Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's Always You

Standing at the edge of the gargantuan gouge in the ground, with his hair whipping around in the residual winds and an uncomfortable pounding in his head, Yuuji breathed heavily, trying to process what had just happened.

It was supposed to be a routine mission, his sensei had said. It was supposed to be a training opportunity where he could finally start to work out how to draw out his domain expansion and finally catch up with his peers.

But where Gojo had taken him was not for the faint of heart; it felt like a den of curses. All manner had been crawling over the place, and Yuuji couldn't help the nervous sweat that had instantly beaded on the back of his neck when he and sensei had abruptly teleported in. Only the hateful laugh in his head had grounded him enough to react to the sudden shift of curses that swarmed him on the intrusion.

Yet the influx of curses still hadn't quite been enough to push him to create his domain. So Yuuji continued to punch endless fists over fists filled with cursed energy, each new curse's appearance distorted and evaporated into whispers before a new, more uglier one took its place. Wearing at his ability, his energy, and his resolve. In the end, he had been flailing, and Gojo was nowhere to be seen.

Yuuji had continued to push himself, refusing to call out for help, trying to take charge, do his job, and take those curses out. It was only when he had been cornered by a significantly stronger curse - maybe it was even stronger than the ones he had remembered from the incident at a sabotaged Goodwill Event a few years ago, he wasn't certain - that Gojo reappeared in front of him, flustered like he was relieved to have made it. That wasn't a usual sight on his sensei's face, and it had sent a jolt of worry through Yuuji. But just in time, it certainly was, as the special-grade curse that had been pushing the plethora of bombarding curses to overwhelm Yuuji opened its mouth, revealing a blinding light that flowed fast, like pressurised liquid, out of its gaping maw. It had struck at Gojo's infinity with such ferocity that it had pushed the special-grade sorcerer backwards against Yuuji.

The edge of Gojo's infinity drove into Yuuji's skin, and at the sound of his student's grunting breaths, Gojo had released the infinity behind him to pull Yuuji in behind the barrier with him.

Relief didn't catch up to Yuuji as his eyes had widened at the words that left his sensei's lips next. Hollow Technique: Purple. Being privy to witness the Gojo clan's most prized cursed technique filled him with awe and a fear that he didn't normally associate with his sensei. In the moment, Yuuji had simply put it down to the fact that he was in such close proximity to the anticipated blast.

The tremendous sight of the sphere of infinite energy pulled at his body and clothes, pulled at every fibre of his being, and pulled at the core of his soul. Trembling everything around him as it all bent to its whim as if the mass were a black hole ready to distort everything as it drew you closer to its oblivion.

And then it was gone.

The enormous, coursing sphere of purple that had engulfed the problematic curse had wiped out the derelict area and even caused the clouds in the sky to part as if it were an act of a deity. It was all gone.

Overlooking the destruction, he now stood trying to fathom what had happened here, with his very core, his very being, and his very soul still quivering with echoes of the sheer power used. Finally opening his mouth, Yuuji’s eyes darted around to look for some reassurance that it was over and that his sensei was okay after the extraordinary confrontation. Although he had experienced a lesser version of this previously, he hadn't had these kinds of aftereffects before. His stomach almost felt sick as it twisted. His ears rang. A headache pulsed viciously. And for a moment, he could have sworn he saw silhouettes of others around him, but they were quickly blinked away.

"-dori-kun? Itadori-kun? Are you okay?"

Yuuji turned towards the sound that now trickled into his ears. And as his eyes met the dishevelled man, he breathed out at last, unaware that he had been holding onto it in the absence of his sensei.

"G-Gojo-sensei, w-what happened?"

"Well, I exorcised it." Gojo tilted his head with half a chuckle. "What, did you not think your dear old sensei could handle that?"

"No-no, I mean, yes, of course sensei, it's just, I, uh, don't know. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Me? I'm fiiiiine; it's you I'm worried about. You're looking a bit grey there Itadori-kun." As his hand moved to ruffle his student's hair.

But before he could make contact, a mouth and eye emerged from Yuuji's cheek. "I'll bite your hand off if you touch my vessel again. You incompetent idiot!"

Yuuji instantly pulled his hand up to clamp around his cheek to try and silence Sukuna's scathing rant.

“Hey now, there's no need for that, Sukuna; I just saved your skin - well, Yuuji’s. But still, you're alive." He added with a wide-mouthed grin as his bright blue eyes gleamed in the sun. Before dropping his arm and pulling out a fresh blindfold from his pocket.

Sukuna's mouth appeared on the back of Yuuji's hand and continued, "No, you didn't; you almost killed the brat, and he was too stupid and too trusting of you using an attack like that so carelessly to realise it!"

Shoving both of his hands in his pocket and furrowing his brow, Yuuji looked up at Gojo with concern. "Sorry about him, sensei, and sorry about failing today."

"No worries, Itadori-kun, you never have to apologise for him; he’s responsible for himself. And as for you, you didn't fail at all! Look how you handled those curses; you're almost there; I can feel it!"

"Yeah, but the domain exp-"

"Seriously, don't worry. Now let's get back for a shower, because pew-ew! Some of those were trash curses."

Yuuji nodded in agreement with a disgusted face as he remembered his own fight. Placing his hand on his sensei's shoulder, he watched as Gojo moved to form his hands, ready to teleport them both back to the jujutsu school. Just before, the man paused and spoke out to no one in particular, "Actually, let's stop off for some sweets first. I’m hungry." And like that, in the face of all the decimation and destruction, they were gone.

The others were yet to come back from their missions, and Yuuji had been given the rest of the day off, so now he found himself staring at the ceiling as he lay on his bed later that afternoon. His face was fixed in a scowl as he went over his moves from earlier in the day.

"Still as useless as ever, I see."

Yuuji groaned as soon as Sukuna began voicing his opinions, bringing his pillow up to cover the awakened cheek.

"Not surprising, really, especially when it comes to who your sensei is."

"Leave sensei out of this; why have you always got something in for him? Because he put you in your place?" He could already hear the low growl building. "Well, you've seen what he's capable of. Pffft, as if you could ever match that!" Yuuji promptly covered his cheek with his pillowcase, ready for the return barrage.

The muffled response quickly disappeared, and Yuuji's eyes momentarily widened as he felt the all-too-familiar drag backwards into the curse's innate domain. 

Sukuna had barely let the sorcerer get up from his thunderous splash into tainted waters before the curse was on him, dragging him up to meet a scowling, crimson gaze with a fist full of his hair.

"You insolent fucking brat! You really believe that idiot actually has a chance against me? Keep filling yourself with my fingers, and we'll see exactly how that plays out."

Yuuji growled out through his gritted teeth as his neck was arched further backwards. "You don't scare me, Sukuna. What are you going to do? Kill me again?" With a droll tone, he mocked with dull eyes, frustrated by this same old game between them. "How boring…"  

Sukuna threw him back down into the waters at his feet and snarled at him. "Shall we liven things up by flaying you again? I seemed to remember you liking that one a lot."

Yuuji did not want to be reminded of that experience, and he flinched slightly at the memory. Even though his desire to retaliate was driving him, he kept his mouth shut firmly as he stood up again and looked into the face of the ancient curse, with his jaw taut and his nerves steeled.

"Tch, you really have lost your entertainment value - the only value you ever possessed. How disappointing." Sukuna dragged his pointed finger down the side of Yuuji's face. Prompting a grimace at the action, Yuuji automatically moved to punch the limb away from himself.

Sukuna simply rolled his eyes and decapitated the sorcerer in one swift movement.

And in a flash, Yuuji was back in his bed, panting hard as he looked back at that blank ceiling above him before pulling the pillow over his face and screaming loudly into it all while the chilling cackle resonated in his head.

It was a while before it died down, but as if his own mind were coming to his rescue, he felt him looking at what he felt must've been a dream, filling his brain instead of the cruel taunts.

The first thing Yuuji noticed about the scene in front of him was that he couldn't seem to hear any noise; only the sound of his own heartbeat filling his ears as he seemingly watched on, like viewing a film through some horizontal gap. He was unable to make out the top or the bottom of what he was seeing. Before he could question what or why this was happening, a young man coming in the front door drew his attention.

This man threw off his outdoor clothes to the floor or some unseen surface - Yuuji couldn't tell - before lifting his shirt to inspect the few grazes littering his body. Yuuji squinted at the scene, wondering what could've caused them or why he was even seeing this in the first place. But more importantly, he hoped that this person was alright.

It wasn't long before another set of hands appeared and placed themselves on the man's body in a tentative but urgent way. Yuuji watched as the first man pushed the new hands away. Yuuji could see the ripple of tension as the shirtless man's abs tensed, but they quickly relaxed as the other pair of hands approached the damaged skin again. It occurred to the sorcerer that maybe there were words being exchanged that he couldn't hear, but their body language spoke enough for him to work out.

There was an attentiveness that almost seemed loving. Yuuji's eyes followed the new man's fingers as they gently skimmed over the wounds, showing such care in their movement as they inspected them in a methodical manner, cleaning each one as they glided across the shirtless skin.

It wasn't long before every mark had been checked, and Yuuji smiled at the display between the two men. It had been a long time since he had witnessed someone taking care of another like that. All too often, his wounds were left for himself to deal with, or if they were threatening enough, he would attend Shoko’s quiet office and be given a dose of her reverse curse technique. But this, this was nice to see, although he did feel odd to be dreaming about such a thing.

After each mark had been dealt with, with varying degrees of attention, there seemed to be an embrace between the two as their bodies pulled close together. Yuuji soon found his cheeks dusting in red as he witnessed the two start to rove their hands more urgently over each other's bodies.

Should I be watching them like this? Well, it is my dream… I suppose I can do what I want.

As he continued to watch the couple, Yuuji's breath began to hitch slightly, and the heartbeat in his ears became louder. His eyes were enjoying the sight of the shirtless young man, but they followed intently as the careful and curious hands of their partner smoothed across the skin, their fingers gliding over every indent and muscle, as if committing it to memory. Yuuji had to admit that although it was obviously quite a passionate scene, it was also quite romantic too. He all but snorted at the notion, having rarely had such dreams and ideals, especially since beginning his life as a sorcerer. Those thoughts had long gone; a normal life wasn't for him anymore. But he had to admit that it was still nice to look at, and Yuuji continued to watch on fondly.

In their blissful ignorance and flurry of hands, the couple seemed to bump backwards onto a counter of some sort - their kitchen, Yuuji assumed from the small amount of detail that he could see. But this action only seemed to prompt the couple to take their intimate moment elsewhere. Yuuji slumped his shoulders and sighed at the loss, as it didn't seem that he would be privy to what happened next in this dream.

Blink

His confused amber eyes opened to the plain white ceiling, the same one he had been staring at just before his dream. A dream. It must've been. For Yuuji, it felt real - so real, like he could reach out and touch them, whoever they were. It wasn't like any of his usual dreams or, rather, nightmares that he could recall. And he didn't even feel particularly rested either.

But still, he knew there was no point dwelling; he had freaky dreams all the time, and right now he needed something to eat. But a small part of him hoped he could revisit the dream later.

It had been two days since the incident with Gojo and the anomalous curse, and Yuuji hadn't been able to stop thinking about that brief snippet of a dream. There was just something about it that seemed so wholesome - something his life was sorely missing. He began to wonder whether it was even possible to date; he always knew it would be hard enough as a sorcerer alone, but as a vessel of a particularly sadistic curse and with an extended stay of execution? There probably wasn't much he could offer a partner anyway. But he'd be damned if he was going to die a virgin.

Looking across the training grounds, there were only a couple of his kohai practicing. Yuuji let his eyes unfocus, letting out a long sigh. Even if he knew the right words to say to even get someone to agree to a proper date, they wouldn't even let him get the question out. Sorcerers were always pre-warned of his status, and non-sorcerers were a no-go, even if he did receive a lot of attention from them.

His mind wandered to remember the Kyoto students from their last meeting. There were new faces; one in particular stood out more than the others, and Yuuji found himself trying harder to make conversation with them. As it turned out, they were lovely, and he would have gladly spent more time with them, but it quickly became all too apparent that they had been warned prior that he was the vessel they all seemed to fear. And with that, a polite decline for any further interaction followed; the encounter ended as quickly as it started, just with a little more weight on Yuuji's shoulders.

The sobering feeling of loneliness instinctively brought him back around to the dream. His mind replaying the bodies, the touches, and the movements in his mind, letting a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. How close they were, how and where their hands roamed, what happened out of view, how they f-"

"Got sex on your brain again, brat?"

Startled, Yuuji hushed his voice. "Sukuna, shut up; you don't know anything about it."

"I know you're pining for some kind of imaginary relationship and eyeing every single sorcerer you meet, sizing up their potential to fuck."

"No, I'm not!" He scoffed before crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm just… maybe a little… sexually frustrated."

"You're a horny little brat is what you are. So eager to get your dick wet that you're flooding this body with your ridiculous hormones. And it's really starting to irritate me." Sukuna growled out.

The sound of the curse's teeth clamping shut made Yuuji jolt slightly. Although it didn't stop the words from tumbling out of Yuuji's mouth while he had an unusual thought, "Sukuna? Is it- are you... are you horny? Is that why you're pissed all the time?"

"What?! I can assure you, I am not! It’s you and this damned body that vexes me."

"Jeez, Sukuna, if it's that bad, and you're that hard up just go finish yourself off in your domain and stop blaming me."

"I don't just- NO!"

And then it was silent. Sukuna had retreated to his domain, and Yuuji couldn't help but belt out a laugh at the unexpected way the exchange went. Even tears began forming at the corners of his eyes with the strain. Yuuji couldn't help but whisper his thoughts to himself, half hoping that Sukuna heard him. "I bet he does." And another rumble of laughter came from his mouth at the thought of the angry, retreating curse.

When his breath evened, Yuuji found himself looking at the clear sky above. The blue shades hidden behind varying wisps of cloud looked so simple and serene. Eyes following the birds, he blinked, and then he wasn't looking at the sky anymore; he wasn't even outside; he was back in the familiar place he had seen before. It was his dream. 

Somehow, Yuuji found himself staring at the waist and chest of a man wearing a red apron with the slogan 'my husband only loves me for my cooking' emblazoned across the front. Yuuji found that smile creeping across his face again at the thought of being back in this dream. The young man he could see through the slightly wider horizontal gap was in a kitchen this time, chopping up vegetables and swinging his hips to a beat that Yuuji couldn't hear.

The lack of sound didn't matter; Yuuji was quite content with what he was seeing, like watching a mystery reality show with mute on.

This guy definitely loves his food. Yuuji couldn't help but think how similar this guy moved - the dancing, the way he handled the food, the way he flexed his hands before cutting, the way he knocked the bowl off the side… uh what?

The young man jolted at what must be a clattering noise of the dish breaking; although Yuuji still didn't hear anything, only the sound of his own heartbeat kept his ears company. The sorcerer continued to watch; his natural instinct to lurch forward and offer to help was squashed by the fact that he, himself, couldn't move. He could only look on. It was an odd dream indeed.

Having ducked out of view behind the kitchen counter, Yuuji waited for the young man's reappearance, as he was hoping to catch a glimpse of the man's features; after all, it would be nice to put a face to the body he had been admiring. But he was not ready for the shock of pink that came into view, the worried-looking amber eyes surfacing, or the tight smile rising slowly from the countertop to once again stand out of view.

Yuuji. Could. Not. Believe. It.

It was him.

It was Yuuji.

Living a life. A wholesome one at that. With a nice house - well, what he had seen of it anyway - a loving husband, just cooking and enjoying life. Yes, this was definitely a worthwhile dream. And a husband, no less. Well before becoming part of the jujutsu world, Yuuji knew he liked both girls and guys, and he expected that he would settle down eventually after meeting the right person, but he never really knew which way he would land. Huh, guess I know now. A warm smile etched its way onto his face as he watched. 

The young man - this other Yuuji - continued on with his baking, having placed the three broken pieces of bowl on the side away from the food. But a smartly shirted body appeared abruptly, chest heaving, before it stepped forward, allowing a lone finger to graze over the broken crockery before coming to embrace the young from behind, hands pulling him tightly. Yuuji watched as his other self began to rock his hips again to unheard music as his partner slowly matched him from behind until their pelvis' moved as one.

The shirted man's hands slowly moved down the young man's arms until he came to the chopping board, where he guided the already-held knife, using it in a much more refined manner than his other self as he applied well-honed techniques.

Yuuji had only seen those kinds of techniques used by specialist chefs at the top of their game, having watched many cooking shows where they showcased them. Even back at his home in Sendai, when his grandfather was in the hospital and he prepared his own meals, he would look to those shows and YouTube videos for guidance and inspiration. He wanted to further his skills and stave off the boredom of having the same meals. Yuuji had even tried to mimic these techniques himself before, albeit rather clumsily. He snorted - this dream really was an accurate depiction after all.

It wasn't long before the sorcerer watched those same skilled hands move from the young man's hands back to his waist, kneading it as the owner continued their smooth swaying rhythm in their hips. Those hands began to lift the t-shirt higher and higher, exposing more and more of the young man.

Seeing the shirted man's fingers trailing over taut muscles, hungry for contact with his other self's tan skin, Yuuji licked his lips and felt himself trying to lean towards the sight. He couldn't help but get a bit excited about what he was seeing. He was being loved right in front of his eyes. Someone - whoever it was - cared for him, loved him, and appreciated him. He could see that glaring emotion reflected back at him in all those actions, and it filled the sorcerer with a warm feeling in his chest - Yuuji never wanted to lose it. He wanted to keep that feeling forever.

As he watched with a lascivious gleam in his eye, it seemed apparent that all interest in cooking had been lost between the couple. The shirted man spun this other version of him around, so they were facing each other and easily hoisted him up onto the now cleared countertop with strong arms. In a seamless movement, his other self wrapped his legs around the shirted man's waist as the couple’s hands frantically sought to find purchase on the other's body. 

From what Yuuji could tell, the other man's shirt was seemingly being undone. He felt himself eagerly trying to lean even further forward to gain a better view; in a weird way, he had been curious to see the body of his lover. And he hoped to see his face soon too; he was certain that he would be an attractive man, not that he would mind otherwise, because the - now half-shirted - man clearly loved him. 

Blink

And the moment was gone.

Now his gaze was only filled with a sky littered with wisps of cloud crawling across a cerulean canvas. Bringing his head back down to survey his surroundings, Yuuji was once again back sitting at the side of the training field, still upright in the position he had been in before he fell asleep. Asleep? I couldn't have been sitting like this; I'd have fallen over. Maybe it's a daydream I've been experiencing. Heh, whatever it is, it's a nice one to get lost in. He closed his eyes to try clawing back the scene in his memory, but to no avail; he could only hope he could revisit this pocket of goodness again sometime.

Despite focusing more on the actions of the two men, Yuuji did notice something that left him happily squirming even more afterwards, the more he thought about it. He had caught sight of a plain gold ring adorning the fourth finger of each of their left hands; he was so occupied with their intimate embrace that it only occurred to him now just what it meant. He let out a half-laugh to himself at the thought of being married, being loved, and about what his life could have been. It was a good notion.

He sat for a while on the grassy bank of the field, lost in the idea of this other life, but it wasn't long until familiar voices caught his attention. Opening his eyes in the right direction, he saw his friends approaching from across the field.

"Yo! Itadori! What are you doing out here?" Shouted Nobara as she ran the last few metres, quickly closing the gap between them.

He smiled fondly; he didn't get to see his friends every day like he used to, and it was on even fewer occasions that all three of them would be together. "Kugisaki! Fushiguro!” He beamed, his eyes following them as he answered. “Nothing much, just taking a break in training. You two just get back?"

Megumi sat down beside him and began to answer, "I've been in Oarai with Nanami-sensei. There was a persistent curse, but he just let me deal with it. He didn’t make a move at all; he just watched the whole thing." The ten shadows user shifted awkwardly before he admitted, "I had a handle on it, but it was far from a clean exorcism; things got a bit... messy." Megumi paused for a moment, letting out a visible shudder, before continuing. "Anyway, I think we're being sized up for our next grading."

"Oh man, you got to go to the beach?!"

Megumi narrowed his eyes. "That's all you took from what I said?"

Yuuji pulled his hand up to rub the back of his neck. "No, well, it's just that it's Oarai. And you could've had a chance to go that you might not get again…" He tailed off as a flicker of emotion passed through his eyes, thinking of his own wishes. But as quickly as it surfaced, it was gone, and he hoped that his friends hadn't seen it. He didn't want to burden them with any of his thoughts or feelings on the matter; this was his role, his duty to die with or without fulfilment of his dreams after all.

A quick glance between the two other third-year students was all it took before Nobara announced proudly.

"Well, I got to fly solo!" Gesturing her thumb back towards herself, "I was over Yokohama ways; they gave me some creepy old ass caves to check."

Yuuji perked up at that. "You mean, the Taya caves?"

She turned to look at Yuuji, her expression a mixture of confusion and surprise. "Huh? How did you know that?"

"I was in an occult club remember! We used to talk about all the haunting rumours." Yuuji scratched his cheek with his finger. "Which I guess most of those places make sense now that I know about curses and all, although some of them are just plain old hoaxes."

Nobara raised her eyebrows, sharing a look with Megumi before glancing back at their friend. It was easy to forget that Yuuji didn’t come from a sorcery background given how embroiled in the jujutsu world he now found himself in. "Oookay, well, it wasn’t haunted. Definitely curses - and a lot of them! But I handled it absolutely fine, all on my lonesome.”

“Didn’t you have to get Shoko-”

“Shut it, Fushiguro!” She barked, making both of the guys straighten their backs before she turned to talk sweetly to Yuuji once more.

“I heard you got suckered into one of Gojo-sensei's missions."

"Mmhmm, yeah, I did."

"So spill, didja do it?" Her eyes narrowed, looking over him like a predator. "You did figure out your domain expansion, right?"

"No, I didn't, but…"

"No? No?! Still, Itadori?" She moved quickly to slap him on the back of the head, but he dodged out of the way after scrambling backwards up the grassy bank a bit.

"Woah, woah! I'll do it! You guys don't have to worry about me." Waving his hands in a laughing surrender, with a sunshine smile back on his face. "Things are actually… good. Really good." His smile only grew wider with the thought of his dream, feeling oddly reassured. "It's okay. I know it'll happen eventually. I'll just keep practicing and pushing myself." 

"You're awfully positive and upbeat today. Something else going on?" Nobara asked with a suspicious smirk.

He chuckled slightly, looking away with a slight blush. "No, nothing, just thinking about life stuff."

"I'm surprised you-know-who hasn't jumped in to rain on your parade."

"Nah, he's been a bit quieter than usual recently."

Both friends looked at him in tandem. "Really? Something happen?"

"No, well, yeah, I suppose. We kinda had another argument earlier. Nothing out of the ordinary for us though. So... I don't know." Yuuji just shrugged his shoulders, knowing it was probably best not to imply that the King of Curses was sulking or that Sukuna had a rant about sex and hormones. Yuuji certainly wasn't in the mood for a beheading, especially after being put in such a good mood.

"As long as he's not scheming again."

"He probably is." Yuuji gave a light huff at the admission, but not even the king of curses himself could bring him down right now.

The time spent with his best friends and the visions of domestic bliss flooded his senses and brought a wave of contentment; it was the happiest that he had felt in a very long time.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Over the course of the next few days, Yuuji experienced more of these dreams, visions, or whatever they were - he still didn't know. But what he did know was that they filled each day with a warmth he didn't feel was possible. He probably should have been concerned that they were becoming more frequent and occasionally occurring at the most awkward of times - in lessons, while investigating curse activity, on the toilet, or just laying in bed. It should have been more of a problem for him. He probably should have asked someone what it meant, as it certainly wasn't normal, but not much is in his world anyway. He should be concentrating more on the life he already has. All the things he knew he should be doing. But they were all in conflict with what Yuuji wanted to do. The craving was already starting to set in, and Yuuji quickly found himself getting addicted as he became accustomed to blinking in and out of their day-to-day lives, as if he were watching his own private reality show.

The sorcerer had since watched them cook, tidy, share more intimate embraces, and simply carry on with their lives without hint of trouble, desperation, evil, or grief. It was an enviable existence.

With each new vision, it allowed him to find out more about the two personally and their lives together. This other Yuuji seemed to enjoy watching movies and cooking just as much as he did, and dancing around whenever the opportunity arose. The young man also had a habit of walking around shirtless. That was odd to see at first, though Yuuji had come to appreciate that he had a better-looking body than he had realised, with his husband and his hands seeming to think so too. Yuuji supposed that if he was comfortably living in his own home, he probably would stroll around like this too, but on second thoughts, it probably wouldn't be the best idea in his dorm, or Nobara would start launching nails at him for answering his door inappropriately dressed again. But the really interesting thing he had learned so far was that his other self's husband was almost certainly a fancy professional chef. The way the man handled food and the use of such precision techniques were enough for Yuuji to suspect it, but when he saw the sleek black chef's jacket adorning his partner - no, his husband - with the elegant red writing of the restaurant embroidered on the front of it, it pretty much confirmed his suspicions.

As for how real life was going for Yuuji, it had actually been a rather blissful existence for once - something he hadn't felt since long before his grandfather had been hospitalised. Even the reduced interactions with Sukuna lifted him, as he had seemingly been granted a reprieve from the usual mutilation or death the curse would bestow on him. Though Sukuna still made his presence known on occasion, typically during quieter moments. It was odd to say the least, but Yuuji certainly wasn't going to risk the temporary ceasefire by complaining about it. As for his missions, he had been handed fairly simple cases. They were just enough effort to give him a workout and to make him feel better about his role after his failure to produce a domain expansion on the mission his sensei had to step in. All that, coupled with his days being punctuated with a delightful vision of happiness, meant it was difficult to find anything that could bring him down at the moment.

Even as he strolled through the door to his dorm at gone past five in the morning, feeling utterly exhausted from a whole night of hunting down curses that were terrorising a night stop, he still had a ghost of a smile. Thinking about whether his counterpart would be up at godforsaken hours like him. Yuuji peeled off his dirty clothes and threw them off towards the washing hamper in the corner of his room, letting out a huff when only half hit their destination. His mood might have been bright, but he was still running on empty for energy. Even to the point that he was almost contemplating whether he could just fall down on his bed and deal with cleaning himself up whenever he awoke later.

As he turned back towards his bed, Yuuji was stopped in his tracks by a gravelly voice erupting from his cheek.

“Don’t even think about skipping that shower. I’m not going to let this body wallow in filth again. It's unbecoming of the vessel of the King of Curses.”

“Urgh, really.” Yuuji drawled, rolling his eyes. “I can’t believe all the other nasty shit that you’ll do, but a bit of mess and you’ll throw a tantrum.”

“It’s the shower, or you’re going to drag your ass to the nearest onsen and do it as it should be done!” The voice bit back, progressively getting louder.

Yuuji grabbed his gown, roughly shoving his arms through it. “Fine!” he growled out as he snatched up a towel and the rest of his shower items. Frustrated at his resident curse's demands, Yuuji stomped out of his bedroom, ready to storm the communal bathroom. Although he quickly changed to lighter footsteps as he remembered what an ungodly hour it was.

A little while later, Yuuji reappeared in his room, much fresher and admittedly feeling better. Now, with all his senses unblocked, he could definitely smell the extent of his tainted clothes. With a lopsided smile, he offered a small, mumbled "Thanks" to Sukuna for pushing him to get cleaned up. Although he certainly felt better about the long night now, he was absolutely ready to sleep.

As Yuuji lay back in the comfort of his soft pillows, he breathed deeply, letting his eyes fall to a close. His mind automatically wandered to his other self; would he have been up at this ridiculous hour? Or would he be tightly snuggled up in bed with his husband? Yuuji smiled at the thought, someone to hold in bed sounded like a very nice idea indeed.

He rolled over in bed, thinking about one vision in particular of the previous quiet evenings he had witnessed; it was so calm. The other him was laid with his head cushioned on his husband's lap as he watched a film. His husband's hand was gently carding through his hair while the other hand held a book. Yuuji never considered it to be a romantic act before, but it looked cosy, and easy and calm. All things that he had yet to experience in his own life.

Yuuji let out a small sigh as he nuzzled gently against his pillow, allowing himself to envision what his counterpart felt like in his previous daydream. To imagine what the warmth of a husband's lap against his cheek would feel like; the gentle, satisfying touch of fingers raking through his hair, scritching his scalp with each pass; the calm sound of breath dusting over his; and the all encompassing loving blanket of contentment from each action. Yuuji hummed loudly, laying still in the hold of this faux embrace.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but all too soon he began to feel the creeping, scattered beams of light beginning to filter into his room. With a slight frown, he reluctantly moved his head backwards out of daylight's gaze, with his scrunched eyes trying to determine how long he had before he would either need to move again or give in to the day. Before he could even make a decision, Yuuji found himself blinking into the world that he had come to enjoy visiting. The realisation instantly fixed a smile on his face as he looked at the scene ahead.

Yuuji observed his other self pulling out of the empty bed with a heavy groan - a feeling that Yuuji readily identified with.

Wait a minute - did I just hear that?!

Yuuji looked closely, listening intently. He could hear something now of this other life; even though it was muffled, it was still there. He continued to watch, looking for anything else new.

The counterpart groggily dragged a hand down his face before checking the bedside clock. Yuuji questioned why he was up so early and where his husband was. His other self leaned over to reach some items from the chair nearby. It was with this flex of the body that Yuuji noticed just how many scars were littering the skin. Surely if there were no curses around to fight, he would be safe, or at least safer? Although he briefly remembered one of the first few visions of his other self showing him coming home with grazes, could it be related to that?

As the body pulled back and threaded himself through a shirt, Yuuji spotted a familiar logo on the front of it - one that he hadn't seen in years but would recognise anywhere.

Sendai City Fire Department

As a young boy, Yuuji had always enjoyed watching the fire trucks. From the very first time he visited the station on a school outing, his eyes lit up at the sight of them. It was only when he witnessed a fire break out in a neighbour's house and how the firefighters worked tirelessly to save the family and the home - and they did - that he felt something akin to awe. He wanted to do something that would make a difference like they did, and Yuuji hoped that one day he would have the opportunity to. At least, that's what he thought back then. His smile faltered slightly at the soured thought. But as he caught more movement from the scene in front of him, he refocused his attention.

His counterpart was finishing dressing himself when Yuuji heard a dull thud, followed by a figure briefly crossing the breadth of the bedroom. Yuuji leaned forward at the garbled sound of voices, but he still couldn't quite make out what was being said. However, it quickly became apparent that the other person was his husband, seemingly back from an early morning run - judging by the clothing.

With one man getting dressed and the other getting undressed, it wasn't long before their hands found each other's bodies again. When each seemed to start pulling at the other's clothes, it left Yuuji wondering where this was heading. He had witnessed a number of heated and impassioned exchanges and even borderline sexual acts between the couple so far, but he hadn't really considered what to do if he saw them completely intimate. What would he even do? Would he watch? Was that even okay? Is it really voyeurism if it's himself he's watching? Although, when he realised that it wasn't like he could really ask anyone else for clarification, he decided that it was fine and absolutely did not count. He hoped.

Being so engrossed in his thoughts, Yuuji almost missed the rest of their interaction, just about catching what he assumed was another kiss, from what he could tell by the embrace. These visions were slowly expanding, displaying more with each new snapshot, and now this new addition of some semblance of sound would provide more details into the life of his counterpart. This left Yuuji excited and curious for what else he would find out. But as the couple seemingly pulled apart from one another, likely to go their separate ways for the day, Yuuji frowned. Something else was gnawing at him, and he couldn't quite place what it was.

Blink.

The now fully illuminated, sunlit room caused him to recoil, scrunching his eyes tight, unwilling to accept that today's vision had just left it at that.

Bang. Bang.

"Itadori! Yaga-sensei says we've got a lesson this afternoon. There, I've passed it on - job done."

Yuuji groaned as he let out a weak "Thanks" in response to what sounded like Nobara. He continued to grumble that she could've just texted him as he stuck his hand out of the cover and scrambled around for his phone to set an alarm, knowing full well that there wasn't going to be nearly enough time to allow himself a proper rest. With a heavy and resigned exhale, he rolled over to finally get at least some of that sleep he had been chasing.

After the blaring of his alarm had startled him awake, Yuuji got dressed, had something to eat, and was now sitting on his bed reading manga. Or rather, he was trying to.

His mind kept skipping back to his other self, thinking about their whole set up. At the time, he hadn't realised just how wonderful that was. His other self was a married adult with his own home, holding down the job of his dreams, cooking at his leisure, and with a husband that loved him. The more Yuuji thought about it, the more his mind bounced between two very strong emotions, one of love and relief that he would have all this in this dream or vision or whatever the hell it was, but also a creeping feeling of jealousy and longing. The latter was already starting to feel like its tendrils were leaching into every positive feeling he was experiencing. He had never wanted so much for himself before, and now that that secondary emotion was starting to show its taint, as it kept bearing questions like, Why can't I have that in this world? Why don't I deserve it too?

He must have voiced them loud enough, as he seemingly disturbed the curse residing within him.

"What are you pining for, brat?"

Yuuji's back stiffened in an instant; he could not let Sukuna know about this. “I'm not. I'm, uh, just reading.”

“You've been staring like a fool at the same page for more than twenty minutes. So yes, you are, and it’s nauseating. Cut it out,” the curse drawled.

“I’m not. Not that you’d understand anyway. Just those ‘pathetic human things’.”

There was a sharp intake of breath before the curse spoke again. “As much as I'm loathed to remember, I was human once too.”

Yuuji found himself a little distractedly fidgeting with his hands, picking at the edges of them, having already given up on reading his manga. “Huh? Ah yeah, I suppose it's easy to forget after a thousand years.”

Feeling the mouth on his cheek close up, Yuuji wondered whether that was it. After all, the King of Curses tended to come and go as he pleased, typically abruptly. So when the skin on his palm parted to show the curse's mouth with a flash of teeth and started to converse more, Yuuji quirked an eyebrow.

“It was a forgettable existence, and one I’d rather not dwell on. It matters not. Now why are you pining?”

The sorcerer rolled his eyes before answering. “Sukuna, I'm not going to tell you that. You're only asking because you're bored and looking for some entertainment, probably from me via some form of creative humiliation.”

Yuuji fully expected a bite back, just as their normal tête-à-tête goes, but surprisingly, only a tired-sounding voice replied. “Have I become so predictable that a whimpering brat like you has readily become accustomed? Ugh, how dull and unacceptable.”

“You're being weird at the moment.”

“Elaborate.”

“Well, you haven't tried to kill me, and you're kinda quieter than usual. Are you plotting something again?”

“I can kill you again if that's what you desire; I can assure you that I have no qualms about that.”

“No, no, I'm good, thanks!” He panicked, letting his hands flail in front of himself, as if Sukuna were standing in front of him with that threatening glare. He lowered them when he remembered that he was, in fact, alone and let a slow gulp slide down his throat. Eyes trained on Sukuna's half-smirking mouth in his palm. “Just… wondering is all.”

Yuuji slumped at his desk, bored out of his mind. He was ready and even willing for the desk to become sentient and swallow him up whole just so that he didn't have to sit through this lesson. Yaga-sensei was giving a thoroughly in-depth talk about the dynamics of cores in cursed corpses. Yuuji was almost certain that they had already covered this or something like this anyway. Plus, Panda had already given a rather graphic lecture about it before, so that should count for something. Maybe if he wasn't so tired he would pay more attention, but right now he either wanted to be out of here - even curse hunting would be a better alternative to this - or, ideally, back to watching his alternate counterpart living out his dream life.

As if almost by request, one blink later, a familiar home came into view, and his favourite guest was starring again.

Once more, it seemed that the opening appeared even bigger than the last vision, and he could hear something of a muffled conversation. Though he reasoned that at least it was slightly clearer than the previous ones.

Yuuji's brows knitted together as he attempted to gauge the scene. It seemed that the couple were having a disagreement of some sort, but the sound was still so distorted that he could not make much out. It appeared his other self was preparing a ready meal of sorts ahead of a later shift. Ah, that makes sense. But for some reason, his husband didn't agree with that and was gesturing his hands at the food, all while his other self simply shrugged his shoulders and laughed it off.

Yuuji looked on at the scene and thought that, actually, it was kind of sweet that his husband would want him to have something a bit more substantial. However, if his counterpart was truly like him, then the young man was only using the quick snacks to get through his work shift. Not exactly healthy, he knew that, but Yuuji certainly didn't envy the necessity for them. Night shifts of any kind were notoriously difficult, probably even more so in his profession as a sorcerer.

The husband disappeared from view briefly before reappearing, now wearing an apron with an armful of select ingredients. The man proceeded to manoeuvre himself, so he was standing right next to where Yuuji's other self was. After arranging the food on the countertop, he pushed up each of the long sleeves of his smart shirt to avoid any mess and begin the food preparation.

And that's when Yuuji saw it.

Two thick black bands encircling each wrist on this husband. Each one as clear as day.

Yuuji froze on the spot. Unable to breathe, think, or even process what he was witnessing. His instant reaction was to opt for denial.

Nope. No way. Absolutely not. That's not him. It can't be.

Yuuji was convinced that it must be his mind projecting some weird shit, and it did not in fact mean anything. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Yet…

Yuuji couldn't stop his eyes from following each and every movement of the husband, of Sukuna. No, that's just too weird. Wrong even.

His counterpart eventually accepted the food that was being made for him, frequently giving shoulder nudges of what sounded like thanks and back to gentle touches and caresses of one another. Yuuji looked on, puzzled as to how anyone like Sukuna could behave so… softly.

He was almost worried for his counterpart, because the version Yuuji knew would likely put poison in the food just for shits and giggles. Did his other self need saving? Although he couldn't recall seeing anything that could be construed as toxic in or around the food, nor did there appear to be any doubt or signs of terror in the young man’s face. Was there even anything he could do anyway?

As his other self began to box up the beautifully prepared nutritious food, his husband's hands crept up his side, just as the unmistakable face of the King of Curses - well, this human version of him - lowered his face to the young man's neck. Seeing Sukuna's familiar features, even if they were free of the additional eyes and facial tattoos, confirmed everything that Yuuji had been silently praying as just some kind of deranged fever dream was in fact true. He wanted to warn his other self, scream out, and try anything to prevent whatever maiming was about to befall his counterpart.

And yet nothing happened.

His other self smiled as the lips ravaged his neck from his shoulder to the crook and up to his ears with kisses. And the other him liked it. A lot it seemed.

Yuuji felt like his head was about to explode. He couldn’t watch any more. He closed his eyes, hoping that would be enough to rid the image, as it couldn't possibly be right.

Blink

They're still there, and now they're laughing together. Laughing?!

Blink

Sukuna's hands are under his counterpart's shirt, dragging wandering fingers over his chest, drawing out muffled sounds of enjoyment.

Blink

His other self let out a distorted moan as the kissing on his neck intensified and an errant hand started to unbuckle his pants. Yuuji didn't know where to look; he could watch where this was headed, but right now there was a lot to unpack here. Even more so because it was starting to make Yuuji feel hot under the collar. He had never thought of Sukuna like that before. But seeing this, at least with this version of the curse, stirred something within him. It was quite a passionate display, and it was hard not to feel at least somewhat aroused by it. But right now, Yuuji just wanted it all over. Gone.

Blink

Yuuji almost choked on his own saliva as he tried to ground himself back in the room. Eyes wide and darting around, completely disoriented. The classroom. That's right. Yeah, Yaga-sensei was talking about something or other.

The others were sat propped up against their desks, just as bored as he had been, apparently oblivious to Yuuji's outburst. 

But Yuuji, he was fine. His other self, absolutely fine, and his hus- Sukuna! It's Sukuna. This was not fine. Not fine at all. They're living together, they're married, they fu-

The overwhelming realisation crashed into him, and a shudder washed like a vicious torrent throughout his body, leaving him unsure, as he didn't not like the thought, especially with all that he had seen of this other life.

He sat at his desk, a nervous twitch bouncing his leg, although he barely registered the movement itself. His mouth dry, sucked of all moisture, his face flushed as he tried not to think about his own arousal at the scene, and a headache that was threatening to spill out. He had to quieten his thoughts; he had to calm down. Otherwise Sukuna, his Sukuna, would catch on.

Standing abruptly, Yuuji announced, "I'm sorry, sensei, but I've gotta go to, uh, the toilet. Yeah, the toilet. Stomach ache, I'll be fine." He didn't hear the response nor wait for it as he exited the classroom, heading for anywhere else.

The pounding of his heartbeat in his ears was all he heard as he kept walking and walking. Eyes fixed without a destination in mind. He travelled through the expansive campus, past classrooms, dorms, residences, and offices, until he found himself at the gated entrance to the jujutsu school. And his stomach churned all over again.

"Finally had enough of them? It's about time." Came the drawling voice from his cheek.

It caught him off guard, and he flinched before answering, with his voice slightly higher than it should've been. "No. Just, uh, getting some fresh air." Yuuji promptly made an about turn and started walking towards the sprawling fields that made up part of the school's training grounds.

With a pang in the pit of his stomach, Yuuji moved over to the last building before the expanse of green and leaned against the wall.

It felt like some cruel twist of fate that it would be Sukuna that he was happily married to.

His head really did hurt. This couldn't be happening.

Yuuji slumped down onto the ground, his elbows resting on his knees, while he tried to concentrate on hiding his thoughts so as not to alert Sukuna. Yuuji didn't know if the curse was aware of any of it, as he hadn't said anything. Surely Sukuna would have already used it against him if he did, right?

"You better not be sick again, brat. I can only deal with so much pathetic at once."

Tensing up, the sorcerer answered hastily. "What? No, no, I'm fine. Absolutely peachy. No problemo here."

There was the rumbling of a small growl, followed by "Idiot." 

Yuuji winced at the response, but was quickly relieved that the curse had retreated back to his domain.

Throwing his head back against the wall with his eyes closed, Yuuji whined quietly. "Fuck. What am I gonna do? What can I do?"

"Kelp?"

Yuuji was completely oblivious to what had been going on outside his head, so he was somewhat startled when he opened his eyes and saw Toge standing there, looking at him with questioning eyes.

"Uh, hey, Inumaki. You okay?"

"Salmon," he nodded and briefly lifted his hand in greeting. "Mustard leaf?"

Yuuji couldn't help but let out a sigh. Was it that obvious that something was up with him? "Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting some fresh air, you know?"

"Salmon." Toge offered his hand to Yuuji before nodding his head to gesture to the open space of the training grounds. "Tuna mayo."

With a smile of thanks, Yuuji took the hand that pulled him to stand and followed Toge as his fellow sorcerer began to walk. He didn't know where they were going, but Yuuji supposed it was better than sitting on the floor smacking his head against a building.

They mostly walked in silence. Yuuji wasn't sure how much his old senpai had heard of his little rant, and he didn't really want to even attempt to try and explain it either. In fact, he would rather not think about it at all. So the relaxed quiet that lay between them as they walked suited him just fine. After a little while, it became apparent that the cursed-speech user was leading them up one of the taller hills surrounding the school.

Once they reached the top, Toge lifted his hand, sweeping across the view, "Tuna tuna." Before looking back at Yuuji, encouraging him to take slow, deep breaths.

Yuuji raised a sceptical eyebrow, but with a harsh glare directed back at him, he quickly relented, but not without a shrug and an eye roll first.

With a hum, Yuuji did as he was directed.

Inhale

Exhale

It was good to see a friendly face, even if he was struggling to process what he had witnessed in his other self's life.

Inhale

Exhale

He supposed it wasn't so bad as the couple seemed genuinely happy there, even if it wasn't like that for him here.

Inhale

Exhale

He opened his eyes to the beautiful view, they really did live in a stunning area. With all the gruesomeness in his life as a jujutsu sorcerer, trudging from one lesson to another, one mission to another, one curse to another, it was easy to forget the wonderful things he was surrounded by. Maybe seeing those positive things, regardless of how small, is what it means to be happy in this dark life.

Thankfully, his other self didn't seem to have that problem, not with Sukuna or anything he had witnessed so far. Maybe for the first time, Yuuji was grateful instead of envious that his other self's life was a world without curses.

"Mustard leaf?"

Yuuji nodded, "Yeah, much better. That was definitely what I needed. Thank you, Inumaki."

With a thumbs up, Toge beamed, "Spicy cod roe." Not long after, he gestured to leave, before offering a wave of goodbye as he began to make his way back down the hill toward the school.

Yuuji looked back at the scenery and decided he was going to stay up here for a little while, as it seemed like a good place to remain while he organised his thoughts. Certainly far better than where he was anyway. I'll have to remember to cook something special for Inumaki soon.

Sitting down on the ground, propping one elbow up on his knee, Yuuji pulled his phone out and snapped a picture of the view. It was a nice reminder of those 'positive things' around in this life and would sit perfectly in his gallery between his pictures of his friends and their shenanigans as a group.

However, one moment he was scrolling through the rest of the photos, a genuine smile lighting his face; the next he had blinked, and his field of view was now a garage of sorts. Looking to the side, his eyes filled with recognition as he saw signature red trucks emblazoned with a familiar logo. He was seeing the Sendai City fire station. It was bizarre; he hadn't seen the place in years, yet it didn't feel like it had changed much, maybe except for a few new coats of paint around the place.

It wasn't long before he caught sight of his other self walking across the open department doors carrying some equipment and sorting through it. Yuuji couldn't help but think it was nice to see himself strong in this world too.

With a far clearer sound, a familiar voice prompted both Yuuji and his counterpart to turn at the same time. "Hey sweetheart."

The young man turned with a surprised smile as he finished putting the equipment away. "Hey yourself, what are you doing here?"

"You forgot your lunch at home. You know, your lovely, delicious, nutritious lunch. Not that crap you were going to have." Sukuna smirked as he crossed the station foyer, bento box in hand.

As his other self approached his husband, he appeared to beam at the man appearing at his work. "Ah, right, yeah, thank you. But you know you did kinda distract me though," Yuuji said while letting out a small chuckle as he reached out to take the box.

Sukuna pulled Yuuji's other self into his arms and spoke lowly into his neck, "Hmm really? I didn't hear any complaints, especially when I-"

"Suku! I'm at work!" He playfully smacked his chest.

"So? I don't care. We're married. They must know what I like to do to my husband."

The creeping blushes that appeared were mirrored by both Yuuji and his counterpart at the comments. His husband's - Sukuna's - voice and obvious want even gave Yuuji's skin goosebumps. How does he manage to do that?

Sukuna charmingly spun the young man back around to face him, placing their foreheads together. "Why do you care what others think? They're unimportant. We're the only ones that matter. It's just us. Always."

His other self smiled fondly, closing his eyes and whispering back, "Always."

With a quick peck on his husband's cheek that lingered just long enough to deepen the young man's blush, Sukuna departed, leaving his counterpart with a beaming smile as he looked down at the bento box in his hand. He stowed it in his locker and went about his tasks, but it was obvious for Yuuji to see the new bounce in his step.

Blink

Yuuji's eyes opened to the beautiful sight of the late afternoon sun overlooking the sprawling land of the jujutsu school and its residences once more. Though it took more than a moment to refocus, he had noticed that the clearer the dream was, both in sound and vision, the more disoriented he felt when coming back from it. Although he couldn't get used to the sensation, it was a small price to pay to watch this surprisingly content life that he had with Sukuna.

For a brief moment, Yuuji considered what life would have been like had Sukuna not become a curse; surely their souls would have found each other eventually? Yuuji's eye twitched when he realised where his train of thought had taken him. If they're meant for each other in their world, does that also mean that Sukuna and I were meant for it in ours?

But before he could ponder any more, he felt the easily recognisable pull backwards into Sukuna’s innate domain. Yuuji braced himself for impact as best as he could; however, on this occasion, much to his surprise, he hadn't been unceremoniously dropped into the tainted waters. The sorcerer found himself standing upright at the lowest row of bones that made up the base of Sukuna's towering hill of death with a look of confusion on his face.

Chancing a glance up at the curse himself, Yuuji’s jaw tightened for a moment. The sudden acceleration in his heart rate as their eyes made contact caught Yuuji off guard, and he quickly darted his eyes to the throne and then up to the cage of bones that lingered ominously above them. He absolutely refused to look down and show any signs of deference to the curse, but in that moment, he also didn't want to stare directly at Sukuna either. Something within him now felt… confused.

"Approach."

Sukuna called Yuuji up to where he sat on his solid throne, his head lazily resting on his fist. Yuuji could count on one hand how many times this had happened in the years they had spent in each other's company, and it always ended the same way - with Yuuji's death.

Clattering up the steep side of haphazardly placed skulls, Yuuji gritted his teeth, keen not to prolong this any more than was necessary.

Whatever thoughts he had of the Sukuna within his vision were vastly different from the curse that occupied his body here in this life. And for his and everyone else's safety, he had to remember that. There wasn't a damn good thing about him. None. At. All. He was a curse, first and foremost. Sukuna's existence was a curse on the world. A curse on humanity. A curse on him. And Yuuji wouldn't let himself forget that. He kept repeating these thoughts over and over in his head like a mantra with every scrambled step.

As he reached the peak of the bone pile and stood opposite the - now standing - curse, Yuuji’s furrowed brow looked up to survey Sukuna's face, trying to judge his intentions.

"It seems you haven't been completely honest now, does it?" Sukuna stated in a somewhat derisive tone as he cocked his head to the side.

"What?! When?"

The curse's eyes lazily traced over Yuuji’s face and continued, "When I asked you what you were pining for."

Yuuji's eyes shot wide at the realisation that Sukuna somehow knew of the visions too. This was- He was- Yuuji didn't know what to say, and being desperate not to reveal any more than he already had, he tried his best to steel his features and clench his jaw as Sukuna carried on speaking.

"You seemed to leave out some bits of information. Tsk, tsk, it seems like something important if you're keeping it to yourself."

"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about." Sukuna stepped closer into Yuuji's space; it took everything in his willpower to stop himself from flinching, but judging by the slight curl at the side of Sukuna's lip, Yuuji had anyway. 

"Oh? Is that so?"

Yuuji narrowed his eyes, unwilling to play this game. Fear of dying here in Sukuna's innate domain no longer plagued him; countless deaths caused by varying levels of maliciousness had desensitised him; however, he despised being cut up merely for Sukuna's entertainment. 

"Could it be that you've been wondering what a life without curses and jujutsu looked like?" All four of Sukuna's crimson eyes bore straight into Yuuji's sudden panicked ones.

Sukuna lifted his hand and brought the back of it close to Yuuji's face. The sorcerer couldn't help but falter slightly, his eyes darting from the hand to the curse, before standing his ground again.

"Could it be that you've been wondering what those touches would feel like?" His voice slow and deep.

Yuuji's breath hitched in his throat as Sukuna gently glided the back of his fingers down over the swell of his cheek. He couldn't help leaning ever so minutely into the touch. It was unexpectedly warm, soft even, but his moment of want was quickly overridden by his senses as he remembered just who was standing in front of him. It wasn't a loving husband; it wasn't someone who cared for him; it wasn't even someone he was content being around. He couldn't keep forgetting this. The being in front of him was the furthest away from the person in his dreams. And even though Yuuji knew it felt wrong to hold onto, he would keep that version of Sukuna for himself; if his other self could be happy with a version like that, then he could too, even if it only existed in his head. This being in front of him was not his husband.

The smirk on Sukuna's face was more disconcerting than usual, and Yuuji hoped that it wasn't from the reaction that the man had elicited from him, although he suspected it was. It also held a different expression, one that Yuuji couldn't pinpoint, but there was a hint of resigned surprise.

And just like that, the curse retracted his hand from Yuuji and began circling behind the sorcerer. The thoughtful hum that Sukuna let out left Yuuji feeling a sense of unease, especially as the curse was now almost out of his line of sight.

Feeling the pressure of someone so close, he heard Sukuna whisper over his shoulder, "I wonder…"

Without hesitation, Yuuji turned his body to meet Sukuna's, but as he did, he was abruptly shoved backwards. His feet stumbled at the unexpected movement, and he fell harshly, his back colliding with the cold, solid bone throne and a sharp hiss escaping his lips. “Sukuna! What the-”

But his words died on his tongue as Sukuna was now suddenly in very close proximity to him, practically nose to nose, invading his space. Yuuji's eyes glanced to each side, swiftly taking in the new position as the curse's hands came to rest on the arms of the throne. He let out an uneven breath as his bottom lip let a quiver escape.

Yuuji's eyes crawled back to Sukuna's face; even with the curse's face slightly shaded by his position, it didn't disguise the radiant glow from his eyes, each one of his four irises stunning. For the very first time, Yuuji was so close that he could pick out the subtle shades and flecks in the curse's orbs - details that he was momentarily sad that he didn't know. It's not something that had ever crossed Yuuji's mind at all; after all, he had never been this close to Sukuna before - well, this Sukuna anyway. Still, despite the uneasy feeling and the fluttering that was growing in his chest - the one that felt oddly similar to the way he felt whenever he watched the visions - he didn't feel at risk anymore. It was like all the foreboding energy that usually felt almost suffocating had been switched for something else.

With the face edging closer into the sorcerer's space, just a breath away, Sukuna stared down at honey-filled eyes. As Yuuji's escaping soft pants were meeting Sukuna's long breaths, he couldn't help but help the heat growing on his face. Even his chest, neck, and ears felt like they were blushing. All kinds of thoughts were racing through his mind, including that he was dreadfully misreading the situation.

Sukuna spoke with a low tone and a slight husk, “Could it be that you’ve been wondering what it would taste like?”

Yuuji’s brain short circuited. He knew he was supposed to be repulsed by this. He knew that he was supposed to shove the curse away and fight him for trying to screw with his mind. He knew all of this and more, and yet he couldn't help but want answers to those questions himself. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it, trying to keep his musings buried enough that Sukuna wouldn't unravel them. However, before he could get any semblance of a reasonable answer to refute any one of them, his own eyes betrayed him. Of their own accord, they jumped down to sneak a glance at Sukuna's mouth. And for the first time, this version didn't look like the menace he had come to know these last couple of years. Sukuna's parted lips looked like the soft, pliant ones of his other self's husband. They looked like they would taste delicious. The kind that he hoped would take his breath away enough to almost kill him in the process, and he would still gladly let come back for more.

And for that split second, his resolve waned, and he wanted to know what they tasted like.

So when those very same lips he had been eyeing came crashing into his, Yuuji’s shock-widened eyes only lasted a moment before they started to roll back with overwhelming desire.

He hadn't had much in the way of experience with kissing, having only had a handful of experimental attempts at his old high school and some failed tries at relationships since he entered the jujutsu world. Even that was no easy feat when he housed the most dangerous man on the planet. The same man that was now kissing him. The same man he had witnessed kissing his counterpart repeatedly.

Having teased his open mouth, Yuuji felt Sukuna's tongue bury itself in it, circling the inside, filling and dominating, and desperately seeking to taste every corner. The overwhelming action almost completely starved Yuuji of oxygen and pushed his head further back into the throne, causing Yuuji's head to swirl. Whether that feeling was because of breathlessness, that this was the best kiss he had ever had, or the fact that it was the King of Curses doing it, Yuuji couldn't decide. But unless he also wanted it to be his last kiss - as he was fast running out of breath - he needed to do something.

The sorcerer's previously stunned hands moved up to start to grip a hold of anything that might slow the curse down, landing with one on Sukuna's shoulder and the other in his hair. A gentle push and pull of his hands as he breathlessly kissed back was enough to elicit a small growl from Sukuna's throat. The soft rumbling and change in tempo of the curse's tongue were enough to allow Yuuji to relax more into the kiss and breathe more steadily.

Now able to appreciate every skilled swipe and massage that graced his tongue, Yuuji was slowly losing himself in the kiss. It pulled at everyone of his senses, heightening them and dulling them at the same time. He'd never felt such an unyielding want before, either to give it or to be on the receiving end of it. It was utterly addicting, and for a moment, somewhere in the back of his mind, he questioned whether he ever wanted that feeling to stop. 

It was only when Yuuji meant to move his head for more that he noticed that hands - Sukuna's hands - were cupping his face, fingers extending into his hair. When did that happen?

As if he had sensed the change in Yuuji, Sukuna pulled away, his lips still chasing light kisses, until the two of them fully parted.

The back of Yuuji's head and shoulders were still pressed up against the throne as he looked up at Sukuna with partially glazed eyes. His face was flushed, and his lips were swollen and glossed with saliva. Only shallow pants escaped his mouth as his lax tongue mourned the loss of Sukuna's caressing warmth.

"Hmm.." Sukuna lewdly licked over his lips, his eyes still thick with lust and desire, as he leaned backwards and observed the sorcerer. "You taste far better than I expected."

Swallowing slowly and blinking himself back to his senses, Yuuji’s panic began to overtake him as the realisation of what he had done - allowed to be done - set in. Suddenly struck with a whole host of conflicting and confusing emotions and feelings, Yuuji rushed forward, ducking under Sukuna's arm and brushing past the soft material of the man's kimono. Yuuji was trying not to think, not to feel as he made his way further from the curse; if he did, he might truly consider turning around to indulge himself in more of those kisses and touches.

Instead, he awkwardly descended the jagged hill of bones in a hurry, not caring if he gored himself on the bull skulls, while hearing the low, throaty laugh that echoed throughout the domain, coming from the curse he left behind.

"Where are you running off to?" Called Sukuna, still half laughing. "I didn't take you for a prude, not with how eager you've been."

Yuuji stilled at the words. He kept his blushed face forward, chest heaving, and eyes darting around for an escape. But reality sobered his still half-dazed state as he remembered that his exit options in this place were rather limited.

With a deep, defeated breath, Yuuji spoke out, barely glancing over his shoulder to the curse, who sat back up on his throne. Yuuji didn't have to turn to know the smirk Sukuna was wearing. "Just get it over and done with; kill me so I can leave." Yuuji dropped his shoulders and just stood there, waiting for the inevitable slices to hit.

But they never came.

Blinking his eyes open, there was an orange-tinted sky above. He was conscious again and had somehow managed to leave the domain without being killed. Was it because of that kiss?

He very quickly became aware of how aroused he was, especially as the evidence was currently straining against his pants, but Yuuji couldn't help bringing his fingers to his lips. He pressed them lightly as they still tingled from the contact, thinking about what had just happened, thinking about the taste as he stared upward at the open skies.

"You did too."

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Waking up the following day was a bizarre experience. As Yuuji's eyes fluttered open at the blaring sound of his alarm, the image before him began to flicker between the layout of his dorm room at the jujutsu school and his bedroom that he shared with the other Sukuna in their home.

And for a moment, Yuuji couldn't seem to process which life was his own.

As the tension rose in his chest, Yuuji furiously blinked, trying to settle on a clear image before he finally opened his eyes to the solid image of his dorm. It was with a heavier sigh than he was expecting that he felt a pang of sadness that this was his reality.

Not that he didn't appreciate his friends and the semblance of family and camaraderie with a select few that he had found in this place, but there was always still the looming question over his life and when he would finally meet his end. It wasn't the death itself that scared him; it was knowing whether he would have done enough to have made his life worthwhile, whether he had saved enough, whether he had experienced enough, whether he had tried hard enough to do the right thing. All those regrets that Principal Yaga had told him to expect so many years ago were already swimming around Yuuji's head as he marched on toward the day where his execution would no longer be postponed. While that didn’t wholly quash his sunshine temperament, it did occasionally dampen it with waves of morose feelings that threatened to drown him when he was reminded of the politics of his position as a vessel.

But this other life, his other self, he had found happiness - in the most unlikeliest of people, yes, but it was still happiness, and Yuuji found himself envying it more every day. His want for escapism from his existence in this world was beginning to skew his normally resolute morals. It had to have been. How else could he explain the kiss he willingly allowed to happen? The kiss that he threw himself into, that he enjoyed, that he savoured, and could barely admit that he wanted again and again. He wanted more.

But whether that was because he truly felt something for Sukuna - unlikely - or because it was the closest he could get to what his counterpart had, he didn't know. And even if he did know, Yuuji wasn't sure he'd like the answer.

After he had regained consciousness on the hill overlooking the jujutsu campus last night, Yuuji sat for a while. By the time he left, the temperature had cooled considerably and the sun had begun its route to dipping below the skyline, painting the skies in fiery shades of orange and dusky pinks.

He found his phone buried underneath him, where he must've dropped it as Sukuna pulled him into his domain. He'd had numerous calls and texts to check on him and his whereabouts, but it seems Toge had managed to put his friend's minds at ease.

Yuuji had just needed the time to process what had happened between him and Sukuna. He hadn't been certain of the curse's interest in him initially, but it certainly seemed to change during the course of their interaction. He couldn’t be certain, but Yuuji couldn't shake the feeling that that kiss had forever changed their dynamic.

It seemed that Yuuji had been given that time to process, or maybe it was Sukuna who did; he couldn't be sure. But once he returned back to his dorm room after dinner, things changed again. From that kiss onwards, Sukuna hadn't once pulled him back to his domain, nor had Yuuji tried to push the point, even though part of him wanted to be called upon. Especially as the King of Curses took every opportunity to wordlessly steal kisses and tastes from the sorcerer in the outer world.

The first attempt was when he tried to read his manga that night, to distract his weary mind, he absentmindedly rested his palm on his cheek while his eyes stared straight through the pages. He had felt the curse manifest a mouth on his hand and licked a stripe across the plump skin of his cheek before ending with a somewhat chaste kiss quicker than he could react. Yuuji had yelped in surprise, initially questioning the gesture. But he didn't get a word out of the curse, only the briefest half smile on his palm before it disappeared once again.

The next time, Yuuji had just finished getting ready for the night and sat down on the edge of the bed. With a forceful stretch, eyes still closed and arching his back with his hands overhead, he could feel the roll of a yawn starting to ripple over his body and up to his open jaw. Mid-yawn, as he partially covered his mouth with his hand, a tongue darted in and began to commandeer the space, catching Yuuji off guard in a half-breath.

His exhausted eyes were suddenly wide, and he tried to muffle out a sound at the surprise intrusion. Yuuji grabbed his offending wrist with his other hand to try and pull it away, but the tongue swiftly pulled his senses into the familiar sensation he had in Sukuna's domain. And embarrassingly quickly, his eyes closed tightly again, and all thoughts of ending the kiss ceased as Yuuji's own tongue fell into rhythm.

It wasn't long before he was falling backwards onto his bed, letting out small whimpering moans as the curse's tongue bore deeper into his throat.

Yuuji had no doubts that his resident curse seemed to like the kissing sessions just as much as he did. Unknown intentions aside, it made for an interesting truce of sorts: kissing instead of killing intent.

The more frequently occurring visions only added to the mounting unspoken tension between them.

Although Yuuji would've enjoyed being face-to-face with the man, the thought of entering the domain and being reminded of their position of curse and vessel did grate on him. At least when they kissed like this in the comfort of his own room, in his bed, Yuuji could pretend that it was the idyllic life that he craved.

Even though they had exchanged kisses on a number of occasions, neither of them had really spoken much to each other since. But Yuuji still felt him there, communicating with his actions, pressing closely up against his soul - it was almost comforting. Not just to not have his very being and soul treated like a punchbag to wear down, but because there was something else. Like a warmth that he hadn't experienced from the curse before - well, until that first kiss.

And really, Yuuji hadn't actually wanted it to stop. His feeble attempts at trying to reason his way out of the action were almost always overridden by his desire for it to continue. Maybe he could blame his hormones for something after all.

Since then, Yuuji had tried to keep his thoughts to himself; he had certainly given far too much of himself away already. But when he experienced another daydream late last night, it was difficult to keep a hold on his thoughts.

His other self and Sukuna were tucked up in bed; Yuuji judged by the mess of clothes around, tangled sheets and still-flushed faces that it had obviously not been long since the pair had been intimate. He had tried not to think too hard about the thought, but somehow it still kept coming back to him. It made him unconsciously lick his lips at the thought of him and the curse so close together. He had looked fondly over them as they lay so still, his counterpart comfortably snuggled with his arms lovingly draped over Sukuna's bare chest as his husband held him with one arm around his shoulders and his face resting on the top of the other Yuuji's head. It was far sweeter than Yuuji had ever expected of a relationship with Sukuna, and yet, it was there right in front of his eyes. A version of the man that cared, that loved, that had feelings.

The soft snores and deep sighs were a tonic to Yuuji's ears. Contentment at its finest, and Yuuji did not want to leave. But before long, and a single blink later, he was back on his own in his dorm. Alone.

Yuuji struggled to get to sleep after that. Part of him had hoped that his Sukuna would yank him back to his domain - at that point he would have taken any interaction with the curse - but the other part of him just wanted to be fed more tales of this other life. As if immersing himself more in their world and lives would drown out the issues he had with his current existence in this world. It ended up being a long night.

As for today, once the confusion of his surroundings settled and the despondent feelings were exchanged for frustration on remembering that he still had some tasks to do today - including writing a number of mission reports - Yuuji let out a prolonged groan. Although it wasn't anticipated to be a particularly busy day, unless he got pulled onto a last-minute mission or he had to fill in for someone, it still wasn't what he wanted to do. Right now, Yuuji wanted nothing more than to snuggle in his bed, envisioning fantasies of a loving marriage and adventures in normality, or better still, be engrossed in the dream itself, witnessing new scenes and adding to his bank of memories to call upon.

“You can make such sweeter sounds than that.”

Normally, Yuuji would be surprised to hear the curse speak out to him, especially words without any taunting or bite to them, but the comment held a comforting interest. And instead of a retort, Yuuji gave a lazy smile with only the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks. He remained with his eyes closed, lying on his side, and brought his fingers up to the mouth he had felt split open on the side of his cheek. Yuuji let his index finger slowly trace the bottom lip of the open-mouthed curse - only a small part of him hoping that he wouldn't get bitten. Thankfully, the curse responded in kind by licking his tattooed tongue up the side of the finger, gaining a soft hum from Yuuji.

“That’s better.” The curse purred.

Yuuji smiled before taking his hand down from his face, letting it rest facing him on his pillow as if the man himself would emerge next to him. With a gentle finger he lightly rubbed along the centre of his palm. Yuuji had yet to initiate any of their kisses, but he quickly reciprocated any offers, each time becoming faster than the last. This was the first occasion that Yuuji made any sort of attempt to entice Sukuna. Before, a hesitant and wary part of him had held himself back; he had somehow come to the conclusion that volunteering himself was effectively an admission of his desire for the cursed version of Sukuna. But right now, in the cocooned haven of his bed and the faint mirage in his mind of the other life, it didn't seem like any differentiation was needed at all. Here, in this moment, he felt like he could have it all. He would just have to close his eyes and enjoy that tongue.

As if on cue, Sukuna’s grinning mouth appeared on the palm of Yuuji's open palm. “You’re wanting more again, I see.”

“Maybe…” Yuuji smirked playfully before leaning forward and placing a tentative kiss on the corner of the curse’s mouth. “But I think you like it.” He breathed, having not parted from the appendage. Being met with an approving sound, Yuuji moved to place a fuller kiss but momentarily hesitated, suddenly unsure about what he was doing - he wasn’t as experienced at taking the lead in such matters, even though he learnt quickly through their numerous interactions since that very first kiss.

“Oh? Suddenly shy, are we?” Sukuna smirked in a biteless mock.

Well, he had to start somewhere, right? Yuuji closed the gap without any further delay or second-guessing.

Yuuji's mouth moved slowly, pulling Sukuna’s tongue into a massaging caress, feeling every smooth curve of its texture, tasting the delicious mix of their saliva, all while imagining the body of the man laid in front of him.

It was almost embarrassing how fast Yuuji had fallen into this interaction with the King of Curses, but a bit of delusion and a desperate feeling of longing was more than enough to assuage any residual hesitancy or even guilt. No one else knew; no one had to know. It wasn't going to change his position as a vessel, nor the outcome of his execution. It was just a small perk of circumstances that somehow resulted in an enemies-with-benefits kind of situation. At least, that's what Yuuji told himself every time he caught a feeling starting to brew about the man, about the curse.

He started to feel himself edge towards becoming overwhelmed, especially when Sukuna started to take control of the kiss, seeking a deeper place in Yuuji's throat, with each progressive moan allowing for further access. Yuuji found himself dragging the pillow down, pulling it deeper into his chest as his hips rolled with the movement, almost rutting against the fabric. Losing himself in the passion of the action, the taste, and the sensation, Yuuji almost jumped when Sukuna nipped at his bottom lip.

Yuuji abruptly pulled his hand away from his mouth with a frown as the blood started to bead from the graze on his lip. “Why'd you have to ruin it?” He whined.

“So needy.”

A small huff passed the sorcerer's lips after he swiped his tongue across the fresh layer of crimson, refusing to let Sukuna enjoy the taste of his blood as well as his mouth.

“Brat, take a personal day.”

“Huh? Oh, you wanna continue this some more? I can’t really-”

Although it seemed that the curse was momentarily tempted by the idea, Sukuna promptly cut Yuuji off. “Not here. Just tell them you’re going back to Sendai to take care of some outstanding matters.”

Yuuji quirked an eyebrow. “So, lie? And why Sendai anyway? All my stuff’s here now.”

“Just do it.” The curse snapped sharply. 

Yuuji scowled at the hand still open-palmed with Sukuna's waiting mouth before sitting upright in his bed and running his other hand through his hair. “It’s probably not a good idea, especially as I'm still having these dream-vision things. Anyway, I'm not gonna lie to them for no reason. You've gotta at least tell me why.”

“I don't have to tell you shit.”

Yuuji’s brow furrowed as he let out a huff of air from his nose. “Yeah, you do, especially if you wanna actually go anywhere. But with that attitude, I think I'm just gonna say n-”

“Finish that thought, and I'll yank you down here so fast it'll shatter every bone on impact.”

As he tried desperately not to think of the end of the sentence, the only secondary thought that kept clouding his brain was that he was getting more pain in whiplash from Sukuna's change in mood than the proposed threat. Rolling his eyes, Yuuji tried to at least clarify, “Oookay, so you're not gonna give me a choice in this, are you?”

“What made you think you get a choice when it comes to something I want?”

Yuuji hated how the response made him feel - it was just the same as when Sukuna took charge in kissing. Such a commanding action that ignited his senses, shooting throughout his body and leaving him just short of yearning for more. Whatever this thing was between them, it was so damn confusing. At least he knew where they stood when it was only a curse-vessel relationship. Now, not so much.

With a defeated sigh - half because he just knew that he was going to regret whatever today would bring and the other half because he wasn't going to shake the morning's arousal otherwise - “Fine. Let me grab my stuff, and I'll let the faculty know. Can you at least tell me why?”

“I need to see something.”

“Huh? Something to see… like what? What could possibly be there?!”

“You'll find out soon enough.”

After a thankfully uneventful bus trip into the city centre and navigating Tokyo Station, Yuuji finally made it to his turn in the queue to book a train ticket back to Sendai. He was still puzzled as to why Sukuna wouldn't just let him book it on the app, but then not much made sense about the curse at times - just like this latest instruction. All Yuuji knew was that it would all come to light before long; it always did.

“Ugh, this is going to be an expensive trip. I don't even need to go there-”

Quit your grumbling, brat. Select the destination for Morioka.

“Morioka?! Why the hell do you want to go there?” Yuuji quickly pulled his fingers back from the touch screen before confirming his tickets to Sendai.

There's nothing else to discuss, book the damned tickets. The curse snapped, followed by a low and devious threat. Or do you want to see a spectacle right here amongst all these humans, hmm?

“Okay, okay, jeez… You don't have to pull out the ‘I’m going to murder everyone in the vicinity’ card just to get your way, you know.” Yuuji drawled until he froze up as he realised that he had said that out just a little too loud and had now caught the eye of the person standing at the machine next to him. With an awkward stare and lip giving a slight tremble, a silent moment passed between them when the - now very pale - man suddenly cancelled whatever ticket he was going to book and left the machine, the ticket office, maybe even the station, abruptly. Drooping his head forward, almost hitting the machine, Yuuji spoke with a strained, hushed voice, “Ugh, Sukuna, you make me look like a crazy person.”

That echoing laugh, which he knew all too well, rang out in his head for a good few awkward minutes as he stood with the rest of the queue's gaze boring into his back before finally dying down. You do it to yourself. Do not blame me for your inability to survey your surroundings.

If he could get away with having a shouting match with the curse right now, he would. Unfortunately, there were far too many people around, including the ones murmuring behind him in the queue. Hoping to get the debacle over quickly, Yuuji clicked a couple of options, relenting and booking the base train tickets to Morioka.

Finally, it took you long enough, brat. Now- wait… what are you doing? What are you booking now?

Casting a brief glance around before speaking again quietly, Yuuji answered. “I have to book the Shinkansen tickets separately, and it's costing me a small fortune.”

You don't normally do that.

A few more taps and the tickets were printed. Yuuji abruptly turned, offering a small bow to the semi-patient person waiting behind him, and left the ticket office on quick feet, not daring to look at any of the others that might have witnessed the exchange.

He pulled up his hoodie and put in his earphones to make it look like he was at least talking to someone on the phone before answering the curse. “That's because I don't normally get the high-speed ticket because it's expensive. But with you being all pushy and the way the faculty gets antsy whenever I'm further away from the campus for longer periods of time, I wanna get whatever-the-hell this expedition is over and done with as soon as possible.” Yuuji gritted out with a tight smile as he passed close to some other passengers. “So if I can get there and back in a few hours, then it's worth it, okay?” Only met with silence, Yuuji assumed that Sukuna had retreated back to his domain. At least, he hoped so.

As much as he had come to enjoy the intimate company of the curse very recently, Yuuji had already appreciated the occasional somewhat reasonable dialogue that the king entertained - not as shocking a concept as he'd originally thought. Particularly as Sukuna was well versed in the history, literature, maths, battle tactics, jujutsu and, of course, cursed energy and how to wield it. The man was practically a genius within those fields. So when Sukuna was in a rarely seen magnanimous mood, Yuuji didn't hesitate to garner as much information on the subject as possible before he was either inevitably shut down or dragged into the curse's innate domain for a beating. If any of it helped him to cultivate his own domain expansion, then he wasn't going to stand in his own way, was he? Yuuji could only hope that there would be a lasting impact from what he feared was a tenuous connection at best sometimes. At this point, it was either wishful thinking or burying his head in the sand. And he hated that he knew straight away which option he would opt for right away.

The echo of normality, just like he had seen in his visions of his other self and his husband, still fundamentally had a grip on Yuuji, and if it was possible to experience even a fraction of that with his Sukuna, then he would, grasping it with both hands. The loneliness that poured into every facet of his life saw to his pursuit of this ideation. It was almost unforgiving and relentless and saw to him following the most bizarre request his husb- his curse had pushed on him so far. 

Despite having to discreetly exorcise a couple of lingering weak curses - likely borne out of human frustration within the busy station - along the way, Yuuji made it onto the platform and subsequently boarded the high-speed train without a hitch. The sorcerer finally felt like he could breathe a small sigh of relief at the relatively smooth journey through the masses of people within the station without incident, especially as Sukuna did not take kindly to people being in close proximity to his vessel.

This was Yuuji’s first time on the Shinkansen, as his first few return trips back to Sendai were by his sensei's teleportation technique. This was mainly because the King of Curses couldn't be trusted on public transportation at that point; Yuuji couldn't be entirely certain he could this time either, but so far so good. Every other time since he was finally allowed to travel on his own freely a couple of years ago, it was on the standard train, being an all-day slog for just a one-way journey. So it was of no surprise that Yuuji - now sitting in his comfy window seat, staring all around the inside of the train car - could barely contain his awe at getting to travel this way. He was like a little child again, eyes wide and round, taking in every detail, every sight of the screens lighting up, every sound of the overhead tannoy and low hum of the train brimming his smile wider. It was such a simple thing, but he felt happy to experience it at long last.

“It is almost sickening how easily those puppy-eyed expressions come to your face, so easily pleased by such trivial things. You house the King of Curses. Of course you should be travelling with the best of the best - no exceptions.”

Yuuji let out a small huff as he turned his head to look out the window as the train began to depart the station. “Well, it's good to do, even if I can only afford it once.”

Settled as they were, it seemed that Sukuna radiated enough menacing aura that no one sat next to Yuuji. The one person who did make an attempt, almost suckered in by Yuuji's bright smile, started to back away the moment Yuuji started to move his bag for the man. Yuuji offered him an apologetic smile, knowing full well that it was somehow Sukuna's doing.

Yuuji spoke into his fist as he leaned against the window. “Cut that out, will you? We're already doing what you want.”

It can not be helped if these peasants know their place beneath their king.

“Well, if they can afford to travel regularly on the Shinkansen, they're definitely not peasants, Sukuna.”

The countryside whistled past, barely an acknowledgment of each station punctuated the stops. With only a couple of exchanges between him and the curse throughout the journey, it left Yuuji to stare out of the window. With his music on high in his ears, he watched the world pass by for what felt like hours already.

Yuuji nodded to the beat of the song, letting it fill his mind, acting like a soundtrack to his recent memories. Until he casually blinked, and gone was the smooth rhythmic sway of the train carriage, and gone were the colours and signs. Instead, it was replaced with the tussle of two bodies, with grunts and curses filling his ears. His brows instantly knitted together in concern, as it wasn't the sight of intimacy that drew his eyes, it was what looked like an altercation.

His other self was attempting to strike at his husband, narrowly avoiding the man as he deftly moved out of the way. Yuuji had seen this play out far too many times in his own cursed world. It shocked him to see it happen in the one place he had sought solace in, the one place he thought he could hold onto a last bastion of happiness for at least one iteration of himself. But now he was at a loss as to what to do as he began to wordlessly scream, watching Sukuna grab ahold of his other self's arm, trapping him. Filled with rage and regret, his conflicting emotions coursed through him, only allowing him to feel, as he remained utterly powerless in this vision. Despite his hopes that his other self wouldn't stop fighting, just as he didn't, he found himself cowardly clenching his eyes shut, unable to watch, familiar with how this ended. He could see it all unfold in his mind already, the same ways he had seen it for himself in Sukuna's domain one too many times.

If he could have blocked his ears in that moment, he would have done so. He didn't need to hear the crunch of bone or the shriek of a slice. But it never came. Instead, just as quickly, his ears were filled with laughter. As the confusion roused his mind from its self-imposed lockdown, Yuuji eyed the two men.

They were both half-laid on the cushioned chairs, the living room out of sorts in their scuffle. Their hands in quick motion were fending off each other's jabs, trying to avoid tickling fingers being run up the side of one of their ribs.

Yuuji could barely make sense of what he was seeing, but it looked more like they were… play-fighting? Had it really been that long since he had roughhoused with his friends that he didn't even recognise it anymore? Or that he had become so accustomed in his life as a sorcerer to death and dire consequences looming around every corner. When had he lost that side of him?

Yuuji watched his other self laugh until tears formed at the corners of his eyes, and his husband's open face responded in something so pure. A smile, beaming teeth on show without even a hint of malice, laughing so sincerely as his throat bobbed and chest heaved. Eyes locked and filled with something akin to joy, all seemingly from seeing his husband happy and content.

Yuuji could barely fathom it. He didn't even know Sukuna could make that expression. Granted, he had seen so much more range from the man- curse than he had ever thought possible, but this, he never expected this. That Sukuna, in any iteration, in any universe, could be this unabashedly happy. It was with a pang of sadness that Yuuji wondered if Sukuna had ever experienced something even close to that in his cursed existence. That, he didn't know, but watching this pair roll around, innocently fighting for dominance and enjoying each other so freely, Yuuji started to wonder if it was possible.

Blink

All too quickly the image phased into the interior of the train carriage. The song now playing something else almost mutely in his ears. And the leftover imagery plaguing his thoughts.

Despite his initial concern, it was an oddly more intimate moment than he could've ever anticipated. For both him and Sukuna.

The more he tried to push that thought away, the more the rose tint dusting his cheeks deepened. Suddenly very aware that he was in a public space, Yuuji swallowed thickly and practically jumped out of his skin when Sukuna spoke.

“Why are you blushing, brat? I've done far more than that to you.”

Yuuji tried to clear his throat and turn further in his seat towards the window. “Ahem… yeah… I know. It's just that we… that they… you know…”

“No, I don't. And even if I did. I still don't.”

He huffed a breath through his nose, “Yeah, of course. You're still a curse after all.”

“Is that really something you forget?”

Yuuji didn't answer him. He was confused enough as it was. He certainly didn't give a name to whatever they were and whatever they were doing, especially after what he had just witnessed.

Now standing outside the entrance to Morioka Station holding an old hike competition map - that Sukuna had insisted he get from the travel office - Yuuji's brows knitted together trying to make sense of it in relation to where he was.

“So… where did you wanna go then?”

“Morioka Castle, take us there.”

Yuuji looked up from the guide and around at the skyline to see if he could identify any turrets, walls, structures or just anything that resembled the kinds of castles he had seen in history books. “I can’t see anything around. Is it like an old one? Like old to me or old old like you?”

“Tch. Anything from my time is unlikely to still be standing in its original form.”

“Hmm, it’s probably somewhere on this map. Lemme just check.” The sorcerer scrunched his face, looking over the flimsy map, trying not to rip it before his eyes zeroed in on what he was looking for. “Aha! It's just down this way.” Yuuji raised his hand to point in the direction before looking at his hand with a confused expression, “Huh? That's weird.”

“What now?”

“I don't know. My arm… when I pointed that way, I got a kinda weird feeling running down it and through my fingers. It felt like a pull in that direction.” Yuuji looked at his fingers one more time before lowering his hand. “Sukuna, what's there, at the castle, I mean?”

Even though he couldn't see, Yuuji could certainly feel the sensation of Sukuna's mouth pulling wide on his cheek.

“Just you wait.”