She wasn't like the other women that Hein!Sukuna Ryomen used to... "be" with.
Notes: mentions of insecurity and jealousy, reader is short, reader is hinted to be melanated/tan, reader has a greenthumb, reader is a virgin, and mentions of violence (on Sukuna's part). OOC!Sukuna, just a bit. Sukuna will be in his "trueform".
She wasn't as slim or as pale. She wasn't as... um, "full" or as beautiful. She was still pure, unlike the other concubines. She was grateful for that, yes, but it was still so hard to pretend.
Their whispers hurt. So did their subtle gazes. The fact that they knew her husband's body when she was too scared to. She even covered her eyes when he was bare! After all this time!
She wasn't ashamed of her virginity, quite the opposite! It just... bothered her that she wasn't the only one to see her husband in such a vulnerable and intimate way.
"What is on your mind? It bothers me." She jumps as her husband speaks up, eyes busy as he reads. His cheeky laid on his fist, eyes content despite his lazy-looking face.
When she doesn't answer immediately, his eyes zone onto her. She then remembers that words exist, turning away sheepishly. "Sorry, Ryomen. It's nothing o-" "Don't lie to me."
He sits up from his slouched position, his bigger body easily towering over hers, glaring. "You know I despise it." "Which is why I was going to say, nothing of importance."
She muses softly. "You have to start letting me finish my sentences, Ryomen." He doesn't share her amusement, staring. Used to it, she turns back to what she was doing: mending a kimono.
Yes, Uraume or a servant could do it. But it kept her busy, sane, and occupied in the quiet palace he had built for her. His older palace was big, but one of convenience.
The current one extravagant and a place she could call a home. It would be a home, if it weren't so... lonely and so mentally daunting. The whispers, feared and admired, drive her-
"That." She turns to him, raising a confused brow as he points at her. His hand quickly lowers at the brow raising, but doesn't falter. "You think too hard for such a little thing."
She frowns at this. "Little?" He raises his own brow. "I didn't misspeak, and your hearing is intact. What's the problem?" Nothing, except the fact that it reminded her of what he was used to.
He was used to the women that wandered their halls for chores to do. The same women (some, not all) who yearned to switch places with her. Sometimes, she wondered the same.
They were taller, slimmer, paler, sharper features, intelligent in areas she was weak in. Them, they were the ones to... it was silly. Too silly. A bit embarrassing.
She didn't want to lose her virginity any time soon. But... it still made her feel less than. She wasn't that small, she wasn't "little". "There's no problem to discuss."
"Bullsh*t, woman." He snarls in distaste, grabbing at the back of her neck as he loomed still. She doesn't look up. Even if his grip was stern, it was loose.
He never dared to harm her, much less physically. "You reek of sadness." "It'll pass." She hums, smiling in triumph as she finished the kimono after 3 days.
Her husband was a towering man, after all. She could only do so much by herself. The grip on her neck tightened, begging for her attention. She gave it to him with a glance.
He frowns, still staring. "Something that I've said has added onto it. What?" When she goes to shake her head, he interjects. "Don't, do that. You're driving me to madness."
"My apologies." She nods. He groans under his breath, his hand trailing down to her back. "You'll be forgiven when you tell me the cause of your turmoil." She turns from him.
"No." He pauses. "... no?" "Yes, I said no. It's late, and I don't want to talk about this." He scowls, going to snap at her in frustration when she holds up a hand to silence him.
He glares, but stays silent. He internally softens as she finally meets his eyes, her pleading. "I'll come to you eventually, Ryomen. Please." He eyes her expression, sensing nothing but honesty from her lips.
He huffs, bringing her close and on top of his wide and long abdomen. She squeaks, as she always does, but accepted her fate. "Fine. You difficult woman." "Wife," She corrected.
He looks down at that. She knows that he most likely caught on somewhat to the problem, but thankfully stayed quiet. "Same thing," He grumbles softly, nose to your scalp.
When it comes to him, that statement was true. He called everyone else pets, peasants, or boys and girls on a good day. There were no women in his mind that weren't you.
(This excludes anyone you demanded that he'd respect.) But at the moment, she didn't care. She had earned her title (more like he gave it without hesitation).
The least he could do was use it. Not wanting to think anymore, she closes her eyes. "Goodnight, Ryomen." She hums, feeling his stare on her. His eyes thoughtful as he takes her in. "... wife."
He grunts in acknowledgement, his hands and arms entrapping her close to him. As if anyone would be foolish enough to harm her with him present. "Uraume! Get rid of the light!"
And so, the lights were off.
The next morning was better than the night before. They (Sukuna) had decided that staying in their room for the day was for the best. She was awoken with the idea along with kisses.
And nibbles, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he made it hard to say no when he got into those moods. The gentle ones, ones where he didn't want to be a king. Just for a while.
Uraume brought them breakfast, the portions ridiculously but humorously different. She thanks him, turning to her tray. She looks to her husband's. "Can I try some of yours?"
He stares down at her. "... no." She shrugs it off, knowing not to question his tense tone of voice. He didn't always eat so... humanely. That's all she allowed her mind to comprehend.
They eat in silence, interrupted by a knock on the door. He slams his tray down in annoyance, her not even flinching. "What!?" She looks up at him, silently scolding him.
He, of course, ignored her. A servant – Hanaki, one of her favorites – enters, head bowed and eyes lowered to the floor. "Did I not make it clear that I don't want to be disturbed today?"
Hanaki nods in response to the grumbling man, simply turning to her. "Madam Sukuna, your shipment has finally arrived. Where would you want us servants to place it?"
She brightens at the news, Sukuna's anger simmering down at the joy on her face. "Oh, thank you, Hanaki! Here on the balcony should be fine!" The woman nods, bows, and walks off.
As she brightens, grins, and turns to him, he huffs. "What is it, this time?" He grunts. While she didn't allow herself to spoil herself so often, she clearly has her moments.
Well-deserved, he would insist. He didn't care what she spoiled herself with or in, as long as he could check it was safe (he couldn't count how many times they were threatened with poison.)
"I got a weeping willow! It's still everso small, of course, but I thought we could but it on the other side of the garden!" He sighs. "There's already a wisteria tree planted."
"Duh, Ryomen. I want one side of the garden flashy for walks, parties, or your meetings. But the other side calm, comforting, and easy on the eyes for just us." He softens as this. Pathetic.
"Hm... fine." That, and the fact that they had to let a few servants in to place the potted plant on the balcony was the only disruption... of the morning, at least.
In the afternoon, she wanted to go on a walk to check on the garden (she was the one in charge of tending it, after all). He complains, but gets up regardless at her insistent tugging on his arm.
They walk slowly, the air warm and comfortable. Nothing filled the air but their bare feet and his wife's ranting about her flowers. It was decent (perfect, though he wouldn't admit it).
But it turned sour as his wife calls out to a servant. "Hey, hey, what are you doing?!" The woman pauses, sheers in hand. She bows at the sight of him, sheers behind her back.
"My lord-" "My wife acknowledged your puny existence and asked you a question. Not me. Don't acknowledge me without permission, you should know better." "Apologies, Lord Sukuna."
His wife pauses, eyeing the two before shaking her head. "You should know better." Meaning that the woman most likely used to be one of his concubines.
She disregards it. She was having a good day! "Why were you about to cut these?" She questions the woman, cupping and eyeing her flowers in concern. The woman answers.
"I thought-" Sukuna scoffs at the notion, quickly glared in scolding by his wife. "They were wilted, my lady." She sighs at this. "They're not. They're simply bratty due to the humidity."
She informed as kindly as possible, ignoring the pit of her stomach. The servant was... beautiful. "Please, do not go to do anything like that with permission, yes?" "Yes, my lady."
She nods, gesturing for the woman to leave. She doesn't immediately, subtly eyeing the bored man behind her. Her eyelids drooped a bit as her folded hands fidgeted.
He eyes the garden in mild interest, the interest coming from the fact that his wife had a hand in making a majority of the garden happen. She huffs, stepping into her frame of sight.
"Now, quickly." She says tersely, the servant snapping out of it and rushing away. She huffs, mood clearly soured as they were alone once again. He catches on immediately. "Wife?"
"I think I want to go back inside. Now." As she turns, he eyes the garden one final time before going back inside with her. He sits, watching her fret around their room with quiet complaints.
He watches for a while, amused, before easily getting bored. "Wife-" "I don't want to hear it-" "I don't care." He scoffs, grabbing her by the wrist.
"Out with it. You told me you would explain what was wrong, do not allow yourself to lie so easily." She pauses and glares up at her husband. "... are you calling me a liar-" "No. I did not."
He immediately refutes, not wanting his wife more upset than she already was. "What I'm saying is that I need to know what is the matter with you. This needs to end."
She goes to argue, interrupted. "I am sick of your groveling. The least I can do is attempt to fix the problem." She purses her lips, eyeing him. He was worried, even if he didn't say.
"... I want those women gone." She said simply, making him stare. "... woman, if you don't get specific-" "I want the women who were previously in your harem gone."
He grunts, somewhat satisfied. "I tried killing them before, wife. You said no. I could've ate-" "I do not want them dead, Ryomen." She frowns. "Just... away." He raises a brow.
"... away?" She nods. "Yes." He watches her strut from him and to their vast closet, opening it to search for something comfortable to change into. He lets her. "Away to where?"
"Anywhere but here." "Why?" She turns to him, frowning. "Do I need a reason?" "No... but, I'd like one." He utters softly, standing over her much smaller frame, cupping her neck gently.
He feels her quickened pulse and feels her emotion, staring blankly as he waited for her to speak. She sighs, making him squeeze somewhat. "Why?" "Ryomen-"
"Don't make me ask again, woman-" She snaps, swatting him away. "I am not some random woman. I am your wife. Address me as such. I am not one of these concubines you can boss-"
"Why would they bother you? They're nothing. Less than that." He watches her expression closely. She goes to ignore him, she does. But then he steps closer, breath enveloping her body.
"W-" "Because they have knowledge of my own husband that I do not. And having them near all the time makes me sick." She slams the closet closed after grabbing a random robe.
He stares as she feels embarrassed about what she just spilled. She doesn't look at him as she changes, pausing as she realized she had tossed one of his robes on-
His hands, all four of them, grab at her. Tightly, but not violently or uncomfortably. She knows that he wants her attention, looking up. He frowns softly. "... you want them gone?"
He asks seriously, face blank and hard to read. She nods slowly, trying to gauge some of his emotion. "Gone... not dead. Just... gone." Silence fills their room as he pulls her close.
Embarrassed as the scene caught up to her, she tries to backtrack. "It's just- the whispers. And the glances. And it's the fact that some of them help you dress and bathe! I don't even do that!"
At the continued silence, she continues. In doing this, she missed the blank but amused stare that he gave. "And I know that it's not a job for just one person, but! I think that's inapp-!"
He lips seem to eat her her entire body, her ears instantly growing red as she couldn't even kiss him back. By the time she tried, he (barely) pulled away. Her whole body felt fuzzy and mushy.
He would usually laugh at how she chased his lips, but stopped her with a hand squeezing her throat. "You want them gone?" He repeats his question to her, a thumb tracing her lips.
She immediately nodded, dewey eyes meeting his. "Yes... please," "Then they'll be gone." He pulls her back in before any sort of thanks escapes her lips.
He despised how she thanked him severely. As if he'd deny her most of what she wanted. He'd dispose of them the way she wanted. With mercy... mostly. They were easily forgettable anyway.
He wouldn't tell his precious wife how he planned on torturing those who dared whisper on her presence. Those who'd eye him as if they had a right to. He'd enjoy it.
Afterward? He'd get to have his wife all to himself. He eventually pulls away, undoing the top of his kimono. He huffs in amusement as she looked away. He couldn't wait for his fun. His violent, messy, bloody fun.
What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.