k a y u 🦋

25; non-binary; jjk, asoiaf, etc;

[mononijikayu]

kayu's home 🏐

hello!!! my name is kayu, and i write things that intrigue me and or fascinate me. i also write things that i like, which happens to be fictional and historical. so you'll see me here and there, asoiaf or jjk or something else. i'm still trying to get a hang on using the writing format here, and about many other things in life. let's learn from each other!!!

get to know ? kayu is a twenty - four year old stressed out because they decided to return to uni for another educational course. kayu is a non - binary person who is flexible with their pronouns. she/her, he/him and they/them apply!!! kayu is a big fan of music, which often becomes used for themes and chapter titles in their work. especially the band bts. kayu rambles a lot about historical stuff from time to time, lately in comparison to medieval women and asoiaf ladies!!! kayu works better when they're sad, so they listen to a lot of sad music. kayu has a written a lot of stuff before, but fanfics somehow is where it all comes back to. its better than uni work!!!

how it goes ! kayu writes a lot about many things, but at times they can be unpleasant and unseemly and so, kayu implores people to be mindful if they consume kayu's content!!! especially those who are minors and or are too young, please do not interact with kayu or their content!!! kayu takes kindly to criticism and in depth interactions, as long as they are respectful and done with care. kayu would like to ensure that the interactions with others on this blog and elsewhere are done in good spirits!!! kayu implores respect and kindness above all!!! kayu takes in suggestions for what to write and adores getting a flow of stories in her head that can make a symphony. kayu thinks that as long as you are kind and have something good and interesting, they'll write it up!!!

places in my house ? the jujutsu kaisen masterlist kayu's comms corner; ao3 ko-fi straw.page

kayu's rambling essays [ of patriarchy, of female rule, and defense of rhaenyra targaryen ] [ ancient, medieval and the dance of the dragons ] [ on envoys, its history and death in storm's end ] [ legitimacy of the velaryon boys and history ] [ aemma arryn's horrible death ] [ the incident in driftmark in the f&b ] [ the fitzempress boys and the velaryon boys ] [ rhaenyra targaryen, the male gaze and how hbo undermined the dance ] [ robert's rebellion was not justified, an essay;]

© mononijikayu, 2026; do not copy, repost, translate, republish, rewrite or modification my works to any other platforms or the training of its content for ai model systems ! ! ! the amazing sukuna art is by the lovely @totallygyomeiswife credit to the people who made the dividers. check out them out here and here

[mononijikayu]

was in a bit of pain from my shoulder but it got worse cause of me giggling about the fic idea i had about sukuna crashing out on father's day about women players in the national team can't play volleyball after marriage and how that got him a fine and he doubles the fine cause he hates their ass. anyway, we're getting belated father's day fics from me when im better!!!

[mononijikayu]

your author slipped in the staircase, and injured themselves in the concrete. i have a big leg gash and my ankle and fingers hurt but other than that im fine!!! ill be back to writing in a few days!!! heres a visual representation of me when i sat up:

[mononijikayu]

happy home — ryomen sukuna.

"hey, mom?" were the first words high school volleyball ace ryomen sukuna remembered uttering that time. sukuna tried not to sound hopeful when he said it. but he couldn't help it. not when he was this vulnerable. especially when the person he's talking to was the mother he had longed for.

he sat alone on the wooden bleachers after volleyball practice, one arm draped over the ball resting beside him. most of the team had already left. the echoes of sneakers squeaking across the gym floor had faded minutes ago, leaving only the distant hum of the air conditioning and the occasional bounce of a forgotten ball somewhere in the building.

the afternoon sunlight filtered through the high windows, painting streaks of gold across the court. on the other end of the line, his mother sounded distracted, though not intentionally so. "hey, sweetheart. sorry for picking up so late. dad and i are cleaning up."

he swallowed. "we've got regionals this saturday."

there was a brief pause on the other line.

"really? that's wonderful. congratulations!"

sukuna stared down at the polished floor. he already knew what was coming. still, some stubborn part of him refused to stop asking. he still had that hope, that foolish yet strident hope.

"i was wondering if you and dad could come. its uh, a great time. its probably the first time you'll see me do what i can do, so....if you and dad can come, that would be awesome."

the silence that followed lasted less than two seconds. but it was more than enough of a response. he knew it, he knew it was coming.  sukuna closed his eyes. there it was. that crushing tension...that brutishly familiar feeling. the one that always arrived before the actual answer did. he could feel the tightening of his chest, the glassy tension watering up his scarlet orbs.

"i'm sorry, sweetheart." his mother's voice softened immediately. "your father and i are leaving tomorrow morning. there's a medical mission scheduled for the weekend."

of course there was.

there always was.

like there always was.

"oh. i see. sorry, uh...i must have disturbed you both." sukuna tightened his grip around his phone. "where....where are you going this time?"

"dad says that it would be somewhere in southeast asia this time. it will be a long trip from where we are now in the west bank, sweetheart."

he nodded automatically despite knowing she couldn't see him. his father was a gastroenterologist. his mother was an orthopedic surgeon. they spent more time in hospitals, clinics, and remote communities than they did at home. people depended on them.

people needed them. he knew that too well. they weren't fooling around. they weren't missing his games because they didn't care. they weren't skipping his matches because they didn't love him.

they were helping people.

saving people who needed help.

doing something genuinely good.

which somehow made it harder to be upset.

because what kind of selfish person got angry over that?

still, he was still a boy. a boy who has spent years and years hoping to have a mother and a father by his side in these important moments. on parents day, grandpa came with him. on children's day, your parents were the ones who gifted him something. he loved them, he loved you. but he couldn't help wondering what it would be like to have the two of them by his side. to feel normal like all those other kids.

"we'll try to make the next one, sweetheart." his mother continued in a breath of rush. "i promise."

the next one, huh? sukuna couldn't remember how many times he'd heard those words. after middle school tournaments. after recognition ceremonies. after birthdays celebrated through rushed video calls from hotel rooms. after every event that had started with him glancing toward the entrance and ended with him pretending he hadn't been looking.

the next one.

the next one.

the next one.

eventually, the phrase had started sounding less like a promise and more like a habit. an intoxicating habit that his parents somehow cannot shake of. a habit he had gotten used to accepting without any other word.

"it's okay, mom....we can't do much about it." he said. "i hope you and dad are alright. you both are probably exhausted too. and busy at that. can't do much about that."

and in a way, it was. because he understood. he really did. his parents weren't bad people. they were probably two of the best people he knew, at least that's what he believes even if it was confusing, even if it hurts to think about. but maybe that was the problem.

it would've been easier if he could hate them for it. it would have been easier to lash out at them, better to let himself get hurt and maybe to hurt others in some other way like he used to do. instead, all he could do was understand. and forgive it all. and all over again hurt in the silence.

"are you sure?" his mother asked quietly, seeming to stop all that she was doing. "sweetheart, you know if—"

sukuna forced a smile she couldn't see. "yeah. i'm sure. don't worry about it too much. grandpa and [name] will be there. they'll cheer me on."

his mother seemingly didn't know what to say about that. instead, the conversation continued for another minute. she asked about school. then about volleyball and his college prospects.

and then about whether he was eating enough.

the same questions she always asked whenever they managed to find time to call him. the same things a stranger would ask to another stranger. those were the topics of conversation by the end of it all. and then the call would grow cold feet and all the sudden, it would just end. the screen would go dark. and then, ryomen sukuna, seventeen years old, would just sit there by himself to reflect and then to cry and then wash his face. just so no one would notice how puffy and red his eyes were, like he had done for his whole life.

all the sudden, the gym felt emptier than before.

for a long moment, sukuna simply sat there staring at his reflection in the black display.

sometimes he wondered if something was wrong with him. he had parents. and they were alive. they loved him. at least he was sure they do.

they do things all parents do. they remember to pay the bills, they send money home even if sukuna doesn't want to touch any of it. they sent birthday gifts, even if they don't really know what he likes. they called when they could. they remembered every major holiday, every occassion he has going on.....no, well, that one is a lie. they don't always remember.

he sighs. from the outside, it probably looked like he had everything. but sometimes it felt like they were ghosts. ghosts that haunt him as much as ghosts that he finds himself chasing.

but then again, that's just how things went. they were people he heard about more often than he actually saw. people whose faces lived inside photographs and video calls. they were people who existed somewhere out there in the world, but never quite where he needed them to be.

yet sometimes he hated thinking that. it made him feel guilty every time. because there were kids who would've done anything to have parents like his. kids who would've traded places with him without hesitation.

that's the question he asks himself all the time. why? why did it still hurt? why did he still find himself searching the crowd at every game? why did he still ask? why did some stupid part of him keep hoping that this time would be different?

"well." the voice startled him out of his thoughts. "that call's not gone as expected, huh?"

sukuna glanced toward the doorway. "old man, why are you here? what the—"

"aren't you too down for someone on a high after that win, boy?" his grandfather was leaning against the frame with a newspaper tucked beneath one arm.

judging by the amused look on his face, he'd heard far more of the conversation than he was supposed to. sukuna narrows his gaze, trying hard not to let the tears fall. he clears his throat. his grandpa grunts.

"good thing your favorite grandfather doesn't have any plans." his grandfather says, standing in front of his grandson. "wipe that sweat off your face."

sukuna snorted, but still...he listens. he grabs the towel on his bag and wipes his face dry. "you're my only grandfather that's still alive."

"exactly. makes me your favorite by default. you've got no choice, boy." the old man walked into the gym and sat beside him on the bleachers. "i'll be there on saturday."

sukuna blinked. "you don't have to. i know you have card games at the neighborhood club. you don't miss any games. don't want you to—"

"augh, pipe it down, boy." his grandfather cuts him off, shaking his head. sukuna glares at him. "i'm here for a reason. do you think i'd miss watching you terrorize innocent teenagers with a volleyball?"

"okay, that's an insane reason to be here."

his grandfather scoffed dramatically. "not if im here to support my grandson. someone has to lose and they might as well lose."

despite himself, sukuna laughed. he couldn't believe those sort of words came from his grandfather. yet all at once, he could. the man was too much of an unpredictable sort of geezer. still, it made the tightening at his chest feel a little bit better.

the old man nudged his shoulder. "i'm serious, boy. you can do it. you'll do great. with or without them. we're here for you. so, don't think much on it, alright? there's someone waiting for you there."

for the first time since the phone call, some of the heaviness in his chest eased. he slowly nodded at his grandfather, who patted his shoulder, a grin on his face. "thanks, gramps."

"besides, i'm sure i'm not the only one." his grandfather added casually, "your little girlfriend will probably be there too. that girl's going to be holding up her big banner with your name on it—"

the relief vanished instantly and replaced just as fast with a red faced horror. "oi, old man, what the fu—"

"no cursing at me, boy. not today at least."

"you can't just be saying things like that!" sukuna says, knowing fully well that even his neck and ears are red.

his grandpa looked confused. "well, isn't she your girlfriend? you didn't introduce [name] to me for nothing."

"......that's besides the point!" he bit the lower half of his lip, suddenly standing up to meet his grandfather's face head on, still red as a ripe tomato. before long, he lowers his head into his arms. "shit....."

his grandpa ignores him entirely and shrugs. "she's deserving of the mention here, kid. she comes to all your games, makes sure your water bottle's full of cold water, makes sure there's electrolites, snacks on your bag—"

"she's also the manager of the volleyball club!" he couldn't help but argue, rather weakly, if one was being honest. "she....she...."

there was too much overwhelming feeling at the concept of you doing that just for him. he liked the feeling of being so well cared for and loved by you. but the thing is, it's overwhelming. it's just something he couldn't help but describe without words. not even properly like this.

you do so much for him, quite more special than what his grandpa was describing. yet it was just....he doesn't know what to do. how could one be so confident with the one they love, now that theyre comfortable, yet be so contradictory to the world about the love he was so proud about?

his grandfather grunts amused. "i'm sure the fact that she always sits near your side of the court is a complete coincidence, isn't it?"

sukuna groaned and dropped his face into his hands once again, shaking his head. his grandfather laughed loud enough for it to echo through the empty gym.

at that moment, the world felt weightless. just a while ago, the world felt like it was crashing down, not feeling whole. and yet, the thought of his grandpa being there, and most of all, you being there, it made it all feel so freeing. the feeling was mad, everything about it was unexplainable. but even with the pain, it felt good. it felt so good to be so wanted.

a little moment passed before sukuna found himself laughing too. because maybe his parents wouldn't be there. maybe they never would be. but there were still people who showed up. people who chose to stay. people who made the effort.

and for that moment, sitting beside his grandfather while being mercilessly teased about you, the empty seats didn't feel quite so painful. his grandpa squeezes his shoulder. sukuna lifted his head, removing his hands from his face.

"you're doing good kid."

sukuna didn't know what to say.

but it was obvious, what he thought.

the eyes, they always tell.

to his grandfather, it was more than enough.

years later, the captain of the tokyo great bears, volleyball player ryomen sukuna had found himself sitting in another set of bleachers. well, not bleachers exactly. but it was close enough that the position of that moment made him reflective as then when he sat on those high school bleachers.

the kindergarten auditorium had tried very hard to look elegant, but there was only so much anyone could do when the audience consisted of excited parents and the performers consisted of five-year-olds wearing oversized costumes held together with safety pins.

the massive room buzzed with conversation, reverberating through the velvet lined walls. many of the parents chatted while adjusting cameras and their phones. all the teachers hurried back and forth behind the curtains, stressed looks on many of their faces.

somewhere nearby, a child was crying because they had lost a paper crown. another child was loudly announcing that they needed to use the bathroom immediately. it was chaos, absolute and uncontrolled chaos. anyone would have been in thier right mind to leave.

one could say he should be practicing like all the national other teams, for the olympic qualifying rounds. but he couldn't help it. he didn't want to have this special day to overlap with something this important. it may not be important to other people, but it was important to him.

this was worth cancelling practice for. because ryomen sukuna wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. this is where he would rather be right now, for his family, for his daughter. this is where he ought to be.

you slid into the seat beside him, balancing a bouquet of flowers in one hand. the moment you sat down, you noticed the familiar posture. your husband had his arms folded, with his back as straight as a ruler, his scarlet eyes fixed firmly on the stage.

you couldn't help but smile tenderly at the sight of him so focused. it was just like his volleyball practices, when he's trying to get down something the coach said about the game play. but this time, it was for his beloved daughter. he wanted nothing more than to capture every moment, as if it was a move that would win his team the championship.

"you know, my love, this is rare." you said casually, "i'm still shocked you actually cancelled practice for this."

sukuna glanced at you. "why?"

"because you're you." you tell him, grinning. "you love to get the job done and you love to make sure things get results. you take practice seriously, my love. i know you. you've never done this before."

he frowned, which only made you laugh harder. "babe, this is the real shit. this is important. im not gonna be absent to kumibear's first dance recital."

"your team looked devastated." you giggled. "its interesting. they usually hate practice, but they seemed devastated. i think that you've mellowed after 'kumi was born."

he waves it off, probably unable to register what you mean. being so focused on the stage. he nods. "they'll survive. it's not like they aren't going to sleep this day off."

"one of them looked like he was about to cry. wait....wasn't satoru also crying then?"

"nah, he's dramatic. and it's probably not even about having no practice. he's probably crying because his ex is finally giving him a chance and he finally could ask her out because of the day off."

he snickers. "and everyone else, well, those idiots can get over it. its one day....not like we'll fail to qualify because we didn't practice one day."

you snorted. "well, i suppose you're right."

sukuna looked back toward the stage as teachers adjusted microphones and arranged props. "we can miss one practice. just this once. let me have this."

your eyes soften at your husband, your free hand reaching over his to squeeze it. "you do deserve it, my love. you always have."

he smiles as he turns to you. "i know. that's why i'm happy."

as he said that, the lights started to dim slightly. he removes the side that separated your chair and his and pulled you closer. you laughed quitely as he wraps his arms around you. you put the flowers on the empty side and then leaned against your husband's body.

conversation throughout the auditorium began to quiet. the teachers started ushering children into position behind the curtain. instantly, sukuna's attention sharpened. you could practically see it happen.

his sharp scarlet eyes shifted toward the stage. his shoulders straightened. his entire focus narrowing to a single point. you followed his gaze. you lift your head as you whispered. "you're nervous."

"i'm not nervous." he shakes his head. "i'm fine."

"you're absolutely nervous." you whisper lowly. "i can tell, your tense my love."

"it's a kindergarten recital."

"exactly. so why are you tense? there's no award ceremony for it."

his jaw tightened. you grinned. "my love."

"what?" he looks down at you, confused.

"she's dancing to a song about vegetables. with everyone else. this is a group effort."

"and? i wanna see her do well."

you leaned closer. "you're acting like she's about to perform at the olympics and needs to bring the gold medal."

he didn't answer immediately, his face red with blushing. you smiled, shaking your head as you leaned on his body once again, your hand free from his grasp. but he hasn't moved from his position. instead, his scarlet gaze remained fixed on the curtain.

waiting.

watching.

expecting.

when he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than before. ".......i just don't want her looking for us and not seeing us. i want her to see us real fast and know that we're here cheering for her."

the words hit you so unexpectedly that your teasing vanished. you lifted from your position and looked at him. for a moment, neither of you spoke. because you understood immediately. he wasn't talking about the recital. at least not anymore.

he was talking about every game he'd ever played. every tournament. every ceremony. every moment he'd searched a crowd filled with strangers. hoping, just once, that his parents would be there too. like everyone's parents were.

your hand found his once again, his fingers intertwined with yours automatically. a habit built over years. you smile at him reassuringly. "don't worry. you raised her well. she knows that we'll be there. so don't think her eyes will fail her now. she's like her dad, she has eagle eyes. so, she'll see us, my love. it's okay."

his thumb brushed gently across your knuckles. "i know, i know....but i guess i needed to hear that. thank you, babe. you always calm me down."

you pressed a kiss on his cheek. "of course, my love. im always here for you, no matter what."

the curtain finally opened. and there she was. ryomen sukumi was standing near the center of the stage in a bright yellow costume that was apparently supposed to make her look like a sunflower.

she looked ridiculous.....just absolutely ridiculous. the costume was too big on her. one side of the petals was slightly bent. and somehow she had managed to put one shoe on backwards.

but sukuna was happy about that. because in his eyes, even in this mismatched outfit, even if she looked ridiculosu, everything about her was perfect. everything about it was incredibly perfect. sukuna couldn't help but smile.

the moment her eyes swept across the audience, she spotted the two of you. her entire face lit up. she waves towards the two of you, grinning from ear to ear. "she found us, my love. i told you!" you whispered, waving back to her.

sukuna's chest tightened. sukumi immediately began waving even more wildly. so wildly in fact that she completely ignored whatever instructions her teachers had given beforehand. several parents laughed. a teacher gently tried to lower her arms and did so multiple times. but sukumi only waved harder.

you couldn't stop smiling. you pulled out your phone and started taking pictures and videos. beside you, sukuna lifted his hand and waved back immediately. without hesitation, without embarrassment. without caring that several other parents had turned to look. all that mattered was that she could see him wave back and happily so.

the second sukumi saw her loving dad wave back, her grin doubled in size. and just like that, she relaxed. the nervousness disappeared from her shoulders. the uncertainty vanished, the issues with the big costume being too much for her all, ones which made her throw a tantrum five minutes ago, had all but disappeared.

because she had found what she was looking for. her parents were there, watching her. they were there, exactly where they were supposed to be, smiling from the bottom of their hearts, ignoring the world, and focusing their eyes on their beloved daughter alone.

in a few moments, the new music started to blast into the speakers. they start to transition from acting into dancing. if it could even be called dancing. half the children forgot the choreography within thirty seconds.

one little boy wandered toward the wrong side of the stage. another became distracted by something on the floor. a girl near the front spun enthusiastically in the wrong direction for nearly the entire performance. but your daughter sukumi wasn't much better.

she missed several steps and almost instantly forgot part of the routine. your little daughter spent an alarming amount of time looking directly at the audience instead of her teacher. but she was laughing and she hasn't stopped waving at the two of you.

it was the cutest thing sukuna had ever seen. he watched every second. every spin. every mistake. every laugh. every time she glanced toward the audience just to make sure the two of you were still there. and every single time she looked, she found him.

waiting.

watching.

present.

for her.

you looked away from the stage for a moment, just taking in the time to look at him. his expression had softened completely. the intimidating volleyball god. the man who terrified opposing teams. the man who rarely smiled in public. every bit of that man was gone.

instead, he was replaced by a father completely enchanted by his daughter, overwhelmed by the love he had for his daughter, you would have thought when he screamed "you're doing great sweetie" as he took out his phone to record, that he was crazy. but he was far from crazy. he was just a father who loves and loves wholeheartedly.

you squeezed his hand. "you're smiling."

"am not."

"you are." you shake your head at your husband, putting down your phone, laughing. "gosh, you're such a tsundere, my love."

he didn't seem to register what you said as he took another angle for the camera to capture your daughter's memories in. "i'm not."

"your face hurts from smiling."

"babe. no offense, but i'm trying to focus so stop talking, i want to hear her sing." you laughed quietly, but you stopped, letting him focus on capturing performance "go kumibear! you're amazing! yeah, twirl that twirl, baby girl!"

many of the parents giggled, as you do. but everyone felt good about it. they may love their kids, they may want to be there for their kids, but you knew that no one could love their kids more than your husband loves sukumi. not even close.

when the performance finally ended, the auditorium erupted into applause. sukumi immediately started searching for the two of you again. sukuna stood before anyone else both hands raised high, happily applauding as though she had just delivered the greatest performance in history.

sukumi beamed at her dad and soon enough was resting in his arms, lifted up by his muscular, tattooed arms, being spun as he kissed her cheeks, making her giggle. you laughed, capturing the moment on your phone.

"you did such a good job, kumibear!"

"papa, did you see me? did you see 'kumi dance and act?" she excitedly asked. "did you enjoy it?"

"papa did see you, kumibear. you waved at papa, remember?"

"ohhh, that's right." she giggled, causing him to smile. "did you like it?"

he grins at her. "of course i like it. but tell you what, i love it more! you did so well, pretty. papa is happy that kumibear is so good."

sukumi smiled, bright and satisfied. "'kumi's happy, papa! you love it, lots! that makes me so happy!"

sukuna laughs at his daughter. "well, i'm glad that it makes you as happy as i am."

you moved forward as you put your phone away. before long, you were placing a kiss on your husband's cheek and your daughter's own face, still holding the bouquet. "oh, you two are just so cute."

sukumi gasps, seeing the flower. "mama, is that for me?"

you smiled. "yes, kumibear. it's for you. mama got you your favorite color too. pink!"

she kicked her feet, asking for her dad to put her down and sukuna does. he watches as sukumi jumps into your arms, making you laugh as you balanced her and the bouquet. your daughter kisses you as you two talk about the performance and how proud you were of her.

as he watches the two of you, suddenly, for the briefest moment, sukuna remembered another gymnasium. another set of bleachers. another version of himself. a teenage boy staring toward an empty seat. just waiting for things that maybe would never come.

the memory flickered through his mind and disappeared just as quickly. because unlike then, he wasn't the one searching anymore. unlike then, the seat wasn't empty. and it will never be.

as long as he's here, as long as he could love you enough, love sukumi enough, and always show up, it would be a good life. it would be a happy home. that's all that matters, no matter what else comes his way.

he moves towards you, and feeling him behind you, you couldn't help but smile. he smiles as he leans forward and kisses you on the lips. you grinned wide as you kissed him back. sukumi who was focused on her little bouquet, looked at you two and made a disgruntled sound.

"papa's giving mama cotties!"

the two of you part, and ended up laughing at what she had just blurted out loud. he shakes his head as he leans down to pick her up carefully and moves closer to you. "but papa has no cooties, kumibear. and besides, papa loves mama a lot. that's just another way of showing her that i love her a lot."

"but all boys have that!" he looked perplexed and that made you laugh.

"now where are you hearing that?"

"the other girls in school say so! they said kissing boys gives you cooties!" sukuna shakes his head exasperated at her words, making you laugh even harder.

"okay, they're right. no kissing boys. they all suck. but papa doesn't have cooties. papa is cool and he loves mama."

sukumi turned her head slowly, so very slowly. it was the kind of slow, suspicious turn that immediately made both of you nervous. she stared directly at her father. sukuna stared back. for a moment, neither of them spoke. it was then sukumi narrowed her scarlet eyes.

"but papa is a boy."

you immediately snorted. sukuna looked personally offended. "i am not just a boy, kumibear."

"you are."

"i'm your father."

"that's still a boy."

you nearly doubled over laughing. sukuna shot you a betrayed look. but that was too much. you only laughed harder. "don't look at me, my love." you managed between breaths. "she's got a point."

"she does not."

"she absolutely does."

sukumi nodded enthusiastically. "see? mama knows."

"your mama encourages bad behavior."

"hey, i do not!" you argue.

"that's because mama is smart." the response from sukumi came so quickly that even you blinked. "papa is a boy!"

sukuna looked horrified. "absolutely not, kumibear. papa is not in that category!"

"absolutely yes."

"you don't even know what we're talking about anymore."

"i know mama is smart, though!"

you grinned triumphantly. "i like this conversation. well done, kumibear. mama is happy." sukumi grinned at you and blew kisses. "okay, mama is going to buy you ice cream later, okay?"

"yay!"

"of course you will."

you grinned at him and winked. "with your card, my love!"

sukuna shifted her more comfortably on his hip as the three of you slowly made your way out of the auditorium. around them, parents were still gathering about with their children, still taking photos, and congratulating teachers. several kids were still running around in costume, seemingly fueled by unlimited energy.

sukumi wrapped her arms around sukuna's neck. "papa."

"what?"

"did you have cooties when you were little?"

you immediately covered your mouth. sukuna looked ready to walk directly into traffic. "no, papa didn't have them. not even when papa met mama, no."

"never?"

"never."

"not even once?"

"not even once."

sukumi gasped dramatically. "wow."

"what's wow about that?"

"that's lucky."

"it's not luck."

"then what is it?"

sukuna opened his mouth and then paused. he had words in his head but nothing in his mouth, so closed it again. because how exactly was he supposed to explain this?

you were already laughing before he even attempted an answer. "good question, my precious kumibear. tell us, papa. what do you mean by that?"

"don't encourage her."

"why? i'm curious now."

sukuna looked at you flatly. "you are the least curious person here. well, at least with this situation we have here."

you grinned at him. "i don't know. maybe you were born immune."

"immune to what?"

"cooties."

he sighed heavily, the kind of sigh that came from years of loving you. "you're both impossible."

"mama says that's because we're related."

"that's not how genetics works."

"genetics?"

sukumi perked up immediately. "what's genetics?"

"don't answer that."

"why?"

"because we're standing here and its not going to be appropriate."

"that's fair."

sukumi hummed thoughtfully before suddenly remembering something. "but if papa doesn't have cooties, why do you kiss him?"

sukuna nearly dropped her. you laughed so hard you had to grab his arm to steady yourself. "what kind of question is that?"

"i'm asking. kumibear is curious!"

"i can see that." sukuna says to her, grumbling.

"well?" she looked between the two of you expectantly.

waiting, in the way children always did when they asked a question they genuinely wanted answered. sukuna looked at you. you looked at sukuna. neither of you wanted to be the first one to answer. which meant, naturally, sukuna lost. he always lost. especially when it came to the two girls in front of him.

"because...because...." he began carefully, "when you love someone, sometimes you want to show them."

sukumi listened seriously. "with kisses?"

"among other things."

"like hugs?"

"yeah."

"and flowers?"

"those too."

she thought about that. "and ice cream?"

you immediately nodded. "especially ice cream, baby."

"that's not the point."

"it absolutely is." you say to him.

sukumi gasped. "then i show people i love them all the time!"

you smiled. "you do, kumibear. me and papa are so happy you are so loving."

she giggled, happy with the compliment. "you know, i gave uncle yuuji half my cookie last week."

"that's very loving." you say enthusiastically.

"and i shared my crayons."

"also very loving." sukuna says with a pleased nod.

sukumi looked extremely pleased with herself. sukuna couldn't help smiling. because she was right. children had a way of simplifying things that adults spent years overcomplicating.

to her, love was sharing snacks. sometimes its saving someone a seat at the lunch table. sometimes its making sure its safe to cross the street by holding someone's holding hands. or even offering crayons so they could draw together.

it was simple.

it was so honest.

so uncomplicated.

much like the way she loved.

and much like the way he loved her.

"so, papa....." sukumi concluded confidently. "i can kiss mama because i love her, right?"

"yes." he nodded back at his little girl.

"and i can hug mama because i love her."

"yes, you can do that too."

"and papa can kiss mama because he loves her."

"yes, because papa wants to show mama he loves her a lot." he says with a grin, which made you playfully roll your eyes as you hit him softly on the arm. "what? that's true."

"but i still shouldn't kiss boys at school."

you nodded. "yes, kumibear, that's correct."

sukuna suddenly got serious. "yeah, baby. they're all ugly and stupid. they should not even be near you. boys shouldn't be around you, kumibear."

sukumi seemed just as serious. "and because they have cooties."

before you could answer, sukuna spoke first. "but most especially, kumibear, its because they're annoying and stupid. so don't go near boys, okay? they'll infect you with stupid boy cooties."

you burst out laughing at his words. sukumi gasped, her face petrified. "really? boys have that!"

"absolutely."

"all of them?"

"every single one."

"hey."

sukuna glanced at you. "what?"

"you were once a little boy too."

he shrugged. "and i was annoying. what else can be said about that? i changed, though."

you snickered. "alright, fair. but to be fair, you were very annoying."

"extremely." he nodded back at you. and then looked at sukumi. "that's why you should stay away from boys, kumibear. boys all have stupid boy cooties and way badder cooties!"

sukumi giggled. "papa had cooties."

he groaned. "i did not."

"you did."

"i didn't."

"you did."

"kumibear."

"yes?"

"i'm literally carrying you."

she immediately wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. with her big scarlet eyes, she looks at him tenderly. sukuna had no chance of winning. not one bit. that made you laugh.

"because i love you. so papa wouldn't let me fall, won't he?"

the words came so naturally and so casually. those were the kind of things children said without realizing how much weight those words carried. sukuna went quiet for a second, eyes widened and flustered. even for just a second, he was too stunned to speak.

but you noticed. you always noticed. his hand moved gently against her back and steady, protective. but most of all, certain. his eyes, the same eyes he had given her, shown in the best lights. he smiled at her. "i love you too."

sukumi smiled and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, all too completely content and safe. as the three of you continued walking out the building and toward the car in the parking lot, sukuna found himself thinking about all the years he'd spent searching crowds.

all the years he'd spent wondering whether someone would show up. whether someone would stay. whether someone would choose him. he'd spent so much of his childhood looking for love in empty seats.

now he carried sukumi in his arms, walked beside her and held her hand. he heard her laugh. he had the pleasure of being a part of everything that she was. it was such a good feeling.

and every time he looked at you and sukumi, he felt the same thing. there was no absence and there was no disappointments. there could be longing. but each and everytime, there would be certainty. he was sure of that.

ryomen sukuna, who walked so far to get here, was finally here where he was meant to be.

"papa, kumibear has a question."

he looks at her as he buckles her into the carseat. "what is it, kumibear?"

"will kumibear get cooties if she kissed a girl in the cheek?"

he looks at you.

then back at sukumi.

you started laughing.

"oh, dear....you have stuff to deal with, my love."

sukuna's face was stupified. "what? what does that mean, 'kumi?"

"i like sakura, the one i seat with!" she beamed.

sukuna lowered his head. "i didn't know i have to warn off little girls too...."

you laughed. "you can do it, papa!"

[mononijikayu]

happy home — ryomen sukuna.

"hey, mom?" were the first words high school volleyball ace ryomen sukuna remembered uttering that time. sukuna tried not to sound hopeful when he said it. but he couldn't help it. not when he was this vulnerable. especially when the person he's talking to was the mother he had longed for.

he sat alone on the wooden bleachers after volleyball practice, one arm draped over the ball resting beside him. most of the team had already left. the echoes of sneakers squeaking across the gym floor had faded minutes ago, leaving only the distant hum of the air conditioning and the occasional bounce of a forgotten ball somewhere in the building.

the afternoon sunlight filtered through the high windows, painting streaks of gold across the court. on the other end of the line, his mother sounded distracted, though not intentionally so. "hey, sweetheart. sorry for picking up so late. dad and i are cleaning up."

he swallowed. "we've got regionals this saturday."

there was a brief pause on the other line.

"really? that's wonderful. congratulations!"

sukuna stared down at the polished floor. he already knew what was coming. still, some stubborn part of him refused to stop asking. he still had that hope, that foolish yet strident hope.

"i was wondering if you and dad could come. its uh, a great time. its probably the first time you'll see me do what i can do, so....if you and dad can come, that would be awesome."

the silence that followed lasted less than two seconds. but it was more than enough of a response. he knew it, he knew it was coming.  sukuna closed his eyes. there it was. that crushing tension...that brutishly familiar feeling. the one that always arrived before the actual answer did. he could feel the tightening of his chest, the glassy tension watering up his scarlet orbs.

"i'm sorry, sweetheart." his mother's voice softened immediately. "your father and i are leaving tomorrow morning. there's a medical mission scheduled for the weekend."

of course there was.

there always was.

like there always was.

"oh. i see. sorry, uh...i must have disturbed you both." sukuna tightened his grip around his phone. "where....where are you going this time?"

"dad says that it would be somewhere in southeast asia this time. it will be a long trip from where we are now in the west bank, sweetheart."

he nodded automatically despite knowing she couldn't see him. his father was a gastroenterologist. his mother was an orthopedic surgeon. they spent more time in hospitals, clinics, and remote communities than they did at home. people depended on them.

people needed them. he knew that too well. they weren't fooling around. they weren't missing his games because they didn't care. they weren't skipping his matches because they didn't love him.

they were helping people.

saving people who needed help.

doing something genuinely good.

which somehow made it harder to be upset.

because what kind of selfish person got angry over that?

still, he was still a boy. a boy who has spent years and years hoping to have a mother and a father by his side in these important moments. on parents day, grandpa came with him. on children's day, your parents were the ones who gifted him something. he loved them, he loved you. but he couldn't help wondering what it would be like to have the two of them by his side. to feel normal like all those other kids.

"we'll try to make the next one, sweetheart." his mother continued in a breath of rush. "i promise."

the next one, huh? sukuna couldn't remember how many times he'd heard those words. after middle school tournaments. after recognition ceremonies. after birthdays celebrated through rushed video calls from hotel rooms. after every event that had started with him glancing toward the entrance and ended with him pretending he hadn't been looking.

the next one.

the next one.

the next one.

eventually, the phrase had started sounding less like a promise and more like a habit. an intoxicating habit that his parents somehow cannot shake of. a habit he had gotten used to accepting without any other word.

"it's okay, mom....we can't do much about it." he said. "i hope you and dad are alright. you both are probably exhausted too. and busy at that. can't do much about that."

and in a way, it was. because he understood. he really did. his parents weren't bad people. they were probably two of the best people he knew, at least that's what he believes even if it was confusing, even if it hurts to think about. but maybe that was the problem.

it would've been easier if he could hate them for it. it would have been easier to lash out at them, better to let himself get hurt and maybe to hurt others in some other way like he used to do. instead, all he could do was understand. and forgive it all. and all over again hurt in the silence.

"are you sure?" his mother asked quietly, seeming to stop all that she was doing. "sweetheart, you know if—"

sukuna forced a smile she couldn't see. "yeah. i'm sure. don't worry about it too much. grandpa and [name] will be there. they'll cheer me on."

his mother seemingly didn't know what to say about that. instead, the conversation continued for another minute. she asked about school. then about volleyball and his college prospects.

and then about whether he was eating enough.

the same questions she always asked whenever they managed to find time to call him. the same things a stranger would ask to another stranger. those were the topics of conversation by the end of it all. and then the call would grow cold feet and all the sudden, it would just end. the screen would go dark. and then, ryomen sukuna, seventeen years old, would just sit there by himself to reflect and then to cry and then wash his face. just so no one would notice how puffy and red his eyes were, like he had done for his whole life.

all the sudden, the gym felt emptier than before.

for a long moment, sukuna simply sat there staring at his reflection in the black display.

sometimes he wondered if something was wrong with him. he had parents. and they were alive. they loved him. at least he was sure they do.

they do things all parents do. they remember to pay the bills, they send money home even if sukuna doesn't want to touch any of it. they sent birthday gifts, even if they don't really know what he likes. they called when they could. they remembered every major holiday, every occassion he has going on.....no, well, that one is a lie. they don't always remember.

he sighs. from the outside, it probably looked like he had everything. but sometimes it felt like they were ghosts. ghosts that haunt him as much as ghosts that he finds himself chasing.

but then again, that's just how things went. they were people he heard about more often than he actually saw. people whose faces lived inside photographs and video calls. they were people who existed somewhere out there in the world, but never quite where he needed them to be.

yet sometimes he hated thinking that. it made him feel guilty every time. because there were kids who would've done anything to have parents like his. kids who would've traded places with him without hesitation.

that's the question he asks himself all the time. why? why did it still hurt? why did he still find himself searching the crowd at every game? why did he still ask? why did some stupid part of him keep hoping that this time would be different?

"well." the voice startled him out of his thoughts. "that call's not gone as expected, huh?"

sukuna glanced toward the doorway. "old man, why are you here? what the—"

"aren't you too down for someone on a high after that win, boy?" his grandfather was leaning against the frame with a newspaper tucked beneath one arm.

judging by the amused look on his face, he'd heard far more of the conversation than he was supposed to. sukuna narrows his gaze, trying hard not to let the tears fall. he clears his throat. his grandpa grunts.

"good thing your favorite grandfather doesn't have any plans." his grandfather says, standing in front of his grandson. "wipe that sweat off your face."

sukuna snorted, but still...he listens. he grabs the towel on his bag and wipes his face dry. "you're my only grandfather that's still alive."

"exactly. makes me your favorite by default. you've got no choice, boy." the old man walked into the gym and sat beside him on the bleachers. "i'll be there on saturday."

sukuna blinked. "you don't have to. i know you have card games at the neighborhood club. you don't miss any games. don't want you to—"

"augh, pipe it down, boy." his grandfather cuts him off, shaking his head. sukuna glares at him. "i'm here for a reason. do you think i'd miss watching you terrorize innocent teenagers with a volleyball?"

"okay, that's an insane reason to be here."

his grandfather scoffed dramatically. "not if im here to support my grandson. someone has to lose and they might as well lose."

despite himself, sukuna laughed. he couldn't believe those sort of words came from his grandfather. yet all at once, he could. the man was too much of an unpredictable sort of geezer. still, it made the tightening at his chest feel a little bit better.

the old man nudged his shoulder. "i'm serious, boy. you can do it. you'll do great. with or without them. we're here for you. so, don't think much on it, alright? there's someone waiting for you there."

for the first time since the phone call, some of the heaviness in his chest eased. he slowly nodded at his grandfather, who patted his shoulder, a grin on his face. "thanks, gramps."

"besides, i'm sure i'm not the only one." his grandfather added casually, "your little girlfriend will probably be there too. that girl's going to be holding up her big banner with your name on it—"

the relief vanished instantly and replaced just as fast with a red faced horror. "oi, old man, what the fu—"

"no cursing at me, boy. not today at least."

"you can't just be saying things like that!" sukuna says, knowing fully well that even his neck and ears are red.

his grandpa looked confused. "well, isn't she your girlfriend? you didn't introduce [name] to me for nothing."

"......that's besides the point!" he bit the lower half of his lip, suddenly standing up to meet his grandfather's face head on, still red as a ripe tomato. before long, he lowers his head into his arms. "shit....."

his grandpa ignores him entirely and shrugs. "she's deserving of the mention here, kid. she comes to all your games, makes sure your water bottle's full of cold water, makes sure there's electrolites, snacks on your bag—"

"she's also the manager of the volleyball club!" he couldn't help but argue, rather weakly, if one was being honest. "she....she...."

there was too much overwhelming feeling at the concept of you doing that just for him. he liked the feeling of being so well cared for and loved by you. but the thing is, it's overwhelming. it's just something he couldn't help but describe without words. not even properly like this.

you do so much for him, quite more special than what his grandpa was describing. yet it was just....he doesn't know what to do. how could one be so confident with the one they love, now that theyre comfortable, yet be so contradictory to the world about the love he was so proud about?

his grandfather grunts amused. "i'm sure the fact that she always sits near your side of the court is a complete coincidence, isn't it?"

sukuna groaned and dropped his face into his hands once again, shaking his head. his grandfather laughed loud enough for it to echo through the empty gym.

at that moment, the world felt weightless. just a while ago, the world felt like it was crashing down, not feeling whole. and yet, the thought of his grandpa being there, and most of all, you being there, it made it all feel so freeing. the feeling was mad, everything about it was unexplainable. but even with the pain, it felt good. it felt so good to be so wanted.

a little moment passed before sukuna found himself laughing too. because maybe his parents wouldn't be there. maybe they never would be. but there were still people who showed up. people who chose to stay. people who made the effort.

and for that moment, sitting beside his grandfather while being mercilessly teased about you, the empty seats didn't feel quite so painful. his grandpa squeezes his shoulder. sukuna lifted his head, removing his hands from his face.

"you're doing good kid."

sukuna didn't know what to say.

but it was obvious, what he thought.

the eyes, they always tell.

to his grandfather, it was more than enough.

years later, the captain of the tokyo great bears, volleyball player ryomen sukuna had found himself sitting in another set of bleachers. well, not bleachers exactly. but it was close enough that the position of that moment made him reflective as then when he sat on those high school bleachers.

the kindergarten auditorium had tried very hard to look elegant, but there was only so much anyone could do when the audience consisted of excited parents and the performers consisted of five-year-olds wearing oversized costumes held together with safety pins.

the massive room buzzed with conversation, reverberating through the velvet lined walls. many of the parents chatted while adjusting cameras and their phones. all the teachers hurried back and forth behind the curtains, stressed looks on many of their faces.

somewhere nearby, a child was crying because they had lost a paper crown. another child was loudly announcing that they needed to use the bathroom immediately. it was chaos, absolute and uncontrolled chaos. anyone would have been in thier right mind to leave.

one could say he should be practicing like all the national other teams, for the olympic qualifying rounds. but he couldn't help it. he didn't want to have this special day to overlap with something this important. it may not be important to other people, but it was important to him.

this was worth cancelling practice for. because ryomen sukuna wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. this is where he would rather be right now, for his family, for his daughter. this is where he ought to be.

you slid into the seat beside him, balancing a bouquet of flowers in one hand. the moment you sat down, you noticed the familiar posture. your husband had his arms folded, with his back as straight as a ruler, his scarlet eyes fixed firmly on the stage.

you couldn't help but smile tenderly at the sight of him so focused. it was just like his volleyball practices, when he's trying to get down something the coach said about the game play. but this time, it was for his beloved daughter. he wanted nothing more than to capture every moment, as if it was a move that would win his team the championship.

"you know, my love, this is rare." you said casually, "i'm still shocked you actually cancelled practice for this."

sukuna glanced at you. "why?"

"because you're you." you tell him, grinning. "you love to get the job done and you love to make sure things get results. you take practice seriously, my love. i know you. you've never done this before."

he frowned, which only made you laugh harder. "babe, this is the real shit. this is important. im not gonna be absent to kumibear's first dance recital."

"your team looked devastated." you giggled. "its interesting. they usually hate practice, but they seemed devastated. i think that you've mellowed after 'kumi was born."

he waves it off, probably unable to register what you mean. being so focused on the stage. he nods. "they'll survive. it's not like they aren't going to sleep this day off."

"one of them looked like he was about to cry. wait....wasn't satoru also crying then?"

"nah, he's dramatic. and it's probably not even about having no practice. he's probably crying because his ex is finally giving him a chance and he finally could ask her out because of the day off."

he snickers. "and everyone else, well, those idiots can get over it. its one day....not like we'll fail to qualify because we didn't practice one day."

you snorted. "well, i suppose you're right."

sukuna looked back toward the stage as teachers adjusted microphones and arranged props. "we can miss one practice. just this once. let me have this."

your eyes soften at your husband, your free hand reaching over his to squeeze it. "you do deserve it, my love. you always have."

he smiles as he turns to you. "i know. that's why i'm happy."

as he said that, the lights started to dim slightly. he removes the side that separated your chair and his and pulled you closer. you laughed quitely as he wraps his arms around you. you put the flowers on the empty side and then leaned against your husband's body.

conversation throughout the auditorium began to quiet. the teachers started ushering children into position behind the curtain. instantly, sukuna's attention sharpened. you could practically see it happen.

his sharp scarlet eyes shifted toward the stage. his shoulders straightened. his entire focus narrowing to a single point. you followed his gaze. you lift your head as you whispered. "you're nervous."

"i'm not nervous." he shakes his head. "i'm fine."

"you're absolutely nervous." you whisper lowly. "i can tell, your tense my love."

"it's a kindergarten recital."

"exactly. so why are you tense? there's no award ceremony for it."

his jaw tightened. you grinned. "my love."

"what?" he looks down at you, confused.

"she's dancing to a song about vegetables. with everyone else. this is a group effort."

"and? i wanna see her do well."

you leaned closer. "you're acting like she's about to perform at the olympics and needs to bring the gold medal."

he didn't answer immediately, his face red with blushing. you smiled, shaking your head as you leaned on his body once again, your hand free from his grasp. but he hasn't moved from his position. instead, his scarlet gaze remained fixed on the curtain.

waiting.

watching.

expecting.

when he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than before. ".......i just don't want her looking for us and not seeing us. i want her to see us real fast and know that we're here cheering for her."

the words hit you so unexpectedly that your teasing vanished. you lifted from your position and looked at him. for a moment, neither of you spoke. because you understood immediately. he wasn't talking about the recital. at least not anymore.

he was talking about every game he'd ever played. every tournament. every ceremony. every moment he'd searched a crowd filled with strangers. hoping, just once, that his parents would be there too. like everyone's parents were.

your hand found his once again, his fingers intertwined with yours automatically. a habit built over years. you smile at him reassuringly. "don't worry. you raised her well. she knows that we'll be there. so don't think her eyes will fail her now. she's like her dad, she has eagle eyes. so, she'll see us, my love. it's okay."

his thumb brushed gently across your knuckles. "i know, i know....but i guess i needed to hear that. thank you, babe. you always calm me down."

you pressed a kiss on his cheek. "of course, my love. im always here for you, no matter what."

the curtain finally opened. and there she was. ryomen sukumi was standing near the center of the stage in a bright yellow costume that was apparently supposed to make her look like a sunflower.

she looked ridiculous.....just absolutely ridiculous. the costume was too big on her. one side of the petals was slightly bent. and somehow she had managed to put one shoe on backwards.

but sukuna was happy about that. because in his eyes, even in this mismatched outfit, even if she looked ridiculosu, everything about her was perfect. everything about it was incredibly perfect. sukuna couldn't help but smile.

the moment her eyes swept across the audience, she spotted the two of you. her entire face lit up. she waves towards the two of you, grinning from ear to ear. "she found us, my love. i told you!" you whispered, waving back to her.

sukuna's chest tightened. sukumi immediately began waving even more wildly. so wildly in fact that she completely ignored whatever instructions her teachers had given beforehand. several parents laughed. a teacher gently tried to lower her arms and did so multiple times. but sukumi only waved harder.

you couldn't stop smiling. you pulled out your phone and started taking pictures and videos. beside you, sukuna lifted his hand and waved back immediately. without hesitation, without embarrassment. without caring that several other parents had turned to look. all that mattered was that she could see him wave back and happily so.

the second sukumi saw her loving dad wave back, her grin doubled in size. and just like that, she relaxed. the nervousness disappeared from her shoulders. the uncertainty vanished, the issues with the big costume being too much for her all, ones which made her throw a tantrum five minutes ago, had all but disappeared.

because she had found what she was looking for. her parents were there, watching her. they were there, exactly where they were supposed to be, smiling from the bottom of their hearts, ignoring the world, and focusing their eyes on their beloved daughter alone.

in a few moments, the new music started to blast into the speakers. they start to transition from acting into dancing. if it could even be called dancing. half the children forgot the choreography within thirty seconds.

one little boy wandered toward the wrong side of the stage. another became distracted by something on the floor. a girl near the front spun enthusiastically in the wrong direction for nearly the entire performance. but your daughter sukumi wasn't much better.

she missed several steps and almost instantly forgot part of the routine. your little daughter spent an alarming amount of time looking directly at the audience instead of her teacher. but she was laughing and she hasn't stopped waving at the two of you.

it was the cutest thing sukuna had ever seen. he watched every second. every spin. every mistake. every laugh. every time she glanced toward the audience just to make sure the two of you were still there. and every single time she looked, she found him.

waiting.

watching.

present.

for her.

you looked away from the stage for a moment, just taking in the time to look at him. his expression had softened completely. the intimidating volleyball god. the man who terrified opposing teams. the man who rarely smiled in public. every bit of that man was gone.

instead, he was replaced by a father completely enchanted by his daughter, overwhelmed by the love he had for his daughter, you would have thought when he screamed "you're doing great sweetie" as he took out his phone to record, that he was crazy. but he was far from crazy. he was just a father who loves and loves wholeheartedly.

you squeezed his hand. "you're smiling."

"am not."

"you are." you shake your head at your husband, putting down your phone, laughing. "gosh, you're such a tsundere, my love."

he didn't seem to register what you said as he took another angle for the camera to capture your daughter's memories in. "i'm not."

"your face hurts from smiling."

"babe. no offense, but i'm trying to focus so stop talking, i want to hear her sing." you laughed quietly, but you stopped, letting him focus on capturing performance "go kumibear! you're amazing! yeah, twirl that twirl, baby girl!"

many of the parents giggled, as you do. but everyone felt good about it. they may love their kids, they may want to be there for their kids, but you knew that no one could love their kids more than your husband loves sukumi. not even close.

when the performance finally ended, the auditorium erupted into applause. sukumi immediately started searching for the two of you again. sukuna stood before anyone else both hands raised high, happily applauding as though she had just delivered the greatest performance in history.

sukumi beamed at her dad and soon enough was resting in his arms, lifted up by his muscular, tattooed arms, being spun as he kissed her cheeks, making her giggle. you laughed, capturing the moment on your phone.

"you did such a good job, kumibear!"

"papa, did you see me? did you see 'kumi dance and act?" she excitedly asked. "did you enjoy it?"

"papa did see you, kumibear. you waved at papa, remember?"

"ohhh, that's right." she giggled, causing him to smile. "did you like it?"

he grins at her. "of course i like it. but tell you what, i love it more! you did so well, pretty. papa is happy that kumibear is so good."

sukumi smiled, bright and satisfied. "'kumi's happy, papa! you love it, lots! that makes me so happy!"

sukuna laughs at his daughter. "well, i'm glad that it makes you as happy as i am."

you moved forward as you put your phone away. before long, you were placing a kiss on your husband's cheek and your daughter's own face, still holding the bouquet. "oh, you two are just so cute."

sukumi gasps, seeing the flower. "mama, is that for me?"

you smiled. "yes, kumibear. it's for you. mama got you your favorite color too. pink!"

she kicked her feet, asking for her dad to put her down and sukuna does. he watches as sukumi jumps into your arms, making you laugh as you balanced her and the bouquet. your daughter kisses you as you two talk about the performance and how proud you were of her.

as he watches the two of you, suddenly, for the briefest moment, sukuna remembered another gymnasium. another set of bleachers. another version of himself. a teenage boy staring toward an empty seat. just waiting for things that maybe would never come.

the memory flickered through his mind and disappeared just as quickly. because unlike then, he wasn't the one searching anymore. unlike then, the seat wasn't empty. and it will never be.

as long as he's here, as long as he could love you enough, love sukumi enough, and always show up, it would be a good life. it would be a happy home. that's all that matters, no matter what else comes his way.

he moves towards you, and feeling him behind you, you couldn't help but smile. he smiles as he leans forward and kisses you on the lips. you grinned wide as you kissed him back. sukumi who was focused on her little bouquet, looked at you two and made a disgruntled sound.

"papa's giving mama cotties!"

the two of you part, and ended up laughing at what she had just blurted out loud. he shakes his head as he leans down to pick her up carefully and moves closer to you. "but papa has no cooties, kumibear. and besides, papa loves mama a lot. that's just another way of showing her that i love her a lot."

"but all boys have that!" he looked perplexed and that made you laugh.

"now where are you hearing that?"

"the other girls in school say so! they said kissing boys gives you cooties!" sukuna shakes his head exasperated at her words, making you laugh even harder.

"okay, they're right. no kissing boys. they all suck. but papa doesn't have cooties. papa is cool and he loves mama."

sukumi turned her head slowly, so very slowly. it was the kind of slow, suspicious turn that immediately made both of you nervous. she stared directly at her father. sukuna stared back. for a moment, neither of them spoke. it was then sukumi narrowed her scarlet eyes.

"but papa is a boy."

you immediately snorted. sukuna looked personally offended. "i am not just a boy, kumibear."

"you are."

"i'm your father."

"that's still a boy."

you nearly doubled over laughing. sukuna shot you a betrayed look. but that was too much. you only laughed harder. "don't look at me, my love." you managed between breaths. "she's got a point."

"she does not."

"she absolutely does."

sukumi nodded enthusiastically. "see? mama knows."

"your mama encourages bad behavior."

"hey, i do not!" you argue.

"that's because mama is smart." the response from sukumi came so quickly that even you blinked. "papa is a boy!"

sukuna looked horrified. "absolutely not, kumibear. papa is not in that category!"

"absolutely yes."

"you don't even know what we're talking about anymore."

"i know mama is smart, though!"

you grinned triumphantly. "i like this conversation. well done, kumibear. mama is happy." sukumi grinned at you and blew kisses. "okay, mama is going to buy you ice cream later, okay?"

"yay!"

"of course you will."

you grinned at him and winked. "with your card, my love!"

sukuna shifted her more comfortably on his hip as the three of you slowly made your way out of the auditorium. around them, parents were still gathering about with their children, still taking photos, and congratulating teachers. several kids were still running around in costume, seemingly fueled by unlimited energy.

sukumi wrapped her arms around sukuna's neck. "papa."

"what?"

"did you have cooties when you were little?"

you immediately covered your mouth. sukuna looked ready to walk directly into traffic. "no, papa didn't have them. not even when papa met mama, no."

"never?"

"never."

"not even once?"

"not even once."

sukumi gasped dramatically. "wow."

"what's wow about that?"

"that's lucky."

"it's not luck."

"then what is it?"

sukuna opened his mouth and then paused. he had words in his head but nothing in his mouth, so closed it again. because how exactly was he supposed to explain this?

you were already laughing before he even attempted an answer. "good question, my precious kumibear. tell us, papa. what do you mean by that?"

"don't encourage her."

"why? i'm curious now."

sukuna looked at you flatly. "you are the least curious person here. well, at least with this situation we have here."

you grinned at him. "i don't know. maybe you were born immune."

"immune to what?"

"cooties."

he sighed heavily, the kind of sigh that came from years of loving you. "you're both impossible."

"mama says that's because we're related."

"that's not how genetics works."

"genetics?"

sukumi perked up immediately. "what's genetics?"

"don't answer that."

"why?"

"because we're standing here and its not going to be appropriate."

"that's fair."

sukumi hummed thoughtfully before suddenly remembering something. "but if papa doesn't have cooties, why do you kiss him?"

sukuna nearly dropped her. you laughed so hard you had to grab his arm to steady yourself. "what kind of question is that?"

"i'm asking. kumibear is curious!"

"i can see that." sukuna says to her, grumbling.

"well?" she looked between the two of you expectantly.

waiting, in the way children always did when they asked a question they genuinely wanted answered. sukuna looked at you. you looked at sukuna. neither of you wanted to be the first one to answer. which meant, naturally, sukuna lost. he always lost. especially when it came to the two girls in front of him.

"because...because...." he began carefully, "when you love someone, sometimes you want to show them."

sukumi listened seriously. "with kisses?"

"among other things."

"like hugs?"

"yeah."

"and flowers?"

"those too."

she thought about that. "and ice cream?"

you immediately nodded. "especially ice cream, baby."

"that's not the point."

"it absolutely is." you say to him.

sukumi gasped. "then i show people i love them all the time!"

you smiled. "you do, kumibear. me and papa are so happy you are so loving."

she giggled, happy with the compliment. "you know, i gave uncle yuuji half my cookie last week."

"that's very loving." you say enthusiastically.

"and i shared my crayons."

"also very loving." sukuna says with a pleased nod.

sukumi looked extremely pleased with herself. sukuna couldn't help smiling. because she was right. children had a way of simplifying things that adults spent years overcomplicating.

to her, love was sharing snacks. sometimes its saving someone a seat at the lunch table. sometimes its making sure its safe to cross the street by holding someone's holding hands. or even offering crayons so they could draw together.

it was simple.

it was so honest.

so uncomplicated.

much like the way she loved.

and much like the way he loved her.

"so, papa....." sukumi concluded confidently. "i can kiss mama because i love her, right?"

"yes." he nodded back at his little girl.

"and i can hug mama because i love her."

"yes, you can do that too."

"and papa can kiss mama because he loves her."

"yes, because papa wants to show mama he loves her a lot." he says with a grin, which made you playfully roll your eyes as you hit him softly on the arm. "what? that's true."

"but i still shouldn't kiss boys at school."

you nodded. "yes, kumibear, that's correct."

sukuna suddenly got serious. "yeah, baby. they're all ugly and stupid. they should not even be near you. boys shouldn't be around you, kumibear."

sukumi seemed just as serious. "and because they have cooties."

before you could answer, sukuna spoke first. "but most especially, kumibear, its because they're annoying and stupid. so don't go near boys, okay? they'll infect you with stupid boy cooties."

you burst out laughing at his words. sukumi gasped, her face petrified. "really? boys have that!"

"absolutely."

"all of them?"

"every single one."

"hey."

sukuna glanced at you. "what?"

"you were once a little boy too."

he shrugged. "and i was annoying. what else can be said about that? i changed, though."

you snickered. "alright, fair. but to be fair, you were very annoying."

"extremely." he nodded back at you. and then looked at sukumi. "that's why you should stay away from boys, kumibear. boys all have stupid boy cooties and way badder cooties!"

sukumi giggled. "papa had cooties."

he groaned. "i did not."

"you did."

"i didn't."

"you did."

"kumibear."

"yes?"

"i'm literally carrying you."

she immediately wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. with her big scarlet eyes, she looks at him tenderly. sukuna had no chance of winning. not one bit. that made you laugh.

"because i love you. so papa wouldn't let me fall, won't he?"

the words came so naturally and so casually. those were the kind of things children said without realizing how much weight those words carried. sukuna went quiet for a second, eyes widened and flustered. even for just a second, he was too stunned to speak.

but you noticed. you always noticed. his hand moved gently against her back and steady, protective. but most of all, certain. his eyes, the same eyes he had given her, shown in the best lights. he smiled at her. "i love you too."

sukumi smiled and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, all too completely content and safe. as the three of you continued walking out the building and toward the car in the parking lot, sukuna found himself thinking about all the years he'd spent searching crowds.

all the years he'd spent wondering whether someone would show up. whether someone would stay. whether someone would choose him. he'd spent so much of his childhood looking for love in empty seats.

now he carried sukumi in his arms, walked beside her and held her hand. he heard her laugh. he had the pleasure of being a part of everything that she was. it was such a good feeling.

and every time he looked at you and sukumi, he felt the same thing. there was no absence and there was no disappointments. there could be longing. but each and everytime, there would be certainty. he was sure of that.

ryomen sukuna, who walked so far to get here, was finally here where he was meant to be.

"papa, kumibear has a question."

he looks at her as he buckles her into the carseat. "what is it, kumibear?"

"will kumibear get cooties if she kissed a girl in the cheek?"

he looks at you.

then back at sukumi.

you started laughing.

"oh, dear....you have stuff to deal with, my love."

sukuna's face was stupified. "what? what does that mean, 'kumi?"

"i like sakura, the one i seat with!" she beamed.

sukuna lowered his head. "i didn't know i have to warn off little girls too...."

you laughed. "you can do it, papa!"

[mononijikayu]

happy home — ryomen sukuna.

"hey, mom?" were the first words high school volleyball ace ryomen sukuna remembered uttering that time. sukuna tried not to sound hopeful when he said it. but he couldn't help it. not when he was this vulnerable. especially when the person he's talking to was the mother he had longed for.

he sat alone on the wooden bleachers after volleyball practice, one arm draped over the ball resting beside him. most of the team had already left. the echoes of sneakers squeaking across the gym floor had faded minutes ago, leaving only the distant hum of the air conditioning and the occasional bounce of a forgotten ball somewhere in the building.

the afternoon sunlight filtered through the high windows, painting streaks of gold across the court. on the other end of the line, his mother sounded distracted, though not intentionally so. "hey, sweetheart. sorry for picking up so late. dad and i are cleaning up."

he swallowed. "we've got regionals this saturday."

there was a brief pause on the other line.

"really? that's wonderful. congratulations!"

sukuna stared down at the polished floor. he already knew what was coming. still, some stubborn part of him refused to stop asking. he still had that hope, that foolish yet strident hope.

"i was wondering if you and dad could come. its uh, a great time. its probably the first time you'll see me do what i can do, so....if you and dad can come, that would be awesome."

the silence that followed lasted less than two seconds. but it was more than enough of a response. he knew it, he knew it was coming.  sukuna closed his eyes. there it was. that crushing tension...that brutishly familiar feeling. the one that always arrived before the actual answer did. he could feel the tightening of his chest, the glassy tension watering up his scarlet orbs.

"i'm sorry, sweetheart." his mother's voice softened immediately. "your father and i are leaving tomorrow morning. there's a medical mission scheduled for the weekend."

of course there was.

there always was.

like there always was.

"oh. i see. sorry, uh...i must have disturbed you both." sukuna tightened his grip around his phone. "where....where are you going this time?"

"dad says that it would be somewhere in southeast asia this time. it will be a long trip from where we are now in the west bank, sweetheart."

he nodded automatically despite knowing she couldn't see him. his father was a gastroenterologist. his mother was an orthopedic surgeon. they spent more time in hospitals, clinics, and remote communities than they did at home. people depended on them.

people needed them. he knew that too well. they weren't fooling around. they weren't missing his games because they didn't care. they weren't skipping his matches because they didn't love him.

they were helping people.

saving people who needed help.

doing something genuinely good.

which somehow made it harder to be upset.

because what kind of selfish person got angry over that?

still, he was still a boy. a boy who has spent years and years hoping to have a mother and a father by his side in these important moments. on parents day, grandpa came with him. on children's day, your parents were the ones who gifted him something. he loved them, he loved you. but he couldn't help wondering what it would be like to have the two of them by his side. to feel normal like all those other kids.

"we'll try to make the next one, sweetheart." his mother continued in a breath of rush. "i promise."

the next one, huh? sukuna couldn't remember how many times he'd heard those words. after middle school tournaments. after recognition ceremonies. after birthdays celebrated through rushed video calls from hotel rooms. after every event that had started with him glancing toward the entrance and ended with him pretending he hadn't been looking.

the next one.

the next one.

the next one.

eventually, the phrase had started sounding less like a promise and more like a habit. an intoxicating habit that his parents somehow cannot shake of. a habit he had gotten used to accepting without any other word.

"it's okay, mom....we can't do much about it." he said. "i hope you and dad are alright. you both are probably exhausted too. and busy at that. can't do much about that."

and in a way, it was. because he understood. he really did. his parents weren't bad people. they were probably two of the best people he knew, at least that's what he believes even if it was confusing, even if it hurts to think about. but maybe that was the problem.

it would've been easier if he could hate them for it. it would have been easier to lash out at them, better to let himself get hurt and maybe to hurt others in some other way like he used to do. instead, all he could do was understand. and forgive it all. and all over again hurt in the silence.

"are you sure?" his mother asked quietly, seeming to stop all that she was doing. "sweetheart, you know if—"

sukuna forced a smile she couldn't see. "yeah. i'm sure. don't worry about it too much. grandpa and [name] will be there. they'll cheer me on."

his mother seemingly didn't know what to say about that. instead, the conversation continued for another minute. she asked about school. then about volleyball and his college prospects.

and then about whether he was eating enough.

the same questions she always asked whenever they managed to find time to call him. the same things a stranger would ask to another stranger. those were the topics of conversation by the end of it all. and then the call would grow cold feet and all the sudden, it would just end. the screen would go dark. and then, ryomen sukuna, seventeen years old, would just sit there by himself to reflect and then to cry and then wash his face. just so no one would notice how puffy and red his eyes were, like he had done for his whole life.

all the sudden, the gym felt emptier than before.

for a long moment, sukuna simply sat there staring at his reflection in the black display.

sometimes he wondered if something was wrong with him. he had parents. and they were alive. they loved him. at least he was sure they do.

they do things all parents do. they remember to pay the bills, they send money home even if sukuna doesn't want to touch any of it. they sent birthday gifts, even if they don't really know what he likes. they called when they could. they remembered every major holiday, every occassion he has going on.....no, well, that one is a lie. they don't always remember.

he sighs. from the outside, it probably looked like he had everything. but sometimes it felt like they were ghosts. ghosts that haunt him as much as ghosts that he finds himself chasing.

but then again, that's just how things went. they were people he heard about more often than he actually saw. people whose faces lived inside photographs and video calls. they were people who existed somewhere out there in the world, but never quite where he needed them to be.

yet sometimes he hated thinking that. it made him feel guilty every time. because there were kids who would've done anything to have parents like his. kids who would've traded places with him without hesitation.

that's the question he asks himself all the time. why? why did it still hurt? why did he still find himself searching the crowd at every game? why did he still ask? why did some stupid part of him keep hoping that this time would be different?

"well." the voice startled him out of his thoughts. "that call's not gone as expected, huh?"

sukuna glanced toward the doorway. "old man, why are you here? what the—"

"aren't you too down for someone on a high after that win, boy?" his grandfather was leaning against the frame with a newspaper tucked beneath one arm.

judging by the amused look on his face, he'd heard far more of the conversation than he was supposed to. sukuna narrows his gaze, trying hard not to let the tears fall. he clears his throat. his grandpa grunts.

"good thing your favorite grandfather doesn't have any plans." his grandfather says, standing in front of his grandson. "wipe that sweat off your face."

sukuna snorted, but still...he listens. he grabs the towel on his bag and wipes his face dry. "you're my only grandfather that's still alive."

"exactly. makes me your favorite by default. you've got no choice, boy." the old man walked into the gym and sat beside him on the bleachers. "i'll be there on saturday."

sukuna blinked. "you don't have to. i know you have card games at the neighborhood club. you don't miss any games. don't want you to—"

"augh, pipe it down, boy." his grandfather cuts him off, shaking his head. sukuna glares at him. "i'm here for a reason. do you think i'd miss watching you terrorize innocent teenagers with a volleyball?"

"okay, that's an insane reason to be here."

his grandfather scoffed dramatically. "not if im here to support my grandson. someone has to lose and they might as well lose."

despite himself, sukuna laughed. he couldn't believe those sort of words came from his grandfather. yet all at once, he could. the man was too much of an unpredictable sort of geezer. still, it made the tightening at his chest feel a little bit better.

the old man nudged his shoulder. "i'm serious, boy. you can do it. you'll do great. with or without them. we're here for you. so, don't think much on it, alright? there's someone waiting for you there."

for the first time since the phone call, some of the heaviness in his chest eased. he slowly nodded at his grandfather, who patted his shoulder, a grin on his face. "thanks, gramps."

"besides, i'm sure i'm not the only one." his grandfather added casually, "your little girlfriend will probably be there too. that girl's going to be holding up her big banner with your name on it—"

the relief vanished instantly and replaced just as fast with a red faced horror. "oi, old man, what the fu—"

"no cursing at me, boy. not today at least."

"you can't just be saying things like that!" sukuna says, knowing fully well that even his neck and ears are red.

his grandpa looked confused. "well, isn't she your girlfriend? you didn't introduce [name] to me for nothing."

"......that's besides the point!" he bit the lower half of his lip, suddenly standing up to meet his grandfather's face head on, still red as a ripe tomato. before long, he lowers his head into his arms. "shit....."

his grandpa ignores him entirely and shrugs. "she's deserving of the mention here, kid. she comes to all your games, makes sure your water bottle's full of cold water, makes sure there's electrolites, snacks on your bag—"

"she's also the manager of the volleyball club!" he couldn't help but argue, rather weakly, if one was being honest. "she....she...."

there was too much overwhelming feeling at the concept of you doing that just for him. he liked the feeling of being so well cared for and loved by you. but the thing is, it's overwhelming. it's just something he couldn't help but describe without words. not even properly like this.

you do so much for him, quite more special than what his grandpa was describing. yet it was just....he doesn't know what to do. how could one be so confident with the one they love, now that theyre comfortable, yet be so contradictory to the world about the love he was so proud about?

his grandfather grunts amused. "i'm sure the fact that she always sits near your side of the court is a complete coincidence, isn't it?"

sukuna groaned and dropped his face into his hands once again, shaking his head. his grandfather laughed loud enough for it to echo through the empty gym.

at that moment, the world felt weightless. just a while ago, the world felt like it was crashing down, not feeling whole. and yet, the thought of his grandpa being there, and most of all, you being there, it made it all feel so freeing. the feeling was mad, everything about it was unexplainable. but even with the pain, it felt good. it felt so good to be so wanted.

a little moment passed before sukuna found himself laughing too. because maybe his parents wouldn't be there. maybe they never would be. but there were still people who showed up. people who chose to stay. people who made the effort.

and for that moment, sitting beside his grandfather while being mercilessly teased about you, the empty seats didn't feel quite so painful. his grandpa squeezes his shoulder. sukuna lifted his head, removing his hands from his face.

"you're doing good kid."

sukuna didn't know what to say.

but it was obvious, what he thought.

the eyes, they always tell.

to his grandfather, it was more than enough.

years later, the captain of the tokyo great bears, volleyball player ryomen sukuna had found himself sitting in another set of bleachers. well, not bleachers exactly. but it was close enough that the position of that moment made him reflective as then when he sat on those high school bleachers.

the kindergarten auditorium had tried very hard to look elegant, but there was only so much anyone could do when the audience consisted of excited parents and the performers consisted of five-year-olds wearing oversized costumes held together with safety pins.

the massive room buzzed with conversation, reverberating through the velvet lined walls. many of the parents chatted while adjusting cameras and their phones. all the teachers hurried back and forth behind the curtains, stressed looks on many of their faces.

somewhere nearby, a child was crying because they had lost a paper crown. another child was loudly announcing that they needed to use the bathroom immediately. it was chaos, absolute and uncontrolled chaos. anyone would have been in thier right mind to leave.

one could say he should be practicing like all the national other teams, for the olympic qualifying rounds. but he couldn't help it. he didn't want to have this special day to overlap with something this important. it may not be important to other people, but it was important to him.

this was worth cancelling practice for. because ryomen sukuna wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. this is where he would rather be right now, for his family, for his daughter. this is where he ought to be.

you slid into the seat beside him, balancing a bouquet of flowers in one hand. the moment you sat down, you noticed the familiar posture. your husband had his arms folded, with his back as straight as a ruler, his scarlet eyes fixed firmly on the stage.

you couldn't help but smile tenderly at the sight of him so focused. it was just like his volleyball practices, when he's trying to get down something the coach said about the game play. but this time, it was for his beloved daughter. he wanted nothing more than to capture every moment, as if it was a move that would win his team the championship.

"you know, my love, this is rare." you said casually, "i'm still shocked you actually cancelled practice for this."

sukuna glanced at you. "why?"

"because you're you." you tell him, grinning. "you love to get the job done and you love to make sure things get results. you take practice seriously, my love. i know you. you've never done this before."

he frowned, which only made you laugh harder. "babe, this is the real shit. this is important. im not gonna be absent to kumibear's first dance recital."

"your team looked devastated." you giggled. "its interesting. they usually hate practice, but they seemed devastated. i think that you've mellowed after 'kumi was born."

he waves it off, probably unable to register what you mean. being so focused on the stage. he nods. "they'll survive. it's not like they aren't going to sleep this day off."

"one of them looked like he was about to cry. wait....wasn't satoru also crying then?"

"nah, he's dramatic. and it's probably not even about having no practice. he's probably crying because his ex is finally giving him a chance and he finally could ask her out because of the day off."

he snickers. "and everyone else, well, those idiots can get over it. its one day....not like we'll fail to qualify because we didn't practice one day."

you snorted. "well, i suppose you're right."

sukuna looked back toward the stage as teachers adjusted microphones and arranged props. "we can miss one practice. just this once. let me have this."

your eyes soften at your husband, your free hand reaching over his to squeeze it. "you do deserve it, my love. you always have."

he smiles as he turns to you. "i know. that's why i'm happy."

as he said that, the lights started to dim slightly. he removes the side that separated your chair and his and pulled you closer. you laughed quitely as he wraps his arms around you. you put the flowers on the empty side and then leaned against your husband's body.

conversation throughout the auditorium began to quiet. the teachers started ushering children into position behind the curtain. instantly, sukuna's attention sharpened. you could practically see it happen.

his sharp scarlet eyes shifted toward the stage. his shoulders straightened. his entire focus narrowing to a single point. you followed his gaze. you lift your head as you whispered. "you're nervous."

"i'm not nervous." he shakes his head. "i'm fine."

"you're absolutely nervous." you whisper lowly. "i can tell, your tense my love."

"it's a kindergarten recital."

"exactly. so why are you tense? there's no award ceremony for it."

his jaw tightened. you grinned. "my love."

"what?" he looks down at you, confused.

"she's dancing to a song about vegetables. with everyone else. this is a group effort."

"and? i wanna see her do well."

you leaned closer. "you're acting like she's about to perform at the olympics and needs to bring the gold medal."

he didn't answer immediately, his face red with blushing. you smiled, shaking your head as you leaned on his body once again, your hand free from his grasp. but he hasn't moved from his position. instead, his scarlet gaze remained fixed on the curtain.

waiting.

watching.

expecting.

when he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than before. ".......i just don't want her looking for us and not seeing us. i want her to see us real fast and know that we're here cheering for her."

the words hit you so unexpectedly that your teasing vanished. you lifted from your position and looked at him. for a moment, neither of you spoke. because you understood immediately. he wasn't talking about the recital. at least not anymore.

he was talking about every game he'd ever played. every tournament. every ceremony. every moment he'd searched a crowd filled with strangers. hoping, just once, that his parents would be there too. like everyone's parents were.

your hand found his once again, his fingers intertwined with yours automatically. a habit built over years. you smile at him reassuringly. "don't worry. you raised her well. she knows that we'll be there. so don't think her eyes will fail her now. she's like her dad, she has eagle eyes. so, she'll see us, my love. it's okay."

his thumb brushed gently across your knuckles. "i know, i know....but i guess i needed to hear that. thank you, babe. you always calm me down."

you pressed a kiss on his cheek. "of course, my love. im always here for you, no matter what."

the curtain finally opened. and there she was. ryomen sukumi was standing near the center of the stage in a bright yellow costume that was apparently supposed to make her look like a sunflower.

she looked ridiculous.....just absolutely ridiculous. the costume was too big on her. one side of the petals was slightly bent. and somehow she had managed to put one shoe on backwards.

but sukuna was happy about that. because in his eyes, even in this mismatched outfit, even if she looked ridiculosu, everything about her was perfect. everything about it was incredibly perfect. sukuna couldn't help but smile.

the moment her eyes swept across the audience, she spotted the two of you. her entire face lit up. she waves towards the two of you, grinning from ear to ear. "she found us, my love. i told you!" you whispered, waving back to her.

sukuna's chest tightened. sukumi immediately began waving even more wildly. so wildly in fact that she completely ignored whatever instructions her teachers had given beforehand. several parents laughed. a teacher gently tried to lower her arms and did so multiple times. but sukumi only waved harder.

you couldn't stop smiling. you pulled out your phone and started taking pictures and videos. beside you, sukuna lifted his hand and waved back immediately. without hesitation, without embarrassment. without caring that several other parents had turned to look. all that mattered was that she could see him wave back and happily so.

the second sukumi saw her loving dad wave back, her grin doubled in size. and just like that, she relaxed. the nervousness disappeared from her shoulders. the uncertainty vanished, the issues with the big costume being too much for her all, ones which made her throw a tantrum five minutes ago, had all but disappeared.

because she had found what she was looking for. her parents were there, watching her. they were there, exactly where they were supposed to be, smiling from the bottom of their hearts, ignoring the world, and focusing their eyes on their beloved daughter alone.

in a few moments, the new music started to blast into the speakers. they start to transition from acting into dancing. if it could even be called dancing. half the children forgot the choreography within thirty seconds.

one little boy wandered toward the wrong side of the stage. another became distracted by something on the floor. a girl near the front spun enthusiastically in the wrong direction for nearly the entire performance. but your daughter sukumi wasn't much better.

she missed several steps and almost instantly forgot part of the routine. your little daughter spent an alarming amount of time looking directly at the audience instead of her teacher. but she was laughing and she hasn't stopped waving at the two of you.

it was the cutest thing sukuna had ever seen. he watched every second. every spin. every mistake. every laugh. every time she glanced toward the audience just to make sure the two of you were still there. and every single time she looked, she found him.

waiting.

watching.

present.

for her.

you looked away from the stage for a moment, just taking in the time to look at him. his expression had softened completely. the intimidating volleyball god. the man who terrified opposing teams. the man who rarely smiled in public. every bit of that man was gone.

instead, he was replaced by a father completely enchanted by his daughter, overwhelmed by the love he had for his daughter, you would have thought when he screamed "you're doing great sweetie" as he took out his phone to record, that he was crazy. but he was far from crazy. he was just a father who loves and loves wholeheartedly.

you squeezed his hand. "you're smiling."

"am not."

"you are." you shake your head at your husband, putting down your phone, laughing. "gosh, you're such a tsundere, my love."

he didn't seem to register what you said as he took another angle for the camera to capture your daughter's memories in. "i'm not."

"your face hurts from smiling."

"babe. no offense, but i'm trying to focus so stop talking, i want to hear her sing." you laughed quietly, but you stopped, letting him focus on capturing performance "go kumibear! you're amazing! yeah, twirl that twirl, baby girl!"

many of the parents giggled, as you do. but everyone felt good about it. they may love their kids, they may want to be there for their kids, but you knew that no one could love their kids more than your husband loves sukumi. not even close.

when the performance finally ended, the auditorium erupted into applause. sukumi immediately started searching for the two of you again. sukuna stood before anyone else both hands raised high, happily applauding as though she had just delivered the greatest performance in history.

sukumi beamed at her dad and soon enough was resting in his arms, lifted up by his muscular, tattooed arms, being spun as he kissed her cheeks, making her giggle. you laughed, capturing the moment on your phone.

"you did such a good job, kumibear!"

"papa, did you see me? did you see 'kumi dance and act?" she excitedly asked. "did you enjoy it?"

"papa did see you, kumibear. you waved at papa, remember?"

"ohhh, that's right." she giggled, causing him to smile. "did you like it?"

he grins at her. "of course i like it. but tell you what, i love it more! you did so well, pretty. papa is happy that kumibear is so good."

sukumi smiled, bright and satisfied. "'kumi's happy, papa! you love it, lots! that makes me so happy!"

sukuna laughs at his daughter. "well, i'm glad that it makes you as happy as i am."

you moved forward as you put your phone away. before long, you were placing a kiss on your husband's cheek and your daughter's own face, still holding the bouquet. "oh, you two are just so cute."

sukumi gasps, seeing the flower. "mama, is that for me?"

you smiled. "yes, kumibear. it's for you. mama got you your favorite color too. pink!"

she kicked her feet, asking for her dad to put her down and sukuna does. he watches as sukumi jumps into your arms, making you laugh as you balanced her and the bouquet. your daughter kisses you as you two talk about the performance and how proud you were of her.

as he watches the two of you, suddenly, for the briefest moment, sukuna remembered another gymnasium. another set of bleachers. another version of himself. a teenage boy staring toward an empty seat. just waiting for things that maybe would never come.

the memory flickered through his mind and disappeared just as quickly. because unlike then, he wasn't the one searching anymore. unlike then, the seat wasn't empty. and it will never be.

as long as he's here, as long as he could love you enough, love sukumi enough, and always show up, it would be a good life. it would be a happy home. that's all that matters, no matter what else comes his way.

he moves towards you, and feeling him behind you, you couldn't help but smile. he smiles as he leans forward and kisses you on the lips. you grinned wide as you kissed him back. sukumi who was focused on her little bouquet, looked at you two and made a disgruntled sound.

"papa's giving mama cotties!"

the two of you part, and ended up laughing at what she had just blurted out loud. he shakes his head as he leans down to pick her up carefully and moves closer to you. "but papa has no cooties, kumibear. and besides, papa loves mama a lot. that's just another way of showing her that i love her a lot."

"but all boys have that!" he looked perplexed and that made you laugh.

"now where are you hearing that?"

"the other girls in school say so! they said kissing boys gives you cooties!" sukuna shakes his head exasperated at her words, making you laugh even harder.

"okay, they're right. no kissing boys. they all suck. but papa doesn't have cooties. papa is cool and he loves mama."

sukumi turned her head slowly, so very slowly. it was the kind of slow, suspicious turn that immediately made both of you nervous. she stared directly at her father. sukuna stared back. for a moment, neither of them spoke. it was then sukumi narrowed her scarlet eyes.

"but papa is a boy."

you immediately snorted. sukuna looked personally offended. "i am not just a boy, kumibear."

"you are."

"i'm your father."

"that's still a boy."

you nearly doubled over laughing. sukuna shot you a betrayed look. but that was too much. you only laughed harder. "don't look at me, my love." you managed between breaths. "she's got a point."

"she does not."

"she absolutely does."

sukumi nodded enthusiastically. "see? mama knows."

"your mama encourages bad behavior."

"hey, i do not!" you argue.

"that's because mama is smart." the response from sukumi came so quickly that even you blinked. "papa is a boy!"

sukuna looked horrified. "absolutely not, kumibear. papa is not in that category!"

"absolutely yes."

"you don't even know what we're talking about anymore."

"i know mama is smart, though!"

you grinned triumphantly. "i like this conversation. well done, kumibear. mama is happy." sukumi grinned at you and blew kisses. "okay, mama is going to buy you ice cream later, okay?"

"yay!"

"of course you will."

you grinned at him and winked. "with your card, my love!"

sukuna shifted her more comfortably on his hip as the three of you slowly made your way out of the auditorium. around them, parents were still gathering about with their children, still taking photos, and congratulating teachers. several kids were still running around in costume, seemingly fueled by unlimited energy.

sukumi wrapped her arms around sukuna's neck. "papa."

"what?"

"did you have cooties when you were little?"

you immediately covered your mouth. sukuna looked ready to walk directly into traffic. "no, papa didn't have them. not even when papa met mama, no."

"never?"

"never."

"not even once?"

"not even once."

sukumi gasped dramatically. "wow."

"what's wow about that?"

"that's lucky."

"it's not luck."

"then what is it?"

sukuna opened his mouth and then paused. he had words in his head but nothing in his mouth, so closed it again. because how exactly was he supposed to explain this?

you were already laughing before he even attempted an answer. "good question, my precious kumibear. tell us, papa. what do you mean by that?"

"don't encourage her."

"why? i'm curious now."

sukuna looked at you flatly. "you are the least curious person here. well, at least with this situation we have here."

you grinned at him. "i don't know. maybe you were born immune."

"immune to what?"

"cooties."

he sighed heavily, the kind of sigh that came from years of loving you. "you're both impossible."

"mama says that's because we're related."

"that's not how genetics works."

"genetics?"

sukumi perked up immediately. "what's genetics?"

"don't answer that."

"why?"

"because we're standing here and its not going to be appropriate."

"that's fair."

sukumi hummed thoughtfully before suddenly remembering something. "but if papa doesn't have cooties, why do you kiss him?"

sukuna nearly dropped her. you laughed so hard you had to grab his arm to steady yourself. "what kind of question is that?"

"i'm asking. kumibear is curious!"

"i can see that." sukuna says to her, grumbling.

"well?" she looked between the two of you expectantly.

waiting, in the way children always did when they asked a question they genuinely wanted answered. sukuna looked at you. you looked at sukuna. neither of you wanted to be the first one to answer. which meant, naturally, sukuna lost. he always lost. especially when it came to the two girls in front of him.

"because...because...." he began carefully, "when you love someone, sometimes you want to show them."

sukumi listened seriously. "with kisses?"

"among other things."

"like hugs?"

"yeah."

"and flowers?"

"those too."

she thought about that. "and ice cream?"

you immediately nodded. "especially ice cream, baby."

"that's not the point."

"it absolutely is." you say to him.

sukumi gasped. "then i show people i love them all the time!"

you smiled. "you do, kumibear. me and papa are so happy you are so loving."

she giggled, happy with the compliment. "you know, i gave uncle yuuji half my cookie last week."

"that's very loving." you say enthusiastically.

"and i shared my crayons."

"also very loving." sukuna says with a pleased nod.

sukumi looked extremely pleased with herself. sukuna couldn't help smiling. because she was right. children had a way of simplifying things that adults spent years overcomplicating.

to her, love was sharing snacks. sometimes its saving someone a seat at the lunch table. sometimes its making sure its safe to cross the street by holding someone's holding hands. or even offering crayons so they could draw together.

it was simple.

it was so honest.

so uncomplicated.

much like the way she loved.

and much like the way he loved her.

"so, papa....." sukumi concluded confidently. "i can kiss mama because i love her, right?"

"yes." he nodded back at his little girl.

"and i can hug mama because i love her."

"yes, you can do that too."

"and papa can kiss mama because he loves her."

"yes, because papa wants to show mama he loves her a lot." he says with a grin, which made you playfully roll your eyes as you hit him softly on the arm. "what? that's true."

"but i still shouldn't kiss boys at school."

you nodded. "yes, kumibear, that's correct."

sukuna suddenly got serious. "yeah, baby. they're all ugly and stupid. they should not even be near you. boys shouldn't be around you, kumibear."

sukumi seemed just as serious. "and because they have cooties."

before you could answer, sukuna spoke first. "but most especially, kumibear, its because they're annoying and stupid. so don't go near boys, okay? they'll infect you with stupid boy cooties."

you burst out laughing at his words. sukumi gasped, her face petrified. "really? boys have that!"

"absolutely."

"all of them?"

"every single one."

"hey."

sukuna glanced at you. "what?"

"you were once a little boy too."

he shrugged. "and i was annoying. what else can be said about that? i changed, though."

you snickered. "alright, fair. but to be fair, you were very annoying."

"extremely." he nodded back at you. and then looked at sukumi. "that's why you should stay away from boys, kumibear. boys all have stupid boy cooties and way badder cooties!"

sukumi giggled. "papa had cooties."

he groaned. "i did not."

"you did."

"i didn't."

"you did."

"kumibear."

"yes?"

"i'm literally carrying you."

she immediately wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. with her big scarlet eyes, she looks at him tenderly. sukuna had no chance of winning. not one bit. that made you laugh.

"because i love you. so papa wouldn't let me fall, won't he?"

the words came so naturally and so casually. those were the kind of things children said without realizing how much weight those words carried. sukuna went quiet for a second, eyes widened and flustered. even for just a second, he was too stunned to speak.

but you noticed. you always noticed. his hand moved gently against her back and steady, protective. but most of all, certain. his eyes, the same eyes he had given her, shown in the best lights. he smiled at her. "i love you too."

sukumi smiled and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, all too completely content and safe. as the three of you continued walking out the building and toward the car in the parking lot, sukuna found himself thinking about all the years he'd spent searching crowds.

all the years he'd spent wondering whether someone would show up. whether someone would stay. whether someone would choose him. he'd spent so much of his childhood looking for love in empty seats.

now he carried sukumi in his arms, walked beside her and held her hand. he heard her laugh. he had the pleasure of being a part of everything that she was. it was such a good feeling.

and every time he looked at you and sukumi, he felt the same thing. there was no absence and there was no disappointments. there could be longing. but each and everytime, there would be certainty. he was sure of that.

ryomen sukuna, who walked so far to get here, was finally here where he was meant to be.

"papa, kumibear has a question."

he looks at her as he buckles her into the carseat. "what is it, kumibear?"

"will kumibear get cooties if she kissed a girl in the cheek?"

he looks at you.

then back at sukumi.

you started laughing.

"oh, dear....you have stuff to deal with, my love."

sukuna's face was stupified. "what? what does that mean, 'kumi?"

"i like sakura, the one i seat with!" she beamed.

sukuna lowered his head. "i didn't know i have to warn off little girls too...."

you laughed. "you can do it, papa!"

[mononijikayu]

omg kayu flop era????

[mononijikayu]

Omg I read some of what you posted earlier, but I couldn't finish it because tumblr reloaded, and then it was gone.

But I needed to tell you that what I did read was so good!!! but also sad because of Sukuna and his parents:( I really hope you'll post it again, I'm invested now!!

(no pressure, obviously, I hope this isn't weird, I just needed to tell you that and get it out of me because I've been thinking about it all morning)

*sending you lots of love*

IT DISAPPEARED??? awww, i think my app is glitching. thats why i wasnt getting notifs ㅠㅠㅠㅠill repost it tomorrow, so that everyone can read it again. im sorry for the inconvenience!!! ill have it up and running tomorrow!!! and its not weird at all, ill just platform it on the app again for everyone to read 🥺🫶

[mononijikayu]

lover, i've come over — ryomen sukuna.

the decision to leave astrophysics camp had been surprisingly easy. in theory, it should have been the highlight of your summer. the program was prestigious, the observatory equipment was incredible, and you were surrounded by people who could spend hours discussing with you on things like stellar evolution without growing bored. but most of all, you got in for free, a full ride. you wouldn't have to worry about anything.

unfortunately, that was exactly the problem. they could spend hours discussing stellar evolution. and that's not exactly what you wanted to do all the time. you loved astrophysics like any other person in this place. but you love other things too. specifically, your boyfriend. you love ryomen sukuna a lot. and you missed him. quite a fair bit.

you had lasted nearly three weeks before realizing that, while you loved studying, you also didn't necessarily love being trapped in a dormitory with people who treated telescope calibration as a blood sport. by the fourth week, you found yourself checking your phone more than your research notes as you pouted to yourself, thinking of your boyfriend all the way from tokyo city.

by the fifth, you were counting down the days until camp ended, humming your boyfriend's favorite anime theme song like an maniac. and by the sixth, you were standing in a train station with a duffel bag slung over your shoulder, without any regrets. you were determined to go, texting your mom about where you're going and then of course, turning your phone off for a bit. your dad will be too surprised and you were not taking chances.

on the way home, you couldn't help but think about the the moment your boyfriend sukuna had told you he was spending the rest of summer back in his grandparents' town, just the costal end of sendai, in taihaku-ku, where his grandfather had gone back to, to check on his business and most of all, his other son who was running the business. he planned to take sukuna with him.

it wasn't as though the town itself was particularly exciting. it was small, tucked away from the city, the kind of place where everyone knew everyone else's business before breakfast. there wasn't much to do besides wander around, eat good food, and listen to old people gossip on their porches.

but sukuna would be there.

that alone was reason enough.

reason enough to follow.

the whole thing had happened because his grandfather had called one evening, apparently deciding that his grandson needed to spend a few weeks helping out at the family restaurant during summer break. sukuna was surprised and started to argue about it. it would be a bit far from tokyo metropolitan, where you and sukuna both live.

according to his grandfather, sukuna was young, healthy, and entirely too comfortable spending every waking hour either studying or buried underneath somebody's car at the mechanic shop.

according to sukuna, everyone was conspiring to ruin his summer where he gets to be with you on all the dates he wants, cuddle all the time he wants and most of all, play volleyball and do more tinkering in the mechanics shop all he wants.

you still remembered the video call. he had been sitting in his bedroom, sprawled across his desk chair with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. his expression looked as though someone had personally informed him that happiness was now illegal.

you had to bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing. he glared at you softly. "don't laugh."

"i'm not, i promise, i'm not."

"you are." he argues back "it's too obvious, babe!"

"i'm smiling, my love. quite a big difference."

he shakes his head, exasperated. "it's the same thing."

you failed immediately, a laugh slipping out anyway. sukuna glared even more, before slumping against his pillows. "traitor. i can't believe you're on grandpa's side on this."

"i'm sorry, my love....it's..." you said between giggles. "it's just—you look so offended."

"because i am offended." he looks to be pouting all the way from home. "you would choose astrophysics camp over dates with me."

"you're going to spend a few weeks helping your grandpa."

"exactly, that's exactly what it is."

"that's not a punishment."

"it is when he owns a restaurant." he shakes his head. "and you knows how particular he is with cooking. you met him! he didn't own a restaurant and got it running successfully for no reason."

you tilted your head. "you're acting like he enlisted you into the military."

"might as well have."

"dramatic as you come, king of the court."

sukuna pointed accusingly at the camera. "you don't understand."

"then explain it to me." you say to him softly. "what's so much more bad about it?"

he groaned loudly before sinking farther into his chair. "old man called my boss."

"he what?"

"called him."

you blinked. "your grandfather called the mechanic shop? kaoru-san?"

"yes, he did."

"why?"

"'because my grandson is incapable of taking care of himself and needs sunlight, so just for this summmer, let him be a boy.'" sukuna recited in a flat voice. "and kaoru-san bought it! he agreed too easily."

the laugh that escaped you was embarrassingly loud. sukuna looked personally betrayed. "stop finding this funny."

"i can't help it. the fact that he appealed like that is so....it's so unlike him!"

"and it works on anyone. that old man can act like that and do whatever he wants. ugh, then kaoru-san sided with him and told me to have a great summer."

that only made you laugh harder. you could practically imagine it. his poor grandfather making phone calls. his boss immediately agreeing. everyone collectively deciding that sukuna needed to be removed from society and placed somewhere people could monitor him.

"what exactly did kaoru-san say tha made you a bit more betrayed, though?"

sukuna's eye twitched.

"'you've worked every day this summer, kid. take the vacation. have a good summer! here's some pocket money for the way!'" sukuna says as he mimicks kaoru's voice. "it was a lot."

"he sounds reasonable."

"he's a criminal. and the fact that he handed me money i didn't earn, it's insane." he shakes his head. "i'll drop it off the next morning, i already got money saved up....plus, grandpa and uncle jin will pay me for this summer. he shouldn't have to worry about me."

"he sounds concerned about you know? he treats you like a son of his own."

"he's working with my grandfather. that's like my father agreeing with my grandpa and i don't like it."

you buried your face into your hands, shoulders shaking. for a moment, neither of you spoke. then sukuna let out a long suffering sigh. "and now i'm stuck carrying boxes and washing dishes."

"you don't know that."

"i absolutely know that."

"maybe they'll let you cook."

"i am not cooking.....at least i think i'm not."

"why not?"

"because last time i cooked, my cousin accused me of trying to poison him." he says to you. "it's not like i dont know how to cook, but he's just...over dramatic."

"that's because you put chili powder in everything."

"it improves food." he says with a grunt. "'sides, babe. you like it like i do. that's why you have that cute little confused face."

"it's not a cute face!" you argued, feeling your cheeks warm.

he grins. "yeah, it is. i like it, though. i should tease you more."

"you're so annoying."

"hm, but im the annoying you love. and there's no take back-sies." he says, laughing. "anyway, ill see what i can do about cooking. but...it would be better to cook for you this summer."

"it would be....one thing i'll miss from camp is you and your cooking."

"don't worry, we'll meet again before the term ends."

"just be careful there, though. smoke alarms might go wild there!"

"weak smoke alarm."

you laughed again. your boyfriend sukuna watched you for a moment. despite all his complaining, there was something soft in his expression. something fond. he always looked at you like that when you laughed. and immediately, his shoulders relaxed. just a little.

"you're enjoying this way too much."

"maybe i am."

"you're a bit mean to me, don't you think?" he says softly.

"you'll survive." you retort back at him. "besides, you enjoy when i'm a little mean to you.

"debatable." he whispered to you.

"that's not what you said the other day." you whispered to him, with a smirk on your face. he starts blushing. "aw, you're blushing."

"oi, don't start something you can't finish. it's cruel."

"it's only a few weeks."

sukuna groaned dramatically. "few weeks without seeing you, touching you, kissing you, holding you.....fuckin' torture, babe."

the teasing smile on your face immediately softened. "i know....i'll miss you so much. i don't know how i'll do without you."

"yeah." he looked away for a second. suddenly much less interested in complaining. "summer already sucks enough."

your chest tightened. because beneath all the grumbling, that was the real issue. it's not the restaurant and it's not his grandfather. hell, it's not even losing his free time. it's just that he simply didn't want to spend weeks away from you. and vice versa. this is the longest you'll be without each other.

"you're cute."

"don't."

"you are."

"i'm serious."

"so am i."

he rolled his eyes. his ears had gone slightly red. which only made him look cuter. and you loved that. "i'll call every day." you tell him. "i'll make sure you're soothed."

"not the same."

"we can video chat."

"not the same."

"we can text."

"still not the same."

you smiled. "then what would be the same, my love?"

sukuna stared at you, almost like the answer should have been obvious. "you being there, babe. that's all there is to it."

your heart practically melted. he realized what he'd said a second later. immediately looking annoyed with himself. you, however, were already grinning. "aw, you love me so so so much, hm?"

"don't start, it's gonna make me feel things and i end up like going and feeling it so much and i—"

"you miss me already, i know it's hard."

"i haven't even left yet."

"exactly."

"you're impossible."

"you love me, more than anything."

sukuna clicked his tongue. then, after a moment, he speaks and smiles "unfortunately. and most fortunately."

you laughed. and somewhere during that conversation, while sukuna continued complaining about dishwashing, customers, and his grandfather's increasingly suspicious level of planning, you had already made up your mind, and maybe you didn't know know it then.

a few weeks apart? absolutely not. if sukuna wanted you there, well..... well. you were determined to make it happen, like he always does. after all, if he was in your position, he would have done the same thing.

when you arrived, the scene before you was a feast. the familiar scent of grilled fish and simmering broth filled the air around you, the same you smell in his house, in his grandpa's house. it feels like home.

the restaurant itself looked exactly how sukuna had described it during your late-night phone calls: warm wooden interiors, faded noren curtains hanging above the entrance to the kitchen, lanterns casting soft golden light over polished tables.

and in the middle of it all stood sukuna. his sleeves were rolled to his elbows. a dark apron was tied around his waist. a crate of vegetables rested against one hip as though it weighed nothing. the sight of him made something warm bloom immediately in your chest.

"oi, ryomen sukuna!" you called out. "i'm here!"

sukuna's reaction, in your opinion, should have been significantly more romantic. you had imagined something dramatic. a surprised smile, maybe. his uncle points to you standing outside, waving back at him with a wide smile on your face.

there was that happy wide opened arms, reaching to form an embrace in a tight hug. he rests his chin against your shoulder as a confession about how desperately he'd missed you, passes through his lips as his fingers brushes against the edges of your locks.

"what the hell are you doing here?" he says as you both break apart, before he starts pressing kisses on you, which makes you laugh. "you still had a few weeks at astrophysics camp! did you tell your mom, or your dad? babe, they're going to kill me, what the—"

"we'll think about that later." you say to him, letting your hand explore his face, eyes full of reverence. a face you could spend your whole life knowing. "what matters is that we're together again."

"yeah. yeah, that's right. we're together."

six weeks wasn't that long. at least, it wasn't supposed to be.

yet seeing him now felt strangely overwhelming. you hadn't realized how much you'd missed him until this moment. apparently, neither had he. because despite the irritated expression he was attempting to maintain, there was a very obvious softness in his eyes. the kind that only appeared when he looked at you.

"besides, i got bored there." you informed him. "i couldn't wait to see you."

sukuna stared. "you left astrophysics camp because you got bored."

"yes.....is that such a bad thing?"

"babe, that's the camp you spent six months applying for."

"correct. and i got a full ride in it."

"the camp you wouldn't shut up about."

"it wasn't my fault."

his eyebrow twitched. "it absolutely was."

you grinned. "well, maybe. but i started thinking about how you're spending your summer helping here and how i'm spending mine surrounded by people arguing about mirrors and lenses."

"they're astronomers."

"they're nerds."

"you are literally a nerd."

"i'm a different kind of nerd." he whispers back to you. "i like volleyballs."

"hm, and what else?"

"isn't that obvious?" he whispers to you. "you, i like you."

you teased him. "just like?"

"no, no. it's love. i love you." he looked a bit flustered by that. "more than anything—"

you laughed. "it's okay, don't spiral, my love. i love you. more than anything too."

sukuna sighed deeply, the kind of sigh that suggested years of suffering. then, despite himself, the corner of his mouth twitched upward. the smile lasted less than a second. you still caught it. because it belonged to you. and only you.

and just like that, every bit of uncertainty you'd carried on the train ride over disappeared. because there it was. the look he'd been giving you ever since the two of you started dating. the look that said he'd missed you just as much.

you barely had time to open your mouth before a voice exploded from somewhere behind him. you couldn't help but nearly jump off your skin as the entire restaurant to vibrate in conversation about the two of you. yo ucouldn't help feel heat all over your body.

"so this is the girlfriend." the same man emerged from the kitchen carrying a serving tray under one arm. "ah, young love."

his grandfather finally appeared. "just wait. they'll be as worse as they were back in tokyo, jin. especially the boy—"

"oi, old man! stop that!" sukuna says, arguing as his red face came brightly.

his grandfather snickered. "there's nothing wrong about young love."

"there is if you keep trying to butt into mine!"

his uncle jin sighed, smiling. "you're hot blooded. ah, young men these days!"

"uncle jin, you were the same with aunt kaori!"

the resemblance was impossible to miss. same dark pink fuschia hair.

same sharp eyes. same infuriatingly smug expression. just older.

and considerably friendlier than your boyfriend at first glance. you looked at him and then your boyfriend.

".....wait, jin, kaori...." you whispered. then your eyes widened. you turned to sukuna. "is yuuji your cousin?"

sukuna looked at you like you grew a second head. "hah, babe? wasn't that obvious?"

your eyes widened. "wait.....i thought—"

sukuna pointed to his uncle. "my uncle took my aunt's last name."

"only way i could marry her." uncle jin grinned at his nephew. "i mean, it made sense. she was from a traditional family and they wanted to keep the name alive. so, you know! choices!"

you took a moment and sat down. "i'm...i'm gonna need a minute."

the old man snickered. "welcome to the family, girl."

the reality of it did not fully sink in until much later. no. the realization hit somewhere in the middle of dinner, while sukuna was arguing with his grandfather over vegetables on the hotpot he was making. you stared at him from across the kitchen table.

then you stared at yuuji, who had just come back from his beach volleyball practice a while earlier, conversing with his grandfather. then back at sukuna. then back at yuuji.

the pink-haired boy blinked. "...why do you keep looking at us like that, senpai?"

you pointed dramatically. "because i still can't believe you're related and never said a word to me."

yuuji looked confused. ".....we did?"

sukuna could only sighed. "i thought the features are obvious, babe."

you pout. "making me look and question it for years isn't obvious!"

"listen, i was really not aware you didn't know."

"at least, you could have asked!"

his grandfather looked entertained. his son nudged him. "enjoying it too much aren't you?"

"well, i love a lively house."

"you've been saying that for hours, babe." sukuna said.

"because it's insane, my love." you whispered to him. "is that why you were mad when i said yuuji looked cute?"

"no....." your boyfriend says, still avoiding to look at you. "i mean, we look alike and—"

you gasped. "it absolutely is! my love, you think i would break up with you because i would go ahead and date my junior because he looks like you?"

sukuna looked up and was red in the face, embarrassed. "look, i was a kid. and immature.....i definitely was just....gah, it's hard to explain!"

you started laughing loudly. "oh, this is good, i can't....i can't believe you were jealous!"

yuuji still looked confused. "what...what's happening?"

"keep eating the meat, son." jin smiled, adding some meat on his son's bowl. "don't worry about it."

"this is going to be a lively family." his father smiled, satisfied as he ate watching you and sukuna banter. "it's lively again."

you sat forward immediately, finally calming down a bit as sukuna added more condiments to the hotpot. "no, okay. okay. because think about it. think about it for one second."

"i don't want to." he says to you as he moved to give you more broth. "that's too much, after what we've just been doing."

"you have to. i'm very curious about a lot of things now!"

"i really don't." your boyfriend argued. "we have tomorrow to talk about this."

you ignored him. "i have known of yuuji since we were kids."

"okay." your boyfriend says as he pours broth on his bowl. "elaborate."

"he was in the basketball division for boys in our town, remember? then he switched to volleyball."

"oh, that's right, you played basketball too, senpai!" yuuji smiles as he remembers himself. "they called you goddess then too! man, my middle school had a fanclub about you."

sukuna looks at his cousin. "we'll talk about that later. i now have questions about that too." he looks back at you. "babe, continue."

"i've listened to him talk about his cousin." you say to him. "like a lot, especially when we got closer in college."

"okay, yes, he does."

"and i've listened to you complain about your cousin."

"unfortunately."

"i'm right here!" yuuji says in between biting at his meat. "be nicer to me, huh?"

sukuna snickered. "how about no?"

"and somehow neither of you thought to mention names?" you say to him. "did you both expect me to go by context clues?"

yuuji scratched the back of his head. "when you put it like that..."

"it's weird." sukuna finally admits.

his grandfather burst out laughing. "oh, you bumbling idiots." the old man said, wiping at his eyes, "they didn't realize it either."

that made you freeze. you looked at yuuji. yuuji looked at sukuna. sukuna immediately groaned. they both finally looked away embarassed. jin started laughing as loud as his father.

"oh, don't."

"oh my god."

"don't."

"oh my god."

yuuji started laughing. "no, tell her."

"absolutely not."

"tell me."

sukuna pointed at his cousin. "you tell her and i kill you."

"grandpa, can i tell her?"

"please do."

traitor.

absolute traitor.

sukuna lowered his head. "i hate his family."

"no, you don't." jin says to him, pouring some cold tea on his cup. "you love us a lot!"

"uncle jin, that's—"

yuuji grinned. "when we figured it out, he thought i was joking."

jin rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. "sukuna and yuuji were too young then and me and my brother really don't talk a lot, so...."

you slapped the table. "i knew it."

"he literally told me to shut up."

"i knew it. that's so him too!"

"he thought there was no way we could know the same person."

you looked delighted. sukuna looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. his grandfather started speaking. "then i showed him your picture from my wallet and went, 'who is that, grandson?' and he was like 'me! that's me!'"

yuuji snickered. "it was me."

the room erupted. even sukuna's uncle was laughing now. you nearly fell out of your chair. "oh my god."

"he stared at it for like thirty seconds." his grandfather says.

"no, i didn't."

yuuji laughed. "yes, you did! we weren't more than like...five or six? wait, i was five, you were seven!"

"then he walked away." his grandpa added.

"no, i had to pee then!" sukuna argues back, redder than ever before.

yuuji nodded enthusiastically. "you didn't say anything, though."

you were crying from laughter. "this is way too good, oh my god...."

sukuna looked genuinely offended. "i was processing."

yuuji starts laughing hysterically. "while peeing?"

"it's multitasking!"

"you left the room."

"i was processing elsewhere."

"you went outside."

"there was fresh air. and there was an outdoor toilet there, you idiot!"

his grandfather was practically wheezing now. for someone who complained about his family constantly, ryomen sukuna fit into the chaos suspiciously well. and just as much, you did too.

the rest of dinner passed in a blur of teasing, stories, and the sort of easy conversation that only happened when people were completely comfortable with one another.

for someone who spent most of the year complaining about his relatives, sukuna seemed happier here than he realized, more carefree. and most of all, a little bit more at home.

you noticed it in the way he spoke. in the way he rolled his eyes whenever his grandfather nagged him but still got up to help anyway. in the way his uncle asked about school and work and actually listened to the answer. in the way yuuji wandered in and out of conversations without needing permission.

there was affection beneath all the bickering. the kind built over years. the kind that he seemed to share with him more than anyone else, just like he does with you. which makes you wonder, how he was when it comes to his parents.

but that was another thought for another time.

eventually the restaurant closed for the evening. his grandfather disappeared downstairs to finish paperwork. his uncle retreated to the living room. yuuji vanished somewhere outside after announcing he was "going on a walk" despite it already being dark.

leaving only you and sukuna.

finally, after waiting for so long.

it was only the two of you, just like you wanted.

the two of you made your way upstairs. the old wooden steps creaked beneath your feet. the sounds of the restaurant faded behind you. and for the first time all day, everything became quiet.

you still hadn't met kaori. apparently she was working late at the school where she taught summer classes. his grandfather had promised you'd meet her tomorrow.

part of you was nervous. the other part was still trying to process the fact that you'd left astrophysics camp. actually left, without call to your parents until you had left, no less. so unlike you. and yet, so much like you, more than you can dare think.

you sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. the reality was beginning to settle in now that the excitement of traveling had worn off. you had abandoned a prestigious summer program. a full scholarship. an opportunity people would've killed for.

all because you missed your boyfriend.

when you phrased it that way, it sounded slightly insane. your phone buzzed. you looked down and immediately froze. you looked at him for a moment. sukuna noticed. "what?"

you turned the screen around. his expression changed instantly. "ah."

"yeah."

"your parents."

"yeah."

another notification appeared. then another. then another. sukuna sighed. you sank further into the mattress. "i don't want to answer any of them. fuck, there's a call from my older brother."

"no kidding." he whispered. "wait your half brother? the one in the states?"

you nodded. "yeah......what if they're all mad at me?"

"i mean, they're definitely mad. look at the amount of messages and calls, babe."

you groaned. "so very helpful, aren't you?"

"i'm realistic, babe. grandpa's like that too."

the phone started ringing. you stared at it. the phone continued ringing. sukuna stared at you. you stared back. then silently extended the phone toward him. he blinked. "you coward."

"please."

"you left an entire astrophysics program."

"please.....just do it for me, my love."

sukuna groaned dramatically before taking the phone. the moment he answered, you buried your face in a pillow, kicking your feet as your boyfriend tried to prepare himself for what was coming next. "hello?"

silence. then his eyebrows lifted. "oh, hello. yeah, i know. sorry if it's me answering. i know. yeah, sorry." another pause. you couldn't hear your parents, but judging from sukuna's expression, they had a lot to say. "yes, she's here."

there was another pause. sukuna snickers. "no, she wasn't kidnapped. she's here with me and my family. yes, in sendai. yes, it's fine. my family loves her." longer pause. his eyes closed. "no, i did not convince her to leave."

then he looked directly at you. "you hear that?" you pointed at yourself innocently. sukuna rolled his eyes, snickering. "no, i actually told her not to come, don't worry." another pause. "yes, multiple times. yes, sir. i told her not to."

"i know, i watched the entire process. because abandoning astrophysics camp is objectively a terrible idea. especially with a full ride. its incomprehensable, yes."

you gasped as you glared at him. you threw a pillow. "betrayal."

he ignored you, laughing silently as he captured the pillow. "yes, yes. we've eaten dinner. oh? you've handled that. will they be continuing the program with her? when? during spring break? that's good news."

for nearly fifteen minutes, he patiently reassured your increasingly worried parents. he reiterated that you were safe, that you had eaten. and that you had a place to stay and that you had opted to stay. and that nobody was letting you wander around alone. but most of all, that yes, you would eventually return home.

his voice softened little by little as the conversation continued. almost too familiar with your parents now after being your boyfriend for nearly four years. it was not too dramatically done, it was warm and serious all at once. just enough. enough that you recognized the side of him most people never saw.

the side that worried.

the side that cared.

the side that always pretended he didn't.

eventually the call ended. the room fell quiet. sukuna tossed your phone onto the bed beside you. you looked at him expectantly, raising a brow. "well? what's the final verdict."

"they didn't kill me."

"good sign coming from them, not going to lie." he snickers.

"they did threaten to lock you away from the world as punishment." he says to you as he watches you plug your phone in the charger. "which is...."

"that's fair. i mean, i did try to run away."

"they also threatened mine."

"less fair. i'm the one who ran away."

"you dragged me into this." he sighed dramatically as he leaned by your knees. "i mean, aren't i a victim in all these things?"

you laughed. "nah, you're a willing accomplice."

sukuna sighed. "hm, i suppose you were right."

but there was no real irritation behind it. you knew it was just exhaustion, the good happy kind. the kind that came after a long day, oen where there was some satisfaction in the end. and being by your side, being together with you, it was the reward. it was the satisfaction he could ever want.

outside, the evening had settled completely over the town. crickets chirped through the open window. a warm summer breeze drifted through the room.

the house itself had gone quiet. for a while neither of you spoke. there wasn't really a need to. you shifted closer until your shoulder rested against his. sukuna immediately leaned back against you. he leaned in pressed a kiss on the top of your head and you couldn't help but smile.

it was comfortable. and almost so automatic. it was like he hadn't spent weeks complaining about being separated from you, like you hadn't crossed half the country because you missed him.

his hand found yours where it rested between you. fingers intertwining naturally, fitting so completely. neither of you even looked down. you sat lay there together listening to the sounds of summer drifting through the window.

the distant hum of insects. the creak of the old house. the muffled sound of his grandfather yelling at someone downstairs. probably yuuji. definitely yuuji. and for the first time since leaving camp, all of the doubt faded away. the guilt. the uncertainty.

the questions about whether you'd made the right choice. because being there beside sukuna, tucked away in the little room he'd spent every summer growing up in, with his hand wrapped around yours and his shoulder pressed against yours, everything felt surprisingly simple.

after a moment, sukuna glanced sideways at you. "worth it?"

you looked at him. at the boy you'd missed so much you had done something objectively ridiculous. at the boy whose family had already welcomed you in as though you belonged there. at the boy who had spent the last fifteen minutes reassuring your parents because you were too scared to do it yourself.

your smile came easily. "completely."

something softened in his expression. it was barely noticeable. but real. the most real it could ever be with anyone. then he squeezed your hand. and the two of you spent the rest of the evening exactly the way you'd wanted from the moment you left camp.

together.

epilogue

the first thing ryomen sukuna learned after becoming a father was that absolutely nobody respected him anymore. probably not the nurses. not his family. and certainly not you, who was even happy about it.

which was particularly insulting considering he had spent years cultivating a reputation that made grown adults nervous to disagree with him.

all it took to destroy that reputation was a six-pound newborn named ryomen sukumi.

the hospital room was quiet when he sat beside the window, your daughter sleeping peacefully against his chest. the afternoon sunlight spilled through the curtains, painting everything gold.

little sukumi's tiny hand rested against his shirt, her fingers curled into the fabric as though she had decided that was where she belonged. sukuna stared down at her. she was sleeping. once again.

she was always sleeping, just like most babies do. and somehow he still found himself checking every few minutes to make sure she was breathing. he'd never admit it out loud. if anyone asked, he would deny it. aggressively.

but you had caught him red handed enough times already. the first time had been at three in the morning when he stood over the little cot set up for sukumi in the hospital room for nearly ten minutes. the second time was during breakfast, when he couldn't focus on the hospital meal and only on the little girl you gifted him.

the third time happened less than an hour ago. and you were more eagle eyed than ever before. you couldn't help but shake your head ans sigh softly. you had simply looked at him and said, "she's fine."

he had immediately replied, "i know that."

then continued checking anyway. you were still smiling about it when a knock sounded at the door. before either of you could answer, the door opened. you could feel your eyes blink as you registered how they suddenly got here when they said they would be busy.

itadori yuuji walked over, holding a tray of food. "we brought food."

"and gifts." itadori jin smiled as he waved at his nephew. "hand made at the house, mind you."

"and grandpa." the old man says as he walks over and looks at sukumi. "well, great-grandfather in this regard."

ryomen sukuna all but immediately groaned. you laughed as yuuji started to unfurl the food trays. you were excited to eat some good food, good food that came from the hands that loved you and your husband.

as yuuji placed the plate full of food in front of you, you hadn't realized how much you missed seeing everyone together until that moment. you couldn't help but feel warm as it all happened before you. jin was already looking at his little grandniece while grandpa was quizzing sukuna about how he's been taking care of you.

"look at all that." you said as yuuji started unloading bags "you guys didn't have to bring so much."

"we absolutely did." jin said as he looked at you and smiled. "you guys probably aren't getting some good food in this place."

"grandpa bought half of it." yuuji says with a grin. "insisted on cooking it well too! since he was concerned about how you'll like the food after birth."

"that's a lie." his grandfather replied. "the food here is measured—"

"dad, you're such a tsundere, it's not bad to admit that you want the best for your children and their children." jin says, shaking his head as he sighed. "you worked hard on the meal! just like you did with mom and kaori."

his dad looked at him for a while and grumbled. "........i only made a third of it."

"that's not better." jin argues with his father.

"felt better."

you couldn't help laughing. sukuna rolled his ruby eyes. his grandfather ignored him entirely. instead, his gaze immediately returned on the baby sleeping in on the cot.

the old man's expression softened. it was the same look he'd had the first time he met you. and certainly, something you think he had when he looked at your boyfriend as a baby. full of wonder. pure, genuine, tender and devoted wonder.

"there she is." carefully, he stepped closer. "she's just perfect. perfect ten toes, perfect ten fingers. good. that's good."

"that she is." sukuna replied. "she's healthy. that's the best thing."

"she has my genetics." his grandfather whispered, eyes not leaving his great-granddaughter's face. "she's exactly like you when you were a baby."

sukuna looked a bit offended. "she looks like my wife."

"yeah, but she is your carbon copy, boy. can't you see it?"

"no, because she looks like my wife and my wife is pretty."

you reached over and smacked his arm. "stop it, you're getting a bit too loud. she might wake up."

your husband leaned in and apologized to you with a small kiss to the cheek. "yes, sorry. sorry about that. i'll be more mindful."

his grandfather snorted. "thank god you've tamed him."

yuuji finally spotted the baby. his entire face lit up. "can i hold her?"

"no." the answer came instantly from your husband. "she's sleeping."

yuuji frowned. "i wasn't asking you."

"yes, you were."

"I was asking [name]-senpai!"

everybody looked at you in that instant. sukuna narrowed his eyes. "babe—"

you smiled sweetly. "of course you can, yuuji. just be careful. don't wake her up!"

"traitor." your husband mumbled.

"what was that?"

".....nothing."

"thank you." yuuji said immediately.

sukuna looked genuinely offended. "we're married."

"and?" you raised a curious brow.

"you're supposed to be on my side."

"i am on your side."

"clearly not."

"you're being possessive."

"she's my daughter."

"she's everybody's family here too, you know."

"unfortunate."

"you're impossible, my love." you shook your head.

despite his very obvious complaints, sukuna carefully stood and kindly transferred sukumi into yuuji's arms. the transformation was immediate. one second yuuji was excited. the next he looked absolutely horrified. all confidence vanished. his shoulders locked. his eyes widened. he froze so completely he looked like a statue.

"why'd you stop moving?" jin asked.

"i'm scared."

"of what?"

"everything."

the room burst into laughter.

yuuji looked genuinely distressed. "she's so small! i don't want to make a mistake. she's too precious for that."

"babies usually are. but sukumi is bigger than most babies. she'll be alright." you said reassuringly. "especially when you're kind and gentle."

"but she's tiny." yuuji pouts, visibly emotional. "gosh, she's so pretty. i can't believe she came from sukuna."

"oi—"

"what if i accidentally drop her?"

"then i'll throw you out the window."

"WHAT?" yuuji nearly yells but jin tempers him, pointing to sukumi's sleeping form. "....sorry."

"reasonable response for a father."

"THAT IS NOT REASONABLE." jin tempers his son once again who apologizes once more. "this is harder than i thought."

"every parent goes through it. you will one day too."

"but that's scary!"

another laugh escaped you. even sukuna looked amused. sukumi let out a small sleepy sigh in her sleep, moving slightly yuuji nearly jumped. "oh!....she made a sound."

"that's also normal."

"nobody told me babies did that."

"what exactly did you think babies were?"

"I DON'T KNOW."

his grandfather had to sit down because he was laughing too hard, looking away to make sure that no one was seeing this. jin sighed and took sukumi from his son's arms, who finally seemed to be able to breathe again. jin leaned down and looked at sukumi.

".....dad's right, she does look sukuna."

"hey, she's my wife's daughter too!"

for the next half hour, the room dissolved into stories, gifts, and endless baby discussions. jin unpacked tiny clothes that he and kaori had knitted. his grandfather presented three stuffed animals. yuuji revealed an entire photo album he planned to fill with family pictures.

sukuna called it ridiculous, but then quietly set it beside the crib instead of throwing it away. you noticed. everyone noticed. nobody said anything. sukuna would be too embarrassed about it.

because honestly, watching sukuna become soft was one of the greatest forms of entertainment available. it only got worse when yuuji accidentally discovered the photos.

but that didn't last long.

"wait."

the room fell silent. yuuji stared down at sukuna's phone. sukuna immediately became suspicious. "what? yuuji—"

"why do you have four hundred pictures of sukumi?"

the room exploded. jin nearly choked, from laughing. his grandfather looked delighted. you covered your mouth to hide your smile. sukuna lunged for the phone. but it was too late. yuuji was already scrolling.

"this one is just her sleeping."

"give me my phone."

"and this one."

"give me my phone."

"and this one."

"give me my phone."

"there's literally three identical photos."

"they are not identical."

silence. everyone stared at him. sukuna froze. realization slowly crossed his face. he had exposed himself. too much and too completely. he tried to regain his compusre but he couldn't. he just lunged for the phone and this time, successfully got it back.

"you compared them."

"no, i didn't." he argues back.

"you definitely compared them."

"i already said that i didn't."

"you know the differences."

"there literally is no difference and you just wanna spout nonsense about this is and its just, its just ridiculous—"

"you absolutely know the differences."

you laughed so hard your side started hurting. your husband blushed too much. "babe, stop laughing."

"I can't. this is just too cute. my love, you have so much love for her, its beautiful!"

"you're encouraging them."

"this is the funniest thing I've ever seen. but also the most beautiful thing ive ever seen."

his grandfather was openly crying from laughter now. "my grandson."

"don't, old man. don't say a word......"

"the same boy who claimed children were annoying, the the same boy who said he'd never become sentimental."

"don't." he sighed, shaking his head. "my kid is different, okay? this is my kid....this is my precious daughter. of course i'd have pictures of her."

his grandfather sighed. "i can't believe that the same boy with four hundred baby pictures."

"give me strength." sukuna whispers under his breath.

"that's good, you know." his grandfather says to him, with a small smile on his face. "you've grown up well, sukuna. you'll do just fine. maybe even better than me. and most definitely, better than your father."

sukuna looked at his grandfather and sighed, nodding. "thank you, grandpa. i....i appreciate that."

you watched your husband look emotional at his grandfather's words. you took his hand, earning his gaze towards you. you smiled at you. "you're doing great, my love."

he purses his lips into a tight line and then into a small smile. "i love you."

"i love you too."

[mononijikayu]

hello, this is kayu!!!

thank you for once again enjoying lovesick!!! since ive been building some worlds here, lemme tell you a bit about the lovesick family tree and whatever happens in there!!!

for sukuna, grandpa is still head of the family. his name's sukuryuu but he goes by grandpa/old man, depending on who calls him. he was married to grandma jinko, and they ran a traditional japanese restaurant chain. but after jinko had passed away just a bit before sukuna was born, grandpa decided to move to tokyo to be nearer to suku!!!

they got two sons, suku and jin!!!

suku is a doctor and he married his wife keiko who is also a doctor and they had sukuna during their medical residency. but the two of them have their heart in doing charity, so theyre often away volunteering abroad or working in more distant regions in japan to improve hospitals. since grandpa was living in tokyo at the time, he stepped up to care for sukuna. but because of this, sukuna became hyper-independent and often stayed in his parents house alone without his grandpa and ended up with rough crowds and later working to sustain himself. since, of course, he finds it hard to accept the money from his parents.

jin stayed in sendai and ran the family business right after a short stint in college. he ended up meeting kaori there, who moved from the big cities to be a teacher there. they got married and had yuuji, sukuna's cousin and teammate.

reader's family is intriguing because her parents were also high school sweethearts who ended up separated due to misunderstandings. both of them married to different people. reader papa became a cardiac surgeon and married a scientist and had reader's elder half brother. reader mama became a science teacher and married someone in finance. but both relationships failed.

they met again at a work event in ther late 30s and got married within a week. reader was a surprise pregnancy because they didnt think reader mama could have kids but it happens!!! reader and her brother have a fifteen year age gap and he has three kids. he also is a microbiologist and lives in the uk for work!!!

sukuna is also close with reader's brother because he never had elder siblings so he finds it nice to rely on someone older and be babied a bit. hes also close to reader's parents despite their apprehension towards him. reader papa and sukuna go on fishing trips together!!!

[mononijikayu]

lover, i've come over — ryomen sukuna.

the decision to leave astrophysics camp had been surprisingly easy. in theory, it should have been the highlight of your summer. the program was prestigious, the observatory equipment was incredible, and you were surrounded by people who could spend hours discussing with you on things like stellar evolution without growing bored. but most of all, you got in for free, a full ride. you wouldn't have to worry about anything.

unfortunately, that was exactly the problem. they could spend hours discussing stellar evolution. and that's not exactly what you wanted to do all the time. you loved astrophysics like any other person in this place. but you love other things too. specifically, your boyfriend. you love ryomen sukuna a lot. and you missed him. quite a fair bit.

you had lasted nearly three weeks before realizing that, while you loved studying, you also didn't necessarily love being trapped in a dormitory with people who treated telescope calibration as a blood sport. by the fourth week, you found yourself checking your phone more than your research notes as you pouted to yourself, thinking of your boyfriend all the way from tokyo city.

by the fifth, you were counting down the days until camp ended, humming your boyfriend's favorite anime theme song like an maniac. and by the sixth, you were standing in a train station with a duffel bag slung over your shoulder, without any regrets. you were determined to go, texting your mom about where you're going and then of course, turning your phone off for a bit. your dad will be too surprised and you were not taking chances.

on the way home, you couldn't help but think about the the moment your boyfriend sukuna had told you he was spending the rest of summer back in his grandparents' town, just the costal end of sendai, in taihaku-ku, where his grandfather had gone back to, to check on his business and most of all, his other son who was running the business. he planned to take sukuna with him.

it wasn't as though the town itself was particularly exciting. it was small, tucked away from the city, the kind of place where everyone knew everyone else's business before breakfast. there wasn't much to do besides wander around, eat good food, and listen to old people gossip on their porches.

but sukuna would be there.

that alone was reason enough.

reason enough to follow.

the whole thing had happened because his grandfather had called one evening, apparently deciding that his grandson needed to spend a few weeks helping out at the family restaurant during summer break. sukuna was surprised and started to argue about it. it would be a bit far from tokyo metropolitan, where you and sukuna both live.

according to his grandfather, sukuna was young, healthy, and entirely too comfortable spending every waking hour either studying or buried underneath somebody's car at the mechanic shop.

according to sukuna, everyone was conspiring to ruin his summer where he gets to be with you on all the dates he wants, cuddle all the time he wants and most of all, play volleyball and do more tinkering in the mechanics shop all he wants.

you still remembered the video call. he had been sitting in his bedroom, sprawled across his desk chair with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. his expression looked as though someone had personally informed him that happiness was now illegal.

you had to bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing. he glared at you softly. "don't laugh."

"i'm not, i promise, i'm not."

"you are." he argues back "it's too obvious, babe!"

"i'm smiling, my love. quite a big difference."

he shakes his head, exasperated. "it's the same thing."

you failed immediately, a laugh slipping out anyway. sukuna glared even more, before slumping against his pillows. "traitor. i can't believe you're on grandpa's side on this."

"i'm sorry, my love....it's..." you said between giggles. "it's just—you look so offended."

"because i am offended." he looks to be pouting all the way from home. "you would choose astrophysics camp over dates with me."

"you're going to spend a few weeks helping your grandpa."

"exactly, that's exactly what it is."

"that's not a punishment."

"it is when he owns a restaurant." he shakes his head. "and you knows how particular he is with cooking. you met him! he didn't own a restaurant and got it running successfully for no reason."

you tilted your head. "you're acting like he enlisted you into the military."

"might as well have."

"dramatic as you come, king of the court."

sukuna pointed accusingly at the camera. "you don't understand."

"then explain it to me." you say to him softly. "what's so much more bad about it?"

he groaned loudly before sinking farther into his chair. "old man called my boss."

"he what?"

"called him."

you blinked. "your grandfather called the mechanic shop? kaoru-san?"

"yes, he did."

"why?"

"'because my grandson is incapable of taking care of himself and needs sunlight, so just for this summmer, let him be a boy.'" sukuna recited in a flat voice. "and kaoru-san bought it! he agreed too easily."

the laugh that escaped you was embarrassingly loud. sukuna looked personally betrayed. "stop finding this funny."

"i can't help it. the fact that he appealed like that is so....it's so unlike him!"

"and it works on anyone. that old man can act like that and do whatever he wants. ugh, then kaoru-san sided with him and told me to have a great summer."

that only made you laugh harder. you could practically imagine it. his poor grandfather making phone calls. his boss immediately agreeing. everyone collectively deciding that sukuna needed to be removed from society and placed somewhere people could monitor him.

"what exactly did kaoru-san say tha made you a bit more betrayed, though?"

sukuna's eye twitched.

"'you've worked every day this summer, kid. take the vacation. have a good summer! here's some pocket money for the way!'" sukuna says as he mimicks kaoru's voice. "it was a lot."

"he sounds reasonable."

"he's a criminal. and the fact that he handed me money i didn't earn, it's insane." he shakes his head. "i'll drop it off the next morning, i already got money saved up....plus, grandpa and uncle jin will pay me for this summer. he shouldn't have to worry about me."

"he sounds concerned about you know? he treats you like a son of his own."

"he's working with my grandfather. that's like my father agreeing with my grandpa and i don't like it."

you buried your face into your hands, shoulders shaking. for a moment, neither of you spoke. then sukuna let out a long suffering sigh. "and now i'm stuck carrying boxes and washing dishes."

"you don't know that."

"i absolutely know that."

"maybe they'll let you cook."

"i am not cooking.....at least i think i'm not."

"why not?"

"because last time i cooked, my cousin accused me of trying to poison him." he says to you. "it's not like i dont know how to cook, but he's just...over dramatic."

"that's because you put chili powder in everything."

"it improves food." he says with a grunt. "'sides, babe. you like it like i do. that's why you have that cute little confused face."

"it's not a cute face!" you argued, feeling your cheeks warm.

he grins. "yeah, it is. i like it, though. i should tease you more."

"you're so annoying."

"hm, but im the annoying you love. and there's no take back-sies." he says, laughing. "anyway, ill see what i can do about cooking. but...it would be better to cook for you this summer."

"it would be....one thing i'll miss from camp is you and your cooking."

"don't worry, we'll meet again before the term ends."

"just be careful there, though. smoke alarms might go wild there!"

"weak smoke alarm."

you laughed again. your boyfriend sukuna watched you for a moment. despite all his complaining, there was something soft in his expression. something fond. he always looked at you like that when you laughed. and immediately, his shoulders relaxed. just a little.

"you're enjoying this way too much."

"maybe i am."

"you're a bit mean to me, don't you think?" he says softly.

"you'll survive." you retort back at him. "besides, you enjoy when i'm a little mean to you.

"debatable." he whispered to you.

"that's not what you said the other day." you whispered to him, with a smirk on your face. he starts blushing. "aw, you're blushing."

"oi, don't start something you can't finish. it's cruel."

"it's only a few weeks."

sukuna groaned dramatically. "few weeks without seeing you, touching you, kissing you, holding you.....fuckin' torture, babe."

the teasing smile on your face immediately softened. "i know....i'll miss you so much. i don't know how i'll do without you."

"yeah." he looked away for a second. suddenly much less interested in complaining. "summer already sucks enough."

your chest tightened. because beneath all the grumbling, that was the real issue. it's not the restaurant and it's not his grandfather. hell, it's not even losing his free time. it's just that he simply didn't want to spend weeks away from you. and vice versa. this is the longest you'll be without each other.

"you're cute."

"don't."

"you are."

"i'm serious."

"so am i."

he rolled his eyes. his ears had gone slightly red. which only made him look cuter. and you loved that. "i'll call every day." you tell him. "i'll make sure you're soothed."

"not the same."

"we can video chat."

"not the same."

"we can text."

"still not the same."

you smiled. "then what would be the same, my love?"

sukuna stared at you, almost like the answer should have been obvious. "you being there, babe. that's all there is to it."

your heart practically melted. he realized what he'd said a second later. immediately looking annoyed with himself. you, however, were already grinning. "aw, you love me so so so much, hm?"

"don't start, it's gonna make me feel things and i end up like going and feeling it so much and i—"

"you miss me already, i know it's hard."

"i haven't even left yet."

"exactly."

"you're impossible."

"you love me, more than anything."

sukuna clicked his tongue. then, after a moment, he speaks and smiles "unfortunately. and most fortunately."

you laughed. and somewhere during that conversation, while sukuna continued complaining about dishwashing, customers, and his grandfather's increasingly suspicious level of planning, you had already made up your mind, and maybe you didn't know know it then.

a few weeks apart? absolutely not. if sukuna wanted you there, well..... well. you were determined to make it happen, like he always does. after all, if he was in your position, he would have done the same thing.

when you arrived, the scene before you was a feast. the familiar scent of grilled fish and simmering broth filled the air around you, the same you smell in his house, in his grandpa's house. it feels like home.

the restaurant itself looked exactly how sukuna had described it during your late-night phone calls: warm wooden interiors, faded noren curtains hanging above the entrance to the kitchen, lanterns casting soft golden light over polished tables.

and in the middle of it all stood sukuna. his sleeves were rolled to his elbows. a dark apron was tied around his waist. a crate of vegetables rested against one hip as though it weighed nothing. the sight of him made something warm bloom immediately in your chest.

"oi, ryomen sukuna!" you called out. "i'm here!"

sukuna's reaction, in your opinion, should have been significantly more romantic. you had imagined something dramatic. a surprised smile, maybe. his uncle points to you standing outside, waving back at him with a wide smile on your face.

there was that happy wide opened arms, reaching to form an embrace in a tight hug. he rests his chin against your shoulder as a confession about how desperately he'd missed you, passes through his lips as his fingers brushes against the edges of your locks.

"what the hell are you doing here?" he says as you both break apart, before he starts pressing kisses on you, which makes you laugh. "you still had a few weeks at astrophysics camp! did you tell your mom, or your dad? babe, they're going to kill me, what the—"

"we'll think about that later." you say to him, letting your hand explore his face, eyes full of reverence. a face you could spend your whole life knowing. "what matters is that we're together again."

"yeah. yeah, that's right. we're together."

six weeks wasn't that long. at least, it wasn't supposed to be.

yet seeing him now felt strangely overwhelming. you hadn't realized how much you'd missed him until this moment. apparently, neither had he. because despite the irritated expression he was attempting to maintain, there was a very obvious softness in his eyes. the kind that only appeared when he looked at you.

"besides, i got bored there." you informed him. "i couldn't wait to see you."

sukuna stared. "you left astrophysics camp because you got bored."

"yes.....is that such a bad thing?"

"babe, that's the camp you spent six months applying for."

"correct. and i got a full ride in it."

"the camp you wouldn't shut up about."

"it wasn't my fault."

his eyebrow twitched. "it absolutely was."

you grinned. "well, maybe. but i started thinking about how you're spending your summer helping here and how i'm spending mine surrounded by people arguing about mirrors and lenses."

"they're astronomers."

"they're nerds."

"you are literally a nerd."

"i'm a different kind of nerd." he whispers back to you. "i like volleyballs."

"hm, and what else?"

"isn't that obvious?" he whispers to you. "you, i like you."

you teased him. "just like?"

"no, no. it's love. i love you." he looked a bit flustered by that. "more than anything—"

you laughed. "it's okay, don't spiral, my love. i love you. more than anything too."

sukuna sighed deeply, the kind of sigh that suggested years of suffering. then, despite himself, the corner of his mouth twitched upward. the smile lasted less than a second. you still caught it. because it belonged to you. and only you.

and just like that, every bit of uncertainty you'd carried on the train ride over disappeared. because there it was. the look he'd been giving you ever since the two of you started dating. the look that said he'd missed you just as much.

you barely had time to open your mouth before a voice exploded from somewhere behind him. you couldn't help but nearly jump off your skin as the entire restaurant to vibrate in conversation about the two of you. yo ucouldn't help feel heat all over your body.

"so this is the girlfriend." the same man emerged from the kitchen carrying a serving tray under one arm. "ah, young love."

his grandfather finally appeared. "just wait. they'll be as worse as they were back in tokyo, jin. especially the boy—"

"oi, old man! stop that!" sukuna says, arguing as his red face came brightly.

his grandfather snickered. "there's nothing wrong about young love."

"there is if you keep trying to butt into mine!"

his uncle jin sighed, smiling. "you're hot blooded. ah, young men these days!"

"uncle jin, you were the same with aunt kaori!"

the resemblance was impossible to miss. same dark pink fuschia hair.

same sharp eyes. same infuriatingly smug expression. just older.

and considerably friendlier than your boyfriend at first glance. you looked at him and then your boyfriend.

".....wait, jin, kaori...." you whispered. then your eyes widened. you turned to sukuna. "is yuuji your cousin?"

sukuna looked at you like you grew a second head. "hah, babe? wasn't that obvious?"

your eyes widened. "wait.....i thought—"

sukuna pointed to his uncle. "my uncle took my aunt's last name."

"only way i could marry her." uncle jin grinned at his nephew. "i mean, it made sense. she was from a traditional family and they wanted to keep the name alive. so, you know! choices!"

you took a moment and sat down. "i'm...i'm gonna need a minute."

the old man snickered. "welcome to the family, girl."

the reality of it did not fully sink in until much later. no. the realization hit somewhere in the middle of dinner, while sukuna was arguing with his grandfather over vegetables on the hotpot he was making. you stared at him from across the kitchen table.

then you stared at yuuji, who had just come back from his beach volleyball practice a while earlier, conversing with his grandfather. then back at sukuna. then back at yuuji.

the pink-haired boy blinked. "...why do you keep looking at us like that, senpai?"

you pointed dramatically. "because i still can't believe you're related and never said a word to me."

yuuji looked confused. ".....we did?"

sukuna could only sighed. "i thought the features are obvious, babe."

you pout. "making me look and question it for years isn't obvious!"

"listen, i was really not aware you didn't know."

"at least, you could have asked!"

his grandfather looked entertained. his son nudged him. "enjoying it too much aren't you?"

"well, i love a lively house."

"you've been saying that for hours, babe." sukuna said.

"because it's insane, my love." you whispered to him. "is that why you were mad when i said yuuji looked cute?"

"no....." your boyfriend says, still avoiding to look at you. "i mean, we look alike and—"

you gasped. "it absolutely is! my love, you think i would break up with you because i would go ahead and date my junior because he looks like you?"

sukuna looked up and was red in the face, embarrassed. "look, i was a kid. and immature.....i definitely was just....gah, it's hard to explain!"

you started laughing loudly. "oh, this is good, i can't....i can't believe you were jealous!"

yuuji still looked confused. "what...what's happening?"

"keep eating the meat, son." jin smiled, adding some meat on his son's bowl. "don't worry about it."

"this is going to be a lively family." his father smiled, satisfied as he ate watching you and sukuna banter. "it's lively again."

you sat forward immediately, finally calming down a bit as sukuna added more condiments to the hotpot. "no, okay. okay. because think about it. think about it for one second."

"i don't want to." he says to you as he moved to give you more broth. "that's too much, after what we've just been doing."

"you have to. i'm very curious about a lot of things now!"

"i really don't." your boyfriend argued. "we have tomorrow to talk about this."

you ignored him. "i have known of yuuji since we were kids."

"okay." your boyfriend says as he pours broth on his bowl. "elaborate."

"he was in the basketball division for boys in our town, remember? then he switched to volleyball."

"oh, that's right, you played basketball too, senpai!" yuuji smiles as he remembers himself. "they called you goddess then too! man, my middle school had a fanclub about you."

sukuna looks at his cousin. "we'll talk about that later. i now have questions about that too." he looks back at you. "babe, continue."

"i've listened to him talk about his cousin." you say to him. "like a lot, especially when we got closer in college."

"okay, yes, he does."

"and i've listened to you complain about your cousin."

"unfortunately."

"i'm right here!" yuuji says in between biting at his meat. "be nicer to me, huh?"

sukuna snickered. "how about no?"

"and somehow neither of you thought to mention names?" you say to him. "did you both expect me to go by context clues?"

yuuji scratched the back of his head. "when you put it like that..."

"it's weird." sukuna finally admits.

his grandfather burst out laughing. "oh, you bumbling idiots." the old man said, wiping at his eyes, "they didn't realize it either."

that made you freeze. you looked at yuuji. yuuji looked at sukuna. sukuna immediately groaned. they both finally looked away embarassed. jin started laughing as loud as his father.

"oh, don't."

"oh my god."

"don't."

"oh my god."

yuuji started laughing. "no, tell her."

"absolutely not."

"tell me."

sukuna pointed at his cousin. "you tell her and i kill you."

"grandpa, can i tell her?"

"please do."

traitor.

absolute traitor.

sukuna lowered his head. "i hate his family."

"no, you don't." jin says to him, pouring some cold tea on his cup. "you love us a lot!"

"uncle jin, that's—"

yuuji grinned. "when we figured it out, he thought i was joking."

jin rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. "sukuna and yuuji were too young then and me and my brother really don't talk a lot, so...."

you slapped the table. "i knew it."

"he literally told me to shut up."

"i knew it. that's so him too!"

"he thought there was no way we could know the same person."

you looked delighted. sukuna looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. his grandfather started speaking. "then i showed him your picture from my wallet and went, 'who is that, grandson?' and he was like 'me! that's me!'"

yuuji snickered. "it was me."

the room erupted. even sukuna's uncle was laughing now. you nearly fell out of your chair. "oh my god."

"he stared at it for like thirty seconds." his grandfather says.

"no, i didn't."

yuuji laughed. "yes, you did! we weren't more than like...five or six? wait, i was five, you were seven!"

"then he walked away." his grandpa added.

"no, i had to pee then!" sukuna argues back, redder than ever before.

yuuji nodded enthusiastically. "you didn't say anything, though."

you were crying from laughter. "this is way too good, oh my god...."

sukuna looked genuinely offended. "i was processing."

yuuji starts laughing hysterically. "while peeing?"

"it's multitasking!"

"you left the room."

"i was processing elsewhere."

"you went outside."

"there was fresh air. and there was an outdoor toilet there, you idiot!"

his grandfather was practically wheezing now. for someone who complained about his family constantly, ryomen sukuna fit into the chaos suspiciously well. and just as much, you did too.

the rest of dinner passed in a blur of teasing, stories, and the sort of easy conversation that only happened when people were completely comfortable with one another.

for someone who spent most of the year complaining about his relatives, sukuna seemed happier here than he realized, more carefree. and most of all, a little bit more at home.

you noticed it in the way he spoke. in the way he rolled his eyes whenever his grandfather nagged him but still got up to help anyway. in the way his uncle asked about school and work and actually listened to the answer. in the way yuuji wandered in and out of conversations without needing permission.

there was affection beneath all the bickering. the kind built over years. the kind that he seemed to share with him more than anyone else, just like he does with you. which makes you wonder, how he was when it comes to his parents.

but that was another thought for another time.

eventually the restaurant closed for the evening. his grandfather disappeared downstairs to finish paperwork. his uncle retreated to the living room. yuuji vanished somewhere outside after announcing he was "going on a walk" despite it already being dark.

leaving only you and sukuna.

finally, after waiting for so long.

it was only the two of you, just like you wanted.

the two of you made your way upstairs. the old wooden steps creaked beneath your feet. the sounds of the restaurant faded behind you. and for the first time all day, everything became quiet.

you still hadn't met kaori. apparently she was working late at the school where she taught summer classes. his grandfather had promised you'd meet her tomorrow.

part of you was nervous. the other part was still trying to process the fact that you'd left astrophysics camp. actually left, without call to your parents until you had left, no less. so unlike you. and yet, so much like you, more than you can dare think.

you sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. the reality was beginning to settle in now that the excitement of traveling had worn off. you had abandoned a prestigious summer program. a full scholarship. an opportunity people would've killed for.

all because you missed your boyfriend.

when you phrased it that way, it sounded slightly insane. your phone buzzed. you looked down and immediately froze. you looked at him for a moment. sukuna noticed. "what?"

you turned the screen around. his expression changed instantly. "ah."

"yeah."

"your parents."

"yeah."

another notification appeared. then another. then another. sukuna sighed. you sank further into the mattress. "i don't want to answer any of them. fuck, there's a call from my older brother."

"no kidding." he whispered. "wait your half brother? the one in the states?"

you nodded. "yeah......what if they're all mad at me?"

"i mean, they're definitely mad. look at the amount of messages and calls, babe."

you groaned. "so very helpful, aren't you?"

"i'm realistic, babe. grandpa's like that too."

the phone started ringing. you stared at it. the phone continued ringing. sukuna stared at you. you stared back. then silently extended the phone toward him. he blinked. "you coward."

"please."

"you left an entire astrophysics program."

"please.....just do it for me, my love."

sukuna groaned dramatically before taking the phone. the moment he answered, you buried your face in a pillow, kicking your feet as your boyfriend tried to prepare himself for what was coming next. "hello?"

silence. then his eyebrows lifted. "oh, hello. yeah, i know. sorry if it's me answering. i know. yeah, sorry." another pause. you couldn't hear your parents, but judging from sukuna's expression, they had a lot to say. "yes, she's here."

there was another pause. sukuna snickers. "no, she wasn't kidnapped. she's here with me and my family. yes, in sendai. yes, it's fine. my family loves her." longer pause. his eyes closed. "no, i did not convince her to leave."

then he looked directly at you. "you hear that?" you pointed at yourself innocently. sukuna rolled his eyes, snickering. "no, i actually told her not to come, don't worry." another pause. "yes, multiple times. yes, sir. i told her not to."

"i know, i watched the entire process. because abandoning astrophysics camp is objectively a terrible idea. especially with a full ride. its incomprehensable, yes."

you gasped as you glared at him. you threw a pillow. "betrayal."

he ignored you, laughing silently as he captured the pillow. "yes, yes. we've eaten dinner. oh? you've handled that. will they be continuing the program with her? when? during spring break? that's good news."

for nearly fifteen minutes, he patiently reassured your increasingly worried parents. he reiterated that you were safe, that you had eaten. and that you had a place to stay and that you had opted to stay. and that nobody was letting you wander around alone. but most of all, that yes, you would eventually return home.

his voice softened little by little as the conversation continued. almost too familiar with your parents now after being your boyfriend for nearly four years. it was not too dramatically done, it was warm and serious all at once. just enough. enough that you recognized the side of him most people never saw.

the side that worried.

the side that cared.

the side that always pretended he didn't.

eventually the call ended. the room fell quiet. sukuna tossed your phone onto the bed beside you. you looked at him expectantly, raising a brow. "well? what's the final verdict."

"they didn't kill me."

"good sign coming from them, not going to lie." he snickers.

"they did threaten to lock you away from the world as punishment." he says to you as he watches you plug your phone in the charger. "which is...."

"that's fair. i mean, i did try to run away."

"they also threatened mine."

"less fair. i'm the one who ran away."

"you dragged me into this." he sighed dramatically as he leaned by your knees. "i mean, aren't i a victim in all these things?"

you laughed. "nah, you're a willing accomplice."

sukuna sighed. "hm, i suppose you were right."

but there was no real irritation behind it. you knew it was just exhaustion, the good happy kind. the kind that came after a long day, oen where there was some satisfaction in the end. and being by your side, being together with you, it was the reward. it was the satisfaction he could ever want.

outside, the evening had settled completely over the town. crickets chirped through the open window. a warm summer breeze drifted through the room.

the house itself had gone quiet. for a while neither of you spoke. there wasn't really a need to. you shifted closer until your shoulder rested against his. sukuna immediately leaned back against you. he leaned in pressed a kiss on the top of your head and you couldn't help but smile.

it was comfortable. and almost so automatic. it was like he hadn't spent weeks complaining about being separated from you, like you hadn't crossed half the country because you missed him.

his hand found yours where it rested between you. fingers intertwining naturally, fitting so completely. neither of you even looked down. you sat lay there together listening to the sounds of summer drifting through the window.

the distant hum of insects. the creak of the old house. the muffled sound of his grandfather yelling at someone downstairs. probably yuuji. definitely yuuji. and for the first time since leaving camp, all of the doubt faded away. the guilt. the uncertainty.

the questions about whether you'd made the right choice. because being there beside sukuna, tucked away in the little room he'd spent every summer growing up in, with his hand wrapped around yours and his shoulder pressed against yours, everything felt surprisingly simple.

after a moment, sukuna glanced sideways at you. "worth it?"

you looked at him. at the boy you'd missed so much you had done something objectively ridiculous. at the boy whose family had already welcomed you in as though you belonged there. at the boy who had spent the last fifteen minutes reassuring your parents because you were too scared to do it yourself.

your smile came easily. "completely."

something softened in his expression. it was barely noticeable. but real. the most real it could ever be with anyone. then he squeezed your hand. and the two of you spent the rest of the evening exactly the way you'd wanted from the moment you left camp.

together.

epilogue

the first thing ryomen sukuna learned after becoming a father was that absolutely nobody respected him anymore. probably not the nurses. not his family. and certainly not you, who was even happy about it.

which was particularly insulting considering he had spent years cultivating a reputation that made grown adults nervous to disagree with him.

all it took to destroy that reputation was a six-pound newborn named ryomen sukumi.

the hospital room was quiet when he sat beside the window, your daughter sleeping peacefully against his chest. the afternoon sunlight spilled through the curtains, painting everything gold.

little sukumi's tiny hand rested against his shirt, her fingers curled into the fabric as though she had decided that was where she belonged. sukuna stared down at her. she was sleeping. once again.

she was always sleeping, just like most babies do. and somehow he still found himself checking every few minutes to make sure she was breathing. he'd never admit it out loud. if anyone asked, he would deny it. aggressively.

but you had caught him red handed enough times already. the first time had been at three in the morning when he stood over the little cot set up for sukumi in the hospital room for nearly ten minutes. the second time was during breakfast, when he couldn't focus on the hospital meal and only on the little girl you gifted him.

the third time happened less than an hour ago. and you were more eagle eyed than ever before. you couldn't help but shake your head ans sigh softly. you had simply looked at him and said, "she's fine."

he had immediately replied, "i know that."

then continued checking anyway. you were still smiling about it when a knock sounded at the door. before either of you could answer, the door opened. you could feel your eyes blink as you registered how they suddenly got here when they said they would be busy.

itadori yuuji walked over, holding a tray of food. "we brought food."

"and gifts." itadori jin smiled as he waved at his nephew. "hand made at the house, mind you."

"and grandpa." the old man says as he walks over and looks at sukumi. "well, great-grandfather in this regard."

ryomen sukuna all but immediately groaned. you laughed as yuuji started to unfurl the food trays. you were excited to eat some good food, good food that came from the hands that loved you and your husband.

as yuuji placed the plate full of food in front of you, you hadn't realized how much you missed seeing everyone together until that moment. you couldn't help but feel warm as it all happened before you. jin was already looking at his little grandniece while grandpa was quizzing sukuna about how he's been taking care of you.

"look at all that." you said as yuuji started unloading bags "you guys didn't have to bring so much."

"we absolutely did." jin said as he looked at you and smiled. "you guys probably aren't getting some good food in this place."

"grandpa bought half of it." yuuji says with a grin. "insisted on cooking it well too! since he was concerned about how you'll like the food after birth."

"that's a lie." his grandfather replied. "the food here is measured—"

"dad, you're such a tsundere, it's not bad to admit that you want the best for your children and their children." jin says, shaking his head as he sighed. "you worked hard on the meal! just like you did with mom and kaori."

his dad looked at him for a while and grumbled. "........i only made a third of it."

"that's not better." jin argues with his father.

"felt better."

you couldn't help laughing. sukuna rolled his ruby eyes. his grandfather ignored him entirely. instead, his gaze immediately returned on the baby sleeping in on the cot.

the old man's expression softened. it was the same look he'd had the first time he met you. and certainly, something you think he had when he looked at your boyfriend as a baby. full of wonder. pure, genuine, tender and devoted wonder.

"there she is." carefully, he stepped closer. "she's just perfect. perfect ten toes, perfect ten fingers. good. that's good."

"that she is." sukuna replied. "she's healthy. that's the best thing."

"she has my genetics." his grandfather whispered, eyes not leaving his great-granddaughter's face. "she's exactly like you when you were a baby."

sukuna looked a bit offended. "she looks like my wife."

"yeah, but she is your carbon copy, boy. can't you see it?"

"no, because she looks like my wife and my wife is pretty."

you reached over and smacked his arm. "stop it, you're getting a bit too loud. she might wake up."

your husband leaned in and apologized to you with a small kiss to the cheek. "yes, sorry. sorry about that. i'll be more mindful."

his grandfather snorted. "thank god you've tamed him."

yuuji finally spotted the baby. his entire face lit up. "can i hold her?"

"no." the answer came instantly from your husband. "she's sleeping."

yuuji frowned. "i wasn't asking you."

"yes, you were."

"I was asking [name]-senpai!"

everybody looked at you in that instant. sukuna narrowed his eyes. "babe—"

you smiled sweetly. "of course you can, yuuji. just be careful. don't wake her up!"

"traitor." your husband mumbled.

"what was that?"

".....nothing."

"thank you." yuuji said immediately.

sukuna looked genuinely offended. "we're married."

"and?" you raised a curious brow.

"you're supposed to be on my side."

"i am on your side."

"clearly not."

"you're being possessive."

"she's my daughter."

"she's everybody's family here too, you know."

"unfortunate."

"you're impossible, my love." you shook your head.

despite his very obvious complaints, sukuna carefully stood and kindly transferred sukumi into yuuji's arms. the transformation was immediate. one second yuuji was excited. the next he looked absolutely horrified. all confidence vanished. his shoulders locked. his eyes widened. he froze so completely he looked like a statue.

"why'd you stop moving?" jin asked.

"i'm scared."

"of what?"

"everything."

the room burst into laughter.

yuuji looked genuinely distressed. "she's so small! i don't want to make a mistake. she's too precious for that."

"babies usually are. but sukumi is bigger than most babies. she'll be alright." you said reassuringly. "especially when you're kind and gentle."

"but she's tiny." yuuji pouts, visibly emotional. "gosh, she's so pretty. i can't believe she came from sukuna."

"oi—"

"what if i accidentally drop her?"

"then i'll throw you out the window."

"WHAT?" yuuji nearly yells but jin tempers him, pointing to sukumi's sleeping form. "....sorry."

"reasonable response for a father."

"THAT IS NOT REASONABLE." jin tempers his son once again who apologizes once more. "this is harder than i thought."

"every parent goes through it. you will one day too."

"but that's scary!"

another laugh escaped you. even sukuna looked amused. sukumi let out a small sleepy sigh in her sleep, moving slightly yuuji nearly jumped. "oh!....she made a sound."

"that's also normal."

"nobody told me babies did that."

"what exactly did you think babies were?"

"I DON'T KNOW."

his grandfather had to sit down because he was laughing too hard, looking away to make sure that no one was seeing this. jin sighed and took sukumi from his son's arms, who finally seemed to be able to breathe again. jin leaned down and looked at sukumi.

".....dad's right, she does look sukuna."

"hey, she's my wife's daughter too!"

for the next half hour, the room dissolved into stories, gifts, and endless baby discussions. jin unpacked tiny clothes that he and kaori had knitted. his grandfather presented three stuffed animals. yuuji revealed an entire photo album he planned to fill with family pictures.

sukuna called it ridiculous, but then quietly set it beside the crib instead of throwing it away. you noticed. everyone noticed. nobody said anything. sukuna would be too embarrassed about it.

because honestly, watching sukuna become soft was one of the greatest forms of entertainment available. it only got worse when yuuji accidentally discovered the photos.

but that didn't last long.

"wait."

the room fell silent. yuuji stared down at sukuna's phone. sukuna immediately became suspicious. "what? yuuji—"

"why do you have four hundred pictures of sukumi?"

the room exploded. jin nearly choked, from laughing. his grandfather looked delighted. you covered your mouth to hide your smile. sukuna lunged for the phone. but it was too late. yuuji was already scrolling.

"this one is just her sleeping."

"give me my phone."

"and this one."

"give me my phone."

"and this one."

"give me my phone."

"there's literally three identical photos."

"they are not identical."

silence. everyone stared at him. sukuna froze. realization slowly crossed his face. he had exposed himself. too much and too completely. he tried to regain his compusre but he couldn't. he just lunged for the phone and this time, successfully got it back.

"you compared them."

"no, i didn't." he argues back.

"you definitely compared them."

"i already said that i didn't."

"you know the differences."

"there literally is no difference and you just wanna spout nonsense about this is and its just, its just ridiculous—"

"you absolutely know the differences."

you laughed so hard your side started hurting. your husband blushed too much. "babe, stop laughing."

"I can't. this is just too cute. my love, you have so much love for her, its beautiful!"

"you're encouraging them."

"this is the funniest thing I've ever seen. but also the most beautiful thing ive ever seen."

his grandfather was openly crying from laughter now. "my grandson."

"don't, old man. don't say a word......"

"the same boy who claimed children were annoying, the the same boy who said he'd never become sentimental."

"don't." he sighed, shaking his head. "my kid is different, okay? this is my kid....this is my precious daughter. of course i'd have pictures of her."

his grandfather sighed. "i can't believe that the same boy with four hundred baby pictures."

"give me strength." sukuna whispers under his breath.

"that's good, you know." his grandfather says to him, with a small smile on his face. "you've grown up well, sukuna. you'll do just fine. maybe even better than me. and most definitely, better than your father."

sukuna looked at his grandfather and sighed, nodding. "thank you, grandpa. i....i appreciate that."

you watched your husband look emotional at his grandfather's words. you took his hand, earning his gaze towards you. you smiled at you. "you're doing great, my love."

he purses his lips into a tight line and then into a small smile. "i love you."

"i love you too."

[mononijikayu]

lover, i've come over — ryomen sukuna.

the decision to leave astrophysics camp had been surprisingly easy. in theory, it should have been the highlight of your summer. the program was prestigious, the observatory equipment was incredible, and you were surrounded by people who could spend hours discussing with you on things like stellar evolution without growing bored. but most of all, you got in for free, a full ride. you wouldn't have to worry about anything.

unfortunately, that was exactly the problem. they could spend hours discussing stellar evolution. and that's not exactly what you wanted to do all the time. you loved astrophysics like any other person in this place. but you love other things too. specifically, your boyfriend. you love ryomen sukuna a lot. and you missed him. quite a fair bit.

you had lasted nearly three weeks before realizing that, while you loved studying, you also didn't necessarily love being trapped in a dormitory with people who treated telescope calibration as a blood sport. by the fourth week, you found yourself checking your phone more than your research notes as you pouted to yourself, thinking of your boyfriend all the way from tokyo city.

by the fifth, you were counting down the days until camp ended, humming your boyfriend's favorite anime theme song like an maniac. and by the sixth, you were standing in a train station with a duffel bag slung over your shoulder, without any regrets. you were determined to go, texting your mom about where you're going and then of course, turning your phone off for a bit. your dad will be too surprised and you were not taking chances.

on the way home, you couldn't help but think about the the moment your boyfriend sukuna had told you he was spending the rest of summer back in his grandparents' town, just the costal end of sendai, in taihaku-ku, where his grandfather had gone back to, to check on his business and most of all, his other son who was running the business. he planned to take sukuna with him.

it wasn't as though the town itself was particularly exciting. it was small, tucked away from the city, the kind of place where everyone knew everyone else's business before breakfast. there wasn't much to do besides wander around, eat good food, and listen to old people gossip on their porches.

but sukuna would be there.

that alone was reason enough.

reason enough to follow.

the whole thing had happened because his grandfather had called one evening, apparently deciding that his grandson needed to spend a few weeks helping out at the family restaurant during summer break. sukuna was surprised and started to argue about it. it would be a bit far from tokyo metropolitan, where you and sukuna both live.

according to his grandfather, sukuna was young, healthy, and entirely too comfortable spending every waking hour either studying or buried underneath somebody's car at the mechanic shop.

according to sukuna, everyone was conspiring to ruin his summer where he gets to be with you on all the dates he wants, cuddle all the time he wants and most of all, play volleyball and do more tinkering in the mechanics shop all he wants.

you still remembered the video call. he had been sitting in his bedroom, sprawled across his desk chair with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. his expression looked as though someone had personally informed him that happiness was now illegal.

you had to bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing. he glared at you softly. "don't laugh."

"i'm not, i promise, i'm not."

"you are." he argues back "it's too obvious, babe!"

"i'm smiling, my love. quite a big difference."

he shakes his head, exasperated. "it's the same thing."

you failed immediately, a laugh slipping out anyway. sukuna glared even more, before slumping against his pillows. "traitor. i can't believe you're on grandpa's side on this."

"i'm sorry, my love....it's..." you said between giggles. "it's just—you look so offended."

"because i am offended." he looks to be pouting all the way from home. "you would choose astrophysics camp over dates with me."

"you're going to spend a few weeks helping your grandpa."

"exactly, that's exactly what it is."

"that's not a punishment."

"it is when he owns a restaurant." he shakes his head. "and you knows how particular he is with cooking. you met him! he didn't own a restaurant and got it running successfully for no reason."

you tilted your head. "you're acting like he enlisted you into the military."

"might as well have."

"dramatic as you come, king of the court."

sukuna pointed accusingly at the camera. "you don't understand."

"then explain it to me." you say to him softly. "what's so much more bad about it?"

he groaned loudly before sinking farther into his chair. "old man called my boss."

"he what?"

"called him."

you blinked. "your grandfather called the mechanic shop? kaoru-san?"

"yes, he did."

"why?"

"'because my grandson is incapable of taking care of himself and needs sunlight, so just for this summmer, let him be a boy.'" sukuna recited in a flat voice. "and kaoru-san bought it! he agreed too easily."

the laugh that escaped you was embarrassingly loud. sukuna looked personally betrayed. "stop finding this funny."

"i can't help it. the fact that he appealed like that is so....it's so unlike him!"

"and it works on anyone. that old man can act like that and do whatever he wants. ugh, then kaoru-san sided with him and told me to have a great summer."

that only made you laugh harder. you could practically imagine it. his poor grandfather making phone calls. his boss immediately agreeing. everyone collectively deciding that sukuna needed to be removed from society and placed somewhere people could monitor him.

"what exactly did kaoru-san say tha made you a bit more betrayed, though?"

sukuna's eye twitched.

"'you've worked every day this summer, kid. take the vacation. have a good summer! here's some pocket money for the way!'" sukuna says as he mimicks kaoru's voice. "it was a lot."

"he sounds reasonable."

"he's a criminal. and the fact that he handed me money i didn't earn, it's insane." he shakes his head. "i'll drop it off the next morning, i already got money saved up....plus, grandpa and uncle jin will pay me for this summer. he shouldn't have to worry about me."

"he sounds concerned about you know? he treats you like a son of his own."

"he's working with my grandfather. that's like my father agreeing with my grandpa and i don't like it."

you buried your face into your hands, shoulders shaking. for a moment, neither of you spoke. then sukuna let out a long suffering sigh. "and now i'm stuck carrying boxes and washing dishes."

"you don't know that."

"i absolutely know that."

"maybe they'll let you cook."

"i am not cooking.....at least i think i'm not."

"why not?"

"because last time i cooked, my cousin accused me of trying to poison him." he says to you. "it's not like i dont know how to cook, but he's just...over dramatic."

"that's because you put chili powder in everything."

"it improves food." he says with a grunt. "'sides, babe. you like it like i do. that's why you have that cute little confused face."

"it's not a cute face!" you argued, feeling your cheeks warm.

he grins. "yeah, it is. i like it, though. i should tease you more."

"you're so annoying."

"hm, but im the annoying you love. and there's no take back-sies." he says, laughing. "anyway, ill see what i can do about cooking. but...it would be better to cook for you this summer."

"it would be....one thing i'll miss from camp is you and your cooking."

"don't worry, we'll meet again before the term ends."

"just be careful there, though. smoke alarms might go wild there!"

"weak smoke alarm."

you laughed again. your boyfriend sukuna watched you for a moment. despite all his complaining, there was something soft in his expression. something fond. he always looked at you like that when you laughed. and immediately, his shoulders relaxed. just a little.

"you're enjoying this way too much."

"maybe i am."

"you're a bit mean to me, don't you think?" he says softly.

"you'll survive." you retort back at him. "besides, you enjoy when i'm a little mean to you.

"debatable." he whispered to you.

"that's not what you said the other day." you whispered to him, with a smirk on your face. he starts blushing. "aw, you're blushing."

"oi, don't start something you can't finish. it's cruel."

"it's only a few weeks."

sukuna groaned dramatically. "few weeks without seeing you, touching you, kissing you, holding you.....fuckin' torture, babe."

the teasing smile on your face immediately softened. "i know....i'll miss you so much. i don't know how i'll do without you."

"yeah." he looked away for a second. suddenly much less interested in complaining. "summer already sucks enough."

your chest tightened. because beneath all the grumbling, that was the real issue. it's not the restaurant and it's not his grandfather. hell, it's not even losing his free time. it's just that he simply didn't want to spend weeks away from you. and vice versa. this is the longest you'll be without each other.

"you're cute."

"don't."

"you are."

"i'm serious."

"so am i."

he rolled his eyes. his ears had gone slightly red. which only made him look cuter. and you loved that. "i'll call every day." you tell him. "i'll make sure you're soothed."

"not the same."

"we can video chat."

"not the same."

"we can text."

"still not the same."

you smiled. "then what would be the same, my love?"

sukuna stared at you, almost like the answer should have been obvious. "you being there, babe. that's all there is to it."

your heart practically melted. he realized what he'd said a second later. immediately looking annoyed with himself. you, however, were already grinning. "aw, you love me so so so much, hm?"

"don't start, it's gonna make me feel things and i end up like going and feeling it so much and i—"

"you miss me already, i know it's hard."

"i haven't even left yet."

"exactly."

"you're impossible."

"you love me, more than anything."

sukuna clicked his tongue. then, after a moment, he speaks and smiles "unfortunately. and most fortunately."

you laughed. and somewhere during that conversation, while sukuna continued complaining about dishwashing, customers, and his grandfather's increasingly suspicious level of planning, you had already made up your mind, and maybe you didn't know know it then.

a few weeks apart? absolutely not. if sukuna wanted you there, well..... well. you were determined to make it happen, like he always does. after all, if he was in your position, he would have done the same thing.

when you arrived, the scene before you was a feast. the familiar scent of grilled fish and simmering broth filled the air around you, the same you smell in his house, in his grandpa's house. it feels like home.

the restaurant itself looked exactly how sukuna had described it during your late-night phone calls: warm wooden interiors, faded noren curtains hanging above the entrance to the kitchen, lanterns casting soft golden light over polished tables.

and in the middle of it all stood sukuna. his sleeves were rolled to his elbows. a dark apron was tied around his waist. a crate of vegetables rested against one hip as though it weighed nothing. the sight of him made something warm bloom immediately in your chest.

"oi, ryomen sukuna!" you called out. "i'm here!"

sukuna's reaction, in your opinion, should have been significantly more romantic. you had imagined something dramatic. a surprised smile, maybe. his uncle points to you standing outside, waving back at him with a wide smile on your face.

there was that happy wide opened arms, reaching to form an embrace in a tight hug. he rests his chin against your shoulder as a confession about how desperately he'd missed you, passes through his lips as his fingers brushes against the edges of your locks.

"what the hell are you doing here?" he says as you both break apart, before he starts pressing kisses on you, which makes you laugh. "you still had a few weeks at astrophysics camp! did you tell your mom, or your dad? babe, they're going to kill me, what the—"

"we'll think about that later." you say to him, letting your hand explore his face, eyes full of reverence. a face you could spend your whole life knowing. "what matters is that we're together again."

"yeah. yeah, that's right. we're together."

six weeks wasn't that long. at least, it wasn't supposed to be.

yet seeing him now felt strangely overwhelming. you hadn't realized how much you'd missed him until this moment. apparently, neither had he. because despite the irritated expression he was attempting to maintain, there was a very obvious softness in his eyes. the kind that only appeared when he looked at you.

"besides, i got bored there." you informed him. "i couldn't wait to see you."

sukuna stared. "you left astrophysics camp because you got bored."

"yes.....is that such a bad thing?"

"babe, that's the camp you spent six months applying for."

"correct. and i got a full ride in it."

"the camp you wouldn't shut up about."

"it wasn't my fault."

his eyebrow twitched. "it absolutely was."

you grinned. "well, maybe. but i started thinking about how you're spending your summer helping here and how i'm spending mine surrounded by people arguing about mirrors and lenses."

"they're astronomers."

"they're nerds."

"you are literally a nerd."

"i'm a different kind of nerd." he whispers back to you. "i like volleyballs."

"hm, and what else?"

"isn't that obvious?" he whispers to you. "you, i like you."

you teased him. "just like?"

"no, no. it's love. i love you." he looked a bit flustered by that. "more than anything—"

you laughed. "it's okay, don't spiral, my love. i love you. more than anything too."

sukuna sighed deeply, the kind of sigh that suggested years of suffering. then, despite himself, the corner of his mouth twitched upward. the smile lasted less than a second. you still caught it. because it belonged to you. and only you.

and just like that, every bit of uncertainty you'd carried on the train ride over disappeared. because there it was. the look he'd been giving you ever since the two of you started dating. the look that said he'd missed you just as much.

you barely had time to open your mouth before a voice exploded from somewhere behind him. you couldn't help but nearly jump off your skin as the entire restaurant to vibrate in conversation about the two of you. yo ucouldn't help feel heat all over your body.

"so this is the girlfriend." the same man emerged from the kitchen carrying a serving tray under one arm. "ah, young love."

his grandfather finally appeared. "just wait. they'll be as worse as they were back in tokyo, jin. especially the boy—"

"oi, old man! stop that!" sukuna says, arguing as his red face came brightly.

his grandfather snickered. "there's nothing wrong about young love."

"there is if you keep trying to butt into mine!"

his uncle jin sighed, smiling. "you're hot blooded. ah, young men these days!"

"uncle jin, you were the same with aunt kaori!"

the resemblance was impossible to miss. same dark pink fuschia hair.

same sharp eyes. same infuriatingly smug expression. just older.

and considerably friendlier than your boyfriend at first glance. you looked at him and then your boyfriend.

".....wait, jin, kaori...." you whispered. then your eyes widened. you turned to sukuna. "is yuuji your cousin?"

sukuna looked at you like you grew a second head. "hah, babe? wasn't that obvious?"

your eyes widened. "wait.....i thought—"

sukuna pointed to his uncle. "my uncle took my aunt's last name."

"only way i could marry her." uncle jin grinned at his nephew. "i mean, it made sense. she was from a traditional family and they wanted to keep the name alive. so, you know! choices!"

you took a moment and sat down. "i'm...i'm gonna need a minute."

the old man snickered. "welcome to the family, girl."

the reality of it did not fully sink in until much later. no. the realization hit somewhere in the middle of dinner, while sukuna was arguing with his grandfather over vegetables on the hotpot he was making. you stared at him from across the kitchen table.

then you stared at yuuji, who had just come back from his beach volleyball practice a while earlier, conversing with his grandfather. then back at sukuna. then back at yuuji.

the pink-haired boy blinked. "...why do you keep looking at us like that, senpai?"

you pointed dramatically. "because i still can't believe you're related and never said a word to me."

yuuji looked confused. ".....we did?"

sukuna could only sighed. "i thought the features are obvious, babe."

you pout. "making me look and question it for years isn't obvious!"

"listen, i was really not aware you didn't know."

"at least, you could have asked!"

his grandfather looked entertained. his son nudged him. "enjoying it too much aren't you?"

"well, i love a lively house."

"you've been saying that for hours, babe." sukuna said.

"because it's insane, my love." you whispered to him. "is that why you were mad when i said yuuji looked cute?"

"no....." your boyfriend says, still avoiding to look at you. "i mean, we look alike and—"

you gasped. "it absolutely is! my love, you think i would break up with you because i would go ahead and date my junior because he looks like you?"

sukuna looked up and was red in the face, embarrassed. "look, i was a kid. and immature.....i definitely was just....gah, it's hard to explain!"

you started laughing loudly. "oh, this is good, i can't....i can't believe you were jealous!"

yuuji still looked confused. "what...what's happening?"

"keep eating the meat, son." jin smiled, adding some meat on his son's bowl. "don't worry about it."

"this is going to be a lively family." his father smiled, satisfied as he ate watching you and sukuna banter. "it's lively again."

you sat forward immediately, finally calming down a bit as sukuna added more condiments to the hotpot. "no, okay. okay. because think about it. think about it for one second."

"i don't want to." he says to you as he moved to give you more broth. "that's too much, after what we've just been doing."

"you have to. i'm very curious about a lot of things now!"

"i really don't." your boyfriend argued. "we have tomorrow to talk about this."

you ignored him. "i have known of yuuji since we were kids."

"okay." your boyfriend says as he pours broth on his bowl. "elaborate."

"he was in the basketball division for boys in our town, remember? then he switched to volleyball."

"oh, that's right, you played basketball too, senpai!" yuuji smiles as he remembers himself. "they called you goddess then too! man, my middle school had a fanclub about you."

sukuna looks at his cousin. "we'll talk about that later. i now have questions about that too." he looks back at you. "babe, continue."

"i've listened to him talk about his cousin." you say to him. "like a lot, especially when we got closer in college."

"okay, yes, he does."

"and i've listened to you complain about your cousin."

"unfortunately."

"i'm right here!" yuuji says in between biting at his meat. "be nicer to me, huh?"

sukuna snickered. "how about no?"

"and somehow neither of you thought to mention names?" you say to him. "did you both expect me to go by context clues?"

yuuji scratched the back of his head. "when you put it like that..."

"it's weird." sukuna finally admits.

his grandfather burst out laughing. "oh, you bumbling idiots." the old man said, wiping at his eyes, "they didn't realize it either."

that made you freeze. you looked at yuuji. yuuji looked at sukuna. sukuna immediately groaned. they both finally looked away embarassed. jin started laughing as loud as his father.

"oh, don't."

"oh my god."

"don't."

"oh my god."

yuuji started laughing. "no, tell her."

"absolutely not."

"tell me."

sukuna pointed at his cousin. "you tell her and i kill you."

"grandpa, can i tell her?"

"please do."

traitor.

absolute traitor.

sukuna lowered his head. "i hate his family."

"no, you don't." jin says to him, pouring some cold tea on his cup. "you love us a lot!"

"uncle jin, that's—"

yuuji grinned. "when we figured it out, he thought i was joking."

jin rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. "sukuna and yuuji were too young then and me and my brother really don't talk a lot, so...."

you slapped the table. "i knew it."

"he literally told me to shut up."

"i knew it. that's so him too!"

"he thought there was no way we could know the same person."

you looked delighted. sukuna looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. his grandfather started speaking. "then i showed him your picture from my wallet and went, 'who is that, grandson?' and he was like 'me! that's me!'"

yuuji snickered. "it was me."

the room erupted. even sukuna's uncle was laughing now. you nearly fell out of your chair. "oh my god."

"he stared at it for like thirty seconds." his grandfather says.

"no, i didn't."

yuuji laughed. "yes, you did! we weren't more than like...five or six? wait, i was five, you were seven!"

"then he walked away." his grandpa added.

"no, i had to pee then!" sukuna argues back, redder than ever before.

yuuji nodded enthusiastically. "you didn't say anything, though."

you were crying from laughter. "this is way too good, oh my god...."

sukuna looked genuinely offended. "i was processing."

yuuji starts laughing hysterically. "while peeing?"

"it's multitasking!"

"you left the room."

"i was processing elsewhere."

"you went outside."

"there was fresh air. and there was an outdoor toilet there, you idiot!"

his grandfather was practically wheezing now. for someone who complained about his family constantly, ryomen sukuna fit into the chaos suspiciously well. and just as much, you did too.

the rest of dinner passed in a blur of teasing, stories, and the sort of easy conversation that only happened when people were completely comfortable with one another.

for someone who spent most of the year complaining about his relatives, sukuna seemed happier here than he realized, more carefree. and most of all, a little bit more at home.

you noticed it in the way he spoke. in the way he rolled his eyes whenever his grandfather nagged him but still got up to help anyway. in the way his uncle asked about school and work and actually listened to the answer. in the way yuuji wandered in and out of conversations without needing permission.

there was affection beneath all the bickering. the kind built over years. the kind that he seemed to share with him more than anyone else, just like he does with you. which makes you wonder, how he was when it comes to his parents.

but that was another thought for another time.

eventually the restaurant closed for the evening. his grandfather disappeared downstairs to finish paperwork. his uncle retreated to the living room. yuuji vanished somewhere outside after announcing he was "going on a walk" despite it already being dark.

leaving only you and sukuna.

finally, after waiting for so long.

it was only the two of you, just like you wanted.

the two of you made your way upstairs. the old wooden steps creaked beneath your feet. the sounds of the restaurant faded behind you. and for the first time all day, everything became quiet.

you still hadn't met kaori. apparently she was working late at the school where she taught summer classes. his grandfather had promised you'd meet her tomorrow.

part of you was nervous. the other part was still trying to process the fact that you'd left astrophysics camp. actually left, without call to your parents until you had left, no less. so unlike you. and yet, so much like you, more than you can dare think.

you sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. the reality was beginning to settle in now that the excitement of traveling had worn off. you had abandoned a prestigious summer program. a full scholarship. an opportunity people would've killed for.

all because you missed your boyfriend.

when you phrased it that way, it sounded slightly insane. your phone buzzed. you looked down and immediately froze. you looked at him for a moment. sukuna noticed. "what?"

you turned the screen around. his expression changed instantly. "ah."

"yeah."

"your parents."

"yeah."

another notification appeared. then another. then another. sukuna sighed. you sank further into the mattress. "i don't want to answer any of them. fuck, there's a call from my older brother."

"no kidding." he whispered. "wait your half brother? the one in the states?"

you nodded. "yeah......what if they're all mad at me?"

"i mean, they're definitely mad. look at the amount of messages and calls, babe."

you groaned. "so very helpful, aren't you?"

"i'm realistic, babe. grandpa's like that too."

the phone started ringing. you stared at it. the phone continued ringing. sukuna stared at you. you stared back. then silently extended the phone toward him. he blinked. "you coward."

"please."

"you left an entire astrophysics program."

"please.....just do it for me, my love."

sukuna groaned dramatically before taking the phone. the moment he answered, you buried your face in a pillow, kicking your feet as your boyfriend tried to prepare himself for what was coming next. "hello?"

silence. then his eyebrows lifted. "oh, hello. yeah, i know. sorry if it's me answering. i know. yeah, sorry." another pause. you couldn't hear your parents, but judging from sukuna's expression, they had a lot to say. "yes, she's here."

there was another pause. sukuna snickers. "no, she wasn't kidnapped. she's here with me and my family. yes, in sendai. yes, it's fine. my family loves her." longer pause. his eyes closed. "no, i did not convince her to leave."

then he looked directly at you. "you hear that?" you pointed at yourself innocently. sukuna rolled his eyes, snickering. "no, i actually told her not to come, don't worry." another pause. "yes, multiple times. yes, sir. i told her not to."

"i know, i watched the entire process. because abandoning astrophysics camp is objectively a terrible idea. especially with a full ride. its incomprehensable, yes."

you gasped as you glared at him. you threw a pillow. "betrayal."

he ignored you, laughing silently as he captured the pillow. "yes, yes. we've eaten dinner. oh? you've handled that. will they be continuing the program with her? when? during spring break? that's good news."

for nearly fifteen minutes, he patiently reassured your increasingly worried parents. he reiterated that you were safe, that you had eaten. and that you had a place to stay and that you had opted to stay. and that nobody was letting you wander around alone. but most of all, that yes, you would eventually return home.

his voice softened little by little as the conversation continued. almost too familiar with your parents now after being your boyfriend for nearly four years. it was not too dramatically done, it was warm and serious all at once. just enough. enough that you recognized the side of him most people never saw.

the side that worried.

the side that cared.

the side that always pretended he didn't.

eventually the call ended. the room fell quiet. sukuna tossed your phone onto the bed beside you. you looked at him expectantly, raising a brow. "well? what's the final verdict."

"they didn't kill me."

"good sign coming from them, not going to lie." he snickers.

"they did threaten to lock you away from the world as punishment." he says to you as he watches you plug your phone in the charger. "which is...."

"that's fair. i mean, i did try to run away."

"they also threatened mine."

"less fair. i'm the one who ran away."

"you dragged me into this." he sighed dramatically as he leaned by your knees. "i mean, aren't i a victim in all these things?"

you laughed. "nah, you're a willing accomplice."

sukuna sighed. "hm, i suppose you were right."

but there was no real irritation behind it. you knew it was just exhaustion, the good happy kind. the kind that came after a long day, oen where there was some satisfaction in the end. and being by your side, being together with you, it was the reward. it was the satisfaction he could ever want.

outside, the evening had settled completely over the town. crickets chirped through the open window. a warm summer breeze drifted through the room.

the house itself had gone quiet. for a while neither of you spoke. there wasn't really a need to. you shifted closer until your shoulder rested against his. sukuna immediately leaned back against you. he leaned in pressed a kiss on the top of your head and you couldn't help but smile.

it was comfortable. and almost so automatic. it was like he hadn't spent weeks complaining about being separated from you, like you hadn't crossed half the country because you missed him.

his hand found yours where it rested between you. fingers intertwining naturally, fitting so completely. neither of you even looked down. you sat lay there together listening to the sounds of summer drifting through the window.

the distant hum of insects. the creak of the old house. the muffled sound of his grandfather yelling at someone downstairs. probably yuuji. definitely yuuji. and for the first time since leaving camp, all of the doubt faded away. the guilt. the uncertainty.

the questions about whether you'd made the right choice. because being there beside sukuna, tucked away in the little room he'd spent every summer growing up in, with his hand wrapped around yours and his shoulder pressed against yours, everything felt surprisingly simple.

after a moment, sukuna glanced sideways at you. "worth it?"

you looked at him. at the boy you'd missed so much you had done something objectively ridiculous. at the boy whose family had already welcomed you in as though you belonged there. at the boy who had spent the last fifteen minutes reassuring your parents because you were too scared to do it yourself.

your smile came easily. "completely."

something softened in his expression. it was barely noticeable. but real. the most real it could ever be with anyone. then he squeezed your hand. and the two of you spent the rest of the evening exactly the way you'd wanted from the moment you left camp.

together.

epilogue

the first thing ryomen sukuna learned after becoming a father was that absolutely nobody respected him anymore. probably not the nurses. not his family. and certainly not you, who was even happy about it.

which was particularly insulting considering he had spent years cultivating a reputation that made grown adults nervous to disagree with him.

all it took to destroy that reputation was a six-pound newborn named ryomen sukumi.

the hospital room was quiet when he sat beside the window, your daughter sleeping peacefully against his chest. the afternoon sunlight spilled through the curtains, painting everything gold.

little sukumi's tiny hand rested against his shirt, her fingers curled into the fabric as though she had decided that was where she belonged. sukuna stared down at her. she was sleeping. once again.

she was always sleeping, just like most babies do. and somehow he still found himself checking every few minutes to make sure she was breathing. he'd never admit it out loud. if anyone asked, he would deny it. aggressively.

but you had caught him red handed enough times already. the first time had been at three in the morning when he stood over the little cot set up for sukumi in the hospital room for nearly ten minutes. the second time was during breakfast, when he couldn't focus on the hospital meal and only on the little girl you gifted him.

the third time happened less than an hour ago. and you were more eagle eyed than ever before. you couldn't help but shake your head ans sigh softly. you had simply looked at him and said, "she's fine."

he had immediately replied, "i know that."

then continued checking anyway. you were still smiling about it when a knock sounded at the door. before either of you could answer, the door opened. you could feel your eyes blink as you registered how they suddenly got here when they said they would be busy.

itadori yuuji walked over, holding a tray of food. "we brought food."

"and gifts." itadori jin smiled as he waved at his nephew. "hand made at the house, mind you."

"and grandpa." the old man says as he walks over and looks at sukumi. "well, great-grandfather in this regard."

ryomen sukuna all but immediately groaned. you laughed as yuuji started to unfurl the food trays. you were excited to eat some good food, good food that came from the hands that loved you and your husband.

as yuuji placed the plate full of food in front of you, you hadn't realized how much you missed seeing everyone together until that moment. you couldn't help but feel warm as it all happened before you. jin was already looking at his little grandniece while grandpa was quizzing sukuna about how he's been taking care of you.

"look at all that." you said as yuuji started unloading bags "you guys didn't have to bring so much."

"we absolutely did." jin said as he looked at you and smiled. "you guys probably aren't getting some good food in this place."

"grandpa bought half of it." yuuji says with a grin. "insisted on cooking it well too! since he was concerned about how you'll like the food after birth."

"that's a lie." his grandfather replied. "the food here is measured—"

"dad, you're such a tsundere, it's not bad to admit that you want the best for your children and their children." jin says, shaking his head as he sighed. "you worked hard on the meal! just like you did with mom and kaori."

his dad looked at him for a while and grumbled. "........i only made a third of it."

"that's not better." jin argues with his father.

"felt better."

you couldn't help laughing. sukuna rolled his ruby eyes. his grandfather ignored him entirely. instead, his gaze immediately returned on the baby sleeping in on the cot.

the old man's expression softened. it was the same look he'd had the first time he met you. and certainly, something you think he had when he looked at your boyfriend as a baby. full of wonder. pure, genuine, tender and devoted wonder.

"there she is." carefully, he stepped closer. "she's just perfect. perfect ten toes, perfect ten fingers. good. that's good."

"that she is." sukuna replied. "she's healthy. that's the best thing."

"she has my genetics." his grandfather whispered, eyes not leaving his great-granddaughter's face. "she's exactly like you when you were a baby."

sukuna looked a bit offended. "she looks like my wife."

"yeah, but she is your carbon copy, boy. can't you see it?"

"no, because she looks like my wife and my wife is pretty."

you reached over and smacked his arm. "stop it, you're getting a bit too loud. she might wake up."

your husband leaned in and apologized to you with a small kiss to the cheek. "yes, sorry. sorry about that. i'll be more mindful."

his grandfather snorted. "thank god you've tamed him."

yuuji finally spotted the baby. his entire face lit up. "can i hold her?"

"no." the answer came instantly from your husband. "she's sleeping."

yuuji frowned. "i wasn't asking you."

"yes, you were."

"I was asking [name]-senpai!"

everybody looked at you in that instant. sukuna narrowed his eyes. "babe—"

you smiled sweetly. "of course you can, yuuji. just be careful. don't wake her up!"

"traitor." your husband mumbled.

"what was that?"

".....nothing."

"thank you." yuuji said immediately.

sukuna looked genuinely offended. "we're married."

"and?" you raised a curious brow.

"you're supposed to be on my side."

"i am on your side."

"clearly not."

"you're being possessive."

"she's my daughter."

"she's everybody's family here too, you know."

"unfortunate."

"you're impossible, my love." you shook your head.

despite his very obvious complaints, sukuna carefully stood and kindly transferred sukumi into yuuji's arms. the transformation was immediate. one second yuuji was excited. the next he looked absolutely horrified. all confidence vanished. his shoulders locked. his eyes widened. he froze so completely he looked like a statue.

"why'd you stop moving?" jin asked.

"i'm scared."

"of what?"

"everything."

the room burst into laughter.

yuuji looked genuinely distressed. "she's so small! i don't want to make a mistake. she's too precious for that."

"babies usually are. but sukumi is bigger than most babies. she'll be alright." you said reassuringly. "especially when you're kind and gentle."

"but she's tiny." yuuji pouts, visibly emotional. "gosh, she's so pretty. i can't believe she came from sukuna."

"oi—"

"what if i accidentally drop her?"

"then i'll throw you out the window."

"WHAT?" yuuji nearly yells but jin tempers him, pointing to sukumi's sleeping form. "....sorry."

"reasonable response for a father."

"THAT IS NOT REASONABLE." jin tempers his son once again who apologizes once more. "this is harder than i thought."

"every parent goes through it. you will one day too."

"but that's scary!"

another laugh escaped you. even sukuna looked amused. sukumi let out a small sleepy sigh in her sleep, moving slightly yuuji nearly jumped. "oh!....she made a sound."

"that's also normal."

"nobody told me babies did that."

"what exactly did you think babies were?"

"I DON'T KNOW."

his grandfather had to sit down because he was laughing too hard, looking away to make sure that no one was seeing this. jin sighed and took sukumi from his son's arms, who finally seemed to be able to breathe again. jin leaned down and looked at sukumi.

".....dad's right, she does look sukuna."

"hey, she's my wife's daughter too!"

for the next half hour, the room dissolved into stories, gifts, and endless baby discussions. jin unpacked tiny clothes that he and kaori had knitted. his grandfather presented three stuffed animals. yuuji revealed an entire photo album he planned to fill with family pictures.

sukuna called it ridiculous, but then quietly set it beside the crib instead of throwing it away. you noticed. everyone noticed. nobody said anything. sukuna would be too embarrassed about it.

because honestly, watching sukuna become soft was one of the greatest forms of entertainment available. it only got worse when yuuji accidentally discovered the photos.

but that didn't last long.

"wait."

the room fell silent. yuuji stared down at sukuna's phone. sukuna immediately became suspicious. "what? yuuji—"

"why do you have four hundred pictures of sukumi?"

the room exploded. jin nearly choked, from laughing. his grandfather looked delighted. you covered your mouth to hide your smile. sukuna lunged for the phone. but it was too late. yuuji was already scrolling.

"this one is just her sleeping."

"give me my phone."

"and this one."

"give me my phone."

"and this one."

"give me my phone."

"there's literally three identical photos."

"they are not identical."

silence. everyone stared at him. sukuna froze. realization slowly crossed his face. he had exposed himself. too much and too completely. he tried to regain his compusre but he couldn't. he just lunged for the phone and this time, successfully got it back.

"you compared them."

"no, i didn't." he argues back.

"you definitely compared them."

"i already said that i didn't."

"you know the differences."

"there literally is no difference and you just wanna spout nonsense about this is and its just, its just ridiculous—"

"you absolutely know the differences."

you laughed so hard your side started hurting. your husband blushed too much. "babe, stop laughing."

"I can't. this is just too cute. my love, you have so much love for her, its beautiful!"

"you're encouraging them."

"this is the funniest thing I've ever seen. but also the most beautiful thing ive ever seen."

his grandfather was openly crying from laughter now. "my grandson."

"don't, old man. don't say a word......"

"the same boy who claimed children were annoying, the the same boy who said he'd never become sentimental."

"don't." he sighed, shaking his head. "my kid is different, okay? this is my kid....this is my precious daughter. of course i'd have pictures of her."

his grandfather sighed. "i can't believe that the same boy with four hundred baby pictures."

"give me strength." sukuna whispers under his breath.

"that's good, you know." his grandfather says to him, with a small smile on his face. "you've grown up well, sukuna. you'll do just fine. maybe even better than me. and most definitely, better than your father."

sukuna looked at his grandfather and sighed, nodding. "thank you, grandpa. i....i appreciate that."

you watched your husband look emotional at his grandfather's words. you took his hand, earning his gaze towards you. you smiled at you. "you're doing great, my love."

he purses his lips into a tight line and then into a small smile. "i love you."

"i love you too."

[mononijikayu]

lover, i've come over — ryomen sukuna.

the decision to leave astrophysics camp had been surprisingly easy. in theory, it should have been the highlight of your summer. the program was prestigious, the observatory equipment was incredible, and you were surrounded by people who could spend hours discussing with you on things like stellar evolution without growing bored. but most of all, you got in for free, a full ride. you wouldn't have to worry about anything.

unfortunately, that was exactly the problem. they could spend hours discussing stellar evolution. and that's not exactly what you wanted to do all the time. you loved astrophysics like any other person in this place. but you love other things too. specifically, your boyfriend. you love ryomen sukuna a lot. and you missed him. quite a fair bit.

you had lasted nearly three weeks before realizing that, while you loved studying, you also didn't necessarily love being trapped in a dormitory with people who treated telescope calibration as a blood sport. by the fourth week, you found yourself checking your phone more than your research notes as you pouted to yourself, thinking of your boyfriend all the way from tokyo city.

by the fifth, you were counting down the days until camp ended, humming your boyfriend's favorite anime theme song like an maniac. and by the sixth, you were standing in a train station with a duffel bag slung over your shoulder, without any regrets. you were determined to go, texting your mom about where you're going and then of course, turning your phone off for a bit. your dad will be too surprised and you were not taking chances.

on the way home, you couldn't help but think about the the moment your boyfriend sukuna had told you he was spending the rest of summer back in his grandparents' town, just the costal end of sendai, in taihaku-ku, where his grandfather had gone back to, to check on his business and most of all, his other son who was running the business. he planned to take sukuna with him.

it wasn't as though the town itself was particularly exciting. it was small, tucked away from the city, the kind of place where everyone knew everyone else's business before breakfast. there wasn't much to do besides wander around, eat good food, and listen to old people gossip on their porches.

but sukuna would be there.

that alone was reason enough.

reason enough to follow.

the whole thing had happened because his grandfather had called one evening, apparently deciding that his grandson needed to spend a few weeks helping out at the family restaurant during summer break. sukuna was surprised and started to argue about it. it would be a bit far from tokyo metropolitan, where you and sukuna both live.

according to his grandfather, sukuna was young, healthy, and entirely too comfortable spending every waking hour either studying or buried underneath somebody's car at the mechanic shop.

according to sukuna, everyone was conspiring to ruin his summer where he gets to be with you on all the dates he wants, cuddle all the time he wants and most of all, play volleyball and do more tinkering in the mechanics shop all he wants.

you still remembered the video call. he had been sitting in his bedroom, sprawled across his desk chair with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. his expression looked as though someone had personally informed him that happiness was now illegal.

you had to bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing. he glared at you softly. "don't laugh."

"i'm not, i promise, i'm not."

"you are." he argues back "it's too obvious, babe!"

"i'm smiling, my love. quite a big difference."

he shakes his head, exasperated. "it's the same thing."

you failed immediately, a laugh slipping out anyway. sukuna glared even more, before slumping against his pillows. "traitor. i can't believe you're on grandpa's side on this."

"i'm sorry, my love....it's..." you said between giggles. "it's just—you look so offended."

"because i am offended." he looks to be pouting all the way from home. "you would choose astrophysics camp over dates with me."

"you're going to spend a few weeks helping your grandpa."

"exactly, that's exactly what it is."

"that's not a punishment."

"it is when he owns a restaurant." he shakes his head. "and you knows how particular he is with cooking. you met him! he didn't own a restaurant and got it running successfully for no reason."

you tilted your head. "you're acting like he enlisted you into the military."

"might as well have."

"dramatic as you come, king of the court."

sukuna pointed accusingly at the camera. "you don't understand."

"then explain it to me." you say to him softly. "what's so much more bad about it?"

he groaned loudly before sinking farther into his chair. "old man called my boss."

"he what?"

"called him."

you blinked. "your grandfather called the mechanic shop? kaoru-san?"

"yes, he did."

"why?"

"'because my grandson is incapable of taking care of himself and needs sunlight, so just for this summmer, let him be a boy.'" sukuna recited in a flat voice. "and kaoru-san bought it! he agreed too easily."

the laugh that escaped you was embarrassingly loud. sukuna looked personally betrayed. "stop finding this funny."

"i can't help it. the fact that he appealed like that is so....it's so unlike him!"

"and it works on anyone. that old man can act like that and do whatever he wants. ugh, then kaoru-san sided with him and told me to have a great summer."

that only made you laugh harder. you could practically imagine it. his poor grandfather making phone calls. his boss immediately agreeing. everyone collectively deciding that sukuna needed to be removed from society and placed somewhere people could monitor him.

"what exactly did kaoru-san say tha made you a bit more betrayed, though?"

sukuna's eye twitched.

"'you've worked every day this summer, kid. take the vacation. have a good summer! here's some pocket money for the way!'" sukuna says as he mimicks kaoru's voice. "it was a lot."

"he sounds reasonable."

"he's a criminal. and the fact that he handed me money i didn't earn, it's insane." he shakes his head. "i'll drop it off the next morning, i already got money saved up....plus, grandpa and uncle jin will pay me for this summer. he shouldn't have to worry about me."

"he sounds concerned about you know? he treats you like a son of his own."

"he's working with my grandfather. that's like my father agreeing with my grandpa and i don't like it."

you buried your face into your hands, shoulders shaking. for a moment, neither of you spoke. then sukuna let out a long suffering sigh. "and now i'm stuck carrying boxes and washing dishes."

"you don't know that."

"i absolutely know that."

"maybe they'll let you cook."

"i am not cooking.....at least i think i'm not."

"why not?"

"because last time i cooked, my cousin accused me of trying to poison him." he says to you. "it's not like i dont know how to cook, but he's just...over dramatic."

"that's because you put chili powder in everything."

"it improves food." he says with a grunt. "'sides, babe. you like it like i do. that's why you have that cute little confused face."

"it's not a cute face!" you argued, feeling your cheeks warm.

he grins. "yeah, it is. i like it, though. i should tease you more."

"you're so annoying."

"hm, but im the annoying you love. and there's no take back-sies." he says, laughing. "anyway, ill see what i can do about cooking. but...it would be better to cook for you this summer."

"it would be....one thing i'll miss from camp is you and your cooking."

"don't worry, we'll meet again before the term ends."

"just be careful there, though. smoke alarms might go wild there!"

"weak smoke alarm."

you laughed again. your boyfriend sukuna watched you for a moment. despite all his complaining, there was something soft in his expression. something fond. he always looked at you like that when you laughed. and immediately, his shoulders relaxed. just a little.

"you're enjoying this way too much."

"maybe i am."

"you're a bit mean to me, don't you think?" he says softly.

"you'll survive." you retort back at him. "besides, you enjoy when i'm a little mean to you.

"debatable." he whispered to you.

"that's not what you said the other day." you whispered to him, with a smirk on your face. he starts blushing. "aw, you're blushing."

"oi, don't start something you can't finish. it's cruel."

"it's only a few weeks."

sukuna groaned dramatically. "few weeks without seeing you, touching you, kissing you, holding you.....fuckin' torture, babe."

the teasing smile on your face immediately softened. "i know....i'll miss you so much. i don't know how i'll do without you."

"yeah." he looked away for a second. suddenly much less interested in complaining. "summer already sucks enough."

your chest tightened. because beneath all the grumbling, that was the real issue. it's not the restaurant and it's not his grandfather. hell, it's not even losing his free time. it's just that he simply didn't want to spend weeks away from you. and vice versa. this is the longest you'll be without each other.

"you're cute."

"don't."

"you are."

"i'm serious."

"so am i."

he rolled his eyes. his ears had gone slightly red. which only made him look cuter. and you loved that. "i'll call every day." you tell him. "i'll make sure you're soothed."

"not the same."

"we can video chat."

"not the same."

"we can text."

"still not the same."

you smiled. "then what would be the same, my love?"

sukuna stared at you, almost like the answer should have been obvious. "you being there, babe. that's all there is to it."

your heart practically melted. he realized what he'd said a second later. immediately looking annoyed with himself. you, however, were already grinning. "aw, you love me so so so much, hm?"

"don't start, it's gonna make me feel things and i end up like going and feeling it so much and i—"

"you miss me already, i know it's hard."

"i haven't even left yet."

"exactly."

"you're impossible."

"you love me, more than anything."

sukuna clicked his tongue. then, after a moment, he speaks and smiles "unfortunately. and most fortunately."

you laughed. and somewhere during that conversation, while sukuna continued complaining about dishwashing, customers, and his grandfather's increasingly suspicious level of planning, you had already made up your mind, and maybe you didn't know know it then.

a few weeks apart? absolutely not. if sukuna wanted you there, well..... well. you were determined to make it happen, like he always does. after all, if he was in your position, he would have done the same thing.

when you arrived, the scene before you was a feast. the familiar scent of grilled fish and simmering broth filled the air around you, the same you smell in his house, in his grandpa's house. it feels like home.

the restaurant itself looked exactly how sukuna had described it during your late-night phone calls: warm wooden interiors, faded noren curtains hanging above the entrance to the kitchen, lanterns casting soft golden light over polished tables.

and in the middle of it all stood sukuna. his sleeves were rolled to his elbows. a dark apron was tied around his waist. a crate of vegetables rested against one hip as though it weighed nothing. the sight of him made something warm bloom immediately in your chest.

"oi, ryomen sukuna!" you called out. "i'm here!"

sukuna's reaction, in your opinion, should have been significantly more romantic. you had imagined something dramatic. a surprised smile, maybe. his uncle points to you standing outside, waving back at him with a wide smile on your face.

there was that happy wide opened arms, reaching to form an embrace in a tight hug. he rests his chin against your shoulder as a confession about how desperately he'd missed you, passes through his lips as his fingers brushes against the edges of your locks.

"what the hell are you doing here?" he says as you both break apart, before he starts pressing kisses on you, which makes you laugh. "you still had a few weeks at astrophysics camp! did you tell your mom, or your dad? babe, they're going to kill me, what the—"

"we'll think about that later." you say to him, letting your hand explore his face, eyes full of reverence. a face you could spend your whole life knowing. "what matters is that we're together again."

"yeah. yeah, that's right. we're together."

six weeks wasn't that long. at least, it wasn't supposed to be.

yet seeing him now felt strangely overwhelming. you hadn't realized how much you'd missed him until this moment. apparently, neither had he. because despite the irritated expression he was attempting to maintain, there was a very obvious softness in his eyes. the kind that only appeared when he looked at you.

"besides, i got bored there." you informed him. "i couldn't wait to see you."

sukuna stared. "you left astrophysics camp because you got bored."

"yes.....is that such a bad thing?"

"babe, that's the camp you spent six months applying for."

"correct. and i got a full ride in it."

"the camp you wouldn't shut up about."

"it wasn't my fault."

his eyebrow twitched. "it absolutely was."

you grinned. "well, maybe. but i started thinking about how you're spending your summer helping here and how i'm spending mine surrounded by people arguing about mirrors and lenses."

"they're astronomers."

"they're nerds."

"you are literally a nerd."

"i'm a different kind of nerd." he whispers back to you. "i like volleyballs."

"hm, and what else?"

"isn't that obvious?" he whispers to you. "you, i like you."

you teased him. "just like?"

"no, no. it's love. i love you." he looked a bit flustered by that. "more than anything—"

you laughed. "it's okay, don't spiral, my love. i love you. more than anything too."

sukuna sighed deeply, the kind of sigh that suggested years of suffering. then, despite himself, the corner of his mouth twitched upward. the smile lasted less than a second. you still caught it. because it belonged to you. and only you.

and just like that, every bit of uncertainty you'd carried on the train ride over disappeared. because there it was. the look he'd been giving you ever since the two of you started dating. the look that said he'd missed you just as much.

you barely had time to open your mouth before a voice exploded from somewhere behind him. you couldn't help but nearly jump off your skin as the entire restaurant to vibrate in conversation about the two of you. yo ucouldn't help feel heat all over your body.

"so this is the girlfriend." the same man emerged from the kitchen carrying a serving tray under one arm. "ah, young love."

his grandfather finally appeared. "just wait. they'll be as worse as they were back in tokyo, jin. especially the boy—"

"oi, old man! stop that!" sukuna says, arguing as his red face came brightly.

his grandfather snickered. "there's nothing wrong about young love."

"there is if you keep trying to butt into mine!"

his uncle jin sighed, smiling. "you're hot blooded. ah, young men these days!"

"uncle jin, you were the same with aunt kaori!"

the resemblance was impossible to miss. same dark pink fuschia hair.

same sharp eyes. same infuriatingly smug expression. just older.

and considerably friendlier than your boyfriend at first glance. you looked at him and then your boyfriend.

".....wait, jin, kaori...." you whispered. then your eyes widened. you turned to sukuna. "is yuuji your cousin?"

sukuna looked at you like you grew a second head. "hah, babe? wasn't that obvious?"

your eyes widened. "wait.....i thought—"

sukuna pointed to his uncle. "my uncle took my aunt's last name."

"only way i could marry her." uncle jin grinned at his nephew. "i mean, it made sense. she was from a traditional family and they wanted to keep the name alive. so, you know! choices!"

you took a moment and sat down. "i'm...i'm gonna need a minute."

the old man snickered. "welcome to the family, girl."

the reality of it did not fully sink in until much later. no. the realization hit somewhere in the middle of dinner, while sukuna was arguing with his grandfather over vegetables on the hotpot he was making. you stared at him from across the kitchen table.

then you stared at yuuji, who had just come back from his beach volleyball practice a while earlier, conversing with his grandfather. then back at sukuna. then back at yuuji.

the pink-haired boy blinked. "...why do you keep looking at us like that, senpai?"

you pointed dramatically. "because i still can't believe you're related and never said a word to me."

yuuji looked confused. ".....we did?"

sukuna could only sighed. "i thought the features are obvious, babe."

you pout. "making me look and question it for years isn't obvious!"

"listen, i was really not aware you didn't know."

"at least, you could have asked!"

his grandfather looked entertained. his son nudged him. "enjoying it too much aren't you?"

"well, i love a lively house."

"you've been saying that for hours, babe." sukuna said.

"because it's insane, my love." you whispered to him. "is that why you were mad when i said yuuji looked cute?"

"no....." your boyfriend says, still avoiding to look at you. "i mean, we look alike and—"

you gasped. "it absolutely is! my love, you think i would break up with you because i would go ahead and date my junior because he looks like you?"

sukuna looked up and was red in the face, embarrassed. "look, i was a kid. and immature.....i definitely was just....gah, it's hard to explain!"

you started laughing loudly. "oh, this is good, i can't....i can't believe you were jealous!"

yuuji still looked confused. "what...what's happening?"

"keep eating the meat, son." jin smiled, adding some meat on his son's bowl. "don't worry about it."

"this is going to be a lively family." his father smiled, satisfied as he ate watching you and sukuna banter. "it's lively again."

you sat forward immediately, finally calming down a bit as sukuna added more condiments to the hotpot. "no, okay. okay. because think about it. think about it for one second."

"i don't want to." he says to you as he moved to give you more broth. "that's too much, after what we've just been doing."

"you have to. i'm very curious about a lot of things now!"

"i really don't." your boyfriend argued. "we have tomorrow to talk about this."

you ignored him. "i have known of yuuji since we were kids."

"okay." your boyfriend says as he pours broth on his bowl. "elaborate."

"he was in the basketball division for boys in our town, remember? then he switched to volleyball."

"oh, that's right, you played basketball too, senpai!" yuuji smiles as he remembers himself. "they called you goddess then too! man, my middle school had a fanclub about you."

sukuna looks at his cousin. "we'll talk about that later. i now have questions about that too." he looks back at you. "babe, continue."

"i've listened to him talk about his cousin." you say to him. "like a lot, especially when we got closer in college."

"okay, yes, he does."

"and i've listened to you complain about your cousin."

"unfortunately."

"i'm right here!" yuuji says in between biting at his meat. "be nicer to me, huh?"

sukuna snickered. "how about no?"

"and somehow neither of you thought to mention names?" you say to him. "did you both expect me to go by context clues?"

yuuji scratched the back of his head. "when you put it like that..."

"it's weird." sukuna finally admits.

his grandfather burst out laughing. "oh, you bumbling idiots." the old man said, wiping at his eyes, "they didn't realize it either."

that made you freeze. you looked at yuuji. yuuji looked at sukuna. sukuna immediately groaned. they both finally looked away embarassed. jin started laughing as loud as his father.

"oh, don't."

"oh my god."

"don't."

"oh my god."

yuuji started laughing. "no, tell her."

"absolutely not."

"tell me."

sukuna pointed at his cousin. "you tell her and i kill you."

"grandpa, can i tell her?"

"please do."

traitor.

absolute traitor.

sukuna lowered his head. "i hate his family."

"no, you don't." jin says to him, pouring some cold tea on his cup. "you love us a lot!"

"uncle jin, that's—"

yuuji grinned. "when we figured it out, he thought i was joking."

jin rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. "sukuna and yuuji were too young then and me and my brother really don't talk a lot, so...."

you slapped the table. "i knew it."

"he literally told me to shut up."

"i knew it. that's so him too!"

"he thought there was no way we could know the same person."

you looked delighted. sukuna looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. his grandfather started speaking. "then i showed him your picture from my wallet and went, 'who is that, grandson?' and he was like 'me! that's me!'"

yuuji snickered. "it was me."

the room erupted. even sukuna's uncle was laughing now. you nearly fell out of your chair. "oh my god."

"he stared at it for like thirty seconds." his grandfather says.

"no, i didn't."

yuuji laughed. "yes, you did! we weren't more than like...five or six? wait, i was five, you were seven!"

"then he walked away." his grandpa added.

"no, i had to pee then!" sukuna argues back, redder than ever before.

yuuji nodded enthusiastically. "you didn't say anything, though."

you were crying from laughter. "this is way too good, oh my god...."

sukuna looked genuinely offended. "i was processing."

yuuji starts laughing hysterically. "while peeing?"

"it's multitasking!"

"you left the room."

"i was processing elsewhere."

"you went outside."

"there was fresh air. and there was an outdoor toilet there, you idiot!"

his grandfather was practically wheezing now. for someone who complained about his family constantly, ryomen sukuna fit into the chaos suspiciously well. and just as much, you did too.

the rest of dinner passed in a blur of teasing, stories, and the sort of easy conversation that only happened when people were completely comfortable with one another.

for someone who spent most of the year complaining about his relatives, sukuna seemed happier here than he realized, more carefree. and most of all, a little bit more at home.

you noticed it in the way he spoke. in the way he rolled his eyes whenever his grandfather nagged him but still got up to help anyway. in the way his uncle asked about school and work and actually listened to the answer. in the way yuuji wandered in and out of conversations without needing permission.

there was affection beneath all the bickering. the kind built over years. the kind that he seemed to share with him more than anyone else, just like he does with you. which makes you wonder, how he was when it comes to his parents.

but that was another thought for another time.

eventually the restaurant closed for the evening. his grandfather disappeared downstairs to finish paperwork. his uncle retreated to the living room. yuuji vanished somewhere outside after announcing he was "going on a walk" despite it already being dark.

leaving only you and sukuna.

finally, after waiting for so long.

it was only the two of you, just like you wanted.

the two of you made your way upstairs. the old wooden steps creaked beneath your feet. the sounds of the restaurant faded behind you. and for the first time all day, everything became quiet.

you still hadn't met kaori. apparently she was working late at the school where she taught summer classes. his grandfather had promised you'd meet her tomorrow.

part of you was nervous. the other part was still trying to process the fact that you'd left astrophysics camp. actually left, without call to your parents until you had left, no less. so unlike you. and yet, so much like you, more than you can dare think.

you sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. the reality was beginning to settle in now that the excitement of traveling had worn off. you had abandoned a prestigious summer program. a full scholarship. an opportunity people would've killed for.

all because you missed your boyfriend.

when you phrased it that way, it sounded slightly insane. your phone buzzed. you looked down and immediately froze. you looked at him for a moment. sukuna noticed. "what?"

you turned the screen around. his expression changed instantly. "ah."

"yeah."

"your parents."

"yeah."

another notification appeared. then another. then another. sukuna sighed. you sank further into the mattress. "i don't want to answer any of them. fuck, there's a call from my older brother."

"no kidding." he whispered. "wait your half brother? the one in the states?"

you nodded. "yeah......what if they're all mad at me?"

"i mean, they're definitely mad. look at the amount of messages and calls, babe."

you groaned. "so very helpful, aren't you?"

"i'm realistic, babe. grandpa's like that too."

the phone started ringing. you stared at it. the phone continued ringing. sukuna stared at you. you stared back. then silently extended the phone toward him. he blinked. "you coward."

"please."

"you left an entire astrophysics program."

"please.....just do it for me, my love."

sukuna groaned dramatically before taking the phone. the moment he answered, you buried your face in a pillow, kicking your feet as your boyfriend tried to prepare himself for what was coming next. "hello?"

silence. then his eyebrows lifted. "oh, hello. yeah, i know. sorry if it's me answering. i know. yeah, sorry." another pause. you couldn't hear your parents, but judging from sukuna's expression, they had a lot to say. "yes, she's here."

there was another pause. sukuna snickers. "no, she wasn't kidnapped. she's here with me and my family. yes, in sendai. yes, it's fine. my family loves her." longer pause. his eyes closed. "no, i did not convince her to leave."

then he looked directly at you. "you hear that?" you pointed at yourself innocently. sukuna rolled his eyes, snickering. "no, i actually told her not to come, don't worry." another pause. "yes, multiple times. yes, sir. i told her not to."

"i know, i watched the entire process. because abandoning astrophysics camp is objectively a terrible idea. especially with a full ride. its incomprehensable, yes."

you gasped as you glared at him. you threw a pillow. "betrayal."

he ignored you, laughing silently as he captured the pillow. "yes, yes. we've eaten dinner. oh? you've handled that. will they be continuing the program with her? when? during spring break? that's good news."

for nearly fifteen minutes, he patiently reassured your increasingly worried parents. he reiterated that you were safe, that you had eaten. and that you had a place to stay and that you had opted to stay. and that nobody was letting you wander around alone. but most of all, that yes, you would eventually return home.

his voice softened little by little as the conversation continued. almost too familiar with your parents now after being your boyfriend for nearly four years. it was not too dramatically done, it was warm and serious all at once. just enough. enough that you recognized the side of him most people never saw.

the side that worried.

the side that cared.

the side that always pretended he didn't.

eventually the call ended. the room fell quiet. sukuna tossed your phone onto the bed beside you. you looked at him expectantly, raising a brow. "well? what's the final verdict."

"they didn't kill me."

"good sign coming from them, not going to lie." he snickers.

"they did threaten to lock you away from the world as punishment." he says to you as he watches you plug your phone in the charger. "which is...."

"that's fair. i mean, i did try to run away."

"they also threatened mine."

"less fair. i'm the one who ran away."

"you dragged me into this." he sighed dramatically as he leaned by your knees. "i mean, aren't i a victim in all these things?"

you laughed. "nah, you're a willing accomplice."

sukuna sighed. "hm, i suppose you were right."

but there was no real irritation behind it. you knew it was just exhaustion, the good happy kind. the kind that came after a long day, oen where there was some satisfaction in the end. and being by your side, being together with you, it was the reward. it was the satisfaction he could ever want.

outside, the evening had settled completely over the town. crickets chirped through the open window. a warm summer breeze drifted through the room.

the house itself had gone quiet. for a while neither of you spoke. there wasn't really a need to. you shifted closer until your shoulder rested against his. sukuna immediately leaned back against you. he leaned in pressed a kiss on the top of your head and you couldn't help but smile.

it was comfortable. and almost so automatic. it was like he hadn't spent weeks complaining about being separated from you, like you hadn't crossed half the country because you missed him.

his hand found yours where it rested between you. fingers intertwining naturally, fitting so completely. neither of you even looked down. you sat lay there together listening to the sounds of summer drifting through the window.

the distant hum of insects. the creak of the old house. the muffled sound of his grandfather yelling at someone downstairs. probably yuuji. definitely yuuji. and for the first time since leaving camp, all of the doubt faded away. the guilt. the uncertainty.

the questions about whether you'd made the right choice. because being there beside sukuna, tucked away in the little room he'd spent every summer growing up in, with his hand wrapped around yours and his shoulder pressed against yours, everything felt surprisingly simple.

after a moment, sukuna glanced sideways at you. "worth it?"

you looked at him. at the boy you'd missed so much you had done something objectively ridiculous. at the boy whose family had already welcomed you in as though you belonged there. at the boy who had spent the last fifteen minutes reassuring your parents because you were too scared to do it yourself.

your smile came easily. "completely."

something softened in his expression. it was barely noticeable. but real. the most real it could ever be with anyone. then he squeezed your hand. and the two of you spent the rest of the evening exactly the way you'd wanted from the moment you left camp.

together.

epilogue

the first thing ryomen sukuna learned after becoming a father was that absolutely nobody respected him anymore. probably not the nurses. not his family. and certainly not you, who was even happy about it.

which was particularly insulting considering he had spent years cultivating a reputation that made grown adults nervous to disagree with him.

all it took to destroy that reputation was a six-pound newborn named ryomen sukumi.

the hospital room was quiet when he sat beside the window, your daughter sleeping peacefully against his chest. the afternoon sunlight spilled through the curtains, painting everything gold.

little sukumi's tiny hand rested against his shirt, her fingers curled into the fabric as though she had decided that was where she belonged. sukuna stared down at her. she was sleeping. once again.

she was always sleeping, just like most babies do. and somehow he still found himself checking every few minutes to make sure she was breathing. he'd never admit it out loud. if anyone asked, he would deny it. aggressively.

but you had caught him red handed enough times already. the first time had been at three in the morning when he stood over the little cot set up for sukumi in the hospital room for nearly ten minutes. the second time was during breakfast, when he couldn't focus on the hospital meal and only on the little girl you gifted him.

the third time happened less than an hour ago. and you were more eagle eyed than ever before. you couldn't help but shake your head ans sigh softly. you had simply looked at him and said, "she's fine."

he had immediately replied, "i know that."

then continued checking anyway. you were still smiling about it when a knock sounded at the door. before either of you could answer, the door opened. you could feel your eyes blink as you registered how they suddenly got here when they said they would be busy.

itadori yuuji walked over, holding a tray of food. "we brought food."

"and gifts." itadori jin smiled as he waved at his nephew. "hand made at the house, mind you."

"and grandpa." the old man says as he walks over and looks at sukumi. "well, great-grandfather in this regard."

ryomen sukuna all but immediately groaned. you laughed as yuuji started to unfurl the food trays. you were excited to eat some good food, good food that came from the hands that loved you and your husband.

as yuuji placed the plate full of food in front of you, you hadn't realized how much you missed seeing everyone together until that moment. you couldn't help but feel warm as it all happened before you. jin was already looking at his little grandniece while grandpa was quizzing sukuna about how he's been taking care of you.

"look at all that." you said as yuuji started unloading bags "you guys didn't have to bring so much."

"we absolutely did." jin said as he looked at you and smiled. "you guys probably aren't getting some good food in this place."

"grandpa bought half of it." yuuji says with a grin. "insisted on cooking it well too! since he was concerned about how you'll like the food after birth."

"that's a lie." his grandfather replied. "the food here is measured—"

"dad, you're such a tsundere, it's not bad to admit that you want the best for your children and their children." jin says, shaking his head as he sighed. "you worked hard on the meal! just like you did with mom and kaori."

his dad looked at him for a while and grumbled. "........i only made a third of it."

"that's not better." jin argues with his father.

"felt better."

you couldn't help laughing. sukuna rolled his ruby eyes. his grandfather ignored him entirely. instead, his gaze immediately returned on the baby sleeping in on the cot.

the old man's expression softened. it was the same look he'd had the first time he met you. and certainly, something you think he had when he looked at your boyfriend as a baby. full of wonder. pure, genuine, tender and devoted wonder.

"there she is." carefully, he stepped closer. "she's just perfect. perfect ten toes, perfect ten fingers. good. that's good."

"that she is." sukuna replied. "she's healthy. that's the best thing."

"she has my genetics." his grandfather whispered, eyes not leaving his great-granddaughter's face. "she's exactly like you when you were a baby."

sukuna looked a bit offended. "she looks like my wife."

"yeah, but she is your carbon copy, boy. can't you see it?"

"no, because she looks like my wife and my wife is pretty."

you reached over and smacked his arm. "stop it, you're getting a bit too loud. she might wake up."

your husband leaned in and apologized to you with a small kiss to the cheek. "yes, sorry. sorry about that. i'll be more mindful."

his grandfather snorted. "thank god you've tamed him."

yuuji finally spotted the baby. his entire face lit up. "can i hold her?"

"no." the answer came instantly from your husband. "she's sleeping."

yuuji frowned. "i wasn't asking you."

"yes, you were."

"I was asking [name]-senpai!"

everybody looked at you in that instant. sukuna narrowed his eyes. "babe—"

you smiled sweetly. "of course you can, yuuji. just be careful. don't wake her up!"

"traitor." your husband mumbled.

"what was that?"

".....nothing."

"thank you." yuuji said immediately.

sukuna looked genuinely offended. "we're married."

"and?" you raised a curious brow.

"you're supposed to be on my side."

"i am on your side."

"clearly not."

"you're being possessive."

"she's my daughter."

"she's everybody's family here too, you know."

"unfortunate."

"you're impossible, my love." you shook your head.

despite his very obvious complaints, sukuna carefully stood and kindly transferred sukumi into yuuji's arms. the transformation was immediate. one second yuuji was excited. the next he looked absolutely horrified. all confidence vanished. his shoulders locked. his eyes widened. he froze so completely he looked like a statue.

"why'd you stop moving?" jin asked.

"i'm scared."

"of what?"

"everything."

the room burst into laughter.

yuuji looked genuinely distressed. "she's so small! i don't want to make a mistake. she's too precious for that."

"babies usually are. but sukumi is bigger than most babies. she'll be alright." you said reassuringly. "especially when you're kind and gentle."

"but she's tiny." yuuji pouts, visibly emotional. "gosh, she's so pretty. i can't believe she came from sukuna."

"oi—"

"what if i accidentally drop her?"

"then i'll throw you out the window."

"WHAT?" yuuji nearly yells but jin tempers him, pointing to sukumi's sleeping form. "....sorry."

"reasonable response for a father."

"THAT IS NOT REASONABLE." jin tempers his son once again who apologizes once more. "this is harder than i thought."

"every parent goes through it. you will one day too."

"but that's scary!"

another laugh escaped you. even sukuna looked amused. sukumi let out a small sleepy sigh in her sleep, moving slightly yuuji nearly jumped. "oh!....she made a sound."

"that's also normal."

"nobody told me babies did that."

"what exactly did you think babies were?"

"I DON'T KNOW."

his grandfather had to sit down because he was laughing too hard, looking away to make sure that no one was seeing this. jin sighed and took sukumi from his son's arms, who finally seemed to be able to breathe again. jin leaned down and looked at sukumi.

".....dad's right, she does look sukuna."

"hey, she's my wife's daughter too!"

for the next half hour, the room dissolved into stories, gifts, and endless baby discussions. jin unpacked tiny clothes that he and kaori had knitted. his grandfather presented three stuffed animals. yuuji revealed an entire photo album he planned to fill with family pictures.

sukuna called it ridiculous, but then quietly set it beside the crib instead of throwing it away. you noticed. everyone noticed. nobody said anything. sukuna would be too embarrassed about it.

because honestly, watching sukuna become soft was one of the greatest forms of entertainment available. it only got worse when yuuji accidentally discovered the photos.

but that didn't last long.

"wait."

the room fell silent. yuuji stared down at sukuna's phone. sukuna immediately became suspicious. "what? yuuji—"

"why do you have four hundred pictures of sukumi?"

the room exploded. jin nearly choked, from laughing. his grandfather looked delighted. you covered your mouth to hide your smile. sukuna lunged for the phone. but it was too late. yuuji was already scrolling.

"this one is just her sleeping."

"give me my phone."

"and this one."

"give me my phone."

"and this one."

"give me my phone."

"there's literally three identical photos."

"they are not identical."

silence. everyone stared at him. sukuna froze. realization slowly crossed his face. he had exposed himself. too much and too completely. he tried to regain his compusre but he couldn't. he just lunged for the phone and this time, successfully got it back.

"you compared them."

"no, i didn't." he argues back.

"you definitely compared them."

"i already said that i didn't."

"you know the differences."

"there literally is no difference and you just wanna spout nonsense about this is and its just, its just ridiculous—"

"you absolutely know the differences."

you laughed so hard your side started hurting. your husband blushed too much. "babe, stop laughing."

"I can't. this is just too cute. my love, you have so much love for her, its beautiful!"

"you're encouraging them."

"this is the funniest thing I've ever seen. but also the most beautiful thing ive ever seen."

his grandfather was openly crying from laughter now. "my grandson."

"don't, old man. don't say a word......"

"the same boy who claimed children were annoying, the the same boy who said he'd never become sentimental."

"don't." he sighed, shaking his head. "my kid is different, okay? this is my kid....this is my precious daughter. of course i'd have pictures of her."

his grandfather sighed. "i can't believe that the same boy with four hundred baby pictures."

"give me strength." sukuna whispers under his breath.

"that's good, you know." his grandfather says to him, with a small smile on his face. "you've grown up well, sukuna. you'll do just fine. maybe even better than me. and most definitely, better than your father."

sukuna looked at his grandfather and sighed, nodding. "thank you, grandpa. i....i appreciate that."

you watched your husband look emotional at his grandfather's words. you took his hand, earning his gaze towards you. you smiled at you. "you're doing great, my love."

he purses his lips into a tight line and then into a small smile. "i love you."

"i love you too."

[mononijikayu]

really wish emma was just given the script that rhaenyra had for the book because targaryen madness doesnt particularly exists in the sense it does with the mad king or even maegor had. most targaryens went mad because of the lack of understanding of valyrian magic. "targaryen madness" and the "every time a targaryen is born, the gods flip a coin" is an outsider perspective, that even the later targaryens themselves adapted because they dont know how to explain the nature of wanting to be dragons, when dragon magic is valyrian magic. but rhaenyra does not go crazy from that. she goes crazy from betrayal and paranoia, fueled further by grief and by loss. its so sad that rhaenyra ended up being written as if her madness is a sin, when any mother, any woman, any queen deprived of children, agency and authority had every right to be mad at people for ripping those things away from her???

just like dany all over again, a woman is deemed wrong for having emotions, wanting power and being a woman in a atory where she is the hero, only for a show transcribed by the male gaze, for the male gaze to rob a woman once againe. emma d'arcy did not deserve this sort of writing when they themselves have read the book, emphatized and understood rhaenyra, only for that to be awashed with such writing that doesnt treat them or rhaenyra like the main character of this series. rhaenyra is the homage grrm had to women in this series as much as fire and blood was. and we got robbed of that, emma d'arcy got robbed of that, all because a man grrm plucked from obscurity liked the villains too much, whitewashed the story and decided a woman's story should mean she is a villain.

[mononijikayu]

is it hard? I see people selling their tickets a lot, I guess it depends on the city?? 👀

this was my experience in my country:

1st day army sale, the army membership was fast but the code malfunctioned and same with my friend. 2nd day, with livenationph it was crashing so bad that my friend was crying. third day which was today, the general sale, we were there for thirty minutes then suddenly tickets were gone. so uh, if anyone has philippine tickets for bts, get on talk with me!!! 🫶🫶🫶

[mononijikayu]

its hard to get tickets for bts 😭😭😭

[mononijikayu]

hello everyone, as you might know, there was recently a horrific earthquake down south of the philippines where i live. it was horrible and people are still picking up the pieces, especially school children who are just going back to school in the recent days. if you can and certainly have the capability to, id like to use my platform here to advocate for help for my compatriots. one of the on the boots programs aiding there and one ive donated to is called angat buhay foundation. if you can, please donate in rehabilitation and relief efforts!!! you can click here to check out the foundation!!! thank you all so much!!!

[mononijikayu]

my friend: *gets a new phone after a few years, looks at me* go get a phone too

me: *looks curiously, as someone who's five year phone is slowing down* i have no—

my friend: ITS NOT BAD TO TREAT YOURSELF

me: IT IS IF YOU CANT SPEND