HEAD OVER BOOTS
citygirl!reader x cowboy!Sukuna // Masterlist
Pt 1. Long Haul // AO3 // Pt. 2>>
Explicit - 18+ // wc 5.7k
Your roommate grew up on a ranch before moving to the City and now she INSISTS that you come along with her to one of the biggest rodeos around. Having moved in not too long ago, you reluctantly agree even though dusty, wide open spaces are a foreign concept to your polished City girl demeanor. By chance, you meet one of the biggest names in pro-rodeo complete with a belt buckle as big as his ego. A cowboy through and through, he hates the City and the people that reside it. Little does he know that lasting eight seconds on a bull is easy compared to fighting feelings for a girl he’s supposed to hate.
Content Tags/Warnings Throughout Work: slight enemies to lovers, eventual smut, Sukuna is a rodeo cowboy, reader is a city girl, slight mentions of blood/injury from rodeo activities, happy ending, more to be added
AN: Extra credit if you know what real life rodeo this is based on lol. This was inspired by @indiewritesxoxo's He's (Not) My Man. Dividers by @saradika-graphics.
🎵 Long Haul by Ian Munsick "girl don't worry this boy ain't gonna run"🎵
You were born a city girl. Bustling streets and sirens from various types of emergency vehicles were a background noise you were used to and bike paths along a river were about as outdoorsy as it got.
So when you’d moved to a city wedged between the foot of the mountains and the wide open ranchlands, you began to learn more about this more adventurous outdoor life you’d only heard about online.
While the city part was still very much your typical, urban environment with a vibrant downtown surrounded by sprawling suburbia, the people you met seemed to be drawn to a place with all the city comforts within close proximity to the great outdoors.
It was hard to make friends in a place like this. People seemed to come and go, an almost transient environment where people would spend a year or two, and either go back to where they came from or become assimilated into the weird dueling cultures: working 5 days a week and then galavanting off to the mountains to hike, fish, ski, camp, or partake in any other of the endless adventure activities that was the norm here.
It seemed people would move to and from here in waves, finding roommates among each other to lower the cost of living in a place like there where salaries weren’t quite up to par compared to other cities in your country.
After all, a place like this was a place people went out of their way to move and companies knew it, undercutting new hires knowing there’d be another wave of transplants to take their place who would work anywhere to live within proximity to such a world renowned outdoor paradise where leagues of travelers made their summer vacations.
And while the mountains were their own bustling oasis with their natural beauty, the city was also in the heart of cowboy country. Ranches sprawled across thousands to millions acres of ruggedness where cattle and sheep roamed across the land amongst which tiny towns were sprinkled between vast expanses of nothing but prairie grasses blowing in the constant breeze.
It was quite a mashup of lifestyles, everybody seeming to loathe the others for preconceived reasons and reputations that preceded them. Thanks to the internet, lumping large groups of people into categories without any regard for their individuality had never been easier, an almost mob-like mentality driven by rumors of “things you heard” from friends who mingled in the same worlds.
Truth be told, these subsets of people barely ever crossed paths, never having an opportunity to truly witness and experience the lives of those in these other groups.
This is exactly where you found yourself however as you are seated in your roommate's truck with your other friends, driving north towards what she referred to as the “Daddy of em’ All”.
Aka, a fucking rodeo three hours north in the next state over in the middle of the summer.
“Not too much farther now!” Shoko exclaims as you cross the state line, noticing a mile marker sign whiz by the window as your group barrels both along the highway. You could tell the closer she got to her hometown, the more talkative and animated she was getting.
The complete opposite of you…the landscape became more and more barren, nothing but mountains to your left and dry, desolate prairie on your right, broken up by barbed wire fencing delineating various plots of land.
“Are those cows?” you ask, pointing to some black specs out in the distance.
“Mhmm, mainly beef cattle out here,” Shoko responds, adjusting the air conditioning in the car.
“That is such a city person thing to ask,” Nanami laughs at you from the back seat.
Your roommates. They’d had a room open up in their three bedroom apartment in the heart of downtown, exactly the location you had wanted to be when looking for a place to live. They’d seemed like kind, down to earth people and the rent was much cheaper than the bigger city you had moved from, so it had been a no brainer in your eyes.
Shoko was from a ranching family in the town you were driving towards. She’d stayed in the City after going to college there, opting to not move back to the rural area.
Nanami was in finance at an investment banking firm in the City, having met Shoko in college as well. Their old roommate, Geto, had moved back to his and Shoko’s hometown when his dad started getting older and needed more help tending the ranch.
Your suspicion about them had been right, thinking you couldn’t have gotten luckier with the friends you’d ended up with. They teased you about your standoffish city girl demeanor, but had welcomed you with open arms, including you in their daily lives and helping you get used to the new City.
“Are you excited to be going home?” you ask Shoko.
“I guess. It’s so boring, there’s a reason I didn’t want to move back after school. It’s nice to visit I suppose,” she laughs, taking the exit on your right towards town.
“Yeah, there sure isn’t much to see that’s for sure. Does it get more interesting?” Nanami pipes up as the car slows to a stop at a traffic signal.
“I mean, define interesting. There’s a Main Street we have to drive through to get to my parents’ place,” Shoko giggles.
You try to pull up your Maps app, but realize you have exactly zero service, opting to look around instead as the car starts moving again.
Clearly this rodeo was the biggest thing to talk about because there were signs and banners everywhere welcoming visitors. Almost every building you passed seemed run down with dilapidated parking lots that barely had any striping. Even the people you saw every now and then seemed like they were from a foreign country, relaxed jeans and t-shirts with rusted out trucks; a wild difference from the more image conscious city people you were used to.
Even Shoko, who calls this place home, still has a trendy bobbed hairstyle and high end sunglasses. You’d never even suspect her being from here.
Nanami just looks like your typical, cliche Patagonia ad, the poster child of a stereotypical outdoorsy man that lives in your City. Normally on any given weekend he’d be in the mountains chasing trout in his fly fishing attire and camping along an unnamed stream.
The town is obviously crowded and becoming inundated with visitors as the small Main Street starts to become more like your commute with the stop and go traffic.
“Ugh! Damn traffic is crazy!” Shoko whines, smacking the steering wheel as you sit through another cycle of a traffic light, watching people bustle around on the sidewalks going to one of the little diners and dive bars scattered around.
“Is this normal for this weekend?” Nanami asks calmly, smirking at Shoko’s outburst.
“Unfortunately. The city folk all converge on town while the various people from the rural areas also make the trek over, and of course there’s only so much parking and places for them to stay,” she explains, finally getting through the stoplight and getting out of the main area of town, the crowd beginning to thin out again.
“Normally they have everyone park at huge fields and parking lots outside the city and then they bus them over to the festival area. But right now when everyone is arriving, there’s not much you can do about it.”
You both hum in response, the town quickly morphing back into wide open grasslands and barbed wire fences as you presumably get closer to Shoko’s family’s land.
“This is us!” she exclaims, turning down a dirt road with a fancy wooden archway beckoning you all towards her driveway. You stare wide eyed out the window, dust obscuring your view as the car shakes and rocks on the unpaved surface.
Pulling up to a modest farmhouse, you realize a rolling suitcase wasn’t the best thing to bring as you take note of the hard packed dirt when you get out of the car. The house is set up on a hill overlooking what seems like infinite prairie extending in all directions, the tall grasses rippling like waves as the wind cuts across the land.
“Wow this is beautiful,” you say to Shoko as she comes to stand next to you.
It’s beautiful in a mysterious and empty way, feeling like you’re staring at everything and nothing all at once, eyes searching for something that you can’t put your finger on.
Perhaps it’s the way you feel wildly out of place that is contributing to your current worldview, seeing for miles isn’t something you’re used to, it’s almost too freeing. You almost appreciate having boundaries and walls to guide you along through life, keeping you from straying into unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations.
Like right now as Shoko’s parents are greeting you all and being so friendly it’s almost alarming. They guide you all to a guesthouse in the back yard where you all will have your own space for the weekend.
Farm dogs abound and the smell of manure starts to hit you like a truck as the breeze blows just right.
“Welcome to the country,” Shoko laughs at you, clearly unable to hide the disgust on your face.
“This can’t be something you miss,” Nanami chimes in.
“Fuck no, when you live here you don’t even notice but now? Very apparent,” Shoko shuts the door behind the three of you. The house is quaint, plenty of space for everyone with a nice living room and kitchen area.
“So what’s the plan for the weekend?” Nanami asks as he sits down after unpacking. Everyone had put their belongings away and were now reconvening in the living room.
“Tonight we are gonna go to one of the bars in town. It’s kind of the place to go during Rodeo weekend for both locals and the pros. Thankfully I know the owner so we’ll be able to get right in!” Shoko says excitedly, texting while talking.
“Will Geto be there?” Nanami asks.
“Yeah he’s coming too! That’s who I’m texting now.”
“Yes!” Nanami shares a rare moment of excitement.
“When you say the pros, do you mean like the rodeo participants?” you ask, a little wary of not fitting in with the rest of the crowd.
“Mhmm, like the pro cowboys and cowgirls as well as the folks vying for the amateur events. Mainly locals.”
You swallow hard, suddenly not feeling very excited. Going to the festival and rodeo events was fine, but being forced to mingle with these country folk was not appealing. They just seem…so…
Uneducated? Closed minded? Old fashioned?
All of the above?
They’re the type of people your friends would make fun of when you were younger with their thick accents and uncivilized ways of life.
“Don’t worry, they’re usually pretty down to earth people, you’re friends with me right and that’s the world I came from,” Shoko interrupts your thoughts. She was different though, you both could flame the other for their lifestyles and not get offended, but you knew everyone wasn’t as easy going as her.
“You’re you though,” you laugh, making her roll her eyes.
“Yeah and? I’m sure when you first met me you were judging hard, but once you got to know me your opinion changed. Get out of your prissy, stuck up city mindset and try to relax a little,” she chuckles.
“Bitch,” you giggle.
“You can hang out with me, I’m not exactly a country boy myself,” Nanami butts in, making you feel a little better.
Two hours later, you’re all back in Shoko’s car and heading back into town.
Nanami is in a checkered, collared shirt and jeans giving just a hint of cowboy attire while still maintaining his clean cut appearance.
Shoko went full cowgirl with a jean mini skirt and cowgirl boots, embracing her roots. She wears it well though.
You on the other hand refused to do cowgirl cosplay because there was literally not a bone in your body that leaned that way, so you wore a chic going out outfit that was typical for you on a night out.
Would you stand out?
Probably.
But at least you felt confident in one way or another and quite frankly, would look better than everyone else.
After a short ten minute drive back into town, you’re parked and walking towards a bar and even from down the street you can hear the most god awful country music.
Great, just what you needed, loud ass twangs as background noise for the in person accent you’re sure are going to give you a damn headache by the end of the night.
The sidewalk is dotted with people already drunk and smoking cigarettes, clearly well on their way to getting fucked up.
The three of you walk in the door and are met by a packed establishment. The lighting is dim, the floor is sticky, and there are animals mounted all over the wall like a damn museum.
The music is loud but the crowd is louder, groups of girls in cowgirl boots are scattered about, laughing loudly with men in cowboy hats interspersed, trying to shoot their shot. Some kind of dance floor is around the corner where the live band sits off to the side. People seem to be enjoying dancing to some disgusting song that must be popular because drunk screeches can be heard trying to sing along.
Shoko leads the way towards a table where you recognize their old roommate, Suguru Geto, sitting with an extremely attractive white haired man that looks way too pretty. He’s wearing jeans with a huge belt buckle and a gingham shirt that looks to be some silky material with the buttons undone to show off his toned chest.
Well hello, maybe tonight won’t be too bad after all.
“You made it!!” Geto calls out to your group, Shoko jumping into his arms before smiling at the white haired man who also hugs her.
“You remember her right?” Shoko says your name to Geto while gesturing at you.
“I do, thanks for subletting for me, I was scared I was gonna be stuck with two rents when I went to move,” he says loudly, clearly buzzing a little bit.
“No problem, it worked out really well!” you answer, noticing he’s dressed similarly to Nanami.
The old roommates seem to be focused on catching up, leaving you to sit next to the white haired man.
“You’re definitely not from around here huh?” he laughs, looking up at you with the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen, damn near taking your breath away.
“Is it that obvious?” you smirk, grabbing a cup and pouring yourself a beer from the pitcher on the table.
“Uhhh, yeah, very,” he chuckles.
“Satoru Gojo,” he holds his hand out, shirt sleeves unbuttoned and cuffed, showing off his forearms.
You introduce yourself, noticing his firm handshake and rough palms.
“So are you an actual farm guy or what?” you ask him.
“Farm guy?” he bursts out laughing. “No, I didn’t grow up on a fucking farm.”
“Oh, well I didn’t know, I just assume if you’re dressed for the part on a rodeo weekend, the odds are good that you're not from the city,” you retort, sipping your beer.
He flutters his lashes, looking down at you with an amused smirk.
“You have no idea who I am, do you? Or really anyone here?”
You look back at him, cocking your head in confusion.
“Umm, no. Should I?”
“No, you shouldn’t,” a deep, rough voice sounds from behind you, making you almost inhale your beer in surprise.
“Excuse me?” you retort, turning around to find the source of those fighting words was a tall, broad man dressed like everyone else in this stupid place.
His eyes narrow, brow furrowing as he meets your gaze, a slight smirk on his face.
“You heard me. No, you shouldn’t know anyone because that’s what city bitches like you do. Just show up without a care in the world, not knowin’ a lick about any of this. Getting your pictures for social media, pretending to be a cowgirl for a few days, and then disappear until next year,” the man drawls, speaking annoyingly slow with a hint of a twang.
“Wow, you’re a real gem,” you roll your eyes, crossing your arms in annoyance.
“Easy Sukuna, you’re supposed to ride the bulls, not be ornery like one,” Gojo laughs, shaking his head.
Ride the bulls?
“Wait, are you all…”
“Rodeo cowboys? Yes sweetheart, that’s what I was getting at before he lashed out for no reason,” Gojo says smoothly, making the pink haired man…Sukuna…grit his teeth in annoyance.
“Tch, more like pay to play rodeo cowboy,” Sukuna growls, sitting down next to you and glaring at Gojo.
“Well, this cowboy has gotten the best of you quite a few times this season on the circuit,” Gojo teases back, making you laugh at how obvious it is that he’s trying to get under Sukuna’s skin.
“I’m gonna go take a piss, you’ll be safe with Sukuna even though he might continue to verbally assault you,” Gojo stands up, sauntering away.
No! Please, don’t leave me with this oaf, you think to yourself. You pour yourself another beer, then glance back up at Sukuna.
“Are those face tattoos?” you blurt out, realizing your brain didn’t send the command to keep it in your thoughts only.
Sukuna smirks, the black markings moving with his jaw.
“Sure are. They’re kinda my brand,” he responds, tracing one jaw tattoo with his finger.
“Brand?”
“Yeah. Gotta stand out somehow to garner fans your way. Sponsorships and shit don’t just go to anybody,” he leans back in the chair, spreading his legs, accidentally nudging your knee.
“Don’t you think you take up enough room as it is?” you snap, jerking your leg away and crossing it over the other.
“No. You’re in my way, so move if it bothers you so much.” His grin is starting to get annoying, tempted to slap the smug look right off his face.
“I was here first!”
“No, I was. You just happened to show up while I was up doing something,” Sukuna says in an irritated tone.
That’s what is pissing you off even more. His words are harsh and brazen while his body language is hinting at something more playful and teasing.
You notice your friends all on the dance floor, a place you didn’t dare want to end up in but now given this annoying man was gracing you with his presence, you were trying to decide which was worse.
“Whatcha wanna drink? It’s on me,” his deep voice jars you as he flags down a waitress.
“No thanks, I’ll get my own,” you respond coolly, ordering a strong cocktail to help loosen you up.
He pulls the waitress around to him, making her giggle and blush, clearly smitten with him touching her. Poor lady.
“Put hers on mine, and I’ll also get us each a shot of patron,” you hear him murmur, slipping some bills into her apron.
Whatever. If he’s this desperate to spend his money on some girl he just blatantly insulted, that’s on him. You’ll just reap the benefits.
“So what’s your name and why are you here?” Sukuna pulls your attention back to him after the waitress leaves.
You introduce yourself again, noticing he is in fact, very focused on your words, red eyes glinting as the dance floor lights flash.
“I’m here because my roommate is from here and invited us to come along. Would I ever take the initiative to come on my own? Probably not. But hey, trying new things and all I guess,” you finish speaking, eyes trailing to those sharp jaw lines and cheekbones of his.
Noooo, why does he have to be hot? Why are these country boys suddenly attractive to you?
“Hmm, I see,” he says. The waitress comes back with a tray, two cocktails and two shots.
“I’m not taking that with you,” you bark at him as he moves one of the shots right in front of you.
“And why not? Here’s to worlds colliding, see it as a peace offering,” he drawls.
“A peace offering? More like trying to get a girl drunk,” you retort, picking up the shot and inspecting it.
He gives you an aggravated look.
“Well, unlike your type of guys, I’m not into that, so you better check yourself brat.”
Brat? The fuck did he just call you?
You roll your eyes, secretly relieved though. Maybe you can let your guard down a little compared to going out in a packed club in the city.
“Fine. Cheers,” you hold up the shot glass, clanking it with his before downing it, the burning liquid making you cough.
“Pretty good, now that wasn’t so bad was it?” Sukuna smiles, now picking up his other drink.
“For now, no,” you crack a small smile, pulling your cocktail over. “So what, you ride cows for a living?”
Sukuna chokes mid sip, just as a group of girls comes over, boots clacking on the ground.
“Ryomen Sukuna??” they shriek, making your ears ring. It’s even more irritating that they’ve essentially caged you in as they ogle the tattooed man next to you.
“Mhmm, that’s me,” he drawls, leaning back, not realizing he was resting his arm on the back of your seat.
The girls’ eyes narrow and give you a look. Fuck, they must think you’re ‘with’ him.
“Oh we aren’t together, I’m just waiting for my friends,” you wave your arms around in front of you, trying to drive home the point.
You try to tune them out as they flirt and banter with the man, noticing Sukuna doesn’t seem all that interested. Some of the vulgar shit coming out of their mouths is pretty audacious and a part of you feels bad for him being so objectified, but he’s rich and famous in this space, he can handle himself.
Deciding to sneak away, you quietly rise and go the opposite direction, not even sure what your destination is, just that it isn’t in ‘all that’.
An open barstool calls to you, so you perch atop it, able to have a pretty good view of the entire bar for prime people watching.
You’d talked to not one, but two pro rodeo participants! It’s a shame you couldn’t give less of a fuck, surely a cowgirl would have died to take your place. Sipping your drink, you watch groups of downright wasted guys shooting their shots and girls chasing down what you can only assume are other pros.
It’s not much different from a bumping club if you’re being honest, just with less brain cells, more gingham, and an obsession with horses.
Swirling your drink around in its glass, you watch how a little whirlpool forms, sucking the mixing straws into it. Maybe it’s about time to go find your friends, the drink is starting to make you a little tipsy after ripping that shot with Sukuna, so the dance floor doesn’t sound that unappealing right now.
Leaving your empty drink on the bar, you stand back up, using the stool to help steady yourself. Shoko and crew are taking part in some line dance, waving at you dramatically and dragging you out with her!
“Just watch me and follow my lead!” she slurs her words, clearly feeling the alcohol. You both giggle and laugh as you clumsily try to imitate her, causing Geto and Nanami to join in.
“Girl you are awful, but I respect the commitment,” Geto bursts out laughing as he catches you making a wrong movement and almost crashing into him.
“I’m learning! At least I’m out here,” you snicker, trying to fall back into step with Shoko. The music is kind of catchy, some upbeat song about whiskey or some shit like that. You aren’t the only drunk girl trying to dance, so no one even bats an eye.
The song changes again and you notice people are pairing off to start some fast paced partnered dance. You try to get away, surely not knowing at all how to do this, but Geto pulls you back.
“Nope, you’re not running away that easily,” he grins, “just follow me.”
His hands hold yours and slowly, he starts to move his feet in a pattern. After watching a few times, you start to move with him, catching on quickly.
“Hey, I think I’m getting it!” you grin up at him, squealing when he twists you around. You have a blast, laughing and giggling with your clumsy movements, Geto not seeming to mind in the slightest.
“City girl has moves after all,” he sticks his tongue out as he laughs, slowing down as the song changes.
“Mind if I cut in?”
A familiar deep voice says, Geto looking up over your shoulder.
“Sure thing, if the lady’s alright with it.”
You turn around and it’s Sukuna again! Did he just seek you out after you bailed on him?
“You owe me, leaving me to fend for myself like that,” he teases, holding his hand out for you.
“You again?” you groan, nodding at Geto and taking Sukuna’s hand. It’s rough and calloused, pulling you against him, his other hand snaking around to rest on your lower back, pressing you flush against him.
“Me again,” his husky voice muses, making your cheeks heat up in embarrassment as the metal of his belt buckle digs into the thin material covering your stomach.
“I’d have figured so many girls worship you for your cow riding skills that you had that covered,” you look up at him.
“I don’t fucking ride cows you brat. Bulls and horses,” he twirls you once, almost aggressively, his strength pulling you back against him.
“Same thing,” you mutter, grabbing his bicep after his sharp movement.
Oh god, he’s fucking shredded, you think to yourself as you feel his flexed muscle under your hand, barely even able to grip it. Is it normal for these rodeo boys to be ripped like this?
You start to pay more attention to the way your body is pressed against his, noticing how there’s nothing squishy about him. Sukuna’s chest and abs are hard as a rock, his pecs flexing against his shirt as he moves. Hints of his cologne mixed with whiskey linger in the shared space between you.
“Definitely not the same thing at all, I don’t expect you to be an expert but I’d have assumed you’ve seen a picture of a horse or cow at some point in your life,” his fingers tighten their hold on your back.
“Of course I have. If you’re just going to talk down to me about farm animals then I don’t wanna dance with you,” you try to pull away, but of course you’re no match for him as he doubles down.
“Alright alright I’ll stop,” he chuckles, staring down at you with his crimson gaze, eyes roaming over your chest.
This man is a piece of work.
You glance over to see Shoko dancing with Gojo, both of them having a great time.
Meanwhile you’re here with a man you’d swear was your biggest hater just moments ago.
“So have you played in this rodeo before?”
He bursts out laughing, his dimples are kinda cute.
“Play for the rodeo? Darling you need to learn the language,” he gives you one last twirl before the song ends.
“Come,” he holds out his hand to lead you away, not really giving you much of a choice.
He’s strangely alluring for being kind of a dick earlier. You can’t tell however if he’s being sincere now or if it’s all just a front to torment you again.
For now, you’ll assume the former. It’s not like you have anything else to do.
Sukuna brings you back to your table, leaning back in his chair again, that shiny belt buckle displayed prominently on his waist.
“You here all weekend?” he asks as he takes a sip of his drink.
“Yeah, leave Sunday night to head back home,” you answer, staring at the table below you.
“Kay. Well, what do you know about rodeos?”
“Honestly? Not much. I know a bunch of men ride horses and bulls but other than that? Nothing,” you sigh, shyly looking up at him, expecting another roast.
“God I wanna just flame you, but I’ll play nice,” he teases, leaning towards the table, shoulder brushing yours.
You just slap his bicep with the back of your hand, rolling your eyes while you stare expectantly at him.
“Out with it cowboy.”
“Okay, well to keep it simple, most rodeos have people buy in to compete and winners get prize money. Usually there’s a day of qualifying to see if you move onto the next rounds and if you do, you compete the next day. There’s different events, I do bronc and bull riding, sometimes steer wrestling but that’s more for fun. So my life is basically jumping to different events to try and win,” he says, brimming with genuine excitement. He clearly loves this…sport and cares about doing it well.
“So you’ll be competing tomorrow then?”
“Mhmm,” he hums. “Both broncs and bulls you wanna stay on for 8 seconds.”
“Eight seconds? That’s like nothing,” you scoff.
“Alright miss priss, you wouldn’t last a second on a bull, better yet, no way you’d get near one. That shit’s the hardest 8 seconds of your life, and then you have to get away from the thing when you’re done.”
You’d never really looked into this stuff at all, eight seconds seems like such a short time, but then again, on the back of a bull that’s taller than you, it probably feels like an eternity.
“Tell you what. I’ll give you one of my VIP passes, come over after the events tomorrow afternoon and I’ll show you around,” he smirks, fishing out his phone and wallet.
“Oh no that’s not necessary-“
“I insist. You will come meet me afterwards, it’s not really a question, sweets,” he says in a low, smooth tone, tossing a VIP ticket on the table at you.
“Is this your thing?” you answer as you fold it up and put it in your purse. “You come trolling for clueless girls the night before and lure them into some secluded bull haven?”
“Hah, you’re funny you know that? And the answer is no, I’m Ryomen Sukuna, more often the women come to me. Sometimes someone peaks my interest though, and for some reason you have.”
Oh? You’re not sure if he’s being romantic or just speaking generally, so you let it go and just sip your drink to fill the awkward silence.
“Welp, I’m gonna roll out. Early morning tomorrow and all,” Sukuna throws back his drink, standing up and stretching towards the ceiling.
“I’m tired too,” you yawn, suddenly the long day of working and traveling has caught up to you.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, better be there when I’m done,” he gives you a sly grin, tipping his hat to you and proceeding to walk back towards the front, disappearing into the crowd.
What the hell…you mutter to yourself, shoving your purse back over your shoulder. You can’t deny he’s hot, that's a given. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a man who’s nice to look at.
Later that night, you and Shoko are giggling on your bed in the guesthouse.
“Wait, he gave you this?” she squeals, inspecting the VIP ticket Sukuna gave you.
“Yes! Said he’d ’show me around’ whatever that means. Probably some code for either humiliate me or try to sleep with me,” you say harshly.
Shoko folds the ticket back up and tosses it on the bed next to you.
“Well, he sure did spend an awful lot of time with you. I don’t know him really at all, only through Gojo and Geto, but I’ve never really heard bad things about him. It’s no secret that women throw themselves at him, but he doesn’t really have the reputation of sleeping around and being a fuck boy,” she explains, pulling out her phone.
You pull your phone out too, searching his name to see what comes up.
Lots of articles about rodeos, bulls, horses, and everything in between. You keep scrolling, coming across what looks like some magazine covers with partially unbuttoned shirts and cowboy hats, looking way too fine.
Your thighs almost clench when you see how his lidded, crimson eyes look into the camera. He’s holding some kind of lasso and has on leather chaps overtop of his jeans.
God help you.
Another article catches your eye…a tabloid about a breakup. You click on it, noticing the woman who looks like a model in a separate photo from Sukuna. It’s from years ago, but it definitely seems like it was very public, noticing comments on the stories insulting both of them.
Part of you feels bad, like you’re invading his privacy. Then again, if it’s public on the web…
“He has a breakup article online,” you say to Shoko.
“Oh? Scoping him out?” she laughs, taking your phone so she can see.
“Oh yeah I remember this. Really ugly back when it happened,” she murmurs, scrolling through. “The well put together city girls never really jive with the rodeo boys. Tale as old as time really. I’ve been following pro rodeo my whole life and have seen so many relationships like this burst into flames.”
“Hmm, interesting,” you sigh, closing out of the app and lying down in your bed.
“Should I use that VIP pass tomorrow?”
Shoko whips her head to look at you.
“Definitely! Those are hard to come by!”
“Well maybe I can just give it to you. This just isn’t really my thing, I feel like there’s someone who would enjoy this a lot more than me,” you mutter, feeling nervous.
“Girl, he gave it to you. Also, as a rodeo virgin, I think it’ll be really cool for you to see all that. If you don’t like it, you can just leave and call me and I’ll come meet you,” Shoko encourages you gently.
“I’ll think about it,” you respond, feeling your stomach turning at the thought. It could be cool though…you’d always felt like you played it too safe, afraid to try new things and interact with people different from your world.
Shoko just gives you a knowing smirk.
“Yeah, you do that.”
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Pt. 2 >>
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