Pairing: Tiger Hybrid!Sukuna x fem!Deer Hybrid!Reader
Word count: 2.6k
Context: Hybrid au, College au, Childhood best friends to lovers, diversion w/ herbivores and carnivores, fluff & Angst, yearning, forbidden love
Summary: Somehow, grumpy, difficult Sukuna becomes friends with you— a ray of sunshine back in kindergarten. From then on, you were inseparable. It takes him until the last year of high school to realize he’s in love with you. But the world is unkind, stomping the both of you until it causes the breakup. And yet, like a cruel joke, you both attended the same college. So naturally, you fall back into what you’ve always done best: being together. It’s fine. You’re friends… really! But after loving each other for so long—can you stay just friends?
November- 4th Year in High School
“I said– get down from there!” Sukuna hisses, his pink ears flattening against his head, red eyes tracing every one of your movements.
Rough bark scrapes against your palm as you climb a tree's trunk. You look down at Sukuna, his tail lashing back and forth anxiously. But the ripe apple just out of your reach is calling your name. It's blood red, looks juicy, and the sunlight hits it perfectly, making it look heavenly.
You have to have it.
Your head lolls away from him. “Calm down, Ryomen– It’s super close.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down– we picked a ton of apples, why the fuck do you need that one!” His hands cup the sides of his mouth, yelling on top of his lungs so the message can go through your head. But it doesn't.
The roll of your eyes makes him scoff in offense.
You reach out anyway– fingers extending to seize that apple.
It’s super close, it’s righttt there.
A push of your heels gives you enough boost for your fingers to curl around the fruit and pull it from the branch.
Snap!
“Aha!” One hand holds the apple, feeling its weight, while your smile widens with triumph.
“See?” A sudden ego boost blossoms within you, to prove Sukuna wrong. You take a step back on the sideways trunk, and his ears flick. “Told ya- it’s–”
The lean wood shifts against your weight.
Your foot slips– a simple misstep and you're falling.
And screaming– eyes squeeze shut and preparing for the pain of hitting the ground.
But you never do. Instead, you're caught by a strong set of arms catching you mid-fall.
A sharp exhale escapes you, and one eye blinks slowly.
“Tell me what–?” Sukuna tsks, leaning in at your face with an unsatisfied expression.
Your floppy ears droop in embarrassment, and you hide your face behind the apple you risk your life for. “You distracted me– I was fine!”
“You were not fine,” he grunts, his hold on you tightening. He adjusts your body on his arms, your weight nothing to him, before settling you on a tree stump.
“Was to.”
Sukuna’s crimson eyes flick back at you, making your mouth clamp closed.
His hand pushes the fabric of your long dress up, searching for any scratches. “Your parents would kill me if–”
“They know I’m safe with you.” You interrupt, copying his furrowed brows and frown.
He scoffs in response. His fingers slide down to your ankles, and he pauses there. “Do they?” His brow raises.
Sukuna’s hand continues to touch your skin, gentle and soft caressing despite being ridiculously, dangerously huge.
His Adam's apple bobs, before he smooths out your dress and rests his head on your lap. “Think they’ll accept me as your boyfriend if you return with a broken leg?”
Your parents loved him…. when you were only a friend to him.
He was just baby ‘kuna’ then. They found it cute how he would stand up for you, and help you whenever you tripped. Sure, he was a carnivore hybrid, but that didn’t matter….
Until he slowly became something more.
They saw it before neither of you ever did.
That look in his eyes. The way his stare softened and lingered on you and only you, even when surrounded by others, smiling at you so casually, like it wasn’t a rare occurrence with anyone but you. And how he allowed you to call him whatever nicknames you made for him because you couldn’t pronounce it correctly as children.
“Come on, kids,— scoot closer, smile, do something! This photo is for your last year of high school.” Your dad had groaned, and the two of you stood awkwardly. Then Sukuna’s feet shifted, and his arm wrapped around your waist.
Your waist. Not your shoulder like a pal.
No two fingers behind your head to make bunny ears until you figure it out, and punch Sukuna’s chest and call him annoying.
No protest and whining, none of that ‘oh my gosh, seriously dad!’
No.
He simply pulled you closer, fingers tapping against your shirt and staring and the camera at that wasn’t clicking.
Your dad's suspicions spiked about something that wasn’t even there yet.
But blossoming.
Sukuna cleared his throat, and finally, your dad took the picture.
Suddenly, your parents were too busy to drop you off at his house. “Sweetie, you’ve been there a lot, don’t you want to hang out with your other friends?”
It confused you. Spending time with your best friend never was an issue.
They would point out every herbivore hybrid that passed by to see if you were even finding them attractive.
“So…any boys? It’s your last year, a lot of them make their moves around this time.” Your mom hummed, her fingers drumming anxiously against the steering wheel.
And they sure did. Sukuna had asked you out for homecoming. As friends, of course.
Until the dance had finished and you both kissed.
But you couldn’t tell your mom that. She would scowl whenever you even talked about him or brought him up in any conversation. She barely tolerated him now. You truly wanted to tell her the way your heart bursted, how nervous and gentle it was, and talk about it like mother and daughter should.
But, you lied instead.
Because your mom had lost that trust long ago.
“Yeah…actually, this new kid in my class.” You smile and look at the front mirror, meeting her eyes.
“Oh really?” She looked relieved, like a burden lifted from her shoulder, making your heart hurt. Did she dislike the idea of Sukuna that much?
“Yeah, mom. He’s cute.”
The real question came, the one in her mind the entire time. “What type of hybrid is he?”
“Hah! A herbivore, mom, what else? Never been attracted to anything else.”
Lie after lie after lie.
Did you feel guilty?
Partly.
Sure, they were your parents, but you knew that if they knew what you and Sukuna were now, they wouldn’t be supportive.
After two months of talking about a fake crush nonstop, they finally were convinced that Sukuna is, and always was, your best friend.
And they allowed you to spend time with him.
What they didn’t have to know was that the supposed hang out at the mall with many friends, turned out to be a very romantic date in the forest.
With your now boyfriend.
The memory, and Sukuna's question about your parents accepting him as no longer your friend, makes you frown. “Maybe not.”
“Thought so.” He clicks his tongue. “Can already imagine the lecture.”
You smile in return, eyes dropping to his lips as he mocks your parents' voice. “Stay away from that disruptive boy! He’s bad news!” His shoulders loosen at your giggle.
“What were you thinking? If you'd been with some handsome, mannered buck instead, this would have never happened.” He tries to keep the same mocking tone, but it slips the moment the word buck leaves his mouth, a low rumble creeping into his voice.
Sukuna snarls and purses his lips as if the words tasted disgusting.
Your eyes soften and in an attempt to lift his mood, you copy his tone, “And I’ll cry and yell, ‘but daddy, I love him!’”
It’s the first time you've admitted out loud that you love him.
Love him romantically at least. You knew you loved him years ago.
𓃴⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆𓃮
Children run out of the classroom, laughing and already swarming the playground.
A group gathers around, and a boy is discussing the rules of the game. “See! But that’s cheating, okay? You have to…”
The voice fades when you feel the presence of someone else. Your head turns all the way around, and you spot it– someone is lonely. A boy is crouching, holding a stick and tracing it on the sand beneath him.
Your first response is to invite him, of course. And that is exactly what you plan on doing.
“Where are you going?” Your sheep hybrid friend pulls your arm when you nudge away.
“He’s lonely.” You reply, looking back at the boy. “He can play with us!” A huge smile appears at the thought.
Your friend thinks otherwise.
Her head tilts, and her soft, white ears perk up in fear when she spots him. “No! My mommy said to stay away.” She whispers lowly.
A frown curls on your lips, and hesitation bubbles up. “Why?”
“He’s dangerous. Look,” Her hand points at his pink ears and long tail with stripes. “– a tiger.”
Your eyes squint like you're trying to make sense of the situation. “So?”
“He can hurt us!” She hisses like it’s the obvious answer.
But it still doesn't make sense to you. Your parents always taught you to be kind, despite being a herbivore or carnivore hybrid. “He won’t…I’m going,” and you pull free from her grip, walking to the lonely boy.
“Stop!” She whines, but stays put, looking nervously at the group chatting and now running around to play the game.
Sukuna huffs, drawing on the sand, oblivious that his future everything was behind him.
The others were afraid of him. He knew. The way they scrabbled when he passed by to grab crayons or a pencil from a cubby. Or when the teacher scolded him for carrying the scissors incorrectly, despite the others doing the same thing. It was fine, though. He didn't care.
He likes being alone. He didn't have to deal with annoying and endless talking. That is, until you entered his life.
“Hi!” A high-pitched voice suddenly squeals beside him.
Sukuna’s tail spikes up at the loud noise, making him stumble and fall back.
“Oh- sorry! I didn't want to scare you.” You scramble and reach your hand up to help him get up.
“Nothing scares me.” His eyes narrow when he gets a good look at you. Deer hybrid, delicate and weak, always tripping over your own feet. He scoffs, getting up by himself. “What do you want?”
When he fully stands up and dusts himself off, he realizes you're slightly taller than him. It makes his ears flatten against his head.
“Want to play with us?” Your smile is huge, short tail wagging in excitement.
“No.” Sukuna immediately answers. He’ll probably get called out on ‘playing too roughly’ with the others.
Your tail pauses for a moment before it wags again. “Okay! Can I draw with you?”
“Why?” He scoffs again, looking more confused than grumpy.
“Because I wanna.” There's a happy beam from you that makes his eyes squint.
A minute passes before he shrugs. “Kay.” As long as you're quiet and stay a few feet away, he doesn't see the issue.
He crouches down again and grabs his stick- before a shoulder bumps into his, invading his personal space, and immediately talking.
“Can I borrow the stick next– wait, what did you draw? Looks funny– wait, what’s your name, again?”
𓃴⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆𓃮
The word ‘love’ makes his head lift from your lap. A soft purr comes from Sukuna, satisfied, his large hands lightly squeezing your thighs.
“Hm, you’ll be grounded for eternity, young lady.” He flicks your knee, in response, your leg flick and almost kicks his face. But he holds your foot.
“For what? Telling the truth?”
Sukuna chuckles, placing your foot back on the ground. “Suppose so.”
Your chest feels warm and tight. Instead of staring at him with goo-goo eyes, you look back at the apple in your hands and bring it to your face and bite into it.
It’s sweet, juicy, the juices running down your chin, and your tongue swipes over your bottom lip to lick it off.
Excited with your new discovery, your head turns to Sukuna to tell him about it, but no need to grab his attention, because he’s already looking at you, red eyes tracing your lips.
“It’s really good.” You mutter while chewing on chunks.
In contentment and enjoying the flavor, your feet sway back and forth and your short tail wagging happily.
“Hm, have some.” Your hand practically pushes the apple in his face, a huge smile plastered on your face.
Sukuna pushes it away from him. “Tch- no, it’s just an apple, they all taste the goddamn same.”
Your ears droop a little before perking up again.
“Promise– this one tastes different!”
He sighs, scratching the back of his neck like he has to do this and chooses to please his girlfriend.
He gives in and leans to take a bite of the apple with a loud crunch.
“Good?” Your tail wags faster.
Sukuna raises a brow, continuing to chew before swallowing. “Like I said, nothing special ‘bout it.”
“Take another bite.” You huff stubbornly.
“What, no—”
“Take. Another. Bite.”
He clenches his jaw, narrowing his eyes.
Fuck.
You had him so fucked up.
If this were any other girl, well, he would’ve refused and walked away.
But it's you, so instead of arguing he gives in.
Again.
Sukuna grumbles, lifting his head to take another bite. Except he doesn't. He pushes the fruit that he could give two shits about, out of his way and lunges at you instead.
His hand holds your jaw, and he takes his mouth on yours, tasting the lingering apple flavor on your lips. After a minute, he finally pulls away, leaving you dizzy.
“You're right– it’s sweeter.” Those rare, lazy smirks appear before he nudges your chin with his knuckle. Your cheeks flush, and you turn your head away from him.
“I didn't mean–that’s not what…” You're hazy from the kiss, too flustered to face him. But Sukuna finds it the perfect time to keep pushing.
“No? Mind giving me another taste,” Sukuna chuckles, trying to get a look at your turned away face.
“Ryo– stop it!” You squeal and swat his face.
“C’mon, thought you wanted to prove it was ‘the best apple you ever had.’”
…
You had him acting like a puppy on a leash.
That’s what dumb, fucking, idiotic puppy love does.
It twists your mind and heart, making you think that type of love will last.
But it doesn't.
It really doesn't.
Three years later
“Sukuna.” Your voice pulls him into the present. He blinks and looks over at you.
You’ve grown more confident in your skin.
College has changed both of you.
You were still friendly and kind, with floppy ears that exposed your every feeling.
“The homework for yesterday’s class.” Your hand reaches for his, fisting it open and stacking the papers there so he can feel the sheer weight of what he missed.
“Fuck, this is all from one day?” Sukuna huffs, looking at the thick stack. He had a lot of catching up to do.
“Come next time, maybe you wouldn’t have to do so much.” Your grin almost makes him grin back, but he lifts the stack of papers, dreading the work he’ll need to catch up on.
“Yeah, yeah.” He responds with an eye roll.
Your lips curl into a warm, soft smile. You’ve never changed.
“Kay, I’ll see you later to study?” You slowly start walking away from him, waving goodbye.
“Maybe, I have shit to do.” Sukuna shrugs as he watches your back face him, walking further away.
You’re happily strolling, probably heading to your next class of the day.
And out of the blue, a buck hybrid nearby wraps his arm around your waist and steals a kiss.
Your laugh rings in his ears, and your boyfriend follows, handing you a coffee as a surprise.
Sukuna exhales, shoving the papers into his backpack before moving.
Yeah.
You’re still you. Warm, compassionate, caring, and cheerful, as he’s always known you. Your heart just belonged to someone else.
…
“Hey.” Sukuna sighs, a lion hybrid helps him take off his backpack from his shoulders.
You’re no longer his. That’s fine.
And him?
His girlfriend kisses his cheek, talking about her day.
Yeah, no— he’s yours. Always will be.
A/N: Shoutout to Jeff Buckley, this whole series was inspired when I was listening to 'Lover You Should've come over' on repeat.
Apologies to those who read this before I re-read it the next morning, I didn't realize there was many mistakes
This will be a series! (Let’s go! second series XP) I’ll be working on this as well as my first work, “Catch a Tiger by its tail.”. This series will include, lots of yearning, flashbacks AND a happy ending.
Art credit: hunnismoker on insta
The twins! There’s nerdjo 🤭and then there’s fratjo too ig, I was really excited when i saw nerdjo trending so I grabbed the opportunity to draw him hehe
okay omg but thiss?? this is so sukuna ryomen. Specifically unkuna. sitting there with baby!yuuji at his court case?? Him coming to kiss you as he gets dragged away?? him in that fucking orange suit??
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