⤷ afford it?!
Satoru Gojo, Toji Fushiguro, Kento Nanami, Hiromi Higuruma, Choso Kamo, Ryomen Sukuna x Reader
word count: 9.6k
summary: the word "afford" is a sleeper agent.
collab w/ @kamoslover
a/n: we highkey laughed our butts off while making up the scenarios. hopefully y'all laugh at them too.
SATORU GOJO
Growing up, you didn't have much. Your parents were barely making ends meet, both working two jobs to sustain bills and your education. You started working as soon as you could to help fund your own expenses, giving them less to worry and pay for. They never asked you to, they'd tell you to just focus on your studies but you couldn't. Not while they suffered and worked harder than most to put food in your lunch box and clean clothes in your closet. You were hard working and smart, never taking handouts and always earning what was yours. All the while studying hard during your lunch breaks at work and staying up countless nights to cram for exams. That is what Gojo always admired.
From the first time he met you at that small coffee shop you waitressed at, your nose in a book as you wipe down tables and fixed chairs, till your very first date that you insisted on splitting the bill. He played along of course, but the bill had been taken care of before you ever saw the price. He loved your stubborn and hard working nature, loved how upset you got and tried to pry the bill amount out of him, but most of all he loved how you didn't care about his generational wealth. Despite being the richest sorcerer alive since birth, you still tried arguing over a measly 70 dollar date.
Once you started dating, it took a long time to get accustomed to being taken care of by him. He’d constantly show up with your favorite comfort meals after your shift, sitting in his sports car with his hand massaging your thigh as you ate and told him about rude customers. Snacks during your late night study sessions in your room where he’d brush your hair and ask you questions on the material, peeking over your shoulder and occasionally kissing your ear to purposely distract you as you recited the contents of your workbook.
He’d also buy you clothes without you needing to tell him your size, “I thought you’d look good in this babe.” He’d say with a proud smirk before shoving it into your hands and ushering you to your bathroom to try it on. To say Gojo was spoiling you rotten was an understatement, on date nights he’d insist on buying you a completely new outfit down to designer sunglasses and heels. Necklaces worth your paycheck and anything you even glanced at. “What’s so wrong with spoiling my honey? You work hard, let me care for you.” He’d say with a quick kiss to your cheek before grabbing all the bags from your hands and ushering you to his parked sports car.
For months you’d feel guilty at how much he was spending on you, often scolding him on how he never even glanced at the bill before tapping his black metal card. He'd listen to you scold him with a small amused smirk, twirling your hair in his fingers and occasionally humming his acknowledgment of your words. You thought he'd grow out of the habit, but boy were you wrong.
Now, years later the sound of utensils clinking against kaolin porcelain china plates fills the lavish dining room in the Gojo Estate. You, your husband Satoru, and your two beautiful teenage kids sit at the table enjoying a 3 course dinner, all hand made by your private chefs. You sit next to your husband whose hand is on your thigh, stroking your soft skin with his thumb lazily as he eats with his free hand. Despite the grand table, you and your husband all sit at the head together. Your daughter to your left and your son to your husband's right.
You ask your kids how school went between sips of your wine, your husband graciously refills your glass only to steal sips from the spot your maroon lipstick stains the rim, glancing sideways at you with a playful gleam in his eyes and a smirk. Your daughter goes on to tell a story of how she tried out for the ballet competitive dancing club and got in. Your son after going on to explain a similar story with the baseball club.
“The club is exclusively for travel competitions. Apparently last year, the club traveled all around Europe for two weeks doing competitions against the best schools world wide.” Your daughter says excitedly between bites of her Alaska salmon.
“Yeah, same for the baseball club. Some third years were telling the newbies that last year the club traveled around America playing against some prestigious private schools.” Your son says in a more relaxed tone before putting a piece of lamb in his mouth.
You smile warmly, chewing and swallowing the piece of food you had in your mouth before speaking. “That's amazing sweethearts.” you say proudly, setting down your fork.
Your husband sets down your wine glass he was drinking from with a proud smile. “Atta kids. I knew my DNA would serve you right.” He chuckles and winks to his kids.
You chuckle at your husband and the kids do too. Taking his bigger hand in your smaller one you look between the two, “So, when do you guys start? Do we need to go out tomorrow and get you the proper supplies?” You’re already mentally planning the mall day, which stores to hit up for your daughter's necessities and which for your son.
Your husband smiles big at your eagerness, squeezing your hand gently in his and stroking your knuckles with his thumb before speaking. “You kids tell us what you need, can't have you guys looking like rookies.”
Your daughter's expression turns sheepish, almost worried. “Yeah, but the club is really expensive.” she says softly, setting down her fork before your son follows after.
“Yeah, the baseball club is too.” he says before wiping his mouth with a napkin and taking a sip of his water.
“Are you sure we can afford it?” Your daughter asks, genuinely worried that her and her brother are asking for too much.
The word afford hangs in the air like a heavy blanket, you can practically feel Gojo’s blood heart rate start to spike. “Oh boy.” You mutter, putting your elbow on the table and your free hand over your forehead, shaking your head, looking down at the table. Your husband's smile slowly fades, waiting for the part where his son starts laughing and saying 'You should've seen your faces!' The part doesn’t come. Your kids look between you two, your daughter's eyebrows furrowing, and your son leaning forward in his chair, looking equally confused.
After a couple of tense seconds of silence, “We’re buying the teams.” Your husband says flatly, leaving no room for debate. You sigh, “Honey…”
Your kids' eyes widen in shock. “What? Dad-” Your daughter starts but is quickly interrupted by Gojo. “No no no, what is it with the two most important women in my life thinking we’re broke? I mean seriously!” he says, offended.
“Honey, that was like 16 years ago.” You defend yourself in vain. Gojo lets go of your hand to point an accusing finger at you. “Oh no no no, just last week I told you to take the Master card, and you didn't! Would it kill you to spend my money?” he says with a dramatic huff.
You click your tongue and smack his hand that points at you, “Would you stop it? We don't need to buy anything-”
“Two jets. One for baseball and the other for ballet. Custom wrap for the team names and custom jerseys. We’ll rent out the mall tomorrow to get them the necessities without hassle. You get whatever you want and you're actually buying it this time. In every color they have.” He states confidently, already pulling out his phone to make all the calls necessary to make this happen.
Your kids are wide eyed, looking between each other and you two with shocked expressions. “Wait Dad!-" Your daughter is quickly cut off by your husband getting up from his seat at the table. Grabbing your chin between his thumb and pointer finger before kissing you deeply on the lips with a teasing hum.
He tastes like the fruity wine he's been stealing from your glass and something specifically Gojo. You smile against his lips, forgetting about the semi-argument from seconds ago. Even with your eyes closed you know his free hand is already holding his phone against his ear waiting for the ringing on the other end to pick up.
“Get a room.” Your son grumbles and pushes away his dinner. Gojo smirks against your lips and chuckles lightly before pulling away when the phone answers. He winks at you before kissing both kids on the head and walking away, talking in that energetic playful tone he always has.
You lick your lips, savoring his taste on you before looking back to your kids with a smile. “You guys get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
TOJI FUSHIGURO
You and Toji had only been dating for a few months, but somehow it already felt like you’d known him forever. He didn’t have much. Everyone knew that. Most days he was bouncing between odd jobs, helping someone move furniture, fixing things around town, taking whatever work he could find. Other days he’d spend hours in a bar somewhere, betting on races and somehow convincing himself he’d finally hit it big this time. His bank account was usually empty. His apartment was barely furnished. His car made sounds that definitely shouldn’t have been coming from a functioning vehicle. But none of that mattered to you. Because despite having so little, he somehow gave you more than anyone else ever had.
When his bets actually paid off, he’d show up at your door with flowers, acting like it wasn’t a big deal even though you knew he’d spent half his winnings on them. When you complained about craving ice cream at midnight, he’d groan dramatically, throw on a hoodie, and disappear into the night only to come back twenty minutes later with your favorite flavor. On anniversaries he’d save up for weeks just to take you somewhere nice, pretending he hadn’t planned the entire thing down to the smallest detail. He wasn’t perfect. He was stubborn, annoying, sometimes reckless. But he loved you in a way that felt real. And that was enough.
At first, your friends were happy for you. They told you how much brighter you seemed lately, how often you smiled, how you talked about him with a look they’d never seen on your face before. Everyone seemed supportive. Everyone except her, your best friend. The first comment was easy to ignore. “You could do better.” You laughed it off. The second comment was harder. “He seems like a lot of work.” Then came the constant questions. “What does he even do?” “Does he have a plan?” “How is he supposed to take care of you?” You defended him every single time. Because she didn’t know him. She didn’t know about the way he’d remember every tiny detail you mentioned. She didn’t know the sacrifices he made quietly without ever talking about them. But no matter what you said, she never seemed convinced.
As the months passed, her behavior became harder to ignore. Whenever your friends asked about Toji, she’d suddenly lose interest in the conversation. You’d be showing pictures from a date, and she’d roll her eyes. Someone would mention how happy you looked together, and she’d let out a dramatic sigh. Sometimes you’d catch her staring at her phone while everyone else was listening to your story. Other times she’d make faces she thought nobody noticed. But you noticed, every single one. The worst part wasn’t even the comments. It was how obvious her bitterness became. Your other friends were excited for you, your family liked him, even people who barely knew him could see how much he cared about you. Yet somehow your supposed best friend was the only person who seemed incapable of being happy for you.
You confronted her more than once. “Why can’t you just support me?” And every time she’d give some excuse. “I’m just looking out for you.” “I don’t want to see you get hurt.” “I’m being realistic.” But the more she spoke, the less believable it sounded. Because it wasn't a concern. Concern comes from love. This felt different, it felt personal.
One Thursday night, everything finally clicked. You were sitting in her living room, curled up on the couch, talking excitedly about a date Toji had planned for the weekend. You were smiling without realizing it. Talking about how secretive he’d been all week, how he’d been saving money for something special, how excited you were to spend time with him. The entire time she just stared at you. Her expression looked almost irritated, like your happiness was physically bothering her. When you finished talking, silence filled the room.
Then she scoffed harshly, “Can he even afford to buy you flowers?” Her lips twisted into a smirk. The room went quiet. For a second you just stared at her. Not because the comment hurt. But because suddenly everything made sense. Every eye roll, every rude remark, every passive-aggressive comment, every time she tried to convince you to leave him, every moment she’d dismissed your happiness. It all clicked together. And for the first time, you realized she wasn’t worried about you. She never had been.
Whether it was jealousy, bitterness, or something else entirely, she simply couldn’t stand seeing you happy with someone she didn’t approve of. The realization hurt more than the comment itself. Because this was someone you’d trusted for years, someone you considered family. And instead of supporting you, she’d spent months trying to tear down the healthiest relationship you’d ever had.
You stood up. She looked confused. “What?” You shook your head. “You know what? I think we’re done.” Her expression immediately changed. “What are you talking about?” But there was nothing left to explain. A real friend doesn’t compete with your happiness, a real friend doesn’t constantly belittle the person you love, and a real friend certainly doesn’t make you feel guilty for being happy. You left her house that night and never looked back. Later, when you told Toji what happened, he just wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer. “No more ice cream for her then.” You laughed so hard you nearly cried. And in that moment, losing a fake friend felt a lot less painful than keeping one.
Now, years later you’re curled up on the couch next to your husband Toji tucked under his arm as he sips his favorite beer with his free hand watching some boxing match on the TV. His fingertips draw unconscious patterns on your arm as you read a book and draw lazy patterns on his thigh with your unoccupied hand when the front door opens.
“I’m home.” The familiar aloof voice of your son Megumi carries throughout the house. You lean off of Toji’s shoulder, earning yourself a displeased groan from the man and smiling at your son with your usual warm smile.
“Hey, how was school?” You ask, setting down your book on the couch and settling back into your husband's side. Toji groans again and settles you better into his side, his arm falling from your shoulders to around your waist and hand now resting on your thigh. He sips his beer and side eyes his son as acknowledgement.
“It was fine.” Megumi says flatly from the front door where he’s slipping off his shoes and jacket. You watch him set down his house keys next before speaking again, “How's Yuji and Nobara?” You ask as Megumi walks over towards the kitchen and grabs a water bottle.
“Good. They want to go out tonight to some arcade.” He says simply before taking a long sip. You smile excitedly, smacking Toji’s thigh so he could acknowledge that your usually introverted son wants to go out. He side eyes you, silently saying, 'What was that for?' with his eyes before groaning and turning off the TV.
“About time you get a life.” Toji mutters to his son before sipping his beer, you click your tongue and smack his thigh harder. He chuckles and smirks around the beer bottle pressed to his scarred lips.
Megumi pays no mind to his father's words, walking over to the couch and sitting down on your left with his water bottle in his hands. With a final glare at Toji, you look at your son, smiling and excited for him. “Oh yeah? Sounds like a good time.”
“Would be.” He says simply as he stares off to the screen of the TV. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You're not going?” You ask, slightly disappointed. Toji snorts, “What a shocker.” Your husband says sarcastically.
You roll your eyes and turn to better face your son, “Why aren't you going, Megs? Does it not sound fun?” Megumi shrugs, “The arcade is new. It's expensive, so I figured we couldn't afford it.”
When the word ‘afford’ leaves his mouth, your face drops. Toji spits out the beer that was in his mouth and bursts out laughing. Megumi’s usual stoic expression falters, concern growing on every line of his face. Your eye twitches as you stare at your son and the word replays in your head like a drum, Toji coughing and laughing up a storm while setting down his beer on the coffee table in front of you all and smacking his chest with his now free hand, trying to draw in breath. “Oh, here we go.” He gasps out between fits of laughter.
“Wha-“ Megumi tries to ask but is quickly interrupted by you, “Oh Megumi…my sweet boy…WE can afford it.” You say as if that word leaves a bad taste in your tongue. Sitting up you dig into Toji’s pocket as you continue speaking, “Here’s what you’re gonna do.” Toji sighs deeply and adjusts himself so you can better reach into his pocket. Opening the wallet you take out a fat band of cash, undoing the rubber band around it. “You will buy tickets for you AND your friends to this arcade,” you say while placing a stack on your son’s hand, his eyes widening from the amount of money that alone already is. “THEN you will buy as much food and play as many games as you all desire.” Emphasizing your words with another stack, Toji next to you stroking your thigh under his big hand to offer some form of support. “And you’re not allowed to take a single step into this home unless this entire band is spent.” You place the last part of the money on his hand. Megumi is speechless at this point, he looks up at his father for help but Toji just gives him a slight shrug as if telling him, ‘just go with it, kid.’
Megumi just blinks between the both of you in confusion then just sighs. “Uh…okay…thanks then..i guess.” He stands up slowly while organizing the stack in his hands better while staring at you. “You’re telling me what this is about when I'm back.” He says in a slightly reprimanding tone, eyes sharp as if they’re trying to figure out where everything went wrong while backing up towards the stairs to his room.
You and Toji settled back into the couch together, his arm over your shoulder this time to have you pulled as close as possible to his side while Megumi was getting ready. Once he was done and said his goodbyes to both of you, the front door shut, leaving just the faint scent of his cologne. A few moments pass, and there you go muttering to yourself, ‘Pfft…afford..tch..we can afford it…’ shaking your head slightly. Toji presses his scared slips together slightly, an amused smirk on his face, before tilting his gaze to you, holding back a chuckle. “We can beat the ashes of the horse before bed, but not right now, the match is getting good, yeah?” He hums while kissing the underside of your ear and caressing your collarbone.
KENTO NANAMI
You and Nanami have been dating for a while now. Friday morning, you woke up early and had an amazing slow morning together. Your apartment smells like coffee, his cologne, and fresh laundry that's still laid out on your couch from last night. Before he was out the door to his job, he left you with a lingering kiss on the lips that tasted like his bitter black coffee and something uniquely him. “I’ll be home at 8:33 tonight, dear. Assuming the train is actually on time tonight. Call me if you need me, I'll answer.” He says to you as he adjusts his glasses one final time and smiles slightly before disappearing out the door.
Hours later, you're sitting at home getting some work done on your computer when a message from him lights up your phone. You set down your drink onto the coffee table in front of you before opening his message and reading it, a growing frown pulling on your lips. “Dear, I'm clocking in overtime tonight. Gojo needs these reports on his desk by morning. I love you, don't wait up.” After reading his message, you respond, mid-sentence, having a light bulb moment. Knowing that when he clocks in over time, he usually goes straight home. You made up your mind to go to his apartment tonight and surprise him.
After wrapping up all your work, you made your way to his apartment at 6pm. Your boyfriend has a routine of cleaning his house every Saturday, but the way his superiors have been overworking him, you decided to do that for him, deep cleaning his bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and living room. Now it’s 7:35 pm, and you’re starting to prep ingredients for your signature sandwich, which he loves, when you realize he has run out of bread. You quickly make a run to his favorite bakery that’s across the street from his place, hoping it doesn’t close yet. Running into the bakery 15 minutes before closing, looking like a semi-disaster after all you did at his place, with an apologetic, relieved smile on your face.
“Oh, good, you're still open.” You say, out of breath, walking up to the counter. You’re greeted with an annoyed teenager who's popping her gum loudly and rolling her eyes after checking the time.
“Yup.” She says exaggerated and sarcastically, clearly not in any mood for your presence. You smile apologetically again, heading straight to grab two loaves of baguettes and pastries from the glass display case. After 4 minutes of walking around and grabbing the necessities, you walk up to the counter, emptying the contents of stuff from your hands and onto the surface. The snarky teenager rolls her eyes before looking you up and down slowly. “This it?” She says, annoyed, you nod and say yes. She scoffs, looking you up and down more slowly this time. “You can afford all this?” Your face drops at her comment as she rings you up. Taking your card from your wallet and the payment goes through without a hitch, the girl scoffs. You take the bag full of food and walk out of the bakery, doing double takes at the girl as if not believing the interaction you just had.
Nanami is walking down the hallway to his apartment with a defeated spirit. Standing in front of his place, he sends you a quick text while undoing his tie. Then, as he opens the door, the scent of cleanliness and your perfume engulf him. For a moment, he was confused. Why did his place smell clean? And of you? Until he walked into the kitchen and saw his beautiful girlfriend waiting for him on the bar stool with fresh sandwiches and his favorite pastries on the counter. “Ken baby, hey! You hungry?” You say brightly, already up from your seat and walking over to him for a hug around the neck. He hugs you by the waist, looking around astonished at his very clean apartment, his favorite sandwich on the counter with his usual weekend pastries, and a lovely girlfriend who feels like home in his arms. “Hon, you didn't have to.” He mumbles gratefully into your shoulder, hugging you tighter and pulling you flush against his toned body. You spent an amazing night together, sharing stories of your day between bites of your sandwiches and smiles after sips of wine. Despite the night you were having, the words from that snarky teenager stayed in your subconscious.
Now, years later, you and Nanami are married with a beautiful teenage daughter who's the spitting image of you two. You were cleaning up around the kitchen after you and your husband had lunch. He was off from work today, so you spent your time deep cleaning the house and getting ready for the weekend. Your daughter appears in the doorframe moments later, “Mom! Dad! I’m home!” Her voice carries from the front door to the kitchen, and a smile appears on your face almost instantly.
Your usually stoic husband relaxes a bit, his shoulders dropping ever so slightly. “In here!” you call out, your husband setting down his cleaning supplies to help his daughter with her school bags before kissing the top of her head. “How was your day, honey?” he asks in his usual tone, but it carries a hint of warmth, the tone reserved for just you and your baby girl. “It was good!” She says while giving her dad a quick kiss on the cheek and doing the same to you. “Actually, there’s a dilemma I’m having that I want you guys to hear out.” She continues in a slightly more serious tone as she grabs a barstool to sit on. You and Nanami give each other a quick glance and put down everything to pay attention. “Hit us.” You respond, Nanami giving his daughter a quick nod signaling her to continue. “Alright so it was club rush today and the music club really caught my eye so I applied to it.” She finally spoke, almost testing how the words would land. “That’s great, sweetheart! I’m glad something interested you.” You replied, then there’s a pause, “What’s the dilemma?” asks Nanami in a tone that he’s ready to fix any of his daughter’s problems right away. “The dilemma is that we have to have our own piano to practice at home, and the ones they were recommending were a pretty penny or two, so…I was wondering if we could afford it?”
Your head snaps towards your husband immediately, your finger pointing to your daughter, half accusingly, half in defense. “You see!? The horse got up!” Nanami mumbles to himself while taking off his glasses, “Oh boy..” pinching the bridge of his nose, he nods slowly, “Yes, dear, it did get up.” Your daughter is just looking between the two of you, very confused, “So, like, am I missing something here?” She asks, clear that something she said had triggered you.
“Yes. You’re missing that piano.” Your head snaps again towards your daughter, and you walk towards her, leaning over the counter. “On that note, the piano is gonna be mahogany wood. A violin in the same wood, matching set.” In the background, Nanami is approaching you from behind, careful not to disrupt you. “In fact, the office is now becoming your practice studio.” He stands by your side while you begin your rambling, placing a hand on your waist and the other giving grounding squeezes to your shoulder. “Your dad is strong, he can help me carry out all the furniture, right, Ken?” You ask quickly before continuing, your daughter is completely distraught by your plans, and before she interrupts. “Yes, my love, of course.” Nanami replies in a calm voice, the teenage girl gives him a bewildered look as if asking, ‘You’re actually going along with this?!’
He replies with a knowing nod, ‘I'll explain later,’ it said. Your daughter just sighs as your rambling just becomes white noise.
“Of course, we can afford this new hobby, sweetheart. Actually, I’m even getting you a tutor. That's a great idea, right?” Nanami nods, letting out a deep exhale while pressing a kiss on your temple. “Yes, love.”
HIROMI HIGURUMA
At the beginning of your relationship with Higuruma, you both already knew you guys were forever. So much so that during one of his celebratory dinners with his colleagues over a grueling case, he wanted to announce his biggest achievement of all, being able to land the fiancée title. That’s right, just a few months into dating, he had already decided to get the gears going just a tad bit faster. You were super excited but also extremely nervous to meet his colleagues, especially to announce the upgrade of your relationship status. So you decided to doll yourself up as best as you possibly could, nails done the day before, your hair styled to perfection, and now you are doing your makeup with laser focus. Having the black dress Higuruma absolutely adores waiting for you, splayed carefully on the side of your bed to make sure the fabric doesn’t get stained or wrinkled. Black-red bottom heels were neatly placed in front of the dress on the floor, jewelry placed above the dress, and your purse that’s going to carry your phone, lip combo, and, most importantly, your engagement ring already placed next to the dress.
Everything is going smoothly, your getting-ready playlist is on the TV as you take your sweet time with every step, just really enjoying the process of getting dolled up. Then a notification with a specific ringtone interrupts. “Hey doll, we’re running a bit late to wrap things up, but you can start heading out soon. My secretary is on the way to the reservation, so you can meet her there. I love you, see you soon.” Oh, how giddy every text from him still makes you. Taking his message as your cue, you do your last touches on the makeup before getting the dress, shoes, and bag all on you. Making sure you have everything with you— “Oh shit, I forgot my wallet!” You say as you are walking towards the front door while checking your bag. When you’re about to go back to get it, you remember you have a lawyer finacée who will personally sue you if you pay for something yourself.
20 minutes later, you were walking into the designated restaurant with a nervous smile, hand clutching your purse as you looked around for Higuruma’s secretary. After a total of 3 seconds, you spot her sitting down on one of the couches in the waiting area. Her bleach blonde hair and red lipstick that looked way too bright for the occasion made her stand out like a sore thumb. She was scrolling through her phone with a seemingly annoyed expression, maybe it’s been a stressful few hours for her. Before making your way over to her, you take a deep breath through your nose, mustering up all the sociability in your bones and scanning her for a way to start this conversation.
You clear your throat before speaking, “Hi! You’re Higuruma’s secretary, right?” You say as calmly as you can with a polite smile on your painted lips. She looks up from her phone at you, “Uh, yeah. Who are you?” She says, her face scrunched in, already seeming disapproving. “Perfect! It’s great to finally meet you! I’m—“ your introduction gets cut short from her phone ringing. Without sparing you another glance, she immediately turns her head away from you and answers it. You retract the handshake you were expecting and wait for her phone call to end, it almost seemed like she was extending it on purpose..? Once it ended, she didn’t turn her attention back to you, she just opened up her social media instead. Well, alright…maybe you should try another tactic. “Oh, girl, I love that necklace you have on. Where’s it from?” You ask with a cheerful tone before taking the seat next to her. She sighs exasperatedly and turns her scrutinizing gaze to you slowly, looking you up and down before responding, “I’d tell you, but I don’t think you can afford it.”
Her tone was sharp, almost chuckling to herself at the end. Her comment left you momentarily speechless. Did this stranger actually just say that to you?
“What did you just say?” A deep, authoritative voice from behind you spoke up, a very familiar one. Both of you turn to face Higuruma, whose usually stoic expression seemed extremely displeased with what he’d just heard directed to his fiancée. “O-oh, nothing, it was just a joke, right girl?” She laughs nervously while giving you a slight nudge with her elbow. You snap out of your stunned daze and scoff, your face a mix of disbelief and disgust, before rubbing your arm where hers had touched you. “Yeah, a joke.” You say back to her, rolling your eyes and standing from your spot next to her to walk over to your fiancé. Higuruma notices your attitude towards her and immediately scoffs, “Lying to a lawyer? Not the brightest idea you’ve had.” He says to his secretary before his hand finds your waist, firmly pulling you closer to his side with a gentle protectiveness only you get to see.
The secretary is struggling to find an excuse while the physical proximity between you two is making her glitch. “Let me make this clear for you. You do not speak to my fiancée like that. Do you understand?” He says while reaching into his pocket with his free hand. Her eyes widen comically large, her words stuttering in disbelief. “Y-you’re w-what?!” His colleagues gasp, clearly not expecting this dinner to become such a spectacle. “My fiancée.” He repeats in his usual calm tone as he slips your engagement ring onto your finger gently before holding up your hand to press a soft kiss to your knuckles, then showing everyone around you two the stone on your ring finger like a key piece of evidence in a court case. “Are we all clear on how to speak to my fiancé?”
Now, years later, you guys are happily married with a beautiful daughter that just arrived home from an after-school hangout. “I’m home!” She calls out, and the sounds of her locking the front door shut while pushing away the plastic curtain that separates the half-remodeled kitchen and dining area are heard from the living room, where you and your husband were. “Here, sweetheart!” You call out to her as you keep typing on your laptop, shifting on the couch cushions with Higuruma to your right. She rushes over to the room and greets both of you with a hug, “What are you guys up to, huh?” she asks curiously while taking out a snack from the pantry before stopping to stand on the opposite side of the counter in front of both of you. “Just finished up some work. You arrived just in time.” Higuruma speaks, a relieved grin on his face as he closes his case folders and sets them aside. You shut your laptop as well. “Whew, work has us beat. But how have you been, hun? Tell us everything.” You add while leaning your cheek on your hand, ready to hear all about her day. “My day has been whatever, nothing noteworthy. The only thing is, my friends have been pestering me about the senior trip coming up.” She sighs, rolling her eyes and shaking her head slightly as she continues, “It's this end-of-the-year trip to Okinawa for a week. The whole senior class is invited, but not everyone's going because it's super expensive.”
You look at Higuruma at the same time he looks at you, both of you with confused expressions on your faces before turning back to your daughter. “What’s the problem?” He asks before you could.
Your daughter sighs, “I mean, I know we’re remodeling the house right now, and that's not cheap, so I just figured we couldn't afford that right now.”
As soon as those words leave your daughter's lips, you take a sharp inhale, eyes wide as if you’ve just been personally insulted. Higuruma groans as he brings both of his hands to his face, leaning back against the couch cushion, looking up as if he’s praying that he completely misheard that sentence. Your daughter is glancing between the two of you, clearly noticing the mood change, “What’s...wrong?” she asks cautiously. Your brows raise while crossing your arms over your chest, “Sweetheart, you are going on that trip. In fact, you will be the best dressed there.” You scoff, your husband by your side, still in the same position, rolling his eyes towards you. “Doll…” he speaks with a deep exhale, with the utmost amount of patience in his tone. “Yes. Exactly, you’re gonna look like a doll,” you say while gesturing to him, taking his nickname towards you completely out of context already. “Tomorrow you’re skipping school, and we’re going to the mall. You’re gonna buy four different outfits per day of your trip.” Higuruma just sits there, blinking while staring at you, then he looks towards his daughter with the same disbelief in his expression, but then that twinkle of amusement blooms quietly in his eyes. His exhale attempts to hide his chuckle while he shakes his head, taking out his wallet from his right pocket. His other arm drapes on the back of the couch, “So the black Amex or the gold Amex, Barbie?” Your head turns to him sharply, his comedic cooperation seeming like he’s trying to add more fuel to your ever-growing fire.
“Okay, stop. Seriously, what is going on?” Your daughter interrupts your next sentence before it starts. Your husband chuckles, his hand starting to draw lazy taunting patterns on your arm, “Well, if you must know, your mother is reliving a traumatic experience from 18 years ago. Nothing to concern yourself with.” You scoff, trying to swat his hand from your arm, “I’m not–” “No, no doll, we understand that this is your way of coping. Is revenge sweet, 18 years later?” He says with his usual tone, carrying hints of amusement. You stare at him for a solid five seconds, your lips slightly parted, too irritated to even have a comeback, eyes glaring a hole through his face. “Hiromi.” You scold not only with your expression but with your tone that implies the ice he’s dancing on is getting thinner. Although his usual deadpan expression remains, his eyes still glitter with taunting ideas, “We’re really showing her now, huh? Is it everything you’ve dreamed of?” Your brows furrow from his endless teasing, you reach for his other hand that holds the wallet, and snatch it from him with a huff. “Tch…afford..” you bicker grudgingly as you pick out the card you want for yourself. “Do you feel accomplished, honey?” he draws his words out oh so sweetly with a classy touch of mockery. He’s leaning closer to you, brows furrowed in a facade of pity. You place the credit card of your choice down on the table rather harshly, keeping the scowl on your face in check to not fall deeper into his bait.
“Higuruma.”
“Yes dear?”
“Enough.”
“Enough of what, my love? Use your words.”
Your daughter watched this childish bickering that happens between the two of you way too often. She mimics the same expression of her father’s, face palmed, looking up as if trying to escape her reality. Soon enough, she remembered her free will and sighed, leaving the card on the table and walking to her room down the hall to save herself the trouble of trying to understand what this was about.
CHOSO KAMO
The first time you encountered Choso Kamo, you knew you'd be head over heels for him and fast. Sure, his looks were the first eye catcher, obviously, but there was just something about the way he carried himself. How would you even start talking to him without blushing? Would he find it weird if you tried initiating conversation? This is all that was going through your head during the group hangout with your friend Yuji, who introduced you to him only an hour ago.
This hangout took you from the movies, to the arcade, to a ramen shop, and finally to a few stores around the mall. In the specific store you were at, you observed all your friends disperse into groups of two, and by some miracle, you ended up paired with Choso, #dreamcometrue.
You glance at him from time to time, taking note of his hairstyle, the band t-shirt with baggy jeans combo, worn-out sneakers, and the faint smell of his warm sandalwood cologne. His expression wasn’t deadpan or uninterested, just kinda..neutral, in a way that only he could pull off without looking bored. You can tell he was quietly observing the group as they walked ahead, looking around as if assessing potential threats when someone got too close to his younger brother. You found it sweet how intensely he worried for his brother when he stubbed his toe against the ice cream shop's door. Choso physically flinched like he felt it himself.
Even now, with Yuji’s friend yapping his ear off about some concert outfit she wants to buy, all he does is hum his acknowledgement of her words every now and then with his eyes forward to the group and his hands casually shoved in his pockets. You try to talk to the girl, you do, but every time you ask about the concert she's going to, she gives you an uninterested look and a half-ass response. It was clear that the only attention she wanted was from Choso. At some point, you just gave up on trying to socialize with her and started doing your own thing, browsing through the accessories and different clothing items the store had to offer. However, no matter how long you kept walking, her irritating voice followed you around. You glanced behind you, and Choso followed behind you like a line leader. You assumed he followed mindlessly, not like he was actually enjoying your company, so you shrugged it off and kept doing your own. While flipping through multiple hangers of clothes, finally a certain dress caught your eye.
It was definitely a sight, the quality of the fabric of the dress was incredible, and the details on the seams were so cohesive that it became mesmerizing. You studied the dress in your hands for a minute or two until a low voice behind you spoke, “That’s a great choice.” Your head turned to look at Choso, who was standing a respectful distance behind you, hands in his pockets and one ankle hooked over the other as he leaned the side of his body against the nearest wall with the same neutral expression. You blink twice before finally snapping from your daze and responding, “Oh yeah?” is all you could muster while trying to hide the shock in your tone that he is actually talking to you right now. “Mhm. I think it would suit you,” he replied in his usual calm but especially gentle tone that makes you melt, “From everything we’ve been looking at, this is the best.” Did…he just say we? Like he’s been paying attention to you this entire time? When this realization hits, you can’t help but smile at how adorable he is, “You’re right. I like this one a lot too.”
While you share this sweet moment with your crush, a frustrated scoff is heard from behind both of you, “Can you even afford that?” That girl snickers while giving you a nasty up-down look as she walks up to stand too close to Choso at his position against the wall. Her comment takes you aback, completely unprovoked and just plain unnecessary, as you open your mouth to clap back, Choso beats you to it, “That’s rude. Don’t say that to your friend.” His expression shifts slightly in distaste towards her comment, brows furrowed and lips in a small frown, before taking two steps towards you and away from her. “Even if she couldn’t, why would you judge her?”
The girl is completely speechless, and her face flushes with embarrassment. “Whatever..” she mutters, rolling her eyes while walking away with her pride bruised. You watch her leave completely defeated, your head slowly turns back to the man standing next to you with disbelief written all over it, “What?” he blinks at you like that was nothing. The innocent glint in his eyes makes your lips form into a smile once again, and you just laugh, “Thanks for being my knight in shining armor.” You said with a hint of teasing in your tone while giving him a playful jab with your elbow.
Just as you predicted, this man did in fact become your one and only true love. Years later, this blossomed into the beautiful marriage you have today, with a son just as sweet and adorable as he is. Here are the three of you in a car ride back home from picking up your son from kindergarten, and he’s telling you all about what he learned today. “And after we colored during recess.” He said all wide-eyed with a bright smile in the backseat, “That sounds fun! Did you like coloring?” You asked in that mom tone you have now acquired from the 5 years of being one. “Yes! I wanna color more!” He chirped happily, giggling with a sparkle in those big brown, innocent eyes that were identical to your husband's. Choso was in the driver’s seat with a hand on your thigh, drawing loving lazy patterns as he watched his son from the rearview mirror with a smile on his face. “Coloring is a great hobby, we should get you new supplies to do it at home.” He said with excitement in his tone, already imagining all the doodles his son’s brilliant mind could come up with. When the expected excited giggles and immediate enthusiastic child response doesn’t come, you and Choso share a confused glance at each other. “Is something wrong, bud?” He asks softly, adjusting in the driver’s seat to get a better look at his son’s face through the review mirror, concern etched into his expression. A beat of silence.
“Um…but..Mommy doesn’t have any paper rectangles in her purse.” Your son mumbles, the sound of his voice shy with a hint of sadness.
Both your expressions soften almost instantly as the realization sets in, sharing another glance, but this one with a smile. One of the recent things Choso has been teaching your son is money. Since he always comes shopping with both of you and is constantly playing with dollar bills your husband hands him, while waiting in line to pay, Choso started explaining what the paper in his small baby's hands is used for. Explaining the money in simple terms with the patience only a loving father has, and a warm, proud smile as he picks up on it quickly.
Choso squeezes your thigh gently, his big hand grabbing onto every inch he can. “Baby, you see?! He does remember what I taught him!” Your husband turns his head towards you with a proud glint in his eyes before looking back to the road. You were silent for a couple of seconds, a smile fading slowly as a realization set in. You turn your head towards him very slowly, “Our son just called me broke.”
Your words came out as if your heart had been shattered into pieces. Your husband’s expression changes instantly as he notices your reaction, “I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that, hon-“ He gets cut off by the sound of the shuffling you're doing in your seat to fully turn around and look at your son in the backseat. “Mommy is gonna prove to you that she has a lot of money.” You say reaching out to hold his hand, your son readily taking hold of it, obviously misunderstanding the situation. “Cho baby, pull over.” You say with the sweetest tone you could possibly muster, Choso glances at you again with growing concern for what he thinks is about to happen. “I think that might be unnecessa—“ Your eyes make contact with him sharply. “Choso. Pull over.” He sighs deeply before switching lanes to the nearest supplies store, “Honey...” You huff, letting go of your son's small hand and turning back to face forward in your seat as you gather your purse. “Let’s go.”
Without waiting for a response, you get out of the car, walk to your son's side of the car, and get him out of his car seat before securing him on your hip with your arms around him. Choso locks the car door and walks over to you both before putting his hand on your lower back and guiding you inside. Your son swings his legs on either side of you, looking at the store with an awestruck expression. Minutes later, you’re walking through the halls of the art section, leading the way with Choso pushing the shopping cart as you drag your hand through the shelves, knocking every product into the cart. “Baby, you missed one.” Choso says softly from behind you and nods towards the paint you missed. You knock it into the shopping cart with a satisfied smile, “See? Mommy can afford it.” You say sweetly to your son before bouncing him on your hip to make him smile brighter than he already is, looking at all his new art supplies with a twinkle in his eyes. “Wow! Mommy, this is all for me!?” He says excitedly, Choso just smiles at the interaction, shaking his head slightly as he starts following behind you to the checkout.
RYOMEN SUKUNA
After a grueling day of work, phone calls, and online meetings, you and your husband finally get the chance to sit back, relax, and watch the reality TV show that he swears he’s not interested in. Salty snacks, sweet treats, and drinks are on a tray you gathered up quickly before settling into your side of the bed.
Sukuna grumbles as he walks into your shared bedroom, the top pair of his arms drying his hair with a towel after his shower, “That show has another episode tonight. Such distasteful forms of entertainment.” Shaking his head in irritation while grabbing the remote from his nightstand with his free bottom right hand. You roll your eyes, hand digging into the warm bowl of popcorn, “If you don’t want to watch it, we don’t have to.” His face scrunches up as if he had just been offended while settling into his side of the bed. He looks you up and down with his usual annoyance and scoffs, “Entertainment is entertainment, woman.” His sassy attitude always amuses you. How can you take him seriously when he’s cuddling up next to you? His arm wraps around you and pulls you closer to his side while turning on the TV. “Right, right, sorry your highness.” You giggle as your hand brings some popcorn to the mouth on his stomach, and he shoots you a quick glare, huffing before reluctantly accepting the food, “Don’t let it happen again.”
After about 20 minutes of watching the episode, you both are extremely focused on the drama that the snacks have been left untouched for a bit, reaching for them slower and slower than the last time. Sukuna swears this is boring, but he’s the one who comments the most, “This mortal won’t stop talking,” one moment, and then a, “How awfully irritating this is,” another moment. All these complaints, but if you even imply to change the show, an immediate glare from his second set of eyes meets your peripheral vision, his bottom arm pulling you closer by the waist while the top arms are crossed behind his head. His hand caresses your side mindlessly, occasionally getting low enough to your hip and getting a sneaky squeeze before coming back to the middle of your waist.
As the episode is reaching its pinnacle of drama, you and your husband are so focused that you have to remember to manually blink or your eyes will get too dry. Suddenly, the door to your bedroom bursts open, both of your heads snap towards the door, you did a slight jump from being off guard, but Sukuna was just annoyed from the interruption. “Oh, there you guys are.” Your daughter let out a breath of relief while walking towards your bed. “Hi, sweetheart! How was your hangout?” You reply, sitting up straighter to greet your daughter, Sukuna huffs from the fact that you pulled away from his side and crosses his bottom pair of arms over his chest. “Ugh, Mom, that’s what I came to talk to you guys about. My friends were being such assholes.” She sat on the edge of the bed, a defeated sort of tone in her voice.
Your brows raise immediately from her words, reaching for the remote, and you pause the show. The second you do that, Sukuna groans, “Woman.” Your eyes snap to your husband’s, the most menacing look on your face for a split second makes him get his act right, reluctantly, of course, but it is done nonetheless. “Tell us everything.” You resume speaking to your daughter, patting the middle of the bed for her to come closer to you guys. She exhales loudly again while slumping herself over the space between your legs and your husband’s. “So while we were hanging out, the prom topic came up, and I started asking where everyone was getting their dresses from…” she started, a little pout forming on her lips as she spoke, “and you won’t believe what they said to me..” The emphasis becomes even more pronounced as she snatches the bag of gummies off your tray. “We’d tell you, but I don't think you can afford to shop there.” She mimics the voice of her friend while stuffing her face with a few gummies.
Your face drops, scoffing while the unprovoked comment is still processing in your brain, however Sukuna remains with his usual scowl. “Like who the hell says that?” She scoffs while shaking her head in frustration as if she’s reliving the baffling and embarrassing moment over and over. You dig into the gummy bag your daughter is holding and take out a handful of them. “Here’s what we’re gonna do.” You start by waving the sour little gummy worm around, “First, you are blocking them, cause ‘friends’ is the last thing they are to you,” then toss that gummy into your mouth. “Second, I’m calling up my assistant to make a list of the most luxurious boutiques. You’re gonna skip school, and we’re all going there.” You say while chewing, “Because you are going to be the best dressed and styled at that prom. Trust me, I'm hiring a makeup artist and a hairstylist too.” Then, as you pop another two gummies in your mouth before you start to speak again. Or so you thought.
“Let’s kill them.” A gravely voice suddenly interrupts the conversation, one that never usually has anything to say. Both of your heads turn to Sukuna, who is glancing between the two of you. Your daughter glances at you, then at him, “What?” He said plainly. Pinching the bridge of your nose, a deep exhale escapes you, “Dear…we can’t do that. Just making sure she shows off is fine.” His brow raises, and he clicks his tongue, “Back in my day, death was the lightest sentence to receive.” You reach out to caress his bicep in comfort, appreciating his attempt to help despite it being outrageous, “I know. Luckily, it isn’t the Heian era anymore.” An amused snicker escapes you as his face scrunches up in reminiscence of his golden age. “In fact, wiping out the entire familial bloodline sounds more appropriate for this matter.” He nods his head in approval of his own idea, while your laughter only increases, “Dear, that’s absurd—“ but you’re interrupted.
“Now that is proper revenge. Fantastic idea, Dad!” Your daughter chirps, her expression completely opposite from a few moments before. “Can you include her pets, too? She loves her fat hamsters more than anything, so you have to destroy them.” She adds while sitting up and giving puppy eyes to her father, who cracks a proud smile. “Of course, Child. The creatures shall receive their sentence first, then the rest of her loved ones, as we save the most grueling punishment for the peasant.” Your daughter shrieks in absolute joy and jumps toward Sukuna, embracing him as strongly as she possibly could, “You’re the best! Thank you so much!!” His bottom set of arms embraces her openly, nodding with a pleased look on his face. “No one dares to insult my mortal spawn and remain capable of drawing breath.” As this adorable moment between father and daughter occurs, you can’t decide if this is sweet or something you should actually be concerned about.
a/n: lmk which one was your fav!! ˙𐃷˙