didn’t need to say it, and you didn’t need to explain. You both understood that things would never be the same again, but there was no anger between you. Only love, and the bittersweet sting of letting go.

In the quiet moments after the breakup, when the weight of everything seemed too much to bear, you found yourself slipping back into memories of simpler times—of a childhood filled with laughter and warmth, where the world had yet to become complicated and heavy.

You could still picture it vividly, as though it had happened only yesterday: a summer afternoon, the sky a brilliant blue with cotton clouds lazily drifting by. The sun was high, casting a golden glow over the small park where you and Yuta had spent countless hours together, running through the grass, carefree and full of life. The world was so much bigger then, and yet it felt safe in a way that made you believe nothing bad could ever touch you.

There had been a small hill at the edge of the park, one that you’d always liked to roll down, laughing as the earth spun beneath you and the sky blurred into a swirl of blue and green. And Yuta—always cautious, always the careful one—would stand at the top, watching you with wide, anxious eyes, as though he wasn’t sure whether he should join you or pull you to safety.

"Come on, Yuta!" you had called out to him, your voice light and teasing, the wind lifting your words as you stood at the bottom of the hill, arms wide open as if you could catch the whole world in your embrace. "It’s fun! Don’t be such a scaredy-cat!"

He hesitated, his small hands twisting the hem of his shirt, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he glanced nervously down the slope. "What if I fall?"

You’d laughed then, the sound bright and full of innocence. "That’s the point, silly! It’s fun because we fall. I’ll be right here to catch you."

Yuta had blinked at that, a mix of wonder and uncertainty flickering in his eyes. But eventually, with a deep breath and a determined nod, he took a running start and threw himself down the hill, his arms flailing as he tumbled toward you in a mess of limbs and laughter.

And when he finally reached the bottom, breathless and dizzy, you had caught him just like you’d promised, your arms wrapping around his smaller frame as the two of you collapsed together in the grass, giggling uncontrollably as the world continued to spin around you.

For a long time, you just lay there, staring up at the sky, your sides aching from laughter, the scent of earth and summer filling your lungs. The air had been warm, the kind of warmth that seemed to wrap around you like a blanket, and Yuta’s head rested on your shoulder as the two of you watched the clouds drift by in comfortable silence.

“See? That wasn’t so bad,” you’d murmured after a while, turning your head to glance at him, a soft smile tugging at your lips. “You didn’t fall that hard.”

Yuta had looked at you then, his wide, brown eyes filled with a quiet awe that you hadn’t understood at the time. “I wasn’t afraid because I knew you’d catch me.”

It was such a simple thing, a quiet confession from a boy who had always been a little more sensitive, a little more cautious than the others. But it had stuck with you, even then, the way his trust in you had been so absolute, so pure.

You didn’t realize it at the time, but that moment—lying together in the grass, the sun kissing your skin, the world stretching endlessly before you—had been the beginning of something deeper. It was the foundation of the bond that would carry you through the years, through the laughter and the tears, through the heartbreak and the healing.

But now, as you stood in the present, far removed from that sun-soaked memory, the ache in your chest was sharper, the edges of that innocent childhood blurring with the weight of everything that had come after. You had promised to always catch him, but you hadn’t kept that promise. Somewhere along the way, you had let him fall, too caught up in your own fears and insecurities to notice how much he needed you.

And now, the boy who had once trusted you so completely, who had loved you without hesitation, was standing on the other side of a divide you weren’t sure you could cross.

You sighed, running your fingers through your hair as the memories swirled around you, bittersweet and heavy with the knowledge of what you had lost—of what you could still lose if you didn’t act now.

Yuta had always been there, hadn’t he? Always the one to catch you when you stumbled, always the one to pull you up when you were too afraid to stand. Even after Rika, even after everything that had happened, he had stayed by your side, his love for you quiet but unwavering, waiting for the moment when you would finally see it for what it was.

And now that you had, now that you could see the truth so clearly, you couldn’t let fear hold you back any longer.

You weren’t children anymore. You couldn’t go back to those simpler times, couldn’t return to the days when love was something you didn’t have to think about, didn’t have to question. But maybe—just maybe—you could still catch him, even after all this time.

With a deep breath, you pushed the memories aside, your heart heavy but resolute. There was only one place you needed to be now.

It was time to see Yuta.

Your heart was pounding in your chest, nerves twisting in your stomach as you raised your hand to knock. You hadn’t seen him since your last conversation—since the confession that had turned your world upside down—and you didn’t know how he would react to you showing up now. But you couldn’t wait any longer. You couldn’t keep running from the truth.

When the door finally opened, Yuta stood there, looking just as surprised as you felt. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of you, but he didn’t say anything, waiting for you to speak first.

“I… I need to talk to you,” you said, your voice trembling slightly, but you forced yourself to meet his gaze, to hold onto the resolve that had brought you here. “About what you said. About everything.”

For a moment, Yuta looked like he was about to say something, his expression tense, but he nodded, stepping aside to let you in.

The room was quiet, the air between you heavy with unspoken words, but you didn’t wait. You couldn’t. The second the door closed behind you, the dam broke.

“I didn’t know,” you began, your voice soft but urgent, your heart racing in your chest. “I didn’t know how much I loved you until you said it. And I was scared, Yuta. I was so scared because I thought I would never be able to measure up to Rika. I thought you would never see me the way you saw her.”

Yuta’s breath hitched, his eyes widening in shock, but you kept going, the words tumbling out faster now, your emotions spilling over.

“But then I realized… you’ve always been there for me, haven’t you? You’ve always been by my side, and I was too afraid to see it. Too afraid to admit that maybe I’ve loved you all along, too.”

Yuta’s hands clenched at his sides, his voice low and filled with disbelief. “You… You love me?”

You nodded, tears welling up in your eyes as you took a shaky step toward him. “Yes, Yuta. I love you.”

And before you could second-guess yourself, before you could let fear hold you back, you closed the distance between you, wrapping your arms around him in a tight, desperate embrace. Yuta froze for a moment, his breath catching in his throat, but then he was hugging you back, holding you like he never wanted to let go.

“I’m so sorry I ran,” you whispered into his shoulder, your voice thick with emotion. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner.”

Yuta shook his head, his hold on you tightening as he pressed his face into your hair. “Don’t apologize,” he murmured, his voice cracking with emotion. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

You pulled back just enough to look up at him, your heart swelling with relief, with love, with everything you had been too afraid to feel before. And in that moment, as Yuta leaned down and pressed his forehead to yours, his eyes soft and filled with a tenderness that made your heart ache, you knew that this was where you were meant to be.

Together.

Finally.