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You had never particularly enjoyed grocery runs, but today marked a new low. Between the store being out of stock of a few too many of the things on your list, getting reprimanded by an old Karen on your attire, and having to walk home with the groceries because your car had broken down on the way back, you were about ready to strangle the next person who looked at you funny. At least Sukuna had promised that he would be at your place later today. You chose to ignore how the mere thought of him and the moment you had shared the other night made your heart flutter. You fumbled with the keys to your door, eventually having to set down the bags to get in.
The door finally creaked open, and you made your way to the kitchen to drop everything off. You would worry about getting everything put away in a moment; all you wanted to do right now was flop onto the couch and unashamedly feel miserable.
You rounded the corner into your living room, startled when you locked eyes with Sukuna, sitting in the middle of the floor. When he came over, he’d usually make an appearance around five or six. Right now, it was hardly noon.
“Sukuna? What are you-” It was then that you noticed them. Four kittens joined him on the floor, one of them batting at his outstretched hand.
“I was wondering when you’d be back,” he said, turning his attention back to the small creatures. Initially, you were slightly afraid of what he planned on doing with them, but seeing how gently he allowed his finger to be munched on by a black kitten that couldn’t be more than five weeks old somewhat quelled your fears.
You padded softly over to where he was sitting and took a seat beside him, careful not to scare any of the kittens. “Where did they come from?” You picked up one of them, a calico.
“Someone left them in a box on the side of the road.” He gave the one still snacking on his finger a scratch on the chin.
“And you… brought them here?” You tried to get the calico to cuddle with you, but it was obviously more interested in playing with the way it squirmed to escape. You chuckled lightly, letting it back onto the floor.
“Don’t read into it too much.” Sukuna shot you what could only be interpreted as a warning glare. “I might have the blood of thousands of children on my hands, but that doesn’t mean I’m entirely heartless.”
You were unable to stop yourself from giggling.
“Oh, save it. You would have done the same thing,” he sneered.
“Well, obviously. It just never occurred to me that you would. Have you named them yet?”
“Two of them.” He gestured to the black one, who had now made its way up his arm and was perched on his shoulder. “This one is Malice, and this one-” He picked up a tortoise shell by the scruff of its neck. “-is Decay. Malice and the calico are girls, and the other two are boys.”
You snickered at his dark name choices, scooping Malice off of his shoulder and cradling her in your arms. “Hello, Malice.” When you gently pet her cheek, she shut her eyes and leaned into your hand. You just about died on the spot from how adorable it was. “What about the other two?” There was still the calico and a grey tabby who remained nameless.
“Well I thought-” Sukuna pointedly looked away from you, fixing his gaze on Decay. “Maybe you would want to name those ones.”
A bright smile crept its way onto your face. “That’s sweet of you.” You gave Sukuna a peck on the cheek.
He shoved your face away. “Would you name them already before I change my mind?”
You laughed, amused at how easily he had gotten embarrassed. It was a stark contrast to how bold you'd known him to be before. “Hmmm. Let me think.” You brought your hand under the calico, who had been making a beeline for the space under your couch, and brought her up to your eyes. You stared intensely into her face, racking your brain for a good name. “I’m calling this one Checkers,” you announced.
“What about him?” Sukuna dumped the grey tabby into your lap.
After another moment of careful consideration, you made your decision. “Slumber.”
“Malice, Decay, Checkers, and Slumber,” Sukuna repeated. “Certainly an odd collection of names.”
You nodded, beaming down at the little guys. “They’re so tiny.”
“Which one are you keeping?”
You looked up at Sukuna. “I mean- I wasn’t sure if… I don’t know if I’m necessarily ready for-”
Sukuna’s blood-red irises darted over to you, sternly letting you know that he wasn’t taking no for an answer. You sighed, admitting defeat.
“Malice. I like black cats.” You leaned your head onto his shoulder, the two of you watching as the kittens wrestled with each other. “I’ll call a shelter to see if they have any space for the other three. But you’d better swing by to help out with Malice sometimes. Which is not just an excuse to have you around,” you added as one of his eyebrows raised.
Sukuna shifted his head to look down at you, smirking. “Oh, don’t worry. I got the picture that you like my presence from the-” he paused, running a finger down your neck. “-cute noises you were making the other night.”
Heat rose to your face as the scene flashed before your eyes once more: you sitting on Sukuna’s lap as he played with the entirety of your neck, having just confessed the true nature of his feelings for you.
“Hm. Cute.” He leaned down, positioning his mouth right at your ear. “You… aching for more?”
A shudder ran down your spine at the closeness of his words. You turned your lips to his as a response, about to make contact when Sukuna pressed a finger against your lips.
“Ah ah ah. We’ve got four creatures to take care of, remember? Can’t have you getting distracted, now can we?” He laughed at the pout on your face. “Don’t be too disappointed. There'll be plenty of time for that later.” He stood up, sauntering into the kitchen.
“You’re such a dick,” you laughed, shuffling after him.
“You should really get this milk in the fridge before it goes bad,” he said, standing directly in front of your grocery bags.
You rolled your eyes and gently shoved him out of the way. “Thanks for the help.”
“Anytime.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, watching you sort the groceries into their respective shelves and cupboards with a smug grin on his face.
A crash from your living room tore your attention away from your task. “Shit! The kittens!”
The two of you rushed back to where you’d left the four small ones. Somehow, they’d managed to knock over a sage green lamp you’d found at a thrift store a couple months prior, shattering the glass shade. Before you could mourn the loss of it, however, panic set in as you noticed the small flames licking at the corners of a rug the lamp had conveniently fallen on.
You dashed forward, counting the kittens as you scooped them into your arms. One, two, three… Where was Malice? Your eyes darted around the room, desperately searching for her.
“Under the couch.” Sukuna pointed to where he’d indicated, having stomped out the fire.
You huffed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.” You set the other kittens onto an armchair so you could look under the couch. Sure enough, Malice was backed into the corner. You reached your hand out towards her, but her tail puffed in alarm and she hissed at you. You lowered yourself onto the ground fully until you were laying in front of your couch. “It’s okay, honey. I’m not gonna hurt you,” you murmured, trying to coax her into trusting you again.
It took a few minutes, but eventually Slumber, Checkers, Decay, and Malice were all curled up asleep and all the shards of glass had been swept up off the floor. You slumped onto the couch, exhausted by the events of the day. Maybe you’d shut your eyes… just for a moment.
***
When you opened them again, you were tucked messily into bed. How’d you get here? A quick glance out the window showed that it was already nighttime.
You groggily rolled out of bed, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. Stumbling out of your room, you noticed a mess of pink hair peeking over the back of the couch. You tiptoed past Sukuna to the box of kittens that had been relocated to the kitchen. They were all still asleep against the blanket padding the inside of the box, melting your heart with how precious they looked.
Suddenly thirsty, you shuffled over to the fridge for a glass of water. You noticed a full gallon of milk waiting for you inside. That was odd. You hadn’t finished putting away the groceries before the incident with the lamp, and you were sure you hadn’t gotten to the milk yet. Turning your head to the counter where you had left your grocery bags, you were startled to find that they weren’t there. Had Sukuna… No, surely he hadn’t.
But checking inside your cupboards revealed that everything you’d bought this morning had been tucked exactly where you usually put it. You shook your head in disbelief. How had Sukuna known where you kept everything? Was this his roundabout way of apologizing for the lamp? You peered around the wall into the living room, gazing at the man dozing on your couch and unable to help the smile on your face. Apparently Ryoumen Sukuna was just full of surprises.
You made your way over to him, pressing a gentle kiss to the mark on his forehead. You made yourself comfortable laying on the couch beside him, using his lap as a pillow. He shifted his weight, momentarily making you afraid that you’d woken him. But he simply tilted his head back to lean against the back of your couch and exhaled softly. He was still asleep. You shut your eyes once more, having decided that you could ask him about the groceries in the morning if you felt like it. For now, you just wanted to relax and ponder the strange behaviors of your new lover.
“Goodnight, Sukuna,” you whispered.
“Goodnight, dearest.”