reposts are greatly appreciated!!
SYNOPSIS: sukuna never planned on letting anyone get this close, but he's seen the way you brought a heartbeat back to this house, and now that he's got a good taste of what a real home feels like, so now he knows he's gotta make this shit permanent.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: hii my sweetiess i missed yall , alsoo i apologize for the super long hiatus but i had lots of stuff going on since school ended so please bare with me cs this has been in my drafts for a whilee. this is somewhat proofread?? and also give me a sum time for part two i promise i got yall!!!
it was an early saturday afternoon and the heavy summer heat hadnt quite settled in yet. instead the house was filled with the aroma of fried okra, hickory smoked brisket, sweet maple syrup and fresh cut watermelon drifting through every room.
about three blocks down someone's car stereo was thumping loud enough for the whole neighborhood to feel it vibrating the windows with old school maze and frankie beverly; the kind of jam you knew the elders down the block were probably nodding their heads to.
you were posted up at the kitchen island looking effortlessly put together in a gorgeous pastel pink sundress that hugged your curves deliciously. your matching telfar slides had been kicked off by the back door hours ago; leaving your bare feet cool against the tile.
the back door stood wide open; letting in in the repetitive hum of a neighbors lawnmower in the distance and a warm breeze that floated through the space like it belonged there. it was the kind of calm that felt homely in a way you hadn't experienced in a long time.
and thats what made your mind drift back.
college for you had been a blur of chaos. innocent sleepovers that bled into dorm parties, cheap tequila shots chased with even cheaper beer, a rotation of friends who always had somewhere to be, and somehow you ended up dating a plug who kept your weekends interesting in ways you didn't tell your mama about. saturday afternoons back then meant waking up with a pounding head, scrolling through blurry photos you barely remembered taking, and already planning where to pregame next before you even ate breakfast.
then graduation hit and everyone went their separate ways. some left that lifestyle behind them without looking back and some still tried to hold onto it for as long as they could.
you left it behind willingly, but you didnt realize how much you'd still be reminiscing on it for a while. no more same day plans. no more group chats blowing up. just you, four walls and the uncomfortable weight of being alone for the rest of your young adult life; or so you thought.
saturdays at your apartment you'd been staying in since you graduated before meeting sukuna, meant listening to neighbors have loud sloppy sex through paper thin walls and eating leftover takeout straight from the container because washing dishes felt like too much effort. the silence was the worst part; and it wasn't a peaceful quiet, but that heavy lonely kind that made you turn on the tv just to fill the void.
you didnt miss it. in fact you often tried not to think about it at all.
but sitting here now with the sense of what you could best describe as fulfillment; you realized how far you'd come. you didnt need the chaos of your college days to feel alive anymore and you didnt have to settle for the silence that followed afterwards. because somewhere between then and now you'd found something that felt like home. you and sukuna truly changed each other's lives for the better.
your mom was out on the patio helping jin set the table, her dress catching the wind, while your grandma was holding it down on the porch next to wasuke. the two of them were deep in conversation like they went to high school together instead of just meeting a few months ago. wasuke was telling her about the old days in sendai, comparing it to the summers he spent down south, and she happily listened with genuine curiosity as she didn't get to experience much in her youth.
"gumi, look, i got the big ice! i got it from the freezer and it was all the way in the back and i had to climb on the stool but i didn't fall!" yuji yelled from the hallway, sprinting into the living room with the glass cup like he had just won a trophy.
"you're about to spill that everywhere, so put it down before it gets on me too." megumi shot back, his voice flat with the same annoyance he always seemed to have. "and you didn't even wash the cup first, that's yucky."
you overheard the bickering between the two young boys as you tried to focus on the task at hand while tapping your fresh acrylics against the marble counter when you were concentrating, a habit you've had since middle school and never managed to break.
"yuji, don't make me have to come in there, and megumi, please stop picking on him," you called out without even looking up, carefully slicing through a fresh loaf of sweet cornbread.
through the big glass windows, you could see a stray orange tabby slip through a gap in the wooden fence, trot across the freshly cut grass of the backyard, and then vanish into the next yard over. on the back porch was choso, sukuna's older nephew, sitting on the patio bench with his girlfriend yuki's legs draped over his lap, both of them tucked away in the shade, seemingly claiming that spot for the whole afternoon. she was leaned back against the brick wall, laughing softly at something on her feed, occasionally fanning him with a paper plate.
"looks like you've outdone yourself once again." jin said as he stepped inside from the backyard, catching your attention as he wiped his hands on a rag that was tucked into his back pocket, looking up at you with a smile.
"brisket's got about fifteen more minutes on the smoker, and the old man said to tell you he appreciates the sweet tea this time; though he also mentioned the last batch was 'a little light on the sugar.'" he air quoted with an eyeroll. "his words, not mine though, 'cause we're very aware his blood pressure is concerning."
you laughed quietly, reaching into the drawer and handing jin some clean tongs. "i made it light on purpose, i watched him pour three packets of sugar into his coffee this morning. three, jin."
"three?" jin repeated, eyes going wide. " actually, why am i surprised at this point; the man's got a sweet tooth the size of texas."
"texas?" you said, grinning. "try the entirety of the united states. he'd put sugar on sugar if he could."
"don't give him ideas, that'll just give his cardiologist another reason to keep adjusting his meds." jin said with a chuckle.
"he's picky, but between me and you, i think he likes when you're in the kitchen; he was bragging to his neighbor the other day to mr chen about the grilled t-bone you made last week. told him it was 'the best steak he'd had in years.'" he added.
"well shit, i didn't know i was a pro 'round here." you said with a proud smirk.
"don't be so surprised." jin said, his voice warm. "honestly, it means a lot to him having someone who cooks like you do, my mom used to run the kitchen like a tight ship. he's been lost without that for a long time."
you paused, the weight of his words settling. "i didn't know that."
"yeah," jin said softly. "he doesn't say anything, but he watches how you carry yourself around here and it makes him smile."
you looked down at the counter, suddenly emotional. "i just like cooking jin, don't make me bawl."
"sorry, but it's true." jin said. "and to me you're not just company, you're making this place feel like home again for the family, because everyone knows ryo didn't always have the warmest home."
"fifteen minutes." you said swallowing hard as you checked your watch, not trusting your voice to not crack; while grabbing a dish towel in a hurry. "and don't you dare burn that brisket." you announced; trying to change the subject before you got too emotional to function.
jin tilted his head, a knowing smile tugging at his mouth. he didn't call you out, didn't say a word about the way your voice pitched a little higher or how you suddenly became very interested in wiping down an already clean counter.
"right." he said slowly. "the brisket. fifteen minutes. i'm on it."
he slipped outside without saying anything further, the screen door sighing shut behind him. you stood there for a moment, dish towel still in hand, blinking at the empty doorway.
outside on the porch, wasuke was holding a somewhat one-sided conversation with your grandmother. the man loved to talk, not in a loud way, but loud enough to catch anyone's attention willing or not. right now he was telling her about the time he met her late husband back in the day at a massive fish fry down on bell street, describing the band, the sky, and the exact crunch of that fried catfish.
your grandma was nodding along, letting out a good laugh at a joke he probably told in between, and your mom caught your eye through the window and gave you a satisfied smile. it was good to see your two families blending like this and getting along so well.
you smiled back and turned back to the counter, packing the mac and cheese and greens into containers. not too long after, the kitchen settled into a quiet space for yourself without having to hear the boys bickering at one another, until you heard the sound of footsteps bumping down the staircase as sukuna walked down, his hair loose and still damp from his bath. he squinted against the bright afternoon sun pouring through the windows, gave toji a quick head nod through the glass, and tossed a brief wave to choso.
he walked up right behind you, his chest pressing flat against your back. his large, warm hands wrapped around your waist, pulling you back flush against him as he leaned his face into the side of your neck, avoiding your laid edges, and took a slow, deep breath.
"good morning, sweetheart." he mumbled, his voice low and rough, against your skin.
you let yourself melt backward, sinking your whole weight into him while you kept working. "it's almost like it's three in the afternoon, ryo." you said playfully.
"well, thanks to the condition you left me in last night, had to soak in the tub for a while. was scratched up pretty good, y'know." he hummed softly, his lips brushing just under your jawline as his grip tightened on your hips.
you leaned your head back against his shoulder, letting out a soft laugh. "little ol' me? you must be mistaken." you gestured toward yourself with fake sympathy.
outside the window, toji looked over his shoulder, a knowing smirk on his face as he caught sight of the interaction between the two of you through the glass. he shook his head with a grin, saying something to wasuke that made the old man huff and wave his hand in disgust.
"uncle kuna!" yuji's voice boomed from behind you two; interrupting your small moment together as he came running from the living room. he slid into the kitchen, his socks slipping against the hardwood before he caught himself on the edge of the island. "gumi won't let me have the blue blanket! he hid it under his pillow, but he said it's his and i said it's mine but he said no!"
sukuna didn't even lift his head from your neck; he just waved his large hand in a shoo motion toward yuji from behind his back. "go tell toji to figure it out, we're busy in here. and use your indoor voice, kid."
"but uncle toji said you're the boss here!" yuji pouted, his big brown eyes darting between sukuna's back and your face.
you smiled down at him, gently nudging sukuna with your elbow. "go play outside, yuji, i'll get a special red blanket from the linen closet for you in just a second, okay?"
"okkkk fine!" he huffed, though his face lit up instantly as he turned and sprinted toward the screen door that led outside.
once the room quieted again, sukuna finally shifted, resting his chin on your shoulder, his eyes fixed on the side of your face as you packed the remaining pieces of cornbread into a container.
"you're too soft on them." he whispered, his lips brushing your earlobe.
"somebody has to be." you countered, turning the stove down. "lord knows they aren't gettin' no sweetness from you or toji."
"they don't need sweetness from me." sukuna said, his voice dropping a little. his hands shifted from your waist, his long fingers trailing up your ribs before cupping your jaw, tilting your head up just enough to make you bite your lip. "i save all of that for you."
you hummed, your eyes dropping to his mouth for a second before you looked back into his eyes. "that so?"
"you know how it is." he murmured, pressing a quick, deep kiss to your lips before finally letting his hands drop, stepping back just enough to let you finish up.
the quiet moment didn't last long before the screen door popped open again and toji's voice echoed through the kitchen. "megumi! get out here and help yuji set the table! and don't act like you don't hear me, boy!"
that announcement was met with a collective groan from the living room, but the sound of rustling cushions signaled megumi's compliance. seconds later, the 7 year old boy scrambled from the living room to the kitchen, not forgetting to grab a stack of paper plates and plastic cups from the counter before bursting through the screen door to the back patio.
just then, jin stepped inside, wiping his brow with a hand towel. a heavy aroma followed him, far more potent than the sweet smell of the melon or the sharp tang of the barbecue sauce. "brisket's finally done." he announced, gesturing out toward the smoker. "that was the last thing we were waiting on. everything else ready? i got the rice cooker going too, just in case anyone wants some with the meat."
"just finished packing the cornbread." you replied, lifting the warm container.
with the main event finally ready, the house shifted into motion. sukuna took the heavy tray of sliced brisket from jin, while you gathered the sides. together, everyone made a procession out onto the sun-soaked patio, where the heat was just beginning to die down under the roof's shade.
the dinner itself was the real beauty of the afternoon. the large wooden table was completely covered in platters of food, the brisket taking center stage and earning an appreciative grunt from wasuke, who would then spend the next few minutes explaining why this is the reason he would never go vegan.
when everyone sat down, the noise didn't stop, it only shifted into something comfortable. jin sat at the head, pouring drinks for everyone. yuki scooted in closer next to choso, as he made the choice for her to carefully sit her coach city tote on the other side of him to ensure she wouldn't get barbecue sauce on it. at one point, you heard jin lean over to wasuke and say low, "she's something special, isn't she?" wasuke nodded. "her folks raised her right, you can tell."
"she even learned to make the dashi just right." he whispered.
sukuna sat right next to you, his large frame taking up most of the bench, his leg pressed firmly against yours under the table. he didn't join in on the loud debates toji and jin started having about football; for some reason, he seemed focused on something else. you couldn't quite pinpoint what.
at one point, yuji accidentally knocked over your glass of soda, sending a wave of soda across the table. but before he could even grab a napkin, you were already moving, laughing off the boy's wide eyed apology as you wiped it down.
"it's okay, bub, just a little spill." you said, ruffling his hair.
when you sat back down, sukuna leaned in close, his shoulder bumping yours. "handled that fast." he murmured, a faint, proud smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"i've had practice dealing with you." you shot back softly, making him let out a low, amused huff. choso caught the exchange and gave a slight chuckle, rare for him.
an hour later, as the plates were cleared and the heavy afternoon food settled in, a stillness drifted over the yard. the summer sun began its slow descent, and the intense heat of the afternoon finally started to thin out, making it the perfect playground for moths and other insects that come out at night.
jin and wasuke moved to the porch swing, their voices dropping into a low murmur as they secretly whispered about who knows what while looking toward the direction you and sukuna were in. the rhythmic thud of a football echoed against the grass as toji and choso lazily tossed it back and forth with the boys. your mom and grandma were sitting on the patio chairs, your mom's head resting on your grandma's shoulder, both of them watching the scene with soft, content smiles.
you leaned against the brick wall, your head resting against sukuna's side, watching the shadows lengthen across the lawn, while he stood silently next to you, his fingers securely intertwined with yours.
around seven, the outdoor lanterns beamed to life, casting a white glow across the stone patio just as the cicadas began their loud evening buzz. the streetlights at the end of the block flickered on one by one, humming softly in the distance.
"alright, let's pack it up before the mosquitoes claim the yard." jin said, stretching as he stood up from the swing.
the transition back inside was slow and content. everyone grabbed a stray plate, wandering back through the screen door into the cool, air-conditioned relief of the house. the boys immediately gravitated back to the living room floor, exhausted but determined to keep playing, while the rest of the adults lingered around the edges of the kitchen and dining area, reluctant to end the day.
your mom and grandma settled into the living room with cups of water, your grandma already pulling out her phone to show wasuke more pictures of you as a little girl. you heard her say, "this was her at her third grade recital, she was so shy she wouldn't even look at the camera." and wasuke leaned in close, nodding with a chuckle coming from his lips.
you set the empty sweet tea pitcher on the kitchen island, grabbing a towel to wipe down the surface. sukuna stepped up right beside you, but instead of his usual quiet embrace, he leaned his hip against the counter and looked out toward the adjacent room where his family was scattered.
"i have an announcement." sukuna said. his voice wasn't loud, but it had some grit to it that instantly commanded the room.
the chit-chat slowly died down. jin paused with his hand on the refrigerator door, toji leaned back against the doorframe with his arms crossed, yuki and choso turned around completely.
over in the living room, yuji and megumi peeked over the edge of their blanket fort, their eyes wide. your mom and grandma looked up from their phones, wasuke set down his glass of tea, his eyes sharp and attentive.
every single eye in the house locked onto sukuna.
before you could even look at him in confusion, sukuna turned his gaze entirely to you. the sharp, unbothered mask he usually wore completely melted away, leaving a raw, heavy vulnerability in his dark eyes that made your breath hitch.
for just a second, you coulda swore something cold ran through you. what if something was wrong? your stomach dropped before you could stop it. but then his hand went to his pocket, and the world stopped. your brain went ghost.
then every memory hit you at once: the first time he made you breakfast, burned the toast, but refused to give it to you so he spent another fifteen minutes remaking it; the way he looked at you across a crowded room at a party last winter, like no one else existed; the night you fell asleep on his couch and woke up to find he covered you with a blanket and was just sitting there watching tv quietly so he wouldn't wake you; the morning you realized you didn't want to leave, ever.
with one steady, deliberate, motion; dropping down onto one knee, was sukuna now on the kitchen floor.
your hands flew to your mouth. your heart was doing too much, flipping around like it forgot how to be still. you didn't even realize you were holding your breath until you felt slightly lightheaded.
from the living room, you heard your mom gasp and your grandma say, "oh, lord." under her breath. wasuke leaned forward in his chair, blinking repeatedly to try and hide the fact that his eyes were getting wet.
"ryo, baby?" you whispered, your eyes widening as tears immediately rushed to the corners.
he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, clicking it open to reveal a heavy, glittering ring with a round stone set in simple gold. it caught the kitchen light, throwing specks of light across the ceiling. his chest rose and fell with a breath that was not quite steady. for the first time since you'd known him, sukuna looked genuinely nervous.
"i've been trying to find the right moment all day." he said, his voice low and rough, meant only for you even though the whole house was watching. "but there wasn't one, because every second with you today and every day feels like the right moment."
your vision blurred. you could hear yuki let out a soft, choked gasp. yuji whispered something that sounded like "is this the part where they kiss?" and megumi shushed him. your grandma tried to console your mom by clutching one of her hands, but it was too late. they were both already silently crying. she still had her phone out though; you already knew no emotion was going to stop her from getting a video sent to the family group chat by morning.
"you walked into my life and made everything make sense." sukuna continued, his dark eyes never leaving yours. "the noise, the chaos, all of it. you didn't just fit in; you made it better. you made me better. you brought a light to this house i didn't know we were missing."
he held the ring up a little higher, the stone catching the warm kitchen light.
the kitchen was dead silent, except for the soft hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of cicadas starting up again outside. even the boys in the living room had gone completely still, yuji's mouth hanging open while megumi stared wide eyed over the edge of the blanket fort.
sukuna's eyes never left yours, even as his thumb nervously brushed against the velvet box in his hand. you'd never seen him like this, not once. the man who walked through life like he owned every room he entered, who never second guessed a single decision, who made you feel safe simply by existing in the same space, was looking at you like you held every answer he'd ever been searching for.
"you remember that morning on valentine's?" he asked, his voice quieter now, almost private, like he was trying to pull you into a moment that belonged to just the two of you, even with twenty eyes watching. "when our brunch reservations got canceled last minute, so i hired someone to make you a homemade breakfast buffet right from home instead?"
"how could i forget? you were fumin'." a laugh escaped your throat, tears already spilling over and tracking warm down your cheeks.
"i was embarrassed." he admitted, a faint flush creeping up his neck. "wanted everything to be perfect for you. still do. i wanted to show you that i could take care of you, even if we'll probably never be invited back to that restaurant though, 'cause i cussed 'em out so good."
behind you, someone sniffled. you couldn't tell if it was your mom or your grandma, maybe both. jin had his hand over his mouth, and toji, who you'd never seen show a single soft emotion, had turned his head slightly, jaw tight, like he was fighting something in his own chest.
"i didn't know i was looking for anything until you showed up." sukuna continued, his free hand reaching out to rest on your bare knee, his palm warm and grounding. "had this house, had my nephews and megumi, had my routine. thought that was enough. then you walked into my life with all the goodness you had to offer, and it changed me."
"you made everything make sense. the quiet mornings, the loud dinners, the chaos of those two bastards running through my house at six in the morning." he glanced toward the living room where yuji was now openly crying, fat tears rolling down his round cheeks. "my family loves you. my friends love you. and i..."
he paused, swallowing hard, his adam's apple bobbing. when he looked back at you, his eyes were glossy, and you realized with a start that sukuna, your sukuna, was crying.
"i know i didn't have an official speech prepared." he said, almost apologetically. "that's not really my style. but please know i meant every single word that came to my mind in this moment, because i don't ever have to rehearse my love for you, sweets."
"i don't wanna wake up in a world where you're not in this house, i don't wanna make breakfast for anybody else, i don't wanna argue with anybody else about leaving the back door open or using the good towels for that cat that keeps coming around in the backyard. i want it to be you. every single day. forever, if you'll have me."
he held up the ring, the diamond catching the kitchen light and scattering tiny rainbows across the ceiling. his hand was steady now, sure, even as his voice cracked on the next words.
he announced your first, middle, and last name. "will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?"
pt 2 up my azz it’ll be out soonnn 🤫
