Uncle!RyomenSukuna never thought heâd be jealous over a four-year-old.
Yet here he was, arms crossed like a scorned villain, leaning against the kitchen counter while you and Yuji were giggling over animal-shaped pancake molds.
Youâd been up since 7 AM and so had Yuji, bouncing through your apartment like a sugar-fueled hurricane, even though he hadnât had a single grain of sugar. He was just built like that, chaos and sunshine in a very small hoodie.
âYouâre not even flipping them right,â Sukuna muttered under his breath, watching you burn the edge of what was supposed to be a giraffe.
You laughed, nudging Yuji with your elbow. âHeâs grumpy because weâre having more fun without him.â
Yuji giggled. âHeâs a grumpasaurus!â
Sukuna narrowed his eyes. âI can hear you.â
âYou were supposed to hear,â you said sweetly, leaning down to kiss Yujiâs forehead, brushing his spiky tufts of pink hair back gently.
That did it.
Not the pancake flipping. Not the dumb nickname. That.
It was the forehead kiss. His forehead kiss. The one he liked to pretend he didnât like, but always tilted his head slightly to the left so youâd get the spot between his eyebrows just right.
Now it was going to a four-year-old who drooled in his sleep and couldnât tie his shoes.
Youâd only agreed to babysit Yuji for the weekend while Sukunaâs brother, Jin and his wife were out of town. It was supposed to be simple. Two days of snacks, cartoons, and playground trips.
It was not simple. Yuji had declared you his ânew mommyâ within three hours of arriving. By hour six, he had wedged himself between you and Sukuna on the couch, declaring that you âsmelled like home and cookies.â
Sukuna had not responded well.
âHeâs four. He doesnât understand boundaries,â you whispered the first night, as you pried Yujiâs vice grip off your leg so you could go brush your teeth.
âHeâs a tiny brat,â Sukuna replied darkly. âA womb goblin.â
You raised a brow. âHeâs your nephew.â
âI didnât say he wasnât family. I just said heâs cursed.â
On day two, Yuji insisted on dressing Sukuna up.
âI wanna make you look like a cool pirate!â he announced, wrapping a scarf around Sukunaâs forehead.
âI already am a cool pirate,â Sukuna grumbled, but he sat there, arms folded, letting Yuji stick random stickers on his shirt.
You caught the sight from the hallway. Sukuna, gritting his teeth with a glitter unicorn on his chest, while Yuji carefully applied a temporary tattoo to his cheek.
Sukuna looked up at you and deadpanned, âBlink twice if you want me to banish him to the shadow realm.â
You doubled over laughing.
Later that evening, the three of you sat on the couch. Yuji wedged under your arm, already nodding off, thumb half in his mouth.
Sukuna, on your other side, kept side-eyeing the child like he was an unwanted houseplant.
âDo you want me to move him?â you whispered.
Sukuna stared at the small, snoring form pressed against your ribs. ââŚHeâs warm,â he muttered.
You raised an eyebrow. âWhatâs that?â
âI said fine, leave him.â
You tried not to smile.
Then Yuji stirred, turned his head, and mumbled in his sleep âUncle âKuna feels like safetyâŚâ
Sukuna blinked.
You turned to him slowly.
âOh my god,â you whispered. âYouâre soft.â
âI will kill everyone in this building,â Sukuna said instantly.
When you finally carried Yuji to the guest room and tucked him in, you returned to find Sukuna standing in the kitchen, arms crossed again.
You walked over, looped your arms around his waist. âYouâre handling this surprisingly well.â
âIâm being replaced.â
âYouâre not being replaced.â
âI am. He called me âcooler than Spider-Manâ and then hugged you for five solid minutes. Thatâs my move.â
You laughed against his chest. âYouâre jealous of a four-year-old.â
âI shouldnât be, but here we are.â
You tiptoed to kiss that spot between his eyebrows. âYouâre still my favorite dramatic monster.â
He grunted but kissed you back anyway.
And the next morning, you found him snuggled on the couch with Yuji, watching cartoons, both asleep, both drooling, matching frowns on their faces.