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Something was wrong with Sukuna. Not that Yuji cared. It was just that something was off and it was throwing him off and making them both all the more miserable. Not that Sukuna was ever really happy, but Yuji was only accustomed to a certain degree of grumpiness and this had far exceeded the tolerable level.
The curse wasn’t even directing his new found ire towards Yuji, he seemed intent on ignoring the omega (not that it was affecting Yuji at all-) but he could still feel it. The agitation. The anger. And something else, scratching against Yuji’s consciousness.
He tried to ignore it as best he could, focussing on Gojo-sensei’s teachings and his friends and worrying about his future and all the other things he could be doing but wasn't because he had woken in the middle of the night for the third time in a row to build a stress nest. Despite having a perfectly good one on his bed, where he had been trying to sleep up until twenty minutes ago.
Yuji growled softly, pacing around his room and glaring at the corner between the end of his bed and his wall that his instincts had fixated on as being the perfect spot to build a nest.
An answering growl fills his senses, cutting off when he froze on instinct until he realized just where the noise came from.
“…Sukuna?” He questioned quietly into the night air, “…did you just growl at me?”
Predictably, the curse didn’t answer and Yuji almost went back to his upset pacing when Sukuna finally spoke.
“Just make the fucking nest and go to sleep, brat,” he hissed, mouth splitting Yuji’s cheek.
And sure, Yuji would love to but, he couldn’t. “Noooo,” Yuji whined, collapsing onto his bed to bury his face in one of his favorite pillows.
“Why the hell not?” The curse demanded and now that Yuji was listening he could hear how tired the other sounded.
“…because it’s on the floor!” He complained, aware that it wasn’t Sukuna’s fault his instincts were being strange. “I have a perfectly good bed!”
”So?” Sukuna hissed, “Just make the nest and go to sleep. You think no one’s ever made a nest on the floor before?”
“No need to be so angry about it,” Yuji huffed.
“Go to sleep!”
Yuji had been trying.
He spent a good few minutes sulking in his bed whilst his instincts demanded over and over he got up and built a nest, a proper one, in a better spot, all the while feeling Sukuna’s mounting anger.
It had been a while since the curse had snapped at him, so Yuji was fully expecting the other to start a shouting match. But he didn’t, too intent on whatever it was he was doing in his innate domain.
When ten minutes had passed with no sign of sleep returning, he heard Sukuna huff in frustration. “Just move the fucking bed if you’re that worried about it, for fucks sake.”
Oh. Now that wasn’t all that bad of an idea. Yuji doubted he’d be able to move the bed frame without waking up half the school, but the mattress was easily maneuverable for someone with his strength once he had gathered all of his nesting materials and tossed them to one side.
He slid the mattress off the low bed frame and wedged it against the wall, glad to see it fit, although not quite as perfectly as he would have liked. Then began rearranging his nest, weaving the pillows, blankets and pieces of his own clothing into it, reapplying his scent and trying to fight down the feeling that something was missing.
Once he finished he was surprised to find himself purring, ready to slump into the comfortable cradle of his nest even if it did seem a little roomier than he usually made it. Actually, make that a lot roomier as he reached his arms out to stretch and found the walls of his nest much further away than he usually made them.
Oh well, a problem for morning Yuji.
Suffice to say, morning Yuji was not pleased to have to get up and go about his day with only a few hours of decent sleep under his belt.
“Maybe you’re in preheat,” Nobara suggested, peering at him from her desk as they waited for Gojo-sensei to enter the classroom. As a beta, her sense of smell wasn’t as developed as his but preheat scents were notoriously strong and Yuji smelt frustratingly normal. So he shook his head.
He had been lamenting his nesting problems to his friends for a good ten minutes and both seemed just as stumped as him.
Megumi leant over and pressed a hand to his forehead as if to check for a fever but pulled away before their skin could meet when Sukuna opened a mouth and snapped his teeth with a bitten off growl.
“And that’s my other problem,” Yuji muttered, slapping a hand over his cheek despite feeling Sukuna’s presence retreating quickly.
”When isn’t Sukuna a problem?” Megumi said with a raised eyebrow.
Yuji sighed, “He’s not usually. Normally we just argue a bit or he leaves me alone, but recently he’s become really restless and he won’t talk to me at all.” Not that Yuji was complaining, he wasn’t.
“Maybe he’s plotting something,” Nobara offered.
Yuji had considered that and whilst the curse seemed plenty distracted, Yuji couldn't sense any nefarious intent from him.
“Yeah, maybe,” he said just as Gojo-sensei entered the classroom and he let himself get swept up by the lesson ahead.
Yuji’s day passed as it always did, just with a general undercurrent of anxiety that persisted until he made it back to his room and collapsed into his nest (which was still on the floor). Suddenly exhausted by the day. He resolved to just take a quick nap before dinner to catch up on some sleep, before feeling his body falling.
He landed in Sukuna’s domain far more gently than he was used to. Instead of the crash landing he had been bracing for once he recognised the disconcerting feeling of falling without moving, he found himself caught by strong arms and set down into the water.
He had barely found his balance before Sukuna -and it had to have been Sukuna who caught him, despite how absurd it seemed- was moving away, stalking off through the piles of bones.
Yuji watched him go, waiting for the moment the curse turned back to start a fight or gave him literally any sign of acknowledgment.
None came.
“Um, Sukuna?” He called out but still, received no answer.
Before he could think it through too deeply, he began following the curse, jogging a little until he caught sight of the kimono clad figure up ahead. Sukuna had made it to his throne but rather than sitting on it and gloating, he had begun pacing around in tight circles, making unhappy noises to himself as he did so.
“Sukuna?” Yuji called from the base of the throne, aware that approaching usually resulted in the removal of his head, but the other’s odd behavior had his instincts restless, demanding he approach and fix whatever the problem was.
The thing was, Yuji couldn’t see a problem. And the curse didn’t seem like he’d be all that forthcoming with it any time soon either.
The omega stood there for an undefined amount of time, watching as the curse grew more and more frustrated over something, all the while refusing to acknowledge him.
Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Sukuna collapsed onto his throne and glared at Yuji with four red eyes. Yuji perked up from where he had taken a seat on one of the bones after his legs started aching from being stood doing nothing.
Sukuna gazed at him, brows furrowed as if Yuji were the one acting strange.
“Why isn’t this working?” He muttered, seemingly to himself but Yuji latched onto the words after so long in painful silence.
“Why isn’t what working?” He questioned but before Sukuna could reply he was wrenched rather unceremoniously from the domain by Nobara banging on his door, demanding he get up and cook them all dinner.
Yuji complied with much grumbling for his interrupted nap, all the while trying to surreptitiously check on Sukuna. After the third attempt at poking their connection, Sukuna slammed his side shut and Yuji was rather rudely locked out.
”Alright, be that way,” he muttered.
”Um, are you alright Itadori?” Megumi asked as Yuji stabbed at his dinner aggressively.
“No,” he whined, scent stressed and upset as he let the full extent of his frustration out, the sweet peaches tainted by a sour tinge.
”Sukuna?” Nobara questioned.
”He won’t tell me what’s wrong!” Yuji complained, letting his head fall onto the table between them, “I just want to help!”
Yuji missed the glance the other two threw each other, too busy lamenting to the table about his unfortunate luck.
Until a hand was thrust into his face, the faint scent of vanilla and rain clinging to it. Yuji followed it up to see Megumi’s blushing face as he offered Yuji his wrist for what Yuji assumed was scenting.
Yuji hadn’t been raised around many omegas, in fact his grandfather and main source of any affection was a beta so the ins and outs of dynamics and pack bonding were slightly lost on him, but he recognised the intent behind the actions, to comfort a distressed friend.
“Oh,” he whispered, surprisingly honored by the gesture, “Are you sure?”
Megumi only nodded, raising his scent gland gently to Yuji’s nose. Yuji inhaled, tried to let the soft scent overtake his anxieties, only for something inside of him to revolt violently.
He sprang back suddenly, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the offending scent. He didn’t miss the flash of hurt on his friends face and scrambled to explain.
“Sorry!” He yelped, “I um, don’t think Sukuna liked that.” And it wasn’t completely a lie, the curse’s mental shields had come down and his agitation was washing through Yuji in full once again. But it wasn’t the whole truth either, as Yuji’s instincts screeched at him to keep the other omega away.
“He’s never reacted to another’s scent before though. Plus you and Megumi have been in close quarters loads,” Nobara pointed out from where she was watching him with narrowed eyes.
“I know, that’s why I think something is like, seriously wrong with him,” Yuji explained.
“Maybe he's homesick,” she snorted and Yuji laised to consider. “I'd be, if I was stuck in some teenager a thousand years in the future.”
“Can curses… get sick?” He questioned.
They all paused and thought about it.
“I don’t… think so?” Megumi settled on, but even to Yuji it sounded more like a question.
They resolved to discuss it with Gojo-sensei the next day and Yuji resigned himself to yet another restless night.
When he opened his eyes, the ceiling was red. Which was enough to clue him into the fact Sukuna had pulled him back into his domain despite being there literally only a few hours ago.
The omega was lying on his back in the bloody waters and although the curse wasn't in his field of vision, he could sense him just off to the side.
“You smell wrong,” Sukuna informed him, sounding unreasonably offended by the statement.
“Um… Sorry?” Yuji answered. He really didn't know what to do in that situation, it wasn’t like his scent was something he could really control all that much.
Sukuna rumbled discontentedly, shuffling towards him until a grumpy face appeared above Yuji.
”Hi?” He squeaked, somewhat afraid he was about to be sliced into pieces despite having done nothing but lie there.
Clawed hands grabbed at him suddenly, tangling into his soft cotton shirt and tugging until he was manouvered into whatever position Sukuna wanted him in.
Which turned out to be practically in the curse’s lap.
Yuji could not help but flush as he found himself sat between strong, kimono clad thighs, his own legs tucked up against him as Sukuna began running his hands over his shoulders, trailing them up and down his arms and over his back.
It was oddly soothing, the repetitive movements and the gentle pressure against his body calming something deep within him. Filling a hole he hadn’t noticed before. Soon, Yuji’s eyes had slid shut and he was purring unconsciously, leaning into the hands that had begun kneading at his spine, mindful of the claws. Like a very large cat, he thought sleepily.
Then those hands trailed up and up, skipping over his neck, much to his instincts disappointment, and brushed through his hair.
Yuji practically melted at the touch, the gentle scratch of Sukuna’s nails against his scalp as he stroked through his bed head, untangling knots as he went.
The curse seemed focused, he made no noise other than the shift of fabric as he worked, none of his usual snide commentary whenever they met in the domain.
Then again, Sukuna had never really taken an interest in touching him before, let alone this gently.
Slowly, Yuji began to drift off to sleep again, lulled by the gentle pull at his hair and soft tugging at his scalp.
When he awoke the next morning, he could have sworn the scent of intense and smoke had followed him from his dream, spicy and heady with a musk he felt he should recognise.
Gojo-sensei only stared at him blankly when he asked if curses could get sick. Or at least, Yuji assumed he was staring from behind his blindfold.
”…no,” he said. “They can’t get sick. They don’t have physical bodies so they aren’t affected by things like germs.” He grinned then, “Although, it’s good to see you taking such an interest, Yuji!” He praised.
“What about special grades?” Megumi questioned, apparently as invested in this as Yuji now.
That gave their teacher reason to pause.
“I’m pretty sure they don’t, given that they still don’t have a body to be affected.”
”So if a curse had a body, they could get sick?” Yuji asked. But wouldn’t he be sick too, if Sukuna had caught something?
”Possibly, but curses also have reverse cursed technique, so it wouldn’t matter. In fact, as Sukuna’s vessel, you too should benefit from that Yuji! You most likely won't get ill, unless Sukuna knows a way to stop his presence from affecting your body at all.” Gojo-sensei explained, forgetting about the lesson he was supposed to be teaching.
“But I’ll still get my heat, right?” He asked, a little nervous that Sukuna’s presence would mess up his dynamic.
”Yep, Sukuna shouldn’t affect your body's cycle in that way. Curses don’t have dynamics, so he won’t affect that aspect of you!”
He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed only his instincts would be a mess with Sukuna around.
Speaking of the curse, Yuji poked at their connection to check he really was asleep. He was, and had been since Yuji woke up that morning in his nest after the most restful sleep he had gotten in weeks.
“Actually, that’s a pretty good segway,” Gojo-sensei continued, oblivious to Yuji’s internal musings, “Tomorrow is your state mandated dynamics talk! With both your wonderful sensei and a surprise guest!” He crowed.
“What is that, like sex ed but for omegas?” Nobara scoffed.
“Yes, but also no!” Their teacher said happily, “It’s more about everything to do with dynamics, not just the sex bit!”
”Thank god,” Megumi muttered, “I have already gone through the talk with you and it was mortifying.”
“Be thankful, most schools make you do several courses on this, but since there’s so few of you, we’ll do a run down and a quick Q and A session then you get the rest of the day off.”
That… didn’t sound so bad, Yuji thought. Better than what he had been subjected to at his old school, when he and all the other presented omegas had been rounded up and carted off to whiteness a harrowing slide show on pregnancy and heats.
He came away knowing no more about his own instincts, nor those of the other dynamics, and deathly afraid of becoming a teen mother as, according to his teachers, he would be forced to drop out of school and change his name, or be married off to an older alpha to hide the scandal.
It had not taken long for Yuji to realize that was bullshit, but it was unfortunately the extent of his formal education regarding dynamics as a whole.
He tossed and turned a few hours that night, his skin feeling itchy despite being laid in his perfectly acceptable floor nest.
“You should eat something,” Said a voice.
“Sukuna, it's like eleven at night, I’m not gonna eat anything.”
Sukuna went quiet for a bit but then.
”Eat something, you're hungry.” He told him. And yes, Yuji was a little hungry. He had eaten dinner early before going on a very quick and very sudden mission that evening. It had taken barely three hours but he’d been so tired by the time he got back that the omega had gone straight to bed.
”Eat something.”
”No.”
”Brat.”
Yuji rolled onto his side and tried to ignore his rumbling stomach and grumbling curse. He was successful in neither case.
“Brat, you need to eat something.”
”Brat.”
”Stop ignoring me.”
”Brat-“
”Fine!” He shouted, before immediately lowering his voice, aware that Megumi was just a wall away and probably not in the mood to be woken by their argument.
“I will eat something,” he hissed, “and then you need to shut up and let me sleep.”
Sukuna was silent but Yuji could feel his smug satisfaction.
He made his way to the shared kitchen, not bothering to change out of his sleep clothes as it would be empty by that point in the night.
Groggily, Yuji searched through the cupboards, settling on dry cereal until Sukuna straight up snarled.
”No.”
”No?” He whined, fist full of cereal halfway to his mouth. He just wanted to sleep.
”No, get something with some actual sustenance to it.” He felt Sukuna’s eyes open beneath his own, scanning the room and before he knew it, he had walked over to the fridge and pulled it open, hands settling around a carton of eggs.
Yuji only noticed the tattoos around his wrists when the smell of frying eggs roused him from where he had half fallen asleep, but by that point his stomach was growling and he didn't have the energy to wrench back control.
Besides, he thought through the haze of sleep, Sukuna wasn't doing anything, just cooking his food.
Sukuna must have piloted his body back to his bed as he didn’t really remember the journey back there, only coming to when the curse shoveled a mouthful of rice and egg into his face and happily took over control, uncaring that he was eating in his nest and probably going to get crumbs everywhere.
By the time he had finished he felt full and warm from the good food, too tired to do anything other than thank the curse quietly and go back to sleep.
He wasn’t pulled into the domain that night, Sukuna apparently satisfied by managing to feed him, and he slept a solid eight hours until morning.
The dynamics talk special guest turned out to be Shoko, who looked at them all with slightly smug amusement.
“Can’t believe I once had to sit through this with you,” she murmured to Gojo-sensei when she thought none of them were paying attention to her, too enraptured by the leaflets for protection and suppressants that had been dropped onto their desks, presumably from the local clinic.
Yuji poked at it with one finger as if it might bite him, whilst next to him, Nobara made overdramatic gagging sounds. Megumi seemed to want to sink into his own shadows, slumped back into his seat.
”Right!” Gojo-sensei said, clapping his hands together with a resounding slap. ”Because we have no alphas this year, I’m not really that useful, so Shoko is here to field any dynamic specific questions you have since she’s trained in that stuff.” He gestured to the beta who nodded.
“That being said, let's begin!”
What followed was probably one of the most mortifying and informative hours of Yuji’s life in which they had to go over so much Yuji thought his head was going to explode, including several very explicit diagrams, all accompanied by Gojo-sensei’s enthusiastic commentary.
Once they got past the sex and biology bit, it got slightly less embarrassing though, as Yuji found himself attentively listening to descriptions of each dynamic's signature nonverbal communication styles. When it got to pack and courting behaviors, he couldn’t help but feel a tickle in his head, as if his two brain cells were trying to connect dots.
He flushed a little when Gojo-sensei described a practise known as preening, done between omegas to strengthen bonds, in which they groomed each other as a form of scenting, imagining receiving such warm attention, and maybe thinking back to Sukuna’s actions from the other night (strong hands running over his body, nails scratching through his hair, the scent of spice and smoke).
”Of course, it's not just omegas that preen each other, mates often engage in it as a form of foreplay or comfort. And sometimes, if an alpha is really really stressed, they’ll preen their pack, mates or pups to calm themselves.” Gojo-sensei continued, breaking Yuji from his sweet day dreams.
”Now, onto nesting and dens I guess. Right, so you probably already know the basics of nesting given we have two omegas in the class. Although there are intricacies such as the differences between an omega’s main nest, a heat nest and a stress nest.”
Yeah, Yuji thought as he cringed, he knew.
”Alpha’s don’t really have the luxury of being able to move their dens and fashioning a new one can be really stressful.” Gojo-sensei turned to point at a picture of an alpha’s den on the board. It didn’t look like much, a dark room, kind of cluttered, although the pile of thick blankets on the bed did catch Yuji’s eye.
”Alright, that brings us to the end of our presentation. Questions?”
”Sensei!” Yuji shot his hand up into the air.
“Yes, Yuji!”
”What would you do if an alpha was really stressed? Like, how do you calm them down?” He tried not to feel self conscious as everyone turned to stare at him. It wasn’t that weird of a question, and Yuji was only wondering if any of it might be applicable to his irate curse. Like, if there was some omega magic he was supposed to know that could help calm Sukuna down, that would be great. Even if curses couldn’t have dynamics, it was worth a shot.
“Well, I suppose that would depend on your relationship with the alpha. See, if you didn't know them well, or at all, the best course of action would be to avoid them as best as possible. But if you were a pack mate, some good old cuddling can help. Alpha’s can have mixed reactions to skinship though, so sometimes bringin food or comforting items is better, if they aren’t very stressed or just frustrated, helping them work of excess energy can help.”
Yuji nodded, trying to figure out if any of that would work on Sukuna. Physical contact had to be initiated by the curse, otherwise Yuji would get his head cut off, Sukuna didn’t seem to eat and Yuji didn't know how to help him work off his adrenaline from within his domain.
“…and what about if you were mates?” He asked, because he was curious.
”Well… building a nest in their den can work, although most mates would already be sharing space. Alpha’s really respect a nest, as I’m sure you know, but they’re also a big source of comfort. Sex could also work, just to take the edge off.”
”Sensei!” All three teens shouted at the same time, blushing furiously.
By that night, Yuji was still thinking about it, mulling it over, pondering if there was somehting he could do. Sukuna had been quiet all day, apparently having finally exhausted himself from days of pacing his domain like a caged tiger.
It didn’t take much effort to slip into the domain, not when Sukuna’s defenses appeared to be significantly lowered. He found the curse sprawled over his throne, not asleep but staring listlessly up at the ribs above their heads.
“Sukuna,” he called tentatively, taking a step forward, when four red eyes snapped to him, pupils little more than pinpricks. Sukuna growled, deep and low in his throat like distant thunder.
Yuji didn't try to get any closer, instead he tilted his head forward to lower his eyes and show submission. It wasn’t proper submission, not the kind he’d show an alpha, that was done by tilting the head back to expose the neck and required a lot of trust that the other person wouldn’t maul him. But, it seemed to work as Sukuna’s growls lowered in ferocity, resembling a steady grumbling now.
The omega took a deep breath, then tightened his grip on the items in his hands. He hadn’t thought he’d be able to do it, to manifest objects within Sukuna’s domain, but as he’d felt his mind slipping, he had put all of his mental energy into imagining in the items he wanted.
Slowly, careful not to look at Sukuna at all, he took the replicas of his own blankets and began to arrange them into a rudimentary nest on one of the bigger skulls to keep it out of the strange red water.
As he worked, he let his instincts take over to fuss at the walls and the placement of everything, getting down onto his knees to work more efficiently. Soon he was lost in the rhythm of twisting and kneading and folding, so much so that he barely noticed Sukuna’s approach until the curse was a few meters away.
Yuji glanced up from the corner of his eyes to see Sukuna sitting a little way away, head tilted curiously. He had to sniffle his snort at the mental image of a kitten doing the same, trying to remind himself that Sukuna was more akin to a feral animal than a domestic cat.
”Brat,” Sukuna called, voice gravely and scratchy in a way that almost sounded painful. “What are you doing?”
By that point, Yuji had finished, and he sat back on his haunches in the center of his nest to look at the curse inching closer. Slowly, Sukuna extended a clawed hand as if to poke at the blankets he had woven into walls, and surprisingly, Yuji’s instincts let him.
“I built a nest,” Yuji said simply and Sukuna’s hand froze before it could make contact. He sat straighter, eyes widening in shock and scooted back a little as if to give Yuji space.
"Why?” It sounded choked, strangled by something in Sukuna’s throat.
Yuji shrugged. “I wanted to.” He was a little wary Sukuna would just pick the reason out of his thoughts, but the curse seemed too enraptured by the nest in front of him to bother.
The curse stood and paced around it, giving the nest a wide berth, as his eyes took in all of the details. Normally, Yuji would feel uncomfortable with such attention, but he figured the lack of negative reaction from Sukuna for his audacity meant he was probably in the clear for now.
Several more laps and Yuji realized, with a start, that he was purring, very softly, as if to encourage Sukuna. He tried to tamp it down, managing to stop the noise entirely, just as the curse froze, turning his gaze away to frantically check over the rest of the domain. A growl erupted from his chest, sounding angrier than before.
“Sukuna!” Yuji called, startled.
“What.” The curse snapped back, voice tight with frustration.
“Why’re you growling?” He asked with genuine curiosity.
”…nothing.” He slunk back towards Yuji, settling a little closer than before, still not enough to touch his nest though.
Sukuna slumped backwards, back hitting the bones with an awful crack, and Yuji squeaked in surprise. He fidgeted a little, trying to decide if he was actually going to ask.
”…hey Sukuna.”
”Hmm.”
”…would you like to come into my nest?”
The curse shot up so fast it was actually quite impressive, in one blink he was lying on his back, and in the next he was towering over Yuji with something dangerous in his eyes. Yuji gulped, feeling small in a way that was not entirely unpleasant.
Then, in the next blink, he was back in his actual nest, staring up at the ceiling. There was no pain, meaning Sukuna hadn’t actually killed him, just pushed him out of the domain, but he still felt disappointment settle in his chest. He had wanted … something.
Maybe Yuji was the one who was ill, given that he apparently wanted a curse in his nest to cuddle with.
Rather than contemplate it too much, he rolled over and went to sleep.
When he woke in the morning, Sukuna’s shields were up. He tried not to think anything of it, tried not to be hurt when he realized the curse had shut himself off.
It meant nothing. Right?
His instincts didn’t seem to think so, they practically rioted against the forced separation, begging him to return to the curse’s side despite Yuji having no way to do so.
He must have worried over it too long, lost in thoughts, as Megumi came to knock on his door to tell him he was going to be late for class. His friend pushed open the door when Yuji didn’t answer immediately, intent on waking him, only to gasp on surprise.
“Yuji,” he called in shock. “I thought you said you were stress nesting.”
“I… am?” Yuji said uncertainly from where he still sat in the middle of his nest, trying not to feel self conscious. Did his nest look wrong? Was that why Sukuna had kicked him out? Was it not good enough?
”That isn’t a stress nest,” Megumi said with certainty.
Yuji made a confused sound because yes, he was pretty sure it was.
Seeing his look, the other omega went to explain. “Stress nests are only big enough to fit one person. That looks more like a heat nest than anything. But…”
”I’m not in heat.” Yuji finished, his confusion evident.
“Do you think…” Megumi trailed off nervously, “Do you think curses can have dynamics?”
”Gojo-sensei said they couldn’t.” Yuji tried to sound sure of himself but… hadn’t Sukuna been human once? “Megumi, you don’t think Sukuna’s…”
”Yeah, I do.”
”Oh.” They both stared at each other with a little bit of panic then,
“I-I’m going to go tell Gojo-Sensei you’re not coming to class today,” Megumi said, backing away slowly as if the curse was going to leap out and bite at him.
“Yeah, thanks. I’ll… try to talk to Sukuna I guess.”
Could Sukuna really be… It made sense, Yuji supposed, given the curse’s recent behavior. Territorial, irritated, the lethargy from last night, hell the preening. Maybe Sukuna’s instincts were bleeding into Yuji’s. It would explain the nesting situation, and how hungry Yuji had been lately. And the stress.
Yuji shivered at the thought of being trapped in someone else’s body, unable to scent mark anything or even build his own nest whilst in heat.
“…Sukuna?” He called quietly, testing the curse’s walls. They were solid, thick and unyielding against his gentle pressing.
”Sukuna please,” he whined softly, trying to think of a way to get through to the other when suddenly he was falling.
He landed in the domain with a gasp, falling straight into his nest from the previous night. He was amazed it was still there in all honesty, the idea of another omega’s nest anywhere near his own made him deeply agitated. Maybe Sukuna had a soft spot for him or something.
When he looked around, Sukuna was nowhere in sight. In fact the domain was deathly silent, and as much as he wanted to stay in his nest and snuggle into it, he made himself get up and go looking for his curse.
“Sukuna!” Yuji called, poking around piles of bones, seeing if he could draw the other out by being a general nuisance. It didn't work, and it was only when he found the nerve to climb up to the curse’s throne did he see why.
Hidden behind the massive pile of skulls was a shrine like structure, painted dark red with all but one door closed tight. It must have been where the other was hiding and Yuji wasted no time scrambling down the other side of the skull mountain to reach the shrine’s entrance.
Once there he was hit with the most overpowering scent he had ever faced, thick plumes of smoke and ash and a heady musk he inhaled deeply, trying to savor.
A growl rolled out from within the shrine, rattling the bones of the rib cage high above, and as much as Yuji’s instincts begged him to back away, to submit to the other’s presence, he pushed forward, determined to get through to Sukuna.
As soon as one foot crossed the Shrine’s entrance, he was swallowed by the darkness inside. Yuji got one glimpse of four gleaming red eyes before he was being tackled to the ground, back slammed down with enough force to knock the breath from his lungs.
“Sukuna!” He gasped, breathless as clawed hands grasped his wrists and pinned them beside his head, the curse crouching over his body and staring down at him with feral eyes.
Sukuna snarled, opening his mouth enough for Yuji to catch sight of his fangs, long and dangerous and so much bigger than Yuji’s.
Oh fuck. Yuji had miscalculated.
“You’re an alpha,” he whispered, watching the alpha above him. The alpha in rut, he thought hysterically, as the pieces finally clicked.
Sukuna growled.
“Um,” he squeaked, “could you let go?”
Sukuna’d growls didn't stop, but he seemed to be considering the omega under him. Yuji felt himself going a little light headed with the intensity of Sukuna’s scent all around him.
“ ‘m sorry for coming into your den,” he whispered, testing the iron-like grip on his wrists. It didn’t budge.
Yuji tried to wriggle away a little, gasping to try and clear his foggy head, but Sukuna only tightened his grip, pressed him harder against the floor and snarled. There was no way Yuji’s scent wasn’t sour with stress and he could only hope the alpha would pick up on it in his instinct-addled state.
”Sukuna,” he whimpered, “hurts.”
The alpha let go of his wrists suddenly, giving Yuji a glimpse of hope before dropping his entire weight onto him, lying between Yuji’s legs and on his chest, pinning him far more effectively. Yuji was about to let out more distressed sounds when he felt a rumble begin against him, quieter than a growl.
Sukuna was purring.
Sukuna was purring to comfort him. He didn’t know how to feel about that, but he could feel his body relaxing little by little as big hands wandered up and down his body, stroking over it as Sukuna had done before.
Slowly, his scent lost its stressed tinge, returning to sweet peaches and Yuji tried not to think about how nicely it blended with Sukuna’s.
Suddenly, Sukuna grasped him by the waist and flipped them over, moving to sit at the same time so that he know had Yuji back in his lap, returning to his efforts to caress over Yuji’s body, this time moving his hands up to the omega’s hair and scratching at the roots whilst Yuji tried to hide his blushing face in Sukuna’s shoulder.
A shy purr began building in his chest, encouraged by ever gentle brush over his scalp and, hesitantly, he brought his hands up to return the favor. He pulled back just enough to see Sukuna’s eyes, cloudy with rut but still burning like embers, then carefully set his hands on the alpha’s shoulders.
When he received no outward reaction, he began to stroke them up and down to Sukuna’s biceps, trying to mimic Sukuna’s earlier actions.
This time Sukuna’s purring hitched up a notch, becoming louder in the quiet of his den.
“…are you preening me?” Yuji asked quietly, even if the answer felt pretty obvious in hindsight.
“…yeah.” The sound of Sukuna’s gravelly voice was enough to make him jump back a little, saved from toppling out of the alpha’s lap by strong arms wrapping around his waist.
“Oh!” The omega squeaked, not having anticipated the alpha being able to talk at all. “Hi.”
”Mmm, brat,” the curse grumbled, pulling him forwards as he flopped backwards so that their earlier positions were reversed and he was lying on Sukuna’s chest.
Yuji wriggled a little, trying to find a more comfortable position.
“This would be better in my nest,” he mumbled and Sukuna perked up so quickly it was impressive, lifting Yuji and striding out of his shrine before the omega even had time to cling to him in fear of falling.
In seconds he was being dropped into the familiar tangle of blankets.
He looked up, a complaint on his lips, and was met with Sukuna's wide, expectant eyes. It was… endearing. Adorable. In the half light if the domain, still far brighter than the den, he could see the curse’s mussed hair, and flushed face.
“...um, you can … come in?”
Sukuna huffed and bent down, but instead of climbing into the nest like Yuji had expected, picked both it and Yuji up and began the walk back to his den.
Yuji half expected his instincts to throw a fit. No one had ever touched his nest before, let alone attempted to move it, but instead they seemed settled by Sukuna's proximity.
When he was set, far more gently this time, on a large futon he hadn't seen before in the shrine, he was moving before he realized it to rearrange the blankets into a suitable nest. After days of constant anxiety and fussing, Yuji's instincts were finally satisfied and when he sat back on his haunches, he looked over to find Sukuna watching him intently.
“C’mon,” he whined, and Sukuna shifted to slink forward. He circled the nest once, as if testing Yuji’s boundaries, then crossed the edges of the nest and settled next to him.
“You’re really in rut, huh?” Yuji marveled at how docile Sukuna seemed, chuffing softly and shuffling to get closer to Yuji until he could wrap strong arms around him and drag him back to lie on him again.
Yuji had always heard that alpha’s in rut were aggressive, energetic and horny, and whilst Sukuna seemed a little restless, whining occasionally from muscle cramps, he seemed surprisingly calm.
”Mine,” the alpha mumbled and Yuji froze.
”I’m not your omega,” he said, wriggling about to try and at least face Sukuna, who gave him a grumpy look, bleary eyes narrowed.
“No, but you are an omega and you are mine.”
He didn’t really see the difference, but it did explain Sukuna’s calm behavior. He had been in pre rut in an environment where he couldn’t access any scents, had no true den and no real way to work off any of the energy that came with rut.
He must have been exhausted, finally able to relax because his omega- Yuji- had arrived and settled him. Tentatively, Yuji wrapped his arms around Sukuna and cooed a little, letting his scent out a little more than he usually would.
Sukuna’s muscles went lax in a second, turning him into a rumbly puddle of alpha attempting to melt into Yuji’s hold.
“Oh,” he whispered. The pressure of Sukuna against his body, his heavy scent and vibrating purr, as well as occasional chuffs and croons, settled his own instincts perfectly, scratching the itch he hadn’t even known of.
Their scents mixed perfectly, spicy and sweet, seeping into the air around them and the nest they lay in. It lulled him closer and closer to sleep, wonderful and perfect and everything he needed when a sharp noise broke through his hazy thoughts. It was a distressed sound, originating from the curse beside him.
Sukuna whined again, trying to bury his face deeper into Yuji’s neck. It made him shiver, the soft brush of skin over his scent glands, but the noise had his instincts fussing enough for him to move.
“Sukuna,” he whispered, reaching a hand up to run through mussed hair. “What’s wrong?”
“Cramps,” the curse grumbled. And now that Yuji knew to look he could see the tension within his body, how he held himself still and grit his teeth through the pain.
“Where does it hurt?” He tried to coax Sukuna to look at him, realizing he was too deep into his rut to respond properly. “Where?” He cooed quietly, soothingly, hoping the noise would get through to him.
The curse shuddered, pulling back to kneel over Yuji and catching his hands to bring them to his shoulders. Yuji could feel the tension there, the tightness in his muscles and the small twitches and shudders running through the alpha’s form.
He pressed down lightly, digging his fingers in and startling slightly when Sukuna groaned loudly and pushed into his hands. He tried again, with slightly more pressure and Sukuna doubled over to rest his forehead against Yuji’s chest.
“Better?” He didn't expect a response, kept massaging Sukuna's muscles, and was pleasantly surprised when the alpha nodded against him and purred almost violently loudly.
It took a while, but, little by little, Sukuna relaxed until he was resting his weight fully on Yuji once again, watching him lazily as he worked over the muscles of his shoulders, inching closer and closer to his neck.
“…Yu,” he grumbled, catching one of Yuji’s hands as it shyly slipped away from his neck once again, holding his wrist next to his scent gland and waiting for Yuji to move. He was giving Yuji a choice, he could pull back, Sukuna’s grip was lax enough, or he could brush his scent gland over the alpha’s neck and mix their scents properly.
Body thrumming with anticipation, Yuji brushed his wrist over Sukuna’s neck. He got the angle a little wrong, only just touching the gland there. But, on the next try, Sukuna guided his hand to rub their glands together more firmly.
It didn't feel like much, a dull and distant pleasure from the pressure, but the alpha seemed happy, crooning up at him as he moved his wrist in little circles. Until sukuna reached up to return the favor, rubbing over his scent gland with one tattooed wrist.
Yuji moaned softly and slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the noise. He had never been on the receiving end of scenting before and the sensation of skin dragging against his glands, the glide smoothed by the oils coaxed to the surface there sent tingles throughout his body.
A soft chuckle made him glare down at Sukuna, who was grinning up at him, big fangs on full display.
“Oh so you can laugh at me, but you can’t tell me when something's wrong.”
Sukuna just purred lazily as he reached out to brush his free hand through his hair, pushing up into the contact.
”Big dumb alpha,” Yuji grumbled and Sukuna growled at him playfully. He still looked exhausted, but he had perked up a little, apparently regaining the energy to be a menace.
“You’ve been trying to take care of me, haven’t you? When you were in pre rut. You made me eat and scented me and … I’m an idiot for not realizing sooner.” He rambled, absentmindedly stroking Sukuna’s hair and receiving only little noises in response. “You’re a good alpha, even if you are an evil bastard.”
Yuji fell asleep to the sound of quiet rumbling and woke to find himself, surprisingly, still in Sukuna's domain. Said curse was awake and shifting restlessly, trying to find a comfortable position whilst wrestling with his need to move. One inhale was enough to tell him Sukuna's rut was in full force.
“Ah! Sukuna!” He yelped when he was bodily lifted so that the alpha could escape their tangle of limbs and pace the edges of his domain. He wasn't purring anymore but he wasn't growing either, just patrolling in the dim light.
Yuji sighed, content to let him do whatever he needed to, and flopped back into his nest. He stretched languidly, enjoying the space and lingering warmth from Sukuna's body.
He had only just closed his eyes when a sharp knock at his door brought his consciousness back to his body.
Sukuna's reaction was instantaneous, a feral snarl and a rush for control Yuji was in no way prepared to counter, focused on his hands alone.
“Hey, Yuji-kun, I brought you some dinner!” Gojo called from behind the door, just as he realized what was happening.
“No, Sensei, don't-”
But it was too late, his teacher opened the door just as Sukuna spoke, clawed hands curling together.
“Domain expansion.”
Sukuna appeared before him, snarling as Gojo opened the door and stopped dead.
“Well, that's a surprise.” Yuji froze, expecting Sukuna to just jump forwards and attack, but he stayed where he was, body between Yuji and the door. Tentatively, he reached out and tangled his fingers in Sukuna's kimono as a precaution
Gojo, it seemed, shared no such hesitations.
”So, is this a new thing or-“
Sukuna leapt.
“Sukuna no-”