Chapter Text
What, then, did humans know?
They knew that they had a god.
Now they knew that it was one more vicious, more selfish, more real, than they had ever believed before.
Maybe, now, they believed him to be a demon. Maybe, now, they saw the blood staining his teeth and the dark imprints left by his fingers and the twisted inhuman shape of his flesh, and maybe, now, they felt fear.
Or, maybe, they would look past that.
Maybe they would look past the marks he left, past the shape of the vessel he inhabited, and into his eyes. Maybe they wouldn’t notice the strangeness of them, would look past how many they were, and would be able to see the devotion in them.
Maybe, then, they would see what he was looking at, for then they would understand.
After all, what was a god without his worshipers?
Sukuna watched as Uraume slid off his cock with a quiet groan, settling a hand on their hip to steady them as they tried to find their feet beneath them.
Does my little omega realize what they look like?
Messy.
Exhausted.
Beautiful.
He wasn’t going to deny the satisfaction he felt when he saw the bruises mottling their skin or the bright circles of red at their throat, a thin trail of blood dripping down one collar bone. Their hair was a mess too, tangled, strands clumping together with sweat and the red lines someone had so delicately painted around their eyes were blotchy and smeared.
And through it all, they were smiling that small, unreadable smile of theirs.
He spread his knees, making space for his omega to stand between his thighs. With him kneeling like this, Uraume stood just the slightest bit taller than him.
Sukuna tilted his head slightly up to look at them, reaching up with one hand to wipe his thumb over their cheekbone, leaving a streak of red smeared in its wake. The makeup was too brilliant a red to truly look like blood, but it painted a nice picture for his imagination to latch on to.
He couldn’t wait to watch Uraume hunt for him; for them to hunt with him.
“Let all who are present witness the claim I have inscribed upon my omega’s skin,” he declared to the room, easily projecting his voice across the space. He trailed his hand down Uraume’s neck, tracing across one of the wounds left by his teeth. “But there is one thing left to be done.”
He tilted his head to the side, exposing the left side of his neck. “Little omega, will you claim me as yours?”
Uraume’s smile broadened, lips curling back as they bared their teeth. Their canines were small but sharp; different from Sukuna’s own fangs, but vicious in their own way.
“I would like nothing more, my lord.”
Their breath was warm against his throat as they leaned in close, lips skimming across his skin.
Sukuna felt a shiver run down his spine. It was one thing to offer his throat; another entirely to have fangs so close to it. How many years had it been since somebody had managed to draw his blood? Centuries, if not longer – long enough that he wasn’t sure he could remember what pain felt like.
Uraume licked across his skin, tongue tracing the veins in his neck.
“My lord smells anxious,” they murmured against the skin. Sukuna wondered if they could feel his pulse against their lips.
Sukuna’s fingers tightened around their hips. “Ridiculous omega.” I chose you well.
He had never imagined that he would like something like this. He liked his followers obedient. Fearful.
But even he had to admit the obedience had settled into a sort of monotony. His little worshipers followed the rules – sometimes changing them for their own whims, because that was what humans did, but never breaking them.
So, how could he have resisted the novelty that was his little monk’s defiant gaze?
Uraume’s teeth scraped his throat.
Then they were sinking in, breaking the skin of his shoulder with a bright flare of pain.
Sukuna’s breath caught in his chest.
The pain was sharper than anything he could remember, radiating up his neck and into his jaw. He gritted his teeth, insistent on not making a sound. He refused to let anybody witness him becoming undone by something as simple as his omega’s bite.
Underneath the pain, however, he could feel the bond settling into place. It was a warmth in his chest, a comfort he hadn’t even realized he was missing.
And then there was something else.
An urge to take, to keep, so vicious in its intensity that Sukuna felt his lips involuntarily curling back in a snarl.
It was Uraume, he realized a moment later, their emotions reflected back to him. A mirror of his own, but so much brighter in their intensity, feeling with the force that only humans seemed to manage.
He could feel their lips curl against his skin in a smile as they pulled their teeth free from his throat.
He expected them to lean back; to pull away now that the claiming was done and the bond was firmly settled into place.
Instead, they skimmed their lips across his skin before sinking their teeth in again, barely a handspan from the first bite.
Sukuna barely had time to let go of their hip, flinging his hands out to the side as the urge to defend consumed him. It was an attack, his instincts screamed at him, one which he shouldn’t allow.
The thud of stone hitting ground was deafening in the quiet room as the corner of the altar cleaved away.
His left arms went limp as Uraume dug their teeth in harder.
He couldn’t focus on anything but the pain and the way it radiated across his torso, making it impossible to breathe. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to take a deep breath.
He wasn’t going to cry, no matter how much his eyes wanted to water.
Uraume’s teeth snapped shut and, for a heartbeat, the pain dulled, just enough to give Sukuna the chance to exhale a relieved breath.
And then Uraume was pulling away and air was hitting the wound and the breath was sucked out of his lungs once again, because it was so much worse.
He began healing almost immediately, of course. Being a god had its perks, but it was also a torment in its own way. The wound itched as skin began to regrow, layers of flesh knitting together in a way that wouldn’t have been possible on a human, forcing Sukuna to clench his fists in an attempt to resist the urge to scratch at it.
He turned his attention to Uraume instead, honing in on the satisfaction he felt flooding through the bond.
His omega’s lips were stained, skin glossy with dark blood that looked nearly black in the firelight. Sukuna watched as their jaw moved in a motion that wasn’t quite a smile.
Chewing, he realized a moment later as Uraume’s throat bobbed, and then his omega was smiling. It was more a snarl than anything, fangs stained red, something feral in their eyes.
A growl rumbled through Sukuna’s chest and, before he could stop himself, he was reaching up, curling his fingers into Uraume’s hair and tugging them into a kiss.
All he could taste on their lips was his blood, metallic and sharp in a way that wasn’t entirely pleasant. It left an aftertaste that human blood didn’t have, a bite of ozone and lightning and the storm.
Not that it made kissing his omega any less satisfying; not when they melted into his touch, going soft and pliant beneath his lips. He wrapped a hand around their hips, holding them close; didn’t pull away until he could feel them struggling in his grip, desperate for air.
He licked across their chin as they gasped for breath, tasting their sweat beneath the blood.
“I hope you do not plan to make a habit of that, little omega,” he murmured against their skin, not entirely sure if he believed his own words. They looked good stained with blood, the contrast stark against their pale skin.
A little pain would be worth it if he got to see them like this, he thought.
Uraume blinked, gaze slowly focusing back on him.
They reached up to trace a finger over the still-healing wound on his throat, pressing down until Sukuna was forced to growl at them.
“Mhmm.” They tilted their head, blinking owlishly once again. “Probably not.”
What calamity have I brought upon myself?
Sukuna leaned to the side, stretching an arm out to snag the white juban from where it laid crumpled on the floor, hooking a finger into the folds of the fabric. “Little omega, you are filthy, and I am certain you will make that my problem soon enough. Let us finalize things here, now that you are properly mine.”
“It is the problem of the person who left me like this, my lord,” Uraume murmured under their breath. Sukuna was surprised to realize how different the teasing felt now that the bond had settled into place, the warmth of their joy radiating through it.
To think that he had thought it was a delight to receive their prayers over all these years. This was that, but a hundredfold more.
Was this how all humans felt, he wondered. The intensity of it was almost overwhelming.
He was horrified to realize he was almost smiling – not the savage grin he sometimes plastered on his face in order to inspire fear, but a genuine smile.
Perhaps he would go ravage some towns later, just to bring some normalcy back to his life.
He held the robe up so that Uraume could slide their arms into the sleeves. He let them pull it around themselves, watching how they belted it loosely with the narrow tie that had held it shut earlier. The fabric hung haphazardly, nearly sliding off of one of their shoulders, a far cry from the prim package they had presented earlier.
Sukuna found he liked them better this way.
“I will wait here, little omega,” he said, looking them once over before shifting to recline lazily on the altar. “Gather what belongings you need. I will bring you to my home when you are ready.”
He leaned his head on one hand with a yawn as he watched them step down from the altar into the rows of seated humans.
Truly, how boring others looked in their presence. Ants milling around, utterly clueless. Sukuna watched as some of them stood, his lip twitching as they approached Uraume.
He didn’t like them trying to talk to his omega, he realized a moment later. It was almost enough to make him stand up; to make him snatch Uraume up and whisk them away right this very instant.
What a strange feeling.
Being possessive was nothing new to him – not as a god, not as an alpha, not as a man – but the urge had reached a new height.
Such a pity my omega insists upon tradition. Taking Uraume now would probably result in complaints, no matter how unworthy the others were of their goodbyes. Sukuna supposed he could indulge them, at least for now.
Time slipped by in that hazy sort of way it sometimes did, the boundaries of the mortal plane never quite matching with his own mind. It was easier to let it do that, the sounds of the room fading into the background, than to focus on the way Uraume was speaking to the others.
Let them mingle for now. There would be time enough for Sukuna to keep them to himself soon enough.
He wasn’t prepared for the way the bond flared up the moment Uraume slid the door to the room open. The distance tugged at his chest, something deep inside of him telling him to not let his omega out of his sight.
Uraume turned slightly, their gazes locking together.
Sukuna offered a stiff nod. Go get your possessions. Be quick about it.
He grit his teeth as Uraume slipped out of the room, fingers digging into the stone of the altar as he forced himself to stay in place. Ridiculous. He would never show such weakness in front of his followers; wouldn’t let them see how drawn he was to a single omega, not even if it was his omega.
Hopefully those urges would fade soon enough. He wasn’t going to let his instincts throw him around like this.
A human was staring at him, he realized a moment later. A woman, with black hair wound in a tight bun, a pin embellished with gold and orange leaves stabbed through it.
There was no fear on her face. Sukuna’s lip twitched in irritation, a hint of a snarl. Who is she, to be staring so impudently?
He was just beginning to worry that his little omega’s impudence was contagious when the woman looked away, gaze dropping down in deference. He could feel the edges of a prayer then, too shallow for him to bother to try to make out the words. Appropriately respectful, at least.
Humans were exhausting. A necessary menace, and one which he was hopeful he wouldn’t need to deal with for quite some time after this.
Sukuna closed his eyes, trying to settle back into that in-between state.
Trying to ignore the ache of separation gnawing at his stomach.
“My lord.”
The voice was quiet, luring Sukuna out of the trance-like state he had slipped into.
He yawned, eyes rippling in a series of blinks as he tried to find his way back to the correct reality.
It was easier than usual, he realized, a cold scent like the moments before a winter storm lingering in the air, giving him something to cling to. It offered a path, an anchor, something to guide him back to the human world.
His omega stood before him, hair rumpled, a small cloth bundle clutched in their arms. The formal kimono they had worn earlier was draped over their shoulders but not belted, the hem of it dragging on the floor.
They were smiling, an expression that suggested there was something they were going to say; something which they were, intelligently, keeping quiet.
“I am ready to depart, my lord,” they said. Then, a moment later, as if they had been debating whether to speak: “You seem tired.”
Sukuna curled his lip, pushing himself back up into a sitting position, then slowly clambering to his feet. “I was merely meditating. The human world is entirely too bland for my tastes.”
“Of course, my lord.”
He decided he wasn’t going to pay attention to the laughter in their voice. Easier to believe he had a perfect little obedient omega. Better for his sanity.
He tucked up arms around Uraume’s waist, easily hauling them up and off their feet. Better to distract them, before they got it in their head to make any other clever comments.
It was satisfying to hear their quiet squeak; to see the way they tilted their head, pressing it against his upper arm in a failed attempt to hide how red their cheeks had gone. They were so light; just a scrap of a thing, really, so easy to cradle in his arms.
“Little humans,” he announced to the room as he stepped down from the altar, foot landing on the ground with a dull thud, “I am taking what is mine. I expect that my idol is altered to appropriately reflect this and that my other temples are informed.”
It was pleasing to see the way the humans leaned away from him as he walked through their crowd. So, his worshipers still feared him after all.
He stopped shortly before the exit of the room.
“From now on, my little omega is as divine as I am. All who pray to me should understand this, lest they face my wrath.”
Uraume squirmed in his arms, tilting their face up, brow furrowed.
Sukuna smiled down at him, shaking his head ever so slightly before they could open their mouth. Your first lesson in divinity, little omega. Don’t complain before your worshipers.
The sky was gray when he stepped out of the temple, the predawn light filtering in through the clouds. The snow had piled high over the course of the night, burying Sukuna nearly to the knee as he walked out from the covered porch of the temple.
It was cold, shockingly so after the heat of the temple. Cold enough that even Uraume began to shiver – or perhaps that was just an excuse to curl closer to Sukuna, to press their face and frozen fingers to Sukuna’s chest.
He was eager to get home. Enough time had been spent in this human realm. Sukuna wanted to be in his territory, his domain, alone with his new omega.
He took a step forward, then another one.
The air was eerily quiet, no sounds aside from the quiet crunch of snow beneath his feet.
It is a good hour for this.
The predawn hours were a liminal time, the edges of the worlds softening in the dull gray light.
As Sukuna stepped forward, the air shifted. The boundaries weakened, letting Sukuna slip past them, curving around his body. It was as easy as breathing to walk through the space, the icy feeling of the snow slowly fading away.
And then the light began to warm, the gray first turning to a weak blue, then yellow. It brightened, growing ever stronger, brighter, until a blazing orange glow lit his skin, turning his omega’s hair to gold.
And then there were trees, parting before him as Sukuna stepped out of a forest that hadn’t existed a heartbeat ago.
A large building stood before them, carved in the likeness of the temple – or perhaps the temple was carved in the likeness of it. It was splashed in golden light, the crimson roof the brilliant color of blood.
He heard Uraume’s soft gasp; could feel them squirm in his arms.
Sukuna stooped, lowering them to their feet, settling a hand on their lower back once they were standing.
“Do you like it, little omega?”
He watched as Uraume turned, taking in the neatly manicured garden surrounding the temple, the flowers blooming bright despite the thin layer of snow that lay on the ground.
He recognized the exact instant they spotted the plum trees, ancient, towering over the temple, the blossoms a pink so vivid it was almost red.
And if he wasn’t quite able to meet their eyes when that happened, an emotion that wasn’t quite embarrassment – because gods did not feel embarrassed – flooding him, well… Who was here to see that?
“Where is this?” Uraume twisted on one foot, looking around wide-eyed. “How has nobody found this before? We did not walk for very long.”
Sukuna shrugged, settling one hand on their lower back, guiding them towards the front of the temple. “We are no longer in your world. Next to it, perhaps. This domain is mine, little omega, and now it is yours as well.”
He was surprised to realize how right those words sounded; how easy it was to invite this human into his space.
How had he gone so many years thinking that would be impossible?
It was easy to let himself smile now as Uraume leaned into his side, curling their fingers into his. He wished he could hold their hand with all of his; wished he could grab on and never let them go.
“My lord spoils me,” they murmured, tilting their chin up to look at him.
Such an endearing gaze, so Sukuna supposed he should have expected their next words.
“Is there a place to bathe?”
He should have expected them, but they caught him off guard anyway; forced an exhausted laugh out of his lungs; made him tilt his head back to stare at the sky until he could wrangle down the fondness that suddenly bloomed inside of him.
“Little omega, you will never let me rest a day in the remainder of my life, will you?” he complained, leaning over so that he could scoop Uraume off their feet again. “Yes, there are baths and they even have hot water, although I suppose you are going to insist I bathe in something as frigid as winter itself.”
He could feel the way Uraume’s chest shook with their quiet laugh as they pressed their face to him.
Then they looked back up at him. They reached up, cupping his face with one hand. “Perhaps, just this once, I could be convinced to use hot water.”
Sukuna raised his eyebrow at them. “And how am I meant to be convincing my little omega?”
There was that quiet little laugh again, paired with Uraume’s shy smile.
“A kiss would suffice, I think.”
“A kiss?” Sukuna shifted them in his arms until he could tilt his head forward, leveling his face with theirs. “Very well, then. Just this once.”
Uraume was the one who closed the distance between them, pulling themselves up with an arm looped around the back of Sukuna’s neck, and as their lips met, Sukuna knew one thing for certain.
There was nothing in the world that could be more divine.