Sukuna gives me a big mommy issue vibe. Suppose slime Sukuna is getting taken care of by a woman, but suddenly he transforms into the real Sukuna.
Anon, you can't just say things and expect me to act fucking casual
art is from my beloved @frenzied--flame
Not exactly a Pet.
For almost a year, you don’t let yourself think too hard about how absurd it is.
It starts off as necessity — because if you don’t feed him, he looks… thinner. Like even the little blob of him can wither, in its own way. The first time you notice it, you panic so badly you spill your tea all over the counter and nearly drop him trying to scoop him up.
He glares at you with his single eye and snaps with that little mouth.
You snap back, because you’re already halfway into this, apparently.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m trying.”
He makes a noise like a scoff — impressive, for something the size of your palm — and then presses himself against the warmth of your wrist anyway, as if your body heat is a resource he’s entitled to.
So you learn.
You learn what he will and won’t take. The first few weeks you treat it like a science experiment, because that’s safer than thinking about it like a relationship with a cursed calamity that once tore cities apart. You try ordinary food, he rejects most of it with offended wet little spitting sounds. You try salt, he reacts like you personally attacked him. You try sugar, he hates it even more.
What he does take is… strange.
Leftover cursed objects you keep sealed in jars, because you’re not an idiot. The lingering residue from exorcised things that cling to paper talismans. The faint, metallic taste of your own cursed energy when you press your thumb to his mouth and force a thread of it in, jaw clenched as you watch his eye narrow like you’re doing him an indignity.
He hates that most of all.
He also — when he thinks you’re not looking — leans into it.
You end up with a routine that would make you laugh yourself sick if you heard it from someone else.
Morning: check him.
He likes to sleep tucked into the little bed you made out of an old scarf and a shallow wooden bowl, like some ridiculous shrine offering. Sometimes he’s on top of it, like he fell asleep mid-protest. Sometimes he’s under it, like he burrowed down to hide from the cold.
He never admits that he gets cold.
He just glares at you when you pick him up, and his texture is a little firmer in winter mornings, less pliant, like gelatin left too long in the fridge.
You warm him up between your palms. He complains. You do it anyway.
Afternoon: feed him.
A small measure. Not too much, because once — early on — you get anxious and overdo it, and he swells in your hands like a balloon, eye widening, mouth distending in a way that makes your stomach flip. He starts making wet, violent choking noises, and you go pale, whispering his name like it’s a prayer and an insult at once.
He survives. Of course he does. He’s Sukuna, the King of Curses, he won’t die from overfeeding.
But afterward he spends three days pressed into the farthest corner of the bowl-bed, facing away from you like a sulking cat, and every time you come close he bares a tiny, sharp line of teeth.
Even like that, he’s still Sukuna.
Petty. Proud. Vicious in miniature.
Night: you talk to him.
At first it’s just you, filling silence, because leaving him in the quiet feels wrong. You tell him what you did that day — grocery run, train delay, the way your neighbor’s dog barked all night — and he watches with that single eye like you’re a strange animal he hasn’t decided whether to eat.
Then one evening you’re exhausted, sitting on the floor with your back against the couch, and you say,
“Do you even understand me?”
He opens his mouth and, very clearly, says,
“Idiot.”
You stare.
He stares back.
Your face gets hot.
“Oh, so you can talk.”
He closes his mouth like he regrets it, and his eye narrows to a thin slit.
After that, you keep talking, and he keeps pretending he doesn’t understand, except now you know he does. You catch it in the way his eye follows the shape of your mouth. The way he reacts to certain words — king, curses, bored — like they’re splinters.
And the way he reacts when you’re hurt.
The first time you come home with a shallow cut across your knuckles from a broken jar, you haven’t even finished washing your hands before you feel him — his tiny, warm weight — thump against the inside of your wrist like he launched himself from the counter.
He latches onto you.
Not hard enough to break skin, but hard enough that you yelp.
He makes a sound that’s not quite a growl, and his single eye is sharp, fixed on your blood like he’s offended by it.
You grit your teeth through the sting and pry him off gently.
“I’m fine.”
He bites you again, as if correcting you.
You look down at him, and you find yourself saying, softer,
“I’m fine. Look. It’s nothing.”
Only then does he release you, sliding back into your palm, and the pressure of him — warm and insistent — stays against your skin for a long moment, like he’s checking you with the only language he allows himself.
After that you start catching the little things.
How he creeps closer when the heater breaks and the apartment gets too cold. How he migrates to your lap when you’re sitting on the couch, pretending he’s there because the fabric is convenient and not because you are.
How, on the nights the wind screams against the windows and you can’t sleep, you lift him and place him on your chest, tucked under your chin, and he goes still — stubborn, silent — until your warmth sinks into him and his body loosens, almost melting against you.
He never thanks you.
He doesn’t have to. You can feel it in the way he doesn’t leave or tries to slit your throat when you sleep.
So when it finally happens — when the year of routine shatters like glass — you almost don’t recognize it at first.
It’s a normal day. An ordinary day. The kind you’ve built around him to make him manageable.
You come home with groceries, kick your shoes off, set the bags down.
“Hey,” you tell him automatically, because you’ve started doing that, like you’re greeting a roommate.
He’s in his bowl-bed, eye half-lidded, like he’s bored by your existence.
You move closer, shrugging your coat off, and you notice the air feels… heavy.
Not humid. Not warm. Heavy like pressure. Like the atmosphere is bracing.
Your skin prickles.
His eye opens fully.
His mouth splits wider than it ever does, and for the first time you see something like strain in the way he holds himself, as if the blob of him is too small for what’s inside.
“Okay,” you whisper without meaning to. “Okay. What’s wrong?”
He doesn’t answer.
Instead the cursed energy in the room spikes so violently your teeth ache.
The lights flicker.
Your warding charms — things you hung half out of habit, half out of fear — flutter like they’ve been slapped by wind.
The blob in the bowl swells.
You take a step back, instinct screaming, brain racing through options the way you trained yourself to in every story you’ve ever heard about him.
Exit. Phone. Talismans. Run.
But your feet don’t move fast enough, because you are still staring, still trying to understand how something you’ve been lifting with two fingers could possibly be…
The bowl cracks.
The scarf-bed is ripped apart as if it’s paper.
And then he expands so quickly the air itself seems to recoil.
It’s not a gentle shift. It’s not a smooth transformation. It’s a violent, sudden reclaiming, like the world is being forced to accommodate a shape it forgot how to hold.
The room fills with him.
Four arms unfold first — corded muscle, tattoos like brand marks, hands flexing as if he’s waking them from sleep. Then the shoulders, the chest, the towering frame, the weight of him settling into your tiny space like a throne being dropped into a dollhouse.
Four eyes open.
And when the stomach maw splits into existence, teeth gleaming wetly, your throat tightens so hard you nearly gag.
He stands there, bare and colossal, breathing in slow, steady pulls like the air belongs to him now.
Your coffee table groans under the shockwave of cursed energy and tips, clattering.
You stand frozen beside the doorway, grocery bags still in your hands like an idiot, heart hammering so loud you swear he can hear it.
He turns his head.
All four eyes fix on you.
You feel very, very small.
Your mind tries to sprint ahead of your body — If he moves first, you die. If you provoke him, you die. If you run, he might let you die slower just to enjoy it. You swallow hard, forcing your fingers to loosen around the bag handles before they cut into your skin.
“Right,” you say, because apparently your mouth is suicidal. “So… that happened.”
One of his brows — one on the left, one on the right, it’s hard to track, he used to have one eye and now there’s three more — lifts with slow disbelief.
His upper mouth curls.
The mouth in his stomach shifts too, like it’s tasting your words.
For a long moment he says nothing.
Then he exhales through his nose — sharp, irritated — like you are the inconvenience here.
“You kept me,” he says finally, voice low and rough from disuse, the sound filling the apartment and making the windows vibrate. “In that.”
You swallow again. Your pulse stutters.
“I — ” Your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth. You force it free. “I didn’t exactly have a spare palace.”
One of his lower hands flexes. The tendons stand out, thick and brutal, like he could crush your skull without noticing.
He doesn’t move toward you.
He doesn’t lunge.
He doesn’t rip the roof off your building to announce his return to the world.
He just looks around with a slow, disdainful sweep of his gaze, taking in your small kitchen, your couch, the ridiculous bowl-bed remnants scattered on the floor.
“Pathetic.” he mutters.
You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding — half relief, half rage, because of course he comes back into full monstrous glory and his first reaction is to insult your decor.
“You’re welcome.” you say, before you can stop yourself.
All four eyes snap back to you.
Your stomach drops.
Then — unexpectedly — he huffs, like a laugh that doesn’t want to admit it’s a laugh.
“You have nerve.” he says, and there’s something almost… amused beneath the contempt.
Your hands tremble. You keep them at your sides so he won’t see.
“Yeah,” you manage. “I’ve had practice.”
He stares at you like he’s cataloging you again, reassessing.
Not prey.
Not worshiper.
Not sorcerer trying to prove themselves.
Just… you.
The person who fed him, warmed him, scolded him, put him on their chest like he was something that deserved comfort.
It should make him angry. It should make him punish you for the audacity.
Instead he turns away and walks — two steps, then another — toward the center of your living room, ducking slightly so his head doesn’t hit the ceiling. His presence shifts everything. The air warms with him, thick with cursed energy and body heat.
He reaches down with one hand and picks up the cracked wooden bowl, examining it like it’s an insult.
“This?” he says, voice dripping disdain.
You set the grocery bags down slowly, carefully.
“It was… the right size.”
He squeezes it.
The wood splinters in his palm.
You flinch at the sound.
He flicks the pieces aside, like scraps.
“And you fed me like this,” he continues, eyes narrowing as if the memory is sour. “Little scraps. Little sips. Like I was some — ” he pauses, mouth curling, “ — pet.”
Your face goes hot.
You don’t know why it embarrasses you now, with him towering there in true form, when you spent a year doing it with your head held high. Maybe because now he can say it with a voice that can crack stone.
You lift your chin anyway, because pride is sometimes the only thing you have.
“If I didn’t,” you say, “you would’ve… withered. Or whatever the cursed equivalent is.”
He looks at you for a long moment.
Then he clicks his tongue, annoyed.
“Hmph.”
Which is not an apology, not gratitude, not anything you can hold onto.
But he still doesn’t leave.
He lingers in your space like he belongs there.
Like he’s deciding to.
Like a cat that intruded your house and decided it lives there now.
But the cat is the size of an elephant and it has strong opinions about everything you do.
Hours pass in a state of tense unreality.
He makes rude remarks about your cooking when you force yourself to move, to put things away, to keep your hands busy so you don’t shake. He criticizes the way you cut vegetables. He leans over your shoulder, too close, crowding you on purpose, and you refuse to step back even though every survival instinct tells you to fold yourself smaller.
“You’re slow.” he murmurs, breath hot against your ear.
“I’m trying not to lose a finger.” you shoot back, voice tight.
One of his hands — upper, left — reaches past you and steadies the cutting board.
The other — lower, right — snags the knife from your grip and slices through the rest in two swift strokes, perfect and brutal.
“Better,” he says, handing it back like he’s doing you a favor.
You stare at the neat pieces, then at him.
“Show-off.”
He bares teeth, pleased.
He doesn’t touch you beyond that.
Not really.
But his presence is constant — behind you, beside you, watching you like you’re something that fascinates and irritates him in equal measure.
And when the sun goes down and the apartment cools, you finally run out of things to do.
You stand in the doorway of your bedroom, staring at the bed that suddenly looks… impossible.
He fills the hall behind you like a wall.
“You can take it,” you say carefully, because offering him space feels like the safest thing in the world. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
A low sound comes from his throat, dismissive.
He steps closer.
You feel the heat of him before you feel his hands.
Four arms move at once.
Two slide around your waist, lifting you off your feet with such effortless strength your stomach lurches.
The other two brace under your thighs and behind your back, shifting you like you’re nothing but a bundle of blankets.
“Hey— ” you gasp, instinctively grabbing at his forearm.
His skin is warm, solid, tattooed, real.
Your pulse goes wild.
“You think I’ll sleep in your pathetic nest,” he snarls near your ear, voice like velvet over a knife edge, “while you freeze out there?”
“I didn’t say—”
He ignores you, so you cut yourself short.
He carries you past the bedroom entirely, into the living room, where the couch now looks like a joke under the shadow of him.
He sits down anyway.
The couch protests — springs creak, cushions compress flat — but it holds.
And then he pulls you down with him.
Not beside him.
On top of him.
He settles you against his chest with the same careless certainty you used to have when you placed his blob version on your sternum in winter, letting your warmth seep into him.
Except now the warmth is him, all of him, pouring into you like a furnace.
You go rigid, breath shallow.
His arms wrap around you.
Not tight enough to hurt — tight enough to make it clear you aren’t going anywhere.
His heartbeat is steady beneath your cheek, heavy and slow, like something ancient and unbothered.
You stare up at him, trapped between four arms and the sheer reality of his body.
“What are you doing?” you whisper.
He looks down at you with half-lidded eyes, expression set in irritation like you asked a stupid question.
“Sleeping,” he says. “Hush, woman.”
Your mouth opens, then closes.
“You don’t fit.”
He glances at the couch like it personally offended him.
“It’s tolerable.”
Then one of his hands — lower, left — slides up your back, not groping, not crude, just… positioning you more securely. Making you comfortable, despite his scowl.
“You used to do this,” he adds, voice quieter, as if the words are being dragged out of him. “When it was cold.”
Your throat tightens.
Because he remembers.
You remember, too — the nights you couldn’t sleep, the way his blob body would go still against your chest, the faint, reluctant way he’d press closer as if he couldn’t help it.
“I didn’t think you noticed.” you admit, voice rough.
His mouth curls in a sneer.
“I notice everything.”
The stomach mouth shifts, and you hear it murmur something under its breath — too low to catch, like it’s commenting in its own language.
You swallow hard.
“So this is… payment?”
His eyes narrow.
“Don’t call it that.”
“Then what is it?”
For a moment, you think he might snap at you.
He does, kind of — his jaw clenches, his lips pulling back with annoyance, like you’re forcing him to name something he refuses to hold.
But he doesn’t push you off.
He doesn’t stand up.
He doesn’t leave.
He simply adjusts his grip, pulling you closer until your cheek presses against the tattoos on his chest and the heat of him wraps around you like a heavy cloak.
“Shut up,” he mutters. “Sleep.”
You should be terrified.
You are terrified, in a quiet, buzzing way that never fully goes away.
But your body — traitorous, practical — registers the warmth first. The steadiness of his breathing. The fact that he’s not hurting you.
The fact that his arms, for all their power, are holding you like something he intends to keep safe.
Outside, the wind rattles the windows again, cold pressing against the glass.
Inside, Sukuna’s heat makes your eyelids heavy.
You lie there on his chest, listening to the monster’s heart like it’s an ordinary thing, and the strangest thought settles into you — soft and unsettling and impossible to ignore.
He’s not saying he’ll stay.
He’s not promising anything.
But for now, he’s here.
And in his own vicious, prideful way, he’s giving back the only thing you ever truly gave him without asking for anything in return.
Warmth.
Stillness.
A place to sleep.
His hand pauses at the back of your neck, fingers spread wide, holding you in place for a heartbeat longer than necessary.
Then he grunts, annoyed at himself, and settles.
“Don’t get used to it.” he murmurs, voice already sinking into sleep.
"Hasn't anyone taught you not to— hahhh, shit— speak with your mouth full?"
All Satoru could muster up was a garbled moan in response, a crude mixture of your slick and his spit bubbling around the corner of his mouth. "Tch, you talk too much."
The grip you had on his white hair tightened, a lecherous grin crossing your face as you planted yourself firmer down on Satoru's mouth.
His lips were puckered, tongue wedged up against your perked-up clit — and there was no doubt in your mind that Satoru was nothing short of pussydrunk. His eyes said it all, the way the blue was glazed over and half-visible through his drooping lids.
"See?" You cooed, tone condescending. "Isn't it so much better when you put that bratty mouth to good use?"
Satoru nodded — or at least tried to. It was difficult to do anything when your thighs had clamped around his skull, holding him in place as you rode his mouth. You bucked your hips once, twice, now sliding forward until he was able to dip the tip of his tongue inside your clenching hole.
A chorus of filthy gulps left the man, the end of his rounded nose nudging against your clit as you practically suffocated him under the weight of your cunt.
And, hell, Satoru loved it — of course he did.
He enjoyed seeing you in charge, using him for your pleasure. He revelled in the feeling of you rolling your hips in practise circles, the wetness dripping out of you and smearing across the bottom half of his face.
"Mmph— can I touch myself yet—?"
Seriously?
You shot him an incredulous look from above, now punctuating each of your words with a harsh thrust of your hips. "No. I. Don't. Think. So."
The man groaned, eyes rolling back into his skull at the prospect of cumming untouched.
Satoru's bare cock bobbed, standing erect in the air as you fucked his face with vigour. His flushed tip leaked profusely, all the way until down until it dripping off his aching, full balls, and foamed into a streaky white.
And suddenly, he was cumming. Splatters of white hit the small of your back, shooting out of Satoru's cock and down the curve of your ass. The weak cries leaving him vibrated straight to your core, and it took everything in you not to cum at the feeling.
Instead, you pushed back the pleasurable feeling and sucked in a harsh breath of air through your teeth in what was clear disapproval — the poor man below wincing when you lifted off him, gasping for fresh air.
Satoru looked up at you sheepishly, licking the residual slick you left behind off of his pink lips.
Gojo Satoru - better known as his stage name GO/JO - has it all. Fame, wealth, adoring fans. It was the kind of life that many people could only dream of.
But being Japan's top idol isn't easy. Beneath the pressure of the long days, his management breathing over his shoulder and micro-analysing his every move, and the constant pressure to be perfect, Satoru craves something real.
He finds it in Sukuna, the rough-around-the-edges frontman of the rockband Cursed Shrine, who encourages Satoru to leave the mould that has been his world since he was a teenager.
Now, Satoru stands at the brink of a precipice: will he remain safely within the increasingly stifling bubble he had known all his life and put on the picture-perfect smile, or take the leap and grasp for something real?
Inspired by this amazing art (used in header) by the wonderful @to00fu and this amazing fanfic by ChocolateGranola on AO3
ִֶָ☾.⋆˙⟡ Contents: Musician AU, rockstar Sukuna, idol Satoru, Sukugo, Established relationship, Secret relationship, specific warnings in masterlist and chapters - none of the abuse happens between Satoru and Sukuna
Chapter 1 - All Eyes On You
ִֶָ☾.⋆˙⟡ Chapter warnings: implied/referenced (child) abuse and conditioning, Sukuna curses a lot
ִֶָ☾.⋆˙⟡ Words: 5k
ִֶָ☾.⋆˙⟡ A/N: Here it is!!! I'm so excited to share this AU with you all!!! I am still working on Satoru's playlist, but in the meantime, here is Cursed Shrine's playlist (in no particular order).
Although I have done some research into the idol industry, I am also taking some creative liberties. This fic is not meant to be a super realistic portrayal of the industry, although it intents to exaggerate and thus question some parts of it. This fic is mainly made for fun and it shall remain that way.
On a lighter note, this is what Sukuna's guitar looks like. Enjoy!
Satoru checks himself in the mirror one last time. Just to be sure, he tells himself, and not because he's nervous. He's the Satoru Gojo, Japan's most beloved idol - he doesn't do nervous.
Still, his eyes trail over his appearance in the mirror, making sure everything is perfect. His Cursed Shrine band t-shirt and tight leather pants, check. Beanie and sunglasses to hide his eyes and hair, check. Silver chain accessories, check. Sukuna's leaher jacket? Check. Earplugs for the concerts and painkillers for headaches, check and check.
He looks the part of being just a rock band's random fan. Which is probably partly because Sukuna and Suguru suggested this outfit. He'll blend in seamlessly, and that's the point. He's done it before, and he will do it again.
He exits his penthouse, dodging Toji, his bodyguard, like a routine. And still, his heart hammers in his throat and his palms are sweaty like it's the very first time again. He closes the door slowly, gently. Waits five beats. When Toji doesn't immediately round the corner and tackles him to the floor, Satoru deems it safe enough and walks towards the elevator.
He curses the chain accessories every step of the way. He's being so loud, what if Toji hears and sniffs him out like a bloodhound-
Only when he's entered the elevator and the doors are closed, does he breathe a little easier.
He pats his pockets for his phone. His main - and as far as his management is concerned, his only - phone is left in the apartment; he's untraceable for once. He sends a message with the burner phone Sukuna got for him.
(18:11) Me: On my way! \(^_^)/
He pockets the phone as the elevator chimes, and continues his way to the metro. His long strides eat up the distance, and fifteen minutes later, he goes down the stairs to the entrance. He enters the carriage without being recognized. Still, the fear remains. One slip-up, and it's over.
What if the beanie slides off? What if someone bumps into him and his sunglasses fall down and someone recognizes his eyes? What if someone takes a single look at him and realizes who he is from his height and stature alone-
The carriage stops at the first station, people exit and enter. No one bumps into him, and Satoru breathes a little easier.
Breathe, Satoru. Four to go - he has this route memorized. Second stop. Satoru checks his phone - still no reply. Not unusual, but he would like a distraction right now.
A child stares. Satoru has mini-heart attack, thinking she recognizes him - but there is no recognition in her eyes. Regardless, he flashes a smile before realizing that's probably weird for a normal person to do and quickly looks away before her mother notices.
He adjusts his beanie despite knowing no white is peaking through. The third stop pulls up. He stands up for an elderly couple, and they give him a look - not quite hostile but also not that friendly either, and Satoru is reminded once more of the attire he's wearing.
The fourth stop passes, and the back of his head prickles from all the stares. He pretends to be busy with his phone.
He gets out at the fifth stop, transferring to the next ride. Two stops, then he needs to get out to get to the venue. His phone chimes.
(18:43) Kuna <3: Good. You know where to go?
(18:43) Me: I do! ^-^
(18:43) Me: It'll be a 10 minute walk, I can handle that!!
(18:44) Kuna <3: Are you sure? One of us can come pick you up.
Satoru smiles. Leave it to Sukuna to be so concerned about his sheltered ass going somewhere unknown.
(18:45) Me: I'm sure!! I can always ask someone if I need to.
(18:45) Kuna <3: Just… remember what you're wearing, pretty boy. You don't exactly scream 'approachable' to a lot of people right now. I want you to be safe.
Satoru frowns as he reads that, worrying his lip between his teeth as he thinks back to the elderly couple a few minutes ago. Right. He's not exactly wearing his usual clothes right now…
(18:46) Me: I know… But I can handle it, I promise!
He has to stop himself from typing 'but you can send someone to come get me if you're that concerned.' No. He could do this - he would do this. Sukuna said he should be more independent, so he's doing that. He can survive 22 minutes of public transport and a ten-minute walk. They'd practiced this.
He pulls himself out of his thoughts when his stop pulls up. He sends a text in a hurry, not responding to whatever Sukuna sent in response.
(18:48) Me: Gtg my stop's here. C ya in 10!
Then, he's rushing out, each step taking him closer and closer to the venue.
BASEMENT BAR is one of the smaller venues Curses has been playing at recently - they're getting bigger and bigger each year, and Satoru couldn't be prouder. Still, Sukuna thought it would be nice to play at a smaller venue, to go back to their roots, as he'd said. Regardless of where they performed, if his own schedule allowed, Satoru would be there to cheer them on.
There's already a few people waiting outside when Satoru arrives. He joins the queue, sending Sukuna another text.
(19:01) Me: Joined the line! See ya inside, you guys are going to kill it! Say hi to the others for me!! ^-^
Satoru doesn't expect a reply. He knows the craziness that goes on before a performance, and he's sure the band is busy with their pre-show rituals. So he pockets the phone and waits, eventually getting pulled into a conversation with some other excited and eager fans.
The conversation flows surprisingly easy - which might be because Satoru lets them do most of the talking. He chimes in where needed, and their excitement is infectious.
''Oh, I just love Malevolence,'' Satoru gushes when they ask him what his favourite album is. ''The composition is amazing. It's so raw, you know? Beautiful lyrics-''
''Yeah, once you get past the screaming,'' the girl with light brown hair in a bob says lightly.
''Right? I had to Google it,'' the boy adds, earning a round of chuckles. His black hair seems to defy gravity and hair products.
''Anyway, as I was saying,'' Satoru grins excitedly. Oh, he could gush about the band's music for hours if given half a chance. ''The lyrics are so real, you know? Everything fits together so nicely. They really worked hard on it.''
Satoru would know, he'd been there during some of the drafting sessions.
The girl nods, her bob swaying with the movement. ''Yeah, they did! The break ended up being good for them, I think. We got a kickass album out of it, at least.''
Murmured agreement, and then there's a lull in the conversation. It's not necessarily awkward, but there's an air of expectation that throws Satoru for a loop.
And then it hits him. Right, this isn't a damn interview. ''Oh, what is you guys' favourite album?''
The girl grins like a shark smelling blood. The boy sighs, shooting Satoru a look.
''I love Slicing Exorcism,'' she gushes. ''Like, don't get me wrong, their new album is great, but Slicing Exorcism, it's just one of the OG's, right? I like that you can hear some distortion in some of the songs. Some of the newer songs sound too… polished, in my opinion.''
Satoru nods along. ''Yeah, the rawness does suit them,'' he agrees.
''Right?'' the girl continues. ''Like, Sukuna's screams are sooo chilling, and Choso's voice is just so haunting, right Fushiguro?'' she grins while nudging the boy. The boy - Fushiguro - just rolls his eyes.
''Yeah, whatever,'' he sighs. ''I said that once. Four years ago.''
Satoru laughs in sympathy. ''Oh, she's still not letting you live that down, huh?''
Fushiguro shoots him a withering look. Satoru smiles in return, disarming. ''Hey, just saying! So what's your favourite album then, Fushiguro?''
''It's Polymorphic Soul,'' the boy says bluntly.
Satoru blinks. The very first album. He nods sagely. ''That's a good one as well.'' He grins. ''Huh. It's almost as if they only have good albums.''
Then, the line finally started moving, and excited murmurs ripple through the queue. Satoru, Fushiguro and the girl - Nobara, he learns - continue talking as they slowly move along the line.
Their tickets get scanned, and then they're in. The crowd is already buzzing with excitement. Some people are already buying merch, others have already entered the concert hall. Near 8pm, the floor is packed, and the fans are buzzing with excitement.
The lights dim. Some people are already screaming, cheering, and Satoru is cheering right along with them.
Mahito, the drummer, walks on stage. His pale hair looks almost blue in the stage lights, and he's wearing his usual shawl. As always, he's not wearing shoes, a fact Satoru notices as he hops on the riser and does a silly twirl. It has people going feral already. He laughs and hypes the crowd up wordlessly before sitting down behind the drum kit.
Choso and Suguru - the background singers, and bass guitar and lead guitar respectively - enter the stage next. Choso looks like he stepped straight out of a Hot Topic with his black jeans, ripped shirt and chain accessories. Suguru is showing off the dragon tattoos that coil around his arms, wearing a ripped tank top and baggy pants. While the guitarists take their positions, Mahito appears to be fucking around with the drums while the audience screams their devotion, but Satoru knows better.
A second later, the building shakes as the speaker's howl with the sound of Sukuna's rhythm guitar - a Jackson X Series Rhoads RRX24, in red, with black bevels. Yes, Satoru had it memorized. The rockstar had only told him about it a billion times.
The lead singer steps out of the left side wing, and the crowd loses it. Fushiguro and Nobara clutch at his arms - Fushiguro looks like he's experiencing a religious experience, and Nobara is jumping up and down, screaming Satoru's ear off.
Not that Satoru is much better, although he's also a little busy drooling over- ahem, admiring his boyfriend.
Two metres of corded muscles paired with inked skin that glows and shifts like sin under the stage lights walks on stage, and it's all Satoru can do not to jump him this instant. A mean grin is etched onto his face, and he cocks a slitted eyebrow as he observes the audience - his gaze seeming to linger on Satoru for a moment. A hint of satisfaction flashes in his gaze before it's gone as quickly as it came.
''Are you ready?'' Sukuna roars into the mic, all dominance and hard edges. The crowd cheers in return.
Sukuna snorts derisively - and fuck that should not be as hot as it is - and glances at his bandmates. Choso and Suguru shake their heads, playful grimaces on their faces. Sukuna tsks.
''I said,'' he drawls. ''Are you fucking ready?!''
The crowd roars, and Sukuna laughs. ''Oh, yeah, that's more like it. You guys think they deserve a show?''
The answer is Choso's bass bleeding through the speakers, and Mahito joining in a second later with a beat that rattles Satoru's bones.
They play Convergence first. After Choso's slow, enchanting start, the song takes a turn when Sukuna starts screaming into the microphone. As always, the audience eats it up. They cheer, they scream, Satoru is certain he even sees someone crying.
A couple songs pass, and then Fushiguro decides to enter the mosh pit. Satoru's attention is divided between the band on stage and Fushiguro as he tracks the boy through the blur of bodies and sharp limbs like a concerned parent. Sukuna only eggs it on, an almost manic grin on the rockstar's face.
''All right, all right, break it up,'' Sukuna says in between songs, gesturing this way and that. ''I want it split down the middle, c'mon. Yeah, gimme a wall of death, motherfuckers.''
The crowd obeys instantly, splitting like the sea did for Moses. And Satoru gets pulled right in the middle of it. Before he can question if he's really going along with this or if he should go to the safety of the bar area, Sukuna speaks again.
"Yeah, that's more like it," Sukuna's voice croons through the speakers. "Now, we'll play Distorted Body, and when the beat drops, I better not see a single person left standing. You got that?"
The crowd cheers. Their excitement is infectious - some people are jumping up and down, others are shaking out their limbs.
The song starts, climbing slowly under the bass and Suguru's suave voice…
A beat.
Then, chaos.
Mahito starts a brutal drum beat, supported by Sukuna's riffs. The crowd moves, colliding in the middle. It's a mess of limbs and bruises and exhilaration - camaraderie.
Satoru, swept up by the crowd's energy and Sukuna's encouragements from their earlier call - ''Live a little, doll. Just… don't worry about anything else at our show, got it? See where the night takes you.'' - is right in the middle of it, flanked by Fushiguro and Nobara.
They get thrown around quite a bit - ''Like human pinball,'' Mahito had once cackled, and Satoru had laughed along like he knew what that meant - and Satoru quickly loses sight of Fushiguro and Nobara. He is, after all, a little busy trying to keep standing, avoiding elbows, and keeping his sunglasses on his face.
They manage to regroup as Cursed Shrine starts their next song. Satoru is still winded, his muscles ache, and he's sure there's bruises forming already. Yet there is a wide grin on his face, and his eyes sparkle as he pushes his sunglasses further up his nose.
He feels alive. The adrenaline is still coursing through his body as he pulls the teens closer by their shoulders, not noticing their stunned looks.
He hadn't noticed his beanie had slipped back.
''That was awesome!'' he says brightly, shouting to be heard over the music. ''Like, wow!''
''First time, then?'' Nobara asks a little too smoothly, but Satoru doesn't hear or notice the edge in her voice. He just nods.
''Yeah! Never done it before,'' he replies. ''Probably the last time, too. I think I'll have bruises for weeks.''
Nobara laughs, but it sounds just a little forced. This time, Satoru does notice. But before he can question her, Choso's bass cuts through the air, heavy and loud, cutting right through his soul.
They focus back on the stage, like dogs waiting for a ball to get thrown. Sukuna laughs into the mic.
''Damn,'' he laughs. ''Y'all are insatiable. Slobbering like dogs, the lot of ya.'' Mahito cheers, and Sukuna rolls his eyes. ''Ignore his freak ass-'' the audience cheers in response- ''… or not. Fuckin' Christ, it's not like he needs to become even weirder.''
A ripple of laughter goes through the crowd. Sukuna snorts, shakes his head - and holy shit are those droplets of sweat shaking out of his hair? - and picks up the microphone stand. He brings it over to Mahito.
''I hope you fuckers know what you're asking for,'' Sukuna sighs, as though he's making a great personal sacrifice. ''Alright, Mahito has full control over the mic while I chug this water bottle.''
And with that, Sukuna uncaps his water bottle, brings it to his lips, and starts chugging. Mahito immediately starts yapping.
''Hi, hello!'' he cheers into the mic, voice slightly raspy. People cheer and whistle. ''Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm amazing. So, you guys want the nasty shit, huh? Ohhh, how about that time-''
But for Satoru, Mahito's yammering fades into the background. Besides, he's sure he's heard the story before. No, Satoru's eyes are drawn to the way Sukuna is chugging the water - barely even breathing as his Adam's apple works with each swallow. The tattoos shift over an unfairly muscular neck with each minuscule movement, and Satoru has to swallow thickly before he starts drooling. A bead of either sweat or water rolls down his jugular - truthfully, Satoru doesn't care much for what it is. He wants to lick it up, follow it back to the lips that are currently wrapped around the finish of the bottle-
Their eyes meet as Sukuna takes the final sip, and the corner of his mouth lifts ever-so-slightly. The rockstar keeps eye contact as he slowly wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. The hairs on the back of Satoru's neck stand up, and fuck, there's no way Sukuna isn't doing this on purpose.
But two can play that game.
Slowly, deliberately, Satoru's hand grazes the hem of his shirt. He raises it an few centimetres, revealing a sliver of pale skin, and Sukuna's gaze gets drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
Gotcha.
Satoru smirks. The air between them is filled with electricity.
He almost forgets where he is until he hears Fushiguro murmur a horrified ''Holy shit'' in response to Mahito's story.
Satoru winks at Sukuna, and gestures at Mahito. Sukuna takes the hint, sighs, and pulls himself together. He snatches the mic back mid-rant about… roaches? And cakes? Yeah, Satoru is glad he got so distracted.
''Alright, time's up,'' Sukuna grunts, voice slightly rough. ''I hope you got what you wanted. Mahito, if I hear your voice within the next five minutes, I'm leaving you behind.''
Mahito just sticks his tongue out in response. Sukuna sighs again. ''Choso, Suguru, y'all got any sanity left after that?''
Choso shakes his head, while Suguru leans closer to his mic to snort a ''Nope.''
Sukuna grins. ''Thought so. Time to go batshit Insane, then!''
The drums and bass start barely a second after Sukuna has stopped talking, and the crowd roars back to life. Suguru and Sukuna join in a moment later, the song fast-paced and loud.
Satoru doesn't hear the shutter of the camera over the heavy bass and guitar riffs. Nor does he see the way Nobara's fingers fly over her keyboard and then post something. He's too busy watching the band perform as he sings along with the music.
Eventually, during a lull in one of the songs where it's just Mahito and Suguru playing, Sukuna leans closer to the mic.
''We have a little surprise for y'all,'' he rasps into the mic. ''I'm sure you know this song already, yeah? I'm sure you're wondering how we're gonna do this next part.''
He smirks as the crowd yells in agreement. ''Well, I've invited someone to make this work. Be nice to him, you feral fucks.''
He walks over to the right wing of the stage, his strides purposeful. Seconds later, he returns with his arm wrapped protectively around a mini-him. Same pink hair, same facial features. Only the teen's eyes are rounder, his frame is thinner, and he lacks the myriad of tattoos Sukuna sports. He's wearing ear protection, Satoru notes fondly. Probably Sukuna's condition to have him join.
''Everyone,'' Sukuna says into the mic while Suguru adjusts his own microphone stand to be at height with the teen. When he's done, he ruffles the kid's hair, earning a playful scowl. ''Give a warm welcome to my nephew, Yuuji.''
The crowd explodes into cheers and coos - they're already loving Sukuna's adorable nephew.
Mahito chortles at the crowd's excitement, and yeah, it's probably the loudest they've been this evening.
''Damn,'' Sukuna smirks, turning to Yuuji. ''Ready, kid?''
Yuuji adjusts his earpiece and nods.
Sukuna lets the crowd remain in suspension for a little longer, before suddenly speaking.
Sukuna grins as he turns back to the crowd and continues the song. He hooks his arm around Yuuji's shoulder, pressing his nephew against his side as he ruffles his hair, too.
''Now I lay thy down to sleep.''
''Now I lay thy down to sleep,'' Yuuji repeats. The crowd is silent for once, enraptured by the moment.
''Pray the lord my soul to keep.''
''Pray the lord my soul to keep.''
''If I die before I wake.''
''If I die before I wake.'' The eye contact Sukuna forces is intense, and yet Yuuji meets his gaze, unflinching.
''Pray the lord my soul to take.''
''Pray the lord my soul to take.''
The crowd goes feral, cheers and shouts ringing out from all sides as the audience soaks in the contrast between Yuuji's sweet demeanour and Sukuna's rough appearance. And Satoru gets it. Yuuji is simply to adorable to hate. Fushiguro and Nobara start a chant next to him, and he wastes no time joining in.
''Yuuji! Yuuji! Yuuji!''
When the song fades out, the crowd is still chanting Yuuji's name. The teen looks flustered, clearly unfamiliar with the stage and having people adore everything you do. Sukuna laughs, and Suguru and Choso crowd closer to high five him and ruffle his hair again.
''You know, I would've said 'give it up for Yuuji','' Sukuna drawls into the mic, ''but I'm sure you lot are already doing that.''
''Yeah, but it could be louder,'' Choso cuts in, making Yuuji flush even more.
''What- No, they don't need to-''
Yuuji's protest gets cut off as the crowd swells into a deafening cheer, everyone loving the uncle-nephew moment. The flustered teen mumbles a ''thank you'' into the microphone, bows, and practically flees from the stage.
''Alright, alright, calm down, you monsters,'' Sukuna shakes his head. The crowd finally calms down. ''You were nice like I asked, good job.''
Satoru's brain short-circuits for a moment at the praise. He knows it's not directed at him specifically, and yet he shudders the same as when it's just Sukuna and him and the former calls him a 'good boy' in that voice-
''And because you were so nice, we're feeling generous,'' Sukuna continues. ''So, we'll play a few more extra songs, just for you. You fuckers better appreciate the deal while it lasts!''
The crowd roars back to life, and Satoru's heart just about stops when Sukuna's smirk - sharp and lively and cocksure - gets directed at him. The moment passes when Sukuna hits a chord, and the show continues - wild and free and untamed.
Two hours pass in what feels like only half an hour.
Fushiguro and Nobara want to check out the merch, and so Satoru says his goodbye. He has places to be, after all.
Getting backstage is easy. With the flash of his ID and a look over his sunglasses, the bodyguards part, and Satoru enters the sprawling halls. Finding the band, however, proves to be more difficult than he had hoped. He comes across a dead end twice before finally finding the right room - the one with the taped-on label:
Cursed Shrine.
He knocks and opens the door.
Choso has Mahito in a headlock, the latter flailing weakly. Sukuna watches them with an unimpressed stare as he sits on the couch, beer in hand. Suguru is sprawled on the other couch, looking at the ceiling. Yuuji is nowhere to be found - maybe already home, maybe with friends.
But as soon as he enters, four pairs of eyes snap over to look at him. The guys relax as soon as they see him, and Sukuna's eyes softened so much it made Mahito gag.
''Hey,'' Sukuna says fondly, already pulling him into his lap as soon as Satoru is close enough. ''There's my bias.''
Mahito gags louder. Even Suguru snorts. ''Seriously?''
Sukuna's hand on his waist tightens possessively, and he opens his mouth to respond. But a peck on his cheek from Satoru makes the words die on his tongue.
''What? I think it's cute.'' At his friends' unimpressed stares, he caves. ''… Okay, maybe a little funny. But mostly cute!''
''Yesterday he went on a tangent about how the whole industry is predatory and parasocial, and now he's calling you his 'bias','' Choso says dryly. ''This is worse than when he's calling you princess or doll.''
''Hey,'' Sukuna says, at the same time Satoru asks: ''What is wrong with those petnames?''
Suguru and Choso exchange a glance, which means that Satoru has said something concerning again. He tenses, opening his mouth to backtrack, when Sukuna's arms tighten around him in a squeeze.
''Relax, pretty boy,'' Sukuna rumbles against the shell of his ear. ''You're okay. Yeah? No harm done.''
Mahito nods. ''Yeah, man. It's just… Those names, they're a little…''
Choso picks up as Mahito trails off. ''Feminine? Like, nothing wrong with that, but… Well, I guess we hadn't expected you to like those petnames so much. Considering the whole 'straight masculine playboy' image you've got going on.''
Satoru snorts. ''You do know that's fabricated, right?''
Suguru squints at him, a concerned and protective gleam in his eyes. ''We know, but still. You do like the petnames, right?''
Satoru laughs softly at their concern, and he leans into Sukuna's chest more. ''Yeah, I like them. They make me feel… safe. Wanted.'' He flushes. ''I dunno, is that weird to say?''
Sukuna presses a kiss to the nape of his neck. ''Not at all, doll. You like what you like. Ain't no goddamn thing wrong with that, you hear me? If they make you feel cherished, I'll say them as many times as you want.''
''Christ, you are so whipped, man,'' Suguru snorts, a small grin on his face. ''I'm honestly shocked you haven't tried to write him a love song yet.''
Sukuna scoffs. ''Please. As if I need to write a love song for Toru to know how much I love him. 'Sides, he wants to keep this private, so I ain't doing shit without his permission.''
''That is so sickeningly sweet,'' Mahito croons. ''I think I'm getting cavities. The fuck happened to our tough, badass frontman, huh?''
Satoru can feel Sukuna's eyeroll.
''What, didn't you see him on stage?'' Satoru teases. ''He was as tough and badass as ever. You all were.''
Mahito's mock-arrogant ''Yeah, we know'' was expected, as was Suguru's genuine smile. Sukuna's arms squeeze him again. Then, Choso speaks, squinting at him.
''How do you do that?'' he asks. ''Like… Christ, Satoru. Even with the company breathing down your neck as it is, you're still so…'' he gestures at Satoru. ''… bright.''
Satoru shrugs with a sheepish smile. ''Heh, I, uh, I don't know. I guess I just…'' he struggles with the words. ''… got used to it.''
''Choso's question was rhetorical, pretty boy,'' Sukuna murmurs softly. ''It didn't need a serious answer.''
Oh. Satoru feels his cheeks flush in embarrassment, but Sukuna continues before he can start apologizing. ''Now, why don't we move away from the heavier topics, and you can use that pretty voice of yours to tell us your thoughts about the concert.''
Satoru immediately brightens. ''Oh my God, you guys killed it again!'' he gushes. ''I loved the energy, and the crowd ate it up! The songs flowed so well, and you killed the crowd work-''
''The crowd work? You mean when you two were too busy eyefucking to hear a word Mahito was saying?'' Suguru teases. Satoru flushes a brilliant red while the rest of the guys laugh.
''H-Hey! I wasn't- We didn't-''
''Sweetheart,'' Sukuna interrupts with a chuckle. ''You looked at me like you wanted to devour me.''
Satoru feels his face burning, and swats at Sukuna half-heartedly. ''Shut- Shut up…''
''Make me,'' Sukuna replies easily, a shark-like grin on his face. ''Come to think of it… where's my post-concert kiss?''
Satoru rolls his eyes, but leans in regardless. Their lips press together, short and sweet but perfect, and for a moment, everything is alright again.
''I cannot,'' Choso laments into his hands. ''You two sicken me.''
''Aww, don't be so homophobic, Choso,'' Sukuna teases, pulling away from Satoru. His hand comes up to take off the beanie, throwing it on the couch next to them, and he starts running his hand through Satoru's soft strands. Satoru hums happily and leans into the affectionate scratching at his scalp.
''I'm not-'' Choso protests, but groans. ''Oh, well played, asshole.''
Satoru chuckles, quickly becoming putty underneath Sukuna's gentle hands. The rest of the band continues bickering and talking about the concert, and Satoru occasionally chimes in.
Suddenly, in the middle of Suguru's sentence, Mahito lets out a loud, ''Oh fuck'' and it sounds just horrified enough to grab everyone's attention. Satoru sits up a little straighter, glancing at the drummer, who is staring at his phone with a look of pure dread.
Seconds later, Sukuna's, Choso's and Suguru's phones chime with a message - whatever Mahito had seen has been sent to their groupchat.
With a slightly amused look of 'what is this idiot doing now', Sukuna pulls out his phone and opens the message. Satoru tries to read whatever Mahito had sent, but Sukuna leans away, blocking Satoru's view.
''Kuna,'' Satoru whines, not liking the fact that he's being left out. Especially now that everyone is making several expressions of 'oh fuck'. ''What's going on?''
Sukuna's brow is furrowed, and his jaw clenches. He shares a look with the others, before sighing and turning the phone screen.
There, on a news site, letters unmistakable and bolded:
TOP IDOL GO/JO ATTENDS METAL BAND CURSED SHRINE CONCERT
Beneath it, his side profile, clearly taken from a phone. Unmistakable white hair, his beanie slipped back so far it's barely hanging on. The sunglasses have partially slipped down his nose as well, and his mouth is open in a wide, untamed grin as he screams along with the lyrics.
He looks vibrant. Unguarded. Real.
Unpolished. Imperfect.
Well, Satoru thinks as he stares at the phone screen. Shit.
Comments are much appreciated! ^-^ And yes the song that Sukuna sang with Yuuji is Enter Sandman by Metallica.
Alleyway Rendezvous
"stay still. we're not done yet."
i read könig's bio. it made me even more motivated doing the render. the pose was supposedly something different (him just standing with a wide stance) but i after pondering on it, i thought this one looked more... feisty.
there are more things that i originally planned that i unfortunately cannot share (if were to be vague, he was supposedly stepping on the... yeah.)
got my rhythm going again. even if i'm not making fully-pledged renders, i like posing random characters.
I'm not projecting, YOU'RE projecting!! Sorry it looks like trash-
I was compelled to scribble this, I think Soap is insecure about over talking so he always tries stopping himself, but Ghost loves his rambles and patiently listens every time :,))