Chapter Text
“Hey, did you hear about the rumor, Getou?” Mahito asked them one day, so Kenjaku smiled politely.
“What kind of rumor, I wonder?”
“Oh, so you don't know!” Mahito exclaimed excitedly. “It's about Gojou Satoru's wife!”
Kenjaku blinked, taken aback.
“The Strongest sorcerer surely wouldn't get himself a wife without the entire world knowing about it.” They pointed, and Mahito leaned towards them conspiratorially.
“I heard he is married secretly, and he calls his wife Yuu-chan.” He whispered.
‘Yuu-chan’? ‘Yuu’? No. No, that was ridiculous. Kenjaku shook their head.
“Mahito. Gojou Satoru wouldn't be able to get married in secret.” They stated. “The poor woman would have to bear the Gojou's clan heir, after all.”
Mahito tilted his head, disappointed.
“Really? That's too bad. I thought we could kidnap the wife and use her against him. I wanted to play with her a bit.” He pouted.
Yeah, Mahito would love it if Yuu-chan was the person Kenjaku had in mind. But there was no way, right? Right?
“What about Sukuna's vessel, Mahito? Anything interesting?” They asked casually with a smile.
“Oh! Itadori Yuuji? Our inner source was reporting to me about his weird interest in bets.” He hummed thoughtfully. “Apparently, you can make him do anything if you phrase it like a bet. I think he had Hug Day and Kiss Day already. Too bad I missed it. Oh! He still wears skirts sometimes, and I…” Kenjaku stopped listening there, because no, and frowned.
Bets? Was it this old man's influence with his love for pachinko? Kenjaku never had a thing for gambling, nor had Jin. But just a small bet having such power under Sukuna's vessel… That was dangerous.
“Mahito.” They interrupted. “What was this Hug Day and Kiss Day about?” Kenjaku prodded.
Mahito made a confused face.
“Isn't it obvious? He was, like, hugging and kissing anyone? He's pretty popular out there. It's like everyone loves him, and it's frustrating because I kinda wanted to take him for myself and…” Yeah, Kenjaku zoned out again.
Just what was their son thinking?! Should Kenjaku have stayed and taught him some self-preservation instincts? They sighed deeply. Parenting sure is tough. They just hoped that ‘Yuu-chan’ from the rumor… But it fit too well. Maybe he got bullied into something by this Six Eyes Sorcerer. Kenjaku scowled, disgusted. Even a better reason to get rid of Gojou Satoru, then. They sighed again. When Kenjaku decided to bring the child into this world to create chaos, that wasn't exactly what they had in mind.
~◉~◉~
“But isn't it weird that you are willing to do basically anything when it comes to betting?” Kugisaki snorted, so Yuuji looked up at her and shrugged.
“Well, until it's fun, I’m always in.” He said it truthfully, smiling.
They were getting manicures in Maki-senpai’s room with the three of them. Did Yuuji wonder sometimes why he was getting dragged to those activities? Yes. Did he complain? No. Maki-senpai was unexpectedly good at this, so the boy just enjoyed the experience and his nice nails. Today she was making them red as his hoodie with a gold dot at the bottom.
“Itadori, move one more time, and I will paint your face instead.” Maki-senpai warned, but Yuuji knew it was just an empty threat, so he giggled. She gave him a flat stare. “Sometimes I hate how you are not intimidated by me anymore.” She clicked her tongue. “Also, Nobara is right. You shouldn't agree to everything when it comes to bets.”
“Yeah. If I think about all that happened, I get chills. Someone can make you do something really bad, you know.” Kugisaki pointed. “Or embarrassing. But I guess most of your bets were like that.” She winced.
Yuuji blinked, confused.
“I don't think so. I enjoyed every one of them!” He admitted with a fond smile. “Even wearing a skirt, I still wear them from time to time, after all.” He chuckled.
“Of course it was part of the bet.” Kugisaki commented, rolling her eyes.
“Was wearing this cutesy girly apron also a bet thing?” Maki-senpai glanced at the boy from her work.
“Eh? How do you know about it, Senpai? I was Gojou-sensei’s wife for one day as a punishment for losing a bet.” He explained, and both girls stilled, then bored eyes into him like he was insane.
“Itadori. Tell me I got it wrong somehow.” Kugisaki demanded.
“Well, that explains a lot.” Maki-senpai murmured, raising her eyebrows, and got back to his other hand.
Yuuji frowned.
“I had a lot of fun then. I don't understand why people are always reacting like that.” He pouted. “Even Nanamin asked if I wasn't getting bullied.”
“He asked right!” Kugisaki agreed. “I would kill Sensei if he touched you inappropriately, The Strongest or not.” She grumbled, bumping her fists.
“Calm down, Nobara. Even this blindfolded idiot is not that big of an idiot to lay his hands on a minor.” Maki-senpai snorted. “It's not like they slept together or something.”
Yuuji didn't have any idea why they were getting so worked up, but…
“We slept together twice, though.” He said it as a matter of fact. Again, they snapped their attention to him, but this time they looked scandalized. Oh, right. People misunderstood it too. “Slept. Literally slept together.” Yuuji emphasized. Maki-senpai huffed a sigh of relief when Kugisaki groaned, massaging her temples.
“Itadori, if someone told you to propose to every person you met in a day, would you do it?” She asked tiredly, and the boy perked up at the idea.
“You bet I would.” He smirked, and Kugisaki sent him an incredulous look.
“I was joking. Please don't make it a bet.”
But Yuuji was already excited about making it real.
“Watch me.” He grinned.
“Okay. I finished your nails. Don't touch anything for at least two minutes. No, five minutes, it's you we are talking about.” Maki-senpai advised dryly and sighed. “Itadori. Bet on whatever you want, but please don't take it too far.”
He beamed.
“It's okay, Maki-senpai. Do you want to marry me, though?” Yuuji asked, tilting his head, curious at the answer.
She huffed an amused laugh.
“Working fast, I see.” Maki-senpai shook her head fondly. “Well, I don’t think anyone would want to take for a wife a clan failure.” She snorted. Yuuji frowned deeply at that. Because…
“Maki-senpai. You are one of the strongest and greatest people I know, and everyone here respects you a lot, so don’t you ever call yourself like that again. Anyone who wouldn’t want you as your wife is simply an idiot.” He stated solemnly.
“Well said, Itadori.” Kugisaki nodded in agreement. “Maki-san, you can always be my wife, if you want!” She cheered with a smile.
Maki-senpai glanced between them both, flabbergasted.
“You are ridiculous.” She decided and rolled her eyes. “But I think you are already taken, Itadori.” Maki-senpai pointed with a smirk, and Kugisaki gasped.
“What are you talking about?” The boy asked, confused.
“He is so innocent.” Maki-senpai smirked.
“Right?” Kugisaki echoed.
“Well, it’s not a no.” Yuuji mumbled, then turned towards the other girl with a grin. “How about you, Kugisaki? Wanna marry me?”
“No.” Came the immediate dry response. They all laughed at that. “No, Itadori, try to imagine it. You as my husband. I would definitely make you do all the work and push around a lot.” Kugisaki pointed.
“Oh. Same actually.” Maki-senpai added, nodding.
The boy hummed in thought.
“I mean, I have the experience of being a wife already.” He shrugged and smiled. “Until I can make my partner happy, I don’t mind.”
The girls blinked, then glanced at themselves with resigned faces.
“Maki-san, why is he like that?” Kugisaki complained. “He is making me question all my life decisions.”
“I know what you mean, Nobara.” Senpai put her hand on the girl’s arm. “We should protect this pure boy from the world’s rottenness.” She said, and they both nodded seriously.
Yuuji frowned at them and then shook his head, getting up.
“I have no idea what this is about, but I am going to ask more people to marry me!” He declared, grinning. “I will be back in the evening!” The boy shouted from the door and went to find his next victims.
Yuuji didn’t expect to come across Nanamin walking out of the building, but the boy smiled happily at seeing the man and jogged up to him from behind.
“Nanamin!”
The man in question turned and gave Yuuji a small smile in greeting.
“Itadori-kun. How are you doing?” He asked softly, and the boy grinned. Nanamin was just always such a worried dad, it was endearing.
“I’m great, Nanamin! But I have a question.” Yuuji looked up hesitantly at the man. Well. Whatever, it was basically a joke. “Would you marry me?”
Nanamin frowned, visibly taken aback. Then.
“I don’t think same-sex marriage is legal in Japan.” He replied in a serious voice.
Yuuji burst out laughing.
“Oh gods, I didn’t expect that you would take it so seriously.” He wheezed between the laughs. “I’m sorry, Nanamin. It’s just a joke, so don’t take it personally or anything.” The boy assured him, still giggling.
The man relaxed visibly.
“Please don’t scare me like that, Itadori-kun. I didn’t know how to react at all.” Nanamin muttered and sighed. “Also, I think Gojou wouldn’t like you asking me that question.” He added, wincing.
“Eh? Why?” Yuuji tilted his head, confused. Nanamin shook his head, so the boy shrugged. “I will be on my way, then! It was nice to see you, Nanamin!” He beamed, and not waiting for the response, the boy ran to the common areas with the hope of finding someone there.
“Oh! Fushiguro!” Yuuji noticed him in the kitchen, where he was making himself a sandwich. Fushiguro turned a bit and raised his eyebrow at seeing him. “Quick question. Wanna marry me?” Yuuji grinned.
The following silence was suffocating.
“Another bet, right?” Fushiguro asked carefully, and Yuuji nodded. His friend sighed deeply. “Why are you always getting yourself into those ridiculous situations?” He asked tiredly.
“Because it’s fun?” Yuuji offered, and Fushiguro scowled at the sandwich. “So, your response?”
The dark-haired boy glanced at Yuuji judgingly and smiled slightly.
“I wouldn't mind if it was you.” He said, and for a second, Yuuji’s heart actually raced a bit. “It’s just picking up the partner for your entire life; what could go wrong? ” Fushiguro snorted, and Yuuji gasped.
“Now you are just being sarcastic.” He pouted.
“Of course not. I am taking it very seriously, Itadori. Look, we are fifteen, both men, and you are going to be executed one day. Let’s get married.” The dark-haired boy faked a cheerful tone.
“Fushiguro, you are mean!” Yuuji whined, and the boy in question rolled his eyes, getting back to the sandwich. “Don’t ignore me!”
“Honestly, I don’t think I want to get married at all. My parents… Well, let’s say I didn’t have a good example of a well-working marriage.” Fushiguro stated. “Don’t take those things so easily, Itadori. It might be a joke to you, but it can be very important to someone.” He added.
Yuuji paused there, thinking about his friend’s words. But it was just a bet. There wasn’t anything going on here for real. Maybe Yuuji was really taking it too easily?
“Um, I’m kinda sorry, Fushiguro.” He mumbled.
“Just think before you open your mouth, idiot.” Fushiguro scoffed.
Yuuji winced. It sounded suspiciously like Sukuna, and the boy didn’t like it. He left Fushiguro to his devices and strolled to his next target, pensive.
The boy didn’t see Ieiri-sensei until he almost bumped into her.
“I’m so sorry, Ieiri-sensei!” He apologized instantly, bowing.
She chuckled.
“It’s okay, Itadori. Raise your head. I’m not made from glass.” Ieiri-sensei patted his head reassuringly.
Yuuji looked up with a smile. Then he pondered for a second if he should ask, but since it was supposed to be every person…
“Ieiri-sensei, would you like to be my wife?” He fired and waited in anticipation. Because the boy had no idea what kind of reaction he would get from the doctor.
She looked shocked at the question, but then cracked a smile and laughed loudly, patting his shoulder this time.
“Oh, Itadori. I feel so old right now.” She snorted, and he blinked, perplexed. “Can you believe it? You are the first person to give me a marriage proposal in my entire life. And it’s not even real.” Ieiri-sensei huffed another laugh and then let go of his shoulder. “So? What is this about?” She raised her eyebrows questioningly.
“A bet, Sensei. I’m sorry that it was me.” Yuuji mumbled, ashamed.
Ieiri-sensei shook her head with a smile.
“You gave me a good laugh, so thank you for that. Oh, wait. Should I reply?” She blinked several times in thought. “Honestly, Gojou would kill me if I agreed.” She snorted. “Be careful, Itadori. This man is possessive when he finds something precious.” Ieiri-sensei added as she left.
This one again. Well, Yuuji has a few possible outcomes in mind of Satoru-san’s reaction to his proposal.
“You are already my wife, Yuu-chan~!”
Or.
“It’s usually a husband’s role to propose, Yuuji!”
The boy chuckled to himself at the thought alone. Yeah. Would be nice if the cheerful Satoru-san he knew was the one who responded to him. Not the man who was standing in front of him, looking hurt and disappointed.
Yuuji met with Satoru-san in the hallway.
“Satoru-san!” He called happily, and the man smiled. “Are you done with the missions for today?” The boy asked.
“Yuu-chan~!” Satoru-san immediately pulled him into a hug, so Yuuji laughed and hugged back. “Yep! I’m done. Do you have something in mind~?” He kissed the boy’s forehead with a fond smile.
Yuuji beamed.
“Would you like to marry me, Satoru-san?”
The man stilled, and Yuuji held his breath, waiting. Then Satoru-san pulled away and took a step back, taking off his blindfold. His beautiful eyes bore into the boy, his entire face completely blank. Yuuji frowned a bit, because that wasn't the reaction he anticipated. The empty stare was unnerving and made him uncomfortable.
“Yuuji.” His voice was also devoid of any emotion. The boy gulped, a sudden shiver overtaking his body. “This is a bet, right?” Satoru-san asked, unblinking. Yuuji couldn’t find a voice in his throat, so he nodded hesitantly. Satoru-san had never looked at him like that before. The boy didn’t like it at all. “How many people have you proposed to already?” He took a step towards Yuuji, his tone getting cold. The boy stepped back, hitting the wall. “What did they say?” Satoru-san prodded, taking another step and trapping Yuuji there, still just looking at him intently. “Hm?”
Yuuji tried to respond, but again, his throat seemed to be too tight to make a sound. He gaped like a fish, scared. It wasn’t Satoru-san before the boy anymore. It was The Strongest. The boy didn’t want to learn how terrifying he could be. He wanted his Satoru-san back. Why was he acting like that?
“Answer me.” The man demanded, and Yuuji was finally able to hear a real emotion; there was anger hiding underneath. The boy didn’t even realize it when he started trembling in fear.
“I—” Yuuji choked out and took a shaky breath. “It—it wasn’t for real. I wasn’t—” He gulped again. “It wasn’t serious.” The boy uttered it, averting his eyes. “It’s just for fun.” He spoke quieter with each word.
He could still feel the man’s stare assessing him in silence, and Yuuji curled up in himself under it.
“Is that how you always treat all your bets? Just for fun?” Satoru-san asked after a moment, and the bare hurt in his voice was so palpable that Yuuji’s chest squeezed painfully, so he looked into the man’s eyes and gasped softly at the sight.
This was not the first time the boy was reminded of how expressive Satoru-san's eyes were. Seeing all the hurt and disappointment there with a dose of wrath took Yuuji’s breath away, his entire body seeping cold to his bones, an icy ring tightening around his heart. And even if the boy couldn’t really understand what the real cause of all that was, it seemed obvious that he was the main reason.
“Satoru-san—”
“Don’t call me that.” The man spat coldly, gave him the last painful glance, then left.
And Yuuji was standing there, frozen, his mouth still open, his fingers twitching with an urge to touch, to catch, to chase. But he couldn’t move.
It hurt. It hurt so much. How did it end up like that?
It was Yuuji’s fault.
He hurt Satoru-san.
Yuuji didn’t know for how long he just stood there, with all the emotions and thoughts swirling inside him endlessly, until it all went quiet abruptly and he found himself in the familiar place, where everything was red, boney, and weirdly comforting.
“Brat.” Sukuna’s gruff voice reached his ears, and, oh, Yuuji was sitting in the water, and Sukuna was crouching in front of him, looking done. “How many times have I warned you, huh?” He reminded him dryly, but the boy just blinked, feeling empty inside. Then Sukuna clicked his tongue, making an annoyed face. He reached towards Yuuji's, and the boy followed the movements dispassionately until Sukuna’s fingertips mussed gently against his cheek, and Yuuji gasped at the contact. “Told you not to come to me crying.” Sukuna muttered grumpily, pulling away. The boy touched his face at those words and blinked at the sudden wetness there.
“That’s weird.” Yuuji chuckled forcibly and winced at the fakeness of it, the tears gathering in his eyes. “I haven’t even realized.” He uttered with a small laugh and promptly choked on a sob.
“Oi.”
“No, no.” The boy shook his head, trying to compose himself, but a small whimper escaped him. “No, I’m okay. I’m okay.” He wiped away his tears and sniffled, then took a few deep breaths, but he couldn’t stop crying. “Shit. I said I'm okay!” He shouted, frustrated, and wiped his cheeks with sleeves angrily. Then both his wrists were caught in a steady but not hurtful grip and taken away from his face.
“Brat. You are clearly not okay. Stop convincing yourself otherwise.” Sukuna said calmly, so Yuuji looked at him and was surprised at how close they were sitting. When did that happen? Then Sukuna leaned in and bit his cheek lightly. It didn't even hurt. The boy frowned, confused. Was Sukuna trying to comfort him? No way. “Oi. You just thought something rude about me.” Sukuna clicked his tongue. Yuuji huffed a small laugh because he was right, and Sukuna smiled. The boy paused, bewitched. The tears stopped as if by magic, his lips parting. He saw Sukuna’s smirks and grins, but they were never this… soft. Yuuji had no idea Sukuna knew how to smile like that! “Oh. You calmed down. Good.” Sukuna commented and let go of his wrist to wipe the boy’s tears from his cheeks gently, and Yuuji was sure it had to be some kind of dream now, but the warmth radiating from the touch told him that it was, indeed, a reality.
“You are dangerous, Sukuna. You knew that?” Yuuji mumbled dumbly, and Sukuna made a very unimpressed face. No! The smile! Come back!
“Did you realize it just now?” He asked incredulously and pulled away from the boy, so Yuuji quickly grabbed his hands, and they both looked at them, equally surprised. But he was so warm. Touching Sukuna heated the boy from the inside and melted the icy pain present there. Why, with Sukuna here, was everything easier to bear? Oh. Because he knew, he understood.
“You were right from the beginning.” Yuuji realized, going back mentally to all their interactions from the last few weeks.
“Of course I was.” Came the dry response.
Yuuji was still looking at their hands, thinking about the times when Sukuna’s rough movements always ended with him touching the boy gently, like right now. Was Sukuna even aware of it?
“Because I’m dumb, I need your help.” Yuuji admitted, glancing at him. Sukuna had this constipated look on his face. Probably not keen on helping anyone. “You know why Satoru-san hates me now, right?” The boy asked in a small voice.
Sukuna snorted.
“He doesn’t hate you, stupid. No one is able to hate you, apparently.” The last part was murmured quietly, but the boy still got it and raised his eyebrows, surprised, then shook his head.
“No, wait. It sure looked like that!” Yuuji argued.
“He was just upset, and I can empathize.” Sukuna responded, looking at the fresh manicure on the boy's fingers and playing with them absentmindedly.
Upset? Not angry? But why?
“I don't understand what I did wrong.” Yuuji admitted, frustrated.
Sukuna looked up, squinted his eyes, and just stared at him thoughtfully. He sighed in defeat after a moment and squeezed his hands.
“Then try me.” He grumbled. “The bet thing. I will show you.” And Sukuna smirked.
Oh, no. The smirk was screaming that this was a trap. But the boy was desperate and tired of not knowing anything. So, he shifted a bit, preparing himself mentally, and took a deep breath.
“Um, will you marry me?” Yuuji asked and tensed, expecting something painful.
Sukuna just snorted.
“Do better.” He challenged, still smirking.
Yuuji pouted and sighed. Just what was this about? He took a moment to think over everything and then nodded. The boy interlaced their fingers, at which Sukuna just raised one eyebrow, clearly amused.
“My dear Sukuna-sama, would you do me the immense honor of becoming my husband?” Yuuji said officially.
Sukuna stared at him intently again and then snorted with laughter.
“I really did my best, you know!” Yuuji whined, offended.
“You are terrible at it.” He commented and smirked again. “But I promised to show you, Brat. My response is obvious. No. Way. In. Hell.” Sukuna drawled flatly.
And then he leaned in and caught Yuuji’s lips gently with his own. The boy blinked, then frowned and looked into Sukuna's eyes, only to find them closed. What was just happening?! Okay, Yuuji kissed some people earlier, but his previous kiss with Sukuna didn't look like that. Actually, he had never been kissed like this before at all! He was just so, so confused. Sukuna refused his marriage proposal, so why was he kissing him right now, and oh shit, he was good at it?! Also, since when could Sukuna be this sweet? The kiss was so tender and delicate! Sukuna pulled a bit to look at the boy, then rolled his eyes.
“You still don't get it. Okay, then once again.” He decided and kissed him for the second time, equally gentle and slow, and something in Yuuji's stomach flipped at the sensation, sending a pleasant tingling to his entire body, so he parted his lips and kissed back. Sukuna immediately pulled away, and the boy followed a bit, even more confused, then paused and frowned again. “Now. Make use of this brain of yours. Why did you kiss me back, you fool?” Sukuna grumbled with an impassive face. The sudden change of attitude made Yuuji perplexed, and he tried to pull from their handhold, but Sukuna shook his head. “No. Answer me first.” He demanded.
Yuuji felt his cheeks getting warmer, so he looked away.
“Because it was nice.” He mumbled and dared to take a peek at Sukuna, only to find him scowling.
“And that's exactly what you are doing all the time.” Sukuna stated bluntly.
The boy blinked and sent him an incredulous look.
“When have I ever done that?!” He shouted.
Sukuna just raised one eyebrow and snorted.
“I already know you are oblivious and dumb, but if you can't comprehend it even right now...” He scoffed. “Brat. Every bet you made brought you closer to others, but it was gladly used so they could get closer to you too. You just never realized it because of your lack of awareness. That's the first part of your problem. You are so good to everyone that they start feeling special because of it, and you don't notice that, as a result, you also become special to them.” Sukuna explained in a tired voice, and Yuuji gaped, trying to understand.
“I did that?!” He asked disbelievingly.
So, the kiss. Gentle, alluring, and pleasant. Yuuji got it twice, but when he wanted to kiss back, he couldn't. And the feeling afterwards, when Sukuna acted like nothing happened. That wasn't nice.
“Yes, you did. I was there the entire time. I witnessed every single one of your interactions, and they pissed me off equally.” Sukuna scowled.
Was Yuuji like that towards Satoru-san? The wife thing, the talks, the hugs, the kisses... He frowned, confused. It was all reciprocated. Satoru-san was special to Yuuji, and he knew the man treated him in the same way.
“But I still don't understand why Satoru-san was upset, though?” He pointed, and Sukuna sent him a glare.
“That's the other part of it, which is even more infuriating.” He grumbled and smirked. “But I will show you.” Sukuna then let go of Yuuji's hand and grabbed his wrists with one hand.
“Eh? What are you doing?” The boy asked, dumbfounded.
Then, in one smooth move, Yuuji found himself being pushed to the ground, Sukuna sitting on top of him and leaning towards his face, the boy's hands in Sukuna's steady grip above Yuuji's head, his other hand holding the boy's chin. The sudden impact took the air out of Yuuji's lungs, so he choked and then realized their intimate position fully, so he blushed. He caught Sukuna's glare, and his eyes widened.
“This. This is exactly your main problem.” Sukuna snarled. “Are you making that kind of face to anyone, Brat? Letting all those people around you do as they please with you without hesitation.” He scoffed. “This is not real because it's part of the bet. Is that what you are saying to yourself?” Sukuna drawled, and Yuuji tried to shake his head, but the grip on his chin tightened. Sukuna seemed angry. “Who wouldn't be upset? Seeing their special person in the arms of someone else.” He spat like the words personality offended him, and...
“Oh.” Yuuji whispered.
“Yes, oh.” Sukuna snorted and let go of him gently. Always gentle in his roughness. “Now, try to imagine your beloved proposing to someone else, even as a joke.” He got off of Yuuji, scowling. The boy was still lying there, and Sukuna sat next to him. “How would you feel?”
“Awful.” The boy admitted quietly.
“Wonderful. You finally get it. Congratulations, took you long enough.” Sukuna snorted.
“It's all my fault.” Yuuji realized. “I was playing with other people's feelings. I didn't intend to.” He mumbled and leaned on the side to curl up in himself.
Yuuji felt so bad now. He was just having fun, but maybe his actions had a bigger impact than he thought. All the bets brought him a lot of great memories. Those spent with Satoru-san were the most precious ones. The boy's eyes widened. Did Satoru-san misunderstand him? Did he think Yuuji was treating all the moments from the bets like something that wasn't real? Is that the reason he said to stop calling him by his name? But Yuuji was honest there! He was always honest! Ugh! He was so stupid.
“I won't make bets anymore.” He decided and uncurled himself to glance hesitantly at Sukuna, who was still just sitting there with a frown, seemingly deep in thought. “Sukuna.” Yuuji called quietly, and he snapped his attention to the boy, raising one eyebrow in a silent question. “Thank you.” Yuuji whispered.
Sukuna made a pained expression and looked away. Huh?
“Don’t thank me, Brat. Just go back to your body and don't come back here again.” Sukuna got up, and Yuuji felt the icy ring around his heart getting tighter.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? You said it yourself. No more bets. No more annoying situations. I can finally have some peace here.” Sukuna grumbled, not looking at the boy.
Yuuji frowned.
“But…”
“No. Out.”
The boy bit his trembling lips and took a shaky breath.
“If that's what you want.” He whispered, took a last hesitated glance at Sukuna, and opened his eyes back in his body.
“Finally, Itadori! I was starting to wonder if I should go for Ieiri-san.” Maki-senpai's voice came from his right, and he blinked several times, noticing that he was lying on her bed. Yuuji sat up and looked at the girl who was sitting on the edge. “I found you passed out in the hallway and took you here. Honestly, you looked like you were asleep, so I assumed you were talking with Sukuna, but it took some time, and... Itadori?” She sounded alarmed. Maki-senpai touched his arm gently. “Why are you crying?” She asked quietly.
Oh. Again? Yuuji huffed a small, pathetic laugh and smiled through the tears.
“I messed up, Senpai.”
She took him into her arms and just hugged him wordlessly.