̥̣̣͜ ꒰ঌ ⑅ MY JOY AND LUCK ꒰ ᩘ❤︎ ׅ ۫ ꒱ papakuna is convinced his daughter, hime, hates him . . . (some based on true events between me and my dad lol)
⊹ 𝒻. ﹕ ゛ ℛ𝑦𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝒮𝑢𝑘𝑢𝑛𝑎 ╱ fluff
ܸ ‧ ⊹ EVIDENCE #1: RETURNING FROM A TRIP ₊˚ ໒ྀི⠀⁺
Date: 11/9/2014
Time: 9:34 p.m.
it has been four months since you had last seen your husband, sukuna. he was on a business trip while you were home with your baby daughter, hime.
she turned four years old only a three days ago, and he had missed it. but today, he was flying back to japan and you two planned to surprise little hime!
first, you took hime to the park, in her hand was a doll and her hair was in neat braided pigtails, tied with red ribbon. sukuna had bought her tons of gifts before he left.
after she got tired, she waddled back to you after hogging up the swing and slides the whole time. she took her doll and dug it in the sand.
"no, no, hime! take her back out, we're going home now! i have a surprise!" you exclaim, jogging towards the sandpit where she was throwing sand everywhere.
"but mama—" she whined, but complied with one quick glare.
she pulled her doll out and followed close behind you as you walked into the apartment building and towards the elevator.
and now for the surprise...
"hey."
you pull out your phone and press record. sukuna and hime would reunite for the first time in months, after all.
hime turns back for a second but continues walking.
sukuna stood behind her, his smile (which appeared rarely) fading into a confused frown.
"hime!" he calls out again, holding out a pink stuffed monkey. "look what i bought for you!"
and then she screams. loud.
"mama! this man is gonna kidnap me save me! help me! he's bribing me with that monkey! and he knows my name! do something! stranger danger! i'm gonna die! help, someone—anyone!" she screamed.
"no, hime, it's fine, that's your dada! look that's dada! he's safe, not a stranger." you rush in to hush her.
people were turning over to watch as hime made a scene, but you got her out of there, back into the apartment.
"mama, he's following us! quick!" she shrieked.
"no, no. hime, that's your dada! he's safe. not a stranger, see?" you try to convince her by kissing him, which finally shut her up.
The apartment fell into a strange silence.
Hime peeked out from behind your leg with wide, suspicious eyes.
"..dada?" she repeated slowly.
sukuna nodded once.
"...yeah."
his chest tightened.
"i was gone for work."
"for forever!"
"oh, you're right...i missed your birthday..." he admitted quietly.
"uh-huh! i had cake! it was chocolate cake."
"...i'm sorry, baby."
your husband, ryomen sukuna, stood there apologizing to someone who barely reached his knee.
hime rocked back and forth on her little feet, then waddled over and snatched the monkey out of his hand and immediately sprinted behind you again.
"you're welcome."
"hime, what do you say?" you nudge her.
"...thank you."
so that was settled.
VERDICT: "four months is a long time when you're four years old—not guilty!"
SUKUNA'S REMARK: "this court is biased..."
ܸ ‧ ⊹ EVIDENCE #2: AQUARIUM DAY ₊˚ ໒ྀི⠀⁺
Date: 05/12/2015Time: 8:45 p.m.
sukuna finally had a few days off and he was determined to spend quality time with hime.
as of late, he couldn't shake the feeling that a distance was growing between them. she still still sat on his lap and got piggyback rides, but she seemed to reach for you quicker than him. the favouritism gnawned at him more than he'd liked to admit, not that he was jealous or anything...well, just a little bit.
one night, after hime had gone to bed, you found him smoking on the balcony alone.
"kuna? what's wrong?" you ask, stepping into the cool night air.
"do you think..." he started hesitantly. "she doesn't love me?"
"kuna..."
"i'm serious."
"she does love you."
"then why's she always clinging onto you and always glaring at me?" he exhales smoke. "you know what? forget it. she'll grow up hating me and—"
"kuna!" you interrupt his pessimistic monologue and he glances up at you. "i think she's just at that age. why don't you take her out somewhere this week? just you two."
"where?"
"just do whatever you feel she'd like."
"thanks, baby, i love you."
"love you too, kuna. now put that out and come to bed with me." you kiss his cheek before stepping inside.
"yes ma'am." he smiles.
and so he planned a trip to one of hime's favourite places: the aquarium.
he studied up on marine life for the next three days as if he was back in college and had finals: humpback whales, sea lions, giant manta rays—but especially orcas.
they were her favourite.
Date: 05/15/2015
Time: 9:12 a.m.
soon it was aquarium day!
by the time hime shuffled sleepily out of her room, rubbing one eye with her stuffed monkey tucked under her arm, breakfast was already waiting on the table.
she climbed into her chair with a sleepy yawn while you set a plate of pancakes in front of her.
"good morning, baby."
"...mornin', mama."
you brushed a hand over her messy pigtails before sitting beside her.
"hime," you began carefully, "mama's feeling a little sick today."
her little face immediately fell.
"...you are?"
"just a tummy ache," you reassured. "but dada still wants to take you to the aquarium."
"...oh."
you knew that tone, but the last thing sukuna needed was to hear her all disappointed after spending days preparing for today.
"but..." you smiled knowingly, "...he bought matching shirts!"
hime paused. "are they pink?"
you nodded, and almost instantly, the disappointment melted away.
"...okay."
only a little.
but it was progress.
right on cue, sukuna stepped out of the bedroom.
he'd traded his usual dark clothes for a pastel pink shirt and held up a tiny dress in the same shade.
she took the dress from his hands before waddling off toward her room, her stuffed monkey dragging against the floor behind her.
you watched her disappear down the hallway before glancing over at your husband.
"see?" you smiled. "she's excited."
"she's probably excited about the aquarium, not the part where i'm going with her."
"kuna."
"what?"
"if she's willing to match with you, i'm sure she's excited to go with you."
he looked unconvinced.
"...i'll take what i can get."
a few minutes later, little footsteps pattered back into the kitchen.
hime stood in the doorway, smoothing down the front of her dress with both hands.
"...look."
the pink dress reached just below her knees, with little puff sleeves at her shoulders.
"pretty?" she asked.
"you look beautiful, sweetheart." you smile down at her.
"the prettiest girl in the world." sukuna's voice came out quieter than he'd intended.
"sap." you giggle as he goes to get ribbons for her hair.
"sit." he says and hime sits between his legs on the ground as he braids her hair skillfully.
"are you done yet?" she asks.
"...almost."
he tied the last ribbon into a neat little bow before giving each pigtail a gentle tug to make sure they wouldn't come undone.
"all done."
hime was already scrambling to her feet before he'd even finished speaking.
she ran over to the hallway mirror, standing on the tips of her little sandals.
"...mama!"
"hm?"
"look!"
the pink ribbons bobbed as she turned her head left, then right, admiring herself from every angle.
"well, would you look at that, you're a princess."
she spun once, the skirt of her dress fluttering around her knees.
then she looked back at sukuna with bright, expectant eyes.
"can we go see the orcas now?"
"yeah."
he reached for the small backpack waiting by the front door, making one last mental checklist.
tickets? check.
wallet? check.
water? they probably had some at the aquarium...
"...ready?"
she hurried over and slipped her tiny hand into his without a second thought.
"ready!"
you walked them to the door, crouching to kiss hime's forehead before standing on your toes to kiss your husband too.
"have fun, okay?"
"we will. won't we, baby?" he nudged hime.
"mhm."
Time: 11:28 a.m.
the aquarium was already packed by the time they arrived.
little hands tugged excitedly at sukuna's sleeve the moment they stepped through the entrance.
"dada! fish!"
"i see 'em."
"look!"
"i'm looking."
she was practically vibrating with excitement, bouncing from one foot to the other as colorful schools of fish swam overhead.
then she spotted something farther down the hall.
"jellyfish!"
before sukuna could blink, she bolted.
but before she could go too far, the leash attached to her bag went taut.
hime bounced backward with a confused little "oof."
"no running away, i know you're excited."
"...okie."
but only a little bit later...
"penguins!"
she took off again, and just like it did before, the leash caught again.
"...hime."
"sorry."
another thirty seconds or so.
"shark!"
she ran again and once again, as expected, the leash stopped her.
sukuna pinched the bridge of his nose.
hime didn't seem to mind the leash in the slightest, she was too busy staring through the glass. on top of that, it was a usual thing for her since she was a runner.
"woah..." she says, face pressed into the dirty glass.
"back up, baby." he pulls her shoulder back slightly.
"excuse me, mister?"
sukuna looked up.
a woman stood a few feet away, arms crossed.
"uh...yes?"
"why is your daughter on a leash?"
he glanced down. "because she runs...?"
"yeah, well she's a child."
"correct."
"children aren't dogs, so why do you treat her like she is one?"
before he could answer—
"dada!"
hime had already spotted a stingray and darted forward, but as expected, the leash caught her after two steps.
she barely reacted, and jumped around in place.
"look! look! it's smiling!" she giggles.
sukuna smiled despite himself. "so it is."
the woman scoffed. "stop avoiding me. i believe that is unbelievably dehumanizing, don't you think?"
his attention finally returned to her.
"ma'am," he spoke evenly. "if i take this off, she'll be halfway across the building before i catch up."
"then hold her hand."
"i'm over six feet and she's a little over three feet, it would be uncomfortable for the both of us."
"she deserves freedom, carry her instead."
hime looked between the two adults, completely lost.
"...dada?"
he crouched beside her. "it's okay, hime, i got this, just look at the turtles."
she nodded and happily wandered toward the glass.
"she prefers walking over being carried." sukuna explained calmly, but the woman raised her voice.
"someone should report this! it's abuse!"
a few heads turned and people slowed down.
sukuna sighed.
"hime, c'mere."
he scooped her into his arms with one hand, unclipping the leash with the other before stuffing it into his bag.
"there, happy now?" he looks at the woman and turns back to hime. "we're getting lunch real quick."
"but...orcas..."
"the orca show's in an hour or so, we'll make it. promise." he kissed the top of her head.
without another word, he walked away from the growing crowd.
Time: 12:00 pm.
the aquarium café was thankfully quieter.
the lunchtime rush hadn't quite started yet, leaving only a few families scattered around the tables.
sukuna found an empty booth tucked into the corner and set hime down on the cushioned seat.
she immediately began swinging her legs beneath the table, her little monkey sitting next to her on the table.
he glanced at the menu. a little pricey, but hopefully it would be enough food for them both.
"what do you want?"
"dumplings!"
"just dumplings?"
she nodded enthusiastically.
"got it."
a few minutes later, he returned balancing a tray.
a plate of dumplings.
hime clapped her hands.
"food!"
"careful, it's hot."
he slid the plate toward the middle of the table.
"blow on it first."
she obediently puffed little breaths onto the first dumpling before taking a bite.
her eyes lit up. "yummy!"
sukuna hums and reached for one himself, but stopped after noticing that there were only fourdumplings, not including the one hime just ate.
so he just left it for her and drank some water.
another disappeared.
then the last one.
"all gone."
his stomach chose that exact moment to growl—loudly.
"did your tummy make that noise, dada?"
"it wasn't me."
"it's hungry."
"it wasn't me." he insisted, but his eyes drifted toward the menu board.
yeah, nevermind.
between the aquarium tickets, parking, and lunch...his wallet had taken a beating.
he quietly folded the receipt and tucked it into his pocket.
"c'mon."
he stood, offering her his hand.
"let's go see the sea otters before the orca show starts."
"okay!"
she happily slipped her hand into his, completely oblivious.
as they walked away from the café, sukuna's stomach growled again, but he ignored it.
there'd be time to eat later.
right now, hime was tugging excitedly toward the next exhibit, chattering nonstop.
and he answered every question like he was an expert.
Time: 12:58 pm.
they made it to the stadium just as the announcer welcomed everyone to the next performance.
rows upon rows of blue seats overlooked the massive pool below.
hime practically bounced the entire way to their seats.
"dada! hurry!"
"i'm walking."
"faster!"
"i'm already walking faster."
once they settled into their seats, hime scooted all the way to the edge, her little sneakers swinging over the concrete.
"...when do they come out?"
"soon."
"how soon?"
"soon."
she accepted that answer for approximately five seconds.
"...now?"
"still soon."
before she could ask again, a loud splash echoed through the stadium.
the trainers emerged first.
then...
a black-and-white fin sliced through the surface.
"orca!"
another surfaced.
they leapt together in perfect sync, sending water soaring into the air.
hime shook sukuna's forearm.
"dada, look!"
"i see. they're saying hi."
"hi!" she waves at the orcas, earning a chuckle from sukuna.
but that laughter died quick as water was splashed on them.
"oh, look, the first victims of the splash zone!" the announcer laughs, but sukuna didn't find it amusing in the slightest.
but hime was happy, so he left it.
when the show finally ended, the crowd stood to leave.
"bye-bye, orcas." she waved with both hands.
sukuna looked down at her. "ready to go home?"
She nodded.
it wasn't until they were halfway back to the parking lot that his stomach growled again.
hime looked up.
"dada, your tummy did it again."
this time, he couldn't deny it.
"yeah, it was me. come, let's get some mcdonald's."
Time: 2:30 pm.
the drive home was much quieter.
the excitement from the aquarium had finally caught up to hime, leaving her sitting in the front seat, a little tired.
a box of chicken nuggets and fries rested on her lap.
sukuna drove with one hand on the steering wheel while the other absentmindedly held a french fry between his index and middle fingers, almost like a cigarette.
old habits.
he made sure to save the real thing for when hime wasn't around.
anyone who knew him back in college would have laughed, but he didn't care.
the real thing stayed tucked away until hime wasn't around, if he really needed it.
hime pushed another fry into his mouth.
every few minutes, she'd hold another fry over to him.
"ah...nom."
"hehe!" she giggled at his antics.
she held up a chicken nugget.
he leaned over and took it with his teeth.
for a while, the only sounds were the radio humming softly and hime happily munching away beside him.
but then, her tiny stomach growled.
"still hungry?"
she nodded sheepishly. "a little."
"eat the rest. finish 'em."
she blinked.
"...what about you?"
"i'm not hungry."
"really?"
"mm. really. finish it all so we can throw away the boxes. and don't make a mess for mama to see we've been eating junk."
"i can eat junk, but you can't because she wants you to eat healthy!"
"yeah, yeah, i'll tell her you said that she's a crunchy mom."
"nuh-uh!"
"yuh-uh."
"well, i'll tell her you stuck your tongue out at her last week!"
that got his attention. "don't you dare!"
VERDICT: "she was ready to throw you under the bus, but she fed you—not guilty!"
SUKUNA'S REMARK: "you have a point..."
ܸ ‧ ⊹ EVIDENCE #3: ELEVATOR HUMILIATION ₊˚ ໒ྀི⠀⁺
Date: 02/13/2016Time: 6:47 p.m.
the elevator doors began to close, but just before they met—
"hold, please!"
a woman slipped inside carrying three shopping bags.
she was tall and pretty, most likely a model.
the woman smiled politely. "sorry."
sukuna nodded once. "what floor?"
"fourteenth, please."
"hime, wanna press the buttons? you live on 17, so press 17 and the lady lives on 14, so you press 14." he tells hime, who loved pressing the elevator buttons.
"thank you, hime."
"your welcome."
silence settled over the elevator...for about six seconds.
"dada."
"hm?"
"you should help her, she has a lot of bags."
"it's alright, sweetheart." the woman begins, but hime interrupts her.
"no, my dada's very strong, and he tells me gentlemen help ladies whenever they can so he has to help you."
sukuna pinched his nose and sighed. "my daughter won't let it go, allow me."
"thanks." the woman says, smiling down at hime. "so...are you...single?"
"married."
the woman nods, a little embarrassed forr asking, and it went quiet again...until hime decided to open her mouth.
"dada."
"hime."
"you're standing really straight and you're super duper quiet. do you like the tall pretty lady?"
"hime."
"what?"
"inside voice."
"okay..." she says, but continues after a few seconds. "she's really tall. almost as tall as you!"
"hush, hime."
"if mama wasn't here—"
"HIME."
his hand clamped gently over her mouth before she could finish.
the woman burst into laughter.
"i'm so, so, sorry," sukuna says, horrified as he presses the 12th floor button to get off faster.
the elevator dinged and the doors opened.
sukuna handed the woman back her things and walked straight out, dragging hime with him.
"dada this isn't our floor!"
"i know. we need to talk. now."
"oh."
hime blinked up at him, waiting for him to talk.
he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"you can't say things like that to strangers."
"why?"
"because i'm married to your mama."
"oh." she looked down at her shoes. "sorry."
he sighed. "oh, c'mere."
she shuffled over and hugs him.
"i know you didn't mean anything by it. but don't do it again. okay?"
"did i embarrass you?"
"yes. very much."
"you're blushing."
"that's because i'm embarrassed, hime." he rolls his eyes and pulls away from the embrace to call the elevator down again.
Time: 7:14 pm.
dinner was peaceful.
almost suspiciously peaceful, considering how hime was a literal demon trying to ruin sukuna's marriage less than an hour ago.
you smiled as hime enthusiastically talked about the dance.
you set another dish on the table and sukuna clears his throat.
"baby. as you know, tomorrow's valentine's day."
"and," you looked toward your husband. "you have plans?"
"you know it." he grinned. "just us."
hime gasped. "but mama!"
"...hm?"
"dada already met another valentine!"
sukuna froze. "what...?"
"in the elevator! dada looked at her and carried her bags and he got all red!"
you slowly turned toward your husband. "care to explain?"
he rubbed a hand down his face. "oh, baby, where do i begin..."
"maybe begin with what caused you to do all that?"
"i did not look at her like that."
"then?"
"hime volunteered me to carry her shopping bags and you know her, she wouldn't let it go! and i only went red because she blurted out some embarrassing sh..." he trailed off after you gave him a sharp look. "i mean stuff. so i absolutely do not have another valentine."
"hm. alright then. so where's our date?"
"it's a surprise~" he winks.
"can i come on your valentine date?" hime blurts out.
"of course not! you're going to daycare or uncle jin's."
"uncle jin's, no daycare." you butt in and sukuna nods.
"yes, no daycare. uncle jin is waiting for you. with choso. and...ugh. yuji." he scrunched his nose after naming his nephew.
hime pouted and folded her arms dramatically, but didn't say a word, clearly heartbroken.
sukuna simply leaned back in his chair. "ah, i'm stuffed...you're the best cook, babe."
"stuffed? i still have room..." you wink at him when hime wasn't looking.
"you'll be more full tomorrow." he smirks but hime glanced up from the pea that fell on the carpet and he quickly switched up. "lots of restaurants we have to go to."
VERDICT: "though the entire elevator stunt was embarrassing, she is still a child and you're planning to leave her on valentine's—not guilty!"
SUKUNA'S REMARK: "hey, hold on, who said i can't spend time with my wife after having a kid?! hey, come back!"
FINAL CONCLUSION: HIME IS NOT GUILTY, JUST A LITTLE STUPID!
𝄞𝄁𝄙 ⊹ HOYL SHIT HAPPY BDAY TO THE CUTEST MOST AWESOEMEST CUTEST PRETTIRWSY GIRL IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORKD I LOVE HER SM AHEHEBDJSOK 😻😻😻🤍🤍🤍💍🎀🎀🎀 SHE FKIUKING SAVED MY LIFE NO JOKE BTW LIKE 3 YRS AGO SHE GOT ME INTO MHA AND I SAID I WOULDNT DIE UNTIL I FINISHED IT THEN I COULD CHOOSE IF I WANTED TO OR NOT AND I FINISHED IT AND I DONT SHES LITERALLY THE BEST 🤍😻🤍😻🤍😻🤍😻🤍
ε⠀ suguru's⠀eternal⠀punishment !⠀ з
ᨳଓ * .ﾟ 𝒮𝑢𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑢's⠀actions⠀had⠀consequences⠀after⠀all... ◞ 𝒶ngst
﹙ + note⠀♫ ♪ ﹚ : reupload
suguru doesn’t believe in redemption. not for himself, at least. he thinks that as he wakes up in the quiet field, the kind of empty, endless space that must be the afterlife. his robes are still damp with blood, and his hands are still shaking from his fight with his best friend, satoru. from dying by the hand of someone he cared about.
he doesn’t know if this is heaven, hell, or somewhere in between, but he starts walking anyway. there’s soft grass under his feet, and for a moment he’s convinced he’s alone.
then he sees her.
a small figure, around six or seven years old, lies a few yards away on her side in the grass. her dress is clean, cream-colored with tiny, pastel blue-embroidered flowers, and her hair is straight and jet black, just like his.
for a moment, he doesn’t know who she is and he can’t get himself to remember.
but then she turns, and he gets a glimpse of her bright, purple eyes and the memories flood through him.
he’s back in that room. the smell comes first— damp earth, mold, sweat, and blood. she’s huddled in the corner, dress torn to rags, hair uneven and knotted, and visible bald spots. her small body trembles and her breath comes out in short sobs.
the cult members had dragged her back in there an hour ago, while she kicked and screamed.
“just hold her down,” one of them had said, annoyed. “the master said we don’t need to be gentle if she doesn’t cooperate.”
and suguru had stood there. watching.
he told himself it was necessary. that she was just another sacrifice, just another step toward the new world he wanted to build. just like his parents were.
but when they injected her, she convulsed and choked, but wouldn’t die. she was immune. they realized that and dragged her back to keep her longer, he hadn’t stopped them then.
the following months, her treatment had gotten worse. her knees were scraped, burns littered her small arms along with bruises that would never fade. she stopped speaking after a while, the trauma rendering her mute. she would always look at him when he came to see her, her eyes wide and desperate, but he would always turn away. there were other matters to attend to.
even at the very end, when she was little more than skin and bones with a wound in her stomach as she bled out, she had reached a frail hand toward him from the cold, hard wooden floor. such a sweet girl, many people would say. but he hadn’t taken it. he didn’t love her, and he never would. he couldn’t. she might’ve been his daughter, but she was just a filthy non-sorcerer. a disgusting monkey.
when she finally went still, he’d just stood there, staring, until the person responsible had walked out of the room grinning. suguru killed him without hesitation. but it hadn’t brought her back. just a child. one he hated, but that was his baby. what would his late wife think...? she wouldn’t approve at all. not that he could fix it, though. they were both dead.
and after that, he buried her in his mind, but not in a grave. he threw her body in the woods behind the building, for it to decay and rot while all kinds of creatures crawled all over it and ate it until she wasn't physically there anymore.
but here she is.
he swallows hard and steps closer, the back of his throat burning. her name doesn’t come to him right away, and the guilt claws at him. he never bothered to remember anything about her. not her name or birthday, just...nothing.
she blinks up at him and then sits up slowly. there’s a small smile on her face, a stark contrast to how he always saw her when she was alive. everything about her was different, as if she was blessed to live a better afterlife than her real life. she looked like she was being treated well, not like how she was with him.
“papa,” she says.
it takes him a second to snap out of his trance. he had almost forgotten what her voice sounded like.
she gets to her feet and runs to him, hugging him around the waist.
he doesn’t hug her back.
“you look…different.” he points out.
she grins up at him. “do i look pretty?”
he forces a nod. just because he hated her doesn’t mean he should show it. she looked so happy now, he didn’t have it in his heart to belittle her anymore, now that he’s older and wiser than he was when he killed her.
she beams, takes his hand, and pulls him toward a stream nearby. she talks the whole way, chattering about the flowers she’s been picking and little things like that. little things every little kid does, but she never had the chance to do while she was alive because all of the joy and whimsy in her life was sucked out at such a young age.
each word of hers and thought of his felt like a blade twisting inside him.
make it stop…
all he can think about is how she used to flinch at every footstep, how she bit down on cloth and cried while she treated her own wounds, how she was taunted when she couldn't talk anymore, how she sat on the floor of the cell, drawing whatever in the dirt.
and yet here she is. forgiving him. she has every reason to push him in the stream or throw rocks at him. to punish him for his crimes. but she doesn’t look like she’s planned or planning on it.
they sit by the stream together. she leans against him as she weaves flowers into a crown. where did she learn that, he wonders. suguru continues to watch her, his chest tight and throat burning, unable to decide whether he hates himself more for letting her die or for sitting here like he doesn’t deserve to be punished right now.
“did it work?” she asks suddenly, looking up at him.
he frowns. “what?”
“did it work? did killing all non-sorcerers make things better?” she questions once again.
he sighs. “no. i never got to finish.”
she stares at him for a moment, then whispers, “oh.”
and then, softly, “sorry.”
suguru’s jaw tightens. he wants to scream at her to stop being nice and to tell him what a monster he was. but she’s his daughter. and she still loves him. yet he doesn’t remember her damn name! what kind of father is he?
“if you forgot, my names hana.” she whispered before finishing the flower crown.
hana. right. he named her. it meant flower. flower…she was just like one. she was delicate and soft like the petals of a flower. she was so much more than her trauma. she was a person. his baby. the girl he saw as a bright red newborn straight out of the womb, the one he kept a small single box of her things up until she was 4 to remember her baby days. the cultist wasn't really the one who killed her. it was him. every time he sat back and watched her get hurt, she died. it was only official with the stab wound. he could’ve saved her. poor thing. the last thing she saw was her incompetent father's face. such a terrible way to go.
she finally finishes her crown, and she puts it on his head, and she catches up with him, talking about how much fun she's having and how she got new hobbies, like drawing and stuff. eventually, she falls asleep with her small head in his lap, suguru looks down at her. her hair is soft. her breathing is even. not the ragged, scared one it used to be. she’s actually asleep.
finally, realization strikes him. this is his punishment. to sit here forever with the one person he failed and hurt most, knowing she adores him enough to forgive him a thousand times over when he can’t forgive himself.
hana and him are very similar. they both died in a similar way: in the hands of the person they love the most, more than themselves.
“hana, if in another universe, we’re reborn as father and daughter…i’ll give you what i never did this life. i promise i’ll do everything to give you what you deserve.” suguru whispers. not that she could hear him, so deep in her sleep.
the florida sun was vicious, baking the pavement and pressing sweat to your skin. the crowds were worse. you’d been sandwiched between your husband, daughter, and nephew.
sukuna’s arm was draped loosely around your waist, his hand occasionally rubbing and squeezing it. your daughter, hime, walked on your other side along with her cousin yuji, both scowling at you and your husband being all lovey dovey.
“i’m dying,” hime muttered. “this place sucks.”
sukuna smiles fondly, one that was only reserved for you and her. “you’ll survive, sweetheart.”
she shot him a look before moving slightly further away. “i hate you.”
his smile only widened. “love you too, baby.”
you smiled despite yourself, leaning into him and he dipped his head to brush a casual kiss against your temple.
he’d done well so far. sukuna had survived dumbo, peter pan’s flight, and it’s a small world without complaining too much, but now he was done.
“alright,” sukuna announced, holding up his express wristband with a grin. “my turn.”
yuji swallowed. “uh… it’s not gonna be too scary, right?”
sukuna didn’t even look back at him. just slipped smoothly into the crowd, voice mocking and amused. “‘it’s not gonna be too scary, right?’ i paid extra for this. we're all going, i don't care what you say.”
after a short trek through the amusement park, the tower of terror loomed above you.
“uncle..." yuji started, turning pale.
he turned, expression sharp and final.
one look and the argument died in yuji's throat.
minutes later, you were all strapped into the elevator.
you sat wedged between sukuna and yuji and hime sat beside sukuna, jaw clenched in fury.
yuji’s hand shot out and grabbed yours the second the restraints clicked into place, his grip desperate.
“it’s okay,” you whispered, squeezing back. “i’ve got you.”
sukuna frowns. “let go of my wife.”
you elbowed him lightly. “be nice, he's just a kid.”
he huffs and crosses his arms.
the lights flickered and the eerie narration droned on while the elevator creaked upward slowly.
hime muttered, “i hate you.” under her breath.
sukuna reached over without looking and rested his hand over her shoulder. “you'll be fine, you're just like daddy, isn't that right, my brave little princess?”
then—
the drop hit.
your stomach flew straight into your throat. the scream ripped out of you before you could stop it, and your hand shot to sukuna’s arm, clutching hard. yuji screamed like he was actively dying, fingers locked around yours like a lifeline.
the elevator plummeted. shot up. dropped again.
you clung to sukuna, face pressed to his shoulder, heart slamming.
through it all, he didn’t move. didn’t flinch. just sat there with a smile as if this was the highlight of his day because you were hugging his arm, and though hime hasn't spared him a glance after she turned eleven (which he hated), having her let him have his arm around him made him happy.
finally, mercifully, it stopped and the restraints clicked open.
your legs felt like jelly. yuji bolted the second his feet hit the ground, sprinting straight for the nearest trash can.
sukuna extends his hand for hime to take, but she just shoved him away with a scowl. “i actually hate you.”
sukuna pouted. “aw that hurt. hey, come on, you did amazing!”
yuji gagged violently over the bin.
“pathetic,” sukuna muttered, watching him with clear disdain.
you shot him a look. “ryo...”
his expression shifted instantly to a soft and attentive one, feigning innocence as he plants a kiss on your cheek. “yes, gorgeous?”
you roll your eyes in response. “be nice. i heard that.”
"yes ma'am." behind your back, however, sukuna’s gaze flicked to yuji once again, sharp and cruel. he leaned down just enough to sneer, unheard by you, “embarrassing us is becoming a habit, be careful. you might exhaust yourself. come along, try not to trip over your own inadequacy.”
yuji looked like he might cry. but trails behind him anyway.
sukuna straightened, turned to you, and gently placed his palm on top of your head, thumb brushing your hair. “you did really good, though. clinging onto me the whole time...”
you scoffed, flustered. “i didn’t cling to you.”
he grinned, smug. “you absolutely did.”
your face heated. “only because the restraint thing felt loose!”
“excuses,” he said, amused, leaning in to capture your lips in a kiss.
hime gags. “ew, can we go back to the hotel?”
you pulled away and checked the time, then sighed. “…yeah. maybe we should.”
sukuna's grin faded just a fraction. he’d only just started having fun, and now you wanted to leave?
“oh?” he asked quietly, eyes darting between you and hime. “alright then. that's enough for today, i guess.”
