Jjk Angst - Blog Posts

KEEP IT ONLINE ; jjk, ft. kth

→ 𝖲𝖴𝖬𝖬𝖠𝖱𝖸 . growing up as a lonely kid, y/n was always so manipulated and obedient when it came to her friends which led her in a great 'friendship' with one of her friends. however what would happen if the girl in question accidentally likes her online crush's picture? the picture from three years ago?

→ 𝖯𝖠𝖨𝖱𝖨𝖭𝖦 . jungkook jeon × y/n lee × taehyung kim

→ 𝖦𝖤𝖭𝖱𝖤 . social media au. fluff. angst. online crush au. slow burn.

→ 𝖶𝖠𝖱𝖭𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖲 . lowercase intended, reader is really manipulated and dumb, Jungkook is really toxic and a jerk, Jungkook with personality of a cardboard box. reader has really toxic best friend. mention of anxiety, depression and suicide. REALLY TOXIC.

→ 𝖠𝖴𝖳𝖧𝖮𝖱'𝖲 𝖭𝖮𝖳𝖤 . this story is based on me tbh, except the Taehyung part.

→ 𝖱𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖭𝖦 . 18+

𝖬𝖠𝖲𝖳𝖤𝖱𝖫𝖨𝖲𝖳 𖤐 𓈒࣪ ᭡ ˖ 𝖳𝖠𝖦𝖫𝖨𝖲𝖳 𖤐 𓈒࣪ ᭡ ˖ 𝖯𝖫𝖠𝖸𝖫𝖨𝖲𝖳 𖤐 𓈒࣪ ᭡ ˖ 𝖬𝖮𝖮𝖣𝖡𝖮𝖠𝖱𝖣

00 : y/ns mains

00 : jungkooks mains

00 : prologue

01 : stalker vibes

02 : hot ass meal

03 : hot?

04 : don't tell anyone

05.1 : meme buddies

05.2 : texts

06 : can we be friends?

07 : birthday tweets

08 : taehyung

09 : boy with luv

10 : insecurities

more to come . . .

# ask jungkook

# ask y/n

# ask taehyung

# ask the rest cast

I miss this fic so much 🤧🤧🤧 This is my 6th time reading it 🥹🥺

I Love You, Always

Sukuna x Reader

Part 15 Sakura ♡ ♡ ♡ Part 16 Bali series m. list

Reblogs, likes and comments are appreciated!

Warnings: Some angst, mostly fluff (?), smut, shotgun kissing, alcohol intake, car sex, oral (male receiving).

A/N: I don't know if you guys realized but I made Sukuna taller than his canon height lmao. He's around 6-6'2ft in here lmao. Also, I'm not very great at smut and fluff, I'm seriously the best at angst lmao. Just remember, this story will have mature themes, heavy angst etc. as the story progresses. Thank you for reading~

The air feels nice and cool against you as you wander around the empty train tracks. It’s past midnight and he’s managed to coerce you into sneaking out of the house. You balance yourself on the rails while Sukuna walks beside you on the rocks.

“I need to stop listening to you, Sukuna. You’ll get me in trouble one of these days.”

Though you say this, there’s a smile perched on your pretty lips. He stops walking and motions with his hands in big movements, “it’s worth it though. Look,” he spins around slowly, making the rocks crunch beneath him and smiles when his eyes land on yours again, “we have this place all to ourselves. It’s dark out and there’s no one but us.”

Ah, there goes the fluttering in your stomach again. Even when you’re standing on the tracks, Sukuna stands taller than you; and there’s a softness in his expression and body language towards you. When you first met him, he was tense and guarded, as were you. When did you both let your guard down? For some reason, you can’t pinpoint the exact moment. You choose to capture this moment in your memory forever and lock it in your heart, because it’s something only you can see.

You place your hands on his chest and sway side to side. “You should smile more; it suits you.”

Sukuna’s smile drops almost immediately and he clears his throat while turning away from you, “smiling is the biggest jinx. I don’t want to.”

You giggle at his shyness and gently slap his chest, “come on~ smile! Show me those pearly whites.”

He reluctantly turns back to you and flashes you a petty smile, “happy?”

“I am.”

He scoffs at you but takes your hand in his and leads the rest of the way down the tracks. Conversations upon conversations pile up into the night and the sound of your loud laughs can be heard through the echo of night but neither of you care. Sukuna makes you smile. He makes you feel as if there’s no one else in the world except you two, but deep down, you’re still drowning in guilt.

For all you know, those who used to be your friends are probably talking behind your back and making stories. They could be saying all sorts of things about you and you wouldn’t even know for sure until word got back to you. No one answers you back. When you ask to hang out, you’re left on delivered or read. The only person who still texts you from time to time is Kazuya. He gives you words of encouragement and tells you it’s not your fault and to just enjoy what you have but it’s still a bit hard. You know what you’re doing with Sukuna isn’t fully appropriate, but it’s hard to stop as well.

Sukuna’s throat bobs up and down when he realizes you’re not paying attention anymore. It’s really easy to read you, actually. He knows what you’re thinking and part of him just wants to tell you to stop overthinking it because it already happened and now it’s in the past. It’s time for you to stop feeling sorry towards Kaede.

He lets your hand go, steps in front of you and then spins around to face you while walking backwards. You stare at him with wide eyes and watch how the subtle wind blows his hair back and reveals a part of his forehead. Jeez, this dude is so charming in the face.

“Let’s play a game.”

This piques your interest, so you listen in, “what kind?”

He holds a finger out and chuckles cockily, “let’s list things we like about each other.”

“I don’t wanna play.” You shoot the idea down and hop off the tracks to go around him but he spins around and grabs your wrist to stop you. You frown, “what?”

Sukuna’s eyes dart around on your facial features as he ponders. “You don’t have to say anything, y/n. Just listen to me.”

Even though Sukuna likes to come off as a hard guy, you can sense the desperation in his voice. It’s not enough to make you feel bad, but it comes off as him wanting to reassure you, so you nod.

“I like the way you get mad easily,” he starts off, “I like the way you make deals with me.” Sukuna gently tugs your wrist towards him and pulls you into his warm embrace. He rests his chin on top of your head, “I like how you always make me chase you.”

This makes you giggle into his chest and you close your eyes as you take in his citrusy scent. He still smells like cigarettes from time to time, but today he doesn’t. You wrap your arms around his torso as well and continue to listen.

“The truth is…” Sukuna’s voice stalls for a bit, “you’re annoying and bipolar.” And before you can break the hug and argue with him, he places a kiss on top of your head and laughs, “I also like that about you.” Then he pulls back enough to stare at your pretty face again, “but truthfully, y/n, I like the way you smile just for me.”

Sukuna doesn’t know if your cheeks and nose are red from his words or if they’re red from the slight breeze, but it makes his heart flutter anyway. He leans down and boops your nose with his, “your smiling face is what I like the most.”

Ah shit… he’s got you wrapped around his fucking fingers, that asshole. But there you go doubting again. Even though your heart is leaping and doing somersaults at his sweet words, you push yourself off of him and laugh awkwardly. It’s stupid right? You’ve kissed, fucked, done it all and yet you cross the line at a small confession.

“I don’t know…” You’re already walking off without him as you speak. “Are you sure you don’t like me for my body? That seems more plausible.”

Okay, that irritates the fuck out of Sukuna, but he’ll keep his cool because he doesn’t want to ruin the night. He didn’t know you’d react like this. He catches up to you and shoves his hands in his pockets while his shoulders hunch inwards, a subconscious act of him putting up a small barrier. Neither of you seem to realize it.

He looks straight ahead at the dark abyss. “Didn’t I tell you already? I like you.” His tone is a little grumpier now as he speaks, “why are you so stubborn?”

“I said I liked you… but maybe now isn’t the right time.” Your lips purse, “and maybe we shouldn’t do it so much. It makes me feel horrible.”

Sukuna laughs, “lying straight through those teeth of yours, I see.” He looks at you through his peripheral vision, “right in my face, too. Oh, the audacity.”

Even though he’s slightly annoyed with you, he’s back to smiling sweetly, “look, y/n,” he sighs, “Kaede had a small crush on me. She confessed and I rejected her. I get that you feel bad for her but it’s time to let that shit go. Besides…” He frowns, “she turned everyone against you.”

“Because I wronged her in many aspects, Sukuna.”

“And look at us, still having sex and making out.”

“Then maybe we should stop until…” You shut yourself up, unable to finish the sentence. You’re selfish and you know it. Sukuna was right. The audacity you have is horrendous.

Sukuna is quiet as well. Did you want to stop, then? All of this just to go back to stage one, smh. His jaw clenches, but he shoves aside his own feelings and gives your head an affectionate pat, “let’s go home, doll. We can talk about it another day.”

♡ ♡ ♡

Can someone just smack you? It seems like you always ruin the freaking moment and it’s frustrating. Would it be better if you just forgot it all?

The walk back is silent and now he’s in front of your house, getting ready to help you climb over the heavy ass gate. You’re just standing there, so Sukuna straightens up.

“What?”

You can’t look at him. You feel too bad. You fiddle with your nails, “I just wanted to apologize to you.”

Sukuna cocks his head to the side with an amused smirk, “for what?” He just finds you so adorable at times.

“For what I said earlier tonight.” Your head is still hanging down, “didn’t I make you uncomfortable?”

He steps closer to you and hums, “hmm, not at all. Why would you think that?”

You can see his shoes in front of you, so you slowly raise your head. No one likes to apologize because it’s ego crushing to do so, but you don’t like to fight with Sukuna. You’ve done it before and it wasn’t great. It made you feel empty and all sorts of other things…

“Just because,” you say quietly. “You didn’t look too happy about what I said.”

He can’t stay mad at you. Not when you’re all sulky and cute. He brings his face closer to yours and gives the tip of your nose a soft peck, “I don’t know how I looked earlier, but don’t take it the wrong way.” Sukuna’s eyes soften up at you, “I don’t mind at all.”

Oh, thank god. Now you can breathe! You shut your eyes and fall into his warmth, “that’s a relief to hear, then.”

He peppers your face with a bunch of tiny kisses before chuckling, “even if you blow me off a thousand times, I won’t get angry.”

How could he still think this way after you’ve given him mixed signals for months? You push your face into his chest and rub side to side. “What do you plan to do with me, Sukuna?”

“Still thinking,” he entertains.

Here comes the greed inside of you. It fights against your guilt and mindlessly, you hug him tighter. “Do you plan to love me?”

You’re hot and cold. Bipolar and indecisive.

Sukuna has always believed that he was a man unworthy of love. How could someone like him ever get to experience it? He thought love was stupid. The word was made up for delusional people, it had to be. But, he’s so smitten with you that maybe it’s possible. For now, he’s smitten… Yeah. He’s not sure if he loves you, but maybe he could learn to. All he knows is that you’re not there either. He sucks in a breath, “did you want me to? Once I start with you, I won’t be able to stop.”

Is this where you end your friendship with Sukuna and start something new? You haven’t spoken to Kaede, so you don’t know why she still haunts your mind. You don’t know why she makes you feel so guilty. Perhaps it’s just all in your mind. Maybe you are overthinking. Your heart wants to leap at Sukuna every time you see him. You want to kiss him comfortably without having to look over your shoulder. You want it all.

Sukuna releases you and gives you one more chance to back out. His face is serious. “Ichihara y/n, you can’t be friends with someone you were in love with. You just can’t. If you don’t think this will work out in the long run, then tell me now.”

You don’t know this, but if you choose to run away from Sukuna, this will be the last you’ll see of him. He won’t even say a word to you. He’ll just leave your world.

“I’d like to start something new with you someday, when we’re both ready, ” your voice is barely audible, “if that’s what you want.”

It’s a good enough answer for him, so he nods and pushes you towards the gate, “no rush.”

Once you’re halfway over, you look down. “Are you staying over tonight?”

“Not today. I kind of miss my own bed.” Sukuna yawns and then waves for you to go, “goodnight, y/n.”

“Goodnight.”

♡ ♡ ♡

He stopped texting you after he let you know that he got home safe. It doesn’t bother you since he looked pretty tired earlier, but you can’t fall asleep. Ah, that’s right. He never collected his clothes. Is he leaving them here on purpose? Feeling bored, you hop off the bed and walk to your dresser. You take his pants out and unfold them.

“Damn, they’re big.”

Just out of curiosity, you take your pants off and step into his. They’re oversized on you, but it’s a cute look! There’s a small smile playing on your lips as you sway side to side, admiring yourself in the mirror, but the sound of soft plastic wrinkling can be heard. Where is it coming from? His pants? You pat down on his front pockets and don’t feel anything in particular, so you reach inside instead.

The right pocket is empty, but the left contains what feels like a small bag. What could it be? You pull it out and frown at the sight. There are two full colored rectangle pills and a broken one in the bag. These aren’t ordinary pills like ibuprofen… you know that much. Could it be? Is he a drug dealer? Is that why he said he was a bad person? Sure, it’s illegal, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person, right? Right???

You really want to call him and ask about it, but maybe he doesn’t have to know that you know. A part of you is afraid that he’ll disappear from you if he knew you found out, so you want to be greedy and stay quiet about it. And the reason why you’re doubting that he takes these kinds of things is because you’re always with him. He is always conscious. Always aware. The most you’ve seen him do is smoke weed, but you’ve never come to the conclusion that he was drugged out on ecstasy. Oh, and you’re with him all the time, so there wouldn’t be a time for him to even do all of these things. Well, of course, there are those nights when he doesn’t hang out with you because he wants to go to work, but he’s a bartender… There's no way he’s doing these things.

With shaking hands, you place the pills back where you got it and take his pants off. You’re surprised they survived the wash, but they were sealed in a bag, so it’s plausible. You’ll admit that a part of you feels heavy after finding these, but you just hope he isn’t on these drugs. If you’re going to date him later in life, you’ll have to introduce him to your parents and you already know how much they’ll judge him, so you hope he is sober. Obviously, they wouldn’t go to such lengths to get him tested to see if he was in the clear, but they’d judge him on appearance, which is annoying.

“What am I going to do…”

You sink onto the bed and curl up into a ball. Millions of thoughts fill your head while doubt starts to surface. Now that you think about it, you really don’t know Sukuna at all. Even after all of this. He barely opens up to you, hardly lets you in. You know that his parents have money, but what exactly do they do? Why doesn’t Sukuna ever tell you anything? You’ve seen him in his vulnerable state on rare occasions, but even then, it's hard to tell what he’s thinking. If you brought this up, would he run? Half of you argues that he’d stay, because he’s shown you his softer side but… the other half argues that he’d leave due to you knowing too much.

♡ ♡ ♡

“Y/n, it’s time to get up.”

You wake to the sound of your mom’s voice. She’s standing right outside your door, but she walks off when your dad mumbles something to her. You’d question what they’re discussing, but it doesn’t really intrigue you. You choose to get ready for the day instead since you’ll most likely be hanging with Sukuna again.

“Y/n.”

You glance up from your phone to stare at your mom. She’s got this look in her eye, and you don’t like it. It makes you feel uneasy. Still, you manage to smile just fine and raise your brows, “yes?”

Your mom brushes her hair behind her ears and leans over the table to stare at you a bit better. “You’ve been on your phone a lot lately.”

Ah, here she goes again. You lay your phone down and tap the table impatiently, “I’m always on my phone. Is that a problem?”

“Of course, it’s not.” Your dad speaks up and picks up his mug, “but well…” He glances at your mom nervously and continues, “it’s just that we have some news to deliver.”

Your mouth hangs open because what kind of news are they delivering? Why are they acting so serious? You lean towards them as well and stare at them with seriousness. “What is it? Please don’t tell me that you’re pregnant…”

“What?”

Your mom starts to choke on her spit and begins to pound at her own chest while your dad hurriedly pats her back to help. When she’s calmed down, she laughs loudly and shakes her head, “no, y/n. It’s not that, but your father has won a raffle of work and was rewarded with a vacation.”

“Oh, that’s it? Why were you acting all serious then?” You exhale dramatically and playfully wipe the fake sweat off of your forehead, “ya had me nervous there.”

Your father laughs at your silliness but nods, “yes, I won a fully paid vacation, actually. It’s in Bali and the resort offers a two bedroom, two bath suite for us. We even have a private balcony as well.”

Well I guess it’s a good thing they gave you a heads up? But gosh, why were they so weird about it? You shrug your shoulders and give a light clap, “congrats on your vacation. Have fun~”

“Oh, well, you’re coming with us, sweetheart.” Your mom quickly adds, holding her hand out towards you so you don’t leave too fast. “He won a couples vacation, so the both of us are paid for, but we’re bringing you along, no fighting it.”

“There’s really no need for me to impose, really.” You get up from the table and gather your plate, “but you two deserve a vacation, so have fun.”

Annoyingly, your mom follows you into the kitchen. She crosses her arms and sighs at you, “you’re coming along with us. It’s two bedrooms and two baths, you’ll have your own little privacy, y/n.”

“Yeah, but I’m fine staying home alone here.”

“Not happening. I’ll become paranoid with you here all by yourself.”

“I’m an adult, mom.”

“A young adult,” she corrects. “I cannot have you here by yourself for three days, sweetheart. Like I said, no fighting against it.”

“But-”

“Your father already paid for your roundtrip ticket, y/n. Have your things packed by Friday. Our flight leaves around seven in the morning.” She turns the faucet on to start doing dishes but continues to talk, “the reason why I commented about you being on your phone was for this reason. We’ll be on vacation, so make sure not to be on your phone for too long.”

You won’t lie, you’re a bit excited about going to Bali but that means no Sukuna for a while… and also, you’re stuck hanging out with your parents. Your lips curve into a frown, “so you mean to say I’ll be stuck by your side from day to night?”

She chuckles at you, “not necessarily, but I’d appreciate it if you tried to stay close by. If not that, then if you’d at least feast with us each of the days.”

“Okie dokie.”

Right after you say that, you hear your phone ding and jog towards it. Oh, would you look at that. It’s Sukuna. He’s waiting for you around the corner, so you clean up the rest of the table and then say a short ‘bye’ to both parents.

Sukuna rolls the windows down and whistles at you, “ayo, lemme holla for a dolla!”

“You’re so stupid,” you laugh and place your hands on your hips, “you’re driving today? Do you even have a license?”

“Nope.”

Well at least he’s honest. You roll your eyes at him but get in anyway, “who’s car?”

“Who else? It belongs to me.”

There’s a pause in your laugh so you can deadpan at him, “you have a car yet no license. Should I even trust being in here with you?”

Sukuna leans over to give you a quick kiss, “I made it safely, didn’t I? Besides, I got a few driving lessons from Yuuma in my adolescent days.”

“Please shut up…”

Sukuna is driving pretty okay. And it’s actually nice, driving around the city with no true destination. Well, at first you were driving around aimlessly until Sukuna decided on a location. The traffic fucking sucks ass though. Usually, the traffic from Tokyo to Shinjuku wouldn’t be too bad since it’s barely a 7-10 minute drive, but today it is, so while the light is red, Sukuna leans his head back against the headrest and lazily turns to look at you. He thinks you’re beautiful, even with all your natural attributes.

He licks his licks and pushes himself off the seat to lean over. He grabs the back of your head with one hand and leans in slowly. “I’m bored,” he whispers, “kiss me for entertainment.”

Heat rushes to your cheeks at his bold statement but you lean in anyway. His kisses are so gentle yet they radiate the complete opposite. The sounds are lewd in your ears but he’s kissing you so lovingly. There aren’t any tricks in the way he is kissing, and his tongue barely passes your lips, only enough to pull you in. It’s a great way to kill time while the lights are red but the poor people around you with wandering eyes are sure to be disturbed by such an intimate act. Given it’s not exactly your fault if they see, but still. You blush harder at the fact that there might be wandering eyes and you’re sure that Sukuna can sense it based on the way he smiles against your lips.

He pulls away and then leans back in to place one more kiss on your lips. “What?”

“What if people saw?” Your voice is small and timid while your cheeks glow.

Sukuna looks around and into the other cars without a care. He does happen to make eye contact with a male and smirks in return, “it’s not our problem if they see, doll.”

He pulls you in for another passionate kiss and he continues to do so at every red light. You’re not sure if he’s trying to punish you or something, but it turns you on a lot. You’re just too shy to admit it. He finally parks in a public space and ushers for you to follow after.

“This is where you chose?”

Sukuna hums, “yep, Shinjuku. We’re gonna ditch the car here for a while and explore on foot.”

He locks the car and holds his hand out to you. It’s a silent way of him asking to hold your hand, so you place your hand in his and intertwine your fingers. You like the way he emits natural heat, it makes you feel safe. With time being the beginning of April, there are a ton of blossom trees in the area, so the petals fall like snowfall. There are also lots of people here, so human traffic is unavoidable.

“Wow, you totally match the scene.” You pick a fallen petal from Sukuna’s cheekbone and blow it off your fingers with a small grin.

“Quit it,” Sukuna grumbles as he dusts the rest off of him.

While he does so, your eyes catch a glimpse of the chain around his neck and your heart suddenly feels a light pinch. You lean in towards his chest and kiss the center, a smile making its way to your face when you feel the pendant beneath the fabric. The action surprises Sukuna because he stumbles back from you with pink tinted ears and slightly raised eyebrows. He chortles at you, “are you tempting me in broad daylight?”

“I would never,” you say with a mischievous grin. “I just feel a bit happier today after seeing that on you.”

Sukuna holds his hand out towards you and waits for your hand. “I’ll never take it off again.”

After you lock fingers with him again, you pout and feign annoyance, “yeah, right.”

“Should I get down on my knees and vow my life to you, then?”

“No!” You give his hand a light squeeze and walk forward with him, “people will think you’re proposing. That, or they’ll think I’m being a bitch to you.”

“Well then.”

Sukuna begins to slowly drop as he walks with you and you panic, quickly pulling him back up. “Stop, Sukuna.”

He laughs wholeheartedly with you and nods, “okay, okay. I’m just playing with you.”

So many eyes, so many cameras. The crowd is filled with locals and tourists who are all trying to capture Japan’s beauty. Oh, and of course, there are plenty of vendors that sell sakura souvenirs and a few food vendors as well. Since there are so many people, Sukuna pulls you closer to him and makes sure to hold your hand tighter.

“Do any of these interest you?”

Your eyes catch sight of the various little sakura trinkets and even though it’s cute, you don’t think it’s something you need. It doesn’t hurt to look though, right? Your hand never leaves his, but you continue to drag him around, “I’m just looking.”

He thinks it’s funny that he brought you here, yet you’re the one leading the way. And maybe he’s being possessive or something because he swears he sees men looking at you from time to time. And you can go ahead and call him crazy, he’ll accept it. Obviously, there will be wandering eyes as this is a public space with lots to see, so naturally some eyes will fall on you here and there, but it lowkey irks his soul (if he even has one). Sukuna makes sure to glare at those who stare for too long though. How dare they keep staring at your beauty when you’re obviously here with someone. Gosh, if you weren’t such a scaredy-cat-goody-two-shoes he’d walk up to them and confront them. Shit, if you’d let, he’d drag you up with him and stick his tongue down your throat so they can see that you’re not here alone. Initially, he’d just fuck them up til his knuckles were raw, but he’s not trying to go to jail right now. Not when he has you, so yeah, shoving his tongue down your throat sounds more ideal.

And fuck. Now he’s got a fucking boner in public. Feeling uncomfortably tight, he doesn’t want to move, but you just keep dragging him around, bumping him into all of these strangers. He yanks you back, causing your back to crash into him. “Don’t walk off too far without me.”

Your eyebrows pull down at him and you speak over the crowd. “But we’re holding hands, what does it matter?”

“I’ve got a boner right now. Wanna find a private space?”

It’s a half joke lol. Sukuna already knows what your answer is, but he finds your reactions interesting because you’re genuinely annoyed this time, even with a light smile.

“Oh my god, you’re insatiable. I’m not helping with that, but we can ditch this place really quick and look for a bathroom if you need to relieve yourself.”

Sukuna laughs out loud at your expression and shakes his head, “nah, it’s only half hard. I’ll live, I guess.” He eyes the dango stall and drags you there, barely apologizing to the people he bumps into in the process.

“These look good,” he sighs.

“You eat more than you did when I first met you.” You say this more to yourself, but Sukuna hears it anyway.

“Eating isn’t as satisfying as smoking, but it does the job… somewhat.”

Oh? Is he stressed? Was he serious about the boner??? You don’t say anything else but stick close to Sukuna as you wait in line. When it’s your turn, he orders you each hanami dango. “Mmm~” you sing out as you take a bite. It’s soft and chewy with the perfect amount of sweetness. Sukuna is already on the second ball on the skewer, but just to be an ass, he swallows and leans down with an open mouth, waiting to be fed.

You laugh at his childish behavior but comply, pushing your own into his mouth. If you weren’t in public, you would’ve shoved the whole thing in until it hit the back of his throat (like you did with the popsicle that one time) but you’re not trying to die right now. “You always call me a pig. Are you sure it’s not you?”

Sukuna chews with his eyes closed and a small smile, “I am one, after you.”

“Whatever~”

The next item you purchase is sakura mochi. It’s sweet and salty, the perfect amount of savory. If you’re being honest, you prefer this over the hanami dango. You think Sukuna prefers it, too. Or he’s a follower. You rub your stomach and let out a soft burp, “that was good. Kinda thirsty though, right?”

“Hmm,” Sukuna looks around but most of the vendors sell sakura themed drinks or tea, and he’s not really feeling either of those, so he drags you to a vending machine (one he finds easily, thanks to his height). He buys a bottle of water to help wash everything down and lets you drink first, “here.”

After a while of walking around, you stretch and yawn. “We should’ve packed a blanket, so we could lay down like everyone else.”

He shrugs, “well I didn’t think we’d actually do much today.”

Aw, he’s so cute. You cuddle into him and look up with big eyes, “it’s okay~ Let’s ditch the car here and wander around more. We can go to a shopping center to kill time and then maybe explore Kabukicho?”

Sukuna frowns at you. “You want me to take you to the red-light district?”

“What? I’ll be with you the whole time, so it’s not like anything will really happen.” Your voice has toned down on octave in case you might’ve upset him.

He chews on the inside of his cheek for a bit before sighing. “Then you’ll absolutely have to stay by my side, alright? It’s dangerous for people like you., even if there are a lot of people around.”

This makes you laugh at him, “for people like me? And what about you? I know you look tough, but the danger applies to you too.”

“Y/n.”

He’s very serious, oddly so. This makes you shut up and nod silently.

♡ ♡ ♡

You end up in Don Quijote, spending the rest of the day going from place to place, store to store and playing with each other. By the time you’re done messing around, the sun is already beginning to set, so Sukuna grabs your hand again and groans. “I’m hungry. You?”

“I could eat.”

The wait time for Torikizoku is about half an hour, but talking to Sukuna makes time pass by faster. Before you know it, you’re being led to your table and Sukuna may have bribed the waiter with a lot of money… yeah, a super disrespectful thing to do, but the waiter accepted anyways and turned a blind eye to your age. Well, you’re not that far off from the legal drinking age, you’re just a year short.

You’ll admit that the skewers are pretty damn good and the drinks complement the flavors even better. Now you understand why some people pair alcohol with certain foods. The most you have today is beer, while Sukuna sticks to one shot, since he has to be responsible and drive later. But the more he stares at how you get to enjoy the mix of food and beer, the more envious he becomes. So, while his mouth salivates at the mixture, he thinks to himself that he can just ditch the car and come back for it tomorrow. Surely Satoru wouldn’t mind picking you two up. He doesn’t want to bother Yuuma right now, so.

Sukuna reaches over and drinks the beer from your cup, hissing after the taste settles on his taste buds. You’re wide eyed, “Sukuna, you have to drive.”

He scoffs, “I’m rich.”

“So?”

“So I’ll have someone get us if I can’t sober up later. Most we’ll be is buzzed, promise.”

Even though you click your tongue at him, you stupidly allow him to sip from your cup as well. After dinner is done, you both walk to Kabukicho. Thankfully you’re alright, since you drank with a meal. The night is young and bustling, full of life and party goers. Even though Sukuna’s hold on you is firm, he tries to loosen it just a bit so you won’t feel too suffocated.

You smile in general and excitedly look up at Sukuna, “let’s take pictures.”

“Why?”

Ah, here he is, the Sukuna you know. It’s just like before, when you first started hanging out. He’d always oppose, bitch and complain when you wanted to take a picture, but he’d always give in in the end. You sway a bit to persuade him. “Come on~ Just a few.”

Sukuna knows he’ll give in, but he wants to tease you a bit longer. He sticks his nose up and high and frowns, “why should I? It’s not like you’ll post it.”

That’s true. You’re still a bit scared to post him, but come on, dude. You gently slap at his chest, “it’ll just be for our eyes. Please?”

After staying silent for a few seconds too long, he huffs out a sigh and smirks at you, “fine. Just a few.”

That stupid little smile of yours flashes at him and he can’t help but let out a small laugh. You drag him to an area with a little less human traffic and find a nice spot. On que, Sukuna stands behind you and hunches over a bit so his face leans against the side of your head. The first few photos you take are serious ones, and then the next few you’re the only one smiling. You glare at him jokingly through the screen, “smile, Sukuna.”

“You think you’re the boss of me?”

Even though he says this, he smiles widely for the camera and even goes as far as to kiss the side of your head for one of them. It’s a cute moment because it completely catches you off guard, so in the next photo, your cheeks are burning pink.

Sukuna smiles and lets out a knowing laugh. “You’re blushing~”

You put your phone away and spin back around to face him, “it’s the beer.”

“Sure it is.”

He drags you forward and sling his arm around your shoulders, tucking you away under him from prying eyes. As you guys continue to walk down, people approach and try to lure you into the nightclubs and other businesses but Sukuna quickly turns them down. You wouldn’t mind going in, but Sukuna seems a bit on edge about it, so you just stay quiet and give a short apology each time. He does bring you into the little shops though and lets you look around.

“If you’re not gonna hold my hand the whole time, then stay where I can see you.”

You’re not sure if it’s a threat… Either way, you nod. “Jeez, it’s not like I’ll get swooped up, Sukuna.”

His lips twitch, “it’s actually pretty easy to kidnap someone, even with a crowd of people, y/n. So listen to me.”

Gosh, what’s he so worried about? When you’re done looking around, he takes your hand in his once again and you enter the sea of people. Sukuna points up to get your attention. “Look, you see Godzilla’s head up there?”

Godzilla?? You follow his finger and laugh at how random it is. Just then, a woman runs up to Sukuna and stops you guys in the middle of the crowd. Her hair is strawberry blonde, styled half up and she’s wearing an outfit that accentuates her curves. The keypoint of the outfit is the cutout on her chest, revealing her nice cleavage.

“Hello, how are you today?” Her voice is very pleasing to the ears, that’s for sure.

Sukuna juts out his lips at her and furrows his brows, “I’m not interested.”

When he tries to drag you forward, the woman steps in front of him again with her hands up towards her chest. “Oh, please wait a second! Would you be interested in coming into this place? I promise the drinks are delicious! You won’t regret it.”

Not once has she made eye contact with you… until now. She smiles in an apologetic way towards you, and you completely understand why. The woman is just trying to do her job, luring drunkards in to spend more and more money etc.

Sukuna smiles down at her in a charming way and shakes his head, “no, thank you. I’ve got the best entertainment right here and I don’t even need to pay.”

He earns a hard pinch from you, causing him to wince and hiss. When he sends you a death glare, you widen your eyes and act oblivious. The woman laughs shyly at him and nods, “okay then. Have a great rest of your night.”

Honestly, you’re walking in no actual direction, just following the crowd. Eventually you stumble into Golden Gai. It has more of a nostalgic vibe to it and it’s mostly filled with bars that provide stools for eight. Still, it’s a bit busy. Sukuna later pulls you into one of the businesses and you both have a bit more to drink. Don’t ask why you didn’t fight him against it more, it totally slipped your mind with how much fun you were having.

When the fun is done, you both make it back to where Sukuna parked the car. He’s not holding your hand anymore. Instead, he’s holding a small bag of fresh churros from one of the shops earlier. They were holding an event or something but you weren’t really paying attention. Anyway, there were a few cars parked near his when you first arrived but now that it’s late in the night, there are only two other cars in the parking lot. It’s a bit weird how secluded this area suddenly feels.

Sukuna burps involuntarily, “whoo, I’m a bit buzzed. Let’s cool off, yeah?”

“Sure.”

You’re about to pull the door handle but Sukuna shakes his head and taps the hood of his car. “Let’s lay down right here.”

You look at him and then the car with uncertainty. “Are you sure?”

He’s already laying on top of it, so you follow after and do the same. The sky is covered in a blanket of stars while the moon is half full. And wow, the coolness of the car does feel relaxing under your hot skin. Sukuna stuffs a few of the small churros in his mouth and then offers you some.

“These are good,” you compliment.

All he does is hum. Wow, he must be more buzzed than he’s letting on. When did he drink so much without you? Well, maybe you’re not as buzzed since all you had was beer, but he only mixed drinks a few times and he ate a big meal. You’re pretty relaxed right now and the only sound being made is the crinkling of the bag from both your hands going in back and forth. When there’s no more to eat, Sukuna reaches into his pocket and pulls out his lighter and cigarettes.

“You’re gonna smoke?”

It’s been a while. Sukuna doesn’t say anything. He settles the cancer stick between his lips, cupping his hand over it as he sparks up the lighter. Your curious little eyes watch the whole thing. You’ve seen him do this numerous times, yet every time you ask to try he denies. Since he’s feeling well, will his answer be different?

You nudge him gently while the smoke curls out from his mouth. “Can I try?”

“No way.”

Ah, like aways–

“Just kidding. You really want to?”

Huh? Did he just ask if you wanted to? You do a double take and stare at him like a dumbass. You’d ask if he’d repeat himself but that might change his mind, so you nod.

Sukuna chuckles, “alright.” He pushes himself off the car to sit up and motions for you to do the same. He passes the cigarette to you. “Go on.”

Every cell in your body is jumping with excitement, but you’re trying not to let it show because he might think you’re being stupid. You exhale slowly through your nose and take the cigarette from him. Shit. You feel more nervous now that his eyes are watching your every move.

You copy what he did earlier and inhale deeply, but then you immediately start to choke on smoke. Your face turns bright red from the force of coughing and Sukuna bursts out laughing at you. He’s been doing that a lot around you lately. Still, his heavy hand comes up to your back and he begins to pat roughly.

“Now who told you to take such a big puff, hmm?”

He’s looking down at you with gleaming eyes and you feel so put on the spot, yet you can’t stop yourself from blushing at the way he looks at you. Thankfully you can mask the blush with the redness from coughing, but a tiny bit of you thinks Sukuna isn’t fooled. He scoots closer to you and takes the cigarette from your hand. You’re about to argue against it but he beats you.

“Wanna shotgun it?”

Hah??? You must be very obvious. Sukuna chortles to himself and waves the cigarette in the air, “it means I’ll smoke it and then pass it to you through your mouth. It’d be easier than inhaling it yourself.” His face brightens a bit as a memory pops up into his head. “It’s the same as me passing liquor from my mouth into yours, y/n.” He takes another puff for himself and then flicks the cigarette. “In my opinion, it works better with a blunt since the smoke is thicker, but it works the same with cigarettes.”

You want to learn all the things Sukuna knows. You want to learn how to smoke, wanna learn how to do everything he does too. Sukuna inhales and holds the smoke in his mouth. He holds your face and gently leans in, pressing his lips to yours. You part your lips on instinct and inhale the smoke into your own mouth with closed eyes. Well whaddya know, it is easier.

Sukuna then quickly captures your lips with his own, causing the excess smoke to blow out in puffs around you. The kiss has remnants of booze on your tongues, cinnamon and now tobacco. Your hands fall onto Sukuna’s neck as the kiss deepens with you kissing back eagerly.

Sukuna discards the cigarette, throwing it somewhere on the ground. His hands wander as you kiss slowly; one hand tracing down, gently gripping your waist. His other hand moves from your face and threads into your hair to kiss you even deeper. You separate for a second to catch your breath but quickly rush back in, causing the tips of your nose to bump together while your tongues collide with each other, sparking electricity.

The fact that you’re almost completely in a secluded area makes it feel like time has slowed down for you. It’s quiet with the only sound being your lips meeting again and again with little groans in between. Feeling a little impatient, Sukuna’s hands ride up into your shirt, his cold fingers tracing your back. It sends a chill up your spine and you gasp into the kiss, earning a low chuckle from Sukuna.

Before anything escalates out here with prying eyes, you back up and catch your breath. “We gotta go, Sukuna. It’s getting late.”

“No, we don’t,” he whispers, leaning in to chase after another kiss.

You back up even further and let out a small laugh, “Sukuna, we’re in public.”

Your words go in his ear and out the other because he leans forward and decides to attach his lips to your neck instead. He leaves light kisses before he starts to suck gently.

“Don’t mark it,” you sigh, trying to be careful.

Seeing how eager and turned on he is, you push him away and nod your head in a direction. “We can go back and find a hotel. There were lots that we passed when we walked around.”

Sukuna shakes his head at you and jumps off the hood of his car and pulls you off as well, “no time.” He quickly scans the area for any cameras and when he finds none, he unlocks the car and pushes you inside. He goes in through his side and then locks his car again. With impatient hands, he pulls you over to his side and reclines his seat back.

“We’re doing this here? Now?” The shock in your voice is really cute.

Sukuna’s eyes are filled with lust and they’re hazy. You know this look all too well, so you give in and undo your bottoms. Soft lips meet yours again while you grind down on his hardened length. The warm air from your breaths fogged up the windows and it all happened so fast. Your lips connected, his pants unzipped and his dick deep within you while his hands find solace at your hips.

You’ve been riding him for quite some time now, so when he feels you losing pace, he begins to bounce you up and down while his hips snap up. “Fuck,” he groans, throwing his head back as his dick begins to feel more sensitive.

You pant even harder as your stomach begins to tighten. Gosh, he’s thrusting into you so hard that the whole car is practically shaking. You’re sure that if the owner of the cars came back and saw, they’d already know what was going on but the booze in your system is making it hard to care. One of Sukuna’s hands lifts your shirt up to expose your breasts and his mouth quickly attaches to your nipple, licking and flicking with the desperate need to cum.

“Ngh–” your moan is cut off from Sukuna slamming you back down on him. You release first, your thighs clenching and shaking from sensitivity while he continues to fuck you. Just to tease you more, Sukuna licks his thumb and begins to rub your clit in a circular motion.

“Sukuna– stop!” Your body jolts from the action and you smack his hand away from you, “please.”

He chuckles but quickly groans when he feels himself nearing. In a panic, he lifts you off of him and quickly covers his tip with his thumb so he doesn’t cum. Seeing this, you get off of him and crawl back to your side. Without a word, you lean over and remove his hand.

“???”

Before he knows it, your mouth is on his tip and you're sucking the cum from his fucking dick. And that’s not all. Now you’re being a bitch and going down on him when he’s sensitive. His nose scrunches while his face tightens. “Fuck, y/n–” Sukuna cuts himself off and throws his head back into the headrest when you suck even harder, licking up a prominent vein. If you keep going, he might piss in your fucking mouth. Not wanting to do so, his fingers lace into your hair and he yanks you off, his breathing finally calming down once you’ve been detached.

You haven’t swallowed the cum yet so you’re about to, but Sukuna pulls you towards him and locks his lips with yours again. He doesn’t care that his cum is being mixed on his tongue, all he wants to do is kiss you. You moan into the kiss when his tongue pushes even further and damn, you’ve never thought you’d be this kind of person… into all of this dirty risky shit and all. When he’s done, he pulls back with a string of saliva mixed with cum connecting you until it snaps and falls onto your chins.

“Swallow it, doll.”

@lucyrocks86 @mykyoon @hxlalokidottir @wo-ming-bai @adoraspace @yourusernames @raviolixxx @blackjanexx @myntalks

as you like it (sequel to romeo ♱ juliet)

↳ gojo satoru/reader

bound by the dictates of the prophecy, the emperor contemplates whether retaining his wife or severing ties with her may be the sole path to fulfill his ambitions. yet, what he may fail to discern, is that the plague in his reign lies beyond what meets the eye

♱ genre. tragedy, revenge, period piece, royal au

♱ tags. 26k wc, extremely OOC, tyranny, emperor!gojo, empress!reader, (you will hate the reader!), unrequited love, religion (especially Catholicism), blasphemy, implied infidelity, violence, war, rebellion, misogyny, impregnation, smut, disease, gore, death, arson, and written in early modern english/archaic english

♱ notes. heavily inspired by anne boleyn's real-life story, and manhwas sister, i am the queen in this life and ten ways to get dumped by a tyrant, as well as shakespeare’s king henry V. direct quotes also derived from the movie the king. has no correlation to the original as you like it play except for the title, as i wanted a title to my r+j sequel that's still shakespeare-inspired :) i have plans to turn this into a regression series, so this will serve as the original story, and the series will be the reincarnation fic, but nothings set in stone yet. we'll see! for now, feedbacks are highly appreciated :')

masterlist. playlist. gallery. archaic grammar index.

EARLY MODERN ENGLISH -> MODERN ENGLISH VERSION

𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐄.

SATORU, Emperor of Caelum.

YOU, of the same order.

SUGURU, knight commander of the Imperial Order of Knights.

TOJI, Emperor of Astheryn.

NAOYA, a duke, cousin to Toji.

GENEVA, nurse to the empress.

MAXIMILIAN, advisor to the Caelan Emperor.

NANAMI, a nobleman. 

The Pope.

FRIAR MYCHAL, a Franciscan.

YUUTA, cousin to Satoru, exiled

A maid. 

A physician.

The Oracle. 

Citizens of Astheryn and Caelum; kinsfolk of both empires; the Imperial Court, Nobles, Guards, Watchmen, and Attendants

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 

In a vast empire's might, an Emperor reigned,

Duty's veil his heart restrained.

Beside him, an Empress fair did stand,

Her love unmet, her heart unmanned.

Cold and still, his heart did lie;

Untouch’d by love's gentle sigh.

The Empress long’d for his affection true,

Yet his love remain’d a distant hue.

In shadows deep, her love did pine,

Bound by duty's rigid line.

As seasons passed, her love turned to ire,

A flower of vengeance, fuel’d by fire.

Now as our tale begins we see,

How love and duty bring us forth to tragedy.

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

THE LATE 15TH CENTURY

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈

Only slightly did you loosen up as the sequence of your steps were taken in slow but measured strides. Each footfall had a rhythm that was neither lacking in confidence nor hesitance, with your heels clicking on the marble floors and the sound of it echoing along the spacious hallway as if to remind every person within the vicinity that the Empress was arriving. You held your breath much to the tightness of your corset and tried to keep your emotions intact, taking a halt from walking knowing that your ladies-in-waiting were tailing you closely behind.

Two valiant knights stood by his door, offering a curtsy to their Empress the minute you had crossed their eyes. A knock on the door followed. Then, soon enough, you were granted a step forward inside your husband’s study. 

There he was, ensconced behind his desk amid copious piles of paperwork, his attention undivided by the woman who graced his study with her presence. His locks, reminiscent of Arctic snow, were meticulously arranged, accentuated by the resplendent black doublet he donned, adorned with intricate silver patterns upon the brocade cloth. His eyes, as blue as the sky and oceans alike, declined to meet the gaze of his own wife. 

“For what purpose art thou come?” he uttered.

Meanwhile, you made a swift curtsy and motioned for the attendants and knights to depart away, leaving the two of you alone. “I crave a word with thee, Your Majesty.”

His countenance appeared to congeal as he fixed his gaze upon you for several uncomfortable moments. "Of what matter?"

“Concerning the New Year's banquet, dear husband. It draweth nigh in a fortnight, and arrangements must be set in motion.” You stood squarely afore him, hands entwined afore you. A regal presence. A queenly figure, fashioned precisely to his desires. Such was the image the empire had embraced since your ascension to the throne. Before him stood the epitome of grace suited to that role. “Pray, what theme dost Your Majesty propose?” 

He closed the ledger he had been inscribing on, scrutinizing your features intently. “I harbor little fondness for such gatherings, yet the banquet is a necessary evil.” His gaze shifted towards your gown, meticulously crafted to complement your form, adorned with the same elaborate embroidery as his own attire, accented by a sizable silver cross adorning your neck like the good Christian you were. “The citizens already begin to take note of our opulence; thus, I eschew an excessiveness that may draw undue attention. Let it be lavish enough to suit our status, yet not overly extravagant. As for the theme, it ought to be black and silver to match our regalia.”

The Caelum regalia, once bedecked in innocent hues of white and blue, underwent a somber transformation to black and silver upon his ascension to the throne. Behind this alteration lay a tragic tale. Satoru, the man whom you addressed as husband, had first borne the title of Crown Prince before ascending to the imperial seat. His younger sister, the infamous maiden who met her demise alongside her lover, was bound to an ill-fated romance that purportedly quelled an age-old enmity between two ancestral foes.

The forbidden romance betwixt a scion of a Zen'in and a scioness of a Gojou, both of princely lineage, ignited strife between the Astheryn and Caelum Empires. With half a century of animosity between these bloodlines, a lust for supremacy, and an unyielding clash between nations, the discord erupted into a civil strife, ceasing solely with the ratification of a peace accord signed by the sovereigns of both empires.

Yet before all these tumultuous events unfolded, Satoru's ascent to the highest throne owed much to you. Though you were not his intended betrothed, you were a lady deeply enamored with the prince; with whom he divulged myriad fervent nights with. As the daughter of a duke whose lineage boasted mastery in the craft of forging fine swords and weaponry, and so well-versed in the art of warfare, he saw you fit to stand as his empress, prepared to reciprocate your erstwhile unrequited love through means of marriage. Howbeit, this accord came at the cost of you aiding him in his quest to unseat both his father and mother from their thrones. He loathed his parents just as strongly as he did Astheryn. The rulers preceding him were despotic tyrants, showing scant regard for kinship ties, and they exhibited no sorrow for the passing of the princess, which was a loss deeply felt by Satoru.

Satoru carried ambitions of ascending to the august throne of Caelum from a tender age, unwilling to await the natural demise of his father for ascension and instead, do it by means of force. He was prepared to imbrue his hands with his own kindred’s blood to sit at the highest throne, yet such a feat was no trifling matter. The civil unrest presented the opportune moment to execute his plans, spurred on all the more by his sister's untimely demise. With your military affiliations and strategic acumen, you aided him in orchestrating a coup d'état against his own kin. Ending it all with him, severing his father’s head with a sword, and you, killing his mother with a dose of poison. His other oppositions followed, and those who did not support his cause were offered a swift journey to hell through mass execution. Throughout these macabre events, you stood steadfast by his side, currying favor with the surviving nobility to fortify his position as emperor. Identifying traitors, you presented them for his judgment. In due course, you became his most trusted confidante, the sole woman deemed worthy to stand beside him on the day of his coronation, heralding the dawn of a new era for the empire. Thus, a new nation, a new sovereignty, and a new regalia were born.

“As thou wish, my liege.” With careful steps, you navigated his study, casting an appraising gaze upon the books lining his shelves before pausing behind him. He ought to discern that the banquet did not solely occupy your intentions that day. “Prithee, burden not thyself with all this paperwork.” Your lips brushed his ear. “Instead, shall I expect thee in my bedchamber this eve?” 

He tensed, drawing a deep breath to temper his emotions. You always seemed to know how to push his buttons—in good and bad ways. You played him like a fiddle as always. Indeed, he was well aware that your desires surpassed the scope of mere banquet arrangements. “Very well.”

The distant gaze he cast upon you pierced deeply. Eight long years of matrimony, and only now did he begin to exhibit such aloofness. Only now did such estrangement manifest. What sudden shift had befallen this marriage? You were not privy to the answer, yet you strived to deny it. Natheless, for the sake of your peace of mind, did you venture forth with your inquiry. “My liege, I wilt be so bold as to believe that thou dost not carry grudge against me.” Your eyes remained fixed upon his saintly face. “Do I speak true? For my failure to conceive the last time we—”

“‘Tis useless to harbor grudge over matters beyond control.” Displeasure thinned his lips. “What gain have I, to chastise thee merely because thou art barren?”

Pained by his words, you stepped away, quietly but firmly asserting, “...I am not barren.”

“Thou hast failed to conceive after eight years; to mine eyes, that qualifies as being barren.” He flipped back to the page he was perusing, resuming his writing.

Any trace of happiness that once adorned your mien now dissipated, and was replaced by the shadows of his cutting words. “Then, what plan shall thou construct if I fail to bear fruit?”

Satoru halted in his writing, his quill suspended in the air. He closed his eyes as he spoke, “Should thou not conceive in the foreseeable future, I am left with no alternative but to initiate a divorce. No matter the cost.”

Your eyes widened at his decision, your breath catching in your throat as the weight of his words settled upon you. His words seemed rehearsed, so well-thought of, as though he had expected this day to come and heretofore looked forward to informing you of this very plan. You failed to catch his reasoning, but succeeded at bearing the pain it had burdened you with. What had driven him to this conclusion? Certainly, a mere heir would not lead him to this ultimatum. 

“A concubine, then, doth thou suggest so?” Firm and resolute in your stance was how you received his proposal. 

The emperor averted his gaze, allowing silence to stand as your response for several minutes until he finally articulated a considerate reply. “Mine heir cannot be born a bastard, and so concubines shall only complicate matters. I have no plans in that department.” You sensed the direction of his thoughts, and you dreaded his continuation. “Rather, I beseech thee to abdicate thy throne, and I shall remarry another lady, be it of royal or imperial lineage, to bear the heir of this empire. It is the sole fitting course of action. That which, a divorce shall become necessary.”

“Step down from my throne?” Your voice quavered, laced with disbelief and anguish. Your hands clenched into fists at your sides. “Thou would cast me aside, discard me like a worn-out garment in your mistemper’d fit, for the sake of an heir? After everything I have done for thee.” Your words echoed in the chamber, each syllable heavy with the betrayal you felt.

Your heart, once brimming with devotion, now lay shattered at your feet. All your life, you have loved him. All your happiness and tears, you have devoted to him. You had stood by his side through every trial, every conquest, only to be deemed unworthy of bearing his legacy. The sting of rejection seared your soul, igniting a fierce resolve within your wounded spirit. Yet nothing was his response. No words of comfort did he return for your wifely agony. 

With a voice trembling through a mixture of sorrow and defiance, you met his gaze. “Fair enough,” you whispered, your tone laden with a sorrowful resignation. “If it is a concubine thou seek, then so be it. But a divorce, will I not honor. And know this, my lord,” you declared, your voice rising with a newfound strength, “I am the Empress. The only one. There is none within this empire akin to me, for a worthless, lowly concubine shalt not depose this Empress Y/N of Caleum thou wouldst so readily compromise.”

And in that solemn proclamation, you turned away, your stolid mien masking the shattered pieces of your fractured heart. 

His countenance remained stoic as he observed your departure, sighing inwardly as you exited his study. Although no longer offering a response, he found himself unable to deny the truth of your words. Nor the power in which you presented them. Your presence lingered in his thoughts, holding sway over him in a manner he could not fathom. 

As expected, you were epitome of a powerful empress just like what his mother once was and there ought to be a lot more convincing for you to step down from your post. 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐈

“If the oracle speaks true, then I fear, my lord, that this empire is destined to fall.”

It was late in the night, though the castle still brimmed with light from the torches adorning the halls. Most servants had retired to bed by this hour, barring the guards stationed at key areas of the castle. Meanwhile, the emperor remained awake, engaged in discussions concerning the fate of his sovereign. A predestined fate that could only be avoided should he make the effort to fulfill the conditions of the prophecy. 

Standing discreetly before him was Lord Maximillian, his advisor—a man who had witnessed his growth from juvenile years to the present moment. He had come to offer the emperor the much-needed counsel regarding the pressing matter at hand.

“Max, what say thee? Discuss unto me; dost thou deem me incapable?” The man of higher power questioned. “I have conversed with the Empress regarding the divorce. I have set forth the framework of my scheme should she falter in birthing my heir. I have articulated it in a manner that renders it just in her eyes. Yet, she reacts with such intensity. And loves so ardently. Ah! Women. Such vile, defiant women art the problem! A termagant—that, she is. For many years, I have afforded her the benefit of the doubt. Her mind is too ambitious for her own right. I know not how to proceed with her any longer. The prophecy dictates that I must have an heir.”

The old man returned him a soulless look. “If thou take the matter otherwise than is meant, then may I suggest that Your Majesty dispose of her.”

“Dispose?” he queried, as though he had misheard. “Her? My wife? Thou see it best to dispose of her?”

“Ay, I think it be. In the same fashion as your sire and dame,” Maximillian asserted, drawing a deep breath. “Prithee, do not misconstrue my intent as treason. My loyalty lies in thee, my liege. I stand by thee. I seek naught but the best for thee, for this empire hath not seen better days until thy sovereignty.”

Silence enveloped the air. Satoru took a moment to gaze at his elongating shadow, gradually shaping itself as he moved farther from the candlelight. In the darkness, his shadow morphed into a menacing silhouette, a specter lurking in the darkness was what had become of him. To become a tyrant was never his intention nor the promise he made to his departed sister, who yearned for Satoru to embody fairness and strength in rulership. And to be an emperor for the people. She had strived for peace among nations, yet here her brother stood, mirroring the oppressive parental figures he had overthrown. What allure did power hold over him? What such force could sway him now to forsake the very individual who had displayed unwavering marital devotion towards him?

“Hast thou been in correspondence with the King of Ellesmere?” inquired the Emperor. “Is it not so that his daughter, the princess, was to wed the late Prince of Astheryn? That prince was the very son of that wretch. That despot. That Emperor Toji II of Astheryn, my foremost enemy. What hath become of that princess, dost thou know?”

Maximillian stared at him intently. “Eight years and a vicennium ripe, yet still an unmarried maiden is the fair Princess Katarina. Is it her hand that Your Majesty seeks?”

“I shall speak my mind as the emperor, so I say this: ‘tis merely her status that makes of her the sole eligible woman to be my wife and empress of this empire.” His decision was wrought with hesitation yet born out of necessity. “Yet for the nonce, she cannot be seated until Y/N hath been dethroned. My decision shall hinge upon whether my wife shall be able to bear my heir anon. Elsewise, I shall dispose of her.”

His advisor sent him a look of approval. “‘Tis a decision that can only originate in thee, my lord. God be with ‘ye.” 

“If that be all, then give leave awhile.” The emperor paused at the western part of the castle, a nigh away from the corridors leading to his wife’s bedchamber. “I do beseech thee to be my herald on the morrow. Write to the King of Ellesmere briefly and concisely. Ere thou falsely honor a new empress, the long hours of my night are to be spent with the woman presently seated upon the throne.”

Eventually, Satoru reached your chambers and noticed that a few candles had been lit, their warm light illuminating the room softly. In the solitude in which you found yourself, seated by the bed and bathed in moonlight, silent in such serenity he hoped not to disturb. The fabric of your nightgown, thin and delicate, revealed the contours of your womanly figure beneath. He, too, was clad in a thin robe that left little to the imagination. 

As you turned to face him, you caught sight of the faint scars and marks from countless battles etched across his body, though his expression remained mostly neutral as it always had and you were unbeknownst to the profanity he had spoken of you a few minutes hence. Now, his electric blue eyes looked at you with careful scrutiny, pondering whether this sensual encounter would all be in vain or if you truly intended to fulfill your role and bear an heir this time.

“How stands the hour?” You spoke softly, approaching him with a sad glint in your eyes. “I have waited.”

“Pardon. Urgent matters call’d upon me.” Satoru could see the sadness in your eyes, but he tried his best to ignore it. You are barren, and there is little he can do to change that. He should begin his newfound task to detach from you. You brought him no good. You offered him no better fate. You were no longer instrumental for him to attain his long-standing ambition. Nevertheless, with your genuinely loving eyes he found himself conflicted, and that showed in his facial expressions. His brow knit, and he parted his lips as if to speak before hesitating and closing them again. You sensed his inclination to make you feel miserable, to render you desolate, yet he could not muster the resolve to articulate such words. Thus, he remained silent.

While you, you stood perfectly still. Like a porcelain doll displayed as a mere decoration. You wanted nothing but to give him his manly satisfaction that night, hoping that your marriage could still work and that he would not need the betrothal of another lady to carry him an heir. With delicate hands, you let the nightgown slip away, falling beneath your feet as the cold air caressed your naked form. This body. All of it belonged to him. “My lord.” You kept your eyes on him. And he, on your shapely bosom. “Please do with me as thou wish.”

Satoru’s eyes darkened as he stared at you, his voice taking a commanding tone to match his expression. “Turn around.”

You did as ordered. As obediently, as submissively. Like a servant serving her master. Yet, beneath this guise of obedience lay a deeper yearning—to vie for his love once more, and to affirm, if only for one last time, that his words this morn were but a fleeting outburst of heightened emotions.

“Thou art fair, indeed,” whispered he. ‘Tis a shame that you fall short in one aspect.

He walked behind you, enfolding you in his muscular arm, ensnaring you in his robust grasp as his fingers traced a path down your back. You could feel the contours of his toned abs pressed against your back, while he explored the dips and curves of your body with his touch, squeezing the soft mounds on your chest. He then leaned his forehead against your neck, trailing tender kisses along your spine. 

The passionate night continued with the both of you taking turns in granting each other pleasure. The kisses around your neck, his tongue in between your folds, your hand wrapped around his well-endowed member. And before you know it, he was entering you from behind, penetrating the depths of your cavern in pursuit of reaching his high. His grasp on your hips tightened with each thrust, rendering your knees weak as you remained on all fours.

Your intimate session lasted for a while, as he was not satisfied enough at having only one release for the night. He jostled you from the back, to the side, and to the front. All of which left you with the warmth of his seed seeping out of your entrance, and subsequently down your thighs. 

If only he did not let his mind speak, you could have deluded yourself that this night was his declaration of utmost love for you. 

“I shall leave thee if an heir dost not soon grant me, do we share this understanding?” Satoru did not sleep as he looked at you, his thoughts running rampant as he questioned whether or not he was being too cruel. His heart skipped a beat as he saw a second of your tears, tears that you so rightfully held back, and he was at a loss of words for once. He knew that he needed to stay firm on his decision, but seeing you on the verge of breaking down... it struck guilt in him. Satoru’s face softened, his tone becoming more calm and less forceful. Subconsciously did he do his best to comfort you. “It disheartens me that it hath come to this. Though I speak it to thee, I have duties to fulfill as emperor.” 

You could not answer immediately and tried to bear the sting it brought to your heart. “How now, didst so suddenly thou find it easy to cast me aside? Wherefore, is it another lady on thy mind?”

“That’s not so.” His guilt was knocking at the door, but he tried to pay it no mind. “This empire requires an heir and thou have failed me.”

“Blame the lack of children on thyself, perchance.” You bit back as your chest rose and fell from heavy breaths. “So infrequently did mine own husband warm my bed as though I am unwed. Blame it, then, on the distance thou have set upon us! A child cannot be born if not be made.”

Satoru’s eyes narrowed at your words. “And dost thou suggest we consummate every minute and every second of the day?” A scoff left his lips. “Eight years, I have given thee.” 

“And yet, for eight years, thou hast not learn’d to love me.”

Your gaze remained fixed, each word hanging heavily in the air, as the weight of your shared history and unresolved emotions loomed between the two of you. It was as though the very atmosphere crackled with tension, the silence pregnant with unspoken truths and unfulfilled desires. What was his true and most honest intent in forsaking you? 

Satoru sat by the edge, ultimately deciding to leave you with yet another night devoid of slumber, lone upon your chamber. “Love? That very love is what killed my sister.” 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐈𝐈

A fair distance from the Gate of Saint Pellegrino, a homeless woman cradled a baby in her arms. Her other children darted about Saint Peter’s Square while she sang a hauntingly familiar lullaby to her infant—a melody too melancholic for a child, yet so fitting for the occasion. You recognized it as the song created by the Caelan citizens after the war ended. Her dulcet voice would rival the angels of the sky, and amidst the throng of people attempting to breach the ranks of the knights surrounding the Emperor and Empress, she stayed firm in her spot, her haunting hymn weaving through the atmosphere, while her storm-grey eyes bore into you with an eerie intensity to captivate you in a trance. 

A rose will bloom, it then will fade

So does a youth, so does a fairest maid

Beneath the stars, they found their place,

In secret trysts, love's tender grace.

But lo, the fates their love did fray,

In bitter strife, they slipped away.

So hush, dear ones, and hear this lay,

Of love that wilted, night and day.

In whispered sighs, they bid goodbye,

Two souls in love, 'neath starry sky.

A decade had passed since the most scandalous demise of the Astheryn prince and the Caelum princess had occurred, where both lovers were discovered lifeless within the somber halls of the Sistine Chapel. Contrary to the common folk's belief, they were not wed, nor did they meet their tragic end at Saint Peter’s, forsooth, as their bodies were in fact found at the nearby Sistine Chapel, and their mortuary later held at Saint Peter’s basilica. The Catholic church acknowledged this romantic tragedy as a conclusion to the long-standing feud betwixt two noble empires, henceforth commemorating the young couple's demise each passing year with a holy mass.

This year rendered particular significance as it marked the solemn tenth anniversary of their untimely departure. Mayhap, it may be the reason why your husband had been on edge as of late. Every year, his sister’s demise served as a brutal reminiscence for him—a grim reminder of his perished sister and the origin of his tyrannical reign. He bore witness to his parents' handling of the conflict with Astheryn ten years ago, whereupon they callously demanded the common folk spill their blood in service to the imperial dynasty, igniting civil unrest in its wake. Such ruthless and cowardly deeds left an indelible mark upon him and brought him to the ultimatum of becoming a usurper. You vividly recalled the night he sought solace at your family's estate, clad in battered armor from countless battles waged. That eventide, he wept in your arms, confessing the death of his sister and his burning desire to exact vengeance upon those responsible for his loss. In exchange for marriage, you devised a scheme to orchestrate the coup that would once and for all elevate him to the imperial throne.

Despite the facade of peace ushered in by the treaty between him and the Astheryn Emperor, the truth remained stark: both empires were merely feigning reconciliation. They were only nominally “at peace”. A cold war, by all accounts, defined their true relationship.

The tension could be felt inside the basilica even from the moment you and your husband arrived at The Venera, a microstate on the borders of Astheryn and Caelum, in front of the men of both empires, as well as the members of the Holy Catholic Church. For many years, this sacred state remained a recognized territory of Caelum, despite its official designation as an independent ecclesiastical entity. The Gojou family were openly pious and deeply devout Catholics, while the Astherean citizens were predominantly Protestants. Not all members of the Zen’in clan practiced their empire’s predominant religion, and some suggested that Emperor Toji himself might be an atheist, albeit discreetly so. Rumors also circulated that the mother of the late Prince Megumi was herself a Catholic, which led to intense criticism regarding her marriage to a lineal heir of the imperial family. 

Nevertheless, this stark religious divide lay at the heart of the perennial animosity between the two nations. 

“Announcing Their Imperial Majesties, Emperor Satoru and Empress Y/N, the guiding stars of our empire, luminaries in the twilight of sovereignty.”

As you walked alongside Satoru, you noticed his usual bright blue eyes turning into a darker hue. His gaze fixated upon the altar, his countenance void of emotion, as you proceeded down the aisle by his side. Since that night, silence had permeated your interactions. And you still had no desire to engage him, especially if it meant enduring relentless pressure regarding an heir or the prospect of divorce. 

Yet there, you carried yourself with an air of quiet strength and dignity—a gown of the deepest black with long sleeves ending in delicate cuffs, a silver cross hung by your chest with a gemstone made from blood red corundum, and a flowing black veil crafted from the finest lace, enveloping your head and cascading gently down your back, partially obscuring your features. The veil added an air of mystery and solemnity in your poise. 

As for him, the Emperor was adorned in a doublet and hose ensemble, embellished with intricate brocade and tailored to fit his form exquisitely to accentuate his stature and regal bearing. Draped over his shoulders was a lavish cape of rich, dark velvet lined with ermine fur and fastened at the neck with a jeweled clasp bearing the insignia of his empire. Each fold billowed around him as he moved, creating a striking silhouette that commanded attention and respect.

No wonder the citizens of this empire were noticing your extravagance. And despised you for it. 

Throughout the mass, Satoru remained stoic, seated alongside you at the forefront of the church, his demeanor suggesting that this day of remembrance was a torment to his very soul. Still, he listened, but you doubted he agreed while Pope Alexandre VI delivered a sermon on the importance of unity and peace among nations, condemning the advocates of warfare and citing the tragic fate of the late prince and princess as a poignant illustration of how the animosity between two empires exacts a toll through sacrifice. Prayers were also offered for the souls of the civilians and soldiers who perished during the war, drawing inspiration from the teachings of the Bible as the mass adhered to the customary order of the Liturgy of the Word and of the Eucharist.

“In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti,” you recited under your breath, genuflecting before the altar and offering prayers for the soul of your husband's younger sister, beseeching that she find peace alongside her beloved under the guidance of the Holy Father. And as the mass drew to a close, you remained on your knees in prayer, the sound of approaching footsteps signaling the unwelcome arrival of an unexpected visitor—a presence that elicited a defensive reaction from your husband.

“Your Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Caelum.” It was none other than Duke Naoya of Astheryn, whose sarcastic presence seemed to have acted as a representative of their highest ruler. Emperor Toji's absence to this occasion already constituted an affront to Satoru, and the pompous mien exhibited by the duke only intensified the indignation. A decade had passed since the death of Prince Megumi, and the prideful Astheryn Emperor still refrained from setting foot on Caelum's soil to acknowledge the purported 'peace' between the empires. Even more, the subtle curve on Duke Naoya's lips added an infantile insult to the already festering wound. “Kindly accept my belated salutations. It took me but a moment to discern thy identity—they speak of the Calean Emperor’s presence as formidable, yet, alas, reality oft falls short of reputation.”

You rose from the ground, poised to defend Satoru, but he raised a hand to forestall your intervention, maintaining his unruffled composure as he addressed the noble man’s jest. “Ah, well the Duke's wit is sharp as ever,” Satoru replied, his tone laced with equal sarcasm and earning the laugh of the surrounding nobles. “It doth seem that overseeing a mere duchy grants the Duke his ample free time, unlike the responsibilities that accompany the rulership of an empire that he so covets.”

“Oh, certainly!” Duke Naoya spoke in Calean with a heavy Astherean accent, still unfazed as his eyes slowly drifted to you. “They doth pale in comparison to the burdens of ruling an empire. Yet, surely, it is not as burdensome with the absence of an heir.” He let his implication hang in the air, an obvious insinuation veiled in the guise of courtly banter.

Before the exchange could escalate into a diplomatic strain, Friar Mychal took it upon himself to intervene, exhaling a laugh of unease and positioning himself between the Emperor and the Duke. “Very well!” he exclaimed. “I have received tidings that the mass attendees shall offer tributes for the basilica in remembrance to the tenth year since the passing of the Prince and the Princess. As a matter of fact, there doth already lie a plethora of flowers adorning their statue that His Majesty Satoru hath offer’d to the museum.”

The museum was just a short walk from the chapel and the space itself was decorated with ornate ceilings, frescoes, and architectural details that added to the grandeur of the surroundings. An array of sculptures lined the hall; of cherubs, saints, warriors, and mythological figures. One of the newer sculptures were of the Prince and the Princess, portraying young lovers in a tender embrace with the princely lad staring at his lady’s face. The sculpture was from a renowned Calean artist which Satoru himself hired out of the pure intention of donating it to the Veneran Museum. The nobles, members of the imperial court, and members of the church were all in awe after the sculpture was revealed to the attendees as such meticulous carvings and lifelike detail could only be done by Giancarlo di Firenze. 

“A remarkable piece, indeed!”

“The detail is breathtaking!”

“To capture such emotion in stone… ‘tis as if they are whispering their love story to us.”

Your husband could not have been prouder. Alongside him, other nobles also contributed their offerings. Some notable ones included stained glass art, precious jewels, a pair of lovebirds, and… a particularly intriguing tapestry gifted by the Astheryn Empire.

The tapestry depicts the Astherean prince and the Calean princess lying together in death with the symbolic addition of a bloodied dagger laid atop the princess’ chest, representing the same weapon that Prince Megumi had used to end his life. The imagery not only insinuated that Satoru's sister was responsible for the prince's demise, but also served as an insult to the prevailing belief in her innocence surrounding her own tragic death.

“This…” Your mouth fell agape. You need not look into your husband’s visage to perceive his growing ire. “This is preposterous!” 

The joy was evident in Duke Naoya’s eyes, yet he endeavored to feign ignorance. “Ah, ere I forget, my noble cousin, the Emperor of the Astheryn Empire, did send an accompanying message addressed to His Majesty Satoru.” 

In the threads of time, woven with the fabric of our shared tragedy, lies the essence of our 'peace'. As we gather to honor the memory of what once was, I send forth this tapestry, whereupon love and folly intertwine in an eternal dance. May it serve as a testament to the fragility of alliances forged in blood and ink, where shadows of deceit cloak the truth we dare not confront. Whilst thou sit'st upon thy borrowed throne, may thou find solace in the echoes of thy usurped legacy. 

With insincere regards, 

Emperor Toji II of Astheryn

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

ACT IV

“My liege, this is unacceptable! Astheryn doth taunt us.” 

An urgent assembly convened at the council chamber, where courtiers gathered to seek counsel from the emperor who was now seated in a position of humiliation following Astheryn's brazen act of insult. You joined the court session in support of your husband, positioned at the throne beside him, while numerous men, each to their own titles and lordship, stood before you both. The courtiers' visages displayed incandescent umbrage as they protested and vehemently rejected the malignance from the rival empire in defense to the Emperor of Caelum. Yet the subject of the scrutiny himself remained staid and dignified. 

“We cannot stand idle in the face of such an insult. If it be war they seek, then we shall grant it unto them!” exclaimed one of the members of the imperial court. A proponent of war he presented himself.  

“Indeed, Your Majesty. To allow such an audacious act of disrespect wilt deem us cowards!” said another one of the men. 

Satoru rested his arm on the armrest, a hand on his chin. He appeared to be lost in profound contemplation, yet you have grown long familiar with that expression of his to know that he was fueled with choler inside. “What say thee, Etienne? War is not a decision made lightly.”

Lord Etienne, as his name was called, spoke his opinion on the matter at hand and acted as an advocate for caution. “Aye and by, my lord. A rash decision could plunge our empire into chaos and suffering. Mayhap, we can explore diplomatic channels first. War should be our last resort, our first impulse not.”

“Your Imperial Majesty!” Lord Armand countered. “With all due respect, thy name hath been besmirched! This is blasphemous, is it not, to this empire and us, its men?” 

“Our men are not prepared for war, Lord Armand,” the previous noble claimed. “An’ how can we wage war with our forces against those of Astheryn’s? Their military prowess is the mightiest throughout the central continent. They are barbaric folks, enemies to peace. We are naught but simple foes to them.”

The belittling of Caelum’s military strength ignited your ire since that the training of soldiers, weapon crafting, and the establishment of the formidable imperial order of knights were specialties of your family—a legacy that your noble ancestors had established in this empire. It was why your family’s ties to the imperial Gojou family remained strong throughout the years. Therefore, hearing such remarks was derogatory to you.  

You held your position and participated in the discussion. “Lord Etienne, dost thou speak so ill of Caelum, which is thy country, and speak so well of Astheryn, which is thy enemy?” For a moment, the court was silenced. “God quit you in his mercy! Hear his sentence. Is Caelum a jest unto thee? We have established our military might since His Majesty’s ascent, and are potent enough to wage war against the entire world!”

“But Your Majesty—”

“Silence, all of thee!” Satoru rose from his throne, exhaling in exasperation, and shot you a displeased look. His next words were sharp and his anger misdirected. “Empress, I appreciate thy indignation, but this proves women shan’t meddle in court sessions. Emotions depart from thy mouth ere logic enters thy mind. Thou art dismissed from this session. At once.” 

You could not fathom his sentences. For the longest time, never before had he dared to disrespect you in the presence of his subjects. Never had he dared to deny you of your rightful place as the empress of this nation, knowing full well the pivotal role you played in his ascension to the throne. Why, you could not speak! You were rendered speechless, too stunned to respond as you sank back into your seat, grappling with the sting of hurt and humiliation he had inflicted on you.

And somehow, Lord Maximillian’s eyes were uncharacteristically fixed on you as though they were in triumph at your situation. He did well enough to mask that with indifference withal. What was this hostility? Even the knights who approached you only had regard for the emperor, following his command of escorting you out of the council chamber despite your desire to stay seated. Yet to save face from this abomination, you did it upon yourself to stand up and leave at your own will. 

“Nanami.” In your disappearance, Satoru spoke again, this time facing his subjects. “How dost thou propose we navigate this situation?”

Lord Nanami was more of the voice of reason, expressing his approach on the matter with neither bias towards engaging in or retreating from war. “My liege, I speak as a good man for thee. Let us convene with our allies, assess our military readiness, and explore all avenues for resolution. Only then shall we make an informed decision. It is most meet we arm ‘gainst the foe.”

Satoru already knew the answer before the man had spoken of it. Why so? Because it was the same route he would take. Only, it was his wounded pride and disdain towards his greatest adversary that landed him to a much more inhospitable decision. “Along with that blasphemous tapestry, written in his message, did that Emperor of Astheryn disparagingly refer to me as a usurper when I am the true born heir to the throne.” He ground out the words with clenched teeth as he stared at the portrait of his father. His hands balled into fists, his face hot and pinched with resentment. He detested being called a ‘usurper’ as he detested Astheryn and all of the Zen’ins. Regardless of the path he took to claim his throne, he was still a direct lineal heir to the Gojou bloodline. “I cannot let that pass. I cannot let his insult go unanswered. Hence, take down these words and address them to him, who is mine enemy.” Satoru stared straight ahead, his face blank and emotionless as he spoke his next words in flawless Astherean language. “Emperor of Astheryn, your words are as venomous as they are misguided. While thou dost revel in thy petty insults and thinly veiled threats, know this: the patience of Caelum wears thin. Thy tapestry of deceit and blasphemy shall find no place within the halls of our empire. Let it be known that the path thou treadest leads only to ruin and despair. Should thou persist in thy folly, Caelum shall meet thy challenge with unwavering resolve. Consider this thy final warning. The drums of war beat ever louder, and Caelum will not hesitate to answer the call, for this usurper thou deride may stay true to that label when I seize thy throne and make it mine.” 

Following the court session, the emperor retreated to the training hall until late evening venting his wrath against the despot from the rival empire. He devoted hours in the hall, wielding his sword, sparring with the swordsmanship master, and decisively overpowering him to feel a sense of honor for himself. In his mind, each strike was a fierce expression of his imagination, envisioning what that battle would be like if it were Emperor Toji II in his stead. It would have been their second encounter in the battlefield as the first one ended in armistice for the sake of the prince and princess. This time, however, the execution of this battle would be markedly different. 

Later that eve, he returned to his study, still in his armor as he met with his most loyal advisor. It was a private counsel to discuss matters unbeknownst to the rest of the empire—the prophecy and, notably, you. 

“I fear this as I say this: the prophecy is upon thee, my lord.” Lord Maximillian’s voice hinted at unease. His warning, spoken with a mood of paranoia. “The oracle’s riddles are living their truth, and this predicament with Astheryn is a vivid illustration of that fact. War looms on the horizon, and it threatens to be thy undoing. Now, more than ever, we require the backing of another nation in the likes of Ellesmere.” 

“I see that.” Satoru responded with a heavy exhale, tossing his metal helmet onto the carpeted floor. He made his way toward the expansive window and gazed out at the courtyard below. There, he spotted you, meandering the rose garden alone under the cover of night. You were brighter than the envious moon, coruscating like a fresh tulip amongst the field of wilted roses. 

The lord cleared his throat and stood next to the emperor. “Thou must rid of her, Your Majesty. If it is what the prophecy hath taught us, then the Empress serves as a harbinger of thy downfall. The destruction of Caelum is the comeuppance of retaining her. Abandon all hope that she will bring thee child or luck. I do acknowledge the attachment that Your Majesty hath formed with her in thy lusty years together, but she is ill fate to all of us.”

You stopped at the fountain, seemingly lost in deep thought, and then began an expressive argument with yourself in your solemnity. The sight earned his smile. Satoru could not keep his eyes off you as if they were drawn by your beauty under the luminescence of the moon. How pitiful, truly, that your innocence left you no knowledge of the conversation he was having with his advisor. 

“She shall be appointed as a concubine,” he declared, “Ridding of her is a waste; divorcing her offers a suitable solution. She may not have my heir, but she is a strong empress. A true villainess, yes. That, she may be, but she is devoted to me.” 

“Which is precisely why thou must dispose of her!" Lord Maximillian pressed onto the matter with greater seriousness. “My liege, it is anticipated that thou wilt yearn for Empress Y/N’s loyalty even at the success of your marriage with the Princess of Ellesmere. An’ her ferocious devotion could only hinder thy plans and bring about thy downfall. Who's to say she will withstand the temptation from inflicting harm upon the fair Princess Katarina out of jealousy? This, as thou knowest, could turn Ellesmere against us!” His passionate speech then silenced him into a quiet plea. “Pray, Your Majesty, I implore thee to ponder it deeply. For the sake of this empire.”

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐕

In the evening, at the hour of eleven did you find yourself wandering the garden. It had become more and more difficult to live each day, unable to grasp why your spouse had been hostile against you for reasons you could not justify. If it were matters concerning your apparent infertility, then he could easily get a concubine just as you had already permitted. All of Caelum's nobility were well aware of your possessiveness towards him, yet it was you who proposed the idea of a concubine to him. Why, then, does he still entertain the idea of remarriage? Is it to guarantee that his heir will not be deemed a bastard? He possessed the authority to prevent such a label from being attached to the child.

“O, cruel fate!” You stopped in front of the fountain, staring at your reflection on the glistening water. “A dispassionate husband you have given me! Am I not fair? Hath I lost charm and warm youthful blood? Hath Cupid launched his awful arrow onto some other where? O, for that he is mad!” 

Tears welled up your eyes, blurring your vision as you looked into the mirrored reflection. You thought of Satoru’s hateful gaze when you closed your eyes and could feel the painful knots in your stomach. He had been naught but a distant spouse for eight years in your marital union, alas and alack, any improvements were farfetched. Every attempt at progress only fueled into a relationship filled with disagreements. 

Your monologue resumed. “There could be another woman, could it? A maid, perchance? One that crawls his bed at night whilst I am sound in my slumber. Fie, insolent wench! Or must it be a noble lady he had seen at a ball, a coming-of-age ceremony, or anything of the sort? Vile, dishonorable harlot! I shall strip off thy noble status and exile thee hence from Caelum!”

A sigh ended your ranting, leaving you with more tears to shed as you fondly remembered your youthful days of infatuation with him. He was the man you had dreamed of, yet now all he would do was to quarrel, and quarrel, and quarrel. You had become an enemy in his eyes. He may have drowned you with extravagant gifts and the rarest jewels throughout your marriage, but the one you most coveted—his love—was one he could not give. 

“My lady?” 

You turned around at the sound of the gentleman’s voice, whereupon a knight presented himself to you. No, not merely any other knight, but the Knight Commander of the Imperial Order of Knights. Sir Suguru, Caelum’s most prized possession, a power and battle-fit warrior, who could defeat a hundred armed men by himself alone. A hero he was referred to by this empire’s people. His commitment to chivalry and service did not go unnoticed as your husband, the very emperor he served, had more than once awarded him for fostering high morale and esprit de corps among other knights. 

“What brings thee hither, and wherefore?” you asked, watching him curtsy before you as he did the standard imperial greetings. His silver suit of armor gleamed, reflecting the stars in the sky, while the black cloak enveloping him mirrored the void of the night. Truly, an intimidating presence for those that knew none of him. 

Howbeit, his face was a stark difference from the aura he exuded. His eyes curved into crescent moons as he smiled, offering what appeared to be a handkerchief. “I am about my nightly rounds in the palace, and in hearing Your Majesty’s woe did I come forth. Is everything alright, Empress?” 

You sighed in lamentation and accepted the linen cloth from his hand. “To say ‘alright’ how I wish that would be so. The state of my marriage troubles me, yet hear none of it for these matters art private.”

Suguru acquiesced to your words and nodded in respect toward you, still remaining by your side in silence. Like a personal guard stationed to protect you as it seemed he had no intention of leaving you alone in the courtyard. 

“How, now! Dost thou not care to leave a woman in her peace?” you questioned, displaying a moue on your face. The tears have long been dried from your cheeks as you spoke to him. “I crave not to be perceived!” 

It was already a rare sight to cross the Knight Commander’s path around the palace, given that his duties did not include serving as a personal guard to the emperor. He was typically present only during official or diplomatic gatherings, and rather trained and oversaw the elite group of guards that would protect the emperor and empress. Nevertheless, with what little interactions you had with him, Suguru had always conducted himself as a respectful and dutiful subject towards you. 

“Forgive me. It is quite perilous to be alone outside at night, Your Majesty, as thy vulnerability may pose a risk to thy safety.” He moved to unclasp his mantle, draping the large black cloak around your shoulders, a much smaller figure than himself. “And if thou permit, the night is cold and a lady must stay warm.”

There was a strange flutter in your heart as your wide eyes saw the gentility in his intentions. You could no longer question why dozens of noble women would line up to vie for his attention. His actions spoke better than his words ever could. How far, you wondered, would his kindness to you take him? “Art thou not a bound subject to my husband?” 

“Forsooth, I am.” He stared ahead. “I have been his friend since our youth. However, it is with Your Majesty’s kin that I owe the honor of being a knight. It is with thy father’s support that I consider myself alive, standing here in this palace as the leader of all knights.” 

Not once did you move your eyes away as you studied his sincerity. “Then, if I ask thee to commit treason against the Emperor of Caelum,” you spoke with such regal power, “Shall I assume thy commitment to me?” 

For a while, Suguru did not speak. He appeared to be contemplating his answer as his stance had become defensive. Or hesitant, whichever fit. He did not meet your careful eyes, though he did look down and confess a knowledge that greatly devastated you. “The prophecy is what dictates His Majesty’s disposition toward thee. In the dungeon hides an oracle that he fortnightly seeks. I escorted him when he visited the oracle, who foretold him that he requires the birth of an heir in the near future, else a woman of no monarchical descent shalt be the cause of his downfall. To mine understanding, he read her riddles as having the need to execute thee and wed another woman of true royal lineage. That, that truth bears my commitment to thee, Empress.” 

Upon hearing Suguru's words did your heart sink, and a wave of disbelief washed over you. It felt as though the ground had been pulled from beneath your feet, leaving you suspended in a state of shock, desperately trying to grasp the magnitude of what had just been revealed to you. 

“Faugh! By’r Lady, that is a grave accusation!” Anger simmered beneath the surface of your composed exterior. You were livid at Suguru for being the bearer of such devastating news, for being the messenger of your potential downfall, and felt betrayed by your own husband, the Emperor, for keeping such a crucial prophecy hidden from you. You wondered why he had never shared this information with you, why he allowed you to live in ignorance while he made plans for your potential demise. But one thing for certain, was that this was the reason for his growing detachment toward you. 

The knight could only provide you with a comforting bow. “By the grace of God, these words art true. Lord Maximilian conspires with him. Hie to the dungeons and seek the oracle, my lady. She shall impart the truth unto thee.”

Beneath your anger lay a profound sadness, a heartache that cuts to the core of your being. The realization that your own husband, the man you loved and had pledged your life to, saw you as nothing more than a pawn in a game of power and succession. You felt a sense of profound loss, mourning not only the potential loss of your own life but also the loss of trust, of love, of the future you had envisioned.

Despite the tumult of emotions raging within you, you remained outwardly composed, your mask of regal poise firmly in place. You knew you must tread carefully, that showing weakness now would only play into the hands of those who seek your downfall. 

And yet, the devil showed himself. You had been oblivious to your husband’s presence by the window of his study as he stood a great distance from you, watching you engage in an intimate conversation with his Knight Commander down below. He could not gauge where that sudden familiarity came from as he witnessed Suguru draping his cape around you—an action that crossed a territory he should not have sought. The emperor could no longer tolerate watching it, walking in haste along the halls of the palace until he eventually reached the courtyard. His gaze was burning into the back of Suguru’s head as he stopped behind you, waiting for you to notice your husband’s approach before he spoke. 

“Empress.” His deep voice startled you. 

Your eyes were clouded with resentment, hidden under the veil of a devoted wife. “My liege.” 

Satoru stared at Suguru with a fierce look before turning to you. “It is dangerous to be abroad at this hour. I desire naught untoward to befall thee, hence I came hither to ensure thy safety.”

“I apologize, then, for causing thy worry.” A bitter smile painted your lips and the tone of your voice suggested of feigned concern. “As thou seest, I have a knight here who is trained to guard and protect me.” 

The emperor narrowed his eyes at the aforementioned knight, who elected silence out of deference to the reigning monarchs afore him. This very knight was a childhood friend of his, but now Satoru regarded him as a rival, for all the peculiar reasons. “Go and depart now, Suguru,” he commanded, and yanked the cape from the empress’ body, then flung it toward the knight. “I shall escort my wife back.”

Satoru caught you sending an apologetic look toward the Knight Commander, which in return caused his ire to grow. What was the conversation you shared with him for you to act that way? In fact, he had never seen you pay another man that much attention. What a devious, little wench. A foxy, scheming jezebel. Satoru threw insults at you in his head as he took your arm in a tight grip, pulling you away from the courtyard. The silence between the two of you was thick with unspoken tension as he led you up the spiral staircase on the eastern side of the castle. His side of the castle. 

“Darling.” Your endearment came out as a protest as you tried to pull your arm from his grip. “Unhand me.” 

Still and all, he was silent as he dragged you along. It was only a short distance to his quarters, but he did not let go of you even once. You should see in his eyes that he was not amused by the friendly interaction between you and Suguru. 

“I said release my hand, at this very instant!” 

He remained like a taciturn man while ushering you into his quarters. Once he had locked the door behind him, he released his grip on your wrist and turned to confront you. His eyes grew dark and cold. A shade of blue that reminded you of lightning. “I would prefer it if he did not approach thee when I am not present.”

“Ah, see now he speaks!” Scoffing, you glared at him. “He simply tender’d his best to comfort me. Do not suspect it of aught else,” said you defensively, in a voice backed by your authority. Only now did he realize that the expression on your face had become austere. 

“Even if that were true, I have no need for another man—especially a knight—to comfort my wife.”

“A wife? A wife thou ask’d for divorce?” you mocked as his statement erupted a laughter out of you. A loud, boisterous laughter that screamed an insult to his face. “Thou see me as nothing but a bearer of children. Not a wife nor a person thou treasure with thy heart.” As you ridiculed him with humor on your face, your eyes had also grown deranged. “A mere pawn to thy chessboard is what I am.” 

Satoru was rigid in his stance. “I only offer’d to divorce thee if thou were unable to conceive. It is my duty as emperor to sire an heir. If the empress fails to fulfill that duty, I am compelled to find someone else who will—”

“An heir this, an heir that. Out upon it!” You expressed your frustration outwardly, throwing your hands into the air. “Go get thyself a concubine, then, and I shall get myself a lover to even the score.” 

A lover? Satoru was seething, yet his expression remained unchanged. He knew that you were taunting him, and still chose not to give you the reaction you wanted. “Then, I may be certain thou wilt have greater success at producing heirs with thy lover than thou dost with me.” 

“Certainly!” you bit back, anger rising in each syllable. “In place of my husband, mayhap my lover could beget me a child, proving to the entire empire that it is not I who is barren.”

Satoru's eyebrows shot up in response to the blatant insult to his fertility. His cold eyes narrowed, the rage within him intensifying. “If thou hast a child by thy lover, it will not discredit my fertility at all. It will instead bring into question my choice to have a child with a woman who is unable to be faithful to her husband.”

Your chest rose and fell in heavy breaths. “If thou seek thyself a concubine, then I shall seek mine own lover. That or naught at all.”

“Fie! I seek not a concubine,” he raised his voice, a spasm of irritation crossing his face. “Ill-tempered shrew! Many times have said it, and I say it once more. In thy failure to conceive, my will is to remarry another lady and make her the empress, not a concubine! The heir must be legitimate. Stick that to thine empty head!” 

Satoru could feel the heat of your stare burning into him, but his mind had suddenly wandered back to the previous conversation, and he could not help but wonder whether you would actually have an affair with another man. The thought of it infuriated him, but he pushed it out of his mind as you stared at him in blazing fury. 

“Need I remind thee that it is I who aided Your Majesty in ascending to the throne?” A cloud of warning settled over your features. “It is I who aided thee in staging a coup to overthrow thy tyrant parents. If the princess did not perish, would thou not be a madman. Now tell me, the only payment I require in return is thy love, yet hast thou paid thy dues?”

He scoffed at your words. You believe all you did in leading the rebellion was for the purpose of making him emperor? It was in your best interests to see yourself climb the ranks of an imperial power. And it was certainly not love you sought, but mere attention and validation. “My respect should be enough of a reward for thee. I took thee as my wife as a sign of my gratitude. Love was never a part of the deal.”

“Love is the very essence of that deal,” countered you. “Thou would be foolish not to think so.” 

In his eyes, love and affection were something you should receive only when you deserve it, not when you demand it. In his mind, you had grown too familiar with him, too spoiled by his presence. It was time he corrected this. “Thou art mistaken in thinking that love is a condition of our relationship. Never have I made any promises of love or affection. I only promised thee of attention and the prestige of being an empress. Have I not fulfilled this promise and made thee into an empress in its entirety? Love is a mere illusion conjured in thy imagination.”

“A tyrant, he reveals himself!” You pushed him off you, eyes brimming with unshed tears. “What devil art thou, that dost torment me thus? Miserable villain! Usurping knave! Betrayer of blood, who masquerades himself an emperor under a false sovereign! I placed thee on that throne thou so wistfully enjoy. Thy power and authority have no hold on me.” 

The emperor's jaw clenched tightly as the empress's words cut through the air like a dagger. His pride was wounded by the venom of her words—words she had not carefully chosen, or perhaps did carefully choose, as she knew what words he despised hearing the most. His eyes flashed with jaundice as he fought to contain the roiling emotions churning within him. He wanted to lash out, to defend his honor and assert his authority, but he knew that such displays of weakness would only fuel the flames of dissent and discord.

Instead, he yanked your wrist again. “Forget not thy place, wife.” And then he grabbed your face with a rough hand, slamming you against the wall. “I may have promised not to take myself a concubine, but that privilege is not extended to thy behavior.” The tightness of his grip caused your cheeks to ache slightly, and he showed no signs of letting go.

“And what wilt thou do?” you spoke through gritted teeth. 

“What will I do? I will remind thee of thy position, wife,” he continued to speak in a menacing tone, “Test my patience as much as thou liketh. Go ahead and take a lover. Let us see how thy arrogance holds up when I force thee to bear his bastard child.”

You cussed him under your breath. “Is that jealousy?”

Yet, his countenance proved otherwise. “Not jealousy, as I am not possessive of thee. Bear whomever's child as thou wish. But once that child is born, I would never claim my title as the father. It would be deemed a bastard, its blood impure, and its existence an insult to my throne.”

“Press not the matters of infidelity to me when thou art the one in desperate need to put thy cock inside another lady.” You were bold enough to send him a look of disgust. “Thou art an emperor all due to me. Without me, thou art naught.”

In a fit of rage, Satoru exploded like a volcano spilling out its reservoir of hot, scorching lava. “You?! You think yourself the savior of this empire? Not by far!” There was a brief pause before he continued, eyes looking at you in unforgiving judgment. “I would have succeeded in leading the coup, even without thee.”

A snort escaped your lips. “Delude thyself that.”

“There are no guards nearby. No witnesses for thee.” The warning he had issued was laden with the implication of impending punishment, fueled by your defiance and vitriol, driving him to a boiling point. He seized your wrist once more, his grip tighter than before, as he leaned in close and spoke into your ear. “I could hurt thee right here and now if I wanted to, yet thou art at my mercy.”

“I need none of thy mercy,” you spat, taken aback as he pushed you against the wall. You could feel his breath fanning your neck as he leaned closer, inches before your face. 

Satoru's laughter rang out as you persisted in your resistance, his eyes narrowing with a mix of intrigue and anger. Your defiance only served to stoke the flames of his wrath as he began to speak, “Darling,” and made a mocking of your endearment, “Mayhap I shall ravish thee until thou art insensible.”

“Vainglorious dastard,” you spitefully replied.

He spoke no words for several moments, his breathing gradually intensifying as he gazed down at you like a toy he wanted to destroy. And for a fleeting moment, it seemed as though he was weighing whether to persist or not, but eventually, he made his choice, his voice adopting a more ominous tone with each word. “Thou wilt be ravaged.”

“S-Satoru!”

He pushed you towards his bed, and himself against you, pressing his body heavily atop yours. His breath became uneven with his anger overtaking his mind. Your whimper of fear filled him with sadistic satisfaction. “Yes, me, as thou said. No one else is here with us, and no one would bat an eye if they heard a scream.”

Your decision to pull his hair proved to be a significant mistake, though it was evident from your expression that you derived pleasure from it. You longed for it. You desired this wanton affection. This carnal desire. Lust bathed in your eyes as you observed him hastily tear his clothing, eager to feel the velvety touch of your skin against his. He wasted no time in undressing you as well, ripping away whatever obstructed your bareness, leaving you both exposed under the moonlight, indulging in the passions shared between lovers.

“I despise thee,” you declared, a hot moaning mess under him as he rammed his hardened shaft in between your legs where he himself was grunting at the pleasure of your tight entrance. In and out he went, and buried his face on your neck to leave purple marks all over your skin. “I-I despise thee!”

“I share those sentiments,” he jested, squeezing your breast in labored breaths before he sucked the rounded mass in his mouth. 

By the end of your long passionate exchange, he lay next to you, body soaked in sweat as he watched your sleeping face. The peace in those saintly features. Did you pass out? He could not be certain. Was he too rough? That, he was certain. It showed on the bruises that mapped parts of your body. He could feel a small tinge of guilt within him as he moved to pull the blanket over you, pressing a soft kiss on your lips. 

“Is this not love?” He opened his eyes when heard you laughing softly, eyes still shut but with a bitter smile spreading on your face. In a cold tone of voice, you whispered, “Thy love is tough, yet love natheless.” 

He knew it was not love, yet even if it was, you would soon be taken care of anyway. You would be exiled or worse, executed, should you fail to heed his warnings. He had to put his ambitions first and foremost before any form of affection he had of you. And if you truly, unconditionally loved him, you would understand why. 

That, that was how he defined love to be. 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐕𝐈

The castle’s dungeon was an… unsightly place. Aside from the centuries of brutal torture and grotesque deaths that occurred down under, it also housed the memory of Satoru shedding his hands on his kinsmen’s blood. That was the place where he had slain his father, his rotting head still mounted on the wall as though he was an animal that his son had hunted. A tyrant, undoubtedly. Satoru's penchant for brutality knew no bounds, but he certainly got it from his father. While you were responsible for the death of a little over a hundred people, his would account for more than thrice that number. 

As you descended further into the depths of the dungeon, the air grew heavy with the miasma of damp stone, blood, and decay. A putrid, sickening odor greeted your nose the more you entered. If not for the torches that flickered dimly along the walls, you would not be able to see at all, yet those torches casted eerie shadows that danced and swayed with each step you took. It was a frightening sight and definitely not for the faint hearted. 

“Help!” Your senses were assailed by the sights and sounds of the dungeon's grim inhabitants as you ventured deeper into the labyrinthine corridors. Gaunt specters lurked in the shadows, their hollow eyes gleaming with a sinister light as they whispered chilling secrets to one another in sotto voce. Some also cried of agony and despair, some had already fallen unhinged from being held in captivity for so long—it became a cacophony of anguished cries and tortured souls. “Help me, Empress! I plead mine innocence!”

“Step back, Your Majesty.” Suguru, who acted as your companion in this macabre trip, unsheathed his sword to protect you from being touched by the prisoners. He threatened to slash their hands with just a simple touch on your dress. 

“Empress! Empress!”

You deemed it wise to pull the hood of the cloak over your face, especially as the prisoners were starting to recognize you within these cursed confines. It would be troublesome if Satoru were to arrive soon and they began to scream your name in his presence.

“Empress, this dungeon is meant for souls as tainted as thine!” 

That statement proved itself to be spine-chilling and hair-raising, as such accusations could not be denied. Truthfully, your crimes far surpassed theirs. You belonged with the forsaken and the damned. You already accepted that all your sins and trespasses would bring you nowhere near heaven, yet you had blindly murdered people out of love for Satoru. That was how crazy you were at winning him over. And now, this is where it brought you. 

But you pressed on and continued traipsing through the dungeon until you could feel the presence of the oracle drawing closer, a beacon of hope amidst the despair that gripped the dungeon like a vice.

Finally, you reached the chamber where the oracle awaited. It was a figure cloaked in shadow at the far end of the room. And upon adjusting your visions, you could see that the oracle was an old woman, her white hair cascading like a waterfall of moonlight around her frail shoulders. Her skin, alabaster. Her eyes, ghoulish and devoid of color, and they seemed to pierce the veil of reality itself as she spoke in riddles and whispers that sent shivers down your spine. It was your first time to encounter such an unrealistic being. They said each word from the oracle dripped with the weight of centuries of wisdom and foreboding. She spoke of prophecies and portents, of trials and tribulations yet to come, her words weaving a tapestry of fate and destiny that hung heavy in the air like a shroud.

“Speak.” You stopped at her chamber, demanding to hear the prophecy she had said to your husband. “Tell me the Emperor’s prophecy.” 

Much to your ire, she gave you no response, still staring at the empty wall. 

“Speak!” Your patience was growing thin as each passing second would crumble any hope you had inside that Satoru was not a man who would forsake you, or even execute you, in exchange for his ambitions. But it had been twenty or so minutes and still there was no word from the oracle. “Have you no mouth? Art thou not a soothsayer?” 

Suguru sucked in a deep breath. Should his accusations of the emperor prove to be a lie, you swore to yourself that you would be the one to put him inside one of the iron maidens in the dungeon. Or that daunting Judas cradle if he preferred. “Your Majesty, it takes time to make her speak.” 

“I do not have that luxury of time! I cannot be seen hither.” You gave him a menacing stare. “On peril of thy life, Sir Knight, if this be naught but foolery, I will disembowel thee myself—”

“Beware! O Empress, keeper of fragile dreams!” 

The sudden burst of the oracle’s voice startled you, as they were far from what you had expected from an old lady. It carried an otherworldly quality that seemed to transcend her physical form. They were melodic and haunting, a chilling quality that hinted at the supernatural origins of her prophetic abilities. It was as though you were paralyzed by the time she spoke, like all your senses stopped working and all you could ever do was be forced to listen to her prophecy.

“For the Emperor's gaze wanders far,

As he seeks a lady of royal blood,

Ambition cloaked in the guise of lineage,

And in his thirst for power, lies your peril.”

As you listened, your heart bled terribly, knowing that the answers you sought lay buried within the enigmatic riddles of the oracle's words. The haunting words of the prophecy echoed through the dim chamber where you stood frozen, in a state of despair and disbelief and every awful thing in the world combined. The truth, once a lurking suspicion, now materialized before you and it left your heart in shattered pieces because you actually hoped that none of the accusations were true. So, how could Satoru do this to you? How could he betray you after all your sacrifices just to be his wife, your efforts just to receive his love, and your crimes just to satisfy his desires? Through your hands, more than a hundred souls had perished. You had shed the blood of many Christian souls for him. You had offered him your chastity and turned back on your reverence by profaning the word of God. You had worshiped him like a divine being. Yet so easily would he cast you away. No, he could not even offer the slightest pleasure of loving you genuinely, without any inhibitions, without anything in exchange. 

While your sacrifices were his definition of the “greater good”, his betrayal against you was his definition of a “lesser evil”. It was his “personal gain”, for your demise would have no profound repercussions on this empire. 

Undoubtedly, that must be his truest and utmost feelings for you. 

Suguru held you in his arms when you fell to the ground, your entire world crashing before you as the oracle revealed your husband’s plans. Your hands were shaking, trembling. You had trouble breathing. He was there to guide you out of the dungeon safely, even if you were to run and weep like a madwoman. But of course, you were not that insane yet. It was simply the ache in your heart that catapulted you into an abyss of pain. 

Satoru must not succeed in his plans. He must not come out victorious. The greatest revenge you could think of was brimming in the back of your mind, ignited by the visible spite you felt for him and his web of deceit. 

And back alone in your bedchambers, nausea overcame you and had you vomiting all over the floor. You retched the harrowing experience at the dungeons, disgusted by things you saw and heard, especially the treachery of your very husband. You were sick at the thought of him planning your assassination behind your back, like an ungrateful imbecile who only cared about himself and his vainglory. 

“Nurse!” you called, coughing out the foul taste of bile expelled from your throat. “Come hither!” 

“Anon, madam!” Geneva came to your aid as soon as you summoned her and tended to your needs immediately. At the time, you could not make out much of the clatter that was happening inside your chambers as you lay in bed with your eyes shut. It seemed that Geneva had ordered the other servants to clean out the mess you had created, while she took over in putting you to bed and making sure that you were warm and comfortable. She had no single idea about what was going through your mind, and had she had any hint about what it was, you could only imagine how bloody traumatized she would be. 

If Satoru wanted to dethrone and destroy you, then you might as well help him with it. He should no longer be surprised to see what good of a show you could offer for everyone in this empire. 

“Good madam,” Geneva called gently, after an hour or so, pulling you out of trance. “A physician is already—”

You lifted a hand, stopping her while you tried to get out of bed. “There is not a need for that.” Despite your queasiness, you had decided that there was no time to waste for this war of love and death against your husband. The sooner you planned things out, the greater your advantage would be. You had to have the upperhand in this. “Nurse, whither wander dost my husband?” 

The nurse guided you up and draped a lightweight shawl around your shoulders. “I ween His Majesty is undertaking a military inspection. Escorted by a ten or so knights goes he.” 

An inspection? It must be related to the discussion at the imperial court. Of course, if Satoru was planning to wage war against Astheryn, he had to review the troops stationed in different regions of the empire to assess readiness, morale, and preparedness for defense. He could deploy an initial 25,000 men in his heavy infantry should he find the need to go on an all-out war with the enemy, but those amount of soldiers would require the emperor himself to arduously test if they were ready for battle. Naturally, the inspection could last four or five days depending on his assessment. And in his absence in the palace, either the empress or the other trusted advisors would usually take on the duties that usually were his. 

This was the perfect opportunity to devise your plan; to prune the branches, weaken the trunk, and uproot the tree entirely. The branches began with his loyal advisors, which have already been filtered out as those previously appointed by his parents became his enemies. Enemies that died by his hands and yours, because those enemies were advisors who did not support Satoru in his method of seizing the highest throne, so he could not risk having rebels in the empire who would later work together to topple him from his seat. When he first rose to the throne, he had several assassination attempts aimed at him, typically by means of poisoning his food with arsenic, or hiring highly skilled mercenaries to slay him behind his back—all of those attempts were intercepted by you. And at the elimination of those disloyal to him, Satoru assumed that the current members of the imperial court could hence be trusted since they had not shown any hints of falsity for the ten years they had served him. 

The difference between you and Satoru was that he was easily beguiled because the noblemen treated him a lot differently than you. They were ass-lickers, trying to win him over for their own superficial benefits, while you knew who among them were simply supporting Satoru for the sake of not being executed. Out of fear, out of an inherent will to live, out of an obvious lack of choice—there was one noble who stood out among the rest. 

And it was the one whose presence was not the loudest. 

“Lord Nanami.” Upon mentioning his name, you entered the palace library—a grandeur chamber notable for its high ceilings, expansive oak shelves, and accoutrements—as he stood in front of a wood table, strangely interested in codices. “Well met.” 

The blond nobleman curtsied. “Your Imperial Majesty, ‘tis an honor to be in thy presence.” 

You gestured your hand into dismissing him, cutting to the chase because you were still unwell. And for all the necessary reasons, you had to have this conversation with him or else there would not be an easier opportunity with Satoru’s eyes and ears around the palace. Nanami was his most trusted advisor, not Maximilian as much as he fooled himself to think so. “What codex read thou?”

Nanami spoke cautiously, his eyes fixed on the codex. “Of some medical writings and scientific treatises. Rumors are circulating about a mysterious outbreak in a remote village in Constantia, a city within the grand duchy of Valoria. It seems to be an illness that is spreading rapidly with only a 10% chance of survival. I hear they are calling it the ‘Black Death’ due to the appearance of gangrene. Considering the trade routes, that city lies along the Veridian Sea, which is a path taken by the ship that trades metals and minerals with us. They engage in that route due to Constantia's involvement with the slave trade, boarding the ship bound for Caelum for the metals and minerals, while ferrying their slaves all the way to Astheryn, their largest buyer.”

As if the gods were with you! 

The topic pulled your sudden interest, for it was proving to be exactly what you needed for your plan to be successful. “An illness, thou sayest? What records have we about its origin?” 

“Valorians perceive it as divine punishment for their involvement in the slave trade. Another prevalent theory is the miasma it brings, attributing the disease to foul odors and noxious fumes in the air and in the environment in which they live. Personally, I suspect it originates from a bacterium resulting from interactions between humans and infected animals.” Despite lacking sufficient research to support his hypothesis, you acknowledged that Nanami's personal theory seemed more plausible. “The symptoms suggest to me that it is not airborne, contrary to what most people assume.”

You kept your eyes on him as he fixed his pince-nez. “What symptoms doth it have? And what conclusion have thee on what they are?”

“Your Majesty, a swarm of dead rats were found in Constantia a month ago,” he first informed, leading you to his suspicions. “Given the escalating tension with Astheryn and our increased need for metal to support our crafting and weaponry, I bade a dispatcher to send a message to Constantia due to their failure to supply us with the agreed-upon metal,” Nanami explained, showing a haze of regret behind in his eyes. “The dispatcher wrote back to me, stating that he is unable to return to Caelum promptly as he was experiencing chills, buboes, and gangrene. I presume he perished within days of arriving there.”

The moue you displayed on your face could not be stopped. “Doth His Majesty know? Of this and yon rumors in Valoria thou speakest of?” 

“His Majesty, the Emperor, hath not been apprised of the matter yet.” The blond nobleman looked at you solemnly. “‘Tis my duty to inform him as soon as he returns from his—”

“No, thou wilt not,” you commanded sternly, earning his surprise in return. “Thou wilt not speak a word to Satoru about this. Obey my word and thou shall be rewarded.” 

This was good. This was perfect for your plans! If it was true that such illness was spreading in Valoria, it would only be a matter of time until the plague reached Caelum and wiped half its population! You laughed heartily inside your head. It would be an utmost entertainment for you to watch Satoru’s downfall before your very eyes. If Astheryn was no threat to him, then a biolgical warfare would certainly destroy him. No one else had to know of your schemes but you.

Of course, the ever-so-noble Nanami was not easy to convince, especially if it was a clash between his duty and morality. “Empress, I fail to comprehend... Such matters couldst pose dangers to Caelum and its lands. His Majesty needeth be informed, as he possesses the authority to prevent the trade ship from reaching us. Astheryn had already long ceased their slave trading due to it. We must do the same.”

“And thou believe I lack the same power to issue commands as an empress?” As you raised an eyebrow at him, his stance became more apologetic. “Continue with the trade by hook or by crook. I will sign the permit and have the ship arrive us on Monday next as planned. Let us not allow rumors of an illness to hinder us from obtaining our required metal from the city of Constantia. As thou said, we need abundant supplies for our weaponry. We must seize this opportunity to bolster our arms. Do not mention this to His Majesty, and if thou dare, thou shalt face the punishment of getting thy tongue cut out.”

Nanami’s eyes widened. “But Your Majesty…”

You pressed your hand firmly against the table and asserted your authority over him. “I have ownership of a couple of remote islands near the outskirts of Caelum. Surely, thou art aware of them? I will instruct my father, the Grand Duke, to transfer one of the larger estates to thee. Additionally, I shall provide thee with a quarter of my jewels and 15000 celestas as a deposit. In exchange, I command thee to retire from thy position and never again engage in conversation with my husband.”

It was a fair bargain. The man was certainly considering that because not only would he secure his own land and riches, he would also be away from the dangers of the plague should it truly spread throughout Caelum and its nearby nations. He would be safe there in his own estate with enough money to retire early. “Empress… whatever it may be that thou art planning, this is treason.” 

“This or punishment is thy only option,” you stated, eyes burning with fire. “Make wisely of thy choice.” 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐕𝐈𝐈

The preparation for the New Year’s ball was arduous, and you spared no effort to ensure that every detail lived up to Caelum’s prestige. Because you had a generous budget allocation for this year's banquet, you did not hold back on the display of wealth, power, and culinary sophistication. The menu alone boasted elaborate roast meats, poultry dishes, pies, pastries, desserts, and confections, accompanied by a variety of wines and spirits to enhance the indulgent dining experience. More so, the smell of luxurious dishes inside the grand hall would be enough to water the mouths of the guests.

Invitations were extended not only to the nobility within the capital but also throughout the empire, welcoming all to partake in the feast as long as they came from noble houses. The theme, as initially requested by your husband, was black and silver to match the regalia, although this theme did not extend to the guests. They were free to choose their attire as they pleased, with the only restriction being to avoid the loud colors that represented Astheryn. 

It was well-known that Caelum’s nobility enjoyed flaunting their wealth and status among themselves, further highlighting the perception of the empire as superficial and governed by leaders who indulged in unethical opulence. While you may have denied such rumors, the truth remained: such ostentatious display of wealth was a century-long tradition upheld by the Gojou family to showcase the Caelum Empire as the wealthiest and most powerful across the central continent. If there was anyone Satoru should blame for this excessive extravagance, it should be his ancestors. Not you.

As the empress of this nation and the person who oversaw these types of celebrations, you saw it fit to wear an elegant gown befitting your status. You were dressed in a majestic gown of midnight black velvet, intricately embroidered with religious motifs and adorned with pearls and jewels that glimmered in the candlelight. A towering headpiece, resplendent with silver filigree and bedight with twisted crosses and angelic figures, rested upon your head as a symbol of your pretentious reverence for the church. You moved through the banquet hall with regal grace and elegance, a vision of piety and power, with your outward display of devotion masking the darkness of your thoughts inside. 

Next to you was your tyrant husband, whose attire was an obsidian velvet of the finest kind. Around his waist was a thick belt of black leather cinching the robe, its buckle emblazoned with the imperial insignia. His chest was bedecked with a chainmail hauberk, a display to his martial prowess and readiness for battle, while a silver mantle was draped over his shoulders, adding to his imposing presence. Upon his head sat a crown of gleaming silver encrusted with onyx and obsidian stones. 

“Long live the Emperor and the Empress! May Their Majesties reign be blessed!” 

Upon your entrance down the staircase to the Grand Hall, the guests offered their curtsies and salutations to you and your husband to show their deference and recognition to the imperialty. The nobles had their chance at a brief greeting with the imperial family based on their ranking, although Satoru showed little to no care for those at the lower ranks. Nonetheless, those of lower statuses devotedly sought to curry his favor and prove their allegiance to him. 

He is naught but a fool, you thought inwardly as you watched your husband dismiss a mere count. Satoru must not have realized that those he considered of lower ranking were often the most loyal to him. They were driven by their wish to climb the upper echelon of high society, therefore, they would go to great lengths to gain recognition from the emperor. Conversely, if push comes to shove, those of higher statuses would be the first ones to turn their backs on the imperial family, as they already possessed the wealth and status to sustain their own estates and exclude themselves from the rest of the empire. 

“Lords and Ladies, esteemed guests, and subjects of my realm,” Satoru spoke with gracious authority as he stood by his throne, looking down on the nobility before him, “I stand before thee on this very occasion, the commencement of a new year, to address the empire that rests beneath mine unwavering rule. As thy Emperor, I look upon the vast land that stretches beneath me, and aim to build great cities, forge mighty alliances, and expand our dominion to the farthest reaches of the known world. This eve, we gather not merely to celebrate the turning of the calendar, but to reaffirm the absolute authority that guides our great empire. Let it be known, plainly and honorably, that the prosperity of this realm is intrinsically tied to the strength of its ruler. In my hands, I hold the reins of power, and I shall steer this ship through tumultuous waters with an unshakable resolve. Those who seek to challenge the stability of our empire will find themselves met with the full force of imperial might. Let this banquet serve as a reminder—a celebration of the empire's indomitable strength and an acknowledgment of the consequences that befall those who dare to defy it. Raise thy goblets high, my loyal subjects, for we embark upon another year under the banner of unassailable authority.”

Satoru might be a terrible spouse, but he certainly was not a terrible emperor. He asserted his authority when it demanded him the most, and he knew well enough how to make his subjects cower in terror at every word he spoke. His speech was a simple warning not only to the nobles, but perhaps also to you, as he believed the prophecy pictured you as a traitor to his reign. 

Initially, you could say he was wrong and that never in a million years would you betray the same person you helped ascend the throne. But now that his resolve was to entirely eliminate you in order to succeed in his ambitions, you would not deny such grave accusations of treason on your part. He deserved a taste of his own medicine. It was only too bad for him that he had no knowledge of what you knew, and that was exactly why you were ten steps ahead of him. 

The sound of classical music served as a backdrop for the banquet, with the dulcet sounds of flutes, harps, and viols creating an elegant ambiance through the hall. The nobles worked on their usual slobber and socialization, usually reserved for recently debuted ladies to mark their own impressions within high society. The males were often there to discuss lands and politics or to be in search of their bride who would become the next noble ladies of their respective houses. The scene reminded you of your happy days as a once noble lady, a daughter of a duke, who was also the most popular and most eligible bride for Crown Prince Satoru among all of the nobility within the Caelum Empire. Back then, your biggest rivals were Lady Anastasia de Florentine and Lady Serena de Visconti. Both ladies came from esteemed houses and had therefore become a threat to your desire to be Crown Princess. In terms of beauty, talent, and elegance; they were definitely strong contenders. What they lacked was the wit, the cunningness in which you pride yourself with, as you ended up becoming Satoru’s choice as his empress. 

You were aware that Satoru spent his years as a prince dallying with other noble ladies, even courtesans, as he himself was fair in the face. And he was aware that the ill-fate that had befallen some of those ladies were due to your own cruel doing. You tormented any lady that vied for his attention. It was not until he gave in and got to know what you offered did he stop fooling around with random whores, deeming them unworthy to stand next to him as they served no purpose for him in the long run. You offered a better role to him than the rest of them, especially with your skill as a tactician and your family’s background in the military and weaponry department which all came in handy at the time of his usurpation to the throne. 

In other words, he knew how evil you could be since day one. And benefited from you because of it. 

“What plagues thy mind?” he asked, holding your waist and your hand as you both gracefully danced in pavane. His hair was neatly brushed away from his forehead tonight, with a few stubborn strands dangling on the side. “How awfully silent.” 

You stared at his bright blue eyes coruscating under the chandeliers, noticing how his gaze wandered to a noble lady. “It matters not to thee.” 

Satoru then narrowed his eyes at your coldness. “It matters much to me. What is this foolish act art thou playing at?” 

“A foolish act of playing the role of thy wife,” you answered briefly and sternly. “Dost this banquet satisfy thee? I have invited the empire’s most beautiful and most eligible ladies to be thy concubine. All of age and of noble background so worry not. Thou may choose anyone to thy liking, so the best be with thee.” 

The offense you caused was evident in his visage. As much as it entertained you, he was clearly enraged and on the verge of losing it. You already knew he would just remind you yet again that he wanted to remarry instead of getting a concubine, but it was too good of a reaction to pass up on. In fact, he stared at you blankly, speechless for a few moments as he processed the implications of your words. “This is the game you play?” he murmurs through gritted teeth, a hint of a scowl forming on his face. Conflicting emotions surged within him, a mixture of anger and hurt, yet ultimately he chose not to give you the reaction you seemed to seek. “I will humor thee. Where be these concubines thou dost speak of?”

You scoffed, and then laughed out loud to the point where it gained the curious stares of the nobles. “Wherefore, look everywhere and haply may thy eager eyes find them,” you answered in absolute joy. “That is all they shall be; mere concubines. If thou prefer a young and ripe virgin, that is also possible—”

“Do not get smart with me,” Satoru warned, grabbing a tight hold of your chin. The muscles along his jaw tensed. “Thou art but a petulant wench, a mere ornament next to my throne, lacking the wit and wisdom to comprehend the weight of imperial decree. The matters of remarriage are not simply to jest about. Know thy place, woman, and heed the consequences of thy impudence."

“Is that a threat?” You returned his glare, now feeling all eyes on the both of you. The thick air of tension permeated the hall like a cloud of incoming thunderstorm.

The emperor was not one to show weakness in front of public eyes, now displaying an authoritarian mien to his wife as he tightened his hold on your jaw. “Take it as thou may.”  

In defense to your wounded pride, you shoved his hand away and maintained a rigid poise. “Keep thy filthy hands off me, you usurping tyrant.” 

As tension crackled through the hall, a hushed unease descended upon the assembled guests. Murmurs  rippled through the crowd like a gathering tornado, and uneasy glances were darted between the nobles and servants as they witnessed the brewing disagreements of their imperial rulers. Some averted their gaze, feigning disinterest, while others leaned in with rapt attention, hungry for the spectacle unfolding before them. 

Meanwhile, Satoru was forcing a laugh at your chosen insult. Calling him a usurper really hit a nerve, as always. “Watch that foul-tongued mouth,” he warned once more, “Barren wretch!”

Approaching one of the palace sentinels halfway across the hall, you countered your husband’s heavy footsteps by drawing out a sword from a knight’s scabbard, thereupon making a swift turn to point the silver brand directly at his throat. You had not even realized that it was Suguru’s sword that you took. Deadly silence instantly spanned the hallway, and even the tick tock of the nearby clock had stopped because of the rising tension between Caleum’s reigning monarchs. 

But with one sword raised at the emperor’s neck, twenty more were directed back at the empress. Satoru’s loyal knights were quick to trap you in full circle to protect their sovereign ruler, forcing you to submit and restrain yourself from moving the sword any closer to the emperor’s throat. 

Unfortunately for him, being submissive was no longer in your repertoire. 

“You dare commit treason in mine own palace?!” Your husband’s venomous blue eyes bore holes into your skull—his mouth thinning in displeasure as you stayed unwavered by his imperious tone. “Thou art too brave for an empress consort!” 

“That is rich coming from a usurper himself!” you countered, satisfied by the spasm of irritation crossing his face. “Have as many concubines and courtesans as thou wish, but never disrespect me in front of my people. Treat me not as though I am lower than a mistress merely because I am childless to thee. Dare you not look down at me for I am an empress first ere I am thy wife.”

What kind of psychopath was that man, truly? 

You left the hall as soon as you said those prideful words, no longer wishing to hear what more intelligible things he had to say to you and of the preposterous scene in which you engaged. The more time you spent with him, the more you realized how much you had come to despise every fiber of his being. He was an ungrateful imbecile who would slay his own kin at the price of his ambitions. You may have started the quarrel, but he did not need to escalate it and put his filthy blood-stained hands on you in front of the nobles. His goal might be to put you in your rightful place, but he chose the wrong person to be his empress. That choice alone was the start of his tragic flaw. 

And with that disrespect would soon come his downfall. 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈

Satoru struggled to comprehend the shift in your demeanor toward him and the words you chose to speak to him. He found your behavior baffling, as if you had lost touch with reason to be acting such a lunatic. You were out of your bloody mind! What could have driven you to act so irrationally, becoming incensed at every little remark he made? Was it solely because he expressed a desire to remarry for the sake of an heir and requested you to step down from your throne? No, your anger seemed to stem from deeper roots than mere marital disagreements. The hostility in your eyes said so, and it was the kind that mirrored the animosity he had witnessed in his ancestors towards their rival empire. That was the level of rancor you had of him. 

Or could this be the dreaded prophecy coming to life? 

Maximilian had been warning him that the prophecy was becoming truer day-by-day, and that the only way to ultimately prevent it was to banish you. It should be easy, truly, since Satoru had no problems slaying his own kin and hundreds of men. Why should another soul like yours cause such an impact on him? 

Yet, Satoru found himself unable to take that step. The reasons eluded him. What he despised, however, was your increasing defiance. You were no longer the submissive wife he had grown accustomed to. Albeit your inherently strong personality, you had never before lashed out at him, insulted him, raised your voice, or shown him any form of antagonism. You always let him win arguments and understood your place. Extravagant gifts like luxurious silk dresses, rare jewels, and exotic fragrances used to be enough to maintain your compliance. Were his gifts no longer sufficient to appease you? What more did you desire from him? 

Love? 

How preposterous. Love was no gift.

The emperor cussed under his breath as he slid the robe off his shoulder and stepped inside the tub, soaking his naked body under the warm fragrant water. He raked his fingers through his wet, white hair, leaning his head back as he stared at the ceiling. It never occurred to him that his eyebrows had furrowed as his thoughts of you had consumed him. A small part of him yearned to punish you for your recent behavior, while a larger part of him longed to pursue you. He desired to regain your trust and devotion, no matter how absurd it might seem to others. How else could he manipulate someone who harbored such animosity towards him? You had been easier to control when you saw him past his selfishness, turning a blind eye as long as he played the role of the loyal husband.

Fine, if it was disloyalty that enraged you so, then he would show you. In another way. That the loyalty you seek still possessed him somewhere. 

The subject of his plan stood in his privy chamber, assisting him as he bathed that morning. He had long noticed this particular servant's subtle attempts at seducing him, but had always chosen to ignore her as he never felt tempted to indulge. Instead, he found it somewhat amusing that she would willingly display her body to him in private settings like this. Perhaps, he mused, it was a message to him, indicating her desire to ascend to high society by becoming his concubine. She likely sought to escape her life as a mere peasant and elevate herself to the status of a noble lady. She may have even heard of his sexual escapades back then as a wayward prince who entertained different ladies in his chamber before he married you. That was probably why she wanted to take advantage of the carnal weakness that she thought still lingered within him. 

This strumpet. Satoru scoffed inwardly as he watched his personal maid pick up the bottle of lavender oil from the floor. She had purposely unbuttoned the top most part of her attire so that her voluptuous breasts would pop out like two balloons sitting on her chests. Appearance wise, it was clear that she had tried to put on cheap rouge from vermillion or beetroot juice, tinting her lips a brighter red than usual to complement her fiery, ginger hair. Her eyes were lined sharp from the soot, as though she was trying to resemble the empress’ seductive eyes. 

“Your Majesty,” she spoke in a seductive voice, finding her seat at the edge of the tub as she poured the fragrant oil on the hot water. She raised her skirt higher as an obvious attempt to show off her legs, and offered a better view of her huge breasts as she leaned forward. Now that she was closer to him, he could see her taut nipples peeking behind her thin layer of clothing. “Wouldst thou desire for me to bathe thee?”

His lips may have curled upwards into a smirk, but his eyes were as terrifyingly sharp as ever. “Dost thou seek death?”

Her eyes widened in surprise, feigning her innocence as she received his warning. “Nay, Your Majesty! I do not seek such.” 

“Why art thou so bold to think thy body is more desirable than the empress’?” He began to question her pride, and later put her stupidity into good use. She would be the perfect pawn for him to win his wife’s favor again. “My wife hath the most perfect figure I have seen in a woman, and thine is what? Thou boast of thy breasts that resemble a cow’s?” 

“I…” The servant stammered, clearly offended as she got up from her seat and attempted to mask the embarrassment that appeared on her face. Satoru raised an eyebrow and waited for her response, while she gathered her courage to deny his claims. “Forgive me, my lord, if I have offended thee.” 

Satoru shook his head in amusement. “What is thy aim, then, if not to inveigle me into bedding thee? I do not consort with trollops.”

Caught red-handed, she stumbled and bowed her head at the lowest possible level before him. “I beg thy pardon, Your Imperial Majesty! I merely sought to aid thee in the birthing of an heir. I am not barren unlike Her Majesty the Empress, and I can assure thee I will bear fruit even if thou only dost me once.” 

“Get on thy knees,” he ordered, stepping out of the tub and wrapping his bare body with a robe. “Thy know that to be certain?”

Her eyes pleaded for desperation to become his mistress. “Certain, yes! I am certain, my lord! And I will be a loyal subject to thee unlike the empress—”

“Pardon?” As if her words intrigued his ears. In a swift motion, he turned to the servant and looked down at her with his cold, scrutinizing eyes. “Unlike the empress? Repeat thy words with caution. Thou art maligning the most noble woman of this empire.” 

It did look like she found her way out of his criticism by directing his ill-temper towards his wife. “Your Majesty, I am not maligning thy wife. ‘Tis true that Her Majesty is having an affair with your commander of knights! Some days ago did I see the empress and Sir Suguru in an intimate embrace, running through the halls as though they wish not be seen!” 

The emperor's expression hardened at the servant's accusation, his brows furrowing with disbelief and anger. His hand tightened into a fist as he processed the shocking revelation.

“Is this the truth thou speaketh?” His voice was low, carrying a dangerous edge that hinted at the storm brewing within him. The accusation struck at the very core of his trust and authority.

The servant's gaze faltered under the weight of the emperor's scrutiny, but she remained resolute. “Your Majesty, I speak only what I have witnessed with mine own eyes. By my troth and by God’s bones, I swear by all that is holy, it is no falsehood.”

Satoru’s mind raced with conflicting emotions, but he showed none of his inward thoughts outwardly. Instead, he delighted in this ideal opportunity for him to deal with gaining your devotion again. 

“Undress thyself. I want thou bare and without any clothing," he said, his voice cold and measured, “and thou shalt remain in this chamber until my return.”

With that, the emperor swept out of the privy chamber at once, leaving behind a stunned and apprehensive servant. She believed it to be her sign of good luck. Of good fate. That she now found her place as a mistress to the highest ruler of this nation. She could not believe her destiny as she triumphantly unclothed herself, peeling every fabric off her body with excitement as she imagined the things the emperor would do to her upon his return. She would definitely have to deal with his wrath since he just found out that the empress betrayed her, but she was willing to have him use her body and let his anger out on his adulterous wife. An emperor with a distracted mind would be her ticket to being impregnated by his child. Soon, she would be his concubine, she would be the mother of a future emperor. 

She would never again have to suffer as a servant! 

Upon the sound of footsteps nearing the privy chamber, the servant provocatively sat at the edge of the tub, displaying all of her body to him and him alone. “Your Majesty, I am ready for thee.” 

“Art thou?” 

Horror washed over the servant’s face, her heartbeat increasing tenfold as she saw the empress sending an icy stare into her as she stood by the privy chamber’s entrance. Behind her were her ladies-in-waiting throwing their judgeful stares at the naked servant, surrounded by knights who seemed to have come under the emperor’s orders. The emperor! There he was, appearing behind the empress, kissing her cheek and encircling her waist, whispering to her that the servant had attempted to seduce him and had even accused his wife of infidelity. Satoru's actions struck the servant as reminiscent of a child tattling to his mother. He adopted an air of artificial innocence, as if his only intention were to win the empress' trust.

“Send this harlot to the throne room,” he commanded his knights, his voice loud and clear. “Let it be known that there will be consequences for those who dare to deceive their emperor.”

At the throne room, you found yourself seated at the elevated throne next to your husband. This was a place in the castle where the trials of the accused were often held, and now the accused kneeling before you on the lower part of the hall was a lowly maid which Satoru had claimed to have seduced him and besmirched your name. 

Did he think you were stupid? You knew what his ulterior motives were. You were aware of his covert schemes, and that his sole attempt at orchestrating this entire spectacle was to use the maid to regain your trust and obedience out of gratitude. He was clearly at an unrest ever since you had been defiant to him and he was doing the best that he could to make you submit to him. He was desperate to show you that he was on your side and believed that by reporting the maid's advances, he could convince you of his loyalty. Satoru must truly underestimate your intelligence if he thought that such acts would restore his control over you. But for the sake of a good show, you decided to play along. 

As customary, the emperor presided over the trial, while the accused maid stood before the imperialty, her eyes downcast, while whispers could be heard through the assembled courtiers.

Satoru announced her sin in a commanding yet measured voice. “Maiden, thou stand accused of attempting to seduce the sovereign and spreading slanderous falsehoods regarding Her Majesty's honor. These are grave charges that strike at the very foundation of our empire.” 

The accused maid trembled slightly but remained silent, her gaze fixed on the ground. She seemed to be having a battle in her head, realizing that she was being used by the emperor’s cruel game. What did she expect of him? You rolled your eyes. Satoru was a known tyrant. She would never last a day being his mistress, much less a concubine. You were the only lady in this empire that could handle him.

The emperor then turned to you as he continued with his speech. “As for thee, my wife, thou hast been accused of a betrayal that, if true, would bring shame upon the imperial family.” He paused, his expression grave yet thoughtful. “Therefore, I shall entrust the judgment and punishment of this matter to thee. Thou alone knowest the truth of these accusations, and it is thy virtue and integrity that shall guide our course of justice.”

You wanted to laugh at how ridiculous this was. Now he was even entrusting the maid’s punishment to you? His tactic obviously consisted of two things: 1) giving you the authority to impose punishment on the accused would make you liable for the consequences tied to the matter 2) if proven not guilty, you would have to face the shame of your misguided punishment. Because Satoru was not certain that you were having an affair, he was putting you on the spot to decide the punishment you would give based on your conscience. 

Either that or he may have simply intended to convey trust in your judgment by allowing you to administer punishment. This could be a gesture aimed at restoring your sense of authority and influence within the palace. However, given the complexities of your relationship and the context of the situation, it was likely that his motives were more layered and multifaceted.

“How dost it strike thee, Empress?” Satoru asked in a strangely calm mien. “Mayhap we can give her ten or twenty whips? Have her sent out to the dungeons or the west tower?” 

Oh, did he assume you were not capable of being creative with punishments? You were not one to shy away from brutality like him. In fact, you had something better in store for this servant of his. 

The courtiers listened intently, their eyes locked upon you as you spoke. “It is my judgment that the maid shall be subjected to the punishment befitting her transgressions.”

A hushed murmur erupted through the assembled crowd as they awaited the empress’ decree.

“Firstly, the maid shall be paraded through the streets of our capital, stripped of her garments and bearing the shame of her actions for all to see. Let her walk the path of humility, that she may reflect upon the consequences of her deeds.” Your cruel words carried a weight of overwhelming gravity as you announced the first part of the punishment and proceeded to the next. “Furthermore, the maid shall be delivered unto the custody of our executioners, who shall mete out the final aspect of her punishment. Let her be subjected to the pear of anguish, that she may atone for her sins and serve as a warning to all who would dare besmirch the name of their sovereign.”

The courtiers exchanged somber glances, trembling out of fear at the severity of your inhumane judgment. Even Satoru himself was shocked at the lengths you had chosen to take just to punish a lowly maid. Why was he surprised? He, himself, was entertained at the usage of the brazen bull, roasting his enemies alive as a punishment. The pear of anguish was not even as severe as his usual choices, as its purpose was to have a pear-shaped instrument be inserted in the maid’s vagina, and expand it to the point of internal injuries and mutilation. 

“No! No! Your Majesty!” she cried, her words choked with emotion. She quivered in terror and fell to her knees. “I beg of thee, have mercy upon me! Spare me from such unspeakable agony! Forgive me for my transgressions and the harm I have caused. Pray, grant me the chance to repent and seek forgiveness. I shall never again show myself to thee. Prithee… Empress Y/N… Spare me from this horror, I beg of thee!”

Her voice echoed through the hall with her desperate plea for clemency amidst the shadow of her impending doom. In the silence that followed, your eyes caught the guilt spreading on Satoru’s face. His blue eyes were, for a second, wide and horrified. But he was quick to compose himself and keep yet again a rigid face. 

“Very well.” Satoru gestured to his knights to take the maid away. “Do as my wife says.” 

“My liege, this is preposterous!” In the midst of the tense atmosphere, one advisor, a voice of dissent, stepped forward, his expression grave and his tone measured. Lord Maximilian was only intending to address the emperor, completely ignoring your right as the empress. “Your Majesty, the Emperor,” the advisor spoke respectfully but with conviction, “I humbly beseech thee to reconsider this severe course of action. The pear of anguish, in particular, is a device of unparalleled cruelty. The punishment is more severe than the crime committed!” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “I propose a more measured punishment, one that upholds the dignity of your sovereign without plunging us into the depths of brutality. Mayhap a period of confinement or hard labor could serve as a more merciful yet effective means of retribution. This way, Your Majesty, we demonstrate both strength and compassion that define thy sovereign rule.”

“Compassion?” you scoffed, humored by Lord Maximilian’s little speech. His pretentiousness was truly out of this world. He was obviously against it because he refused to see your authority over the court restored. He had not even a single idea that you were already aware that he had been conspiring with your husband to execute you. “Thou speak of compassion and mercy, Lord Maximilian, when this empire had seen the ruthless perish of a thousand Christian souls under your counsel to the emperor. Is that not irony? What about the body of his lordship, Count Stefano, that thou order’d to be skinned alive? Or what about the corpses of men speared on pikes by the Tiber River? Now, tell me about that compassion.” 

Satoru, stuck in the situation, scanned the throne room and searched for his voice of reason. The man who always stood his ground between good and evil. Lord Nanami. Yet the man was nowhere to be found. “Is Lord Nanami hither? Call him forth to me.” 

“I am afraid not, my liege,” spoke one of the courtiers, “He had left Your Majesty a letter advising of his immediate need to be on a sabbatical. Cited he no reasons as to why.”

“Is that so?” your husband’s face contorted into confusion, while you were exchanging glances with Suguru, who seemed slightly aware of your participation in Nanami’s sudden absence. Howbeit, he spoke no words about it. 

And no one else also said another word, therefore, leaving Satoru to move forward with your decision on the punishment. If he was smart, he should see that your decision was not just a mere punishment to the maid but as a warning from you, that he was not the only person in this empire capable of being a tyrant. That you, as devoted as you used to be, could also be cruel if you wanted to be. 

You ignored the maid’s screams of terror as the knights took her away. You kept a dignified appearance and walked out of the throne room, followed by your ladies-in-waiting as they engaged in gossip about the maid and how she had always spoken badly of the empress. You wished you cared, but truthfully, you were far too nauseated as you walked through the hallway heading towards the western wing of the castle, hearing your husband’s voice calling your name. 

What did he need? Your gratitude? Your declaration of love? Your pledge of allegiance? 

Frankly, you cared none, as your extreme nausea eventually had your visions blurred, and your body fainting on the marble floor. 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐗

Your head ached.

By the time you opened your eyes again, it was already past noontide. No, it was evening, was it? You were lying in Satoru’s bed while its owner was engrossed in a conversation with a physician. You briefly recounted the events before you were carried here, remembering the trial at the throne room, and you fainting while walking back to your side of the palace. 

“Art thou certain?” 

“I am certain Her Majesty is with child, yes.” 

“How is that possible? Tried have we for eight long years.” 

“We owe this blessing to God, my liege. Thy wish for an heir hath come to fruition.” 

You were… with child? 

You could not believe it. As the whispered revelation reached your ears, the news brought you a swirl of emotions, for the delicate life growing within your womb just challenged the very foundations of your plans. A child. A baby. A life was growing inside of you! It was not just any other life, but an heir to the throne! A byproduct of you and your husband!

But what about your revenge? 

You had a moment of introspection as you imagined yourself at a crossroad of destiny. Should you persist with your plot to topple your husband's rule, or should you embrace the newfound responsibility and safeguard the legacy that had taken root within you? The precipice of your decision would depend on Satoru’s reaction to this matter. Your decision would fall upon his level of trust in you. 

For eight years, you had always wanted to carry his child. You had always dreamed of bearing his heir. This was the very reason why the prophecy existed in the first place, and now that you were pregnant, should that mean that he would no longer find the need to remarry and execute you? Should that mean that the prophecy was false after all? The oracle was a heretic through and through and he never should have consulted with her to begin with!

“My wife.” The gentle caress of Satoru’s voice soothed your aching head. It only took you then to realize that the physician had already left you two alone, and now your husband was sitting on the edge of his bed, touching your cheek. “To think,” he mumbled, his voice tinged with wonder, “that our union has borne fruit at last. An heir to carry forth this legacy of mine.” 

He was joyous. He was surging with happiness which was glowing within him, the kind of joy that you had never seen before as he embraced his beloved wife and shared the news. For a moment, your heart melted and you were ready to forsake the grudge you carried in your heart as he proved his reaction to be genuine. His eyes sparkled like jewels as he placed a soft kiss on your belly, then moving to press his lips onto yours. 

You wanted to cry. You wanted to tear up as never in your life had you received this much level of affection from your own husband. He had never looked at you with such adoration and respect for the longest time since he had been with you. No, this was the very first time he had truly acknowledged you as his wife. 

“Am I no longer useless unto thee?” you asked, carrying a hint of sadness on your tone despite smiling at him. “Shall I no longer be called a barren empress?” 

Satoru solemnly shook his head and kissed your hand, your cheek, and your lips. “No. Each tongue that rises ‘gainst my wife shall fall.” 

You were uncertain whether it was you or him who pulled each other for an embrace, but the gravity that brought you to two together was of mutual force. He held you in his arms tenderly just as you enveloped yourself in his warmth. So this is how it feels like to be loved? You were in complete bliss. You were free from the emotional torment that—

Knock, knock! 

The abrupt knock on the door interrupted the intimate moment between you and your husband, diverting his attention to the intruder who dared disrupt the special moment. Satoru, no doubt, was already thinking of potential punishments in his mind as he summoned his attendant to enter. The attendant conveyed that a knight sought an urgent audience with him, but what could be so urgent at this dead of night? 

The intruder, to your surprise, was none other than his knight commander Suguru. 

“Suguru?” Satoru faced him with a more lenient countenance, “Speak briefly.” 

The knight commander glanced at you before he knelt on one knee and looked at the carpeted floor, delivering a message that required urgent and utmost attention. “Your Imperial Majesty, we have discovered a group of knights clad in silver armor, mounted upon war horses lining the city’s border. My men have identified the potential invaders as the Aurorae Heavy Cavalry of the Astheryn Empire.” 

“What?!” Just like Satoru’s explosive reaction, you were also surprised by the news. You knew Astheryn was ready for war, but you did not expect them to move so rashly. Satoru knew he was right to conduct a military inspection a week prior, because now, in spite of his growing temperament, he was also mentally prepared for an all-out war. “Those Astheryn bastards! How many are they?!” 

“Estimated at about 6000 units, my liege.” 

Your eyes widened in disbelief. Thousands of foreign soldiers stationed at the border of the Caelum Empire was undeniably an invasion. The audacity of this act, carried out without any prior communication to Satoru, no wonder fueled his anger like a volcano on the brink of eruption. It was a blatant disrespect to him as an emperor and to his lands as an empire.

“Double the numbers of our infantrymen and dispatch them to the border!” Satoru's voice carried a low growl, his hand instinctively reaching to massage his temples as he pondered a course of action. “They must comprise our most elite unit. I demand these men be vigilant and alert at all times. Anyone caught sleeping will have their eyes gouged,” he ordered, his tone reflecting the gravity of the situation. His eyes held fury in them as he silently paced back and forth in his chamber. However, just as Suguru made to depart, Satoru's hand halted him mid-step. “Better yet, remain here and stand guard over my wife," he commanded, his voice taut with resolve. “I will issue the orders to the army personally and confer with my chief tactician.”

Your husband had already left before you could even stop him. His presence, in a mere blink of an eye, was gone as he stormed out of the chamber, yelling out, “That bastard Toji will die by my hands. How dare he!” 

And now you were left with his commander of knights, Suguru, who looked at you in concern as you made an attempt to get out of bed. He was quick to catch you in his arms, guiding you to walk carefully. “Is it true?” you asked, face inches close to him. You could feel his hand on your waist, and the other guiding your arm. “Astheryn’s invasion?” 

“Empress, it is imperative that thou remain within the safety of His Majesty’s chamber," Suguru advised, his fox-like eyes seemingly enamored by your face. “Thy well-being is paramount, especially now. I see now why thy radiance has been so pronounced of late.”

You smiled at his words. "And what might thou be implying by that?"

“That our beautiful empress bears the heir to the empire,” he spoke softly. “This is a direct contradiction to the prophecy. Art thou pleased, my lady?”

As you nodded, you felt Suguru placing a gentle kiss above your hand, still kneeling before you like a true, loyal knight. He looked at you with a gaze filled with the desire to protect. His chivalry was evident in his demeanor toward you, the most beautiful lady of the empire. Unbeknownst to you, Suguru had long been captivated by your beauty. From the moment he first came to your family’s estate to train as a knight, he harbored a wanton desire for you. Yet, he struggled with his feelings, torn between his admiration for you and his loyalty to Satoru, his friend and lord. How could he? He should punish himself for having a mere attraction to the emperor’s wife. 

“Suguru, I expect thy loyalty to me until the very end,” you interrupted his reverie, bringing him back to the present. He held your hand tenderly, and your waist affectionately. “Can I count on that from thee?”

Before the knight could respond, a fit of unhinged laughter echoed through the chamber. There, your crazed husband walked in, his sardonically joyful eyes wide with paranoia. “Ha ha ha! Absurd! Utterly preposterous!” His loud voice reverberated through the walls, his mind now free of the on-going invasion and was instead evidently consumed by the scene before him. “My wife, thou jest, surely? Suguru, tell me this is some jest! Loyalty, indeed, I have full faith in thy loyalty, but this... the maid’s accusation. It is true after all?!” 

Immediately, the knight commander moved away from you and scrambled to kneel down at the furious emperor. You yourself could not hide your growing anxiety, but it was best to keep calm and explain the situation to your husband properly. 

“My liege, ‘tis not what it seems,” Suguru swore to your husband, who was now laughing manically. 

“Ah, a conspiracy unfolds!” Satoru’s eyes darted between you and his friend. “I see it now, the hidden plots, the whispers in the shadows. My wife and my loyal knight, plotting against me! Speak, reveal the treachery!” 

You shook your head, maintaining your composure. “He speaks true. There is no affair—”

“Fie, you wicked bitch!” By this time, Satoru was throwing a tantrum, kicking the nearby console table and throwing the first vase he saw. 

Suguru rose, his voice pleading, "Your Majesty, I..."

“Get out or I will eviscerate thee in front of her!” Satoru's words cut through the tension, and Suguru, after a moment of hesitation, took a deep breath and left, casting a worried glance at you before exiting. It was clear that Satoru was in a state of manic denial, with his laughter echoing through the chamber like a haunting refrain.

Alone with him now, you observed his demeanor, noting the same scene of past trauma in his laughter. It was reminiscent of the night his sister perished for committing suicide—a portrait of a man on the brink of madness, masking his torment with deranged laughter. Each step he took towards you carried danger. “This... This child thou carry is a bastard, is it not? That child is not mine!”

You shot him a look of disbelief, refusing to entertain such absurd accusations. “Thou art speaking folly!”

Enraged, he seized another vase and hurled it across the room, the sound of shattering porcelain ringing through the chamber, though you maintained your composure despite the sudden chaos. You must not act weak in front of a tyrant. At this rate, he could kill out of impulse, but you were careful not to pull the trigger.

“My wife thinks I am lost in a mire of absurdity?” Satoru’s laugh rang in your ears again. “Conniving bitch! Tell me, this child thou carry, what do I do with that awful thing? Shall I cut thy stomach and pull the thing out myself?”

Slap! A resounding slap, sharp and clear, graced Satoru's cheek as his words drew tears from your eyes. Despite the welling tears, you mustered enough courage to respond. “If thou question the lineage of this child, then is that not a question to thine own fertility? Dost thou deem thyself barren, unable to sire thine own bloodline? If so, thou hast long scorned me for lacking an heir, yet now thou cast doubt upon the child that I carry. Useless, thou have call’d me. Now, useless, thou call thyself! A barren emperor, unable to secure his own legacy, is that what thou perceive thyself to be?”

“Hold that tongue, thou impudent wench!” With a rough hand, he grabbed your arm and tightened his hold so much so that it would leave bruises. “Lo, here stand I, grappling with a war that hath the power to shape or shatter mine own legacy, whilst mine own wife doth gad about like a wanton whore?”

A whore? You laughed, as equally maniacal as him. No, a lot worse than him. How foolish of you to think that your husband was someone you could trust your life with? You could not believe that you almost let your guard down in front of him after you learned that you were carrying his child. Yet here he was, spouting nonsense like an absolute fool. He only judged what he saw, not analyzed what he was yet to know. This was exactly why Emperor Toji would always be a smarter ruler than him. 

“I am thy wife, and I have stood by thy side through thick and thin. I have shared thy lows and highs. I have seated thee at that very throne! Therefore, I will not dignify such insults with a response.” Each word left your mouth with gritted teeth. This was your future, peeled off for your eyes to see. No matter how much you cared for him, no matter how loyal you were to him, no matter how much love you offered to him; you were naught but a woman ready to be thrown at his disposal. It hurt. Truly, it hurt. And because you loved him, you tried holding onto the thin string of hope that he was true to you. That even if he could not love you, he still trusted you. That was the foundation of your relationship from the beginning. Trust. And that will be your ultimatum to him. So, with a shaky voice and tearful eyes, you asked, “I require nothing else from thee but this… dost thou trust me?” 

His answer was a make or break. 

His answer would determine whether you would carry your plans out or not. 

Because if he said yes, then you would forsake everything and be loyal to him without his unconditional love. 

But if he said no, then there was no point at being his wife when your role would always be easily replaced. 

Satoru’s stolid mien was an answer in itself, because his blank gaze and unsympathetic expression sent your heart to the deepest layer of hell. “No,” he declared, “I never have and never will.” 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐗

Four days. 

Or perhaps five? 

The days blurred into an indistinguishable haze since your husband's decree consigned you to the confines of the west tower. Unlike the dungeon, reserved for commoners and lower ranks, the western tower housed nobility and imperial captives. Though superior in amenities, it remained a prison in essence. There was only a solitary window within the cell that offered a small glimpse of the world beyond. The view was barely within your reach as it was too high up for you to be able to see outside. 

You were treated no less than a rebel. Accused of treason. Accused of infidelity. Your reputation as an empress was tarnished, excluded from social circles, excommunicated by the church—at least, these were some of the things you have heard from the passerby, the attendants who do their nightly rounds in the west tower. The attendants and guards themselves no longer respected you, although you could still sense that they were cautious around you. Afraid that if the emperor were to change his mind and release you, that you would remember their faces and get back at them with brutal repercussions. 

It was entertaining, truly. It was even more humorous to watch the attendant serve you with soup and bread day and night. Judging by the distinct odor, the soup was laced with arsenic. Someone was definitely trying to poison you, but you were certain that it was not orchestrated by Satoru. Not him. He was too stupid to conjure such a plan as it also contradicted his penchant for more direct and violent approaches. If he wanted to assassinate someone, he would rather crack their skulls or slash them in half. He was too bloodthirsty to kill someone by means of poison. 

So that left you with one person: Lord Maximilian. 

Your father, the Grand Duke, promptly sent you a letter after hearing that you were locked up in the west tower, assuring you of his efforts to persuade Satoru to release you and clear your name, demanding your innocence be proved to the empire. He also cautioned that it might be a considerable amount of time before your husband could address your case, given the pressing matter of the Astherean army's invasion on Caelum's borders. In your head, you knew Satoru was having a hard time dealing with the military conflict without your counsel. It was your mind that staged the coup, leading him to his succession 10 years ago. Now, without you, he was faced with difficulty. He did not even have Nanami by his side to guide him through the war. 

You laughed. Good for him. 

On the 7th day, your father wrote again. This time, he informed you that there was a ceasefire between Caelum and Astheryn. Apparently, Caelum was struck by the bubonic plague. Astheryn withdrew its cavalry out of fear of losing their soldiers from the Black Death, while Caleans were left to suffer from the spreading disease. The citizens were going mad, panic was ensuing, and there was food shortage everywhere. No one knew what the cause was nor how to cure it. He said those who had caught the disease would fall to their deaths in a matter of days. 

You laughed again. That is my own doing, father. 

Three days later, another missive arrived from the Grand Duke, informing you of his recent audience with Satoru. Your father let you know that the Emperor still held a lingering wrath towards you, but he confirmed that your trial would be scheduled shortly. The letter also conveyed unsettling rumors of your potential deposition, suggesting that Satoru entertained matrimonial negotiations with Princess Katarina from the Kingdom of Ellesmere.

You laughed even more. A remarriage, just as he wanted. 

On the 14th day, your father did not write. He visited you on the western tower himself, somberly informing you of Suguru’s demise. He revealed that the knight commander had been thrown in the dungeon on the same day you were taken to the west tower, but he was treated more harshly. He was tortured, mentally and physically, until he met a gruesome death. Your father chose to spare you of the details of Suguru’s tragic fate. 

At that, you could not laugh. No, in fact, you cried silently in your cell that night knowing that an innocent man died ruthlessly because of you. 

What a hypocrite you were! 

The burden of introducing the Great Plague to Caelum, resulting in the deaths of countless innocent citizens, rested on your shoulders. Yet, your moral boundary seemed to be drawn at Suguru's demise?

You found yourself engulfed in laughter once more, disregarding the puzzled stares from attendants and guards alike. They may have deemed you mad, yet perhaps, madness was the only sane response to the chaos of this world. Why? What was there to be ashamed of? Life was but a game of strategy, a grand chessboard where the king, though less agile than the queen, would always be the last man standing.

Seated in a corner that night, your laughter mingled with tears, a mix of raw emotions unleashed, as the echo of approaching footsteps reached your ears. The flickering torchlight casted a shadow upon the wall, revealing the silhouette of a tall man escorted by two knights.

“Y/N.” 

When Satoru visited you on the eve of your trial, you never expected him to call your name so tenderly. What you were anticipating was his usual torrent of anger and scorn, and you found yourself bewildered by the odd shift in his demeanor. He then entered your cell and crouched before you, his blue eyes seemed almost softened by sympathy.

“Thy trial is scheduled for to-morrow,” he spoke deliberately, though you avoided meeting his gaze. “I have a proposal for thee.”

You remained silent.

“Even if thou have betrayed me, I will extend mercy unto thee, out of gratitude for aiding mine ascension to the throne.” The irony of his words were a slap to your face, hurting your ears as you listened. “I require thee to step down from thy throne with humility, dispose of the bastard thou carry, and live a modest, solitary life in the countryside. There, an estate awaits thee. I expect thee to live quietly, and await the time I will visit thee. Thou will remain as my mistress, though it will not be officially acknowledged.” 

As the emperor's words were spoken, the empress's laughter erupted with a wild and bitter sound that echoed through the chamber. Your eyes blazed with defiance, lips curled into a scornful sneer.

“Ha ha ha!” 

Satoru’s lips tightened a fraction, his body turning into solid ice as you let out an ear splitting horselaugh. 

“Ha ha ha ha!” 

His eyebrows furrowed in anger. “Empress!” 

“Fool!” you spat, your voice laced with derision. “Thou think to offer me mercy while chaining me to a life of servitude? Thou speak of gratitude while stripping me of dignity and autonomy. Thy offer is but another prison for thee to keep me as a pawn!” Your laughter turned into manic fervor, fueled by rage and disillusionment. “I will not bend to thy will, nor will I accept thy false benevolence.” 

In the end, Satoru was still a hubristic man. An ungrateful, hubristic man. An ungrateful, hubristic, foolish man. 

“Art thou aware of thy current standing?!” He was livid. Oh, he certainly was. 

Yet you? You smiled. You offered him a beautiful, sarcastic smile. “No soul in this empire shall love thee except for me! All are foes to thee, except for me! I alone have loved thee for thee. Ponder upon that, my misguided husband, for in thy quest for dominion, thou hast forsaken the one who loved thee sincerely.” 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐗𝐈

“We gather today for a matter of great import: the trial of Her Majesty, the Empress, accused of treasonous infidelity.”

As the trial went on, your thoughts drifted back to the day of the maid's trial. Then, she knelt beneath the throne, facing the scrutiny of the court as she protested her innocence and pleaded for mercy. You, once seated upon the now-vacant throne, regarded her with detached interest. The irony of the reversal was not lost on you. It was true that you would pay the price of your wrongdoings, and be rewarded for your kind deeds. In this life, you let your greed get the best of you. You let your love for Satoru blind you. If you were ever to be reborn, you vowed to never again allow yourself to be ensnared by such folly for it led you to nowhere but misery.

How funny is that? These nobles were all here to watch your trial, while a war and plague were happening outside of the castle’s walls. 

“—may our deliberations be guided by the righteous light of truth. Empress Y/N, you appear to be in jest. This trial is a serious matter to thee.” 

You received the courtier’s look of disapproval, while the others were judging your sanity. 

“Let her be,” ordered Satoru, who looked tired and resigned. You could hear his sigh even if he was a couple meters away, and his eyes glowed in sad blues as he stared at you, as if it would be the last time he would ever see your face. 

Perhaps that truly was the case, and you made no effort to fight against it nor did you appeal to prove your innocence. There was no mercy begged for, no forgiveness sought for. It was because you saw no purpose to live this life. He must have sensed your true feelings inside as he watched you from afar, but Satoru still seemed like he was looking for a way to get you out of the situation. Instead of imposing a tyrannous punishment on you, he was clearly attempting to make you innocent. To give you a benefit of the doubt. All of the courtiers and advisors, however, were in complete disagreement. They knew that the emperor held a soft spot for you, but they did not know that his only purpose was to keep using you. 

Honestly? Your mind was growing weary. The trial dragged on endlessly as Satoru struggled to mitigate your punishment. Not until…

“His Majesty, Emperor Satoru, is consulting with an oracle,” you declared, silencing the entire hall with your revelation, ending this ridiculous trial once and for all, “Deep in the dungeon, he hides the old lady. The emperor of this nation is a supporter of heresy, therefore, he is to be subjected to inquisition.” 

Your accusations, indeed, were grave. An eerie and portentous air filled the throne room as Satoru himself was stunned and wide-eyed. Surprise contorted his features after he was exposed. His lips quivered and his jaw muscles tightened, and anger soon smoldered all semblance of composure on his saintly face. 

Caelum was a deeply Catholic nation and the Catholic Church, as an institution, did not endorse or recognize oracles as legitimate sources of divine revelation. Practices associated with oracles, such as divination, fortune-telling, and consulting spirits, as forms of superstition were heretical. These practices were considered as attempts to circumvent the authority of the Church and seek guidance from sources outside of the orthodox Christian belief.

Individuals suspected of engaging in practices associated with oracles, particularly if those practices were perceived as challenging the Church authority or promoting beliefs contrary to Catholic doctrine, could be subject to investigation, trial, and punishment by ecclesiastical authorities, even if they were members of the imperial family. 

Thus, in your revelation, Satoru was now subjected to a much more serious, unforgivable crime than you. Because he would be at war with the Church. 

And not only would he be at war with the Church, but also with Astheryn, and the Great Plague all at once. 

Of course, Satoru intensely denied it and tried to turn things around on you. He was going haywire as your ‘accusation’ caused a commotion amongst the courtiers who whispered and murmured in shock and disbelief. As the emperor, his voice held the greatest authority in that hall, and so he became furious at you, claiming to everyone that you were diverting the situation to seem innocent, denying the existence of an oracle in his castle, and that you were to be publicly executed for the crime of commiting lèse-majesté by slandering the emperor’s name. 

Finally, the tyrant was back. 

You were sick of his sympathetic gazes. 

If your husband knew you by heart, then he would know that your sole intention at declaring his fortnightly consultations with the oracle was because you wanted to anger him, and in turn, get a punishment that would be enough to free yourself from his grasp. That was the perfect approach. 

But of course, Satoru might be slow in that department. All he could see right now was a traitorous wife whose malicious intent was to undermine his authority and topple him from the throne. An enemy. That was what you had become to him.

On the day of your public execution, your father cried. And so did your ladies-in-waiting. The rest were eager to see you beheaded, all with keen eyes as you were ushered at the public square, drawing in a large crowd of nobles and commoners alike. 

Who would have guessed that you held such notoriety?

The words, “witch!”, “traitor!”, and “evil!” were thrown your way as you were guided by two knights towards the center of the scaffold. With a rosary on one hand, and a bible on the other, you looked at your father. He should be safe. You had written him a letter, telling him to bring the family and the servants to a remote island away from Caelum. As for you, your end was near. 

With your head pressed against the block, and the executioner raising his sword, your impending doom was imminent. The imperial sword he carried, you recognized, was Satoru’s personal and favorite sword. 

“Your head will be severed swiftly,” said the headsman, “Any last words?” 

Your eyes found the sky as your lips curled into a sinister smile. “Citizens of Caelum, I will soon meet thy Emperor in hell!” 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐗𝐈𝐈

A month has passed since your execution. 

Instead of having your decapitated head impaled on spikes atop the city gates, Satoru ordered your corpse be buried at the tomb. The location was not revealed to anyone else. The citizens also did not question his choice. 

The emperor was secretly grieving the loss of his wife. 

Everyone knew. They were all aware that the emperor was mourning over the empress despite your betrayal of him, yet all of them turned a blind-eye on it. They were afraid that the emperor would punish anyone who would remind him of you. 

Was this still not an act of love? 

In fact, no, not everyone knew. Not everyone were aware that one of your lady-in-waiting swore to him in oath that you never had an affair with the knight and that the child you carried was not at all a bastard, but his. It was Satoru’s heir. It was his own child. It was the future Emperor of Caelum.

Because of his misjudgment and his paranoia, he lost the only woman who truly loved him. 

Now the empire was in shambles. Satoru could not deny that your lack of presence in the castle had a much more devastating impact than the plague that wiped half of Caelum’s population. His advisors were of no use when it came to military tactics. Nanami, the most competent of them all, was nowhere to be found. The soldiers have been struck by the Black Death, lowering his total heavy infantry down to a quarter of its nominal full strength. 

The plague had spread rapidly, causing widespread devastation and food shortage, and as the death toll rose and communities were decimated by the plague, desperation set in. There were villages that had more dead people to collect than living beings who survived. It was a state where all were affected no matter what their noble rankings were. 

People tried various remedies and treatments, often turning to religious practices such as prayer and penance in hopes of appeasing divine wrath and stopping the spread of the disease. Plague doctors also swarmed the streets with their dark canvas robes and beaked masks, implementing quarantine and treating infected individuals. 

Satoru secluded himself in his chamber, both day and night, observing the devastation of his empire from the castle's highest vantage point. Desperation ran rampant, driving citizens to seek sanctuary within the palace walls. Initially, the emperor permitted entry only to the highest-ranking nobles. However, as word spread of the palace offering refuge, lower-ranking nobles and commoners clamored for entry, prompting Satoru to order the complete fortification of the castle walls.

The stench of burning bodies permeated the air as the castle became besieged by the diseased, seeking entry but met with the fierce flames intended to ward off infection from the emperor and his staff.

“What say the Kingdom of Ellesmere?” Satoru, who had been suffering from high fever, muscle pain, and skin lesions, was accompanied by a state of paranoia as he spoke to Lord Maximilian. “The marriage negotiations with that… that princess. What says them?” 

“My liege.” He bowed, apologetically. “They no longer wish to proceed. As we are struck by the plague, King Kalleon IV thought it would be of no benefit to be in alliance with a fallen empire. Furthermore, there is something that thou must be aware of, Your Majesty.” 

The emperor looked at his advisor.

“The trade ship that caused the plague to spread throughout Caelum was…” the old man paused, wary of the ruler’s reaction, “It was approved entry by the late Empress Y/N.” 

Ha ha ha ha!

How twisted of you, indeed. Where does he go from here? Satoru was sick, genuinely sick, as he heard the clamor of diseased individuals rioting outside the castle walls. Inside the palace, his own people were also engaged in their own chaos. He was at a point where he was too fatigued to react violently at his wife’s crimes. What did Maximilian want him to do, chastise you? You were already gone, and you have left him with the most profound revenge than any punishment he could ever fathom. 

Satoru found himself consumed by a maelstrom of emotions. He was seeing red from his visions, and seeing black from his discolored skin. Gangrene. Buboes. Chills. All he could do now was laugh at his misery. He grappled with the haunting question of how he arrived at this wretched juncture. What deeds, what choices, led him down this harrowing path of suffering and despair? 

Lord Maximilian did one last attempt at coaxing the emperor. “My liege, the prophecy…” 

The mere mention of the prophecy, however, ignited a primal fury within him. His words filled Satoru with a seething rage and he entertained the notion of silencing Maximilian's voice forever, drawing his sword and executing a swift slash on his advisor’s neck. 

That damned prophecy! 

That, that was what led to all of this! 

In the depths of his suffering, Satoru had experienced the last stretch of the disease entering his body. He was vomiting, crawling on the floor, reaching for the window in hopes of seeing his empire for the last time. But eventually, his weakened body had him submit to his forfeit. 

In a matter of minutes, he would soon find death and earn his place at the ninth circle of hell. 

In a matter of seconds, he would soon be named the most hated emperor in history, just as you like it. 

⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶♱⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

In the aftermath of the plague and the cessation of war, the once-mighty Caelum Empire lay in ruin, its rulers, once named the worst rulers in history, overthrown. The remnants of the imperial lineage crumbled under the weight of their tyranny. Rising from the shadows of despair emerged the newly crowned Emperor Yuuta, the only remaining lineal heir of the Gojou lineage, who returned to Caelum from his exile with a fervent commitment to restore and rebuild. Known for his fairness and compassion, Yuuta pledged to rebuild the empire, to heal its wounds, and to usher in an era of lasting peace. With each brick laid and each decree issued, he sought to honor the memory of those who perished and to ensure that the horrors of the past would never be repeated. And so, under Yuuta's steadfast guidance, the Caelum Empire embarked on a journey of restoration, its future brightened by the promise of a new dawn.

this fic always gets me so 💞🔥 😩 I love him sm

I Love You, Always

Sukuna x Reader

Part 15 Sakura ♡ ♡ ♡ Part 16 Bali series m. list

Reblogs, likes and comments are appreciated!

Warnings: Some angst, mostly fluff (?), smut, shotgun kissing, alcohol intake, car sex, oral (male receiving).

A/N: I don't know if you guys realized but I made Sukuna taller than his canon height lmao. He's around 6-6'2ft in here lmao. Also, I'm not very great at smut and fluff, I'm seriously the best at angst lmao. Just remember, this story will have mature themes, heavy angst etc. as the story progresses. Thank you for reading~

The air feels nice and cool against you as you wander around the empty train tracks. It’s past midnight and he’s managed to coerce you into sneaking out of the house. You balance yourself on the rails while Sukuna walks beside you on the rocks.

“I need to stop listening to you, Sukuna. You’ll get me in trouble one of these days.”

Though you say this, there’s a smile perched on your pretty lips. He stops walking and motions with his hands in big movements, “it’s worth it though. Look,” he spins around slowly, making the rocks crunch beneath him and smiles when his eyes land on yours again, “we have this place all to ourselves. It’s dark out and there’s no one but us.”

Ah, there goes the fluttering in your stomach again. Even when you’re standing on the tracks, Sukuna stands taller than you; and there’s a softness in his expression and body language towards you. When you first met him, he was tense and guarded, as were you. When did you both let your guard down? For some reason, you can’t pinpoint the exact moment. You choose to capture this moment in your memory forever and lock it in your heart, because it’s something only you can see.

You place your hands on his chest and sway side to side. “You should smile more; it suits you.”

Sukuna’s smile drops almost immediately and he clears his throat while turning away from you, “smiling is the biggest jinx. I don’t want to.”

You giggle at his shyness and gently slap his chest, “come on~ smile! Show me those pearly whites.”

He reluctantly turns back to you and flashes you a petty smile, “happy?”

“I am.”

He scoffs at you but takes your hand in his and leads the rest of the way down the tracks. Conversations upon conversations pile up into the night and the sound of your loud laughs can be heard through the echo of night but neither of you care. Sukuna makes you smile. He makes you feel as if there’s no one else in the world except you two, but deep down, you’re still drowning in guilt.

For all you know, those who used to be your friends are probably talking behind your back and making stories. They could be saying all sorts of things about you and you wouldn’t even know for sure until word got back to you. No one answers you back. When you ask to hang out, you’re left on delivered or read. The only person who still texts you from time to time is Kazuya. He gives you words of encouragement and tells you it’s not your fault and to just enjoy what you have but it’s still a bit hard. You know what you’re doing with Sukuna isn’t fully appropriate, but it’s hard to stop as well.

Sukuna’s throat bobs up and down when he realizes you’re not paying attention anymore. It’s really easy to read you, actually. He knows what you’re thinking and part of him just wants to tell you to stop overthinking it because it already happened and now it’s in the past. It’s time for you to stop feeling sorry towards Kaede.

He lets your hand go, steps in front of you and then spins around to face you while walking backwards. You stare at him with wide eyes and watch how the subtle wind blows his hair back and reveals a part of his forehead. Jeez, this dude is so charming in the face.

“Let’s play a game.”

This piques your interest, so you listen in, “what kind?”

He holds a finger out and chuckles cockily, “let’s list things we like about each other.”

“I don’t wanna play.” You shoot the idea down and hop off the tracks to go around him but he spins around and grabs your wrist to stop you. You frown, “what?”

Sukuna’s eyes dart around on your facial features as he ponders. “You don’t have to say anything, y/n. Just listen to me.”

Even though Sukuna likes to come off as a hard guy, you can sense the desperation in his voice. It’s not enough to make you feel bad, but it comes off as him wanting to reassure you, so you nod.

“I like the way you get mad easily,” he starts off, “I like the way you make deals with me.” Sukuna gently tugs your wrist towards him and pulls you into his warm embrace. He rests his chin on top of your head, “I like how you always make me chase you.”

This makes you giggle into his chest and you close your eyes as you take in his citrusy scent. He still smells like cigarettes from time to time, but today he doesn’t. You wrap your arms around his torso as well and continue to listen.

“The truth is…” Sukuna’s voice stalls for a bit, “you’re annoying and bipolar.” And before you can break the hug and argue with him, he places a kiss on top of your head and laughs, “I also like that about you.” Then he pulls back enough to stare at your pretty face again, “but truthfully, y/n, I like the way you smile just for me.”

Sukuna doesn’t know if your cheeks and nose are red from his words or if they’re red from the slight breeze, but it makes his heart flutter anyway. He leans down and boops your nose with his, “your smiling face is what I like the most.”

Ah shit… he’s got you wrapped around his fucking fingers, that asshole. But there you go doubting again. Even though your heart is leaping and doing somersaults at his sweet words, you push yourself off of him and laugh awkwardly. It’s stupid right? You’ve kissed, fucked, done it all and yet you cross the line at a small confession.

“I don’t know…” You’re already walking off without him as you speak. “Are you sure you don’t like me for my body? That seems more plausible.”

Okay, that irritates the fuck out of Sukuna, but he’ll keep his cool because he doesn’t want to ruin the night. He didn’t know you’d react like this. He catches up to you and shoves his hands in his pockets while his shoulders hunch inwards, a subconscious act of him putting up a small barrier. Neither of you seem to realize it.

He looks straight ahead at the dark abyss. “Didn’t I tell you already? I like you.” His tone is a little grumpier now as he speaks, “why are you so stubborn?”

“I said I liked you… but maybe now isn’t the right time.” Your lips purse, “and maybe we shouldn’t do it so much. It makes me feel horrible.”

Sukuna laughs, “lying straight through those teeth of yours, I see.” He looks at you through his peripheral vision, “right in my face, too. Oh, the audacity.”

Even though he’s slightly annoyed with you, he’s back to smiling sweetly, “look, y/n,” he sighs, “Kaede had a small crush on me. She confessed and I rejected her. I get that you feel bad for her but it’s time to let that shit go. Besides…” He frowns, “she turned everyone against you.”

“Because I wronged her in many aspects, Sukuna.”

“And look at us, still having sex and making out.”

“Then maybe we should stop until…” You shut yourself up, unable to finish the sentence. You’re selfish and you know it. Sukuna was right. The audacity you have is horrendous.

Sukuna is quiet as well. Did you want to stop, then? All of this just to go back to stage one, smh. His jaw clenches, but he shoves aside his own feelings and gives your head an affectionate pat, “let’s go home, doll. We can talk about it another day.”

♡ ♡ ♡

Can someone just smack you? It seems like you always ruin the freaking moment and it’s frustrating. Would it be better if you just forgot it all?

The walk back is silent and now he’s in front of your house, getting ready to help you climb over the heavy ass gate. You’re just standing there, so Sukuna straightens up.

“What?”

You can’t look at him. You feel too bad. You fiddle with your nails, “I just wanted to apologize to you.”

Sukuna cocks his head to the side with an amused smirk, “for what?” He just finds you so adorable at times.

“For what I said earlier tonight.” Your head is still hanging down, “didn’t I make you uncomfortable?”

He steps closer to you and hums, “hmm, not at all. Why would you think that?”

You can see his shoes in front of you, so you slowly raise your head. No one likes to apologize because it’s ego crushing to do so, but you don’t like to fight with Sukuna. You’ve done it before and it wasn’t great. It made you feel empty and all sorts of other things…

“Just because,” you say quietly. “You didn’t look too happy about what I said.”

He can’t stay mad at you. Not when you’re all sulky and cute. He brings his face closer to yours and gives the tip of your nose a soft peck, “I don’t know how I looked earlier, but don’t take it the wrong way.” Sukuna’s eyes soften up at you, “I don’t mind at all.”

Oh, thank god. Now you can breathe! You shut your eyes and fall into his warmth, “that’s a relief to hear, then.”

He peppers your face with a bunch of tiny kisses before chuckling, “even if you blow me off a thousand times, I won’t get angry.”

How could he still think this way after you’ve given him mixed signals for months? You push your face into his chest and rub side to side. “What do you plan to do with me, Sukuna?”

“Still thinking,” he entertains.

Here comes the greed inside of you. It fights against your guilt and mindlessly, you hug him tighter. “Do you plan to love me?”

You’re hot and cold. Bipolar and indecisive.

Sukuna has always believed that he was a man unworthy of love. How could someone like him ever get to experience it? He thought love was stupid. The word was made up for delusional people, it had to be. But, he’s so smitten with you that maybe it’s possible. For now, he’s smitten… Yeah. He’s not sure if he loves you, but maybe he could learn to. All he knows is that you’re not there either. He sucks in a breath, “did you want me to? Once I start with you, I won’t be able to stop.”

Is this where you end your friendship with Sukuna and start something new? You haven’t spoken to Kaede, so you don’t know why she still haunts your mind. You don’t know why she makes you feel so guilty. Perhaps it’s just all in your mind. Maybe you are overthinking. Your heart wants to leap at Sukuna every time you see him. You want to kiss him comfortably without having to look over your shoulder. You want it all.

Sukuna releases you and gives you one more chance to back out. His face is serious. “Ichihara y/n, you can’t be friends with someone you were in love with. You just can’t. If you don’t think this will work out in the long run, then tell me now.”

You don’t know this, but if you choose to run away from Sukuna, this will be the last you’ll see of him. He won’t even say a word to you. He’ll just leave your world.

“I’d like to start something new with you someday, when we’re both ready, ” your voice is barely audible, “if that’s what you want.”

It’s a good enough answer for him, so he nods and pushes you towards the gate, “no rush.”

Once you’re halfway over, you look down. “Are you staying over tonight?”

“Not today. I kind of miss my own bed.” Sukuna yawns and then waves for you to go, “goodnight, y/n.”

“Goodnight.”

♡ ♡ ♡

He stopped texting you after he let you know that he got home safe. It doesn’t bother you since he looked pretty tired earlier, but you can’t fall asleep. Ah, that’s right. He never collected his clothes. Is he leaving them here on purpose? Feeling bored, you hop off the bed and walk to your dresser. You take his pants out and unfold them.

“Damn, they’re big.”

Just out of curiosity, you take your pants off and step into his. They’re oversized on you, but it’s a cute look! There’s a small smile playing on your lips as you sway side to side, admiring yourself in the mirror, but the sound of soft plastic wrinkling can be heard. Where is it coming from? His pants? You pat down on his front pockets and don’t feel anything in particular, so you reach inside instead.

The right pocket is empty, but the left contains what feels like a small bag. What could it be? You pull it out and frown at the sight. There are two full colored rectangle pills and a broken one in the bag. These aren’t ordinary pills like ibuprofen… you know that much. Could it be? Is he a drug dealer? Is that why he said he was a bad person? Sure, it’s illegal, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person, right? Right???

You really want to call him and ask about it, but maybe he doesn’t have to know that you know. A part of you is afraid that he’ll disappear from you if he knew you found out, so you want to be greedy and stay quiet about it. And the reason why you’re doubting that he takes these kinds of things is because you’re always with him. He is always conscious. Always aware. The most you’ve seen him do is smoke weed, but you’ve never come to the conclusion that he was drugged out on ecstasy. Oh, and you’re with him all the time, so there wouldn’t be a time for him to even do all of these things. Well, of course, there are those nights when he doesn’t hang out with you because he wants to go to work, but he’s a bartender… There's no way he’s doing these things.

With shaking hands, you place the pills back where you got it and take his pants off. You’re surprised they survived the wash, but they were sealed in a bag, so it’s plausible. You’ll admit that a part of you feels heavy after finding these, but you just hope he isn’t on these drugs. If you’re going to date him later in life, you’ll have to introduce him to your parents and you already know how much they’ll judge him, so you hope he is sober. Obviously, they wouldn’t go to such lengths to get him tested to see if he was in the clear, but they’d judge him on appearance, which is annoying.

“What am I going to do…”

You sink onto the bed and curl up into a ball. Millions of thoughts fill your head while doubt starts to surface. Now that you think about it, you really don’t know Sukuna at all. Even after all of this. He barely opens up to you, hardly lets you in. You know that his parents have money, but what exactly do they do? Why doesn’t Sukuna ever tell you anything? You’ve seen him in his vulnerable state on rare occasions, but even then, it's hard to tell what he’s thinking. If you brought this up, would he run? Half of you argues that he’d stay, because he’s shown you his softer side but… the other half argues that he’d leave due to you knowing too much.

♡ ♡ ♡

“Y/n, it’s time to get up.”

You wake to the sound of your mom’s voice. She’s standing right outside your door, but she walks off when your dad mumbles something to her. You’d question what they’re discussing, but it doesn’t really intrigue you. You choose to get ready for the day instead since you’ll most likely be hanging with Sukuna again.

“Y/n.”

You glance up from your phone to stare at your mom. She’s got this look in her eye, and you don’t like it. It makes you feel uneasy. Still, you manage to smile just fine and raise your brows, “yes?”

Your mom brushes her hair behind her ears and leans over the table to stare at you a bit better. “You’ve been on your phone a lot lately.”

Ah, here she goes again. You lay your phone down and tap the table impatiently, “I’m always on my phone. Is that a problem?”

“Of course, it’s not.” Your dad speaks up and picks up his mug, “but well…” He glances at your mom nervously and continues, “it’s just that we have some news to deliver.”

Your mouth hangs open because what kind of news are they delivering? Why are they acting so serious? You lean towards them as well and stare at them with seriousness. “What is it? Please don’t tell me that you’re pregnant…”

“What?”

Your mom starts to choke on her spit and begins to pound at her own chest while your dad hurriedly pats her back to help. When she’s calmed down, she laughs loudly and shakes her head, “no, y/n. It’s not that, but your father has won a raffle of work and was rewarded with a vacation.”

“Oh, that’s it? Why were you acting all serious then?” You exhale dramatically and playfully wipe the fake sweat off of your forehead, “ya had me nervous there.”

Your father laughs at your silliness but nods, “yes, I won a fully paid vacation, actually. It’s in Bali and the resort offers a two bedroom, two bath suite for us. We even have a private balcony as well.”

Well I guess it’s a good thing they gave you a heads up? But gosh, why were they so weird about it? You shrug your shoulders and give a light clap, “congrats on your vacation. Have fun~”

“Oh, well, you’re coming with us, sweetheart.” Your mom quickly adds, holding her hand out towards you so you don’t leave too fast. “He won a couples vacation, so the both of us are paid for, but we’re bringing you along, no fighting it.”

“There’s really no need for me to impose, really.” You get up from the table and gather your plate, “but you two deserve a vacation, so have fun.”

Annoyingly, your mom follows you into the kitchen. She crosses her arms and sighs at you, “you’re coming along with us. It’s two bedrooms and two baths, you’ll have your own little privacy, y/n.”

“Yeah, but I’m fine staying home alone here.”

“Not happening. I’ll become paranoid with you here all by yourself.”

“I’m an adult, mom.”

“A young adult,” she corrects. “I cannot have you here by yourself for three days, sweetheart. Like I said, no fighting against it.”

“But-”

“Your father already paid for your roundtrip ticket, y/n. Have your things packed by Friday. Our flight leaves around seven in the morning.” She turns the faucet on to start doing dishes but continues to talk, “the reason why I commented about you being on your phone was for this reason. We’ll be on vacation, so make sure not to be on your phone for too long.”

You won’t lie, you’re a bit excited about going to Bali but that means no Sukuna for a while… and also, you’re stuck hanging out with your parents. Your lips curve into a frown, “so you mean to say I’ll be stuck by your side from day to night?”

She chuckles at you, “not necessarily, but I’d appreciate it if you tried to stay close by. If not that, then if you’d at least feast with us each of the days.”

“Okie dokie.”

Right after you say that, you hear your phone ding and jog towards it. Oh, would you look at that. It’s Sukuna. He’s waiting for you around the corner, so you clean up the rest of the table and then say a short ‘bye’ to both parents.

Sukuna rolls the windows down and whistles at you, “ayo, lemme holla for a dolla!”

“You’re so stupid,” you laugh and place your hands on your hips, “you’re driving today? Do you even have a license?”

“Nope.”

Well at least he’s honest. You roll your eyes at him but get in anyway, “who’s car?”

“Who else? It belongs to me.”

There’s a pause in your laugh so you can deadpan at him, “you have a car yet no license. Should I even trust being in here with you?”

Sukuna leans over to give you a quick kiss, “I made it safely, didn’t I? Besides, I got a few driving lessons from Yuuma in my adolescent days.”

“Please shut up…”

Sukuna is driving pretty okay. And it’s actually nice, driving around the city with no true destination. Well, at first you were driving around aimlessly until Sukuna decided on a location. The traffic fucking sucks ass though. Usually, the traffic from Tokyo to Shinjuku wouldn’t be too bad since it’s barely a 7-10 minute drive, but today it is, so while the light is red, Sukuna leans his head back against the headrest and lazily turns to look at you. He thinks you’re beautiful, even with all your natural attributes.

He licks his licks and pushes himself off the seat to lean over. He grabs the back of your head with one hand and leans in slowly. “I’m bored,” he whispers, “kiss me for entertainment.”

Heat rushes to your cheeks at his bold statement but you lean in anyway. His kisses are so gentle yet they radiate the complete opposite. The sounds are lewd in your ears but he’s kissing you so lovingly. There aren’t any tricks in the way he is kissing, and his tongue barely passes your lips, only enough to pull you in. It’s a great way to kill time while the lights are red but the poor people around you with wandering eyes are sure to be disturbed by such an intimate act. Given it’s not exactly your fault if they see, but still. You blush harder at the fact that there might be wandering eyes and you’re sure that Sukuna can sense it based on the way he smiles against your lips.

He pulls away and then leans back in to place one more kiss on your lips. “What?”

“What if people saw?” Your voice is small and timid while your cheeks glow.

Sukuna looks around and into the other cars without a care. He does happen to make eye contact with a male and smirks in return, “it’s not our problem if they see, doll.”

He pulls you in for another passionate kiss and he continues to do so at every red light. You’re not sure if he’s trying to punish you or something, but it turns you on a lot. You’re just too shy to admit it. He finally parks in a public space and ushers for you to follow after.

“This is where you chose?”

Sukuna hums, “yep, Shinjuku. We’re gonna ditch the car here for a while and explore on foot.”

He locks the car and holds his hand out to you. It’s a silent way of him asking to hold your hand, so you place your hand in his and intertwine your fingers. You like the way he emits natural heat, it makes you feel safe. With time being the beginning of April, there are a ton of blossom trees in the area, so the petals fall like snowfall. There are also lots of people here, so human traffic is unavoidable.

“Wow, you totally match the scene.” You pick a fallen petal from Sukuna’s cheekbone and blow it off your fingers with a small grin.

“Quit it,” Sukuna grumbles as he dusts the rest off of him.

While he does so, your eyes catch a glimpse of the chain around his neck and your heart suddenly feels a light pinch. You lean in towards his chest and kiss the center, a smile making its way to your face when you feel the pendant beneath the fabric. The action surprises Sukuna because he stumbles back from you with pink tinted ears and slightly raised eyebrows. He chortles at you, “are you tempting me in broad daylight?”

“I would never,” you say with a mischievous grin. “I just feel a bit happier today after seeing that on you.”

Sukuna holds his hand out towards you and waits for your hand. “I’ll never take it off again.”

After you lock fingers with him again, you pout and feign annoyance, “yeah, right.”

“Should I get down on my knees and vow my life to you, then?”

“No!” You give his hand a light squeeze and walk forward with him, “people will think you’re proposing. That, or they’ll think I’m being a bitch to you.”

“Well then.”

Sukuna begins to slowly drop as he walks with you and you panic, quickly pulling him back up. “Stop, Sukuna.”

He laughs wholeheartedly with you and nods, “okay, okay. I’m just playing with you.”

So many eyes, so many cameras. The crowd is filled with locals and tourists who are all trying to capture Japan’s beauty. Oh, and of course, there are plenty of vendors that sell sakura souvenirs and a few food vendors as well. Since there are so many people, Sukuna pulls you closer to him and makes sure to hold your hand tighter.

“Do any of these interest you?”

Your eyes catch sight of the various little sakura trinkets and even though it’s cute, you don’t think it’s something you need. It doesn’t hurt to look though, right? Your hand never leaves his, but you continue to drag him around, “I’m just looking.”

He thinks it’s funny that he brought you here, yet you’re the one leading the way. And maybe he’s being possessive or something because he swears he sees men looking at you from time to time. And you can go ahead and call him crazy, he’ll accept it. Obviously, there will be wandering eyes as this is a public space with lots to see, so naturally some eyes will fall on you here and there, but it lowkey irks his soul (if he even has one). Sukuna makes sure to glare at those who stare for too long though. How dare they keep staring at your beauty when you’re obviously here with someone. Gosh, if you weren’t such a scaredy-cat-goody-two-shoes he’d walk up to them and confront them. Shit, if you’d let, he’d drag you up with him and stick his tongue down your throat so they can see that you’re not here alone. Initially, he’d just fuck them up til his knuckles were raw, but he’s not trying to go to jail right now. Not when he has you, so yeah, shoving his tongue down your throat sounds more ideal.

And fuck. Now he’s got a fucking boner in public. Feeling uncomfortably tight, he doesn’t want to move, but you just keep dragging him around, bumping him into all of these strangers. He yanks you back, causing your back to crash into him. “Don’t walk off too far without me.”

Your eyebrows pull down at him and you speak over the crowd. “But we’re holding hands, what does it matter?”

“I’ve got a boner right now. Wanna find a private space?”

It’s a half joke lol. Sukuna already knows what your answer is, but he finds your reactions interesting because you’re genuinely annoyed this time, even with a light smile.

“Oh my god, you’re insatiable. I’m not helping with that, but we can ditch this place really quick and look for a bathroom if you need to relieve yourself.”

Sukuna laughs out loud at your expression and shakes his head, “nah, it’s only half hard. I’ll live, I guess.” He eyes the dango stall and drags you there, barely apologizing to the people he bumps into in the process.

“These look good,” he sighs.

“You eat more than you did when I first met you.” You say this more to yourself, but Sukuna hears it anyway.

“Eating isn’t as satisfying as smoking, but it does the job… somewhat.”

Oh? Is he stressed? Was he serious about the boner??? You don’t say anything else but stick close to Sukuna as you wait in line. When it’s your turn, he orders you each hanami dango. “Mmm~” you sing out as you take a bite. It’s soft and chewy with the perfect amount of sweetness. Sukuna is already on the second ball on the skewer, but just to be an ass, he swallows and leans down with an open mouth, waiting to be fed.

You laugh at his childish behavior but comply, pushing your own into his mouth. If you weren’t in public, you would’ve shoved the whole thing in until it hit the back of his throat (like you did with the popsicle that one time) but you’re not trying to die right now. “You always call me a pig. Are you sure it’s not you?”

Sukuna chews with his eyes closed and a small smile, “I am one, after you.”

“Whatever~”

The next item you purchase is sakura mochi. It’s sweet and salty, the perfect amount of savory. If you’re being honest, you prefer this over the hanami dango. You think Sukuna prefers it, too. Or he’s a follower. You rub your stomach and let out a soft burp, “that was good. Kinda thirsty though, right?”

“Hmm,” Sukuna looks around but most of the vendors sell sakura themed drinks or tea, and he’s not really feeling either of those, so he drags you to a vending machine (one he finds easily, thanks to his height). He buys a bottle of water to help wash everything down and lets you drink first, “here.”

After a while of walking around, you stretch and yawn. “We should’ve packed a blanket, so we could lay down like everyone else.”

He shrugs, “well I didn’t think we’d actually do much today.”

Aw, he’s so cute. You cuddle into him and look up with big eyes, “it’s okay~ Let’s ditch the car here and wander around more. We can go to a shopping center to kill time and then maybe explore Kabukicho?”

Sukuna frowns at you. “You want me to take you to the red-light district?”

“What? I’ll be with you the whole time, so it’s not like anything will really happen.” Your voice has toned down on octave in case you might’ve upset him.

He chews on the inside of his cheek for a bit before sighing. “Then you’ll absolutely have to stay by my side, alright? It’s dangerous for people like you., even if there are a lot of people around.”

This makes you laugh at him, “for people like me? And what about you? I know you look tough, but the danger applies to you too.”

“Y/n.”

He’s very serious, oddly so. This makes you shut up and nod silently.

♡ ♡ ♡

You end up in Don Quijote, spending the rest of the day going from place to place, store to store and playing with each other. By the time you’re done messing around, the sun is already beginning to set, so Sukuna grabs your hand again and groans. “I’m hungry. You?”

“I could eat.”

The wait time for Torikizoku is about half an hour, but talking to Sukuna makes time pass by faster. Before you know it, you’re being led to your table and Sukuna may have bribed the waiter with a lot of money… yeah, a super disrespectful thing to do, but the waiter accepted anyways and turned a blind eye to your age. Well, you’re not that far off from the legal drinking age, you’re just a year short.

You’ll admit that the skewers are pretty damn good and the drinks complement the flavors even better. Now you understand why some people pair alcohol with certain foods. The most you have today is beer, while Sukuna sticks to one shot, since he has to be responsible and drive later. But the more he stares at how you get to enjoy the mix of food and beer, the more envious he becomes. So, while his mouth salivates at the mixture, he thinks to himself that he can just ditch the car and come back for it tomorrow. Surely Satoru wouldn’t mind picking you two up. He doesn’t want to bother Yuuma right now, so.

Sukuna reaches over and drinks the beer from your cup, hissing after the taste settles on his taste buds. You’re wide eyed, “Sukuna, you have to drive.”

He scoffs, “I’m rich.”

“So?”

“So I’ll have someone get us if I can’t sober up later. Most we’ll be is buzzed, promise.”

Even though you click your tongue at him, you stupidly allow him to sip from your cup as well. After dinner is done, you both walk to Kabukicho. Thankfully you’re alright, since you drank with a meal. The night is young and bustling, full of life and party goers. Even though Sukuna’s hold on you is firm, he tries to loosen it just a bit so you won’t feel too suffocated.

You smile in general and excitedly look up at Sukuna, “let’s take pictures.”

“Why?”

Ah, here he is, the Sukuna you know. It’s just like before, when you first started hanging out. He’d always oppose, bitch and complain when you wanted to take a picture, but he’d always give in in the end. You sway a bit to persuade him. “Come on~ Just a few.”

Sukuna knows he’ll give in, but he wants to tease you a bit longer. He sticks his nose up and high and frowns, “why should I? It’s not like you’ll post it.”

That’s true. You’re still a bit scared to post him, but come on, dude. You gently slap at his chest, “it’ll just be for our eyes. Please?”

After staying silent for a few seconds too long, he huffs out a sigh and smirks at you, “fine. Just a few.”

That stupid little smile of yours flashes at him and he can’t help but let out a small laugh. You drag him to an area with a little less human traffic and find a nice spot. On que, Sukuna stands behind you and hunches over a bit so his face leans against the side of your head. The first few photos you take are serious ones, and then the next few you’re the only one smiling. You glare at him jokingly through the screen, “smile, Sukuna.”

“You think you’re the boss of me?”

Even though he says this, he smiles widely for the camera and even goes as far as to kiss the side of your head for one of them. It’s a cute moment because it completely catches you off guard, so in the next photo, your cheeks are burning pink.

Sukuna smiles and lets out a knowing laugh. “You’re blushing~”

You put your phone away and spin back around to face him, “it’s the beer.”

“Sure it is.”

He drags you forward and sling his arm around your shoulders, tucking you away under him from prying eyes. As you guys continue to walk down, people approach and try to lure you into the nightclubs and other businesses but Sukuna quickly turns them down. You wouldn’t mind going in, but Sukuna seems a bit on edge about it, so you just stay quiet and give a short apology each time. He does bring you into the little shops though and lets you look around.

“If you’re not gonna hold my hand the whole time, then stay where I can see you.”

You’re not sure if it’s a threat… Either way, you nod. “Jeez, it’s not like I’ll get swooped up, Sukuna.”

His lips twitch, “it’s actually pretty easy to kidnap someone, even with a crowd of people, y/n. So listen to me.”

Gosh, what’s he so worried about? When you’re done looking around, he takes your hand in his once again and you enter the sea of people. Sukuna points up to get your attention. “Look, you see Godzilla’s head up there?”

Godzilla?? You follow his finger and laugh at how random it is. Just then, a woman runs up to Sukuna and stops you guys in the middle of the crowd. Her hair is strawberry blonde, styled half up and she’s wearing an outfit that accentuates her curves. The keypoint of the outfit is the cutout on her chest, revealing her nice cleavage.

“Hello, how are you today?” Her voice is very pleasing to the ears, that’s for sure.

Sukuna juts out his lips at her and furrows his brows, “I’m not interested.”

When he tries to drag you forward, the woman steps in front of him again with her hands up towards her chest. “Oh, please wait a second! Would you be interested in coming into this place? I promise the drinks are delicious! You won’t regret it.”

Not once has she made eye contact with you… until now. She smiles in an apologetic way towards you, and you completely understand why. The woman is just trying to do her job, luring drunkards in to spend more and more money etc.

Sukuna smiles down at her in a charming way and shakes his head, “no, thank you. I’ve got the best entertainment right here and I don’t even need to pay.”

He earns a hard pinch from you, causing him to wince and hiss. When he sends you a death glare, you widen your eyes and act oblivious. The woman laughs shyly at him and nods, “okay then. Have a great rest of your night.”

Honestly, you’re walking in no actual direction, just following the crowd. Eventually you stumble into Golden Gai. It has more of a nostalgic vibe to it and it’s mostly filled with bars that provide stools for eight. Still, it’s a bit busy. Sukuna later pulls you into one of the businesses and you both have a bit more to drink. Don’t ask why you didn’t fight him against it more, it totally slipped your mind with how much fun you were having.

When the fun is done, you both make it back to where Sukuna parked the car. He’s not holding your hand anymore. Instead, he’s holding a small bag of fresh churros from one of the shops earlier. They were holding an event or something but you weren’t really paying attention. Anyway, there were a few cars parked near his when you first arrived but now that it’s late in the night, there are only two other cars in the parking lot. It’s a bit weird how secluded this area suddenly feels.

Sukuna burps involuntarily, “whoo, I’m a bit buzzed. Let’s cool off, yeah?”

“Sure.”

You’re about to pull the door handle but Sukuna shakes his head and taps the hood of his car. “Let’s lay down right here.”

You look at him and then the car with uncertainty. “Are you sure?”

He’s already laying on top of it, so you follow after and do the same. The sky is covered in a blanket of stars while the moon is half full. And wow, the coolness of the car does feel relaxing under your hot skin. Sukuna stuffs a few of the small churros in his mouth and then offers you some.

“These are good,” you compliment.

All he does is hum. Wow, he must be more buzzed than he’s letting on. When did he drink so much without you? Well, maybe you’re not as buzzed since all you had was beer, but he only mixed drinks a few times and he ate a big meal. You’re pretty relaxed right now and the only sound being made is the crinkling of the bag from both your hands going in back and forth. When there’s no more to eat, Sukuna reaches into his pocket and pulls out his lighter and cigarettes.

“You’re gonna smoke?”

It’s been a while. Sukuna doesn’t say anything. He settles the cancer stick between his lips, cupping his hand over it as he sparks up the lighter. Your curious little eyes watch the whole thing. You’ve seen him do this numerous times, yet every time you ask to try he denies. Since he’s feeling well, will his answer be different?

You nudge him gently while the smoke curls out from his mouth. “Can I try?”

“No way.”

Ah, like aways–

“Just kidding. You really want to?”

Huh? Did he just ask if you wanted to? You do a double take and stare at him like a dumbass. You’d ask if he’d repeat himself but that might change his mind, so you nod.

Sukuna chuckles, “alright.” He pushes himself off the car to sit up and motions for you to do the same. He passes the cigarette to you. “Go on.”

Every cell in your body is jumping with excitement, but you’re trying not to let it show because he might think you’re being stupid. You exhale slowly through your nose and take the cigarette from him. Shit. You feel more nervous now that his eyes are watching your every move.

You copy what he did earlier and inhale deeply, but then you immediately start to choke on smoke. Your face turns bright red from the force of coughing and Sukuna bursts out laughing at you. He’s been doing that a lot around you lately. Still, his heavy hand comes up to your back and he begins to pat roughly.

“Now who told you to take such a big puff, hmm?”

He’s looking down at you with gleaming eyes and you feel so put on the spot, yet you can’t stop yourself from blushing at the way he looks at you. Thankfully you can mask the blush with the redness from coughing, but a tiny bit of you thinks Sukuna isn’t fooled. He scoots closer to you and takes the cigarette from your hand. You’re about to argue against it but he beats you.

“Wanna shotgun it?”

Hah??? You must be very obvious. Sukuna chortles to himself and waves the cigarette in the air, “it means I’ll smoke it and then pass it to you through your mouth. It’d be easier than inhaling it yourself.” His face brightens a bit as a memory pops up into his head. “It’s the same as me passing liquor from my mouth into yours, y/n.” He takes another puff for himself and then flicks the cigarette. “In my opinion, it works better with a blunt since the smoke is thicker, but it works the same with cigarettes.”

You want to learn all the things Sukuna knows. You want to learn how to smoke, wanna learn how to do everything he does too. Sukuna inhales and holds the smoke in his mouth. He holds your face and gently leans in, pressing his lips to yours. You part your lips on instinct and inhale the smoke into your own mouth with closed eyes. Well whaddya know, it is easier.

Sukuna then quickly captures your lips with his own, causing the excess smoke to blow out in puffs around you. The kiss has remnants of booze on your tongues, cinnamon and now tobacco. Your hands fall onto Sukuna’s neck as the kiss deepens with you kissing back eagerly.

Sukuna discards the cigarette, throwing it somewhere on the ground. His hands wander as you kiss slowly; one hand tracing down, gently gripping your waist. His other hand moves from your face and threads into your hair to kiss you even deeper. You separate for a second to catch your breath but quickly rush back in, causing the tips of your nose to bump together while your tongues collide with each other, sparking electricity.

The fact that you’re almost completely in a secluded area makes it feel like time has slowed down for you. It’s quiet with the only sound being your lips meeting again and again with little groans in between. Feeling a little impatient, Sukuna’s hands ride up into your shirt, his cold fingers tracing your back. It sends a chill up your spine and you gasp into the kiss, earning a low chuckle from Sukuna.

Before anything escalates out here with prying eyes, you back up and catch your breath. “We gotta go, Sukuna. It’s getting late.”

“No, we don’t,” he whispers, leaning in to chase after another kiss.

You back up even further and let out a small laugh, “Sukuna, we’re in public.”

Your words go in his ear and out the other because he leans forward and decides to attach his lips to your neck instead. He leaves light kisses before he starts to suck gently.

“Don’t mark it,” you sigh, trying to be careful.

Seeing how eager and turned on he is, you push him away and nod your head in a direction. “We can go back and find a hotel. There were lots that we passed when we walked around.”

Sukuna shakes his head at you and jumps off the hood of his car and pulls you off as well, “no time.” He quickly scans the area for any cameras and when he finds none, he unlocks the car and pushes you inside. He goes in through his side and then locks his car again. With impatient hands, he pulls you over to his side and reclines his seat back.

“We’re doing this here? Now?” The shock in your voice is really cute.

Sukuna’s eyes are filled with lust and they’re hazy. You know this look all too well, so you give in and undo your bottoms. Soft lips meet yours again while you grind down on his hardened length. The warm air from your breaths fogged up the windows and it all happened so fast. Your lips connected, his pants unzipped and his dick deep within you while his hands find solace at your hips.

You’ve been riding him for quite some time now, so when he feels you losing pace, he begins to bounce you up and down while his hips snap up. “Fuck,” he groans, throwing his head back as his dick begins to feel more sensitive.

You pant even harder as your stomach begins to tighten. Gosh, he’s thrusting into you so hard that the whole car is practically shaking. You’re sure that if the owner of the cars came back and saw, they’d already know what was going on but the booze in your system is making it hard to care. One of Sukuna’s hands lifts your shirt up to expose your breasts and his mouth quickly attaches to your nipple, licking and flicking with the desperate need to cum.

“Ngh–” your moan is cut off from Sukuna slamming you back down on him. You release first, your thighs clenching and shaking from sensitivity while he continues to fuck you. Just to tease you more, Sukuna licks his thumb and begins to rub your clit in a circular motion.

“Sukuna– stop!” Your body jolts from the action and you smack his hand away from you, “please.”

He chuckles but quickly groans when he feels himself nearing. In a panic, he lifts you off of him and quickly covers his tip with his thumb so he doesn’t cum. Seeing this, you get off of him and crawl back to your side. Without a word, you lean over and remove his hand.

“???”

Before he knows it, your mouth is on his tip and you're sucking the cum from his fucking dick. And that’s not all. Now you’re being a bitch and going down on him when he’s sensitive. His nose scrunches while his face tightens. “Fuck, y/n–” Sukuna cuts himself off and throws his head back into the headrest when you suck even harder, licking up a prominent vein. If you keep going, he might piss in your fucking mouth. Not wanting to do so, his fingers lace into your hair and he yanks you off, his breathing finally calming down once you’ve been detached.

You haven’t swallowed the cum yet so you’re about to, but Sukuna pulls you towards him and locks his lips with yours again. He doesn’t care that his cum is being mixed on his tongue, all he wants to do is kiss you. You moan into the kiss when his tongue pushes even further and damn, you’ve never thought you’d be this kind of person… into all of this dirty risky shit and all. When he’s done, he pulls back with a string of saliva mixed with cum connecting you until it snaps and falls onto your chins.

“Swallow it, doll.”

@lucyrocks86 @mykyoon @hxlalokidottir @wo-ming-bai @adoraspace @yourusernames @raviolixxx @blackjanexx @myntalks

🥹

water’s edge | 02

₊˚.༄ pairing: crown prince!gojo satoru x f!reader | setting: modern royal au | official playlist

₊˚.༄ summary: in a world where titles define their fates, gojo satoru, the crown prince of japan, and his wife-to-be, face a tempestuous court of deception and schadenfreude. as they waltz on the edge of ruin, can their love endure the treacherous waters that threaten to pull them apart, or will the whims of the enigmatic chrysanthemum throne prove strong enough to drown them both?

₊˚.༄ author’s note: did i really just punch out a 12.9k chapter? 😅 thank you again to the loml @angstbot2000 for beta-reading! sorry for the wait everyone and thank uou for the sweet messages! again, reblogs are highly appreciated.

₊˚.༄ episode list: 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. +++

Flashback: Shinjuku Opera City (a week after the jubilee gala)

Click. Beep. beep. beep Your wristwatch mimicked a ticking time bomb right now. You breathe once to make sure you were still, for all intents and purposes, alive. The smell of the Sauvignon blanc laid in front of you was so heavenly, its grape-like aroma tempting you to take a sip but you couldn’t, afraid that your body will just reject it in its current state of shock. You must have had a few too many earlier, your commoner palette not exactly used to the refreshing and crisp taste of white wine directly sourced from the rolling hills of Pouilly-Fume, and you must be hallucinating all this in your drunken stupor. Yes, all this was a hallucination, some sick naive dream you conjured after sharing a passing glance with the prince of the nation. It had to be, otherwise, why does it feel that your body has shut down? You were unable to move. Unable to speak. Unable to think.

And you were adamantly sure that you had also been rendered unable to breathe.

“…Huh?” That probably sounded stupid to your unlikely companions, well, normally it isn’t that stupid if you haven’t said that every five minutes or so during this fateful encounter. “This is a mistake. You really want me to-?”

“-Yes,” he said immediately, his mother nodding alongside him. His finger glided across the rim of his scotch glass. He took it neat, of course, the Crown Prince is a man of good taste. “I can ask my people to help you move your belongings to a more dignified residence tomorrow morning.”

The empress frowned at Satoru’s backhanded comment about your way of life. “Satoru, you’re scaring her,” she whispered worriedly to her son.

“If she’s smart, sure,” Satoru hisseed under his breath. If he was going to propose to you and consequently marry you under his parents’ orders, he was going to do it his way. “Look, Ms…?” he trails off, your name escaping him.

“(Y/N),” you provided. “My name is (Y/N).”

He makes a soft ‘tch’ sound which goes unnoticed since you were too preoccupied in shaking away the haze of thoughts in your mind dimming your ability to think. He continues, “As I was saying. Ms. (Y/N),” he puts emphasis on your name, etching the loathsome sound of it into his mind. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

What did he mean by that? “Excuse me?”

“I know I said that I was just a fan when I sent you those flowers after your performance tonight but, I guess you could say I’ve become an admirer of yours.”

This was all scripted, and Satoru, despite having had a memory good enough to memorize has a good his entire family tree including the collateral branches before he even graduated from primary school, found the words getting stuck in his throat and he trailed off, his mind was filled to the brim with nothing but the face of the woman he is unwillingly betraying in the name of protecting his status.

But wasn’t this what she wanted when she threw herself at the emperor’s feet that night? She was selflessly allowing him to go through with this despite knowing that every false tender word that he says to you would be a dagger to her heart, that every moment spent with you instead of her would make her cry a river of tears.

It feels as if this entire thing was a circus he had been forced into because his crown was hanging dangerously off the edge of the tightrope above him. Forced to perform, forced to act, forced to smile so that he wouldn’t feel the sting of the whip his father, the ringleader, had in his hand. Wasn’t that something Satoru has always done? How was this any different from all the elaborate ruses he’s been ordered to perform? Gojo involuntarily looks behind his seat, craning his head back, hoping to see the familiar figure of the love of his life standing exactly a meter away from him, just as she’s always faithfully done, but that was all wishful thinking; Himiko had been removed from the duty of accompanying him tonight.

“I don’t think I’m just a fan,” he continues, turning his attention back to you, the words confessing his so-called love being uttered stoically. You stop him right there, the amount of bewilderment in your heart at a fatal maximum. His hand finds his pocket, searching for the godforsaken ring he is about to present to you. “And I—“

“—You’re just curious, Your Royal Highness,” you dismissed his so-called feelings with a shake of your head. “You’ve never been with someone outside your circle, and you’re curious about what it would be like to be involved with a commoner like me.”

When the words leave your lips, a stretch of panic washes over your face. Did you just disrespect the prince and the empress by doubting the sincerity of his words? Or did they disrespect you by treating you like a moron? Were you just supposed to believe that Prince Satoru had feelings for you? Your mind was spinning, and you were feeling a migraine aura beginning to form at your peripheral vision. You had to get out of there. Quickly moving the chair back so that you could stand up, you bow contritely to excuse yourself from the room. “Ms. (Y/N), please wait!” the empress sighs exasperatedly when you leave the private dining room of the high-class restaurant, your heels clicking against the marble floor as you hurriedly see yourself out.

Perhaps, they were being too hasty for you to say “yes”, too secretive about their true intentions. If they were to even have a chance of convincing you to marry Satoru, they have to let you in on the truth. Luckily, despite her age, the empress catches up to you just as you are about to hail a cab which was proving to be difficult since it was now past eleven o’clock and even the busy skyscraper district of Shinjuku was starting to look deserted.

“Ms. (Y/N),” she breathes, stopping just a few feet from you. “Please hear me out. I’m sorry, this was a mistake…”

“It's fine, Your Royal Highness, I know the Crown Prince doesn’t like me the way he says he does. I may not be as highly educated as you but I’m not an idiot.”

The empress looks on sadly. “Well,” she sighs, standing next to you. “I knew you would figure it out sooner or later. Still, I’m really sorry for what happened back there.”

You don’t respond for a long while, contemplating what to say; the air between you is one of awkwardness and something’s gotta give, otherwise, you and the empress would be standing in the middle of the empty street like total fools. You are the first to break, “Your Highness. Why me? And what’s this really about?”

Why on earth were you chosen over so many other women in Tokyo’s most affluent families to become Prince Satoru’s wife? You expected that this so-called dinner would be nothing more than a courtesy call to thank the prince and the empress for visiting the last night of your show. One could only imagine the emotional whiplash you felt when the prince suddenly offered for you to become his wife which was totally unexpected considering you have never spoken a word to one another before. Just what kind of a messed up Shakespearean romantic tragedy did you wind up in? This entire thing felt like a work by some deranged author who’s had one too many to drink while writing this poisoned manuscript of a love story.

“It’s exactly as the prince said,” she says succinctly. “The prince isn’t getting any younger and he’s in need of a wife. That’s what I would have told you if you were one of those shallow high society women I’ve had the displeasure of meeting.” The empress bitterly thinks about one specific girl that is so loathsome and vile that she has forcibly brought Satoru on the brink of total destruction. Last week’s fiasco with the emperor was a warning shot, and knowing her husband, there won’t be a second time.

You frown, not liking it when people are purposefully brought down to compliment another. “I’m sure that’s not true,” you mumbled, not really knowing what to say.

“But it is,” the empress insists. “People who are born with everything have this tendency to think they are above everyone else. Maybe that was what caused the prince to become this way, because his own mother was born from nothing,” she chuckled.

Knowing that the prince was the only son she will ever be blessed with, having had him at the age of forty-one, she overindulged Satoru by giving him everything, and bending to his every will. So, Satoru grew up confident that he’d only have to point at a storefront window and his mother would get it for him, otherwise he’d throw a tantrum. Maybe that’s what’s going on — all the scandals, all the controversies — was this another one of Satoru’s tantrums because they refused to allow him to have a relationship with, much less marry, his chief-of-staff?

“Nothing? I thought Your Highness, well before you married His Majesty, was an heiress to a car company. I don’t think you should lump yourself in with us.” Those who were truly born from nothing, you thought to yourself.

The empress puts a hand over her mouth as her shoulders begin to shake as she giggles. “Is that so?” she laughs, reaching into her coat pocket, in search of something. Finally, she feels the familiar feel of the trinket she keeps with her day and night.

You expected her to pull out something more valuable than a five yen coin, and it looked like it’s an old one, judging by its rough and rust-stained edges. “See this?” She carefully places the coin in her hand as if it were a precious item. “This was the first ever money I ever had to my name at only eighteen years old. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it even now,” she smiles wistfully as memories of her youth, albeit a simpler time away from the intrigue of the imperial court. She gently places the memento in your hand.

It was so light, it barely weighed a few grams yet it held so much of the empress’s heart in it, like a personal diary that has kept her company throughout the years, or perhaps it was a compass that led her to the path that resonated with her true self- the girl of only eighteen that had the look of a dreamer in her eyes, or maybe it was an anchor that served to keep her feet firmly planted on the humble ground in spite of her exalted status as the emperor’s consort.

You studied the coin. “Only five yen?” Even you, a musician whose finances are scattered to the wind, could make more than five yen in less than an hour. You were confused. Was this another one of their tricks to get you to say yes? No, it couldn’t be, seeing as how the empress seemed so genuine now, almost like the conversation you were having was like a mother and daughter having a heartfelt chat.

The empress nods. “I was a store clerk at a music shop when I was young. It was the only way I could save up and go to college. Of course, this was all before my father invented that powerhouse of an automobile when he was tinkering around with a few of the customer’s cars in the mechanic shop he ran.”

Listening intently to the empress’s story, a sense of solidarity seemed to grow between you and her. “And this was your first salary? Hard to believe music shops pay so little back then.”

“No, no. That was a tip I received from a customer when I returned her wallet. She left it in the shop and I ran after her. Of course if I were a thief, I would have taken off with it, but it was completely empty.” That caused you to laugh. Who knew that the empress who always carried herself with poise and dignity had such a deadpan sense of humor? “So, she gave me the only coin in the wallet to thank me. A five yen coin. Since then, I’ve kept this with me at all times. Call it an old lady’s sentimental ramblings, but this is what keeps me from letting all this get to my head.”

You nod in understanding. But what did this beautiful story have to do with marrying Satoru? The empress senses the question before you could even form words to ask it.

“What I’m saying is that Satoru was my outlet,” she sulked. “My second chance. So I gave him everything his little heart could ever want. And as a mother I know it was wrong of me to raise him to think he’s above everything and everyone.” She didn’t actively do that, though. Satoru just developed that toxic kind of thinking somewhere down the line. “I’m sure you’ve heard the nasty things they say about my son.”

The atmosphere suddenly turns sullen. You remembered how you watched in horror when Prince Satoru appeared on your TV screen the morning after the jubilee gala. You normally saw the prince attending royal functions such as groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, and while you are aware, just like everyone else in the country, that Satoru had his own share of misfits, you dismissed it as the actions of a rebellious young adult. You never thought for one second that you would see the prince battering a man until he was closer to death than a rat caught in a mousetrap outside of a shady gambling den in an unsavory district in Tokyo.

“I’m pretty sure the press is stretching the truth at times.” That was the right thing to say, you didn’t want to badmouth her son in front of her.

She scoffs humorlessly. “I’m not asking you to defend him. What I’m asking of you is to help him.” She takes your hand in hers. “Ms. (Y/N), this marriage may start out as a publicity stunt, but you could turn into something better than that.”

Maybe you’d fall in love with the prince, and maybe he could open his heart to love another again, someone who was healthier for him than Himiko. While the disbelief in your face was clear, the empress’s words give you a sense of hope but again, being excused from this narrative was what you wanted more than anything. “I think you overestimate my power, Your Highness. What you are asking of me will only end badly, I’m sure of it. It’ll be a disaster for everyone.”

Looks like there was no convincing you. A lot seems to be going on inside the empress’s head and you sympathized with her anxiety, but this was something you couldn’t do. You have been what people call a “pushover” your entire life, but the subject of your marriage is critically non-negotiable.

“I understand,” the empress is now resigned to her son’s fate. It seems, after all that song and dance in front of the emperor, it was all futile in the end. At this rate, this time tomorrow, the son of the empress’s unwilling mistress would probably be declared heir apparent and she would be powerless to stop it.

“I’m sorry, it’s just my mother taught me that marriage is sacred and that I should never mess around with it. You could have asked me for anything, Your Highness, and I would have said ‘yes’ in a heartbeat.”

“Your mother seems like a very wise woman,” the empress smiles softly. “And she’s very lucky to have you as her daughter.”

You stiffened at that. “I…I wouldn’t know if she feels that way, really.”

A wave of confusion crashes over the empress. What did you mean? “Sorry?” she clarifies. You hesitate to let her in on your own pain and you feel a slight prick of guilt poking your heart. She had been so vulnerable tonight, so open with you about her grief while you guarded yours in a titanium safe. She decides not to push the subject further and instead places a hand over yours comfortingly before turning to leave.

A thought occurs in your head and everything seems to slow down. The cars passing by the main avenue of Nishi-Shinjuku seemed to be running at 10 mph instead of the road’s minimum 20 mph. The billboards towering over you have momentarily lagged like some fatal error occurred in the LCD screen.

…This was wrong, you shouldn’t even be thinking of this.

...What would make you any different from a bloodsucking gold-digger?

…Don’t run after her.

She wouldn’t want you to do this. It would kill her if you did this. But haven’t you killed her many times before? What would make this time any different? Absolutely nothing. Your mind is made up.

…

“Your Highness, please wait.”

6:12 AM.

You didn’t know that the smell of flowers could be so vile and revolting.

Sat in the middle of a room with about a hundred bouquets of flowers from a multitude of well-wishers, at six in the morning on the day of your wedding, you gaze up at the huge mural of your new residence in the imperial palace. The pupils of your eyes followed each image on the vast painted ceiling which, compared to your tiny Tokyo apartment, felt like the entire sky altogether. Your eyes follow the image painted by Kanō Eitoku depicting life in the old seat of the imperial system, Kyoto, each blink of your eyes, you hone in on a new aspect of the mural: the mountain of Ryūgatake, the old imperial palace which you were told still existed today, the grasslands surrounding the ancient capital, and the people of Kyoto as they go about their daily lives.

If only those people could speak and were not just plastered images on a lifeless cement canvas to keep you company, maybe you won’t feel as lonely having had to wait for your wedding day to roll by without your husband-to-be by your side.

Sighing, you fall against the carpeted floor, your hands clutching a greeting card from one of your friends who gushed about how you had suddenly become a princess-to-be overnight and how you must be so happy to be engaged to such a handsome man that is prince Satoru Gojo. You hold back your tears, your fingernails digging into the vellum card.

You’ve given up calling the Imperial Household Agency to connect the line to Satoru, they come up with a different ruse each time. “Please, I need to speak to the Crown Prince,” you would sniffle into the line’s speaker desperately.

“His Royal Highness is busy right now in his office.”

“My apologies, Ms. (Y/N), but Prince Satoru is unavailable right now due to [insert name of engagement which is perfectly-timed with the wedding consultations he’s supposed to attend with you here].”

“Prince Satoru is currently away to inaugurate the new building for [insert any imperial charity foundation here].”

But you know all those so-called reasons for his absence were lies, excuses to keep their future consort from overthinking where her distant fiancé could be. Come to think of it, you haven’t seen Himiko around either, that alone should be enough to answer the lingering questions in your head about Satoru’s whereabouts. It wasn’t as if you could suddenly act like some jealous spouse when 1.) You aren’t married yet. 2.) You are the trespasser in their relationship. 3.) You are simply a bandage solution to clean up the prince’s image, someone who had unknowingly been at the right place at the right time. You are well aware of where you stand in the grand scheme of things; that kiss as you drove out of the palace compound that day should have been a good enough reminder that you will never truly be your future husband’s better half.

That title, the one you unwittingly stole from a woman you’ve never even met before, is something you can never truly call your own. You were no different than the typical other woman who would wear the legal wife’s wedding dress like some thief.

Yet how is it that you know all of these things like scripture but you still spent the entire night crying over a man who finds it physically impossible to be in the same room as you? Why did it hurt so much when you saw your fiancé shield his girlfriend from the autumn chill the same way you hoped he would shield you from the many challenging questions during that press conference? Why does it feel like a dagger had been plunged into your chest when you saw Himiko kiss Satoru so tenderly, and your husband-to-be returning the gesture with equal fervor?

You lay on your side, the velvet texture of the carpet somehow providing you some semblance of comfort. What would your retainers say when they come into this room and see the crumpled form of their future empress on the floor, her knees hugged to her chest as she tries to make sense of everything that has happened these past few days? You imagined that they’d probably think you were crazy, and Satoru would probably jeer at the thought of having a simpleton as a wife.

You were only a girl of twenty-three summers, you should be enjoying your twenties by doing the things that you love with the people you love. These sunny days of youth pass by in the blink of an eye, but in your case, you have been totally robbed of it, now being primed to become not just a princess but a wife too. While the former is certainly an intimidating role, the latter is just downright petrifying for someone as young as yourself.

Not a single soul save for the empress went to check up on you last night, the only people you were expecting to keep you company today are the hairdressers and makeup artists to prepare you for the wedding. Of course, the austere members of the Imperial Household Agency are also set to make an appearance in your chambers today probably to make you sit through another briefing session on court etiquette. You glance out the window, it was barely light out due to the winter equinox when nights are longer than daytime, and somehow that made you even more sad than you already were laying down on the floor of your room, desolately alone.

A knock at the door awakens you from your trance and you sit up, arranging your hair neatly and pulling on your shoes. Sighing, you make your way towards the door and see someone who you do not quite expect. He momentarily shifts his attenton to the battalion of attendants behind him, nodding to them. “Leave us alone.”

“Your Majesty, good morning,” your breath hitches in your throat as you hastily bow your head before the emperor who seemed to be more anxious about this day more than you, seeing as he is already dressed in his three piece suit and slacks ensemble with the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum hanging between his lapels.

The emperor was an enigmatic figure who mostly kept to himself, his chamberlain and main staff often joking amongst themselves how the emperor was really a recluse who had only been born to become the sovereign ruler of a nation by an unfortunate stroke of fate. Your future father-in-law hums in acknowledgement and you are left to wonder if this is where Satoru gets his aloof nature from. “Good morning, (Y/N). May I come in?” he asks as if this entire compound wasn’t his.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

He eyes the many bouquets in the room, sighing heavily as he does, the guilt of putting you in this impossible position weighing on him. He admits that he jumped the gun when the empress offered to have Satoru marry someone who could brighten up his public image from the many blemishes it incurred during the night of the jubilee when he and Himiko were seen together, causing trouble in the casinos of the infamous Kabukichō red light district.. To have you bear the weight of becoming a lamb to the slaughter with this marriage was just downright cruel, knowing that his son will certainly make it his life’s purpose to destroy you, but what choice did he have?

It is the crown that makes the choice for him, he’s been told by his own father.

“Listen, do you have the slightest idea of what you’re about to go through?” the man whom you would call your father-in-law in just a few hours asks flatly.

Of course you do, Satoru has already given you a taste of what your marriage is going to be like. You solemnly nod “I think so,” murmuring softly, crestfallenness is evident in your voice. “Satoru has made it clear.”

The emperor purses his lips as he fumbles with a tulip that had been nestled in one of the bouquets in your chambers, “Well, it’s good that you know. I know my son and I am not here to tell you that everything you’ve seen these past couple of days will get better,” he eyes the telephone, one you haven’t even placed the phone back onto the handset in hopes that Satoru would call you. “In fact, it’s only going to get worse from here.”

You frown, crestfallen. “How so?” you asked, your hand gripping the fabric of your dress. “Are you saying that this is just the beginning?” Truthfully, you were fine with this being the beginning, only if you could have the reassurance that all this will come to an eventual end. But it seems now that this was going to be life as you know it, with a husband who gags at the sight of you and has the innate ability to treat you like you were his personal bedwarmer and doormat.

“Yes,” the emperor says gravely, a dark look crossing his features. “So if you’d like to back out now, now is your only chance. Satoru has made enough messes, a canceled wedding will barely do anything to his reputation at this point.”

He’s right; these past days have only proved that Satoru is probably granting you a way out, maybe that’s why he has done nothing else but to ignore you as a final act of mercy if you ever decide to bail. One tiny kiss on the cheek is nothing when he starts to go missing in the middle of the night to attend to his mistress’s beck and call, when he starts to bring home his mistress for dinner to actively spite you with their relationship, or when he, god forbid, starts fucking in her in your marital bed while you’re away on some royal function.

You could live a full life without him, having barely even known him save for his proclivity to emotionally torment you, but it feels wrong to just…up and leave after all that song and dance in the press opportunity.l Shaking your head, the emperor’s offer is refused insistently.

“I’m not going to give up on him, I won’t give up on our marriage before it even begins,” your eyes bore into the emperor’s own. You’ve promised yourself and the empress that you’ll see this through, if Satoru is going to make your life a living hell, then, you’ll just have to take all his blows like a champ.

“I don’t doubt your willpower, (Y/N). I’m just saying that this might be even more difficult for you than you think,” the emperor warns. “Satoru doesn’t just push back, he’ll run over people who get in his way.”

“Your Majesty, it’e alright. I’ll manage somehow.” you mumbled. “The empress and I made an agreement that if I marry Satoru, I…” you trail off, not really wanting to reveal more than you should, the emperor waits for you to continue, his eyebrows furrowed together.

What would you get if you married Satoru if not unnecessary suffering? And even then, that didn’t sound like a good deal, the emperor thinks to himself. You could have gone on happily with your life, blissfully unaware of the trials of being married to the white-haired prince, you probably would have continued climbing the career ladder before finding someone to settle down with, maybe you’ll have a few kids along the way, and Satoru would also be blissfully unaware of a certain (Y/N) (L/N) existing on this plane of reality with him.

Why were you so committed to marrying him?

“I’d be able to…” you stutter. There was no use hiding it now but maybe you could conceal the truth a little longer, if not for your sake, but for the empress — no, a grieving mother — who met you in a hotel café that night with the weight of the world on her shoulders and asked you to keep the details of this transactional union a secret. “I would…”

The emperor raises a hand to stop you, though he is mildly perturbed at your hesitance to open up to him, he decides that whatever you and his wife were keeping from him does not concern him or the throne and that it is simply a thing that should be left unsaid. He really didn’t want to pry into the details of the contract you agreed to, and since you seem to have already made up your mind, all he could do now is hope that you do not give up so easily on his son the same way he did, and that this choice to marry Satoru would not backfire on you or the imperial system in the long run.

“Stop. I understand,” the emperor nods, his shoulders seemingly slumping in defeat as he is unable to convince you to cut it and run from the horrible fate you were speeding towards at a hundred miles an hour. Maybe Satoru was right to make you out to be an idiot, the emperor frowns. “But…don’t say I didn’t warn you, and from the bottom of my heart, I wish you all the best.”

And just like that, the wedding pushes through as scheduled, having declared before the father of the groom that you weren’t one to give up so easily, or…maybe it’s just your blind optimism talking.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” you settle into an ornate curtsy, your foot gracefully tucked behind the other, your hand postured in a cordial handshake with His Majesty. The emperor’s pupils dilate, his mouth runs dry and he feels like something in his body had momentarily stopped working or had broken entirely — he knows that trademark act of obeisance so well — you’ve perfectly captured the image of a younger version of his wife who had perfected royal protocol in just under a year when they got married. She must have sought to teach you everything she knew or rather she was forced to learn by herself when she was in your position in an act of true esprit de corps. And for a moment, he finds himself surrendering to your doe-eyed but unmistakably poised charm, and he starts to become more convinced that you were a worthy future daughter-in-law.

He shakes his head, swiftly snapping him out of his trance, now was not the time for these things. The emperor nods back to return the gesture before turning to leave, just as your attendants are about to arrive to get you ready for the ceremony. “We’ll see you in the cathedral, then, (Y/N).”

But as soon as he is halfway out the door, he turns back to look at you one last time as (Y/N) (L/N), for the next time he will see you, you will then be (Y/N) Gojo, his first daughter-in-law, the first royal bride in centuries who neither hails from a family of politicians nor influential persons alike, the icon of a new chapter for the imperial family.

He sighs, turning back around to face you, having almost forgotten the task he’d been entrusted with by his wife. “I almost forgot. Ijichi,” he calls to his faithful grand steward who is waiting outside your chambers to bring forth a rather special gift he and the empress intended to present to you after the ceremony but he figured now might be a good time. The tall, lanky and sickly-looking spectacled man known as Ijichi bows before you which leaves a strange feeling festering within you, he was carrying a navy blue felt case that seemed so valuable that he had been compelled to wear gloves to prevent his bare hands from touching the fine fabric.

The emperor motions to open the case and your face pales when you see what is inside. “This is intended to be worn by the Princess Royal on her wedding day but since I don’t have a daughter to give that title to, the title will now belong to you.”

The tiara in his hands is a hefty thing, molded entirely from the most of valuable of silvers, it resembled the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara that had been worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her wedding day, with an abundance of baton diamonds dotting every conceivable nook and cranny. It takes some time for you to adjust when it is placed upon your head, it only weighed a modest 1.7 kilograms, it was much lighter than the many tiaras the family keeps hidden away in the imperial vaults but for someone like you, it is an awfully heavy thing not just in the literal sense but also in the figurative side of things.

As of this moment, you weren’t just an ordinarily forgettable face in a crowd anymore.

“Carry the weight.” The emperor’s voice is commandeering. He steps back, scanning how the tiara looks on you from afar and though it looked awkwardly placed on your head with how you are struggling to balance its weight, you still managed to carry it adequately. “Now…you’re one of us.”

8:55 AM.

“Need some help?”

Satoru looks up to inspect the reflection on the mirror and a sad smile crosses his face when he sees the familiar figure of Himiko leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest as she gazes at her beloved getting ready for his wedding day. “You don’t have to be here.” He begrudgingly fumbles with his collar, unable to meet her eyes. “I don’t want you to get hurt,” he professes, despite having immeasurably hurt you these past couple of days instead.

Himiko shakes her head. There was no use in grumbling about it now when just on the other side of the palace, Satoru’s unworthy bride-to-be was being pampered by her many ladies with manicures, foot massages, and practically anything to make you happy while she, the prince’s true love, was condemned to watch him be cruelly given away to someone else. There was a sense of finality with how hundreds of palace staff rushed through the hallways carrying all sorts of wedding paraphernalia to decorate the Chowaden reception hall and the courtyard to welcome the wedding guests.

Satoru frowns when her hands find his collar, she skillfully untangles the ribbon medal and readjusts the silver emerald-studded necklace that came with it.

Please…just one more minute…one more minute with you, Satoru closes his eyes as Himiko’s thumbs tentatively rub his chiseled cheek as if she were memorizing every bump and every curve of his skin before someone else tries to claim that they know every bit of Satoru inside and out. She knows it will never be true, no one can ever know Satoru the way she intimately knows him, not even if he was going to marry another woman. It may be possible for you steal everything from her — the emperor and empress’s favor, the public’s warm approval, the ring that had been fitted to accommodate the size of her finger before it was given to you — it may have been easy for you to pull the rug from underneath her, but it would be difficult — no, impossible — for you to ever claim ownership of Satoru.

He was hers and she was his, Satoru leans against Himiko’s touch, sighing woefully. “I’ll make her pay, I promise. I’ll break her, destroy her again. And again. And again until nothing’s left of her,” he recites the promise, punctuating the words with a kiss every time, as if they were having an illicit wedding of their own, and his words were a marriage vow — the only one that he will honor with every fiber of his being. Himiko bites her lower lip before she slowly nods, appeased.

“But Satoru, marrying her is the only way for you to be restored as heir apparent. Either way, we can’t win without doing this your father’s way.” Her hands leave his collar and she sadly gazes out the window, her narrow eyes glazing over the ancient ginkgo tree at the center of the palace’s vast atrium which was now shedding their green leaves to take on the tell-tale yellow hue as autumn draws near. She always loved the view of the palace courtyard from above, especially in this room where she and Satoru spent many nights proving their love for one another.

Gojo frowns at her melancholia, he comes up from behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I’ll think of something, I promise this won’t last longer than it needs to,” he kisses her cheek, nuzzling it with his nose tenderly.

“I don’t mind waiting, Satoru, I’d wait for you forever, and as much as we both hate her, we need (Y/N),” she spits out your name as if it were rat poison in her mouth. “So, let’s just play along. It’s not like we’re not used to meeting in deserted parking lots at midnight, right?” She offers him a half-smile, reminding Satoru that their entire affair has always been illicit in nature.

It’s not like she was accepted by his parents to be their son’s future consort. They’ve been through this before, hundreds of times rather, even before you came along. They’ve had to deal with so many forces ripping them apart over the past three years from the oh-so-omnipotent emperor who hardly wields any political power to his neurotic wife whom she has called, on several occasions, a bitch.

And yet, together they remained as it has always been, with Satoru cradling Himiko in his arms as he peppers kisses up her neck, sucking at the soft flesh, his hips flush against hers. He does this in front of the window for any unfortunate passerby to see. Hell, Satoru was hoping you’d walk by and see this heartbreaking display and maybe you’ll just run home in your wedding dress with your tail between your legs.

“We don’t have to get used to it, Himiko,” he mumbles into her neck, inhaling her sweet perfume, the one he liked the most. “One day, we won’t have to hide anymore,” he kisses her cheek tenderly, caressing the bone of her wrists which still bore faint marks from the handcuffs that had been wrongfully placed on her with his thumb. “And people can say whatever they want about us, and it wouldn’t matter because I will have been the emperor by then and you, my empress.” He presses their foreheads together, the tips of their noses barely touching in a moment of silence.

After a long while, Satoru lets go of Himiko, his eyes scanning hers as if he were searching for answers hidden deep within her soul. “What is it?”

“I just wish you hadn’t stepped in back there.” It was a thought that kept him awake these past agonizing nights. “Maybe if you just stayed out of my father’s office, this wouldn’t have happened. I was alright with you visiting me in my jail cell, you know.”

“As if I’d ever let that happen,” she sighs when he pulls away to fasten his cufflinks, suddenly feeling a bit disheartened at the loss of his touch. She kisses his cheek, looking at his reflection through the mirror, her eyes alight with adoration. “I promised I’d always be your ally, didn’t I?”

When she and Satoru first met three years ago in the selection for his chief-of-staff, Himiko Zenin, despite coming from the affluent Zenin clan, lagged behind compared to her contenders who aced the exams that tested their knowledge on the law, constitution, history of the imperial system, royal protocol, foreign languages and other aspects that may prove useful for the prince’s right hand. But there was one thing that she had that all the other applicants didn’t have, and she demonstrated that perfectly when Satoru unexpectedly dropped by during the final interviews to speak to each of the candidates himself.

Satoru stared at Himiko with a bored expression that day, his being devoid of any emotion. “Ms. Zenin, it seems you did poorly in all of the exams,” he glances at her file which should have been tossed in the bin by the time she placed last in the jurisprudence exam. “And you’re affiliated with one of the more morally ambiguous families in the country. Looks like today’s just not your day, huh?”

It was true. Having Himiko Zenin as his chief of staff was dangerous from the get-go. The Zenin clan’s head back then during the time of the selection was on trial for graft and corruption. But, there was something Himiko had that all the other applicants did not. At the time, he couldn’t quite put a finger on it but now, after years of selfless service to him, Satoru realizes that it was the ferocious loyalty that hid underneath her then perfectly ordinary shell which he personally refined into the gem of a woman she is now, and she never swore allegiance to the crown but rather to him, Satoru Gojo.

“But, I’ll indulge you,” he reclined against his chair that day, his arms crossed. “Why should I even consider you as my chief of staff? What can you offer me that the others before you cannot?”

Her answer to that question instantly won him over and in that instant, Himiko’s life had changed forever. “Whatever you ask of me, Your Royal Highness, I’d give my very life for you.”

Satoru turns away from the mirror, his lips instantly on hers. His hand dangerously hovered over the hem of her dress. “S-Satoru, what are you doing?” she moans into his mouth as Satoru moves both of them to the bed, he climbs atop of her as she lay on the mattress, her locks splayed over the silk sheets. She knows what he’s doing, this was almost like a film she has seen many times before; this was how tense conversations with Gojo go with him impatiently parting her legs, their hands desperately discarding their clothes until they are left utterly bare before one another.

He wanted to destroy you the same way you destroyed what he had with Himiko. This anger translated into his rough pace. He roughly jostles his hips against Himiko’s, her arms wrapping around him as he buries his cock inside her, his lips covering her milky flesh with dark-purplish bruises, marking her as his.

Call him a sadist but he hopes that Himiko would change into a dress that could flaunt her marked skin so that when you fearfully look around the cathedral, warily searching for her, your heart would break at the sight of the countless hickeys on her neck and collar. He wanted to see you cry the first of the many tears you will shed for the crime of marrying him.

“Satoru…!” she cries out as the luscious feeling of his girth pistoning in and out of her. He grunts as he feels him inch closer and closer to his high. “Mmph—‘Toru,” she whines when he reangles his hips, plunging deeper into her, his arms locking behind hers as he violently chases his release. He’s so close. “I love you, I love you…-a-ah!”

A symphony of pleasured groans falls from his lips, his very being uncoiling as he cums. His hips involuntarily keep thrusting as hot spurts of his cum drips down Himiko’s entrance, mixing with her own release. Himiko frowns as Satoru clicks his tongue at the soiled sheets beneath their connected forms. He groans as he pulls out, sinking into the warmth of her embrace, his still hardened cock poking her inner thigh. “Promise me you’ll only love me?” she whispers as her fingers absentmindedly play with his white hair.

“I promise,” Gojo murmurs into the crook of her neck as he lulled to sleep by her soft, even breaths. “I promise it’s only you…no one else.”

11:45 AM.

Only half an hour left. A crowd of, from what you have heard, 70,000 have gathered on the strip of the main road that the bridal car will pass en route to the cathedral.

“It’s true,” your maid of honor who people refer to as Ieiri says, showing you her phone which showed the many tweets from news agencies, famous personalities and normal people alike about how excited they were to witness your wedding day. There were countless social media posts consisting of yours and Satoru’s official engagement picture and many have taken to hosting their own live-streaming sessions of this monumental day.

“Everyone’s so excited. I wish my wedding would be this big,” one of your bridesmaids sighs dreamily. You manage a small chuckle at her, maybe if she knew of your plight right now, she would probably be eating those words alongside the many petit fours she’s been munching on this past hour. “Look at all those people,” she continues scrolling through her phone.

“It’s the first televised imperial wedding so obviously, it’s a big deal, Riko,” Utahime laughs. “Not to mention, it’s the first time a member of the imperial family would be married in a Western-themed ceremony.” For everyone to see.

One of your newly appointed helpers enters the room, and jogs over to you as quickly as she can in her heels, she has a small jewelry box delicately decorated in an ecru gift wrapper in her hand. “Ms. (Y/N), this is from the prince. His butler told me to give this to you.” You’ve been sad all day and your ladies-in-waiting heave a sigh of relief when they see a hint of a smile on your face, even if it did hold a bit of apprehension.

“Really? For me?” You stand up to accept the small token, careful not to ruffle your wedding dress too much as per the dressmaker’s instructions since the fabric used to construct the piece was susceptible to crumpling. Momentarily setting your phone down on the vanity table mid-text, you graciously accept the wedding gift. Maybe Satoru was starting to warm up to you and that he is now chipping away at the wall he built between the two of you. You hoped that by sending you this gift, this would be the start of something new and better with your husband.

But given how things are, that would be impossible. This was probably just a gift he sent to appease you after many days of effectively acting like you don’t exist.

You open the box and your ladies chatter around you excitedly. “It’s so pretty!” the youngest of your bridesmaids, the daughter of the Japanese ambassador to France apparently, marvels at the pair of earrings. Briefly smiling at her, you then turn your attention to the small letter that was neatly slotted between the groove of the box’s padded interior that held the earrings in place. His handwriting was so conscientiously beautiful that it almost looked like a computer-generated font, there wasn’t a hint of clumsiness in each stroke.

“To (Y/N),

I’m sorry about these past few days. This won’t make up for it, but, I’d like to join you in wishing for a successful marriage together.

– HRH Satoru Gojo”

Your heart slows at the cold closing. He had omitted the words “love” and “sincerely” before his name, but you expected that. If scraps of affection are all you could ever hope to get out of him, you have to learn to deal with it sooner or later; this was your life now, you will always be second to the love of his life. It must have taken everything out of him, and it must have caused an argument to erupt between him and Himiko, to send you this and you understand that he’s also having a difficult time with how things are now but it mattered so much to you to see him try. Regardless if this gift was given to you freely or not, you couldn’t refuse it, even if every voice in your head was screaming at you, reminding you of the horrific scene you saw that day when you caught your fiancé kissing another woman out in the open immediately after you announced your engagement.

“Would you like me to put it on you?” Riko asks. “I’m sure the prince will be happy to see you wear these.”

“You really think so?” you wince when your helper struggles to find your earlobe piercing. “I didn’t know he could be so sweet.” That’s obviously a lie; you know full well Satoru could be sweet, it just pained you to remember that he’s capable being sweet to another deliberately causing you immense grief. Your helper stiffens slightly. She has seen him become sweet before, albeit to another, but she didn’t have to divulge any details and accidentally ruin your wedding day.

She nods shyly, succeeding with the first diamond earring and then the other. She steps away from the mirror. You looked radiant. “Y-yes.”

Noticing her discomfort, you expertly steer the conversation elsewhere. “I see. Well I should probably return the favor.”

You’ve gotten Satoru a wristwatch you and the empress had personally had commissioned by a famed watchmaker that could rival the craftsmanship of a Rolex. It just arrived last night and well, given your current mental state then having taken the brunt of Satoru’s ire the past few days, you couldn’t bring yourself to wrap it. Momentarily deciding if you still had time to have one of your helpers buy some wrapping paper, you realized it would be cutting it too close so you hastily scribbled on a blank dedication card you randomly plucked from one of the bouquets you received. Luckily, some of them had extra cards.

“To Your Royal Highness,

Please don’t apologize, I’m sorry too for being pushy lately. Thank you for the gift, I’ll be sure to take good care of it. Happy wedding day, and I’m looking forward to better days together!

Wholeheartedly yours,

(Y/N) (L/N)”

Reading through it one last time, you affix your name at the end. “You guys are so sweet,” your youngest bridesmaid gushes as she presses a button on the room’s telephone to request for a butler. “I’m sure the prince will love it.”

“Whatever ‘sweet’ means.” You grimace, your unease getting the better of you. A few moments later, a butler peeks into the room. You bound over to him, placing the present in his hands. “Could you please give this to Prince Satoru?” you asked him and the butler looks slightly bewildered at your choice of words. If it was an order, you could have just said so. Perhaps you were still getting used to the idea of having people waiting to attend to your every beck and call.

“Right away, ma’am,” the butler replies obediently nonetheless. “Also I ran into His Majesty’s chamberlain just a while back and he asked me to remind you of the time. Everything’s ready,” he informs you just as he turns to leave in the direction of the palace’s east wing where Satoru's private chambers are. Upon hearing that, the bridal entourage starts to get ready to leave ahead of you, they’ll be going to the venue with a separate convoy from the bride’s since you’ll be driving through some of Tokyo’s major avenues en route to the cathedral.

You watch as they file out of the room in their cream dresses, each one of them, despite having known you for only a little less than half a day, pull you into a bone-crushing hug wishing you well. “Congratulations, (Y/N).”

“Thank you,” you kindly smiled at each one of them as they left.

When you are left alone to your devices, you take one last look at (though you could hardly recognize yourself) the mirror, swallowing harshly, your hand absentmindedly playing with the locket which you continued to wear, ignoring the gracious advice of the Imperial Household Agency’s grand steward to set it aside for today’s festivities as it was uncustomary for royal brides to wear articles of clothing and accessories that did not hold any relation to the imperial family.

Only thirty minutes to go ‘till everything changes. Wait no, that was grossly inaccurate. Everything changed the split second you laid your eyes on him. Since then, everything seems to be a jumbled haze like some sort of psychedelic trance that just won’t end. Reaching for your phone one last time, you hastily search for a particular contact number, your finger hovering over the call button. No, there’s no point, you sniffle softly. Calling her would only make things harder than it already is and backing out of this now is out of the question.

Another knock is heard on the door, but it isn’t as insistent as the first few ones as everyone was starting to get a bit frustrated at you. Did they think you were stalling for time? “Just a minute,” your voice wavers. You just received a new text message from the number you were planning to call.

“We’ll be moving her in a few hours. Will send you her new room number when we get there.”

Bringing the phone to your lips, your heart makes somersaults in your chest when you receive the news. The sacrifice you were still yet to make has already paid off and your ledger of personal favors crossed out with a red marker effectively completing your transaction with the empress. Without even giving you time to text a quick “thank you”, another urgent knock is heard on the door. “Ms. (Y/N), I’m very sorry to interrupt but, we should get going now.”

“I’ll be right there,” you said again, quickly typing another message on your phone: “I wish I was there with her. Please hold her hand for me.” The second it goes through, you quickly shuffled towards the door, your head bowed in apology. You hold your breath as you balance the tiara on your head hoping that it won’t fall as it hangs precariously off-center on the crown of your head, your eyes trained on the ground as the door slides open. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries, I’m pretty patient. Ijichi, on the other hand? Not so much.”

His voice is feather-soft and melodious like a harp string being plucked delicately so that it produces a clear and deep bell-like sound, the very language he chooses to speak with is devoid of neither a shrill nor sharp word unlike the fusillade of orders you’ve been mercilessly bombarded with this entire day. Walk like this, speak like that, don’t do this, and most certainly never do that, you must have gone through a decade’s worth of rules and regulations to follow during the ceremony and even after you’ve said your “I do”’s. Still, you found solace knowing that Satoru is slowly warming up to the idea of cooperating with you, and has even found it in his heart to give you an olive branch of sorts which was now hooped through your earlobes, sparkling under the light like a clear drop of water from the sky.

At first, you naively think it’s him. Did Satoru really come over to see you? While that seemed uncharacteristic of him, the very thought of him voluntarily visiting you planted a sense of relief in you regardless. Maybe he wanted to settle things before the ceremony, to be upfront with you about his intentions in this marriage, how the two of you will be towards one another going forward, and if your luck holds out, maybe he’d finally let you in on his acts of impropriety with Himiko.

But, you would recognize Satoru’s indifferent timbre anywhere, this voice was far too different and seemed much kinder and softer than your fiancé’s.

You slowly open the door to greet your guest, confirming your suspicions as you meet the gaze of a man you haven’t met before. He seems severely unfamiliar.

No, wait. That can’t be it, he may seem unfamiliar but he’s definitely recognizable. In fact, you’ve seen him a few times before, standing feebly next to your fiance during the emperor’s birthday broadcast. Then, it clicks. Wasn't this…?

“Crown Prince Suguru?” you blinked. He’s the only senior member of the imperial family that you’ve never been officially introduced to. Of course, you are on speaking terms with the emperor, the empress and of course, Satoru, but never the prince that idly lingered in their large shadows.

The raven-haired man chuckles deeply at your shocked expression. Clearly, you didn’t expect to meet him under these circumstances, and that caused you to accidentally refer to him as the Crown Prince when that title only belonged to Gojo. He looks at you endearingly, finding you intriguing.

So this was the woman his younger brother is to be married to. Suguru has heard a lot about Satoru’s docile bride-to-be, in fact, he received news of the engagement while he was in Rome, the last leg of his first solo tour in Europe. People were so quick to label it as a pivotal point in the history of the Japanese monarchy and that you are the symbol of change, specifically, they likened you to a camellia blooming in a sea of chrysanths, a breath of spring in the imperial family’s everwinter – alluring in every sense of the word. But, alluring isn’t exactly a word he’d use to describe you seeing as you’ve only just met but, right now, he found you to be so adorably cute that he might just start to believe the things they say about you on the news.

“It’s just Prince Suguru. Satoru’s the Crown Prince.” The gentle correction makes you so flustered that you feel blood rush up to your ears, a tell-tale sign of your abasement. “But you could just call me Suguru.”

“Oh, right, my mistake,” you rub your eyelid, growing embarrassed. “Prince Suguru,” you stressed his correct title, remedying your earlier mishap. Despite you being in heels, you can’t see past him, given that he towered over you so easily so you stand on your tallest tiptoes, trying to peek over his shoulder. “You haven’t happened to see Mr. Ijichi, have you? He was right outside the door a few minutes ago.”

Suguru buries his hands in his pockets. “He just left, you’re welcome,” he winks at you, having sent Ijichi on his way when he accidentally stumbled across him furiously tapping on your door as he was making his way to his car.

Ijichi was…difficult to get along with — he’s short-fused, demanding at some times, and he is what people could call a stickler for the rules — Suguru isn’t doesn’t really want to say nasty words about his father’s grand steward and he’d give credit where it’s due since Ijichi is not just efficient when it comes to running the imperial household but he is also fiercely dedicated to every member of the imperial family.

Still, he couldn’t count the many times Ijichi had to scold him for all the mischief he caused while he was growing up even if his life depended on it. The worst scolding he got from the older man was when Suguru went missing on his fifth birthday, having snuck out of the banquet hall with at least ten pieces of bread stuffed in his pockets with every intention to feed them to the many ducks in the imperial garden’s ponds.

“What?” your eyes nearly pop out of their sockets, you were going to get an earful later. “You mean he went ahead without me?”

“It’s alright. You’ll see him later, sure he’s probably going to talk your ear off but he means well, trust me,” Suguru flashes you a reassuring smile.

You look at him, your lip curled into an uneasy grin. “That doesn’t sound like fun,” you bemoaned, having had enough reprimands to last you until your next life. “So, with Mr. Ijichi gone, forgive my bluntness, but am I right to assume that Your Highness will be the one to bring me to the cathedral?”

Suguru accommodatingly holds out his arm for you to hold onto. “You assume correctly,” he says warmly. You expect him to hurriedly lead you down the steps leading to the palace’s main driveway, but he does something entirely different. “Are you ready to go or do you still need more time?”

That was the first time anyone in a kilometer-wide radius has asked you what you want to do instead of telling you what to do.

Suguru watches every small change in your expression. He figured that you must be pretty tired of people treating you like some robot, training you to blindly obey every order perfectly. The jet black-haired prince has only known you for two minutes and his heart is already disintegrating for your current predicament of feeling completely and entirely alone. If he could alleviate your troubles even with just a small act of kindness by engaging in polite conversation with you and actually listening to what you have to say instead of talking over you like most of your etiquette coaches have done all day, then, he’ll gladly tune in to listen to you even as you read through an entire book of sonnets if you ever felt up to it.

Being validated comes a long way, and if anyone understands your plight, it was him and even if he didn’t understand, he’ll do everything he can to try regardless.

“I-I’m ready,” you nodded hesitantly and Suguru doesn’t walk ahead right away and allows you to set the pace as you walk past the line of attendants that bowed to you and the prince as you made your way to the imperial family’s very own Toyota Century convertible which had been custom-made for you.

The open top roof gave onlookers access to see their future empress as the motorcade departs from the Kōkyo Imperial Palace and follows a 4.6-kilometer route that will travel to the St. Mary’s Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Tokyo. Neither you nor Satoru were practicing Catholics yet, the imperial family has decided that a Christian-themed wedding rather than the ancient Buddhist matrimonial ceremony that is usually done away from public view would make the imperial system appear more accessible to the people.

Suguru helps you into the car, gently arranging the train of your gown so that it doesn’t get all wrinkled. “Thank you, Your Highness” you whisper to Suguru who squeezes your free hand as if to say “you’re welcome”. The car’s engine hums to life the minute the two of you are settled in the backseat. “W-what am I supposed to do now?” you asked, readjusting your grip on your bridal bouquet.

The prince lets out a humored snort, having forgotten that this was your first official function. Showing you the correct way to wave and the right angle to face and bow to the crowd, he watches you closely, allowing you to struggle for a bit before stepping in to help with some encouraging words. “Just keep smiling and waving. It’s just like being onstage, you know.” At the center of the motorcade, six police cars patrol every side of the convertible forming a ring of protection just in case someone in the crowd with ill-intentions would try to harm either you or the monarch next to you.

Countless people erupt in happy cheers at the sight of you and Suguru, some are simply content with waving while others are holding up flowers and tossing them to the front of the crowd barriers in jubilation. “It feels a little more intense than just being onstage,” you mumbled, your eyes landing on a little girl sitting in her mother’s arms as she waves a little Japanese flag in her hand which looked like she made it in her arts and craft class. You awkwardly wave at her, chuckling when she happily waves back, delighted to see you directly looking at her.

“Well, you’re doing great.” He inches closer to you, wrapping a steadying arm around your waist while the other guides your hand, gently angling it in a more prominent position so that you look a little more assertive. “Like this,” Suguru helps you wave in a more continuous manner, teaching you to center the motion by keeping your elbow mostly stationary and allowing only your wrist to subtly move from side to side. “And keep doing what you’re doing. Make eye contact with them; make them understand that you see each and every one of them.”

Suguru watches you bow and wave to the spectators with a proud smile on his face; the motorcade has now reached the Shinjuku area and is nearing its destination of Bunkyo-ku where the cathedral is and even still, the crowd doesn’t appear to thin out. Suguru feels like he’s watching history unfold before his very eyes. He wonders if Satoru had purposefully chosen a commoner to conjure up a classic “love conquers all” romance of his own wedding day, if he did, then Suguru must congratulate him for a job well done. No one has ever come out to see a member of the imperial family in this sheer number, he daresay, not even the empress on her wedding day or His Majesty on his coronation day.

But with you, this day is nothing short of a revolution.

“Your Highness, you’re staring.” Suguru hums, confused, before realizing that he’s been looking at you funny. “You’re still staring,” you said succinctly.

“Oh, sorry.” Suguru says awkwardly and you couldn’t help but let out a slight snort. “What?” he cocks his head in your direction. You were laughing, though brief, the very sound of it brings a smile to his face. “It was about time though. We’ve been in this car for more than fifteen minutes now and that right there is the first genuine act of happiness I’ve seen you make,” he remarks. He was starting to think that you were incapable of smiling which he found a little unsettling since brides aren’t exactly despondent during their wedding day. Of course, what would he know? His little brother had gotten married ahead of him.

You crinkle your nose in mock displeasure. “That’s kinda mean and probably the last thing I’d say to someone I just met…with all due respect, Your Highness.”

Suguru grins at your tiny jab at his character, and to think that he nearly bought into the whole “as demure as a butterfly” thing they said about you in the papers. Make no mistake though, he sees how elegantly ladylike you are, but he also sees how you are so effortlessly spellbinding with your wit translated into a few short but sweet words. No wonder Satoru fell for you and even gave up his vice-like romance with his chief-of-staff to marry you, he thinks to himself. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry that was a bit uncalled for.”

“Oh— Your Highness, I was just joking.” You waved to the crowd of people on Suguru’s side of the car, grimacing when you see a few schoolboys, probably university students with how tall and mature they looked, pretend to blow you kisses. Indulging them, you subtly return the gesture flustered beyond all measure. Everything feels so public now, and you are left wondering about how you could survive the rest of your life like this.

“…I knew that.” Choosing momentary silence, Suguru finally decides to chip away at the facade you were putting up. He could see it in your eyes, you were a cross between scared and unhappy which is clearly normal for someone who is marrying into the oldest monarchy in the world. You weren’t at all what the members of the Imperial Household Agency said of you when you were out of earshot: a sorry excuse of a future empress who is privileged in every way but can’t find it within herself to stop her endless complaining. “Just trying to make you smile, that’s all.”

Shouldn’t your future husband be doing that? You sighed. Oh right, he was probably busy comforting Himiko. She probably needed him now more than ever after everything you’ve done to torment her. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Suguru,” he corrects kindly. “If you’re going to marry my little brother, you could, at least, drop the troublesome title when you’re talking to me.”

Little brother? How have you never heard of this before? You knew Satoru had a brother, but you never thought Suguru would be the older one out of the two of them. If that was the case, then, why didn’t he get the title of “Crown Prince”?

“Weird, huh?” He breaks you out of your trance, as if he heard the question swirling around in your head. “Why is Satoru the Crown Prince and not me?”

“Are you psychic or something?” you playfully teased, slowly growing more comfortable with the jet black-haired prince that sported an Apollo-like smile - warm, and inviting. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

Suguru shrugs. “Why? Whose mind do you want to read?”

Satoru’s, you smiled sadly. Maybe by unraveling the inner machinations of your soon-to-be husband’s mind, you could learn to meet him halfway by understanding him a little better; no person is born inherently cruel and while you had your doubts, you know, in your heart, that Satoru is no exception to that rule. “No one in particular.”

“Ah, well, I expected that.” He grinned at how guarded you are, reclining against the plush seat of the car to rest his stiffening back for a minute. The convoy is about ten minutes away from the cathedral now.

You offered him some consolation though, grateful for this light-hearted chat. “Let’s just trade answers next time.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

Himiko thought this day would be horrible but it turns out it isn’t as bad as she pessimistically thought. If she only knew that this was how the love of her life’s wedding would go with him still inviting her to his bed before he gets hitched off, then, maybe she shouldn’t have been so awful towards you who never stood a chance against her. Competing with you would be like making a rival of a rat; it would be unnecessary trouble. Still, even if she had all but won against you (as if you were worthy enough to even become her opponent), that didn’t stop the Zenin clan’s little darling from causing a little trouble today.

Her eyes flutter open to reveal Gojo’s handsome slumbering face, utterly spent from their lovemaking session, their naked forms still entangled together under the cotton-percale sheets. She stretches her supple body luxuriously, and pulls away from Satoru’s embrace earning a small “mmph” of disapproval from her lover. Giggling, she plants a soft kiss on his chiseled cheek.

“Your Highness?” Someone says from behind the door. Taking one last look at Satoru’s sleeping form, she walks leisurely to answer it, clad only in the prince’s shirt which ran above her knee.

Leaning against the door, she answers for the prince, a detestable act similar to a cardinal sin. It was forbidden for a mere servant to speak for any member of the imperial family. In the past, in the Japanese empire’s golden age, a servant who took the words out of their master’s mouth would have their tongue swiftly sliced off. But Himiko is not a servant, nor is she subject to the rules as long as the prince was around. “His Highness is asleep.”

On his wedding day? The butler nods stiffly. “I see. Ms. Zenin, can I trouble you with this? The prince’s fiancé has sent him a wedding gift.”

Himiko doesn’t answer for a long while and a tense silence fills the room. “Fine, but have you done what I asked?” she relents opening the door, the butler’s face turns red at the sight of her lack of modesty. “Having you run my errands isn’t cheap, you know.”

The attendant bows his head, “Yes. She’s currently wearing it right now, last I saw.”

“Good. I’ll be taking this then.” She shakes the box to get a feel of what’s inside, not that it would be anything of high value though given its cheap sender.

Curiosity gets the better of her and she succinctly opens the gift, her eyebrow quirked. A watch. Very typical. She notes how it’s made out of silver and she scoffs harshly. Even if she didn’t chuck it into the trash, Satoru would have done it himself since he prefers gold pieces over silver and he most certainly wouldn’t want to touch anything that was from you given how he loathed the very idea of you.

The attendant gulps when he sees Himiko harshly discard your gift. “Ms. Zenin, don’t you think that giving her that would be taking it too far? You know how the Crown Prince feels about those earrings. If he ever were to find out that it had gone missing…”

She turns her head in the direction of the bed where Gojo was currently tossing and turning in his sleep. “Then, I’ll tell His Highness that his chief butler,” her eyes were aglow with cunning as the butler trembled slightly at her murderous gaze. “Is a thief who stole from the imperial vaults, and if you ever decide to rat me out, who do you think the prince will believe? A nameless no account like you or me?”

It slowly registers in the attendant’s mind that he had been utterly played when Himiko asked him to give those earrings to you via an under the table agreement, it’s not like Satoru prepared a wedding gift for you anyway thinking that showing up to the accursed wedding in itself is a generous gift already. “…You used me…!” he whispers angrily, not wanting to rouse the prince.

Himiko shrugs nonchalantly. “And you were stupid enough to be used for a few banknotes. Now get lost, I’ll just inform His Highness of your voluntary resignation tomorrow morning.”

She closes the door on the rattled servant and saunters back over to the bed, slipping back under the sheets. Satoru sleepily notices the bed dip with her weight, and unconsciously snuggles closer to her, his arms wrapped around her form. She lovingly strokes his disheveled hair alternating between twirling his locks in her index finger and massaging his scalp as if she hadn’t just ruined a man’s life two minutes ago. Her hands reach for the phone on the nightstand and she scrolls through her feed watching a video of the bridal car pulling up to the cathedral.

She boredly watches you step out of the car with your hand looped through Suguru’s arm shyly waving to the thousands happily anticipating this glorious day while your bridesmaids help you with your wedding gown’s train so it doesn’t snag across the concrete steps. It takes about five minutes for the cathedral’s towering doors to open and she smirks when she sees you slowly make your way inside, completely oblivious to the fact that your groom is not at the end of the aisle where you expected him to be and is instead still soundly asleep next to her.

The silence that follows is indicative of the horrific scene that greeted you and Himiko switches off her phone, settling back into the pillows contentedly. Serves you right, (Y/N), she smirks.

12:30 PM.

Funny how you think that you’re immune to awful things that happen to other people…before it happens to you. There’ve been hundreds of stories like this before, but you never thought that you’d find yourself in the long list of unfortunate jilted brides. Your hands tremble as you hold your bouquet of white calla lilies and baby’s breaths. Surely you must have gone blind or something or this was all some sick dream, you desperately search the cathedral room with abject horror in your eyes. It couldn’t be…you take an uneasy step toward the witness as your wedding guests whisper amongst themselves, their hearts filled to the brim with condolences for you.

Something in you jeeringly mocks you as if to chide you for living too long in the forest of your fantasy, dodging every pocket of reality’s sunlight as it shines through the many trees you’ve cultivated with your delusions that this…whatever the hell this is…could miraculously work out in the end. That you stood a chance against all the cards that were catastrophically stacked against you, and that he could give you even just a scintilla of respect if it was truly impossible for him to ever learn to love you.

“Suguru,” you instinctively clutch his hand as if by him squeezing your hand back, you could miraculously be put together again. You were so heartbroken that you didn't even realize that you just called him by his name, forgoing the mention of his venerable title. “…I-I…” you gulp as you feel the dreaded words lodge deep in your throat, clogging your airways with uncried sobs.

“Oh, (Y/N), I’m so sorry…”

“…Where’s Satoru?”

water’s edge taglist: @dummyf @kentokaze @esthelily @mandysfanfics @userbananababes @strawberryjimin13 @snowprincesa1 @naturallyspontaneous @kooromin @gojoist @dcvilxswish @13-09-01 @peachipeachy @iluv-ace @sawendel @helloitsshitzulover @jjuniescuderia @ackermendick @starrylibras @timetobegone @heelariously @idktbhloley @jeon-blue @8aif9sgbsnn @purpleguk @rednezvous @yeseurri @floralsightings @yoheyyosup @dontwannacry04 @dragonladyy

REBLOGS AND INTERACTIONS IS WHAT KEEPS AUTHORS GOING SO SHOW SOME LOVE ✨💕 mwah! see you all in episode 2.5!

Playing games with Megumi Fushiguro at the arcade

Word count: 1609

Warnings: Suicidal thoughts.

Character: Megumi Fushiguro, Jujutsu Kaisen

Summary: You go to the arcade on your own to clear your head from all the negative thoughts that had been pestering you. Once you step inside you immediately feel at ease, you look around for a game to play, but your eye falls on someone you know very well..

Lately you haven't been feeling all too well. Being so alone all the time, hating yourself and your body image were all making you feel like this world was just not meant for you. It had taken you days to gather up some courage to finally go outside again. All day long you were snuggled up in your blankets, your focus mainly being to distract yourself by going onto social media.

But today you were determined to lift your spirits and get the 'old you' back. And that is why you were standing right in front of the arcade right now. As a teen you would always run straight to the arcade after school. It did affect your grades, just a bit, but you will never forget all the happy memories you made there with your childhood friends. Megumi was one of them.

He looked like a reserved person, someone who prefers being alone, but back then that was different. Megumi did tend to be a bit of a stubborn kid. Even though he was small and young, he didn't hesitate to beat someone into a pulp.

A slight smile pulled on your lips as all the memories came flooding back. With a bit of effort you managed to push the door open, your eyes going back and forth to look at all the game machines. The sound of people winning loads of tickets and others grunting because of frustration was something you had missed, surprisingly, since you preferred some peace and quiet around you.

Your finger tapped gently onto your chin as you thought long and hard about what game you were going to play. It didn't take you long to come up with one, a favourite of course.

As you were about to make your way to the machine, your eyes landed on a boy far in the distance with spiky, raven hair. You furrowed your brows for a moment, focusing your gaze on the boy to see if it actually was him.

You knew without a shadow of doubt..

Megumi Fushiguro.

Your heart pounded like a crazy animal once you realised. As much as you wanted to go play your game, you didn't want to pass on an opportunity to catch up with Fushiguro. He was your childhood friend and the two of you were still very close, despite not being able to see and talk to each other as much.

You sheepishly smiled as you asked politely to a few people here and there if they could make some room for you to pass. And, before stepping up to Megumi, you took a deep breath and tapped his shoulder gently.

The boy turned his head, his expression being as vague as ever. You couldn't make out whether or not he was happy to see you.

''Oh, Y/N. I didn't expect seeing you here again. Did you know I was here?'' Megumi questioned, pausing his game to give all his attention to you, ''N-No! I just came here to... clear my head and cheer myself up. But it's nothing you should worry about!'' You exclaimed, trying to not make yourself to suspicious.

''Hm, have you been busy lately?'' Megumi asked as a soft hue starting forming on his cheeks. You knew he was not the best with other people's emotions, so you didn't bother him with it any further.

''A bit, work has been chaotic lately because of a shortage on employees.'' You sighed, rubbing your neck as you could still feel the strain of working overtime so many days.

''...What about you?''

''Nothing different.''

You simply nodded, feeling a bit of tension rise whenever there fell a silence. Megumi just stood there for a moment, you could sense he was a bit nervous. Could it be because you haven't seen him in a while? Or is he just very tense in crowded places?

As much as you'd like to know, there was no way Fushiguro would open up about his feelings to anyone.

''Hey.. let's go play some games together if you want?'' You mumbled softly, nervously waiting for an answer. Megumi nodded and gestured you to follow you to another arcade game. You held your breath as you followed the raven-haired boy, his pace was pretty quick. It was as if he was excited to play with someone else since, as far as you knew, Megumi never went here with anyone else.

He turned around, a soft smile plastered on his face. ''Want to play this game? It seems like a fun game to play together.'' Megumi suggested, holding one of the hammers, belonging to the Whack a Mole game. You took it from his hands, your fingers brushing on his hand, your cheeks heating up. You were easily flustered.

You played a few rounds with him, both of you getting pretty competitive as the time flew by. A few chuckles could be heard from Megumi who seemed to be completely comsumed by playing the game. You hit the last mole and the scores lit up in red on the screen in front of you. You balled your hands into a fist and celebrated your victory. Megumi patted your back and smiled, ''You were pretty good. I think we should do this again sometime.'' He said, the soft hue just barely visible on his cheeks again.

''Definitely! I really enjoyed spending time with you, Megumi."

''So did I..''

You heard the words echo in your head over again and again. You couldn't believe what you just heard. You could feel your legs getting weaker, it felt like they turned into jelly. You had given up the thought of ever getting together with Fushiguro, but right now, even the impossible seemed possible.

''I'm glad. It's pretty late already though.. I don't want to be alone in the dark.'' You cleared your throat, feeling emberassed about the fact that you just admitted to Megumi that you're scared of the dark.

''I'll walk you home. Let's go.'' Megumi said, reaching out his hand, waiting for you to put yours into his. That was exactly what you did, and then, you felt his grip tighten on your hand. You felt safe when you were around him, and especially now that he held your hand so lovingly.

During the entire walk, the two of you talked about memories from when you were younger. You remember Megumi coming to you whenever he was hurt from picking fights again. You were always a caring and kind person. Many people came to you from time to time, but Megumi would come to you regardless of how serious his injuries were. He could really be himself around you.

You laughed at a comment Megumi made as you made your way up the steps to the door of your place. His hand slowly slipped out of yours as you rummaged through your pockets to get the keys out of them. When you finally managed to get them out you looked him into the eyes, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

''Megumi.. I really enjoy myself whenever I'm around you. Lately I've been trying to find the right words to say this.. But, I love you. I always did. I can't think straight whenever we're together. I couldn't seem to wipe this bright smile off of my face when you held my hand so tenderly.'' You confessed, your breath speeding up when you noticed he fell silent.

Fushiguro looked down at the floor, unable to make eye contact with you right now. You would understand if he wasn't going to say anything, ''You don't have to say anything, but I just wanted to let you know. So, please don't think any differently of me now.''

Before you could even blink you were pulled against Megumi. His arms were wrapped around you, not too tight and not too gentle, but just enough to make it feel like an angel's wings were protecting you from harm.

''You're the only one who has genuinely made me feel happy, Y/N. You showed me what it felt like to be loved and how to love others..''

You felt him relax into your embrace. It must have been such a big relief for him to finally confess to you.

A few tears rolled down your cheeks, the little droplets creating two wet spots on Megumi's sweater. You were a mess. Every day you felt worthless and that the world would be better off without you. Every thought that went through your mind told you to just end it all, but Megumi changed that. He was your reason. Your reason to stay.

''I could tell from the look on your face that you haven't been feeling great lately. I know how hard it is.. Please, if you've thought about. Stay.. Stay for me. Without you I wouldn't have been where I am today.'' He muttered, finally lifting his head from your shoulder to gaze into your eyes, tears still brimming and making its way down your cheeks. Megumi put his thumbs on your cheeks, wiping your tears away as he then put his head against yours.

His face inched closer to yours, he pressed a quick kiss against your lips. An electric shock gushed down your entire body.

''Be mine, Y/N.''

You passionately kissed him as well, lunging your body towards Megumi, just to find yourself in another hug.

The rest of the night you spend together with him. His body was pressed against your back, the touch comforting you and making you feel completely at ease. Your eyes slowly fluttered close as you both fell asleep cuddled close to one another.

𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 - 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝗷𝗼

sypnosis. your dreams with Satoru coming to an end after the 'shinjuku showdown' fight aftermath.

contents. hurt/no comfort, canon-typical violence, blood, major character death, emotional distress, angst, fiancé!gojo.

word count. 1k

—————————————————————————

Life had a way for screwing him over.

When Satoru Gojo thought about death, he brushed it off. The strongest can’t die, he used to say. Almost thinking it as some sort of joke or an insult towards him. He believed—deep down—that he’d be the one sorcerer to walk away without regrets. Or at least, that he’d be exempt from them.

But after the fight with Sukuna in Shinjuku on December 24th, 2018?

He realized just how wrong he was.

Even after declaring victory, he didn’t quite expect Sukuna to stop right there and then. One second of letting his guard down was all it took. One second to cost him everything.

There’s so much blood. The metallic scent hangs heavy in the air as Satoru lies on the ground he once fought beneath—his body in two halves, cleaved straight through his Infinity. He’s barely conscious now, slipping in and out. Something he never thought would happen. Not to him.

Everything hurts. God, he forgot just how bad this felt ever since his fight with Toji Fushiguro. His one and only slip up, he thought. It was almost like deja vu for the man. But not hurting as much as seeing you cry.

When he hears your voice tremble—*“I just got you back”—*something in him became aware of something he hadn’t realize yet. All this time, putting work above, rushing for the thrill of not only fighting but his goals as well made him realize it wasn’t just him being affected, but everyone else who admired him.

“I’m sorry,” he chokes out, voice raw and fragile. Even speaking hurts.

Years.

Months of finally having peace. Of holding your hand without fear. Of knowing you were his, and he was yours. Of talking about wedding venues and late-night takeout. And now—just like that—it was all crumbling.

You told yourself you wouldn’t cry. No. You shouldn’t cry.

He was going to make it.

He had to.

But the more blood you saw, the more you saw his eyes flutter closed, the more that belief began to feel like a fantasy.

You had just gotten him back.

You were just about to get married.

You were finally building the life you dreamed of.

You shook your head, rejecting his apology. “It’s okay. Really, it’s okay…” you whispered, your voice nearly breaking. You stood at his side, frozen. Paralyzed. You didn’t care who was watching—his students, Shoko—it didn’t matter. You were more vulnerable than ever, and all you could see was him.

Then he asked if you were mad at him. Even now, even like this, he was worried about your feelings. About where you stood. About hurting you. “No… no, don’t say that…” you mumbled, finally stepping forward to take his hand. Your outfit was soaked in blood—his blood. Your eyes were red, your face flushed. You looked like a mess, but none of it mattered.

You wanted everyone to see what had been done to him.

To feel even a fraction of what you and Satoru felt.

His eyes drooped again, and panic set in. Was time running out already? “I’m not mad. I’ll never be mad,” you sniffled. Your voice cracked again. Even through every fight, every harsh word, your devotion never wavered. Satoru managed a weak smile, relief softening his battered face. Pain rippled through him as he leaned into your touch. His eyes fluttered closed, and a shallow, rattling breath escaped him. Speaking was getting harder.

When his gaze met yours again, it faltered. You were covered in his blood. You looked completely broken. “You don’t… have to see me like this…” he whispered. The words were barely air. But you couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“I love you.”

It was time.

Those words had waited too long. Always there, always understood—but never said. They weren’t casual words. Not for you. They carried weight. Meaning.

Real. Serious.

That’s why he looked so shocked.

“I love you, Satoru Gojo,” you said again, firmer this time. Your voice wavered, but it was clear.

If he wasn't in his current state, he would've probably taken that statement as a joke to deflect the tension between them. But Satoru couldn't deny the sincerity of your words, and the emotion behind them made his heart ache. For the first time in a long time, he felt vulnerable, even if he was close to death.

He squeezed your hand—weakly, but with intent. His lips parted, trying to reply, but his throat clenched. No words came.

You didn’t need them. Not really.

“I will always love you,” you whispered.

You wanted to hear it back—just once. But you didn’t ask. You wouldn’t put that weight on him. Not now.

Leaning down, you kissed him.

A soft kiss. Gentle. Barely there.

It felt like your first kiss—right outside Jujutsu High. The day when you two finally became teachers, you two also confessed to one another. The sun had been warm, and despite being adults, you’d giggled like kids.

You pulled away, lips stained in his blood, and studied his face. Your love had always been complicated. Messy. Raw. But he never doubted you. You never doubted him.

Unspoken, but always understood.

You were already thinking back.

Your first mission.

Your first kiss.

Your first time.

Your first date.

Your first everything.

You remembered the quiet talks about a future. About family. About souvenirs from the missions he will have outside of the country as a makeup. Sharing strawberry cake after midnight when you two had cravings. Making Kikufuku—his favorite—and making a disaster of your kitchen.

And then came the regret.

Not the big things.

The little ones.

Regretting the times you scolded him over trivial things.

Regretting not buying that stupid cake he nagged you about all day.

Regretting the times you said, “Not today,” when he wanted to hang out.

Regretting not savoring every single second—even though you thought you had. Because it’s always the littlest things that stay with you when you’re losing someone. The things you thought you’d always have. But you weren’t the only one with regrets.

His?

He didn’t do enough.

He worries—despite all his strength—that nothing truly changed. That the higher-ups will keep failing the next generation. That more students will die too soon. That the cycle will never end.

He should’ve done more.

He could’ve done more.

He didn’t even want to believe he was really here, bleeding out and thinking about his regrets. He wanted to laugh at himself for even thinking that way, but he couldn’t run away from it. Not anymore.

He was getting weaker. Silently he was telling himself this was really it. Fighting the urge to stay awake, his time was coming to an end. Even with death, he hadn’t felt this peaceful since the day he was born. Being the only time in his life that he was ever at peace.

The last thing Satoru feels before he closes his eyes is your kiss. And despite the pain, despite the blood and the agony— that moment where his body become unfamiliar to the feeling of comfort and relaxation—

He savors it.

He savors you.

—————————————————————————

note. this is my first time publishing on tumblr! i’ve been using my notes app as a journal and thought a small wip could be shared :). thank u xo

Multiple Masterlist

JJK men x Autistic!reader

Opening up to them about past abusive relationships

Ft: Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Nanami Kento, Fushiguro Toji, Kamo Choso, Ryomen Sukuna, Shiu Kong, Shoko Ieiri, Uraume

TW: Angst, mentions of past abuse, suggestive with Sukuna's

Sorry @becauseimsoothatgirl I decided to not add the jjk boys in this one, but i hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! I hope I wrote well for all of them, because did was my first ever smau!

back to the mlist?

Omg ur waiting for request- where's my manners. Btw good evening, If you don't mind me asking. Can you do JJK react to Y/N puking blood, and they also ended up having wounds and bruises. Where the reader got punched so hard in the stomach that they have to vomit blood(during the fight with a curse) I hope it wasn't confusing. Thank you in advance. I hope you have a great day. Oh also I've read some of ur writings and they are awesome! Eat three times a day, stay hidrated and rest when u are tired. Have a great day fellow writer! ^^💖

A/N: OMG! After a billion years, thank you for the request! So, I did get some-what stuck on one part, but I got it. I'm happy that you liked my writings! Have a wonderful day/night dear writer! :D

Reader will be Gender Neutral!

Characters: Itadori Yuuji, Fushiguro Megumi, Nobara Kugisaki, Zenin Maki, Inumaki Toge, Pandaaaash!, Okkotsu Yuuta, and Gojo Satoru

Warning: There may be a few deaths bc im evil. spoilers, i think :p 

Please help this child. ITADORI was freaking out when he saw you suddenly hunch over and cough up a small amount blood after getting out of Ijichi’s car. He snapped out of his shock though and picked you up bridal style to Shoko, so that she can use her reversed technique on you. Itadori made sure you weren't too uncomfortable with him pressing against your wounds. You were knocked out cold on your way there. “Please don’t die! Don’t leave us behind!” Itadori’s voice wavered. He carefully placed you down on the operating table and gave Shoko some space. When your surgery was a success, you did wake up however, you instantly apologized for scaring Itadori like that. He held your hand tightly and told you he was glad you were still with him. With the whole Technical College.

MEGUMI was freaking out on the inside. You almost stumbled to the floor, but good thing best boi caught you in time. He carried you on his back, also careful of you wounds. He did not care about getting blood on his uniform. He just wants to get you to Shoko’s as soon as possible. “Damn it! Why did they take this mission” Megumi thought quietly as he rushed to the infirmary. Megumi felt some liquid pouring into his uniform and onto his white button up, sticking to his skin. He place you on Shoko’s operating table and explained what he had saw. Megumi was shooed out. Once he was outside the infirmary, he saw his two classmates, his friends standing outside the door wondering what the hell is happening. Megumi almost forgot and opened his jacket and there was a trail of blood from his collar to all the way to the middle of his abdomen. Shoko came out and told everyone the news. You already lost too much blood.

KUGISAKI couldn’t believe her eyes and yelled for Itadori to help her carry you. She tried her best to not to bump into your body hard. She did yell at poor Itadori though. “Don’t do that!” or “You’re gonna hurt them even more!”. Save that man please. On the way to Shoko, she did see blood come out of your mouth, right? Or, was she hallucinating? Nobara was getting more and more worried. “Move faster, you dork!” “I’m going the fast as I can!”. When they did make it to Shoko, you barely have a heartbeat. Shoko took you into her own hands in treating you. While the other students waited, Nobara was holding onto Maki’s arm to help calm herself. When Shoko announced you were stable, Nobara almost shed tears, but that was soon replaced with her “anger”. RIP to you.

MAKI secured your arm around her shoulders when she first saw you. She awkwardly chuckled at your form. Helping you on your way to Shoko. “Sorry about this, Maki” You started. Maki smiled a bit, “Don’t worry about it-”, her smile dropped when she saw you hunching over a bit, violently throwing up blood. She was concerned, yes, but shes not going to stop and check up on you and your bloody waterfall. She ushered you to hurry onto your way to Shoko. Just like Megumi, Maki explained what happened after you came back. Maki left and went back to her dorm. Yeah, she cares but she knows you’re in good care. She’ll see you tomorrow. So, the next day, when she saw you up and moving already, she bonked you on the head and smirked.

INUMAKI was on that mission with you. You pushed him out of the curses way and you got hit. Toge had you on his back, you puked blood in Ijichi’s car. Inumaki ran almost too fast and fell. He was glad you were still on his back. Once you guys got to Shoko, Inumaki slammed the door so loud, i’m pretty sure Megumi, listening to music, could’ve heard it. “Okaka!” Inumaki shouted, but Shoko was NOT in the infirmary. He laid you down and tried you patch up the minor wounds. Shoko not in sight. He didn’t know what to do. Toge remembered Principal Yaga’s words. Most of staff had a meeting with the higher ups. Inumaki checked your pulse. There was nothing. Not a single beat. Inumaki hugged your now cold body. He couldn’t cry out loud, but he sure as hell blamed himself for being slow. For being weak. For not noticing the curse sooner or later.

PANDA stood in front of you, in gorilla mode. He was pissed off at the curse in front of him, but nonetheless he had to get you back to the college. Ending the curse swiftly, he reverted back to a panda. “PAAAANDAAAAAASHHHHH!” as Panda placed you on his shoulder while running to the college, he was getting crowded by curious and happy people. They wanted pictures with him, but I don't think they do anymore because they saw you all bloodied up. They almost called 911. When he got into the school, he ran like his life depended on it. Shoko was there and she treated you almost immediately. When you woke up, he had your favorite snacks in a bag. He sat there with you and you guys talked about random stuff. Isn’t that cute?

YUUTA was freaking the heck out! He didn’t mean to. Yuuta had to scold Rika for hurting you while you guys were on a mission. He saw a pool of blood forming at your mouth. He picked you up and held you close to his chest. He even told Ijichi to drive faster. Once at the college, he almost tripped on a rock. Yuuta was so thankful Shoko was in. “Why didn’t you use your reverse technique?”, Yuuta just stood there. ‘You’re an official idiot, Yuuta’. He got pushed out though. When you were feeling better though, Yuuta immediately apologized to you and you forgave him because it was neither of your faults.

GOJO couldn’t believe his ears. You, his student, is in Shoko’s infirmary. He hoped it wouldn't be like last time. He just barely lost one of his students, he hoped he wouldn’t lose another. When he did arrive at the infirmary, he saw his student, shirtless, with a huge bruise on their abdomen. Tell me this man wouldn’t get pissed off that he finds out you have been sent out to exercise a grade one cursed spirit only to have an unidentified one pop out of nowhere. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Shoko draping a white blanket over your entire body. Gojo now understood. He had lost someone important to his goals. Gojo knew you weren’t coming back just like Yuuji did. “Huh, maybe I should just kill the higher ups.”. Gojo Satoru was dead serious, but Shoko stopped him from doing so.

A/n: I hope you guys enjoyed this! Also, I wanna say, whenever I read fanfics about a student reader, they ALWAYS make Gojo into this veryyy childish and clingy person. They even make him into a perverted cocky man, like I can’t-. It comes off as weird to me, like when did this become a thing? Anyways, this was just my opinion.

Taglist:

@torilovesyuuji

A Little Unlikeable||JJK ANGST Pt.3

(Various!Jujutsu Kaisen x fem!Reader + oc)

WARNING!: Character death, Mentions of Blood, Bullying(I think?), Mentions of suicide, Angst, Cringey stuff, Grammar errors

A/n: This is the last part of the minnie-series! Requests are open! Feel free to request. p.s. please reach out to someone if you are struggle with something :)

Pt.1  Pt.2

Finding the obnoxious Gojo Satoru was easy on campus. Ijichi had asked Gojo to follow him to the infirmary(?). 

“Hey, hey, Ijichi, where are we goinggg?” Gojo sang. Gojo Satoru isn’t a dumb man. He has a feeling there was another death. Another body to bury. Finding another soon to be sorcerer.

As Gojo and Ijichi arrived into the infirmary. Gojo had noticed a covered body on the operating table. Shoko revealed the head of the late sorcerer. Gojo’s eyes widen slightly. He swallowed hard.

Yeah, another body to bury...

No, it wasn’t another body to bury. Its an empty seat when he enters the classroom. 

He was in denial for a bit. This must be a prank. Yeah, a prank. He gave the other students a prank as well. “What happened?” Gojo calmly asked, Ijichi was nervous. “She-” Shoko was interrupted by the door opening and soon came in the other students.

The students were shocked, except for one. That one student was delighted.

Nobara couldn’t believe her eyes. “W-What? We just saw h-her this morning. Why is she-” She couldn’t finish her sentence as a sob came out of her mouth. Nobara turned to her right and cried on Itadori’s shoulder.

‘Why did this happen? This wasn’t supposed to happen.’

Itadori didn’t know how to react. He couldn’t cry.

He was used to losing people in his life.

Itadori slowly lifted his shaky arm and tried to comfort Nobara. This was unbelievable. I mean it was bound to happen. Why did it happen now? Why today? We were supposed to hang out today.

Megumi was in shock. He kept himself calm and composed on the outside though. He felt hurt and doubtful.

Did you not want to hang out with them? Did you not care about their feelings? No, he shouldn’t think like that. Not now. Not ever.

“Ok-Okaka!”

Toge Inumaki was also in denial. There was no way in hell you would go down so easily! Not when he once asked you to train with him, he got his butt whipped 3 times. Who the hell would do this to you?

Its not fair. But yet again, nothing in this world is fair.

Maki clenched her fists. “What happened to her?” Maki couldn’t believe her eyes. Shoko looked at the group with sad eyes, “She was killed by a cursed spirit, stronger than her.” Shoko explained.

No, no, no, no! Just like Inumaki, you wouldn’t go down like that. Whoever did this to you, Maki swore she will avenge you. How will she explain your death to your older brother?

How will she explain this to Yuuta?

Saki was...happy?

Finally, she’s dead. My cousin is finally dead! Now I have to get rid of Yuuta. After I’m done with Yuuta, I will be the next heir when Gojo steps down!

Saki quietly giggled.

That quiet giggle then turned to laughter.

The group of students turned to Saki, even the adults.

Why wasn’t she sad her cousin died?

“Saki,” Gojo spoke with a serious tone, “What's so funny?”.

Saki stiffened, “No-Nothing!”. Saki ran towards your body and picked up your hand. “Aww boo hoo! My dear cousin. Why did you die?” Saki said in a dramatic voice. “Saki” Gojo spoke once more. Saki stood there, with no emotion. Suddenly, she started laughing, “ I don’t know why you care about her. She’s useless!”.

A voice came from the entrance, “She is not useless. It is you who is useless”. All the attention is now directed towards the door.

It was Yuuta!

Saki widened her eyes and tried to attack Yuuta and plan her escape. Key word: Tried.

After Saki attacked Yuuta, she was now considered a curse-user. By-all-means, she was then killed by none other than Gojo. Everyone ignored Saki’s body. Yuuta took the time to walk over to your body and allowed a few tears to fall off his face. He used his hand to brush out your hair and kissed your forehead. 

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect you. You weren’t supposed to go before me. Wait for me a little longer, okay?” Sobs were heard in the room. That was the day they had to let go, but not enough to forget you.

END :)

TAGS:

@torilovesyuuji​

A Little Unlikeable|| JJK

ANGST Pt.2

(Various? Jujustu Kaisen x Reader + oc)

WARNING!: Character death, Mentions Blood, Bullying(I think?), Mentions of Suicide, Angst, Cringey stuff, Grammar Errors, switching pov(??)

A/n: This minnie-series is coming to an end with just one more part. Sorry if this part is a little short, I made this the same day as the first part. p.s. please reach out to someone if you are struggling with something :)

Pt.1 Pt.3

You were waiting at the front of the school, waiting for Ijichi. You woke up really early just to avoid your school mates. “Konbu!”, turning around you see Inumaki waving at you?

Inumaki stood by you. You stood there with him, confused. Soon, your school mates were with you. You were getting pretty anxious to not notice your cousin was not with the group.

Nobara then shoved a basket of treats in front of you, forcing you to hold the basket in your arms. Megumi was the first to speak, “We would all like to apologize for the way we treated you”. Maki threw her arm around your shoulder, you were shocked.

Did they want something from you? Is that why they’re being nice?

“We heard you’re going on a solo mission. You sure you don’t need anyone to help you?” Panda asked concerningly. You shook your head, coming over the shock. Nobara placed a hand on her hip, “When you need help, call us. Okay?”.

Itadori pats your shoulder, “Lets all hang out when y/n gets back!”. Maki nodded “That sounds like a good idea.” taking her arm off your shoulder, “well, how about it, y/n?”. You softly smiled and muttered a small okay.

You did not believe a single word they said. You believed you were going to have to repay Nobara for the basket of gifts. You believed that they wanted something from you. They did,

Your forgiveness.

A honk came from behind you. Ijichi has arrived. You waved a small goodbye to the group and climbed into the car. 

Your mission was at this abandoned playground. The curse you were going to defeat was a second grade curse. You’re not that weak!

Ijichi had already place a barrier. Now you see the curse. You were going to use your cursed technique but the curse had beaten you to it.

The curse had cut your arm. You quickly used your cursed technique and finished off the curse with a few more hits.

The curtain finally disappeared. You looked in Ijichi’s direction but only to see him missing from his spot. You deadpanned.

You fished out your phone to see a text from Gojo.

“Ijichi had to come back and take the trio to their mission. Oops heheᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ”

You were a little irked by his message, but you did hang at the abandoned playground. Two minutes had passed and you decided to head back, only to see another curse. A barrier was already formed. You didn’t do this. You get into your fighting stance. Ready to exorcise the curse with no hesitation.

Yet again, you were too slow. Everything was going so slow. All you felt is pain. You hear “You’re a boring toy. I need a new one since I broke you.”, before you blacked out.

Ijichi had found you. You were messed up. You looked like you had lost your soul.

Without wasting any time, Ijichi carried you into his car and rushed you to Ieiri. In hopes of saving you.

By the time he got your body to Shoko, the last few words he didn’t want to say to Gojo.

“I’m sorry, but she’s already dead”.

@torilovesyuuji

A Little Unlikeable|| JJK ANGST Pt.1

(Various? Jujutsu Kaisen x Reader + an oc)

WARNING!: Character death, Mentions Blood, Bullying (I think?), Mentions of Suicide, Angst, Vulgar language, Cringey stuff, Grammar Errors, switching pov a bunch

A/n: My neck and wrists started feeling so uncomfortable after writing this.

p.s. please reach out to someone if you are struggling with something :)

Pt.2 Pt.3

In a few more days, I’m going to have a solo mission!

Whats this mission you ask? This mission was given to me per request. I had asked Gojo-sensei if I could try going on a mission solo, you know, just to experience it.

Gojo-sensei agreed but he did say Ijichi was going to wait for me until I have finished the cursed spirit in one piece.

In one piece?

Can he say that to the other students as well? Well I guess not because I’m not special. Everyone’s going to get hurt.

“Oi, move it”, I looked up to see Saki glaring down at me. I saw Itadori, Nobara and Fushiguro by her side. I bowed and apologized, moving out of her way. 

“Haa? I would like it if you bowed six-feet-under” Saki looked down at you in disgust. You apologized again. You hear Megumi click his tongue, “come on, lets leave her”. You assumed they left due to hearing footsteps and Itadori’s laughter going away in the distance. You stood up straight, trying to contain your tears. 

What did you do wrong? Saki, Nobara, and Maki started being mean to you ever since you started the Jujutsu college, which was three weeks ago. Inumaki and Panda started to avoid you. Itadori and Megumi tried their best to ignore you but are also mean. The only people that has been nice to you was Gojo and the Kyoto school. Of course, Gojo-sensei had to be nice to you because you were his student. I don’t know how the Kyoto school got along with you, but you were grateful. 

You felt something hit the back of your head, knocking you to the ground. You looked up and saw Maki glaring down at you, staff in hand. “Okaka” Inumaki said, totally ignoring your figure on the ground. Panda stared at you with no emotion shown in his eyes.

“Oh! Its time for class!” Gojo grinned as he opened the door to his classroom. He looked at the scene in front of him, “Oi Maki-sAaAn, don't go and scare my student” Gojo teased. You could practically see a tic mark. Maki tsk’ed and the second year’s left to their classroom. You felt a tug on the back of your uniform. Before you know it, you were already in your seat. 

Not even 5 minutes in, the bottom of your thighs feel numb and looks like there was 4 was on both of thighs, two on each side. So you poked one of the bumps and what looked like a needle, popped out of it.

Oh?

You panicked as more blood was already running down your thigh and onto the wooden chair. “Hm? Are you okay, Y/n-chan?” Gojo spoke. With a shaky voice you replied, “No, I’m fine”. Gojo proceeds to lecture the small class about cursed energy and such. You can hear Saki trying to contain her laughter.

A folded piece of paper slid onto your desk and you opened it, already knowing who it was from.

It was a drawing with you on a noose, lifeless. There was also writing on the note. The note said “Dead without a single tear shed by her ‘friends’” and a tiny “Go off yourself”. You folded the paper and just watched Gojo lecture without a single emotion on your face. You hear Megumi scoff a bit.

After class, you attempted to clean the blood off the chair by using your jacket from your uniform. You then tied your jacket around your waist in a certain position, to make it look like it was covering your entire legs.

“Y/n-chan! Come here please” Gojo spoke, mentioning you over to the front of the class. Taking a few steps up, Gojo grinned down at you, chuckling a bit while he pinches your cheek a little too hard.

“I moved your solo mission to tomorrow morning. I’m telling you this now as your teacher, use as much resources for this mission since you have no partner for tomorrow. Good luck!” Gojo-sensei throwing up thumbs up in your face until you left the classroom.

Gojo thought it was strange, you were leaking through your shorts. He would laugh at your embarrassment when your jacket falls off your waist.

You walked into your room and locked the door. You headed straight towards the bathroom and grabbed a rag and a first-aid kit. You placed the rag in your mouth incase this was going to be painful. Opened the first aid kit and started your task.

Pull. One.

Pull. Two.

Pull. Three.

Pull. Four.

Your screams were muffled due to the rag. You hoped no one heard through the paper-thin walls. Quickly, you damped anti-infectant onto a few cotton balls, placing them on your wounds, and wrapping them with gauze. You secured the gauze and head to bed. 

While you were asleep, there was a meeting with the first years and second years. 

“Uhh, guys. I don’t think me and Toge can do this anymore” Panda spoke. Inumaki nodded, “Shake”. Maki sighed, already apologizing to the h/c girl quietly. If Gojo hadn't told them this stupid dare in the first place. The dare was to be mean to y/n for three 1/2 weeks. Nobara sighed, saldy. She was really hoping to go shopping with the girl. Suddenly another girl joined their convo, “HA! Who even cares about the bitch? She’s such a crybaby!”. Maki, Megumi, and Nobara glared at Saki. The room was dead silent.

“Why are you talking about her like you know her?” Megumi’s cold voice cuts through the silence. Saki snorted, “Why wouldn’t I know anything about my stupid, deadbeat of a cousin?”. All Saki felt was a painful stinging on her cheek. It was Nobara who had punched her.

Everyone left one-by-one, leaving Saki behind. Everyone was planning their apologies to the h/c girl.

0 Tags :)

every time i think about inumaki post shibuya all i hear is a loop of

MY SHAYLAAAA

Fictional | O. Yuuta

Pairing(s) : Yuuta Okkotsu x Reader

Warnings : Angst!

Summary : Yuuta has had a long day, a tiring one. And he dreams of you, his comfort character. In a world where you're the fictional one.

Word count : 0.5k words

"You're back." He whispered as he felt your fingers brush his eyelids.

He was sitting on the floor, leaning onto the bed with his head just slightly tilted onto the bed. His feet were both still planted on the ground as he rested both hands on his knees.

"Hmhmm, you must be really tired. Did you miss me?" You asked with a smile on your face, hands brushing through his hair.

"I missed you so much." He said, followed by a long sigh.

You let out a small chuckle as you moved, lying on your stomach with your head right beside his ear. You planted a soft kiss on his ear and his neck before burrying your face in his shoulder.

"Don't push yourself too much, Yuuta."

"I'm not pushing myself too far."

"You're tired. You need to rest, you know? Even special grades need a break every now and then." You said as your arms made its way around his neck, hanging right in front of his chest. He grabbed your hands and gently pat them, holding them before kissing your fingers.

"You know, it's getting dark. You haven't had dinner, have you?" You asked.

"That can wait." He said as he pulled your arms, so you'd hold him tighter.

"Yuuta..."

"Don't. Just let us enjoy the moment."

"I love you, you know that, right? You really need to take care of yourself better."

He let out a hum of acknowledgement, but kept his eyes closed as he enjoyed the sensation of your hair brushing his neck and cheek, your face burried in the crook of his neck, and your arms holding him close. He never wanted the moment to end. Ever.

"Open your eyes, Yuuta." You whispered.

Yuuta opened his eyes, you were right, it was getting dark. He straightened his back and felt his sore muscles, he'd been sitting on the floor for too long.

He looked up to his desk, a poster stuck on the wall, right above his mini collection of mangas. You were there, smiling brightly. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at you. You were someone he'd protect with his all, someone he'd love with everything he had. If only the two of you existed in the same universe, he'd make sure your life was beautiful and safe, far away from the troubles you had to go through. He'd make sure you never had to cry alone from those painful events in your life.

And you'd do the same. You'd comfort him everytime he had a bad day, and you'd remind him to eat or clean up. You'd hug him tightly and run your hair through his hair. You'd be the perfect lover, and so would he.

"I wish you were real, Y/N." He said, mostly to himself and the empty room he called his home.

I wish we live in the same universe, where we'd be able to love each other and have our happy ever after. He said in his heart, not letting his mouth speak those words aloud.

"But, you're not real."