Chapter Text
Back home, life moved on. You completed medical school and began your residency at a new hospital. It had been almost two years since you last saw Sukuna—since that strange encounter on the flight. Time blurred between then and now, but you never forgot him—the strange, intense man with a smirk that never quite left his face. You never imagined you’d run into him again.
Until today.
You ducked into a nearby coffee shop between shifts at the hospital, hoping for a few minutes of peace. The café was quiet, the hum of conversation and clinking cups filling the air as you waited for your coffee.
When your order was finally ready, you grabbed the cup and balanced it with your phone and bag in your other hand. But as you turned to find a seat, you suddenly bumped into someone—hard.
Time seemed to slow down as your coffee tilted dangerously and the hot liquid spilled out of the cup. Your eyes widened in horror as the coffee splashed onto the chest of the stranger in front of you.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—" you blurted out, barely glancing up as you tried to wipe the coffee off.
The napkins were useless, barely soaking up the spill as you continued your frantic attempts at damage control.
“Easy there, it's just coffee,” came a familiar voice, low and amused.
You froze. Slowly, you looked up—and there he was.
Sukuna.
He stood there, his ever-present smirk widening as he watched you with obvious amusement, his tattooed hands hovering as if deciding whether or not to help. The hot coffee hadn’t fazed him—if anything, he seemed entertained by the situation.
"Major—" you stammered, brain scrambling. “I mean, Sukuna—I didn’t know it was you.”
Sukuna’s smirk deepened, waving off the concerned café staff approaching with towels. He slipped off his jacket, now stained with coffee, and held it in his other arm. “Just Sukuna. And relax, doc, it’s not a big deal.”
Before you could respond, he grabbed your arm and gently guided you to a nearby table, pulling out a chair for you. “Sit,” he said casually, as if nothing had happened. You sat, still in shock.
You stared at him, mortified, as the reality of the situation set in. Of course, it was him. The one person you hadn’t seen in a few years, now sitting in front of you, covered in your spilled coffee. His face hadn’t changed much since the last time you saw him, but there was something different about him now—more rugged, perhaps. He was dressed casually in a black fitted shirt and jeans that seemed almost torn apart by his muscular build, but there was an unmistakable edge to him. His tattooed fingers wrapped around a cup of coffee, and that smirk, the one that had haunted your thoughts more times than you'd like to admit, was still firmly in place.
A short silence passed before Sukuna raised an eyebrow, still clearly amused by your frantic wiping earlier. “Relax. It’s just coffee.”
"I—I didn’t expect to see you here," you stuttered.
Sukuna shrugged, his gaze shifting to the coffee stains on his shirt before returning to you. “Didn’t expect to get drenched in coffee today, either, but here we are.”
You dropped the napkins, feeling your cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
He let out a soft chuckle, his eyes glinting with humor as he leaned against the counter. "Still as clumsy as ever, I see."
You bit your lip, still feeling the flush in your cheeks. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Seriously, it’s fine,” Sukuna interrupted, waving a hand as if to brush off your concern. “I’ve been through worse than a little coffee.”
You managed a small smile, the tension in your chest finally loosening. “So… what brings you here?”
Sukuna’s smirk didn’t waver as he glanced out the window, his posture relaxed. “Work. I’m with a security company now—ties to the FBI, if you can believe that. Just finished a job nearby.”
You blinked, trying to process this new information. "The FBI? That’s… unexpected."
Sukuna chuckled, still amused by your reaction. "Yeah, it’s nothing special. Just dealing with some idiots who need it."
You shook your head slightly, a small smile tugging at your lips despite yourself. “That sounds like something you'd say.”
He glanced back at you, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “What, you thought I’d be doing something boring? Nah. It keeps me on my toes. Anyway, I mostly hang out at the gym nearby, though. Just a cover to catch more idiots. It’s close by—conveniently near this coffee shop and a hospital.”
You stared at him, still slightly disoriented by what he just said. "The gym? Wait—you mean the one close to THE hospital?"
Sukuna nodded, still smirking. "Yup. The hospital YOU'RE working for. I’ve known you were here for a while. Figured we’d cross paths eventually.”
“I might’ve done a little digging. What can I say? Fate has a way of putting people in the same place, whether they like it or not,” he added, noticing you still seemed a bit thrown off by what he just said.
You let out a breath, shaking your head. “Of course you knew. Fate really has a strange sense of humor.”
Sukuna’s eyes glinted with something unreadable as he glanced at you. “Maybe it does,” he said quietly, his voice softer now. “But it’s good to see you again. Even if you tried to drown me in coffee.”
You couldn’t help but laugh, the awkward tension finally breaking as you looked at him. "I’m still sorry about that."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Don’t worry about it, doc. You’ve got two years’ worth of apologies to catch up on."
“I insist!” you said, a little more forcefully than intended. “I owe you this much. Plus, I’d feel terrible knowing you’re stuck with it like that.”
Sukuna raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Well, I didn’t know you were not just a doctor. Seems like you’re also my therapist, my nurse, and my flight buddy. What’s next? My personal assistant?”
“I-i’m not your personal assistant!”
He grinned, leaning back in his chair. “How about I just adopt you, then?”
“Excuse me? I’m not a dog!” you retorted, crossing your arms in mock indignation.
Sukuna chuckled, enjoying the banter. “Well, you did sit when I told you earlier.”
For a second, you looked dumbfounded. You then let out an angry grunt, glaring at him. “I didn’t know you’d be this rude!”
He raised his hands in mock surrender, a relaxed smile on his face. “Hey, I’m just messing with you. Sorry if I came off a bit harsh. But seriously, go ahead and wash my jacket if it’ll make you feel better.”
He leaned in slightly, that familiar smirk returning. “Just don’t get any bright ideas about ‘accidentally’ spilling something else on me.”
You rolled your eyes, suppressing a smile. “I promise I’ll be more careful next time.”
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For the next seven months, your paths kept crossing. Returning his newly washed jacket didn’t stop there. At first, you thought it was just coincidence, but eventually, you learned that Sukuna had been involved in a case that, unbeknownst to you, linked back to your life. When the FBI started looking into your housemate for fraud and theft, Sukuna and his team were on the case. He admitted to himself that while his job required him to be near you, he also wanted to see you (for some reason ?), even if he didn’t fully confess that until much later.
One afternoon, while sipping your coffee at your now “favorite cafe”, you overheard some people chatting about a topic—or, should you say, a case.
Must be undercover cops or agents, you thought.
You frowned a bit as you kept listening—or gossiping, depending on how you looked at it—trying to piece together snippets that felt oddly familiar.
But then you figured you should stop eavesdropping so they wouldn’t get suspicious of you. Not that you were really suspicious or anything.
Just as you were about to leave, you bumped into Sukuna.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, a sly grin spreading across his face.
“Don’t you have cases to solve?” you asked, crossing your arms.
“I do, but I think I’d rather be here with you,” he replied casually, leaning against the counter.
“Really? You’d rather hang out in a café than catch a criminal?” you teased, raising an eyebrow.
“Depends on the criminal,” he shot back with a wink.
“Are you implying I’m a criminal now?” you laughed, shaking your head.
“Not yet,” he chuckled. “But keep drinking that espresso, and who knows what might happen?”
You rolled your eyes, feeling your cheeks warm slightly. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”
“Yeah, but you like it,” he replied, leaning closer. “At least, I hope you do.”
“Maybe. Just don’t let it go to your head,” you said, trying to sound stern but failing to hide your smile.